2009: A BANNER YEAR?
Here Are 30 Reasons Why...
Tuck those preconceptions into your old kit bags, sports fans. The music industry may be crumbling, but it is only the structure. Looking from what used to be the top down (the media and the major labels), things could not be much worse. Superstars are getting fewer and farther between, the major labels' propensity for reissues are undermining an already tenuous credibility, and the stories about vinyl being the comeback kid are beginning to shrivel as actual numbers become public (It is hard to make a case for a format which presses a pittance of what it takes to be considered a hit and in most cases sells even less). The corporate structures, gutted as they have been, are slowly giving way to a new paradigm which has as its core, gasp, music!
And as those structures crumble, that music thrives. The past year (and, indeed, the past decade) has produced as much and as good music as it ever has, hitting highs as high and probably lows as low, and yet it lives! The fact that it is hard to break through the white noise and the brainwashing and the fadism does not take away the reality that the music itself is more vibrant and more creative than ever. And while some shrink into their cocoons and point out that finding such music is impossible and expensive (while spending fortunes on McCartney tickets and pretending he is more than a shell of his former self), I point to the music. While they wrap themselves in McCartney and Dylan and Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, they on the whole refuse a look toward the remotely unknown and even when they listen, they don't.
While I consider that sad, I also leave them to eat my dust. I have not always been a glass half full kind of guy, but this independence among musicians is fast making me one and I find it exhilarating. I feel young again, like when I heard Sean & the Brandywines' She Ain't No Good on KRKT Radio in the late sixties and kept telling the guys to shut up so I could catch the name of the band, and when I heard The Roadrunners' I'll Make It Up To You on KGAL and begged my parents to let me drive the 30 miles to see them at the Albany Guard Armory (they didn't), and when I hogged the dorm phone at the University of Oregon to vote for The Gants' (You Can't Blow) Smoke Rings during a KASH Radio Make-It-Or-Break-It segment (alas, I did not get through and they broke it, but 30 years later I found a copy at Dean's Golden Oldies on Roosevelt in Seattle--- a glorious day and an example of perseverance paying off!). You see, it can be about the music and for many of us is about the music and if you prefer your cocoon, that's fine. Just don't whine that there is nothing new or good out there. There is.
Here are thirty tracks, in fact, which helped make 2009 a banner year, in no particular order and numbered only to prevent me from listing 100 or 150 because I could see myself doing it and you really don't have the time, do you? I assume by the silence that would be a 'no'. Fair enough. Let us begin...
1. / The Fairy Queen I & II--- No track hit me between the eyes as did these two. Basically one song, they were given two distinct treatments by the Pajamas, who remain an enigma to most of the known world. Adventurous, distinctive, driven, they have cranked out numerous albums and singles over the years and of a wide variety of sounds and styles. All I could think of when I looked over their voluminous discography was 'where the hell was I?'. I have a lot of catching up to do. Which Fairy Queen is better? I is heavy psych, II is more rock with psych overtones. Listen and take your pick. They are both great. From Poison in the Russian Room.
Check out this outstanding video, also from
The Green Pajamas' excellent Poison In the Russian Room album
2. /Whatever...(love is)--- Norway's Ophelia Hope took me by complete surprise earlier this year. Taking a style which would fit quite nicely with the cinematic folk and rock music of the sixties, they twist it and modernize it into a conglomeration of folk/psych and Burt Bacharach and come up with some of the best sounds of the year, easily. Check out the bridge, substitute guitar for violin and you will hear what they might have accomplished if they were rock. No need, though. It's damn near perfect the way it is. From their self-titled album.
3. /Parasite--- Songs about being an asshole are hardly a staple of the male side of the music business, but Bryce Larsen of Stealing Jane wrote lyrics for Parasite which points out that sometimes there is a nice guy inside that asshole trying to escape, but unsuccessful. When he sings “Please believe me when I tell you that I love you more than I love myself”, he is not far from the truth. Being an asshole is not as easy as it is portrayed in today's politically correct press. As for the music, it is what Chicago could have been. In the early days. Before they caved to success. Great track. From The Signal.
4. /La Di Da--- I wanted to list another track here and The Colorful is loaded with good stuff, but the production values on La Di Da wouldn't let me. This is production at its best--- not a sound out of place nor a waste of space anywhere. The song, powerful yet flowing, is a headphone high. Amazing.
5. /My Hallelujah--- I was introduced to Kathrin Shorr and Tim Burlingame through Matthew Lee, on whose Atom Factory album they appeared (more about that later). I fell in love with Shorr's voice and phrasing and Burlingame's expertise on stringed instruments and followed Lee's link to STR. What I found and heard there, while not quite what I expected, was much more. It is music from the soul and while friends have called them folk, I think when it gets this good it transcends genre. Watch the video below and see if you agree. From the My Hallelujah album.
Sweet Talk Radio with guest, Sarah Sample
6. /Weight of the World--- I could have taken any track from Amelia Jay's excellent self-titled album, so choosing Weight of the World was no stretch. Having a bit of 's propensity for melody and harmony and Jeanette Beswick's phrasing being similar to that of Hem's Sally Ellyson, I cannot help but make comparisons, but Amelia Jay stands on their own. This is beautiful music. Check both bands out. From Like a Kite.
