#20 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

50 Song Memoir by The Magnetic Fields

Here we are at #20 of the Top 31, on the 12th day, with the 12th album, from a band called The Magnetic Fields, with sometimes five, sometimes eight members, led by one spectacular songwriter named Stephin Merritt. Numbers are supremely important for this particular entry in the countdown.

I used to love The Magnetic Fields. I feel their 1999 triple-album 69 Love Songs is one of the best albums of the 20th century. But since that album came out, Merritt and co’s output has gone steadily downhill, to the point where the albums they’ve released since the dawn of the Top 31 (2010’s Realism and 2012’s Love at the Bottom of the Sea) have not made those respective years’ countdowns. That was until, with Merritt nearing 50 years of living on this planet, someone at the band’s label, Nonesuch, had the brilliant idea to have him release a second number-based album multi-record album. They suggested he write a song for each of his 50 years on Earth. And so it is that we now have this lovely five-record album called 50 Song Memoir.

Before you dive in, be warned: if you’re not familiar with Merritt’s deep baritone, sharp sarcasm and genius intelligence, you may overlook the beauty of this music. Some — most — of the songs are not traditionally performed, and may well sound unlistenable to your ears. Pay attention to the words, and you may be able to rise above the noise. Merritt’s rhymes and humor are what carry the day. In addition to writing and singing on all fifty songs, the number of instruments Merritt plays on the album is greater than 100¹. There are some gems within the 50 songs, but they’re not easy to find.

I have a special affinity for this album not just because of my love for the band, but also because I got to see them perform this album in its entirety across two 25-song nights at the Moore in downtown Seattle. Merritt has experience in writing musicals and stage shows, and the setup for the 50 Song Memoir performances demonstrated that beautifully. The stage was set up as if Merritt were performing from inside a doll-house, surrounded by actual toys and ephemera from his life. Outside the walls of the dollhouse sat the other performers (7 of them) who each played 7 different instruments throughout the two nights. The songs were played in order from 1966 through 2015, and each song had a unique video accompaniment that was played overhead. It was magical, and made me love Merritt and The Magnetic Fields all that much more.

You can see some of the videos that were played during the performance online. In addition to “’71 I Think I’ll Make Another World” above, “’68 A Cat Called Dionysus,” “’81 How to Play the Synthesizer,” “’83 Foxx and I,” “’85 Why I Am Not a Teenager,” and “’88 Ethan Frome” are all good songs with fun visuals to watch.

It may take a few listens, but I think you’ll grow to love these songs as much as I have. Don’t give up halfway through the first song!

^{1. As listed on the Nonesuch website, Merritt plays: National resonator ukulele, bass ukulele, all lead vocals, bass drum, log drum, slit drum, cymbal, woodblock, tambourine, bells, sleigh bells, cabasa, bottle, glockenspiel, cavaquinho, Joia Tubes, Dusty Strings harp, Farfisa organ, Dusty Strings hammer dulcimer, Kazoobie kazoo, Veillette Avante Gryphon guitar, AdrenaLinn drum machine, Tempest drum machine, Andes melodica, Realistic organ, Sequential Circuits Pro One synthesizer, Danelectro baritone guitar, mandola, Rhythm Ace drum machine, Harmony bass, Almeira classical guitar, Wurlitzer electric piano, thunder sheet, Rhodes Piano Bass, Oscar Schmidt autoharp, Oberheim OB-12 synthesizer, Kamaka 8-string ukulele, feedback, Congost Xylomatic, Simcha tongs, Roland JP-8000 synthesizer, tapes, TomCat drum machine, shakers, Fender acoustic bass, Roland TB-303 bass computer, Roland TR-606 Drumatix drum machine, Vermona DRM-1, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer, Adam bell set, bowed psaltery, Roland vocoder, xylophone, EML 101 synthesizer, Roland TR-707 drum machine, Dawg electric dulcimer, Oberheim drum machine, LP Trash Snare, cowbell, bar chime, Metasonix D-1000 drum machine, Gretsch organ, Rheem Kee Bass, guiro, djembe, cajon, bell stick, LP Street Cans, electric sitar, Martin 12-string guitar, XBASE 999 drum machine, Yamaha CS-60 synthesizer, Dewanatron Keyed Melody Gin, Moog Voyager synthesizer, Schoenhut toy piano, Virus Access synthesizer, Gold Tone bass banjo, Metasonix S-1000 Wretch Machine vacuum tube synthesizer, Marxolin, metals, one-man band, Critter & Guitari Pocket Piano, charango, celeste, Fender Stratocaster, Yamaha RX21 drum machine, Fender acoustic bass, Yamaha U4 piano, hihat, wind chime, Hohner Pianet, Kilpatrick Audio Pattern Generator, Dewanatron Triple Slice, prepared piano, Korg Sigma synthesizer, zill, triangle, Suzuki Omnichord, ARP String Synthesizer, Baldwin organ, Casio VL-Tone, ocean drum, Korg KR mini drum machine, abacus↩}

