#15 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — We Were Promised Jetpacks

The More I Sleep the Less I Dream by We Were Promised Jetpacks

Allow me to take a tangent as I dive into #15, from the Scottish band We Were Promised Jetpacks. If you’re unable to cope with talk of someone taking their own life, consider this your cue to exit stage left.

On May 9, 2018, one of the best singer/songwriters ever to walk the earth committed suicide. Scott Hutchison, of Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit, acted out exactly what he had previously described himself as doing in his song “Floating in the Forth” and leapt to his death from the Forth Road Bridge.

Fully clothed, I'll float away
(I'll float away)
Down the Forth, into the sea
I'll steer myself
Through chopping waves
As manic gulls
Scream “it’s okay”
Take your life
Give it a shake
Gather up
All your loose change
I think I’ll save suicide for another year

That was written in 2008. He was able to “save suicide for another year” for ten years before his depression finally got the best of him, to the detriment of himself and everyone who ever heard his words. Unlike all previous deaths of actors, performers, and musicians (expected, accidental, or self-inflicted), this one was the most difficult for me, personally, in that it was so unexpected. Scott was in the prime of his life, his band was doing fantastically well, he’d just released a new side-project album called Mastersystem with his brother Grant and brothers Justin and James Lockey from Editors and Minor Victories, respectively. From everything I’d heard over the last couple years, he’d been able to rise up out of his funk and was living happily with his partner in LA.

Even four months prior to his death, Scott spoke of the song as if those feelings were firmly in the past:

“Floating in the Forth” was a real tough one. It’s a real thing. It’s a real thought. It’s a thought that I’ve taken to a place that I’m far less comfortable with… I’ve gone 90 percent of the way through that song in real life. But at the same time it’s gratifying. It’s heartening to know that I’ve been through that, and I’ve stood there performing that song, alive and feeling good about it. It’s a tough one. My mum and dad were at the show in Glasgow. We can joke about it, but it must be really hard to hear your son sing about that.

What his death has taught me is two-fold:

1. no matter how much you think you know a famous person, you really don’t know them all
2. I have a lot to learn about depression and how it can overtake someone even when from all appearances that person is doing extremely well

Scott will be deeply missed. My heart aches just writing about him here, and now any time I put on a Frightened Rabbit album I find it impossible to let it play in the background. The music starts, and his voice and lyrics consume me until the album is done. These are not depressive feelings of my own; they are empathetic, “fuck it all” feelings for what Scott and everyone else with depression was going / is going through, and recognition of my ineptitude of being able to help them.

Perhaps this blog is my outlet for help, no matter how small and inconsequential it may be. I try to remain positive, I tout what it is that I like about these artists, and I believe it’s a good thing for them (both popular and hyper-local acts) as well as the readers. Together we get through each year, a community of people who enjoy music and the world that surrounds it.

Thank you, reader. I knew I wanted to talk about Scott’s death in the Top 31, but I wasn’t sure how to do so before now. The Mastersystem album, while interesting as an artifact, was unfortunately forgettable, and didn’t land with my favorites of the year. So I’m holding onto the tangential relationship between Frightened Rabbit and We Were Promised Jetpacks as that connective tissue. Not only are both bands Scottish (and friends with each other), but the first time I saw WWPJ perform live was on September 16, 2009, when they were opening for Frightened Rabbit.

WWPJ that year were riding high on the power of their debut album, These Four Walls, which was #5 back in 2009, and is by all accounts a fantastic album. Since then, the band released two somewhat lackluster albums in 2011 and 2014, but then finally figured out the right formula between their 2009 greatness and what they’ve learned over the last decade, releasing The More I Sleep the Less I Dream.

The album sounds more mature, but is somehow, finally, the proper follow-up to their debut that I’ve been waiting on. It’s not as loud as the debut, and that‘s a good thing. It has a refined production that has been lacking since the beginning, something that no doubt comes with the band all hovering around the end of the their 20s. If you liked who they were then, there’s no doubt you’ll like who they are now. And if you’re unfamiliar, I suggest going all the way back to 2009 before diving into this album. Even if you start with this most recent release, you will not be disappointed either way.

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16. Joy as an Act of Resistance by IDLES
17. Hell-On by Neko Case
18. Superorganism by Superorganism
19. Living in Extraordinary Times by James
20. Thank You for Today by Death Cab for Cutie
21. Black Panther: The Album by Kendrick Lamar
22. Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke
23. Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#16 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — IDLES

Joy as an Act of Resistance by IDLES

This one is going to need some explanation. Upon first listen of any IDLES song, you may find yourself saying “what the fuck, Royal, this is just loud angsty testosterone-filled noise.” On the surface you wouldn’t be wrong. But if you dig a little deeper, listen to the lyrics, read a bit about the band, learn where they’re coming from, you start to see the magic in the madness. Give it a minute, and that lightbulb may turn on for you as it has for me and many others whose musical opinions I value.

IDLES are a band of five tattooed, crooked-grinned lads out of Bristol. Lead singer/songwriter Joe Talbot sings in a heavy, almost barking voice that only a punk rocker could love. The band somehow fills the void between Nick Cave, Rammstein and The Clash, but with songs structured around unexpected subject matters like toxic masculinity, hatred of tabloid journalism and the stillborn birth of Talbot’s daughter Agatha. Below the cacophonous veneer is a vulnerable, endearing group of men trying to find their way in the late 2010s.

Once you hear that pain, suffering and fear shared within these songs, the tone changes. They still function as a form of release, but instead of empathy not of testosterone. Joy as an Act of Resistance is the band’s second album, and I’ve read that 2017’s Brutalism, created before the death of Talbot’s daughter, but after the death of his mom, is equally enthralling.

