A Hard Day's Work

I’m not sure what else to say about William Elliott Whitmore that I haven’t already said somewhere on here before. I was in awe the first time RJD played Song of the Blackbird for me and I’ve been in awe every time I’ve heard any of his other music since. To be able to create the way he does with nothing but a guitar, banjo and his own unmistakable voice is a gift that one doesn’t come across very often. His latest album, Field Songs, doesn’t break any new ground. Thank God.

Field Songs is a sort of country-folk concept album about a hard day of labor on the farm, a labor of love. It also conveys a great sense of optimism and hopefulness, somewhat in contrast to his previous album, the brilliant and politically charged Animals in the Dark. The album opens in the morning, the first strains being the sounds of birds chirping on the farm at dawn. Then the banjo kicks in as a sort of wake up call. WEW sings about letting the sun come up and urges us to not dwell on our troubles, but rather set forth on this day, forgetting the burdens of yesterday and focusing on the work that needs to be done today. The final sounds of this song are WEW echoing the banjo melody with a fading hum over the omnipresent sounds of the outdoors.

Next up is the title track, where the work gets started. Backed by strummed guitar, he sings about digging in the dirt and getting the job done. We get to hear him describe his thoughts of better days that lie ahead, concern about government and big industry encroaching on his livelihood and visions of seeing this thing through until the day he’ll lie in peace under the black locust tree. He then proves his mettle and aptitude for the task at hand on Don’t Need It by refusing the waking cane and requesting instead the hammer and saw, backed by the determination of the guitar and driving bass drum. This is a chest-thumping man song.

The pace then slows a bit on Everything Gets Gone, allowing us a moment to reflect our mortality. We’re reminded we’re just here for a little while; that life went on before us and will go on after we’re gone. I can’t help but think he had his parents in mind when he wrote this, both of them reportedly having passed away before he was barely out of high school.

The pace and mood pick up again on Let’s Do Something Impossible. For me, this is one of the standout tracks of the whole group and I love the optimism underscored by the historical allegories. He makes the listener feel like they can do anything they set out to do with the right mix of positive attitude and determination. This determination carries over to the rumbling Get There From Here. I love traveling songs like this. Songs like these are the ones I sing when I have to be away from home for a few days and miss my family. I like to think of jumping the fence, outrunning the dogs, defying the laws of man or overcoming any other obstacle in my way to get to see them again.

As the album winds down, he switches back to the banjo for We’ll Carry On. The message here is perseverance. There’s been a great tragedy causing a significant setback, but he sings of setting sights again to the future and making the best of a difficult situation.

Which delivers us to the album closer, the powerful I Am Not Feeling Any Pain. He sings of the work being through and toasting the setting sun, taking comfort in the satisfaction of a job well done. I think of this song, and the album as a whole for that matter, as an analogy of life itself. This song sees the singer near the end of his life. He’s looking back and feeling satisfied, feeling that he lived his life honestly and virtuously, feeling that the job he did was done to the best of his ability and done well, feeling no pain of regret or sorrow. Of course it also acts as a perfect bookend to a masterpiece album. Not only does the setting sun imagery complement the rising sun imagery of Bury Your Burdens, it also borrows the same key and similar chord progression. And other than a bass drum and slightly quicker tempo, the fading hum and farm sounds at the end of these two songs are nearly identical. This clever construction of the album as a whole makes me admire it so much more. It absolutely deserves to be heard all at once in one setting.

I get into periods of WEW obsession from time to time, listening to nothing but his albums. I noticed a few days ago when doing some research that his discography includes two demo LPs from prior to Hymns of The Hopeless. I searched for quite a while to locate them for digital download, but came up empty. I did, however, come across a file containing a bundle of “demo” albums I hadn’t seen mentioned anywhere else via free download. They currently reside in my Dropbox public folder and my fellow bloggers should check them out. I haven’t gotten through all of them yet, but there are some awesome unreleased songs and some really good early versions of songs we already know. Why this stuff hasn’t seen the light of day is as baffling to me as why most of the country still doesn’t even know who WEW is.

