2017 Leftovers

There was so much good music last year, and so much of it pop, instant gratification was the order of the year, and there were some artists I didn’t even get to mention.



Todd Snider: Agnostic Hymn & Stoner Fables (2012)

Todd’s a pal of John Prine and Jimmy Buffet, but if you think you’re going to get good time happy music a la Buffet or even personal soul searching a la Prine, uh, no. Todd likes talking about people who have gotten the short end of the stick.

This is strong stuff, delivered with loud and sloppy rock and roll. Todd doesn’t f*ck around, and calls ‘em as he sees ‘em.

Todd’s taking no prisoners here. Before we’re even halfway through, he’s giving us the history of religion, the financial crisis, thrill kill kids, a big middle finger to Nashville and a pathetic love story. All through the lens of smalltown folk.

Like a good strong drink, it’s great, but not something you should have too often.

A-

"In the Beginning"



Margaret Glaspy: Emotions and Math (2016)

This is strong but not loud. “Muscular” is the word that comes to mind. This young woman plays with minimal accompaniment. She’s got a husky voice and plays a distortion-drenched electric guitar.

She’s about halfway between early PJ Harvey and TuneYards.

She can sing and play. She’s also unreasonable and impossible to please.

The tunes are wiry but insistent. Every time you hear them you hear a little more than before.

A-

"Emotions and Math"



Destroyer: Kaputt (2011)

This is oh, so smooth. The smooth singing, the smooth background, the smooth sax. Christ, even the smooth guitar playing. It’s almost like being in an old nightclub. And since it maintains that same tone throughout, it can really get on your nerves if you were hoping for something more energetic or raw.

But when an emotion occasionally rises to the surface, it’s pretty moving.

It’s very easy to listen to, and so gets played a lot.

But it’s not quite addictive.

B+

"Chinatown"



Gillian Welch: Time the Revelator (2001)

This is not bad at all, but Ms. Welch’s voice is a bit too mellow for my taste. It suits her well on the first and last cuts, which are slow and languorous.

But the guitar playing is just plain sloppy. Oh, you meant it that way you say?

“Everything is Free” is the best song here. It’s relatively short, and Gillian is pissed. It’s got a nice melody. I wish more of them were like it. However, I do really the last slow one, where she gets it all right.

B+

“I Dream a Highway”



Joe Ely: The Best of...

He's a singer out of Texas from back in the seventies. He’s got a clear, strong tenor. Not too deep and not too wimpy. And - what a relief - he doesn’t wear a f*cking cowboy hat.

This is lean and occasionally mean. It’s spare and clean. It only rocks out when called for.

Ah, but not quite compelling.

B+

"She Never Spoke Spanish To Me"



Grandaddy: Under the Western Freeway (1997)

Slow weird and hazy as hell. Even The Sophtware Slump kicked in sooner than this.

And it keeps getting interrupted by crises whenever I put it on, but that’s not Grandaddy’s fault.

It does wear you down after a while, but not enough. Try the great Sophtware instead.

B

"Go Progress Chrome"



Randy Newman: Dark Matter (2017)

Randy’s getting soft. There are at least three songs that convey actual vulnerability.

There are the “political” ones, too, which are always fun.

But it doesn’t quite pack the punch of albums like Good Old Boys or 12 Songs.

B+

"Wandering Boy"



Various Artists: American Classic (2017)

This five-disc set of Americana, blues and a lot more is like a cleaned up version of Anthology of Folk Music - a six disc monster, legendary in its time.

This one’ll take a while to digest.

But it’s looking good.

A

"I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground"



Nick Cave: Lovely Creatures (2017)

Nick’s been around for quite a while but I had nothing by him at all. So why not plunge into the abyss with this three-disc set?

Nick is one of those Brits who’s a little too committed to American folk and yet feels he has to add his own weirdness to it. Early Americana (see American Epic) is weird enough, thank you very much

But he goes for ballads on disc 2, and then Dylaneque rock on disc 3.

So this might not be the torture it first portended.

B+

"God Is In the House"



Sonic Youth: Dirty (1992)

It’s taken me a while to admit it but I just don’t like Kim Gordon. She can’t sing and doesn’t bother to write anything resembling a melody. I much prefer the more cerebral side of SY. But for every one of the latter you get one of the former, So it doesn’t get a lot of play.