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21. Plunge by Fever Ray
22. DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar
23. Capacity by Big Thief
24. The Tourist by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
25. CCFX EP by CCFX
26. Woodstock by Portugal. The Man
27. MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent
28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

Subscribe to the 2017 Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2016 Top 31s

#21 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

Plunge by Fever Ray

And now for the strangest (and probably more divisive than Kendrick Lamar, musically) entry on the 2017 Top 31: Fever Ray. If you like Fever Ray, the band, then you’ve probably already latched onto this album and are loving it. If you don’t know who Fever Ray is, then prepare to be equally angered, frightened, and dumbfounded by what you’re about to hear. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t.

Fever Ray is the stage name of Karin Dreijer Andersson, who is half of the famed Swedish electronic brother-sister duo The Knife. The Knife had some amazing albums when they were together, and now Fever Ray carries the Swedish dark electronic torch. And boy does it get dark.

Her eponymous debut album made #18 on the 2009 Top 31, and here we are eight years later with Plunge. Andersson has a unique sound and voice that is unmistakably hers, and Plunge is no different. But within the album, she seems to be pushing things further, into more difficult territory, similarly to what Björk has been doing on her last few albums. But while Björk has managed to find a zone that is completely unlistenable to me, Fever Ray manages to pull it off a little bit better.

I only cringe a little when I’m listening to Plunge. But I do make a point to make sure no children are within earshot, as the music can get quite vulgar in addition to the darkness, with lines like that from the song “This Country,” which has the lovely line “This house makes it hard to fuck” and “This country makes it hard to fuck” repeated over and over and over again.

Fever Ray’s visual output is every bit as dark and interesting as the audio. The video above, for the song “To the Moon and Back,” you’ll notice, is labeled “Part III.” That’s because there were two disturbing, minute-long shorts that were released prior to the video (Part I: Switch Seeks Same and Part II: A New Friend).

I believe I’ll continue to listen and be intrigued by Fever Ray for the entirety of her musical career. And I doubt I’ll ever feel at ease about it. And somehow that’s a good thing.

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22. DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar
23. Capacity by Big Thief
24. The Tourist by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
25. CCFX EP by CCFX
26. Woodstock by Portugal. The Man
27. MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent
28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

Subscribe to the 2017 Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2016 Top 31s

#22 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar

And here we are again. If you recall, the last time I featured Kendrick Lamar on the Top 31 (his third album To Pimp a Butterfly was a reluctant #29 in 2015), I was conflicted. While I enjoyed listening to the music, it’s deep-seated (and appropriate) anger was too much for my liking, and pushed things too far.

And now DAMN. Every bit as angry and difficult as Butterfly, this album has done little to make Lamar’s music less confrontational to my core being. I’m convinced that most of my difficulty with it centers around my inherent white male privilege, and there’s nothing I can do about it. A white man talking about his privilege is in itself problematic, and I’m not proud of myself for leaning on that crutch, especially in this day and age.

This album is good. Lamar is clearly and infinitely talented. He’s even being tasked with producing the score to the new Black Panther movie, of which I am most excited. And I’m sure I’ll continue to listen to him, and continue to question everything about that action. Such is my lot.

Lamar has created many videos for this album. In addition to “Element,” above, you can watch the rest here:

• Humble
• DNA
• Love
• Loyalty

I’m curious what you think about this album, and about him. Please share!

