#4 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Odd Blood by Yeasayer

There are only nine bands on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar that I didn’t see live this year. Four of them are in the top 10, and Yeasayer is one of them. But it wasn’t supposed to be this way: as I mentioned at #12, I had to leave the sold-out Sleigh Bells / Yeasayer show at Neumos early because of a medical emergency at home. I think it’s probably the only show I’ve ever left early that wasn’t my choice, and it could have been the highest-ranking show of the year (excepting Sasquatch!).

But even without having seen them live, Odd Blood, the second release from this Brooklyn band, sees regularly play at home. Like Contra, it’s been out for nearly the entire year (released Feb. 8), and has been in heavy rotation ever since.

It’s an interesting album. The first song, not even a song really but more like an intro to a horror movie, with heavily distorted Pink Floyd-esque vocals, doesn’t sound like it belongs at all. I’d love to know why they decided to put that “song” on the album at all, let alone first up. (According to Wikipedia they put it there because it was meant to be a major departure from the last song on their debut album, All Hour Cymbals. It feels to me it was meant to deter people from giving the album a cursory listen and then buying it, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why you’d want to deter anyone from buying your album.)

The strength of the album can be demonstrated by the difference in length between the Wikipedia page for the album, which is over five times longer than the entry for the band itself. Hit play on the video above, but don’t let the ridiculousness that ensues deter you from purchasing the album. This is a great record that would fit right in where Duran Duran left off back in the 80s. Which, strangely, isn’t a bad thing.

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5. Mines by Menomena
6. Contra by Vampire Weekend
7. Go by Jónsi
8. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
9. Gorilla Manor by the Local Natives
10. The Head and the Heart by the Head and the Heart
11. Special Affections by Diamond Rings
12. Treats by Sleigh Bells
13. Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian
14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#5 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Mines by Menomena

What can I say — I’m a sucker for horns and strings. And Menomena regularly employs a bass saxaphone to fill out the low end of their songs. And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg of the talent of the three main guys in the band. Any one of the three could sing lead on a song at any given time. And if they aren’t singing lead, they’re singing backup, all the while playing their myriad of instruments.

The song structures found on the wonderful Mines are quite unique. Their last full-length, 2007’s Friend and Foe, was also a fantastic album, but thankfully with the new record the band has grown away from the sound they share with bands like TV on the Radio.

Every song on Mines is insanely great. However, I’ve just spent three hours shoveling 18” of snow out of the driveway of the house I’m staying at here in Boston, and just cannot think or move my fingers any more. Just buy the damn album already.

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6. Contra by Vampire Weekend
7. Go by Jónsi
8. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
9. Gorilla Manor by the Local Natives
10. The Head and the Heart by the Head and the Heart
11. Special Affections by Diamond Rings
12. Treats by Sleigh Bells
13. Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian
14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#6 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Contra by Vampire Weekend

We’re now into the albums that will live on past their debut years, looked back at fondly with memories of good feeling. The album at number six has been out since January 11, so in terms of what’s listed on the Musical Bacon Calendar, it’s been out a long time. But even with that length of time gone by, Contra, the sophomore effort from Vampire Weekend, still finds its way into the rotation at least once a week. It came out in the dead of winter, but it feels like summer every time you listen to it.

After listening to the debut album exhaustively for two years, I was pleasantly surprised that they could take their unoriginal sound, expand on it, and make it even better. Bouncy, jangly guitars over ska-like beats extends the pattern Vampire Weekend started on their smash debut album, also called Vampire Weekend. They’ve fully embraced the sound started by Paul Simon on his Graceland album, and taken it to new heights. Contra is a great album that will be listened to well into the future.

The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, and subsequently earned a grammy for “Best Alternative Album.” According to Wikipedia, the band, along with their record company XL Recordings and photographer Tod Scott Brody, are being sued by Kirsten Kennis, the model on the cover of Contra, over the use of her image.

Vampire Weekend themselves are the type of band that are begging to be hated by more than just the model on the cover of their album. But it’s damn near impossible to do so. Four guys, dressed in pastel-colored polo shirts and khakis, with eternal smiles on their faces — I just want to punch that smile right off their faces. But try as I might, the music they make is undeniably catchy, indelibly delightful, unbelievably timeless. It’s pure joy, wrapped up in 1s and 0s.