Two to go. Strong guitar work plays a big role in the success of both. One brings to my mind the 60’s while the other conjures the 80’s, though a diverse range of influences supports both. Both offer 11 tracks of near perfection.

And Many, Many More

Happy Birthday Sir.

'Bad' So Good

Tom Waits has released, I think, 22 albums now. He is without question one of the greatest songwriters who ever lived. My beloved ANTI- record label was basically built on the success of his Mule Variations, released in 1999. He’s a part-time movie actor and always steals the show no matter how big or small the part. He’s pretty much deity who can do no wrong and he released the fourth best album of the year in 2011.

I love how succinct he is on this album, imparting a very specific mood and feel with each track without any filler (no track is over five minutes). I love how diverse he is, ranging from soulful blues on Raised Right Men to rockabilly on Get Lost to the Spanish flavored Back in the Crowd (with help from Los Lobos guitarist David Hidalgo’s guitar work) to 60’s R&B on the title track. I love the fact that he brings all these eclectic sources together, yet all thirteen tracks are 100% original Tom Waits. I love the energy of the first cut, Chicago, and how it immediately draws you in for the rest of the wild ride. I love imagining I’m driving down a deserted street in NYC at 3 am in a black and white movie from the 70’s while listening to the desperately lonely Kiss Me. I love the incredibly fun cover/parody/tribute Satisfaction and the fact that “Mr. Richards” plays guitar on it. I love the perfectly organized chaos of Hell Broke Luce. I love the closing ballad New Year’s Eve and how it sounds like every other Tom Waits song in the catalog – in the best way possible. I love that this is the album he created at age 62 and that he shows no signs of slowing down.

The top three of the year were harder to organize than I expected. Their pedigrees went a long way toward landing them this high on the list. One placed third on my year-end list with his previous release and, much more impressively, made my favorite album of the 2000’s. Another one just barely missed scoring the top spot on last year’s list and came in at number two. The other got a first big break in the touring band of the creator of last year’s number one album. Decisions, decisions. I guess the good part is that I can’t really go wrong.

Meet Merrill

I am an admitted fan of weird music. From Fiery Furnaces to Dirty Projectors to Man Man to, obviously and especially, Mr. Bungle, some of my favorite bands don’t stick to the usual paradigm. Some might call them noisy or irritating. I call them beautiful and the thing that attracts me to bands such as these is that I find them challenging. Much like a crossword puzzle or an organic chemistry equation, I find the process of solving a challenging band extremely rewarding. What starts out sounding like disorganized chaos or clutter slowly takes shape with each successive listen as new depths and layers of sound reveal themselves. In the end, I’m left with not just a thoroughly enjoyable music experience but also the satisfaction of being of the few people to truly figure out the band’s genius. Tune-Yards, the stage moniker of one Merrill Garbus, is one of these bands and her 2011 release WHOKILL is a work of brilliance.

These challenging records usually have to have at least one song that grabs me on the first listen in order to want me coming back for more. That song on this album was Powa. The soft, lilting guitar strains that open lead into the main chord progression and easy beat. Then at one minute into the song, Merrill’s vocals kick in and you’d swear it was Steve Perry circa “Lights”. The chill vibe and smoothness of this track made it one of my favorite songs of the year. The last 30 seconds feature her hitting high notes that would make any pop diva envious. This song was the key to unlocking the rest of the album, where Merrill’s vocals are the star. Where they may sound shrill and off-putting to some at first, repeated careful listening will reveal that she has a truly remarkable gift.

Another characteristic of this weird music genre is that its bands difficult to characterize or classify. She takes bits and pieces of other genres and mashes them together to make something completely unique and original. Bizness makes use of an Afro-beat groove. Doorstep incorporates 60’s R&B vocals. Wolly Wolly Gong is a spooky, folky lullaby. Es-So is free-form jazz craziness. All of these varied components, along with looped percussion, occasional horn blasts, well-placed guitar strikes and ukulele plucks come together perfectly and result in something really special and refreshing.