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23. Capacity by Big Thief
24. The Tourist by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
25. CCFX EP by CCFX
26. Woodstock by Portugal. The Man
27. MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent
28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

Subscribe to the 2017 Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2016 Top 31s

#23 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

Capacity by Big Thief

Oh, Brooklyn. It must be nice having so much indie rock talent just laying around. Such as Big Thief, whose sophomore album Capacity comes in at #23 on the Top 31.

Nothing about Big Thief is shockingly good; the band fails to shock at every turn. Instead, this is a great, quiet, peaceful album that may just put you to sleep if you’re not careful. If you’ve enjoyed other female singer-songwriter acts I’ve featured in the past, such as Sharon van Etten or Fiona Apple, then you’ll find something to enjoy in this album. Adrianne Lenker’s voice is low and steady, and will cause you to lean in just a bit to truly hear what she’s trying to say.

I was not familiar with Big Thief before this album hit my radar, so I can’t speak to their first album, Masterpiece, which came out in 2016, although in poking around the internet it looks as if I should have heard. Excuse me, I have some further listening to get to.

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24. The Tourist by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
25. CCFX EP by CCFX
26. Woodstock by Portugal. The Man
27. MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent
28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

Subscribe to the 2017 Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2016 Top 31s

#24 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

The Tourist by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

What else can I say about Clap Your Hands Say Yeah that I haven’t said already? The band has been on the Top 31 twice before (Their third album, Hysterical was #16 on the 2011 Top 31 and their fourth, Only Run, #19 in 2014). Additionally, front man Alec Ounsworth’s 2009 solo record, Mo Beauty, was #20 on that year’s, the inaugural, Top 31.

Go read those prior reviews to learn about CYHSY’s backstory. The band members continue to evolve, with this new album featuring nobody that was on previous albums aside from Ounsworth. But it’s his voice and energy that draws me to the band and their music, so dutifully back into the fold I go.

Ounsworth and band will be coming to the Tractor on February 12, in support of the reissue of their 2007 sophomore album Some Loud Thunder. That show will be worth it if only to hear them perform “Satan Said Dance” one more time. Maybe I’ll see you there?

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25. CCFX EP by CCFX
26. Woodstock by Portugal. The Man
27. MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent
28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

Subscribe to the 2017 Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2016 Top 31s

#25 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

CCFX EP by CCFX

The band at #25 represents the first “new” band on this year’s list. CCFX are the combination of two Olympia bands (neither of whom I was familiar with before writing this line) CC Dust and Trans FX, but they don’t sound like they’re from the Pacific Northwest. They do sound like they’re from another era.

This is a continuation of where The Cure or the Cocteau Twins (good Cure and good Cocteau Twins) left off a few decades ago. You’ll recognize it immediately in the jangly guitars and the warbly, buttery vocals from frontwoman Mary Jane Dunphe. Unfortunately, the band has only this four song EP to their name, for now.

The above song, “The One to Wait”, is the shining highlight. This song is SO good. Please give it a listen by clicking play, above. I’ve listened to this song nearly every day since I first heard it a couple months ago. There are other good songs on the EP as well — “Venetian Screens” is almost as good as “The One to Wait.” And while the EP only has four songs, it leaves me hopeful that CCFX will go on to produce a fantastic debut album in the coming year.

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26. Woodstock by Portugal. The Man
27. MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent
28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

Subscribe to the 2017 Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2016 Top 31s

#26 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

Woodstock by Portugal. The Man

(I’ll start this review by apologizing for how difficult it will be to read. The band’s name has punctuation in it, and I’m beholden to include that punctuation every time I mention the band’s name. It will cause difficulty in reading, and I’m sorry.)

Sometimes it takes a while for me to notice a band. I’d heard of Portugal. The Man over the years, and while I always loved the band’s name (who doesn’t love a band with a period in their name? For the same reason I always loved seeing Panic! At the Disco’s name in writing), I’d not heard anything that really caught my attention until this, Woodstock, their 8th album. And it was the power of one song in particular that drew me in: “Feel It Still,” which is featured in the video above.

Please hit play now, and revel in the song’s glory.

