speed of dark

My brother and our frequent contributor, Uncle T, once again offers his own perspective on the year's best.


1. Let’s Just Be - Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts
Diamond Ring
Joseph Arthur moves from modern-studio folk-pop solo artist to a harder rocking, organic sound fronting this new band that includes Kraig Jarret Johnson (Jayhawks, Golden Smog) and guitarist Jennifer Turner (Fur Slide, Natalie Merchant). This includes collaborative songs and some great numbers from Joe. And this band pushes the limits with some brilliant rock-n-roll anarchy. A very pleasant surprise from Mr. Arthur. This CD has got it all. Can’t wait for the next one.

2. Under The Blacklight - Rilo Kiley
The Angels Hung Around
Jenny Lewis and the band follow their breakout CD More Adventurous with an even more adventurous CD of bass-heavy 1970s-style vapid pop songs they elevate to utter coolness. That pretty much puts this band at the top of the pops.

3. Easy Tiger - Ryan Adams
Clean and sober Ryan cranks out a very consistent and listenable CD, again with his alt-country backing band the Cardinals. This one sounds similar to his last with the
Cardinals (Jacksonville City Nights), with less emphasis on the Gram Parsons trip.
(Concert review)

4. Neon Bible - The Arcade Fire
Very nice operatic and lush rock augmented with strings, horns, church organ, and hurdy-gurdy. The themes are both modern and dark gothic, but there’s always a positive and hopeful spirit that shines through. This is probably destined to be a classic.

5. Sky Blue Sky - Wilco
Jeff Tweedy reconvenes yet another version of Wilco for this CD, some of whose songs harken back to the alt-country style of their first CD (AM). This is a very consistent and nice sounding CD, where Mr. Tweedy finally finds the proper balance between his experimental and listenable sides. This is now my favorite Wilco CD.

6. Dylanesque - Bryan Ferry
Baby Let Me Follow You Down
A CD of all Bob Dylan covers done in very cool Roxy-esque arrangements. Great stuff.

7. In Rainbows - Radiohead
It may not have songs rivaling the highlights of their last three CDs, but this is their most fully listenable effort since OK Computer. Nice operatic vocals by Thom Yorke throughout. Officially, this will be released January 1, 2007, but it was released as a download from the band's Website in October, a rather ballsy move that seems to have paid off.

8. Grinderman - Grinderman
Love Bomb
This Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds side project (with Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, Jim Scavunos) is way-out-there rock-n-roll anarchy. This is the Nick Cave CD we always knew he was capable of. It’s smart, vile, obscene, in your face, and pretty damn good.

9. Twelve - Patti Smith
Gimme Shelter
Extremely good CD of cover songs from artists as diverse as Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Nirvana, and the Allman Brothers Band. Smith approaches each song with reverence, originality, and purpose. She’s backed by her great band augmented by bassist Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), guitarist Tom Verlaine (Television), and others.

10. Challengers - The New Pornographers
Challengers
Not as good as their last, the stellar Twin Cinema, but good enough. They go for a more organic pop sound.


Related posts:
Alt-gramma's Top 10 Albums of 2007
Uncle T's Favorites of 2006

For my top 10 albums, I'm judging the albums as a whole, not just by a couple of songs that might be my favorites. I'm considering not just how good the artist was, in my humble opinion, but how well the album worked as a unit. That is where In Rainbows failed in my judgment, although musically I liked all of my top three albums nearly equally. In Rainbows seemed like a crazy quilt of songs not having much connection to each other and rather patched together, while both The Shepherd's Dog and Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? each have a solid focus in which the songs work together to build a single work.

Two albums on my list, Land of Talk’s Applause Cheer Boo Hiss and Division Day’s Beatrap Island don’t appear on other people’s lists partly because the self-released versions were on many best-of lists last year. I missed picking up on those, so I’m able to go with the official releases that occurred this year.

The Battle of Land and Sea’s official full-length debut album will not be released until January 15, but it has truly been such a favorite of mine this year that I’m listing the self-released EP version and encouraging you to go with the new release, which I was lucky enough to get hold of a couple of months ago.


1. The Shepherd’s Dog - Iron and Wine
Resurrection Fern
At first I thought "Boy With a Coin" was the only noteworthy song on this album, but one day I put on headphones and listened to it while working in the yard. I was blown away by the beauty of the music, how the songs fit together so well thematically, and the hyper-fusion of jazz, blues, folk, and rock. With this album Sam Beam has taken giant leaps away from the old plunka-plunka guitar strumming that made everything sound like "Jesus the Mexican Boy."

2. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? - Of Montreal
Gronlandic Edit
In stark contrast to the Las Vegas-style costumes, glitter make-up, and light-hearted melodies, Kevin Barnes' lyrics lay bare his darkest secrets and deepest fears. Every song builds tension and pathos. A monster of an album.
(Full review, Concert)

3. In Rainbows - Radiohead
It isn't really fair of me to let a few lines here stand for the full review it deserves. I adore Radiohead, but I'm enjoying the album more as I allow them to get down from the pedestal I put them on and just be a rock band. Nonetheless, I expected more of the songs to be as different from the live versions as "Reckoner" is, and I wished for songs I hadn't heard before and better sound quality from the downloaded version. Still better than most.