B

"Theresa's Sound World"



Courtney Barnett: The Double EP, A Sea of Split Peas

Courtney’s got the rare talent for coming up with simple melodies and effects that, together with her laidback vocal delivery add up to way more than the sum of the parts.

In its way, even better than Sit/Think. A little more laid back and melodic. you can certainly hear the seeds of the Sit/Think songs here.

A nice surprise at the end of the year.

A

"Don't Apply Compression Gently"


So that’s it.

I’ll be focusing on records from the current decade for a while. Oh, except for the two I’ve gotten already, neither of which is.

So my performance regarding new Years resolutions can be described as “typical”.

Planning Your Own Funeral Soundtrack

There’s nothing that says “I’m Forcing You to Listen to the Music I Like One Last Time” more than planning your own Wake and Funeral Soundtrack.  I’ve had less than flattering things to say about wedding and gift CDs in the past, so you might think me a hypocrite to suggest something similar for my wake. But so what?  I’ll be dead.

And there are some who might consider such a project to be the ultimate in procrastination – after all, there’s got to be something else that requires more urgent attention than a playlist I'll never get to hear. Estate planning, showering, etc.

But I happen to think it’s a worthwhile exercise.

Do you want to make ‘em weep?  “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” might work. (Nothing says Do like Don’t)

Are you resentful of some people in your life?  Try Big Star’s sarcastic “Thank You Friends”.  They’ll end up glad you’re dead, which, when you think about it, is very considerate of you.

There’s also Warren Zevon’s “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”.  Much more appropriate for those dying young, this might get a snicker since a more appropriate title for me now is “I’ll Sleep Right Here Where I’m Sitting”.

Of course, there are some songs that are best left out:

The Beatles “Getting Better All the Time” - Even I’m not that sarcastic.

Frank Sinatra “High Hopes” – A barn door closed too late, if ever there was one.

So here's my official list:

"Fox in the Snow" by Belle and Sebastian:

It's just so freaking sad, I had to include it.  I want to make sure somebody’s crying.

"My Friends" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers:

Since it's not all about me, I guess I should say thanks, as I have to make up for Big Star.  

 “The Story of My Life” by the Velvet Underground:

The music is so unassuming and sweet that you could miss the despairing lyrics.  

“My Life” by Iris DeMent:

Of course, if you think your life’s been a waste, it might help to put this on  It'd make you feel better, if you were still alive, that is. 

"At Last" by Neko Case:

This one's a little more defiant.

"When it’s Cold, I’d Like to Die" by Moby:

Wish granted!

"My Weakness" by Moby:

Moby's just so good at this kind of thing. This one's good for either death of alien abduction.

"Casimir Pulaski Day" by Sufjan Stevens:

This one ought to get them crying again.

"When I Get to the Borderline" by Richard and Linda Thompson:

But let's not despair.  Richard's good for a rueful grin, if not exactly a laugh.

"Wall of Death" by Richard and Linda Thompson:

Another F*ck You Death! song.

"That Day is Done" by Elvis Costello:

Co-written by Paul McCartney, it's an uncharacteristically direct look at death.  You can play it instead of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken".

"Don’t Forget About Me" by Dusty Springfield:

If you want to haunt your relatives and friends.

“Boundary Rider” by the Go Betweens:

It has nothing to do with me, other than that I love it, but it sounds nice.  You can chisel those lyrics on my headstone if you like.

But for the mourners themselves I’d suggest playing most of Funeral by Arcade Fire, but I think I’d be presumptuous to assume that anyone would get that excited about my passing, except in maybe a good way. Your choice.

"Sweetness Follows" by REM:

It's going to be all right.

"Underneath the Weeping Willow" by Grandaddy:

Maybe the saddest song I’ve ever heard. But at the end you get permission to be happy again.

“It’s Summertime” by the Flaming Lips:

The Lips repeat that idea. You can play this on June 22 following my wake.  If anybody still gives a damn, that is.

And that's that.

Mrs. Jaybee thinks this line of thinking is nuts, but I think not planning this is like not getting ice for a party.  The iceman cometh.  Twice!  Lucky him.

Moving on.

My 2011: The First Annual Jaybee-bies Awards

Well, the notoriously late Voice's 2011 Pazz and Jop Poll Results have finally come out, which means it's time for me to finish up my 2011 year in music. 