Isn’t that nice? The rest of the album, while nice, pales in comparison to that magical number. I’m not sure if Portugal. The Man has other songs of this magnitude, but this song alone makes picking up Woodstock worthwhile.

Being a designer, it’s always nice to see a band with a visual style and true attention to detail. I mean, having a period in the middle of your band’s name is a considerable commitment to detail. But check out the band’s video output as well. There are so many great videos for this new album alone:

• “Live In The Moment” features a larger than life marionette “surfing” atop a moving car
• “Number One” is a combination of live action and animated laser lights shown around children blankly staring at a screen in the creepiest way possible
• “Rich Friends” has a full interactive experience where you can start and stop pieces of the video on your own that lives at chardonnayandadderall.com

There is power in the visual representation of song, and Portugal. The Man understands this. If you’re not swayed by hearing these songs and seeings these amazing videos, I don’t know what else to say!

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27. MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent
28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

Subscribe to the 2017 Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2016 Top 31s

#27 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent

It’s been a while since I musically connected with Annie Clark, otherwise known as St. Vincent. I quickly fell in love with her stage presence ten years ago, amidst the release of her debut album, Marry Me. She was a force on the stage, and I made sure to let everyone know about it.

Her 2nd album Actor appeared on the first Bacon Top 31 in 2009, but her third and fourth albums failed to hook me enough to break into the Top 31 in 2011 and 2014. She did, however, appear again on the Top 31 in 2012, because of the fantastic Love This Giant album she made with David Byrne.

But sometimes good things come to those who wait. With MASSEDUCTION, her fifth full-length album, St. Vincent has found new musical ground to cover. This album is solid from start to finish, and helps her escape that “sonic safe zone” my brain had put her in back in 2011.

On top of the great music, Clark has always been a visually stunning musician, both physically and in how she portrays her image in the world. She clearly takes many cues from David Byrne and his chameleon-like transformations over the years. The videos that have come out in support of MASSEDUCTION demonstrate this visual acuity: be sure to watch the above video for “New York,” as well as these great videos for “Pills” and “Los Ageless”.

If you’d given up on St. Vincent like I had, give this new album a listen. You may find you like what you hear.

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28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

2009-2016 Top 31s

#28 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band

I like horns. A good horn section is often the only thing a band needs to make it into my regular rotation. I consistently go back to the large ensembles of the late 60s / early 70s, like Chicago’s first couple albums, or Blood, Sweat & Tears’ eponymous sophomore record. I’m convinced I will be listening to those albums until I die, and it’s the horns that keep me coming back.

The Hot 8 Brass Band is a new spin on “good horn section”. “Brass” is in their name! It’s the center of the band. But they’re also so much more. The band hails from New Orleans, which has a fantastic history of loving horns itself. The band has been around for over 20 years, and the membership has morphed a little over that time (a few current members were not even born when the band formed in 1995). They blend traditional New Orleans brass sounds with a touch of hip-hop and funk that just totally wins me over.

Be warned, this album is a bit sloppy — it’s hard to record 10+ horn and percussion instruments and mix them well together — but it’s fun and energetic. The above video, for their version of the jazz standard “St. James Infirmary Blues” which was first made famous by Louis Armstrong in 1928, is beautiful, but not indicative of the rest of the album. For an example of the more upbeat songs, give “Working Together” or “Can’t Nobody Get Down” a listen. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

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29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

2009-2016 Top 31s

#29 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs

If you were following The Bacon Review back during the Top 31 of 2014, then you’re already familiar with the band here at #29, The War on Drugs. Their third album, Lost in the Dream, appeared at #13 that year. A Deeper Understanding is their fourth album, and it’s a clear continuation of what they had back then.

My view of the band hasn’t changed — this is dad rock of the highest caliber. Think of the music made towards the end of the Grateful Dead run, or any solo music made by the Eagles after the band went their separate ways (before reuniting, of course), and that’s exactly where The War on Drugs is.

This is a good, poppy album from start to finish. There have been a few good videos from it, including the one for “Holding On” above (the best song on the album), as well as “Pain” and the quirky “Nothing to Find”. If you liked their last album, you’ll like this one every bit as much.