Joy is full of songs I can get behind, and the band takes visual representation of their songs to a new level as well, with videos out for quite a few of the album’s songs:

• Colossus (shown above)
• Great
• Samaritans
• Danny Nedelko

I asked at the start of this year’s Top 31 “Does my age cause me to prefer something more mellow to listen to, or does the nature of how I listen force my hand?” and this album is a perfect example. I can’t listen to this album at home without getting some angry looks from my family. And I didn’t really want to listen to it at home with my family. This album is a solo-listening affair, and I just have very few opportunities for that any more. It took a lot of work to get over the hump with it, but I’m glad I did — listening in my car, in headphones at work, etc. And I implore the same of you: give it a long chance at hooking you, and you’ll be surprised.

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17. Hell-On by Neko Case
18. Superorganism by Superorganism
19. Living in Extraordinary Times by James
20. Thank You for Today by Death Cab for Cutie
21. Black Panther: The Album by Kendrick Lamar
22. Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke
23. Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#17 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Neko Case

Hell-On by Neko Case

The list of edgy female rockers featured in the 2018 Top 31 continues to expand, adding veteran of the genre, Neko Case. You’ll know her as the one with the most resonant voice among them all, but that doesn’t make her songs have any less bite. Even as you’re enjoying her lullabies and her lilt, it’s her master of story and lyrics that brings that vitriol forward. And it’s gorgeous.

Case has been on the Bacon Top 31 many times over the years. Her last album, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, came in at a whopping #5 in 2013. The supergroup The New Pornographers came in at #19 in 2014, and the self-titled trio album she came out with with k.d. lang and Laura Veirs was #28 in 2016.

Case has a distinct ability to amp you up in most New Porographers songs, to belt out harrowing harmonies when singing in tandem (or trio), and in her solo work, like Hell-on, her talent really shines. Quiet, loud, immediate and slow-building — she covers it all. While Hell-on isn’t as strong from start to finish as her 2013 masterpiece, this album still rises above the din. Reach out for that voice, she’ll help carry you through to the end of the tunnel.

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18. Superorganism by Superorganism
19. Living in Extraordinary Times by James
20. Thank You for Today by Death Cab for Cutie
21. Black Panther: The Album by Kendrick Lamar
22. Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke
23. Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#18 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Superorganism

Superorganism by Superorganism

And now for something completely different. Superorganism, based in London but scattered across the globe, is a band that represents the late 2010s better than any other. According to Wikipedia, the band formed as a result of lead singer Orono Noguchi finding another band, The Eversons, in her YouTube recommendations. She sought The Eversons out while they were touring Japan and she was visiting there in the summer of 2015, and they became friends mainly through bonding over their shared interest of internet memes. Seriously.

Also, Noguchi only graduated from high school in 2017, at 17, and she relocated to shack up with the band in London. The creative output of the band became their debut album, and what an album it is. Back to wikipedia, under the section “Artistry”, it says “They create original internet-age electronically-tinged indie pop music.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

These songs are full of ear worms and digital ephemera. It’s video-game overtones are well appreciated by myself as well as my 10-year-old son. He’s grown to tolerate the music I ask the family to listen to all the time but when he chooses to add something he’s hearing to his own running playlist, I know I’m onto something. The video-gameness of the songs extends into the videos the band has created as well. In addition to the one above, for “Everybody Wants to be Famous,” check out these other instant classics:

• The Prawn King
• Night Time
• Reflections on the Screen
• Something for your M.I.N.D.
• Nobody Cares
• It’s All Good

It’s albums like this that assure me my tastes aren’t all “dad rock.” This album is alive with energy, and it’s a joy to listen to. I hope you agree.

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19. Living in Extraordinary Times by James
20. Thank You for Today by Death Cab for Cutie
21. Black Panther: The Album by Kendrick Lamar
22. Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke
23. Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#19 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — James

Living in Extraordinary Times by James

Speaking of bands past their prime still producing good music, here comes Manchester, England band James. I loved James in the mid-90s. Their Brian Eno-produced albums Laid and Wah Wah hold a special place in my heart, and I still listen to those albums once every couple of years, 25 long years after their release. I stuck with them for a few more Eno-produced albums, severing my ties with the band myself when they broke up soon after releasing 2001’s Pleased to Meet You.

Reading up on them for this post, it appears they regrouped with the same lineup just over 10 years ago, and have released six albums in that time, culminating in this beautiful album, Living in Extraordinary Times. Tim Booth, the band’s frontman, has a dynamic, often falsetto voice that makes you want to stand up and pump your fist. This new album, their 15th, has all the same things college-age Royal loved: fantastic production, huge crescendos, anthemic choruses. The song featured above, “Coming Home (Pt. 2),” is a good example. (That song, incidentally, is a sequel of one of the band’s early hits (“Come Home”) but do yourself a favor and do NOT seek out that song.)

This album is smarter and more layered than the band was when I was in college. Deep horns, multiple percussion players and orchestration all with Booth’s singsongy voice flying over the top of it. The band also differs in look, 25 years on. They’ve definitely aged, and Booth’s mop of hair has transitioned from his head (now bald) to his chin (now unfortunately goateed). It’s easy to picture the band as young men when listening to the album. If you remember James from the 90s, I recommend doing yourself a favor and giving this one a go. You may surprise yourself.