What really elevated WHOKILL on my list this year was seeing her perform it live. I was very curious to see how she’d pull it off, since so much of the album seemed synthetic and produced. To my surprise and utter amazement, she more or less performed all songs by herself live, the only exceptions being her supporting cast of two saxophonists and one bass player. Armed with a standing drum kit, several microphones, a ukulele and probably a dozen looping pedals, she creates these richly layered compositions basically singlehandedly (well, two handed and one footedly). I think I stood with mouth hanging open in awe for the first fifteen minutes of the show and was bummed, but invigorated, when it was over. She brings back something for me that I haven’t felt in a long time – the desire to create my own music. Yep, she inspires me. Check out this live performance of Gangsta to get a taste.

The next old fella on the list inspires me too. He’s not one on the list of performers I got to see live this year, but he is most certainly on my list of people to see before I die. RJD, one day this will happen.

Bowielicious

This year’s In The Mountain in the Cloud is Portugal. The Man’s sixth studio album. Their first, Waiter “You Vultures!” was released in 2006. When you consider these two facts it shouldn’t take long to realize a third very impressive one. Yes, this band has released a full-length album every year for the last six years. Add to that five EPs since 2005 and nearly endless touring and you’ve got one hard-working band. Their frenzied pace and dedication to their craft have resulted in a cultivated sound that continues to build and improve with each subsequent release. 2010’s American Ghetto landed the seventh place on last year’s list and they move up a spot to sixth this year.

David Bowie has clearly been an influence on P.TM’s sound and it has never been more clearly evident than on this album, starting right out of the gates with So American. A spacy synth melody kicks it off and leads into a gently strummed guitar progression. The song then continues to layer and build further and further into the atmosphere until it settles into a comfortable little orbit right next to Major Tom. Though released in July, I was pretty sure this album was going to end up somewhere on this list based on the strength of that song alone. With masterful use of synthesizer, strings and singer John Gourley’s falsetto, the rest of the album is more of the same. I won’t pick out album highlights here because I can say without reservation that each and every song is outstanding. I do, however, have to make mention of the fourth track, the electrifying Senseless. It immediately kicks you in the face with it’s urgent, driving beat, and proceeds to the breathtaking conclusion replete with multivocalist chanting and pounding piano and gradually increasing reverb until it transcends this world and echoes through the ether into silence. I was fortunate enough to see them play in December for the first time. They were as great live as I’d expected and I was thrilled that they paid homage to their idol with a spot on cover of Oh You Pretty Things.

This was a tough album for me to place as there are some days when I think it deserves to be higher than number six. The decisions only get harder from here as I crack the top five. The next two have jockeyed for position for the last several weeks. Both are solo artists. Both find success with strong, distinct voices and unorthodox instrumentation. One is relatively new to the scene, this year’s breakout being just her second album. The other is a seasoned veteran whose current release is his 22^nd and, much like P.TM, was known to release an album a year (sometimes two!) in his prime.

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Welcome Back Wilco

Wilco has been one of my favorite bands since the first time I heard Summerteeth in 1999. From there I had the joy of working backwards through their catalog as well as following them forward through landmark album after landmark album (including both Mermaid Avenue volumes). Tweedy and company couldn’t seem to miss. Even their foray into bright, poppy, 70’s classic-rock-soaked material, 2007’s Sky Blue Sky, was given my stamp of approval, though I must admit that I was a little concerned about the direction they were headed. My fears were heightened with the release of their follow up with the oh-so-cheeky title, Wilco (The Album). This one was lacking inspiration, dull and, for me at least, generally unlistenable. The album was bad enough that I began to question whether they’d ever be able to right the ship.