4. Beartrap Island - Division Day
Hand To the Sound
No dogs to be found anywhere on this album. Division Day can do everything excellently from incredibly fast rockers to gorgeous slow numbers like this one. (Full review in which I butcher Rohner's lyrics because I didn't have a lyric sheet at the time, Concert 1, Concert 2)

5. The Battle of Land and Sea (self-released EP) - The Battle of Land and Sea
Saltwater Queen
This entire album is a shimmering beauty, as fragile as a reflection in a pool. Sort of like Mazzy Star, Cowboy Junkies, or the Bowerbirds in an echo-chamber but more beautiful. (Review)

6. Applause Cheer Boo Hiss - Land of Talk
Lizzie Powell packs every song on the CD with big, punchy guitar and a wisp of heartache. My one disappointment is that the recording quality should have been better. (Review, concert)

7. The Cake Sale - Various Artists.
I totally agree that putting a compilation album on a year-end best albums list is strange, however I feel this one deserves the commendation for its unusually unified composition. Although Nina Persson's "Black-Winged Bird" is definitely the star, the entire album works beautifully. (Full review)

8. Flying Cup Club - Beirut
Zach Condon shows that last year's Gulag Orkestar was no fluke by delivering a second fully-realized interpretation of another nearly-ignored musical genre. (Concert)

9. Cancer and Delirium - J. Tillman
How Much Mystery
Somehow not quite as enveloping as last year's Minor Works but still achingly beautiful. (Full review, Concert)

10. Kismet - Jesca Hoop
Out the Back Door
My husband described Hoop well when he said, "She does everything at right angles to everyone else." She is truly a remarkable and unique new talent.
(Full review)

And if there were a number 11, it would be:

11. Untrue - Burial
This surprises me too, but there it is. (Full review)

Honorable Mention
Each of these has an exceptional number of excellent tracks:

Earlimart - Mentor Tormentor
Palomar - All Things, Forests
Maritime - Heresy and the Hotel Choir
Boy In Static – Violet
Roddy Woomble: My Secret Is My Silence
Idlewild: Make Another World
Rogue Wave - Asleep At Heaven's Gate
Winterpills - The Light Divides


Albums I wish I'd listened to earlier and more:
Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
Elliott Smith: New Moon
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Baby 81


Albums I tried and could not get into...

not because they were horrible, but because they didn't hold my interest. Some I tried harder and more times than others.

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
LCD Sound System - Sound of Silver
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir
A Band of Bees - Octopus
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity

My husband says I seem to be listening to more melodic selections, like I'm recovering from some obnoxious affliction that makes me like ugly music, lol. I can say that these are true favorites, not just what I think should be here. I've listened to them over and over, and they have stood up well.

Notice that I'm not reposting very many songs that I had posted previously, some quite recently. I am linking to where they can be purchased, by individual song if possible.

Here's the second half of my list:

14. J. Tillman: Milk White Air [Buy]

Why: Its spare and delicate beauty makes me think of bare branches against sun-drenched skies. Why don't we go up there, Why don't we go up there now?

15. Handsome Furs: What We Had [Buy]

Why: Dan Boeckner's dark, hoarse-voiced lament of love gone spoiled never fails to tug the heartstrings.

16. Rufus Wainwright: Going To a Town [Buy]

Why: Rufus dares to defy the religious-right who have made this a country that some of us can hardly bear to live in. Tell me, Do you really think you go to hell for having loved?

17. Maritime: Are We Renegade [Buy]

Why: I can't resist the ringing, jangly guitar or Davey von Bohlen's smooth tenor. There are several engaging tracks on the album; this one just hit me right from the start. Are we renegade or have we orders, is this a passing phase?

18. Winterpills: Broken Arm [Buy]

Why: I have thought a lot about these lyrics, and I think they attempt to explain the situation in the U.S. where its citizens love our land but hate its leaders and its ugly reputation in the world. I think I finally understand/How the broken arm can hate the hand/How the farmer hates his crop/How the lawyer hates the honest cop.

19. Beirut: The Penalty [Buy]

Why: Among the simplest of Beirut's offerings on Flying Cup Club, most of the song consists of Zach's dramatic, warbling vocals against the spare backdrop of his ukulele until is swelling emotion is matched by the band sound.

20. Burial: Dog Shelter [Buy]

Why: The cries of angels haunting these bare concrete kennels really grew on me. This spacey, dripping anthem would have fit in the soundtrack for Blade Runner.

21. Earlimart – Nevermind the Phonecalls [iTunes]

Why: Smooth and soothing and at the same time breaking your heart. "Why don't more people like Earlimart?" Indie Mom asked me. I don't have an answer for that. I love them. And the phone calls/And the shooting stars/We'll be fine/Oh yeah, nevermind, just nevermind.

22. Palomar: Beat Beats Nothing[Buy]

Why: Tight female harmonies keep pace with driving beats and melodic guitar--a winning combination for me every time, reminding me of old favorites Letters To Cleo and Magnapop. My favorite treadmill song of the year.

23. Nyles Lannon: Hesitation

Why: This song reminds me of what was great about the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts' Club Band (compare to "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" here) and Elliott Smith.