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20. Thank You for Today by Death Cab for Cutie
21. Black Panther: The Album by Kendrick Lamar
22. Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke
23. Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#20 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Death Cab for Cutie

Thank You for Today by Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie, the little indie emo band that could, has been with me for nearly half my life. Their debut album, Something About Airplanes, came out shortly after I moved to Seattle, and connected with the early-20-something me like nothing else had before. And then their next three albums solidified their place in my brain, permanently engraved and ready to call upon when needed. There hasn’t always been love from me for the band — their four most recent albums, recorded for the much-bigger music label Atlantic, haven’t stood the same test of time (their last album to be featured on the Top 31, Codes and Keys, was #12 in 2011, but their utterly forgettable 2015 album Kintsugi was utterly forgotten).

And now Thank You for Today, the band’s tenth album (if you include their original demo album You Can Play These Songs with Chords), and their first without co-lead-songwriter Chris Walla (who departed the band just before the release of Kintsugi), somehow found its way into my go-to listens for the year. The beauty of lead singer/songwriter Ben Gibbard’s lyrics have always needed strong music to back them up (just listen to his offshoot album as Postal Service), and that’s what Walla brought to the table. Without him, the songs on this album feel transitory and ephemeral. Alternately, since I’m no longer in my 20s, maybe the dynamic range of my emotions is muted, or redirected. Gibbard continues to write about urbanism (see the above video for “Gold Rush,” all about Seattle’s insanity from the last ten years) and romanticism, but my emotional connections lie elsewhere.

I struggle to put my finger on why, exactly, given the above difficulties, but #20 is where this album gets placed. Not one of the best from the year, but better than the worst 11 out of 31 for the year. Ambiguous and inexplicable, just like the music within.

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21. Black Panther: The Album by Kendrick Lamar
22. Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke
23. Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#21 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Kendrick Lamar

Black Panther: The Album by Kendrick Lamar

From one type of movie soundtrack at #22 to a completely different take here at #21. Black Panther was the highest grossing movie of 2018, and the Kendrick Lamar-produced soundtrack album of songs in and inspired by the movie holds up well to scrutiny. A movie soundtrack this good hasn’t come out since The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou came out in 2004.

This isn’t the first time that Lamar has been on the Top 31. His last album was #22 in 2017 and his seminal To Pimp a Butterfly was (erroneously) ranked all the way down at #29 in 2015. The man knows how to put the right people (producers, musicians, rappers) together to support his hard hitting, poignant lyrics, and this soundtrack is no different.

This being a Disney movie from the venerable Marvel Cinematic Universe, the album is most surprising in its apparent freedom from oversight. The album’s 14 songs are chock full of explicit lyrics and un-kid-friendly imagery. It’s an album that simply could not have been made five or ten years ago. Compare the Black Panther soundtrack to Prince’s Batman soundtrack from 1989 (incidentally, my first-ever CD purchase). This is Prince at his most-owned by his oppressive Warner Bros. contract, and the treacly, movie-sample laden songs, while massively popular when they were released, have not stood the test of time (have you tried to listen to it lately? It’s awful.)

But this Black Panther soundtrack, even though it includes some very similar movie samples within, is something different. This is a Kendrick Lamar album for an even larger audience than he’s already enjoyed, that just so happens to be tied to a movie. Full of interesting, cross-genre mashups (including SZA, 2 Chainz, The Weeknd and James Blake, just to name a few), the songs on this album radiate with energy. If you’ve not been a fan of Lamar’s work in the past, maybe this is your gateway into his genius. Give it at least one listen, if not more. You will not be disappointed.

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22. Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke
23. Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#22 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Thom Yorke

Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke

Thom Yorke dips his toe into the score/soundtrack arena that Radiohead bandmate Jonny Greenwood has been occupying lately, with the soundtrack to a remake of the 1977 horror film Suspiria.

I do a lot of skipping around on this one, as it’s difficult to put a horror-film soundtrack on in the background of anything without giving whatever it is you’re doing an air of “oh shit I’m going to die soon aren’t I?” The songs that Yorke sings on, such as the one shown above, are Yorke at his best. These could easily be Radiohead songs.

Thom recorded a live session of the four main songs from the soundtrack at Electric Lady Studios in NYC. Watching him perform them live: gorgeous.

If you haven’t listened to this yet, do so. But chances are you’ve already heard it and either embraced it or tossed it aside, and both choices are correct.

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23. Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#23 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — The Good, the Bad & the Queen

Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen

Damon Albarn, despite all expectations to the contrary, has staying power. Having far outgrown the quibbles he and his first band, Blur, had with competing London rockers Oasis, Albarn has accomplished so much in his musical career that it’s astounding to think he’s only 50 years old, with so much more living — and, presumably, music — left to do.

Blur released their first album, Leisure, in 1991. Including that seminal album, Albarn has been a principle part of the production for eight Blur albums, six Gorrilaz albums, six various collaboration albums, one solo album and now, with Merrie Land, two albums with the collective known as The Good, the Bad & the Queen. That’s 23 albums in 27 years, an astounding feat for anyone. His 23rd album, here at #23; I swear I didn’t plan that.

The Good, the Bad & the Queen is by all measures a proverbial “supergroup”, featuring the aforementioned Albarn as the principle lyricist/vocalist, and a band made up of: The Clash’s bassist, Paul Simonon; The Verve’s guitarist, Simon Tong; and “perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived” (according to Brian Eno), Tony Allen. (Allen was the drummer and musical director for Fela Kuti’s band Africa from 1968-1979, whose work was the main influence for the Talking Heads’ album Remain in Light that was covered so beautifully by Angelique Kidjo and appeared at #30 just a week ago. So if you follow the bouncing ball: Tony Allen created Afrobeat with Fela Kuti, which in turn influenced the Talking Heads which was then covered by Kidjo and now the originator appears here in an entirely different context. I just blew my own mind.)