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7. Go by Jónsi
8. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
9. Gorilla Manor by the Local Natives
10. The Head and the Heart by the Head and the Heart
11. Special Affections by Diamond Rings
12. Treats by Sleigh Bells
13. Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian
14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#7 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Go by Jónsi

With Sigur Rós taking the year off, the band’s lead signer, Jónsi, is carrying the torch forward. Jónsi’s full name is Jón “Jónsi” Þór Birgisson, which I wrote out here just so I could use the “Þ” character for the first time. According to wikipedia, he is even more interesting than I would have first thought. The man is from Iceland, excessively shy, and sings with an angelic falsetto voice, but he is also blind in his right eye and a raw food vegan. That probably explains a lot.

Go, for all intents and purposes, is just another Sigur Rós album. The album starts exactly where 2008’s “Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust” left off, and continues in the bouncy, string- and grand-crescendo–based songs. (And that was also my first use of the character “ð.” Icelandic is fun for a type geek.) It’s absolutely gorgeous, and I listened to the album for a good portion of the year.

If you like Sigur Rós, chances are you’ve already picked up this album. If not, and the video above, for the song “Go Do,” strikes your fancy, then you’ll like this album as much as I do.

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8. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
9. Gorilla Manor by the Local Natives
10. The Head and the Heart by the Head and the Heart
11. Special Affections by Diamond Rings
12. Treats by Sleigh Bells
13. Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian
14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#8 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

The Suburbs by Arcade Fire

It couldn’t be an indie-rock music countdown without Arcade Fire. There’s not much I can say about this large group of guys and girls that hasn’t already been said. They’ve produced yet another fantastic album, and this time there’s an overarching theme to it: the Suburbs. It’s all about those sprawling culdesacs full of cookie-cutter McMansions and the kids that grow up in them. Those kids are invariably looking for something to break up the sameness that is all around them, and this is their story.

The videos that have been produced to date around the album are the true story. The above video, for the album’s title song, was directed by Spike Jonze. And the video for “The Wilderness Downtown” was an amazing study in the power of HTML5. (Be sure you’re on a modern web browser when trying to view that video.)

Beyond that, it’s just a solid album with good songs that takes a while to grow on you. But it does, and it sticks with you. Kinda like the suburbs.

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9. Gorilla Manor by the Local Natives
10. The Head and the Heart by the Head and the Heart
11. Special Affections by Diamond Rings
12. Treats by Sleigh Bells
13. Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian
14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

It’s now time for a couple honorable mentions to the countdown. Cee-lo Green, who achieved widespread fame when he paired up with Dangermouse to form Gnarls Barkley, released a solo album in early November. It stayed off my radar for at least a month, and by the time I had a chance to hear it I was already well into the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar, effectively killing any chance of it making the list. Last year I had a cutoff of November 1 for any album to make the top 31 of the year, and I pretty much stuck with that this year as well, so I may still throw The Lady Killer into next year’s list.

The album is very solid pop, anchored by this past summer’s non-radio-friendly anthem “Fuck You,” featured above (first released as a “kinetic type” video that exploded onto the scene this past August). Pick up The Lady Killer when you get a chance.

I’d also like to take a moment to honorably recognize the blog I usually wax poetic for: Another Rainy Saturday, created earlier this year by a longtime friend and fellow music lover, Chris Burlingame, after he completed a very long stint of writing for Three Imaginary Girls. Chris is humble, well-connected, and much more knowledgable about music than I am. I’ve learned a lot from him about a lot of things over the years, and I can honestly say I wouldn’t have developed into the writer I am today without his tutelage.

You can check out his own Top 10 of the year, and you’ll see that our tastes vary quite a bit. Chris is quite the poptimist, as he is definitely drawn to the poppier side of the dial. But that only helps make what he does (and that I and a handful of others contribute to) so great: a wide variety of music and styles covered, all under one roof, by passionate lovers of music. I definitely recommend checking it out as often as you possibly can. It’s where you’ll see most of my writing, and it’s also just a great place to read about new and fun things going on in music today, in Seattle and around the globe.