24. Alaska In Winter: Balkan Lowrider Anthem [iTunes]

Why: This was actually a favorite song last year, but I couldn't list it because of our rule that it had to be released. Until Brandon Bethancourt signed with Regular Beat Records early this year, he was giving away home-copied versions of his debut CD. Now he's on iTunes! What a difference a year makes.

25. Husky Rescue: Blueberry Tree Part II [iTunes]

Why: I loved this the first time I heard it near the end of 2006. Although the luster has worn off a bit, I have still played it a lot and included it in several mixes for friends. Played with Parts I and III it becomes the centerpiece of a beautiful suite.

Related post: Gramma's Top 25 Songs of 2007, Part I

Soon to come: Indie Mom's list and Best Albums of 2007.

Speed of Dark favorites of the year must have been released so that readers can buy them. It doesn't matter whether it's a label-release or a self-release, but songs available only as free downloads or promotional MP3s can't qualify.

I am not a professional music critic. I can't discourse on chord techniques or whether beats were dropped or misplaced. I read what others say, but I make up my own mind what I like. Sometimes my taste leads me to the same artists the pros like, and sometimes not. These are my choices for 2007.

COPYRIGHTED CONTENT HAS BEEN REMOVED
The first half:

1. Radiohead: Reckoner [Buy]

Why: First, that impeccable voice. Second, this is the most-transformed of the In Rainbows tracks and more what I expected for the album. Dedicated to all human beings...Reckoner, Take me with you. Yes.

2. Of Montreal: Suffer For Fashion [Buy]

Why: I think as time goes on, this song will stand for me as the icon for dancing through the pain, whatever one's personal pain happens to be. We don't want these days to ever end/We just want to emasculate them forever.

3. Iron and Wine: Boy With a Coin [Buy]

Why: The theme of cycles and renewal, musically and lyrically, encouraging us to reconnect with our spiritual roots.

4. Division Day: Colorguard [Buy]

Why: Stirring/grandeur/organ/march. I've seen Division Day perform this live twice, and it has tremendous and uplifting impact. Lesson 1: Don't move your mouth. Lesson 2: Just spit it out.

5. Caribou: Irene [Buy]

Why: I often become obsessed with small, weird objects (like my Bunny-Riding-a-Trout Easter figurine). "Irene" is a musical manifestation of that obsession. Earphones are the only way you'll get the full effect of all the odd ingredients that creep in from the sides and then abruptly disappear. Just when you've given up on lyrics, they suddenly make an entrance at two minutes into the song. Is it out of tune? Is that on purpose? Why do I like something with so much hiss? The mystery keeps drawing me back again and again.

6. Blonde Redhead: Heroine [Buy]

Why: I never get tired of the haunting vocoder intro to this beauty. Roland takes a trip, but he goes without me.

7. Jesca Hoop: Money [iTunes]

Why: This strong number proves Hoop is no light-weight, combining several genres adroitly to forge her own quirky style. It's a virgin feast for all/See how gracefully they fall/Into the mirrors on the wall/Cuz if you want to belong you write a sing-a-long.

8. July Fourth: Curtain of Stars [iTunes]

Why: The fresh, bracing clarity of the guitar and the vocals. I love how the music frames but never overwhelms David Azizinamini's gorgeous voice. Let's go watch some bright lights.

9. Nina Persson: Black Winged Bird [Buy]

Why: I've been a fan of Nina Persson and the Cardigans for a long time, and this song, with its familiar aura of regret and gorgeous slide accents, is perfect for her clear soprano.

10. Land of Talk: Street Wheels [Buy]

Why: Lizzie Powell's edge of heartbreak vocals and the way her guitar chords cascade in a waterfall of ringing notes.

11. Alias: What You Gave Away--Remix for The One AM Radio [Buy]

Why: Brendon Whitney (AKA Alias) takes the One AM Radio's beautiful but rather limp song from 2005 and gives it just the right amount of dancekick in the butt to enhance it without destroying its emotional presence. I love the slurred backwards vocals.

12. Boy In Static: Where It Ends [Buy]

Why: This is another love at first listen. The racing beat matches racing hearts. I'm nuts about those chord changes and Alexander Chen's breathy vocals.

13. The Battle of Land and Sea: Harden My Heart (Pat Benatar cover) [Buy]

Why: I wish I could present this song to you the way I first heard it--without knowing what it was--so the recognition could creep over you like goosebumps. This old Pat Benatar rocker has been stripped down to bare essentials and its emotions laid bare. My vote for Best Cover Song of 2007.

I'm stepping out from my usual alternative rock rut to share a mix I'm making as a Christmas gift. These songs lean into R&B, soul, and pop--which I am not usually very fond of--with a touch of electronica thrown in. As always, I have my own little alternative twist on the theme and a definite California flavor.

This is meant to be kind of a party mix. I mean the kind of party where people stand around in small groups, sipping smoky merlot and nibbling brie on crostini, while discussing movies and politics. This music would not go with a keg of beer and guys yelling at the football game on the television, with corn chips getting mashed into the carpet and the dog licking the bean dip. Just so we're on the same page.

All of these songs are gems. I'm totally smitten with that new Sia number. This list will fit on a CD with only three seconds of empty space leftover--I'm really good at that. Let my links lead you to find more songs you like by these artists.