Merrie Land is the supergroup’s second album, but is markedly different from their 2007 debut, which was produced by Danger Mouse and was created under very different political circumstances. Albarn has stated that the new album, which was produced this time around by Tony Visconti (who — get this — won a grammy for his production of Angélique Kidjo’s 2007 album Djin Djin), is rooted in his personal goodbyes to the pre-Brexit Great Britain. Listen closely to the dark lyrics, and you can figure out exactly where Albarn’s loyalties lie.

Albarn takes the visuals of the music to new heights, with the album cover featuring an image from a 1945 horror film called Dead of Night where a ventriloquist is taken over by his dummy. Going further into the ventriloquist arena, Albarn dons dummy makeup and stars in a lip-syncing video for each song from the new album:

• Merrie Land
• Gun to the Head
• Nineteen Seventeen
• The Great Fire
• Lady Boston
• Drifters & Trawlers
• The Truce of Twilight
• Ribbons
• The Last Man to Leave
• The Poison Tree

That’s a level of dedication to creative output that most musicians don’t or won’t tackle, but Albarn gives out like candy, and it’s much appreciated. If you’ve ever been a fan of Albarn in any of his many incarnations, then you should check out Merrie Land right now.

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24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#24 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Noname

Room 25 by Noname

I’ve spoken before about the distinct lack of gender parity within my musical tastes; I’ve never had more than ten woman-led acts on any Top 31. And gender is not the only place where the Bacon Review lacks diversity. Without doing a formal count, it looks like I’ve not had more than 20 non-white acts within the entire 10-year run of the Bacon Top 31. Not just in one year, but in all years, combined. The Venn diagram between those two minority representations within the Top 31 is consequently miniscule: I count six women of color across all past Top 31s — Sharon Jones (R.I.P.), Mitski, Grace Love, Beyoncé, FKA Twigs, and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes.

For the last few years, I’ve been pushing my musical boundaries, embracing albums that might never have made it into my purview 10, 15, 20 years ago. Enter Chicago’s Fatimah Nyeema Warner, better known by her stage name Noname. Female, African-American, jazz and neo-soul fueled rap is nowhere near my comfort zone. And yet, here we are.

While Room 25 is Warner’s debut, the word “debut” is dubious here. She’s been on the scene since 2013, when she appeared on the second mixtape from Chance the Rapper (whose own 2016 mixtape, Coloring Book, would definitely have been on the Top 31 that year had I only heard it in time — when listening outside of my comfort zone, it can take a little bit longer for the music to reach my ears). Since then, Warner made guest appearances on many people’s own albums, and released her own mixtape in 2016 that I have yet to hear.

Regardless of your musical proclivities, there’s something for everyone on this album. If you’re reading this and you’re a friend of mine, then it’s probably not something you’d normally listen to. But give it a shot — I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

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25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#25 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Jeff Tweedy

WARM by Jeff Tweedy

It’s been a while since I paid attention to Wilco or their lead singer/songwriter, Jeff Tweedy. Wilco’s album The Whole Love was at #18 back in 2011, but Star Wars and Schmilco, their 2015 and 2016 albums, went in one ear and out the other, never to be heard from again. I don’t think I ever even heard Tweedy’s debut solo album from 2017, Together at Last.

But now it’s 2018, and at the suggestion of a friend (thanks Pete!), I find that Tweedy has managed to put out a new album that actually begged for more than just a cursory listen. WARM, Tweedy’s 2nd solo album, and 21st overall album when you look back at his work with Wilco and before that, Uncle Tupelo, is exactly that: “warm.” The album is easy to listen to, never boisterous, a joy.

There used to be a radio station in Seattle called “The Mountain”, that would play all those softer “alternative” (but not indie) songs by the likes of the Dave Matthews Band. Then when they went under, the torch was picked up by “Warm 106.1” — even a little more softer, a little more easy-listening. It is without irony or ire that I propose that many songs from Jeff Tweedy’s WARM would have fit right in on Warm 106.1’s programming. While I never listened to 103.7 The Mountain or Warm 106.1 with any regularity, they had their permanent place in the set radio stations in my car, and I would flip to them from time to time, pleasantly surprised at the approachable song emanating from those airwaves.

Such is WARM. Not an album I’ll likely listen to on repeat, but one that I’ll throw into a mix to balance out the excitement, to bring in a moment of reduction. Or put on on an early weekend morning to slowly wake up to the day. If you’ve been a fan of Wilco before, or, maybe, the Grateful Dead and the like, then WARM may be just the thing to get you back into Jeff Tweedy’s embrace.

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26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#26 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Father John Misty

God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty

As the Bacon Top 31 is now in its tenth year, nearly every artist featured in the list has been discussed in previous years. Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty, has been talked about directly (#14 in 2012, #6 in 2015, and #15 last year) and indirectly (Fleet Foxes at #9 in 2011, on whose album he was the drummer) for nearly the entire run of the Top 31. Throughout that time, Tillman, 37, has built up an ironic and iconic persona for himself that allows him a certain freewheeling stature in music, not unlike Dylan. But whereas Dylan had a straightforward-to-a-fault attack on the industry he was thriving in, Tillman’s Misty character is continually self- and industry-reflective, turning his hatred of the world inward and beating himself up for us all to see.