#9 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Gorilla Manor by the Local Natives

I first caught the Local Natives bug at day 2 of Sasquatch. They played near the beginning of the day, and I remember being blown away by the sheer number of people there to see them, considering Gorilla Manor, their excellent debut album, was only a couple months old. (Incidentally, they were followed by a second happy surprise of the day, the Tallest Man on Earth, who has already made an appearance on this countdown.)

Gorilla Manor is an album that is solid from start to finish. With a blend of three-part harmonies, keyboards and guitars, with a little tribal drums to fill it out, you’ll recognize similar sounds from other bands, like Yeasayer and Animal Collective. The band does stand on its own, and it’ll be interesting to see what they do next.

A fun little side note is this performance they did back in August for Yours Truly, one of a handful of indie–rock-based video crews out there making good clips of great songs. The Yours Truly recording of the Local Natives’ “Airplane” (official video featured above, but do check out this live version) features crime fighting as well as good music.

Halfway through the first take of “Airplanes,” the piercing sound of female screaming reached our ears from the sidewalk below the railroad tracks. There was a scuffle, at first I thought it was just kids fighting, but when I heard the girl scream, “NO, STOP!” I just took off running. Team YT does not tolerate crime, ESPECIALLY in the middle of a take, so we did what any average citizen would do and chased that motherfucker down. Luckily, he was slow, and not very smart, so we caught him, and received a hero’s welcome from our Local homies. The best part of the whole thing, our reward so to speak, was hearing them play “Airplanes.”

Good stuff, all around.

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10. The Head and the Heart by the Head and the Heart
11. Special Affections by Diamond Rings
12. Treats by Sleigh Bells
13. Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian
14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#10 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

The Head and the Heart by The Head and the Heart

The Top 10! And we’re starting it out with the hottest new band out of Seattle this year: The Head and the Heart. I’ve seen them twice this year, but only once had the pleasure to write about them for Another Rainy Saturday:

The band has been on a meteoric rise over the past few months, and are slated to open for Dave Matthews at a few shows in December. Even though they’re still unsigned, it’s a fairly safe bet to say this band of merry indie rockers is going places.

They led us through nearly everything from their eponymous debut album, with half the crowd singing happily along to each and every song, and the other half wishing they knew the words. It’s impressive how far this band has come in such a short time, and when you listen to their album it’s quite easy to determine how they’ve done it: immediately catchy tunes, produced to a level that appeals to the widest audience possible. It’s quite difficult to find fault in any of their songs, and the same goes for their live show.

The band’s debut album is so good, I’m a bit worried about burning out on it. All the tunes are catchy, but I’ve been through this enough times to know that new bands with albums that have this many hooks in it can flame out as quickly as they come onto the scene. I’m anxious to see what they do next, now that they’ve just signed on with Sub Pop. You may recall another local Seattle favorite that rose quickly, signed to sub pop, and then reached #1 at P4k in 2008. If the Head and the Heart can keep the great songs coming, then they’ll be huge in no time.

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11. Special Affections by Diamond Rings
12. Treats by Sleigh Bells
13. Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian
14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#11 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Special Affections by Diamond Rings

I doubt the absurdity of the above video will keep you from liking Diamond Rings. Yes, his whole schtick is entirely ridiculous. But the songs that John O writes are also catchy beyond belief, and the insanity of the way the songs are presented is just icing on the cake.

I first heard and saw Diamond Rings in late September, and needless to say, I was blown away. Here’s the portion, in its entirety, of my review (he opened for Perfume Genius) that covered his set from that night:

Now, picture if you will, a tall and skinny 24-year old (but looking like a freshman in high school), wearing a Toronto Blue Jays ball cap, stone-washed jean jacket, Blue Jays tee shirt not quite long enough to permanently hide the outline of his, um, pork & beans(?), prominently featured thanks to the gold tights that clung to everything below his belly, all the way down to his white tube socks and all-white Nike Air hi-tops. Throw in a few gold necklaces with plastic key pendants, pink nail polish and bedazzled eyes and cheeks, and you’ve got a clear picture of John O. Introducing the surreal one-man act known as Diamond Rings. Not wanting to bring down Another Rainy Saturday with my sub-par iPhone photos, I encourage you to sidestep over to my personal chicken-scratch site, The Bacon Review, to see a pic of this spectacle for yourself.