COPYRIGHTED CONTENT HAS BEEN REMOVED
1. Saint Bernadette: I Own the City [Buy]
2. Moving Units: The Kids From Orange County [Buy]
3. Cannonball Jane - Take It To Fantastic [Buy]
4. Niobe - Give All To Love [Buy]
5. Jane Vain and the Dark Matter: C'mon Baby Say Bang Bang [Preorder from Rectangle Records]
6. Aaron English - Message In a Bottle (Police cover) [Buy]
7. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings: 100 Days, 100 Nights [Buy]
8. Jesca Hoop - Out the Back Door [Buy]
9. Rickie Lee Jones - Elvis Cadillac [Buy]
10. Soulsavers - Revival [Buy]
11. Sia - A Day Too Soon [Buy]
12. Amy Winehouse - You Know I'm No Good [Buy]
13. Lily Allen - Friday Night (clean) Buy]
14. The Space Lady - Major Tom (Peter Schilling cover)
15. LoneLady: Marble [More at iTunes, eMusic]
16. The Chromatics: Night Drive [Buy]
17. Gliss - Velvet Stars [Buy]
18. Hearts of Palm UK - I Flow [Buy directly from Hearts of Palm]
19. Zap Mama - Affection [Buy]
20. Joan As Policewoman - The Ride [Buy]

If you'd like to take advantage of my hard work, you can download the whole thing as a ZIP file until this Saturday, Dec. 22. After that, you're on your own, but I have provided the links for purchasing or downloading the songs. This is a really huge file, so it will take some time to save, and that's one of the reasons it will be available for only a short time. No requests to repost after the expiration date, please.
Speed of Dark Party Mix [ZIP]

So where are my end of year lists? I'm working on them--REALLY, I AM--but even today I found something new to consider. I'll post them next week, I swear.

Meanwhile, check out the first installment of Contrast Podcast's Festive 50 of 2007.

Dan Fogelberg's death two days ago at the young age of 56 came as a shock to me. I had not kept up with him for the past couple of decades and did not know that he had been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer three years ago.

I have 1974's Souvenirs and 1978's collaboration with jazz flutiest Tim Weisburg, Twin Sons of Different Mothers on vinyl, and I played them to death through the mid-80's. From these are a couple of my favorites.

COPYRIGHTED CONTENT HAS BEEN REMOVED
Tell Me To My Face from Twin Sons of Different Mothers with Tim Weisberg

From Souvenirs
Illinois
Changing Horses

Official Website
Buy: Amazon.com and iTunes

Are you so behind on Christmas that you're still making a list and haven't gotten around to checking it twice? That's me too. I'm a natural procrastinator, and I'm married to a man who often claims to be able to expand time. This is not a good combination for getting things done.

Let's have something hot to drink and a little Christmas music, whaddaya say? These are some of the best I've found, including what I think is the best version of "Silent Night" that I know of.

The Joseph and Mary Chain: The Twelve Days of Christmas from It's Not Like Christmas (2006)
MySpace

Aimee Mann and Michael Penn: Christmastime from Just Say Noel (1996)
Aimee Mann's MySpace

Leigh Nash: Maybe This Christmas from Wishing For This (2006)
Leigh Nash's MySpace

The Weepies: All That I Want from Happiness (2004)
The Weepies' MySpace

Over the Rhine: Silent Night from The Darkest Night of the Year (1996)
Over the Rhine's MySpace

For those suffering through the holiday season with a broken heart:

Gregg Yeti and the Best Lights: Christmas Quarantine from The Liver Is the Eater EP
Gregg Yeti's MySpace

d.b.s.: Christmas Is the Only Time from Christmas Time Again (2006)
d.b.s. website

Don't forget to get your Peace On Earth. It makes a nice, quick gift.

Visit Etsy to find out where I've been spending all my time (not to mention my money). And I have my eye on some stuff here at Elsewares! and here at Rose and Radish! and I already bought some stuff here at Raku! Aaahhh...Christmas is my favorite time to spend money on myself! (Just kidding....kinda) Thank goodness my lovely husband knows that it's best to give me presents of cash!



Just click to go to Aquarium Drunkard...this week is an interview with Ross Flournoy of The Broken West, some lovely Christmas songs, and a eulogy for Ike Turner.

Rawkblog is full of awesome goodness, including making fun of The Dolphins' pathetic season, college graduation, and the Best of 2007.

Zeon Music has some well-respected artists covering a Joni Mitchell Christmas song, not to mention an ELO cover by Lily Allen.

Visit Thanks Captain Obvious for a link to free/legal Okkervil River tracks plus his own "Good vs Evil" mixtape.

Check out Muzzle of Bees' Best of 2007...more than a few of them will be found on our lists too, I'm sure.

The Yellow Stereo fondly remembers a show on MTV called AMP, when videos were played (albeit at 2:00 am) and showcases some awesome videos, plus Beach House and the hilarious Zero Punctuation review of Guitar Hero III.

Step 1: Watch all of the videos on The Music Slut, including the US commercial for Radiohead's In Rainbows. Step 2: Smile.

Trendwhore has live Los Campesinos and a Buck 65 signed CD giveaway.