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30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

2009-2016 Top 31s

#30 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister

Through no fault of its own, this album is merely “interesting,” not phenomenal. I believe it’s hard to collaborate when you’re a fairly big name on your own — as the men in this “supergroup” are, especially Sufjan Stevens and Bryce Dessner (lead guitarist from The National), both of whom have appeared on the Bacon Top 31 numerous times over the years. These artists must find it difficult to create something together that is on par with what they’ve created on their own prior to the collaboration. I’m sure there’s a great supergroup collaboration out there that I’m forgetting — one better than the sum of its parts — but it escapes me. It seems that the supergroup’s output is always going to be worse on the whole.

Be that as it may, Planetarium is worth repeated listening. On its surface, it sounds like an extension of my favorite Sufjan album, The Age of Adz (#3 in 2010), which makes sense given that these songs were originally written back in 2011. It’s difficult to pick out Dessner’s guitar work, but Sufjan is unmistakeable on the handful of songs on which he sings. And I’m unfamiliar with the work of contemporary classical music composer Nico Muhly or percussionist James McAlister.

Between the nice songs with Sufjan vocals are some meandering, orchestral oddities that oscillate from darkness and foreboding to light and airy, without providing much substance to speak of. And that is why we find the album here, near the bottom of the Top 31. Do be sure to check out the Sufjan creation linked in the video above; the man is a genius of both song and visuals. And while this album may not be the best of his output, give it a listen yourself and let me know what you think.

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31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

2009-2016 Top 31s

#31 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

Happy new year! Here we are again, at the beginning of yet another Top 31.¹ 2017 was an exciting year for me, personally (I married my lovely wife in August, and together we have a beautiful daughter who was born in October).

Politically, 2017 felt like shit. It helps to think there have been many much worse years in American history, but it’s hard to keep that perspective when those worse years all came before I was politically aware.

Musically, the year felt muddled and off. There are many albums I discovered and enjoyed (well more than the 31 I’ll feature here), but overall it feels like there were no amazing albums in 2017. Part of that surely has to do with how busy I was personally, and how terrible things were politically. But I think it also has to do with how I discovered and listened to music. My Apple Music account allowed me to look at all the new releases every week and add any album to my active 2017 playlist, resulting in 111 2017 albums ending up in my music library (which is about 50% more albums than I typically listen to in a given year). That’s a lot of music to absorb in one year (3.7 days worth of music, to be exact).

I’ll be paying attention to my listening habits in 2018 to see if how I’m discovering and listening to music is affecting my opinion, or if the muddle lies in other, currently unknowable factors. I did manage to arrive at 31 favorites for the year. In some ways it was much easier to compile the Top 31, since I had so many more albums to choose from. And there’s even a #1 album. But first, we need to get through the 30 other albums I loved this year. Let’s get started, shall we?

A Moment Apart by Odesza

First up is an electronic duo out of Seattle you’ve probably heard of: Odesza. These two guys who met at Western have made quite a name for themselves in the past five years, going from obscurity to #3 on the US Pop chart in that short time. I hadn’t paid much attention to them or their two previous releases, but A Moment Apart caused me to sit up an listen intently.

The album has a few stellar guest appearances (including Regina Spektor). The song above, “Across the Room” features Leon Bridges, whose own album was #2 on the 2015 Top 31. I recommend watching this nice little documentary about the making of that song. A Moment Apart is fantastic from start to finish. It works best as background music, but beware: you’ll soon find yourself annoying the person next to you with your toe tapping toe and bouncing up and down.

And there we are — another year’s Top 31 is underway. I look forward to talking and listening with you over the next month as we count down to #1 together. Please share your own favorites when you can — I’d love to talk about them and compare with you.

^{1. In case you missed my note at the beginning of December, the Top 31 got pushed out a month this year (and will begin on January 1 in every future year). I’m glad I made this decision, as it allowed me to enjoy the holidays without concern about getting the next day’s post out, and to enjoy all of 2017’s music for the full year. But this also means I need to accommodate the last two months of 2016 that didn’t end up in last year’s countdown. So for those paying attention at home, this year’s countdown actually covers 14 months of music, from November 2016 through December 2017.↩}

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2009-2016 Top 31s

Elbow — Gentle Storm

New Elbow, people. Their new album, Little Fictions, came out on February 3, and it’s everything you’d ever want in an Elbow album.