I couldn’t help but giggle. It was just so over the top. But the giggles quickly subsided soon after he broke into the first song, accompanied by his stand-out choreographed dance routine. What possesses someone to go onstage and perform their own, extreme Napoleon Dynamite homage I’ll never know. But thank god he was willing to do it, because it was fantastic. He went all out, and it felt totally genuine — this is me, whether you like it or not.

He won us over very quickly. Catchy, Postal Service-esque songs, sung with a voice so deep you got the impression that Rick Astley was just off stage, singing lyrics for John O to lip-sync to. A laptop, stashed behind the unicorn-emblazoned flag (I kid you not) draped from the table, provided most of the music for his set. The only live instruments were the electric guitar and some plinky-plonky key on his synthesizer, both rented in Seattle for the evening, he said. The songs came across as feeling a bit simple, but that was OK. Diamond Rings’ brand of spectacular overrode any depth that these songs may have lacked. He was the perfect bridge between the lyrical Shenandoah and the whisper-like Perfume Genius. Keep your eyes out for this guy. I don’t know if Diamond Rings is where he’s going to excel in the long run, but John O is destined to be huge.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

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12. Treats by Sleigh Bells
13. Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian
14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#12 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Treats by Sleigh Bells

Overnight success is a rarity. With social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, we’re getting closer and closer to achieving literal overnight success. It’ll be quite interesting when a nearly unknown band goes platinum in a single day due to the fast-spread word of mouth on the internet. It will happen some day in our lifetimes.

Today’s “overnight successes” still take a good week to reach fever pitch. But when it happens, there’s a specific divide that occurs in time — everything before and everything after. Such is the success of Sleigh Bells, a duo out of Brooklyn who had a meteoric explosion back in May.

Thanks to Twitter, I can pinpoint exactly when I first heard of Sleigh Bells. That tweet, from the day after their debut album, Treats, was released, displays the magnitude of their explosion: Treats is released, and they’re already being talked about on NPR. Three months later, and the NYTimes is doing a video feature on the band. The band had a little bit of help in the form of M.I.A., who discovered them early on and signed them to her fledgling label, N.E.E.T. Recordings. But even with that little push, what Sleigh Bells accomplished in such a short time is pretty damn amazing.

I actually had the pleasure of seeing Sleigh Bells before I’d heard of them, opening for Neumos back in April, a few weeks before their album came out. I remember thinking at the time: what the hell is this? Thrash guitars, heavy electronics, and cheers? I didn’t like it immediately. And unfortunately, I wasn’t given the time to enjoy it, as I had to leave after only two songs due to a medical emergency back at home (everything ended up being ok).

Three weeks later, I’d downloaded the album, and gave it only two songs before falling in love with it. So much so that I start telling everybody to download the album immediately. It’s a brash, in your face, hard-sounding record. It wakes you up like a car crash, and makes you want to punch something. It’s also the perfect album to listen to at the gym. As I said on Twitter that fateful day back in May:

And then once you’ve been blown away by Sleigh Bells, run over to iTunes and pick up the album for only [$7.99!] http://bit.ly/9tkndN

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13. Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian
14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#13 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Write About Love by Belle and Sebastian

With eight studio albums under their belt, spanning 14 years, most everybody has heard of Belle and Sebastian. And if you haven’t heard of them, you’ve certainly heard their music played: in the background of a movie scene, while shopping at Urban Outfitters, or somewhere else that music is played without your control. Chances are you didn’t notice it, as that is what I believe to be the difficulty in listening to Belle & Sebastian: the sameness. If you’ve heard any of their previous albums, then you’re already well-versed in what can be expected on Write About Love. Even though a decade and a half has passed since the band debuted with Tigermilk, it’s as if nothing has changed in music in that time.

But that’s ok by me. It’s a formula, but it works. Each of their songs are short stories, making it a little difficult to sing along to the words, as each line is different than the previous. The lyrics are pretty, but spoken or sung quietly and without much rise and fall in volume.

