#27 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar

Organ Music Not Virbraphone Like I’d Hoped by Moonface

Spencer Krug is not for everyone. The prolific musician is the key component to many bands you may have heard of, such as Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and Swan Lake. But as the “weird one” in these bands, a lot of people are put off by his voice, his lyrics, his style. Thankfully, his distinctive persona is exactly perfect for me.

Lately, Krug has been concentrating on his solo work, under the name Moonface. Relying almost entirely on electronic drums, marimba/marimba-like synth, and Krug’s voice, Moonface has more in common with Keyboard Cat than he does with the indie rock world. The first Moonface release was Dreamland EP: Marimba & Shit Drums, a 20-minute EP with only one song, released in 2010. Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped is a 5-song album that builds on what was started in the EP, this time with the addition of the organ (but not a vibraphone, obviously). It has Krug’s distinctive voice built on top of repetitive, droning electronic melodies, each one building to a crescendo of noise that make the album an adventure in listening.

I had the pleasure of seeing Krug perform as Moonface earlier this year at an underattended show at the Crocodile. As I wrote of Organ Music:

Moonface is a bit of an under-the-radar project for Krug,¹ as noted by the sparse crowd that gathered at the Crocodile Saturday night for his show. Either the new album isn’t achieving the level of acceptance that Krug’s other projects have, or — my preferred assumption — it just hasn’t yet reached his core audience.

Well, I’d like to ammend that statement now by saying that, just maybe, the album has reached his core audience, but his core audience just isn’t as big as I expected it to be. And that’s perfectly fine. I’ll happily attend small shows at small venues with small crowds. Feels like he’s sitting in my living room, playing exactly what I want to hear.

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28. Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher
29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River

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1. The video above is a fan-created video for the song “Fast Peter.” To my knowledge, not a single artist-approved video has been released for any Moonface song. ↩

#28 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar

Heavy Boots & Underwoods by Ben Fisher

Seattle is a great town for music, but you probably already knew that. #28 on the list is the perfect example of this, because I first heard Ben Fisher busking on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the weekly Ballard Farmers Market. Just him and his guitar, standing on the sidewalk, playing songs that he wrote, collecting tips and selling copies of his self-recorded debut, Heavy Boots & Underwoods.

The farmers market is great for busking, and consequently there’s always something fun to hear and see there. But, up until hearing Ben, I had never been swayed enough to purchase anyone’s CD right there on the spot. I struck up a conversation with him after having heard him play a couple songs, and found out that he had just recorded a KEXP in-studio session, was about to do a residency at the Columbia City Theater, and had recently completed recording his CD, which he had funded through a recent successful Kickstarter campaign. My $10 quickly leapt out of my wallet.

I brought the CD home, and couldn’t stop listening to it. Ben has a folk music style similar to The Tallest Man on Earth (who appeared on last year’s Calendar), who in turn is quite a bit like Bob Dylan. And while his music is quite a bit like theirs, Ben’s voice is very much not like either of those performers. Deep and resonant, with a slight twang that I can’t quite place, Ben’s voice seems ripe to sing about drinking problems and broken-down trucks. He also sings a lot about the Northwest, and Ballard, in such a way as to make them feel like they’re your neighborhood, whether you live here or not.

Ben is working very hard to make a name for himself. Seems like I hear his name mentioned at least once a week in the various local blogs I read. Keep an eye on him, as you’ll undoubtedly be hearing his name in more nationally-recognized locations soon enough.

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29. The Rip Tide by Beirut
30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River

#29 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar

The Rip Tide by Beirut

Zach Condon, former child prodigy and current indie rock band leader, is in his prime. After his band Beirut debuted five years ago with the phenomenal album Gulag Orkestar, they’ve continued to crank out warm, multi-instrumental, world-music influenced folk music year after year. Beirut appeared at No. 9 on 2009’s Musical Advent Calendar¹, where I said:

It’s safe to say Beirut is quite unlike any other current band I listen to. I hear hints of other bands (Neutral Milk Hotel, DeVotchKa), but they are only the tiniest of glimmers. And it’s precisely that sound, unlike anyone else, that I believe will make them appealing to a wide audience.

And it’s still true. Condon’s voice is sing-songy, with lots of virbrato, a somewhat less-classically trained Morrissey. And he plays the trumpet, ukelele, guitar and keyboards equally well — I don’t throw the word “prodigy” around lightly. And backed by a rotating crew of fine musicians that amply follow along to Condon’s musical whims, this band has plenty going for it.