Look for the Benedict Cumberbatch cameo in the video, above. (Plus they’re coming to Seattle in November!)

Regretfully Overlooked in 2016: Anohni

I always liked hearing Antony and the Johnsons when they came up on KEXP, but I never felt compelled to listen to their music outside of those select, serendipitous moments. In 2016, the band’s lead singer Antony Hegarty, otherwise known as Anohni, released her first solo album, Hopelessness. Where Antony and the Johnsons were good, this album is great. Anohni’s voice is a Björk 45 slowed down to 33 RPM, and the music is a mash of electronic, analog, and otherworldly. Get on it.

Regretfully Overlooked in 2016: Chance the Rapper

Not only did Chance the Rapper create an amazing album last year (it’s called Coloring Book, and I recommend you go find it and listen to it right now), but he also won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2016. And I didn’t hear the album until January of this year. Whomp whomp.

Fleet Foxes — Third of May / Ōdaigahara

This is the first new Fleet Foxes music in six years. I’m not usually one to put lyric videos on the Bacon Review, but this being the Fleet Foxes, I’m making an exception. The song above, at nearly nine minutes long, is a bit rambling. But given I’d thought we’d heard the last of Robin Pecknold and crew, I don’t care. Their new album, Crack Up, comes out June 16 on Nonesuch.

#1 on the 2016 Bacon Top 31

22, A Million by Bon Iver

Yep, Bon Iver. Good ol’ Justin Vernon finds himself atop the 2016 Bacon Top 31, with his stellar, jaw dropping third LP 22, A Million. This album is Bon Iver’s Kid A. I remember that feeling, back in 2000 — after having had that magical moment where Radiohead’s OK Computer just *clicked* a couple years prior, and I began defining the musical world as “Radiohead above all else” — and played Kid A for the first time and thought “What the FUCK is this?” Then I listened to it again. And again. And probably didn’t stop for the rest of the year. That’s exactly how it went for this new Bon Iver album.

This is an amazing record. It’s over-the-top use of autotune (as I said when reviewing Blonde at #4, this is The Year of the Autotune) is arresting until you’ve heard the album for the fourth of fifth time and you realize it’s magical.

Vernon has a spot-on falsetto — it’s his signature voice — and of course it’s featured prominently here, run through many layers of digital filters and fuzz, to create something wholly unique. I encourage you to watch this live performance from December (thank you NPR!), to watch Vernon make these sounds on the fly. It’s a marvel to watch, and it blows me away he’s able to accomplish it all live, on stage.

Bon Iver has been on the Top 31 only twice, for his 2nd LP, Bon Iver, Bon Iver, at #6 back in 2011, and his Blood Bank EP at #17 back in the very first Top 31, in 2009. His first album, For Emma, Forever Ago, from 2008, would definitely have been on the countdown. It’s a masterpiece of a different sort. But for me, 22, A Million is his best work to date. I’m going to listen to this album for many many many years to come.

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2. Visions of Us On the Land by Damien Jurado
3. A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead
4. Blonde by Frank Ocean
5. Are You Serious by Andrew Bird
6. Lemonade by Beyoncé
7. Teens of Denial by Car Seat Headrest
8. Goodness by The Hotelier
9. The Mountain Will Fall by DJ Shadow
10. Junun by Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood & The Rajasthan Express
11. The Hope Six Demolition Project by PJ Harvey
12. Amen & Goodbye by Yeasayer
13. Sea of Noise by St. Paul & The Broken Bones
14. You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen
15. Painting Of A Panic Attack by Frightened Rabbit
16. Why Are You OK by Band Of Horses
17. Not To Disappear by Daughter
18. Sunlit Youth by Local Natives
19. I Had a Dream That You Were Mine by Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
20. ★ by David Bowie
21. Farewell, Starlite! by Francis and the Lights
22. This Unruly Mess I’ve Made by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
23. LNZNDRF by LNZNDRF
24. Puberty 2 by Mitski
25. Light Upon the Lake by Whitney
26. A Corpse Wired for Sound by Merchandise
27. Away by Okkervil River
28. case/lang/veirs by case/lang/veirs
29. Love Letter for Fire by Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop
30. Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future by Underworld
31. Preoccupations by Preoccupations