With all this said, you may be wondering why a band such as this could be ranked so high on the MBC, and it’s really hard to quantify. The band produces solid album after solid album, with very few missteps. Pick up any of their albums and you won’t be disappointed (my favorite of theirs changes from week to week). Feel free to start with Write About Love and work your way backwards. It should be as pleasant a journey as I have been on with them over the years.

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14. Wild Smile by Suckers
15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#14 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Wild Smile by Suckers

I don’t think I would have found Suckers were it not for my illustrious editor at Another Rainy Saturday. He gets multiple requests from multiple sources for “please review my band(s)!” and I was trying to find a way to get into the Menomena show that was happening at the Showbox back in September. Suckers were opening up for Menomena, so, after a couple of exchanged emails, I had my in.

And I am grateful. As I later wrote about the performance:

Halfway through their 45 minute set I closed my eyes and just listened. I could hear all the usual instruments — a drum machine, a sequencer, a laptop producing the sounds to fill the voids. It was all perfectly timed and incessantly rhythmic. But upon opening my eyes, an unbelievable truth emerged: they weren’t using those types of instruments. The sounds emanating from the band were being produced live. Every single synthetic-sounding one of them, and no corners were being cut to produce them, it seemed. It was exhausting, and it was exhilarating.

It’s one thing to make a drum machine mimic the individual sounds that one can make with a drum kit. But it’s something else entirely to make a live drum kit mimic the looping, complex rhythm structures of a drum machine. Percussionist/keyboardist/human drum machine Brian Aiken was a whirlwind of activity. On more than one occasion he simultaneously played drums with his right hand and both feet, played chords on a keyboard with his left hand, and sang backing vocals into a mic (how does he do that?).

Wild Smile is the band’s only CD. And it’s a doozy. In my review I described the band’s sound thusly:

Sure, “derivative” could be an apt description of the band. Animal Collective, TV on the Radio, Arcade Fire, Local Natives, Yeasayer — the influences are many, and prominent throughout. But there are some older sounds in the mix, too — Modest Mouse, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and the venerated band that created the genre, the Talking Heads. Throw them all together, and a picture of a band both easy and difficult to describe starts to form.

If any of those names resonate with you, you won’t be disappointed with Wild Smile.

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15. Learning by Perfume Genius
16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#15 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Learning by Perfume Genius

Here we are at the start of the better half of the Musical Bacon Calendar. It’s a good time to discuss an artist that, were you to listen to him as a high school student, your parents would start to worry about your wellbeing. Perfume Genius is not for everyone. But if you have ever been the type of person to like listening to music that is utterly depressing and devoid of happiness, then Mike Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius, is here for you.

I’m definitely one of those people. I grew up on the Smiths and the Cure. I know what it’s like to have feelings and emotions and to be confused by them all — we all went through that, right? And while Learning doesn’t (thankfully) take me back to the emotional level of a high schooler, it does have the right kind of melancholy that is the perfect pairing with Seattle’s gloomy winter.

These are not happy songs. They’re Mike Hadreas’s life as a confused, used and abused gay teenager and young adult, presumably all true, put to sparse piano music with echo-chamber microphones. Songs of not being loved, of being the victim of a pedophile, of pain. And it’s all there, out in the open, for you to experience and then judge.

I had the privilege of seeing Perfume Genius perform at the Crocodile back in September, and this is how I described what I saw:

The collection of utterly dour songs takes us on the arc of sadness that is Hadreas’s abusive and abused life while growing up in the Northwest. This rawness is what draws you in, causing you to be taken out of whatever sameness you’re living through today, forcing you to actually feel something.

I’m glad to report if you’re a fan of his album, his live show does not disappoint. I went to this show fully expecting to shed tears by the end of the night — something I don’t think I’ve ever done before at a show. No tears were shed, but if Hadreas had cried, I don’t think there would have been a dry eye in the entire venue.

and additionally

Perfume Genius was humble, and seemingly emotionally exhausted, but I never felt sorry for him. That’s his magic, right there — he can tell you, in song, all these horrible stories from his past, but all you are left with is the sheer beauty of it all: his singing, his chords, his presence. The perfect end to an unexpectedly perfect evening.

There’s no improving that statement. The songs are magical.