But I’m sure that description isn’t inspiring anyone to go online and purchase every album Beirut has released. And while The Rip Tide isn’t their absolute best, it has an uncanny ability to capture my mood quite well. All I’ve done with this review is prove how difficult it is to write about this band and make them sound appealing. So I’ll have to leave you with this: trust me. Think about all those times in the past where I’ve not led you astray. Now’s the time when I cash in on that good will and just tell you to listen to the damn thing. You can thank me later.²

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30. Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.
31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River

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1. The “advent” became “bacon” in 2010, for a number of reasons you can read about here. ↩

2. This video, however, named after Condon’s home town of Santa Fe, is not really something I can vouch for. It’s funny, but trying a bit too hard. ↩

#30 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar

Collapse Into Now by R.E.M.

This year saw the end of one of rock’s greatest bands. When R.E.M. first came together in 1980, indie rock was yet to be a “thing.” Along the same lines as more recent bands like Death Cab for Cutie or the Decemberists, R.E.M. started in rather lo-fi beginnings, and slowly transformed into the grandiose, stadium-draw rock legends they are today.

Or rather, were yesterday. Because R.E.M. is no more. They announced their breakup back in September, six months after the release of their final studio album, Collapse Into Now. Every new album from R.E.M. hints at albums past, which is part of the reason their new stuff never seems to hold up as well as Document or Life’s Rich Pageant. Why would the remake sound as good as the original? But I love newer R.E.M. every bit as much as older R.E.M. So much so that I hold their 1996 album New Adventures in Hi-Fi up as the quintessential R.E.M. album. (If you haven’t yet heard it, stop reading and do so, NOW.)

It’s too early to tell how Collapse Into Now will stand within the R.E.M. catalog. But when comparing it to other, non-R.E.M. albums from the past year, it’s definitely one of the best. You can hear most of the songs from the album via YouTube, where the band has posted a music video for 10 of the 12 songs. But I recommend picking up the album. Too much of music listening today is about the single, that one song. But enjoying a full album is an experience that no one should go without, and this album is a perfect place to start.

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31. I Am Very Far by Okkervil River

Introducing the 2011 edition of the Musical Bacon Calendar. Every year, December 1 seems to come out of nowhere, leaving me scrambling to put together my list for the year. And every year, as I look over the year’s albums that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed, I’m surprised by the wealth of albums to choose from. The answers to questions that you may have of me (such as “How do you have so much time to discover 31 albums, let alone listen extensively to with enjoyment, over the span of the past year?”) elude me every bit as much as they do you. But enjoy, I have, and now I must share.

2011 has been a great year for music. Happily, the definition of what good music can be continues to evolve, and while I don’t pretend to listen to every new album that came out in 2011 — far, far from it — I do listen to quite a bit. There may be a number of albums out there that you see mentioned on other Top XX albums of the year lists, but I am only one person, and the Musical Bacon Calendar is purely my own opinion. I do listen to and tolerate a number of musical genres, but you’ll not find many — if any — country, pop, or hip hop albums in this list, so it may feel incomplete at times. But I hold firm of the belief that every album on this list is great in its own way, and I do recommend every single one of them.

So, without further adieu:

#31 on the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar

I Am Very Far by Okkervil River

It would take a lot for Okkervil River to match their former glory. The indie rock band’s 2005 and 2007 albums (Black Sheep Boy and The Stage Names respectively) were fantastic albums from start to finish. Story-based song structures, with a repeated chorus somewhat difficult to come by, make the Okkervil River of old a wonder to listen to but difficult to sing along to.

I Am Very Far, which came out in May of this year, takes the band in a new direction. Unlike their previous works, this album does not tell multiple sides of one 45 minute story. This is a collection of great songs, each with just a touch of ground previously covered. I don’t find “Wake and Be Fine,” above, to be the best representation of this album, but the video is damn fine. Download the album to hear what’s even better than this.

If you’re new to Okkervil River, this album may be your best entry into the band. And if you’re an old fan, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the direction the band is moving in (especially if The Stand Ins, their album from 2009, didn’t do it for you). Either way, it’s a great album, and a good start to this year’s list. More tomorrow!

merlin:

Jonathan Coulton - “Nemeses” (ft. John Roderick), 2011

What a wonderful record.