I really enjoyed what Tillman was doing with the Misty character on I Love You, Honeybear three years ago. With last year’s Pure Comedy things started to point downward, with Tillman’s difficult, story-driven narratives proving more and more obtuse. Now here we are with God’s Favorite Customer, and Tillman is at his worst (but still not bad, or else it wouldn’t appear here at all). Where Tillman’s previous Misty albums brought with them a level of humor and irony that made them stand out, God’s Favorite Customer lacks humor, and reveals more of (and drowns us in) Tillman’s neuroses.

Be that as it may, the music is still great, and well worth listening to if you’ve been a fan in the past. Where things continue to shine for Tillman is the visual representation of the music. The above video, for the song “Mr. Tillman” is dark in its self-exploration, and fascinatingly so. This song is the highlight of the album for me, and I’m glad the video works so well. Part of that is due to the team from the collective Little Ugly who created the video. Co-directed by Jeff Desom (co-creator of this insanely disturbing video for the band Health’s “Tears”) and Carlos Lopez Estrada (who created the equally disturbing video for Billie Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over”), these two directors are picking up the reigns dropped by video-auteur Chris Cunningham (creator of the most disturbing video of all time).

In addition to “Mr. Tillman,” four other videos have been made for the release of God’s Favorite Customer:

• “Date Night”
• “Please Don’t Die”
• “God’s Favorite Customer”
• Making of “God’s Favorite Customer”

Beyond that, it’s also (surprisingly?) worth checking out the merch for sale on the Father John Misty site. The apparel, and the models wearing them, all tap into that particular humor / self-reflective irony that Tillman is so good at.

God’s Favorite Customer feels kinda “final” for me, in its apparent lack of humor. Maybe Tillman is growing tired of the persona, or bored. I can see the bones, but the skin he’s now living in just doesn’t have the staying power of his previous endeavors. Here’s to hoping the next one gets him (and us) back on track.

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27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#27 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Frankie Cosmos

Vessel by Frankie Cosmos

Remember when I mentioned the glut of edgy female rock singer/songwriters? Of course you do, it was just two days ago. Well, now we’re up to our second Bacon Top 31 submission into the sub-genre, Greta Kline, otherwise known as Frankie Cosmos.

You’ll notice that Kline’s voice is a bit different from Speedy Ortiz’s (or from Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, etc) in that it’s really high. Up to now, I would have claimed that one of the defining features of the genre is the proclivity of the women in the group to have low-register voices. Kline blows that theory out of the water, even while maintaining the other traits of the sub-genre: honest, hard-hitting lyrics with a garage-band-esque production style.

Kline is the former bass player for the Pleasantville, NY band Porches, and she is also the daughter of actors Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates. Armed with a backing band of revolving members, Frankie Cosmos has released three full-length albums. Vessel is by far the best of the three (and her first for the Seattle label Sub Pop). With 18 songs, most coming in at under two minutes (for a total of only 33 minutes), the album pops with a realism that laments the life of a mid-20s spirited punk rocker.

The band have released a number of videos in support of the album. The one above, for the song “Apathy” is the best of the bunch, but you can also check out “Jesse” and “Being Alive”. And then give the full album a listen, and pay attention to the lyrics, as that is where it really shines.

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28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#28 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Jungle

For Ever by Jungle

Disco is most certainly not dead. Or maybe there’s just a long, drawn-out resurgence happening, as indicated by last year’s #3 album, Everything Now by Arcade Fire. Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson, otherwise known as Jungle, are carrying the disco torch, dancing their way onto the Top 31 here at #28.

Josh and Tom, friends since they were nine and living next door to each other in London, have been making music as Jungle since 2013. While their self-titled debut album didn’t make the 2014 Top 31, their video for “Time” did make an appearance on the Bacon Review. Fast forward a few years and the duo has been able to put together solid collection of fantastically danceable songs that you need to hear.

The duo is known for putting themselves in the background, letting the music and dancers take the fore whenever possible. This makes the band feel more “alive” to me, as the music doesn’t sound like the result of two men pecking away at their laptops.

For Ever is solid from start to finish. Be sure to watch and pay attention to the above video, for the song “Cherry”. I don’t want to give anything away, but you really need to watch the video — it’s brilliant. “Cherry” is less disco than a lot of the other songs on the album, but it was the best video, and therefore it gets featured. The band has put out four other videos from this album, and they all fall in the same, pleasing genre: well-choreographed dancers moving to the sounds of the band. Simple and elegant. You should watch and enjoy them all:

• “House in LA”
• “Happy Man” and “Happy Man” (Director’s Cut) where the dancer shown briefly on the TV in the first video takes center stange and dances throughout the entire video.
• “Heavy, California”

And really, watch the video featured above closely. You won’t be disappointed.

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29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#29 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Speedy Ortiz

Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz

There’s a glut of edgy female rock singer/songwriters in music today. If the sub-genre “Edgy Female Rock Singer/Songwriter” were a monarchy, Patti Smith would be the queen, and PJ Harvey and Liz Phair would be the princesses. The next generation to follow is chockablock with young women vying for the throne, and Speedy Ortiz here at #29 won’t be the last of them to appear on this year’s Top 31.

Sadie Dupuis started Speedy Ortiz as a solo project in the early 10s, but the name has grown to cover a full band, and Twerp Verse is their third release. The guitar-heavy album is grating yet rewarding, with Dupuis’ often dark, poetic lyrics always at the fore. It’s no wonder the lyrics aren’t bright and happy (despite the upbeat sound) — Dupuis picked up her nom de plume from a character in the seminal 80s comic book series Love and Rockets, in which Eulalio “Speedy” Ortiz, the brother of one of the main characters, suffers an untimely death, most likely suicidal.