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16. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#16 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene

I’ve been listening to the members of Broken Social Scene for nearly a decade, but only as members of other bands. Feist, Land of Talk, Metric, and Stars all have or have had crossover players in both bands. Everyone who has played in Broken Social Scene over the last decade-plus has been in or is currently in another band or two. But for some reason, even though I liked some of the various side projects, BSS never caught on for me.

But then came along Forgiveness Rock Record. This album was quite a departure for the band, throwing out the strange arrangements and sparse vocals for something much more accessible. This album rocks from the very first guitar-struck note of “World Sick” through the final tune, “Me and My Hand.” Nearly every song has some great highs and deep lows, making for a roller coaster of listening pleasure.

This album deserves more recognition. I think most people have discounted it due to their prior bad experiences with Broken Social Scene records. Don’t let that fool you! Purchase this album and you will not regret it.

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17. Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#17 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Expo 86 by Wolf Parade

There was a time not so long ago when Wolf Parade annoyed the shit out of me. They came through Seattle prior to the release of their debut album, 2005’s Apologies to the Queen Mary, opening for Arcade Fire. Even though the album hadn’t come out yet, the newly-signed band had already started to create buzz thanks to the apparent strength of their eponymous EP that had been released earlier that year. I’d heard one or two songs from the EP leading into their opening gig that fateful night at the Paramount, and was anxious to see what else they could do.

They were crap. Just horrible. I’m not sure if it was my untrained ears, or if the performance was truly awful, but that’s how I remember it. From that point, no matter how many critics heaped praise on the band, I had real trouble enjoying anything they did. But slowly they’ve worked their way back into my favor, and their latest album, Expo 86 sealed the deal — they’re now a band I can officially recommend.

The band has an interesting dynamic. Two lead singers, who each write separate songs for the band to perform, each with a different aesthetic. Dan Boeckner is the more poppy of the two, writing songs with upbeat hooks that appeal to a greater audience. Spencer Krug, (my favorite and lead singer for another fave band of mine, Sunset Rubdown), is decidedly more eccentric in his song construction. They both have their moments, and it’s this duality that really makes the band something special. You can probably guess that “Yulia,” above, was penned by Boeckner.

I’m also happy to report that the band’s live show has improved dramatically. When I saw them come through Seattle this last July, the sold-out Showbox Market was giddy with excitement. Read my review here to get a better picture of what it was like, and then pick up Expo 86. It’s the good shit.

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18. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#18 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

One Life Stand by Hot Chip

Now is the time on the Musical Bacon Calendar when we dance. Bring on the Hot Chip. After a handful of decent albums, the highlight of which is 2006’s The Warning, Hot Chip have created a dance pop album that will keep me grooving well into the next decade.

When I saw the band perform while promoting The Warning, my view of them became deflated due to the lackluster performance. Thankfully, Hot Chip have definitely stepped it up with this new album. Nearly every song has me bouncing in my seat. “Thieves in the Night,” “I Feel Better,” (the video shown above), and “Alley Cats” are quite fantastic, but it’s the album’s title track that really gets me going. It’s chorus, “I only want to be your one life stand,” with the repeated high-falsetto “keep on feeling” sounds a bit ridiculous when written out here, but give it a listen. Your foot will start tapping uncontrollably and then your head will bob along with it.

After watching the great video above (in which you can catch the Hot Chip members in the audience, watching the horrific boy band on stage get obliterated), be sure to check out “I Feel Bonnie,” the remake of the song, this time featuring Bonnie “Prince” Billy in the mix. You may need to wash your eyes after watching it, but it’s good fun.

I’m not going to write much more about this one here, I need to get up and dance around.

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19. Big Echo by The Morning Benders
20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#19 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Big Echo by The Morning Benders

Watch the video above before reading further.

Now then. In love with The Morning Benders now? Admit it: you loved that song. I know I did when I first saw this video nearly a year ago. I remember the two week wait between the release of this video and the release of Big Echo, the band’s second album, being excruciatingly long. But then the album came out, and I fell in love all over again.