COPYRIGHTED CONTENT HAS BEEN REMOVED
the mountain goats: one fine day [live Chiffons cover]
nada surf: meow meow lullabye [live]
calexico: love will tear us apart [joy division cover]
grant-lee phillips: mockingbirds [live]

buy: the mountain goats | nada surf | calexico | grant-lee phillips

photo from: i can has cheezburger?

Indie Mom and I had seen David Bazan previously this year, opening for Ben Gibbard at UCLA's spacious and elegant Royce Hall. His appearance at downtown Pomona's scruffy Glass House this past Monday could not have contrasted more, especially as far as the personal connection with the audience that the smaller venue provides. I was so sorry that Indie Mom was too sick to join me.

A small but devoted audience watched as Bazan performed songs from his extensive catalog on a stage bare except for his small amp and a fake white Christmas tree. As he has done frequently in other performances, every few songs he asked, like a professor in the middle of a lecture, "Are there any questions at this point in the show?"


Members of the audience took the opportunity to ask about some of Bazan's compositions, his future plans, and a recent article in the local Inland Empire Weekly. He answered all questions politely and generously. I wished I had bothered bringing my recorder so I could catch all those details, but the best I could do was scribble notes blindly in the dark.

On Black Cloud: It will be known as David Bazan's Black Cloud, and he will sometimes perform with this band and sometimes solo.
His favorite podcasts: Bazan listens to podcasts frequently, especially on the road. He likes NPR, and This American Life is one of his favorites.
What he's reading: He's been enjoying Jack Kerouac's On the Road.
Work he's most proud of: The current EP Fewer Moving Parts (Barsuk). Bazan says he learned to sing after making that recording. He says he now can't stand to listen to himself on Pedro and the Lion's Achilles Heel (2004) because he sounds tranquilized. I was glad to hear him make that criticism himself, because I think that is why I've never liked PTL that much.
About Headphones: Yes, there will be another Headphones album sometime because it's contracted.

Someone asked what advice he has about songwriting, and he replied to the effect that doing it a lot makes you better at it. He advocates what he called "free-writes," where he "opens the faucet" and just lets things come out without editing himself. He says he's spent a lot of time in the past couple of years since splitting with PTL partner T.W. Walsh just trying to figure out if songwriting and performing is something he still wants to continue doing. He concludes that he does enjoy songwriting "as a vocation."

COPYRIGHTED CONTENT HAS BEEN REMOVED
1. Weeds In the Wheat
2. Transcontinental
3. Cold Beer and Cigarettes
4. Please Baby Please
5. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
6. New song, Untitled
7. Of Minor Prophets and Their Prostitute Wives
8. Hot Girls
9. Harmless sparks and fewer moving parts
10. ?
11. New song: Curse Your Branches
12. Options
13. Lost My Shape (co-written with Jason Martin of Riverside, CA)
14. Bands With Managers
15. Hallelujah

I "borrowed" "Please Baby Please" and "Curse Your Branches" from this post at Hard To Find a Friend blog, where you will find the recordings of an entire David Bazan performance. Don't forget to order a Peace On Earth Christmas compilation while you're there--benefits go to Toys For Tots.

I found "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" at Daytrotter.

MySpace | Website | Label: Barsuk Records
Headphones Website
Buy at Amazon.com and iTunes

Show Schedule:
Dec 12 2007 - BOTTOM OF THE HILL w/ J. Tillman, San Francisco, CA
Dec 13 2007 - INDIGO DISTRICT w/ J. Tillman, Eugene, OR
Dec 14 2007 - MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS w/ J. Tillman, Portland, OR
Dec 15 2007 - CROCODILE CAFE w/ J. Tillman, Seattle, WA
European tour begins Feb. 4, 2008, in London--see MySpace

David Bazan previously on Speed of Dark: with Ben Gibbard at Royce Hall, UCLA
Related post: J. Tillman at the Glass House

Josh Tillman started his set off Monday night at the Glass House with an apology of sorts. After the better-than-decent but ill-matched opening band The Color Turning seared everyone's eardrums with their high-energy rock, the stage was stripped of every piece of musical technology and equipment, and Tillman came on with only his voice and sparing acoustic guitar to fill the cavernous little hall.

This crowd, however, primed for whatever former Pedro and the Lion frontman David Bazan would bring, were extremely courteous and open to the difference. Even though most of the audience were not familiar with the material, you could have heard a pin drop in the place as they focused on his introspective compositions, and the applause between songs was warm and increasingly enthusiastic.

The small attendance encouraged greater rapport, and Tillman joked in between songs in his dry, self-deprecating manner. After a gorgeous rendition of "With Wolves," he pulled his fist and exulted, "Nailed it!" Following "Casualties," one of my favorites from his 2005 album Long May You Run, he asked if anyone knew any Tillman songs. Of course, my hand was up, and I was rewarded with my request for "Crooked Roof" from last year's Minor Works (my #4 album of 2006). I could have gone on naming more songs just to keep hearing his beautiful voice, but after two more his set was done.