This may be a concert promo, but it is also a good video...
7. /California--- My favorite track on the album is I Can't Go On, but I'm going to substitute California instead (for personal reasons). Not only is it the title track for Curreri's upcoming album, it gives a better idea of what Curreri is all about, though one can never be sure. Steeped in folk and blues, Curreri goes where this mind and heart lead him. He can rock out on one song and give you the blues on the next, sweep you off your feet with a ballad on another and then finish you off with guitar that guitarists wish they could emulate. This guy has talent and then some and the free sense to let it come out naturally. Album to be released in the States soon (though not soon enough).
8. /Warmth of the Sun--- These guys are what The Eagles profess to be. Solid rockin' with good sense of melody and harmony. Warmth of the Sun has the vocal sound of The Eagles (early, before they lost their chops) with the guitars of Illinois Speed Press, a great combination. Rich Dembowski is a monster songwriter, too. From the album Westering Again.
Old Californio perform Harmony on KPFK...
9. /Crowded--- I've heard openers and closers for bands, by which I mean songs to get the party started or songs to close out the night on a high note, but only a few really good ones. This is a good one, a rocker which features the whole band and lots of it. Fifteen minutes of this to end the night might well end up with a significant amount of property damage. There is talent in Missouri, after all. From The Indigo Sessions.
10. /Crushed--- There is just not enough melody and harmony in music these days, I tell you, so when Dala came along, I was more than ready. Their 2009 followup (Everyone Is Someone) to 2007's stunningly beautiful Who Do You Think You Are proves that they are no fluke. Ethereal harmonies, incredible melodies, primo production. The following teaser is introduction enough. If you don't hear it, there is no hope for you.
11. /Let's Get Carried Away--- From chord one, these guys knocked me out. Solid guitar, pop melodies, vocals straight out of the sixties--- hell, these guys are a mixture of all my favorite power pop bands over the years. Critics seem to think Foo Fighters. I might have to give them a listen sometime. For now, though, these guys are heavy rotation monsters at my house. They call the video below “Photoshoot” on Youtube. It was shot on a phone. Technology can be amazing, can't it? From their self-titled album.
12. /Queen--- Here's something I never thought I'd hear. This Dallas band put together a fine album, a couple of songs which resemble Space Opera. Every time I hear this, I can't help but wonder what Scott Fraser and Phil White would say. An outstanding track and a must for Space Opera fans. CD available from Idol Records.
13. /Last Lesson--- I'd given up on hard rock and metal, too hard and too much metal, until I heard Era For a Moment and their smooth-edged version of the genre. Last Lesson is anthemic, smooth, spacey and with vocals from a lady, mark this name--- Shelby Carcio--- who knows how to sing rock. No posers, these guys. They come to play! From When Earth Meets Sky.
14. /Forget-Me-Nots--- I was never a big fan of The Black Crowes, though I found them tolerable. Bright Giant, out of Des Moines IA, capture just enough of the Crowes to give this song an edge. Another anthemic beauty. These guys deserve to make it. Big. From their self-titled EP.
15. /Bring Down the Fire--- Nathan Lee is one of those guys who can reach deep when he wants to and evidently he wanted to on 2009's Risk Everything. With soulful voice and an ability to write killer songs, he is spreading the word by working his ass off. Bring Down the Fire has a gospel soul base which grabs the ears and won't let go. If you get the chance to see him, I recommend it. Highly.
16. ATOM FACTORY/New Sunshine--- Remember Sweet Talk Radio? If you don't, I suggest seeing a neurologist immediately. Well, this is by the guy who sent me their way: one Matthew Lee. Atom Factory is his self-titled album and New Sunshine is one of my real finds of last year. Poppy, light and upbeat, it has music which makes me want to skip down the street. Yes, that is Kathrin Shorr and Tim Burlingame in the background. When I listen to this, the sun always shines.
17. /AmTrack--- I had no harder time selecting a song to include in this article than with Jill Stevenson. When I first heard her, first with her band (The Jill Stevenson Band) and then on an EP she recorded with titled Where We're Not, she sounded like just another female vocalist but with each successive listen, well, she just got better. By the tenth listen, I was ready to join the fan club and can't wait for her next project. Why AmTrack? I'm not certain, though I am knocked out by her understated vocals and a production job worth raving about. Oh, and it's a damn fine song, too.
18. /Lead Foot--- To those who would have you believe that these guys are bluegrass, a pox on you! The Dixie Bee-Liners may play bluegrass, but they play a handful of other styles of music as well--- and play them well, I might add! This song was written by Ken Stringfellow of The Posies and could be a lost track from The Byrds' Notorious Byrd Brothers album. A backwoods space track of important consequence. Take my word for it. Or don't. From the Susanville album.