When I consequently saw them play at the Crocodile in April — a show I wrote about for Click & Dagger and was then picked up for the KEXP blog — they played only songs from the new album. This made for an great show-going experience for me, not being familiar with their previous album and only wanting to hear Big Echo songs. And what a show it was:

Christopher Chu, the bands’ principle songwriter, singer, and lead guitarist, does not give the initial impression of a commander.The band’s outward appearance leads you to believe they’re a bunch of geeky misfits who found each other at a Mathletes competition. Their set started out so quietly, half the audience thought the band was still tuning their instruments one full minute into the first song. But the tempo and volume picked up, reaching a climax where the band (both guitarists, the bass guitarist, and both drummers — yes, two) were animatedly slamming and strumming on their instruments, drawing the audience out of their conversations to stare at the spectacle on stage. Once you’re sucked in, you realize the appearance is intentionally misleading. They know how to rock, and they can prove it.

The album is well worth picking up, which is why it broke into the top 20 of this year’s Musical Bacon Calendar. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy.

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20. Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent
21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

#20 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

Here’s To Taking It Easy by Phosphorescent

Me, from a month and a half ago:

There are many bands out there performing facets of “classic rock” as it once was, but none of them are doing it nearly as well as Phosphorescent. Matthew Houck, the driving force behind the band, is one of those great lead singers — the ones dripping in charisma and can do no wrong, even as they proceed to get staggeringly drunk and stumble around the stage.

and

The beauty of Houck’s songs is that each one tells a story. There’s a lot of similarity to what Craig Finn of the Hold Steady does with his songs — short stories, with musical accompaniment. Along with the great story, the songs come with the requisite guitar solo and/or keyboard solo, and you’re left remembering songs you love from the 70s.

and finally

While a lot of the band’s sound reminds me of other current “alt.country” acts (Clem Snide, mostly), it’s the classic rock influences that resonate more. More so than the other classic-rock revival acts, Phosphorescent seems to have found the right mix of story, music, and drinking to pull it off correctly.

And I meant it. Whenever you’re driving in a city unknown to you, if you find yourself strangely drawn to the classic rock station for lack of anything else to listen to, then you’ll like Phosphorescent. The video above, for “It’s Hard To Be Humble (When You’re From Alabama),” the first song from Here’s To Taking It Easy, is unfortunately the only video that’s been put out for a song from this album. It’s unfortunate, because this isn’t nearly my favorite on the record, and I don’t think it showcases the album very well. It’s not a bad song, per se, but it’s just not indicative of what you’ll get on the rest of the LP.

But man, I do love me some Southern rock. The Allman Brothers, the Charlie Daniels Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd — this is the music I grew up on. And Matthew Houck’s songs take me back there. Won’t you go down memory lane with me?

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21. This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors

Once you read my next post, #20 on the Musical Bacon Calendar (to appear above, shortly), you’ll know why I’m posting an Allman Brothers video from 1982 here. Hot damn. Those guys weren’t much to look at, but that’s some amazing guitar playing.

#21 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar

This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem

James Murphy, the mastermind behind LCD Soundsystem, is a phenomenon. Creating infinitely catchy dance music with fantastic hooks; creating an independent record label with numerous popular acts signed to it (DFA Records); producing multiple hit records: Doing any one of these things is pretty damn amazing. Doing all three of them is downright genius.

With two previous LCD Soundsystem albums under his belt, This is Happening debuted at #10 on the Billboard 200 chart, none too small a feat for an indie act. And with mounds of high praise dumped on the album universally, the popular sales were backed up by critical acclaim. The album is truly great, and it’s also the best LCD Soundsystem album yet (although Murphy has claimed that this will be the last LCD Soundsystem album).

The song above isn’t necessarily indicative of what’s on the album, but it’s close. “Home” isn’t the best on the album, but it’s not the worst, and this video is more interesting than the Spike Jonze-directed “Drunk Girls.”

There’s not much I can say about LCD Soundsystem that hasn’t already been said elsewhere. I did write a brief paragraph about them in my coverage of day 2 at this year’s Sasquatch! Festival, where I said: “James Murphy has charisma you wouldn’t believe.” And that’s about all you need to know.

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22. The Mistress by Yellow Ostrich
23. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
24. Been Listening by Johnny Flynn
25. The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
26. Lisbon by The Walkmen
27. Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
28. All Day by Girl Talk
29. A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
30. 03 to TEN by Knathan Ryan
31. In This Light On This Evening by Editors