COPYRIGHTED CONTENT HAS BEEN REMOVED
1. When I Light Your Darkened Door (from Cancer and Delirium)
2. Ties That Bind (from Long May You Run, J. Tillman)
3. With Wolves (from Minor Works) "Nailed it!"
4. Seven States Across (from Long May You Run, J. Tillman)
5. Jesse's Not a Sleeper (from Cancer and Delirium)
6. New song: The Master's House?
7. Casualties (from Long May You Run, J. Tillman)
8. Crooked Roof (from Minor Works)
9. A bluesy little number I haven't been able to identify.
10. New song: Bottomline?

Previously about J. Tillman on Speed of Dark:
Cancer and Delirium | Top Four of 2006 | Letter to J. Tillman
The "letter" was written as a spoof when I was feeling frustrated that Tillman was touring Europe instead of the U.S. That's understandable, because Minor Works had been released on the French label Fargo Records. I got to talk to Josh after the show and found out that he has read the "letter" and completely got the humor in it. It was a thrill for me to finally get to see him perform.

He's been working with some other musicians, some of them from another Speed of Dark favorite, Siberian, on his next album Territory, scheduled for release sometime in 2008. This album will reprise the fuller band sound he explored on a few numbers on Minor Works. You can hear two new tracks, "Steel On Steel" and "Daytrips" MySpace.
MySpace | Website | Label: Yerbird
Buy all CDs at Fargo Records
Cancer and Delirium at Yerbird Records
In January, Minor Works will be available for U.S. fans at Undertow Music

Show Schedule:
Dec 12 2007 - Bottom of the Hill w/ David Bazan, San Francisco, CA
Dec 13 2007 - Indigo District w/ David Bazan, Eugene, OR
Dec 14 2007 - Mississippi Studios w/ David Bazan, Portland, OR
Dec 15 2007 - Crocodile Cafe w/ David Bazan, seattle, WA

Next post: David Bazan

It's time to bring back one of my favorite and most eccentric songs of the season, by the Swedish/French group Envelopes--"Pink Christmas"--although I've never quite figured out the Christmas part. Check out these other hot pink treats I've gathered to go with it.

Envelopes: Pink Christmas - from It's Not Like Christmas (2006)

HiFi Princess: Pink Elephants from Pure Lounge Feeling, Vol 1 (2006)
(more electronica!)

The Apartments: Pink Soda from The Apartments (2005)

Moving Units: Pink Thoughts from Hexes For Exes (2007)

Laura Veirs: Pink Light from Saltbreakers (2007)

See these sites to create your own pink Christmas:
Make Mine Pink archives | Hot Pink Christmas Ornaments | Pink Christmas tree | A Pink Christmas DVD

Time Travel Tuesday is staying at home today because...well, it's my blog, and I can do that if I want to. Actually, I was at a concert last night--David Bazan and J. Tillman at the Glass House (yesss!)--and I still have that kind of spoiled feeling that results from a very satisfying show. I will write about it soon.

Tuesday is also Contrast Podcast day. The latest installment continues the Seven Deadly Sins theme with "Gluttony." My grandson helped me to unveil my shameful secret, which involves monkey brain.

I told Indie Mom I would listen to one more album before finalizing my Best of the Year list. The album I chose, Untrue by Burial, is on the lists of several bloggers I respect, and I was looking for something a little removed from my usual alternative fare. This fusion of R&B, soul, electronica, and dub is pretty much opposite of the more organic guitar-rock I usually gravitate toward.

Untrue is the second album for the secretive artist who is known only by his professional name. He (she?) doesn't need you to know who he is; he doesn't want to appear in person before an audience. He actually didn't expect to have an audience, but his self-titled debut attracted a lot of attention last year, and this year's album is, according to Pitchfork, as good if not better. I'll have to take their word on that because I have only heard this one.

An interview with Burial on Hyperdub Records' blogsite indicates that Untrue is not as overpoweringly melancholy as its predecessor. If that is so, then both should come with a warning sticker: "Do not play if you are under treatment for depression or have suffered a major loss within the past year." I will say that I'm hearing more warmth--but not less mournfulness--the more I listen to it.

You really have to get this on earphones on to appreciate it. Burial's music is suited to solitude and contemplation, not for dancing or party background. I can't discuss the subtle details of dub, 2step, or house music, but I can say that the layers of competing rhythms, crackles, and skitters are hypnotic and fascinating. The tracks transition fluidly like movements in a single symphony or a soundtrack. Words are sometimes clear, and, tantalizingly, sometimes not.

The song list reads like the stops of a lost soul meandering through a dark and lonely city where only memories remain, calling out in haunting loops. Electronicly distorted voices over shuffling beats recall the warmth of love in "Archangel." The door to "Ghost Hardware" opens on rusty hinges and a female wraith repeats, "Love you," or something that sounds like that, over the faint tinkle of metal parts.

"In MacDonalds" is equally haunted under the buzz of its flickering, cold, blue fluorescent lights. A woman's voice sings, "Once upon a time it was you that I adored," met finally by a man's muffled voice that whimpers, "You look different!" Street spirits holler desperately from dark alleys in "Homeless." The title song accuses a betrayer over moaning strings and the distant echo of a ringing phone. "Shell of Light" is loaded with odd sounds: the jingle of coins falling into a slot, finger-snaps, and finally an overlay of gospel-like vocals.