And I'm well on my way, having already gotten four albums this year.  Sooooo….

Welcome to the First Annual Jaybee-bies (Okay, that name needs work The Geezies? ) Awards.

Where I summarize, yet again, what I - as opposed to the rest of the world - listened to in 2011.  Welcome to my world.

Overall, this wasn't a year of obsession, but rather one of riches, balance and satisfaction.  There were no albums whose songs haunted me throughout the days and weeks, but rather album after album of very high quality and varied music.  Being unofficially bipolar, it's probably better for me that way.

Anyway, let the awards begin!

Self Restraint Award:

I usually give this award to myself if I can keep my music purchases to less than 20 a year.  (It's origins lie in a similar award from my teen years, if I could keep something else to less than 20 times a month. I never won.) But that takes more……..FOCUS……than I can possibly muster, and I ended up with 25. 

I blame Amazon.com with their monthly 100 mp3 albums for $5 (and this January there are 1,000!) and Other Music, whose used bin exerts a gravitational pull on me.  Maybe I should to move to another state. Anyway, the winner this year is Not Me.  Too bad the old award isn't still around though…

MP3 Firsts Award:

This marks the first year I've gotten an mp3 instead of a CD. Actually four.  Now I know what those young folks - forty year olds, I mean - are talking about!  I obviously can't win this again, so I'll probably shoot for more MP3s than CDs this year.

Anyway, I'd like amazon.com…   

But now, awards for actual musicians:

Best Album of the Year:

1. W H O K I L L by tUnE-yArDs - This record is unique in that it's the only one I got all year that came out in 2011. (Nutboy's got some things to say about this, but later for that.) I may not have logged as many listens for this as I did for, say Grandaddy or Nick Drake, I'm still playing it eight months later, so  I know it's got legs.  A perfect balance of accessibility and experimentation, tunes and weirdness.  Even the lyrics are good.  Here's "My Country".

It's sheer coincidence that my pick should coincide with Pazz and Jop.  My picks are usually more lame.

2. The Sophtware Slump by Grandaddy - Sadness and tunes.  An unbeatable combination for someone like me. Try Underneath the Weeping Willow.

3. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter - Guitars, weirdness, etc.  A favorite for the whole family.  Desire Lines may be the song of the year.

Honorable Mentions:

Too many, really, hence those riches I was talking about.  Michigan, Seven Swans, The Boy With the Arab Strap, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Modern Times, Bryter Layter,

Artist of the Year:

Sufjan Stevens, for deluging me with his back catalog - Michigan, Seven Swans, and Songs for Christmas.  He didn't put anything out this year, which is probably why he didn't attend the awards ceremony that took place in my basement last Tuesday. It's a shame he didn't pick up the statuette, which looks a lot like my son's soccer trophy from grammar school. 

Best Educational Experience:

This goes to the record that rewards my wandering ears with enough joy to encourage even more exploration.

And the winner is… Francophonic by Franco - This compilation has so much music, and even though I had something by him already, so little that I ever knew about.  The opening of an entire world (well, continent, anyway).

Special mention to all the others - Charles Mingus, Sunny Ada, Eric Dolphy and Terry Riley - who didn't make me sorry.

Resolutions:

I have to give myself a plan of action for the new year, which I may follow or ignore as the music dictates:

Try to win next year's Self Restraint award.

Get more MP3s, if for nothing else, just to save some space.

Buy more current year music, because I've got Nutboy breathing down my neck.

Closing Ceremonies:

Music did what I needed it to do for me.  Around this time a year ago, I was miserable.  Slowly but surely music - along with the other good things in life I'm learning to appreciate more - brought me out of it.

Which is why I listen.

Good night and have a musical year.

My 2011: Fall and the Holidays

For me, Thanksgiving is a critical time of the year formusic. I like to remember the holidays for a given year with a very specific musical background.  And when the music is just okay, so are the holidays.  Sorry family and friends, it just seems to be so.

Over the years, I've had some brilliant ones - 2007, for instance, with Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood and the Go Betweens Oceans Apart- and some bad ones - well, let's not go there.  So I try to learn from a bad year and play it safe.  And with a couple of gift cards left I decided to cast a wide net when I put my order into barnesandnoble.com.