For a little more historical perspective, I need to say that what I loved about Wilco’s sound prior to W(TA) was that they crafted beautiful and memorable songs that always broke new ground, experimented with new sounds and song structures and was ever changing and pushing the envelope. Many blame the change of direction on Tweedy’s rebirth from prescription drug abusing rock star to sobered up family man. The lack of angst, some hypothesized, led to his creating breezy and forgettable material. I really did begin to wonder if they would regain that spark. I was glad to learn that they had with The Whole Love.

When I reflect on this album, I have to reluctantly consider using the word “Beatlesesque”. I hate to use it because I hate words that sound made up, like Pickwickian or athleticism. Nevertheless, the greatest band of all time undoubtedly influenced this album. Then, I began to reflect on Wilco’s career in general and couldn’t help but draw comparisons between theirs and the Beatles. Both were responsible for helping to launch a brand new genre of music (rock and roll for the Beatles, alt-country for Wilco). Both were prolific and consistently good, playing amazing live sets. Most importantly, both continued to challenge themselves to go further. At first I was tempted to say they both reinvented themselves, but on second thought I don’t think this is an accurate description. When I think of a band reinventing itself, I think if Radiohead (with success) or Metallica (with miserable failure). No, I think a better way to put it is that both Wilco and the Beatles continued to evolve. The nuts and bolts of their sound doesn’t change over the years, while the production, instrumentation, song structure, and collective individual influences each member brings to the table allow them to remain incredibly relevant and fresh.

To fit this album within the Beatles analogy, The Whole Love is Wilco’s Abbey Road (or maybe its Let It Be). The beautiful harmonies and piano on Sunloathe remind me of Abbey Road’s Because. Capitol City not only serves as the sequel to SBS’s Hate It Here, but its organ and guitar lines would fit snugly right next to Let It Be’s I’ve Got a Feeling. Other big highlights include the electronic influenced opener Art of Almost with its killer guitar solo, Born Alone with its dizzying Shepard tone finish and the lovely and introspective closing track, One Sunday Morning. I’m so glad Wilco is back and so excited to see them again when they return to Portland next month.

The album that earned the sixth spot on my list is one of two hard working bands that also made last year’s list. They blew me away with their previous album, but with solid production and big guitars, their 2011 album takes them to a higher level.

Nomadic? No Problem.

Tinariwen is one of those bands that took me by surprise this year. Based solely on prior releases, this is a band that I never should have noticed, which makes sense because I never did (their back catalog probably deserves a listen at some point, but so far I haven’t delved into their past). At the same time, it makes complete sense that they would be all over my radar screen with Tassili. First off, they signed with the greatest record label in the world, ANTI-, for this album. It takes only a brief review of these blog posts to find that ANTI- has strong influence and heavy representation on these reviewers’ musical tastes. I have come to the point where I nearly trust them completely and expect just about anything they put out to have significant merit. Then, beyond the label and it’s outstanding production and marketing, add the fact that they hand-picked guest stars who showed up on elsewhere on my best-of-the-year list (including Tunde and Kyp, but also – spoiler alert – Nels Cline) and it seems like a can’t miss. The only remaining problem, one that initially made me put them off for a week or two before purchasing, was that it was largely instrumental, middle eastern “world music”. My expectation was droning, repetitive, sitar heavy meanderings. I’m glad I got over these preconceived notions and decided to take a chance because I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The beautiful and endearing thing about Tinariwen’s sound is that it has a distinct African and eastern sound (the band members belong to a nomadic tribe that roams Saharan Africa), but it has a strong tendency toward delta blues of all things. This weird but satisfying fusion is what makes their music instantly catchy, yet keeps it from becoming stale and repetitive. From the very first listen I was hooked and found the songs to have a hypnotic quality, never seeming over-long. And what makes this album as impressive as anything is that they’re able to produce this sound with nothing but acoustic guitar, hand drums, clapping and voices. Highlights include all songs on which the TVOTR guys provide vocals (what a great venue for these masters of falsetto to offer their talents), especially Asuf D Alwa and Walla Illa. Other great tracks are Imidiwan Me Tenem, featuring Cline’s characteristic frenetic guitar, and Ya Messinagh with simmering, sinister background sax and horns provided by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

In the end, I love the east meets west fusion they incorporate to create such an ingratiating sound. I’d love to see more of this in years to come, bringing music from around the world to people like myself who tend to lean, sometimes ignorantly, toward a more ethnocentric sound. Perhaps this will also motivate me to seek out new sounds beyond my own country and my usual paradigm.