For some reason, I like the short track "Dog Shelter." This is an abandoned place: no happy barks or wagging tails greet you. Instead a dismal rain splatters on the concrete floors of empty kennels.

Untrue is not going to change my top albums ranking, but I definitely enjoyed my visit into Burial's dark and brooding world.

From Untrue (2007)
Burial: Archangel
Burial: Homeless

MySpace | Label: Hyperdub Records
Buy at Amazon.com, iTunes, and eMusic

Aquarium Drunkard posts his best albums of 2007, a concert ticket giveaway for Monday, December 10, plus much more.

Audio Deficit Disorder lists the best album art and best videos for 2007, plus a Sunset Rubdown Daytrotter session, and info on Jonny Greenwood's score for There Will Be Blood.

Berkeley Place starts his big list of the best 40 albums of 2007, featuring The Broken West, SoulSavers, Okkervil River, The Killers, and Robbers on High Street, to name a few.

Circles of Concrete have compiled their list by season, starting with Travis from the beginning of 2007, and ending with Alicia Keys from the end.

I Guess I'm Floating boasts a Daft Punk poster giveaway, plus music by Copy and Jill Barber.

Hard to Find a Friend still has that great Christmas mix CD for sale, plus our friends Let's Go Sailing, Rufus Wainwright singing Judy Garland, and an interview with John Roderick of The Long Winters.

Music for Kids... lists his top 25 videos for 2007, including Of Montreal, Asobi Seksu, Spoon, Mute Math, and Patrick Wolf, just to name a few.

random goodies picked by iTunes shuffle:
beck: dark star [tv on the radio remix] [buy]
ash: there's a star [buy]
kinematic: championship vinyl [buy]
franz ferdinand: shopping for blood [buy]
iron & wine: bird stealing bread [live] [buy]

As a Christmas gift to our readers, for the entire month of December, our live MP3 recordings of the Decemberists at the Hollywood Bowl (July 7, 2007) will be available for download as a zip file. Our policy is to remove all files where we do not have specific permission from the artist after a short time, but we have had many requests to repost this concert.

The Decemberists at the Hollywood Bowl, July 7, 2007, [ZIP]

What can you give us for Christmas? How about a vote on the Hey, Nielsen and Billboard Best Music Blog Contest?

Someone nominated us, for which we feel very honored. However, the voting link for Speed of Dark was not correct and we have received no votes. It has now been fixed--Yeah, I tried it out!

To give us a vote, click on VOTE, then click "Add a New Opinion" on the right to write a comment. You can also click on "Change my status" and indicate that you visit us regularly if that's the case. Be sure to vote for your other favorites too. We bloggers love feedback!

There has been no news on the Decemberists' MySpace page since the announcement that tour dates were cancelled due to a band member's illness. Here's a Christmas get-well wish.
Colin Meloy: Cherry Tree Carol

Jars of Clay's new Christmas Songs album is actually quite good. Check their MySpace for availability.
Jars of Clay: Wonderful Christmastime

Thank goodness, someone finally remade "Jingle Bell Rock"! Sadly, it came with the announcement that sharpetiquette members will be moving on to other projects. I wish them all the best of luck. | MySpace
sharpetiquette: Jingle Bell Rock

I found this song on a Kindercore compilation, but that's all I know about this band. Cute song, though.
Triangle Park: Christmas Lights

It's been 27 years this coming Saturday since John Lennon died. It's still so unbelievable that he's gone. I still feel enraged and cheated of what he would have done.

He would certainly be speaking out about the violence in the middle east and our country's involvement there. He'd be outraged about what people continue to do to each other in the name of religion.

What I really wanted to hear today, however, was some old Beatles songs that featured John Lennon. "Mr. Kite" is especially for Indie Mom, as we were talking about it recently. You can hear so much in this song what Elliott Smith--someone else who left us too soon--found so inspiring in his own music.

And I've always marveled at the first section of "Happiness Is a Warm Gun": "She's not a girl who misses much; she's well-acquainted with the touch of a velvet hand, like a lizard on a windowpane." Amazing how much is said in those few words.

I'm Only Sleeping - acoustic take 1 for Revolver (1966)
Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts' Club Band (1967)
Happiness Is a Warm Gun from The White Album (Disc 1) (1968)
Across the Universe from Let It Be (1970)


John Lennon's Official website

The stage at L.A.'s El Rey Theater was decorated with strings of white lights, large nutcracker soldiers, and blue icicles for the occasion of Aimee Mann's sold out 2nd Annual Christmas Show on the last day of November. As we waited, there seemed to be some last-minute changes causing a delay, and when Aimee finally appeared she announced that she wasn't feeling well and that she was "high on Day-quil." It certainly wasn't noticeable during the show, however; she seemed to be comfortable and enjoying herself.

Indie Mom and I uncustomarily took different locations in the audience. She wanted to be in the front, and I wanted to be a little further back for a better camera perspective. I'm writing this account from the notes she took, which inexplicably differ a little from the setlist we photographed at the end of the show.

Aimee started off with a couple of Christmas songs before introducing the first guest for the variety show format. The guest list probably changes depending upon what city the performance is in. We were disappointed that Ben Gibbard and members of the Decemberists, who were advertised, did not appear; however, maybe they and others will play in the other cities on the tour.

