What the Senator Wants is a Corndog

Coming in at number nine is Stephen Malkmus with Mirror Traffic, his latest release with The Jicks. His fifth overall solo album and third under The Jicks moniker, this album is more of the same guitar-heavy, supremely catchy, twisted pop we’ve all come to expect from SM. He doesn’t really break any new ground here, but personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Having been an SM fan even before I developed a true appreciation for Pavement, his albums tend to be mainstays in my heavy rotation and though this album came in ninth on the list, it’ll likely be one of the most played in the next 5-10 years. This time around he enlisted Beck for production duties. While there are occasional unmistakable Beck flavored accents here and there (such as on No One Is (As I Are Be)), he mainly stays out of the way and lets the Jicks shine once again.

As is typical, there’s not a bad song in the bunch. These are the kind of tunes that stick in the brain and can lead you to sing their choruses throughout the day without even realizing – a risky proposition on some tracks (imagine your tech walking past your office just as you’re singing “I know what the senator wants, what the senator wants is a blowjob”). After getting off to a strong start with the very Pavement-y Tigers they slow it down on No One Is. A lot was made of this song when the album came out about how it was so much more introspective and autobiographical than SM’s typical lyrical output. I don’t know if that’s true and I don’t really care, but I will say it’s musically different than anything they’ve done and it’s beautiful. As the daddy of a little girl I also have to give them credit for the super-cute video featuring SM’s daughters and their little friends playing in the park. Next is Senator, which, if you’re not paying attention, could be dismissed as a gimmicky attention-grabber (there was a contest for fans to change the aforementioned lyric from “blowjob” to something more radio-friendly), but if you are paying attention you’ll know it’s a great tune soaked in that savory classic-Pavement flavor. Next is my favorite track, Brain Gallop. With it’s laid-back groove and the chorus “There’s not much left inside my tank today,” this one has become my driving-home-from work theme song. The rest of the album is consistently good, but Spazz, Share the Red, Forever 28 and Fall Away are as good as anything he’s ever written.

I still contend that Stephen Malkmus is one of the best songwriters not just of our generation but also of any generation. Despite this, he never seems to turn many heads on the national scene. His description in the media as a “slacker prince” is beyond cliché at this point, but if you’ve seen him live you do start to wonder if he’s even enjoying himself at all. Add on top of that the fact that he knows he writes kick ass songs and carries around a monstrosity of an ego and you have a very polarizing figure. You either love the guy or hate him. Much has been made by me in this blog over the years about my favorite bands rising to superstardom (see last year’s Black Keys entries and *ahem* maybe another one in the coming days?) and my internal struggle to continue to support them as mainstream artists. I’m happy to not have to share Malkmus with every douchey follower of the hype machine and respect him even more for figuring out the magic recipe to fly under the radar yet remain perpetually relevant.

The eighth spot on the list was an album that took me by surprise and, after Mondo Cane last year, marks the second consecutive year I’ve had a foreign language album in my top ten.

Nine Types of Awesome

It’s probably no surprise that TV on the Radio ended up on the list, though maybe a little surprising that they slid in at the bottom. I loved this album, but it doesn’t rank among their best works. I still remember the first time I heard this band – spring of 2004, riding in PD’s truck as we pulled away from Best Buy in Rapid City. I remember hearing the first little saxophone lick on The Wrong Way which led into the driving bass-heavy beat. I remember thinking I’ve never heard music like this before. I remember becoming more and more intrigued the longer the song played. It may not have occurred to me immediately, but I also remember at some point thinking it was the exact music I needed in my life right then.

Seven years and three LPs later I’m still hooked. I will say that there was a golden age of TVOTR that started with the Young Liars EP, continued with Desperate Youth and ended with Cookie Mountain. With this string of perfection, they set themselves a ridiculously high bar. They weren’t able to reach those soaring heights on Dear Science, a solid but not spectacular album (which despite being their weakest effort still landed in my top 10 of 2008. I trust these guys implicitly and will buy pretty much anything they ever do). They don’t quite get there on Nine Types of Light either, but, for me, TVOTR’s output on an average day is better than most others acts on their best one. Further, this album improves on Dear Science and moves them closer to that earlier high water mark. The first track is, oddly, called Second Song and sets the table perfectly. From The Wrong Way to I Was a Lover to Halfway Home to this one, these guys know how to kick off an album. It has the same intensity I’ve come to expect, and though it starts out with a contemplative spoken word suggesting the same serious tone we’ve heard from them in the past, it soon gives way to a very danceable beat and lyrics espousing the power of music and love and light. In other words, it doesn’t take long to realize that this is their most upbeat, optimistic and playful album so far. Next up is Keep Your Heart with Kyp on vocals. Possibly my favorite on the album, it’s a beautiful song that hits me in my sappy, romantic spot much like DS’s Lover’s Day did. The love fest continues on You, a song that perfectly exemplifies the spacy, sonic feel of these ten tracks as a whole. From there the album has its ups and downs. Highlights include the lovely Killer Crane (Holy crap was that a banjo? Why yes, I do believe it was!), the sultry New Cannonball Blues, the frenetic Repetition and the deep chill of Forgotten. Strangely, the low point on the album is the song they chose as their first single, Will Do. It strikes me as a little dull and the lyrics feel uninspired.

This album holds extra special meaning to me because my wife is as passionate about this band as I am. Not only did they give us this beautiful album all about love, but they were kind enough to come and perform it for us on our 10^th wedding anniversary. That was a show I’ll never forget.

From Nine Types of Light to number nine on my list, the next artist is another can’t-miss from my personal hall of fame. He moved from Portland to Germany this past year, so my dreams of us becoming buddies have probably finally died.

Best of 2011 - ZH Version

Wow, we really let this thing slip this year, didn't we? Nothing like a year-end top ten to get it started again. Personally, I thought 2010 was a banner year for music, but somehow 2011 managed to top it. I really had a hard time narrowing it down this year. It’s been a fun year of highly anticipated follow-ups for many (really, most) of my favorites as well as some debuts that caught me, pleasantly, by surprise.

This year’s list includes five solo artists and five proper bands. I had the fortune of seeing four of the ten perform live and have tickets to see a fifth in the new year. Three I liked so much I purchased them on vinyl. Six begin with either the letter “T” or the letter “W”. Remarkably, two of them were on my list last year and perhaps even more remarkably none are associated with the name Patton or Cave.

The field was so wide open this year that I thought I’d start out with a little honorable mention list. These albums spent a lot of time on heavy rotation and nearly made the final cut. All are well worth a listen if not a purchase.

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

Man Man – Life Fantastic

Eleanor Friedberger – Last Summer

Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Part 2

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Coming soon, my tenth favorite album of the year. Interestingly, the lead singer and backup vocalist/guitarist of this group will show up again as guests on another top ten album.