#2 on the 2016 Bacon Top 31

Visions of Us On the Land by Damien Jurado

My 2016 was most defined by the artist here at #2, Damien Jurado. In a way, Jurado has been a part of my time here in Seattle since moving here in 1997. I first saw him perform when he opened for Death Cab for Cutie at what was then called Graceland (and is now El Corazón) back in 2001 (I’m pretty sure I was standing right next to this guy). And I’ve been following Jurado’s career ever since.

Unlike most every other band out there, I can say — unequivocally — that Jurado has gotten better and better. This is not just your typically clichéd comment about an aging rocker. For once, I mean it. Jurado’s last three albums, a trilogy created with producer Richard Swift, demonstrate that his songwriting is at the top of his game.

Jurado has been through his fair share of trials and tribulations. I had the immense pleasure of seeing Jurado perform twice this year, first at the Neptune back in May (with a full band), and then again, solo, in the beautiful St. Mark’s Cathedral on December 3. When you see him in concert, he is always sitting in a chair with his acoustic guitar on his lap. Which made the show at St. Mark’s all that more surprising, because he was performing standing up. Three-fourths of the way through the concert, he asked for a chair to be brought up to the stage, performed another song, and then told a long story that revealed the reason he asked for a chair ten minutes prior: he was having a panic attack, right there on stage. The show never stopped, the music was as powerful as always, and he performed through it. But wow if that’s not a moving experience.

All three of Jurado’s recent albums have been on the Top 31. Maraqopa at #5 in 2012 and Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son at #0 in 2014 (there was a clerical error that year that forced this album off the proper countdown, but it would have been in the Top 5 for sure). And now here at #2 is the coup de grace. It’s a truly phenomenal record.

I worry about where Jurado will go from here, with this trilogy now complete. Is this the pinnacle? Does he have more music in him? Will he work with Richard Swift again? I selfishly want even more out of him. But at least we have these three albums to listen to, forever. Visions of Us On the Land is his twelfth studio album. Jurado could stop writing music forever and be more than content in his body of work. Either way, I’ll be quite happy.

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3. A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead
4. Blonde by Frank Ocean
5. Are You Serious by Andrew Bird
6. Lemonade by Beyoncé
7. Teens of Denial by Car Seat Headrest
8. Goodness by The Hotelier
9. The Mountain Will Fall by DJ Shadow
10. Junun by Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood & The Rajasthan Express
11. The Hope Six Demolition Project by PJ Harvey
12. Amen & Goodbye by Yeasayer
13. Sea of Noise by St. Paul & The Broken Bones
14. You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen
15. Painting Of A Panic Attack by Frightened Rabbit
16. Why Are You OK by Band Of Horses
17. Not To Disappear by Daughter
18. Sunlit Youth by Local Natives
19. I Had a Dream That You Were Mine by Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
20. ★ by David Bowie
21. Farewell, Starlite! by Francis and the Lights
22. This Unruly Mess I’ve Made by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
23. LNZNDRF by LNZNDRF
24. Puberty 2 by Mitski
25. Light Upon the Lake by Whitney
26. A Corpse Wired for Sound by Merchandise
27. Away by Okkervil River
28. case/lang/veirs by case/lang/veirs
29. Love Letter for Fire by Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop
30. Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future by Underworld
31. Preoccupations by Preoccupations

#3 on the 2016 Bacon Top 31

A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead

Radiohead have only been on the Top 31 twice, both times in 2011, which is when The King of Limbs and its remix album, TKOL RMX 1234567, their previous albums to A Moon Shaped Pool, came out. But the band’s members have been on the Top 31 a few more times:

• Jonny Greenwood in 2012 with his score to The Master
• Tom Yorke’s side project Atoms for Peace with AMOK in 2013
• And Jonny Greenwood again, this year, with his collaboration Junun

A Moon Shaped Pool is a great album, and it’s a great Radiohead album. You can see other videos from the album here and here. I don’t really need to say anything else about it.