19. /Trouble--- A laid back little number, Trouble was almost left off O'Neill's Partner album. God knows why. It is manna from the depths and plants me against the chair every time I hear it. A beautiful, beautiful song. Jesse Waldman? Thanks for saving it from the cutting room floor. And the immaculate production.
20. /The Wedding Song--- This is a pop dirge, I swear. Play this at midnight in a cemetery and ghosts will appear wearing 18th Century garb and hover, listening. It's beautiful, but sends chills down my spine. Maybe that's why I like it so much. From Leonard Cohen's Victory.
21. /Girl In Dolorous Blue--- God knows why, but try as I might to get someone to pay attention to these guys, it just ain't happening. I don't get it. From last year's Fayre album, this track is as good as it gets--- upbeat, crunchy, great melody, Brit Pop flavor. Not only that, it comes with a great video. I could watch this all night. In fact, I think I will.
22. /Water Burial--- This song is too personal to even write about. A beautiful tribute to Kathy Fisher's late father, it is reminiscent of the milder tracks on Nick Holmes' lost classic album, Soulful Crooner. When I heard the story behind the song, I was stunned. One of last year's hidden classics. From the album Water.
23. /Apology--- If Nashville was not a suppository of “modern country” these days, Apology would be ruling the airwaves. As much rock as country, it lives on bedrock of intensely reverbed guitar and slightly distorted pedal steel, but it is the background “Ooo-ooh”s that make the song. This has everything that should make it a hit but probably won't. I shake my head. From the Side A EP.
24. /True Colors--- Caroline Herring borrows a bit from the fifties on this remake of the Cindy Lauper hit. There is a touch of the Everly Brothers in the feel and the guitar break is fifties' AM hit. I could have chosen one of her originals on the Golden Apples of the Sun album, but this one reaches for me every time I get close to the player. She does a standup version of See See Rider, too. She gets better with each album.
25. /My Day Anyway--- Lisa Parade is everything I love about Modern Pop. You can have your Aguilera's and Spears' and Cyrus's because in my head, they pale before The Lisa Parade. Powerful, upbeat,exhilarating! This girl rocks! Check out Finding Flora. For people 10 to 90.
26. /Perfect--- Sometimes, you just have to go with the tried and true. There is a bit of the upbeat side of Jackson Browne in Perfect and every once in awhile, I like to hear it outside the Browne tracks which have assaulted my ears over the past three decades. A good song is a good song and Chaisson and band pulls this one off nicely. From Broken Hearted Beat.
27. /X-Ray--- My friend Howie says this track is reminiscent of Paul Kantner's Blows Against the Empire. He should know, but I haven't heard that album since the month it was released some gazillion years ago. If it's anything like X-Ray, though, I'm checking it out again. Slightly pop but free and easy. Mist and Mast, a San Francisco band fronted by one Jason Lakis, will be getting an in-depth writeup here soon. These guys knock me out. From the Action at a Distance album.
28. /Drive--- Hymn For Her, for those who are unaware, is two-thirds of Philadelphia's best kept secret, . Maggi Jane and Pierce Ternay have hit the road as a duo (well, quartet, if you count toddler Diver and dog-slash-roadie Pokey) and even though Year of the Golden Pig says 2008, I didn't get my copy until 2009, so it qualifies. MPE cranked out some of the best and most creative rock Philly has ever seen over the years and the tradition continues. Drive is a manic locomotive of a song with laughable twists and turns. They have a new album coming out soon. Not soon enough, as far as I'm concerned, but here's a taste--- http://www.youtube.com/user/h4h07#p/a/u/1/7qTwGf4sjo4
29. MARGAUX SKY/If You Need Reason--- With a voice slightly more bluesy than Teresa Brewer and slightly less jazzy tham Eartha Kitt, Margaux Sky skirts around the edges of a number of genres. Here, she sings pop blues on a track co-written with Craig Williams. It has just enough of that certain something for me to play it on a fairly regular basis. This proves that even chef's can have musical talent. When she's not singing, she teaches cooking. Food and music. Only one thing missing for the perfect trifecta.
30. /Green Gates--- Charlottesville knows Sam Wilson as one of the , a band making waves all over the East Coast, but I know him as a guy everyone pointed to when I asked about up-and-coming musicians in that city. Green Gates, on the album of the same name, is a cross between Byzantium, a UK band from the early seventies, and Illinois Speed Press. Very tasty with guitar lead tradeoffs which make this a stone classic.
Hell, I could go on and on. Want me to? Nah. You don't have the time and I'm getting a bit tired, anyway. I'll tell you what, though. I'm pumped. I barely scratched the surface on 2009, musically, and here comes 2010!
Do me a favor. Stop by and sample some of these tracks at the linked sites. These people didn't put their hearts and souls into this music so their aunts and uncles could have something to brag about. They love doing it, sure, but they need confirmation as much as the next guy. Next time you feel like dropping a nickel on some music, think about the independent musician. Their music is as good as any out there and how cool is it when you pit something on at your house or in your car and your friends go nuts over it. It's happened to me before. And it's way cool. Trust me.
Frank O. Gutch Jr.
Supporting the Indies Since 1969