The next entry on this retrospective comes from a band I was ready to write off just two years ago. Another of my personal all time favorites, I’m happy to say they’ve redeemed themselves with a vengeance and slide in at number seven.

2011 Best Albums by RJD

11. City And Colour - "Little Hell" (Vagrant, 6/6/11)

For fans of Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith, Travis
Choice cuts: The Grand Optimist, Weightless, Silver And Gold


10. Chris Cornell - "Songbook" (UMe, 11/21/11)

For fans of Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple Of The Dog
Choice cuts: As Hope And Promise Fade, Scar On The Sky, Black Hole Sun


9. In Solitude - "The World, The Flesh, The Devil" (Metal Blade, 5/23/11)

For fans of Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Ghost
Choice cuts: Serpents Are Rising, Dance Of The Adversary, On Burning Paths


8. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - "Scandalous" (Lost Highway, 3/15/11)

For fans of The Blues Brothers, James Brown, Otis Redding
Choice cuts: Black Snake, You Been Lyin', Booty City


7. The Black Keys - "El Camino" (Nonesuch, 12/6/11)

For fans of The White Stripes, John Spencer Blues Explosion, R. L. Burnside
Choice cuts: Little Black Submarines, Gold On The Ceiling, Mind Eraser


6. Sean Rowe - "Magic" (Anti-, 2/22/11)

A voice comes along once in a blue moon that grabs your attention at first listen. Sean Rowe has one of these voices. Penned as sounding like Leonard Cohen, Gil Scott-Heron and Al Green, this man from up-state New York croons with his baritone growl throughout his debut Anti- records release "Magic." The album opens with 'Surprise,' a song that showcases Rowe's voice over a simple guitar riff and an ambient background chime. The first three songs retain a slow, relaxing vibe allowing one to soak up his gravely swagger before segueing into the upbeat 'Jonathan.' 'Jonathan' is reminiscent of an Andrew Bird-style tune with great melody and lyrics dealing with angst as he sings "I lit the dash I took my sunglasses off, I like to see that fucker glow." Truly bad ass!
Choice cuts: Wet, Jonathan, American


5. Opeth - "Heritage" (Roadrunner, 9/20/11)

Sweden's greatest band ever (sorry ABBA) return with an album entirely void of "cookie monster" vocals. "Heritage" is much different than any prior Opeth album and the progressive rock influence of bands like King Crimson, Genesis and ELP are heard throughout. Mikael Akerfeldt's vocal transitions from gutteral roars to singing has always been one off my favorite attributes to Opeth's unmistakable death metal sound. However, I have always been more of a fan of his great singing voice and this album showcases it brilliantly. Despite the change in tempo, metal brilliance remains on songs like "The Lines In My Hand" with its blastbeat drumming and pummeling bass lines. Plus any band who dedicates a song ("Slither") to the late/great Ronnie James Dio deserves props on any (and all) year end lists. I also dub this album the coolest album cover of 2011.
Choice cuts: The Lines In My Hand, Folklore, Marrow Of The Earth


4. William Elliott Whitmore - "Field Songs" (Anti-, 7/12/11)

Keokuk, Iowa's prodigal son continues to create authentic folk music from the fields of Lee County with his fifth studio release "Field Songs." As the title suggests, "Field Songs" is a folk-opera dealing with hard-working, blue-collar, rural farmers and the days they endure. There is a simplicity to the music in both the lyrics and the hooks surrounding them, however, upon repeated listens, his craft is much more complex. The man who looks like he could grace the cover of Lowrider magazine's tattoo edition, sounds like a bluesman from the deep south in the 30s and his music is just as timeless.
Choice cuts: Not Feeling Any Pain, Bury Your Burdens In The Ground, Everything Gets Gone