Twerp Verse cycles through the many pains of life in America in your late 20s. Sexuality, relationships, pain and suffering. Dupuis’ lyrics are unpredictable and enticing, don’t skimp on listening to the words she’s singing. Speedy Ortiz also have a penchant for good music videos; in addition to the Lucky 88 above, be sure to check out “Villain” and “Lean in When I Suffer”.

Hopefully you like what you hear on this album, as there are a few more similar yet different takes on this sound yet to come in the 2018 Top 31.

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30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#30 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Angélique Kidjo

Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo

Those who know about these things may find it debatable as to where rock ’n’ roll began, but they all agree that the roots of rock ’n’ roll are a combination of African musical tradition with European instrumentation. White musicians have appropriated African rhythms into their music since before the dawn of rock ’n’ roll in the mid-1900s. And a few of those musicians have done so to their own great benefit, namely the Talking Heads in the late 70s / early 80s (and David Byrne beyond), Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel in the 80s and 90s, and all the way up to Vampire Weekend in the late 2000s / early 10s.

Enter Angélique Kidjo, a three-time grammy-winning Beninese (via-Paris and finally New York City) singer / songwriter. After a long and fruitful career of writing her own music (starting in 1981 with her debut Pretty) Kidjo has taken her music in a new direction, latching onto the seminal Talking Heads album Remain in Light and recording a track-for-track remake, pulling what was a rock ’n’ roll album back over to the African roots it always hinted at. If you didn’t recognize the David Byrne lyrics in these songs, you would most definitely be fooled into thinking these songs began with Kidjo in Africa.

According to Pitchfork, Kidjo first heard “Once in a Lifetime,” the big hit from Remain in Light, at a college party after escaping Benin for Paris in 1983. The song lodged itself in her brain, but only 35 years later did she seek out its source (even after having been championed by David Byrne in the 90s). She heard the full album and was moved by its continued political relevance, 30+ years after its debut. So she spun it for herself, and created this masterpiece.

It’s exciting to hear these songs in a brand new way. Remain in Light is one of my favorite all-time albums, and Kidjo’s renditions breathe new life into it. While this was my first exposure to Kidjo, I feel that’s a result of me not paying attention. For instance, here’s Kidjo with Ezra Koenig on stage at Austin City Limits during her 2014 PBS special, performing Vampire Weekend’s “I Think Ur a Contra”. Brilliant. Give this album a listen, whether you’re familiar with the original or not. You will not be disappointed.

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31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#31 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Moonface

Happy new year, and welcome to the 2018 Bacon Top 31! I started counting down my top 31 albums of the year in 2009, so this year’s countdown marks my tenth such list. Ten years of listening to many many albums and culling from that experience the 31 best albums each year. By the end of the 2018 list, we’ll have collectively discussed 310 albums in that span — no doubt a larger number of albums than most readers even have in their personal collections.

The Top 31 began in 2009 as a form of promotional payment to the artists I was discovering and listening to (often illegally) for free. I don’t know how many actual album purchases resulted from my touting, but knowing that number was greater than zero helped me set aside the minor tinge of guilt I felt in not paying the artists directly for the music I was listening to. I was an avid show-goer back then, and I documented the shows I went to, writing about them for a handful of small-time Seattle blogs that got me into those shows for free.

Now, ten years on, profit-by-album-purchase for these artists is all but dead, as subscription-based streaming has taken over — note I now post a link to an auto-updating 2018 Bacon Top 31 playlist via Apple Music, if you happen to be a subscriber like me. Even listening to full albums, rather than individual songs, feels like it may be antiquated. (Be that as it may, I still prefer listening to an album from song 1 to the end.) Through streaming, the artists get a very small payment each time you listen to one of their songs, but it’s much less than they would have gotten through the purchase of a full, physical-copy album. Now, apparently, with the sale of recorded music no longer a viable way to make a living as a musician, the artists look to touring as their way to break even (at best); promoting these musicians and spreading the word about when they’ll be on tour is more important than ever.

I’ve grown in years and my family in number, so show-going doesn’t happen nearly as often as it used to for me. I like going to shows, but if I can’t have a comfortable seat near the front, I’d just as soon skip the live performance. So, the way I experience music now is almost exclusively as background to the everyday events of my life, and that has shaped my tastes: it’s now way more difficult to listen regularly to albums like These Four Walls, the phenomenal and phenomenally loud #5 album of 2009 by We Were Promised Jetpacks. Does my age cause me to prefer something more mellow to listen to, or does the nature of how I listen force my hand? Over the coming year I hope to look at this ten-year dataset to see if I can answer questions like these. I’m not sure what things I’ll uncover, but I’m excited at the prospect of the prospecting.

As for 2018, it was another shitty year, politically, but another amazing year, personally. The music I listen to every day continues to play a big part in my and my family’s lives. Unlike last year, when I struggled to claim any one album as “the absolute best,” this year poses a similar-but-different problem for me in the top spots of the list. I won’t go into any detail here lest I give too much away, and maybe things will be more clear towards the end of the month. All will be revealed eventually, but for now, here’s #31!

This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

Spencer Krug, I can’t quit you. While his name isn’t a household name, you most certainly would recognize his unique, warbling vibrato. Krug is the extremely prolific singer/songwriter behind many albums I’ve listened to over the last 12+ years. He’s appeared four times in previous Top 31s, twice as Moonface (#27 in 2011, #23 in 2013) and twice as half of the unstoppable Wolf Parade (#17 in 2010 and #14 in 2017). If I’d been doing the countdown prior to 2009, his 2006 and 2007 Sunset Rubdown albums would have certainly been on the list, along with Wolf Parade’s 2005 and 2008 albums. I somehow missed his 2009 Sunset Rubdown and 2012 and 2016 Moonface albums, but I aim to go back and listen. I’ve also heard his two Swan Lake albums (2006 and 2009), but they’re the only albums in the bunch that haven’t stuck with me over the years.