I knew that, at some point, I'd get that one Nick Drake album I'd missed, especially since he's such a sure bet. So I finally got Bryter Layter, his second record.  But I have to admit that, at first, I was not happy.  Nick's usually my morning depression go-to guy, but here he's a bit peppier than usual.  Too many horns, lush strings and back-up singers made it hard to warm up to, but that's all more than balanced out by what I go to Nick for: beautiful, sad and ultimately uplifting songs. And here Nick has some of his very best.  Otherwise, why would I play it almost every morning since I got it?  A-

The documentary “Who Is Harry Nilsson?”  rekindled my interest in him, and I decided to go for  NilssonSchmillson, which is always showing up on All Time Best lists.  And as is the case when you actually buy such records, the first impression is less than ecstatic. This stems from already knowing chunk of the music already, sometime too well.  (Jesus, did I really need to hear "Without You" again, and in Spanish, too?)    But it’s also got several of my favorite Nilsson songs – "Gotta Get Up", "The Moonbeam Song" and "Jump into the Fire". The bonus disc has got several more tracks that are well worth it, except for the annoying commercials at the end.  (I’m seeing a lot more if this lately.  Why?)  B+, but I think it's going to go up.

Eric Dolphy lurks in the background of one of my favorite John Coltrane records, and I love his Berlin Concerts.   Out To Lunch is his last major record before his premature death in 1964, and it’s got all the Dolphy-isms I enjoy so much – mainly the solos that seem to jump out perpendicularly from the themes and melodies.  An ex-friend (God, they’re really adding up, aren't they?) knew him. “Eric was a such sweet guy”  I have no reason to doubt this, but then again, said ex friend still owes me money.  Probably owed Eric, too.  (Unsolicited advice – never room with a musician.)  Anyway, the record is really good, and I expect I’ll be hearing new things from it for a long, long time.  File Under Education

The leadoff and title track of Against Me!’s New Wave is one of the most bracing punk rock songs I’ve heard in years.  It’s a shame that the rest of the record just can’t quite keep up.   Nice and loud, earnest, political (I love how they make the lyric “write that song, in response to military aggression!” actually sound great)   I like these guys so much that I want to like the record more.  I’ll check back in a few months to say if I’ve fallen in love or not.  B+

But I couldn't wait for this order to arrive so I ended up back at Other music (where else?), where I find Grandaddy’s The Software Slump (used, of course) and, of all things, Christmas music!  

And by whom, you might ask?  F*cking Sufjan Stevens of course. (Three albums and a total of seven CDs, which must make him Artist of Jaybee’s Year, if such an award existed.)  

Sufjan was putting out Christmas EPs for his friends for five years in a row, and he finally put all of them together into one box - Songs for Christmas - where I could pick up a used copy.  And it turns out to dominate the holiday music this year.  Definitely one of the best holiday albums around. A-

Grandaddy makes a kind of space music, but the space in question is California.  Jason Lytle's vocals bear a slight resemblance to Flaming Lips front-man Wayne Coyne.  And even some interest in technology and robots.  Jason seems a little more pro-robot than Wayne, but maybe is even more sad. It's strange that Software would lead off  with an eight minute dirge.  But it works, and I find myself still listening to its deft balance of snap crackle and pop.  After several weeks, I'm still playing it. Another maybe album of the year?  A

Amazon keeps tempting me with their $5 mp3, and I succumbed again, first with Brad Paisley's American Saturday Night, which comprises part two of my investigation into whether modern country music does anything for me at all.   The trouble with music downloads is that you can forget that you have them.  Thus my play count so far is only 1.

And then with A Tribe Called Quest's Anthology. I snuck in a listen early Christmas morning.  For hip hop, this is surprisingly listenable and tuneful.  Again, only a single play.  I hate when that happens. 

Part of the reason for the low play count of those mp3s is that I got Grant McLennan's Horsebreaker Star for Christmas. Nutboy (link) was pushing this record hard.  I held off because of the different versions floating around.  Nutboy’s got the single CD domestic version, so naturally the old Jaybee one-upmanship comes out and I have to get the original two-CD 24 song import.  These last-CDs-of-the-year are really hard to judge.  Right now, it's sitting at a B+, but may move up.

All in all, an excellent season.

Next: 2011 in Sum