3. Tom Waits - "Bad As Me" (Anti-, 10/25/11)

One of the greatest American singer/songwriters has returned with a new album of folk, alternative, Calypso, metal and carnival music all enrolled into one sweet package. Mr. Nick himself continues to incorporate many different instruments and effects creating songs that sound like theme music to a David Lynch film ("Raised Right Men") and others heavier than most modern thrash ("Hell Broke Luce".) This man is a legend and has influenced almost everyone on this list. And with this modern masterpiece, he plans on continuing to do so. At the ripe ol' age of 62, "Bad As Me" is arguably his best album since "Rain Dogs."
Choice cuts: Raised Right Men, Chicago, Hell Broke Luce


2. Primus - "Green Naugahyde" (Prawn Song, 9/13/11)

Primus sucks. Typically an endearing term from Primus fanatics, however their last few LPs were somewhat close to the literal meaning. The first album I ever purchased was Primus' "Sailing The Seas Of Cheese" on cassette. I have thought "Primus sucked" since watching "Jerry Was A Racecar Driver" on Headbangers Ball with Riki Rachtman. Since that time in the early nineties, Primus has not been able to muster up the funk-rock mastery created on their first three studio releases; "Frizzle Fry," "STSOC," and "Pork Soda." Until now. Green Naugahyde is Les Claypool, Larry LaLonde and Jay Lane at their best and sounding like their late 80s self. Lane was an original drummer before "Herb" joined and picks up the skins right where he [may have] left off. Claypool's voice has always been unmistakable and his bass unmatched. While Ler's guitar is yet again the perfect compliment to Les' frantic slapping bass. Primus is back in a big way and they suck more than ever on this little slice of lime pleather.
Choice cuts: Tragedy's a' Comin', Jilly's On Smack, Eternal Consumption Engine


1. Graveyard - "Hisingen Blues" (Nuclear Blast, 4/19/11)


Sweden has three of the best artists creating music today; Opeth, The Tallest Man On Earth and Graveyard. Hailing from Gothenberg, also known as the epicenter of Swedish Death Metal, Graveyard is not your typical Gothenberg act. Their music sounds like it comes directly from the pipes of Roger Daltrey and the strings of Richie Blackmore. Even more impressive, the songs on "Hisingen Blues" are better than a lot of music the band obviously used as inspiration. Songs like "Ain't Fit To Live Here" bring to mind old Zeppelin glory with Joakim Nilsson's voice sounding like a youthful Robert Plant and "Uncomfortably Numb" (possibly the worst song title of the year) is actually one of the best songs of the year with it's melodic chorus and guitar outro reminiscent of Skynyrd's "Free Bird." Fans of 60s/70s classic rock should feel comfort in that excellent music is still being produced in a world filled with Lady Gaga and Daughtry pop-shite. Despite the quality of albums this past year, "Hisingen Blues" is still easily my "best" album of 2011 (and the best I've heard in half a decade!) Rocka loss lägga Graveyard!
Choice cuts: Uncomfortably Numb, Ain't Fit To Live Here, RSS, The Siren, Buying Truth



Best songs of 2011:
1. Opeth - "The Throat Of Winter"
2. Primus - "Tragedy's A' Comin'"
3. Graveyard - "Uncomfortably Numb"
4. The Black Keys - "Little Black Submarine"
5. Tom Waits - "Raised Right Men"
6. Man Man - "Shameless"
7. William Elliott Whitmore - "Bury Your Burdens In The Ground"
8. Megadeth - "Never Dead"
9. A Pale Horse Named Death - "When Crows Descend Upon You"
10. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - "Black Snake"
11. Florence + The Machine - "Lover To Lover"