That’s a lot of consistent output for one man. And unlike prolific songwriters like Mark E. Smith of the Fall or Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices, Krug seems to have found the secret sauce to keeping his bandmates happy and engaged through his prolifery: have multiple and different outlets for your creativity. Instead of alienating his bandmates and cycling from one session musician to the next, Krug puts out nearly an album a year and manages to stay in his bands’ good graces.

(Did you catch that? I just made up a word. Please reach out to my legal team for permission to reuse “prolifery” before you drop it into your own missives.)

This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet, the fifth Moonface full-length, is typical Krug. Dreamy, meandering lyrics over a beautifully dissonant combination of digital and analog sounds. Keyboards, saxophones, vocoder and steel drums play large roles across the album. It’s magical, and well worth a listen on your favorite streaming musical subscription. As I write this, I’m starting to talk myself into thinking this album should be higher than #31 for the year. But this is where I placed it when I first cut the list (earlier today), so I’m going to stick to that — future regrets be damned.

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#1 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

Little Fictions by Elbow

Here we are at the #1 album for 2017, Elbow’s absolutely stellar Little Fictions. The Top 31 is my way of trying to capture my year in music — what I was listening to, what I was enjoying. As the soundtrack to my life, the Top 31 is always influenced by the events from the year, but that’s not to say the events we all felt in 2017 are what drove my musical tastes. Ask anyone I consider a friend, they would probably say that 2017 was a shitty year for Americans. Over the year I grew more and more terrified by what is happening in our country, politically. But in my personal life, my year was far from shitty. It was quite glorious, in fact: I moved in with my girlfriend at the beginning of the year, and then we got pregnant shortly thereafter. We followed that by getting married in August and then the birth of our lovely daughter in October (if I had a Top Songs of All Time countdown, “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie would be #1 for 2017). That’s a lot of awesomeness to cram into one year.

Following me along throughout all of those experiences was this fantastic album by Elbow. For those of you that don’t know, Elbow is a band out of a small town outside of Manchester, England called Ramsbottom. While the band has been playing music together since 1990, they didn’t become “Elbow” until 1997 (which was still 21 years ago — and aside from drummer Richard Jupp leaving the band in 2016, replaced by session drummer Alex Reeves, they’ve performed with the same lineup for that entire time). Little Fictions is their seventh album in that span. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every release they’ve put out, and their last two albums were featured prominently on the Top 31s in their respective years (The Take Off and Landing of Everything was #2 in 2014; Build a Rocket Boys! was #5 in 2011).

I can’t talk highly enough about this band. Guy Garvey’s voice is like butter (and to unaccustomed ears, he sounds a lot like Peter Gabriel). The rest of the band (brothers Craig (keyboards) and Mark Potter (guitar), along with Pete Turner (bass)) put together one solid rock n roll hit after another. Often quiet, with key moments of electric bombast, the band manages crescendo like no other. And each album is every bit as good as the last. It’s an amazing feat.

This album — THIS ALBUM — may be the best yet. But that may also be how this album is tied to my experiences over the year. The first song on the album, “Magnificent (She Says),” featured in the video above, is Garvey’s response to how terrible 2016 was. He says in this video regarding the song that he needed a way to process all the shit that had happened. So he chose to look at it from the perspective of a wide-eyed little girl, full of innocence and love.

And there she stands
Throwing both her arms around the world
The world that doesn’t even know
How much it needs this little girl

It’s all gonna be magnificent, she says
It’s all gonna be magnificent

Glorious. Did I mention I now have a daughter, born only in October? And then there’s the second song, “Gentle Storm”:

Counting down, now the clocks reset when I met you
Do we start a new life?
Yours and my spit-shone restless hearts, they were meant to
Beat one time, share one fate
From this day

Gentle storm
Rage away
And fall in love with me
Fall in love with me
Fall in love with me
Everyday

Gobstopping. Did I mention I got married in August? Be sure to check out the video for that song, which features Benedict Cumberbatch.

From there, the album just continues unabated on its ascendance to greatness. “All Disco” sums up music and life nicely, the title from a quote by Frank Black (“whatever music you love, it’s all disco”). There’s a nice docu-video featuring that song. The last song on the album, “Kindling,” is a slow and quiet outro for the album that primes you for the replay you have inevitably already set up. There’s a great little acoustic alt-version of that song featuring a duet between Garvey and John Grant.

The penultimate song on the album, the title song “Little Fictions,” is an 8+ minute orchestral dream. Put on headphones and play it loud. The song starts with dissonant chords on a piano interplaying with a programmatic drum beat. Enter Garvey, singing about what feels like jabs in a relationship that has passed its due date. The chorus comes in:

We protect our little fictions
Like it’s all we are
Little wilderness mementos
But there’s only you and me here
Fire breathing
Hold tight
Waiting for the original miracle

And with that the song keeps building to one hell of a climax, violins and violence raging and building to the lyrical reveal: “Love is the original miracle.” Whether or not the couple in the song reconciles their differences is unclear, but you’ll most certainly feel spent at the end of it.

I can’t get enough of this band and this album. I want everyone to love them as I do. Give it a few listens. Put it on in the background, or play it loud in the fore. It will fill you with warmth and envelope you with joy.