What is it about John Roderick’s voice that makes me more obsessed for his works over others? I really wish I could define it. Here he is, singing with the mountain man himself, Jonathan Coulton, on Jonathan’s song “Nemeses” from his new record Artificial Heart.

Fascinatingly dark video for The Rural Alberta Advantage’s “Tornado ’87,” from one of my favorite albums from the past year, Departing. Not sure what it means, but I like it.

They Might Be Giants - Cloisonné

I don’t know if I’ve ever liked a They Might Be Giants song unironically. Sure, I love their kids stuff, and Flood is one of my favorite albums of all time, but I don’t think I could ever turn around and recommend it to anyone. But this song is here to prove me wrong. Wonder if the rest of their new album Join Us is as good as this is.

Pretty much exactly how I felt when I first heard this song last year. Congrats to Yellow Ostrich on their very first official Barsuk Records music video!

Watching the previously mentioned Battles video sent me down a long dark path of watching more videos by Daniels. This video, for “Simply Math” by Manchester Orchestra, is particularly moving, as the lead singer’s life story flashes before his eyes during a car crash.

Fantastic new video for Battles’ “My Machines,” directed by Daniels

One of my favorite bands, Noah and the Whale, performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, and here’s the video to prove it. Love these guys. Keep an eye out for their third album, Last Night on Earth, to make an appearance on the Top 31 of 2011.

Just stumbled across this this evening. Had no idea Built to Spill had any music videos, let alone for one of their best-ever songs, “Untrustable Part 2,” from their best album Perfect From Now On. Granted, it’s a truncated version of the song, but it’s still quite amazing that this got produced. Thinking the band had watched Tool’s videos from Undertow one too many times when they dreamt this one up.

Fascinating new music by James Blake:

With vocals that fall somewhere between Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon and an auto-tuned Aaron Neville, on top of down-tempo, sparse electronic bleeps, bloops and digital beats, Blake is heading into uncharted territory.

Read a little more about it over at Another Rainy Saturday.

Me, over at Another Rainy Saturday:

After the Broken West became permanently broken in 2009, Ross Flournoy languished in obscurity for about a year. According to the Apex Manor page over at their label Merge Records, Flournoy was inspired to get back into songwriting by participating in a weeklong write and then record contest over at NPR’s Monitor Mix:

Now feeling inspired for the first time in months, Flournoy began writing at a feverish clip, penning more than 25 songs, nearly a third of which were co-written by Adam Vine. Flournoy then teamed up with former Broken West bandmate Brian Whelan to record some proper demos, and Apex Manor was born.

Haven’t had a chance yet to purchase the new Apex Manor album, which debuted on January 25, but if it’s anything like the above song, I’m all over it.

UPDATE: We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Apex Manor plays at the Tractor Tavern tonight with Red Jacket Mine and Spanish For 100. It’ll be $8 at the door, 21+.

Live show review: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at the Crocodile (from ARS)

My first concert of 2011 was outside the indie-rock realm, but at one of my favorite venues in Seattle.

Now, this is not to say that there aren’t any sexy female-led bands in indie rock. Chan Marshall, Neko Case, Liz Phair — these are all “sexy” women. But there’s is an understated sort of appeal. And there is nothing understated about Grace Potter. At 27, she’s got the band, the crowd, the scene all wrapped around her Flying V guitar.

Read my full review of the Grace Potter and the Nocturnals show at the Crocodile over at Another Rainy Saturday.

Fleet Foxes, with the title track from their forthcoming sophomore album, Helplessness Blues. Expanding from the Crosby Stills & Nash sound upon which they built their foundation, this new song has everything I loved about the Fleet Foxes from the very beginning: changing time signatures, echo-laden harmonies, and full, rich acoustics. Dig it.

Meanwhile, over at Another Rainy Saturday…

New for 2011: linking from The Bacon Review to what I write in other places (usually at Another Rainy Saturday). First up, a preview for tomorrow night’s Grace Potter & The Nocturnals show at the Crocodile:

Grace Potter, the 27-year old firebrand with the Janis Joplin gravel in her chest, leads the Nocturnals, her Southern Rock-based band, with anything but grace. Try blunt-force, ton-of-bricks, knock-your-socks-off electricity.