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4. Blonde by Frank Ocean
5. Are You Serious by Andrew Bird
6. Lemonade by Beyoncé
7. Teens of Denial by Car Seat Headrest
8. Goodness by The Hotelier
9. The Mountain Will Fall by DJ Shadow
10. Junun by Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood & The Rajasthan Express
11. The Hope Six Demolition Project by PJ Harvey
12. Amen & Goodbye by Yeasayer
13. Sea of Noise by St. Paul & The Broken Bones
14. You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen
15. Painting Of A Panic Attack by Frightened Rabbit
16. Why Are You OK by Band Of Horses
17. Not To Disappear by Daughter
18. Sunlit Youth by Local Natives
19. I Had a Dream That You Were Mine by Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
20. ★ by David Bowie
21. Farewell, Starlite! by Francis and the Lights
22. This Unruly Mess I’ve Made by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
23. LNZNDRF by LNZNDRF
24. Puberty 2 by Mitski
25. Light Upon the Lake by Whitney
26. A Corpse Wired for Sound by Merchandise
27. Away by Okkervil River
28. case/lang/veirs by case/lang/veirs
29. Love Letter for Fire by Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop
30. Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future by Underworld
31. Preoccupations by Preoccupations

#4 on the 2016 Bacon Top 31

(video above is NSFW)

Blonde by Frank Ocean

I’m not gonna lie: I like the sound of extreme autotune. So long as it’s being used to push the limits, calling attention to its own “digital-ness,” then I’m all for it. You heard this quite prominently in Francis and the Lights, back at #21 on this year’s Top 31. And here we are all the way up at #4 with another heavily autotuned masterpiece, Frank Ocean’s Blonde.

Like Beyoncé at #6, Frank Ocean is a name I knew but didn’t pay much attention to before 2016. This is only Ocean’s 2nd release, coming out four years after his widely-acclaimed pop debut Channel Orange. I listened to Channel Orange back in 2012, but dismissed it as being way too over-hyped. I’m glad I didn’t give up on Ocean for good, because Blonde kills.

Not to beat a dead horse, but probably for the same reasons I love Beyoncé’s album so much, the endless sea of stellar partnerships makes this album so great. There are a TON of guest artists on this album, from André 3000, to Beyoncé herself, James Blake, Rostam Batmanglij (featured at #19), and even a string arrangement by Jonny Greenwood (featured at #10). I’m pretty sure there are about 80 collaborators / personnel listed on the wikipedia page for this album). You could fill an entire Grammy awards just with the people on it.

But unlike Beyoncé’s album, this is not something for everyone. The song structure is a bit on the bizarre (which is another reason why I like it so much), but when it clicks, it’s fantastic. There are even a couple spoken-word “songs” on it that I skip outright. But I encourage you to give this at least three listens before dismissing it. If you’re like me, it’ll sink it’s claws in well before you finish the third lap, and then you won’t want to stop listening.

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5. Are You Serious by Andrew Bird
6. Lemonade by Beyoncé
7. Teens of Denial by Car Seat Headrest
8. Goodness by The Hotelier
9. The Mountain Will Fall by DJ Shadow
10. Junun by Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood & The Rajasthan Express
11. The Hope Six Demolition Project by PJ Harvey
12. Amen & Goodbye by Yeasayer
13. Sea of Noise by St. Paul & The Broken Bones
14. You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen
15. Painting Of A Panic Attack by Frightened Rabbit
16. Why Are You OK by Band Of Horses
17. Not To Disappear by Daughter
18. Sunlit Youth by Local Natives
19. I Had a Dream That You Were Mine by Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
20. ★ by David Bowie
21. Farewell, Starlite! by Francis and the Lights
22. This Unruly Mess I’ve Made by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
23. LNZNDRF by LNZNDRF
24. Puberty 2 by Mitski
25. Light Upon the Lake by Whitney
26. A Corpse Wired for Sound by Merchandise
27. Away by Okkervil River
28. case/lang/veirs by case/lang/veirs
29. Love Letter for Fire by Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop
30. Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future by Underworld
31. Preoccupations by Preoccupations