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2. Half-Light by Rostam
3. Everything Now by Arcade Fire
4. Sleep Well Beast by The National
5. Soul of a Woman by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
6. Relaxer by Alt-J
7. Hot Thoughts by Spoon
8. Colors by Beck
9. Mental Illness by Aimee Mann
10. The Wild by The Rural Alberta Advantage
11. american dream by LCD Soundsystem
12. Crack-Up by Fleet Foxes
13. Famous Last Words by The True Loves
14. Cry Cry Cry by Wolf Parade
15. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty
16. Shake the Shudder by !!!
17. La La Land (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by La La Land
18. The Underside of Power by Algiers
19. What Now by Sylvan Esso
20. 50 Song Memoir by The Magnetic Fields
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

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2009-2016 Top 31s

#2 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

Half-Light by Rostam

It’s been nearly five years since the last Vampire Weekend album, and boy do I miss them. Do you, too? What if I told you you could have what sounds like a Vampire Weekend album right now? What if I told you it might even be better than any Vampire Weekend album? Read on…

Rostam Batmanglij used to be in Vampire Weekend. At 24, he produced the band’s self-titled debut all on his personal Mac using Pro Tools, in addition to singing background vocals and playing many of the instruments (which, incidentally, came out ten years ago this month!). Some would argue that he made Vampire Weekend what it is — and perhaps that’s also why we haven’t been graced with a new Vampire Weekend album, since Rostam left the band two years ago.

The son of Iranian immigrants, Rostam has رستم, his Persian name, written in bold script across the front of the album. I knew I liked his music, but was surprised to learn just how much I’ve liked him over the years. He has produced many songs from previous Top 31 winners, including Hamilton Leithauser (#11 in 2014), Frank Ocean (#4 in 2016), and Francis and the Lights (#21 in 2016). And Rostam and Hamilton Leithauser’s joint album, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine, was #19 last year.

Half-Light, Rostam’s solo debut, was produced by both he and Ariel Rechtshaid, who both won grammies for their jointly-produced Vampire Weekend album Modern Vampires of the City (#3 in 2013). The debut sounds so much like Vampire Weekend, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the two. And just like Vampire Weekend, the album sounds a little too close to 80s Paul Simon at times (including sampling the drums from Simon’s “The Obvious Child” on “Don’t Let It Get To You”). This is a stellar album, front-to-back, and one I’ll be listening to just as often as I listen to Vampire Weekend’s albums (which is a lot). I predict you will be, too.

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3. Everything Now by Arcade Fire
4. Sleep Well Beast by The National
5. Soul of a Woman by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
6. Relaxer by Alt-J
7. Hot Thoughts by Spoon
8. Colors by Beck
9. Mental Illness by Aimee Mann
10. The Wild by The Rural Alberta Advantage
11. american dream by LCD Soundsystem
12. Crack-Up by Fleet Foxes
13. Famous Last Words by The True Loves
14. Cry Cry Cry by Wolf Parade
15. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty
16. Shake the Shudder by !!!
17. La La Land (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by La La Land
18. The Underside of Power by Algiers
19. What Now by Sylvan Esso
20. 50 Song Memoir by The Magnetic Fields
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

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2009-2016 Top 31s

#3 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

Everything Now by Arcade Fire

Forty years on, disco is still very much alive and kicking. Leave it to Bacon Review stalwarts Arcade Fire to put together a solid dance record that sounds straight from the 70s but manages to avoid irony. Everything Now, the Canadian ensemble’s fifth record in their 13 years of existence, is a tour de force, and a nice rebound from their two previous (and relatively lesser) albums Reflektor and The Suburbs (#15 in 2013 and #8 in 2010, respectively).

While I hadn’t written them off entirely, the last decade from Arcade Fire had left me feeling as if they were just a shadow of what was. Thankfully, this new album has finally brought them back to their former glory. I recently listened to their ten-year-old second album Neon Bible, and Everything Now is right up there with it. “Everything Now,” the song shown in the video above, is one fantastic pop song. Put it on and feel yourself transported to another era, dressed in gold lamé, speckled in disco-ball spots and blissed out on cocaine.

Don’t stop with that song — this album is jam packed with greatness. “Signs of Life” is another disco number, whose video puts a young couple in the middle of B-movie X-files strangeness. “Creature Comfort,” a song about coping with the crushing pressure of life, was produced by Geoff Barrow, formerly of Portishead (speaking of gold lamé, you can watch the video here). “Electric Blue” let’s Régine Chassagne take the lead vocals, singing about the longing for a relationship that’s been put on temporary hold, narcissistic body issues, and being on different wavelengths with those you love (video here).

As you work your way through the album, what at first sounded light and upbeat soon becomes a magnifying glass on living in our excessively materialistic culture. The album appears to put the band in a similar headspace as that of bands like Radiohead, whose continued output gets darker, subversive, introspective and difficult. While they are a big part of the machine that makes us all want want want, they struggle with their place in it. It’s hard for me to put myself in their unique position, but I’m glad they can channel that energy into some great music for me to enjoy. And so should you.

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4. Sleep Well Beast by The National
5. Soul of a Woman by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
6. Relaxer by Alt-J
7. Hot Thoughts by Spoon
8. Colors by Beck
9. Mental Illness by Aimee Mann
10. The Wild by The Rural Alberta Advantage
11. american dream by LCD Soundsystem
12. Crack-Up by Fleet Foxes
13. Famous Last Words by The True Loves
14. Cry Cry Cry by Wolf Parade
15. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty
16. Shake the Shudder by !!!
17. La La Land (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by La La Land
18. The Underside of Power by Algiers
19. What Now by Sylvan Esso
20. 50 Song Memoir by The Magnetic Fields
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