At three intervals during the show, videos were shown on a screen at the back of the stage: short comedies of Aimee attempting to enlist celebrities to participate in the show. Among these were John Krasinski (The Office), Ben Stiller, and Will Ferrell--who at the end of their conversation dropped the bomb that he thought she was Jewell. Aimee also seemed to be poking fun at herself and her penchant for wearing tiny jackets and cartoon-character-sized ties.

Click small pictures for larger versions

1. Jacob Marley's Chain from Whatever
2. Merry Christmas

Perhaps Jackson Browne was the reason for some last-minute changes because he was not on the setlist. I was a huge fan of his in the 70's, and I'd seen him perform once over 30 years ago, so it was a thrill as well as a surprise to see him walk out on the stage. Although his hair is still dark, he looks a little grizzled around the chin but still very handsome, and his voice is strong and clear. The audience seemed as thrilled as I was as he sat down at the piano.


There was scattered applause in recognition of the opening notes of "The Rebel Jesus" then awed silence at the powerful message of the words. Then he came to the front of the stage and picked up a guitar to perform the Steve Earl cover, "Jerusalem."
3. Jackson Browne - The Rebel Jesus (info & lyrics here)
4. Jackson Brown - Jerusalem (lyrics)

Aimee returned along with comedian Paul F. Tompkins, and after some chitchat they performed the duet
5. Baby It's Cold Outside.
Then Aimee sang the pretty old standard,
6. I'll be home for Christmas
before introducing her next guest, longtime friend Grant Lee Phillips. We'd seen him with his old band Grant Lee Buffalo many years ago, and it was great to see him again, even though in the years between he seems to have turned into William Shatner. I mean that in a funny way; his hammy antics added to the fun. He does not seem to be scheduled into the rest of the Christmas show tour, and so the other audiences will truly miss out.

First he performed a solo of the tender "2000 Miles," written by Chrissie Hynde, which has deservedly become kind of a rock Christmas standard (photo below, left). Then he and Aimee did a highly dramatic reprise of the Grinch song they recorded for her 2006 CD One More Drifter In the Snow (below, right).


7. Grant Lee Phillips - 2000 Miles (Pretenders cover | lyrics)
8. Aimee and Grant Lee Phillips: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch


Paul Thompkins returned and performed a hilarious monologue about why he doesn't smoke pot that had the audience rolling.

This was followed by another funny bit featuring Morgan Murphy (website) as the Hanukkah Fairy, a recurring role from the 1st Christmas Show. She said that there are no Hanukkah songs except for the dreydl song ("Try Googling!"), so she performed a Hanukkah rap before Aimee's next two numbers.

10. Morgan Murphy - Hanukkah Fairy Rap




11. Aimee Mann - Save Me from Magnolia movie soundtrack
12. Aimee Mann - Because it's Christmas Time (Buck Owens song? lyrics)

Cabaret/jazz singer Nellie McKay danced onto the stage on twinkle toes, then tuned her ukulele for a minute or two, apologizing, before playing her complaint that feminists are no fun, followed by "Christmas Dirge" and another song we haven't been able to identify. Can anyone fill in that blank?
13. Nellie McKay - Mother of Pearl (lyrics)
14. Nellie McKay - A Christmas Dirge
15. Nellie McKay - not sure what the song is, the lyrics I wrote down are "take me away somewhere they'll never ever find"

Another standout of the evening was the next guest, Amos Lee (below, left), whom I had not really paid attention to before. I've been correcting that since watching him play this John Prine cover so beautifully.
16. Amos Lee - Christmas in Prison (John Prine song | lyrics)



This left the audience so primed that when Aimee announced that the next guest was the legendary Willie Nelson, we totally fell for it. But "Willie" turned out to be Grant Lee again in a pigtail wig and fake beard (above, right). He crooned a thoroughly Nelsonized version of "Voices Carry" that was truly amazing but had everyone laughing.
17. "Willie Nelson" - Voices Carry

Aimee and her band returned to perform three more songs, which were just gorgeous. There was no sign of illness in her voice. She has always been very slender, but she appeared thinner than in her videos, which may have been the only visible sign of her having been sick. The band, by the way, is excellent, with Julian Coryell (below, left) on lead guitar and Paul Bryan (below, right) on bass and providing harmonies that complimented Aimee's voice perfectly. Her drummer and keyboardist(s), although just as important, were almost hidden among the decorations at the back of the stage. I also could not see the three-piece horn section at stage left from where I stood.


18. Calling On Mary from One More Drifter In the Snow
19. Way Back When from Whatever
20. Deathly from Bachelor #2

For the last number Aimee and all her guests returned to the stage, and after a scramble to find the lyric sheets, performed U2's stirring Christmas song while the Hanukkah Fairy ran around throwing confetti over their heads.


21. It's Christmas, Baby (Please Come Home) - U2 cover



All in all this is a well-planned holiday show with enough beautiful songs and comedy to satisfy even the most humbugged. There are likely to be surprise performers at every date, so I'm sure each show will have its own flavor and character. Check Aimee Mann's MySpace for future dates and venues, and get your ticket early!

There are some very nice Youtube videos of this show posted at Slowly Going Bald blog. I especially recommend the Grinch number--it's really cute.