#11 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Young Fathers

Cocoa Sugar by Young Fathers

Turns out We Were Promised Jetpacks aren’t the only Scottish band in this year’s Top 31. Introducing Young Fathers, a trio of young men out of Edinburgh. Cocoa Sugar is their third album, but the first I’ve heard, and it blends rap, R&B and rock n’ roll into a pastiche of sound that defies convention. Amazingly, this album is apparently the most accessible of them all, according to Pitchfork. It does take a few listens to sink in, but eventually that light bulb turns on and it’s so worth it.

The band’s tonal divergence comes from the diversity of the men in the band. Alloysious Massaquoi is a Liberian who moved to Edinburgh at the age of four; Kayus Bankole was born in Edinburgh, to immigrant parents from Nigeria, and spent many years living in the US and Nigeria in his early years; and Graham "G" Hastings was the only member of the band to have been born, raised, and remained in Edinburgh. The three began performing together as teens. It’s impossible to know who is responsible for what on the record, such is their musical acuity.

Sometimes sounding like TV on the Radio, I think the best way to define the band’s sound is “as if the Red Hot Chili Peppers decided to not make commercial drivel and instead veered into the even more strange after their seminal 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik.” (They both even have “Sugar” in the name!) The video above, for the song “In My View,” is the most traditionally catchy song on the album, so if you don’t like it, you probably won’t like the rest of the album. I had this song stuck in my head for weeks this past summer. You can watch videos for two other album tracks, to get a good sense of how the band shifts gears: “Toy” and “Lord” are both great in their own way.

Give this album a listen — I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. On the fourth or fifth run through, think of RHCP, and tell me if you don’t hear it, too. It’s there, just under the surface, and once it occurred to me I couldn’t not think it. I love how music works in the brain.

__________________________________________

12. Loner by Caroline Rose
13. Big Red Machine by Big Red Machine
14. I’ll Be Your Girl by The Decemberists
15. The More I Sleep the Less I Dream by We Were Promised Jetpacks
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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2017 Top 31s

#12 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Caroline Rose

Loner by Caroline Rose

Add another hard rocking female singer to the ever-growing 2018 Bacon Top 31 list. If you’ve not yet heard of Caroline Rose, then you’re in for a real treat. The song featured above, “Money,” is what drew me in, and it’s really fun, but don’t get fooled into thinking this is what the rest of her music sounds like. This album is full of smart, gritty pop rock that will have you singing along in no time.

Rose has accomplished quite a bit for being only 28. The fabulous Loner is her third full-length, although is a sharp turn in musical direction. Her previous two albums fall more into the alt.country genres, and fell flat, critically. Loner took her four years and lots of soul-searching iteration to arrive at this joyfully sarcastic record. Watch the other videos that she’s released for the album, and you’ll see that snide satirical humor come out: “Jeannie Becomes a Mom,” “Bikini,” and “Soul No. 5.”

In addition to writing great lyrics and hooks, Rose plays most of the instruments on her album, a true prodigy of music. She also co-produced the album, along with lead singer/songwriter of the English band The Bees (otherwise known as A Band of Bees here in the states), Paul Butler. Quick-strummed guitar, staccato keys and organ, basic drums and bass guitar fill out the sound, all with her voice sung mostly through a gravel-filled filter that gives it just the right amount of grit.

This album is fantastic. It’s catchy in all the right ways, and any time I’ve played it for other people (unannounced), they usually perk up and ask “who’s this?” Give it a listen, and you, too, can be that person. Enjoy!

__________________________________________

13. Big Red Machine by Big Red Machine
14. I’ll Be Your Girl by The Decemberists
15. The More I Sleep the Less I Dream by We Were Promised Jetpacks
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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2017 Top 31s

#13 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Big Red Machine

2018 came and went without another #1 album by The National or Bon Iver, but it did produce something almost as good: the best “The National collaborates with another group” collaboration album yet. Introducing Big Red Machine, the self-titled debut album from Justin Vernon (aka Mr. Bon Iver) and Aaron Dessner (lead music writer for The National).

It’s almost as if Vernon and Dessner sat down and said “let’s make a Radiohead album.” Blending digital artifacts and hypnotic beats, subtle orchestration and keyboards, and an affected falsetto floating over the top, this is the best Radiohead album the band never made. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bon Iver and The National, and I love what Vernon and Dessner have done together. I’m pretty sure this album was made just for me. At times quiet and wispy, it draws you in like only the best novel can. Then, suddenly, it’s punctuated by staccato rhythms and nonsensical lyrics that cause you to sit up straight in your chair.

Dessner and Vernon’s collaboration started during the making of Dark Was The Night, the amazing Red Hot compilation album that the Dessner brothers assembled back in 2009 (#10 that year), when Dessner apparently cold-messaged Vernon on MySpace, having never met before. The two artists met for the first time at the Radio City Music Hall event surrounding the Dark Was The Night album (and featured in the video on the link of that #10 album in 2009). It took them nine years and collaborating in many ways on many things (including starting a project called PEOPLE, from which this album is by far the biggest output to date).

Yes, the project is named after the 1970’s Cincinnati Reds teams that won the World Series four times in seven years. The Dessner brothers grew up in Cincinnati, and were born right smack dab in the middle of that run (1976). If you even remotely like Bon Iver or the National, or Radiohead for that matter, then you’ll like this album. Perhaps you’ve not heard of it; thankfully your drought is now over.

__________________________________________

14. I’ll Be Your Girl by The Decemberists
15. The More I Sleep the Less I Dream by We Were Promised Jetpacks
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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2017 Top 31s

#14 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — The Decemberists

I'll Be Your Girl by The Decemberists

The Decemberists are a band I don’t know how to dislike. They’ve released four albums since I started the Bacon Top 31, and each one has been featured prominently: #18 in 2015, #3 in 2011, and all the way up at #2 in 2009. And now in 2018, their 8th album, I’ll Be Your Girl here at #14. And honestly, none of these last four albums are as great as their first four albums, all of which I still listen to at least once a year. Chances are more than one of those earlier albums would have been at #1 if the Top 31 had existed that year. But sadly it didn’t, so I’m left chronicling their later, less exciting but no less great output, and that’s squarely where this new album lies.

By now, nearly 20 years into their career as a band, The Decemberists have figured out what works for their brand of historical fiction rock. Lead singer Colin Meloy’s voice, affected and a bit too high to be considered “good” is always at the forefront of fantastically orchestrated and produced prog rock. What used to be sad stories about sad characters has taken a turn in this new album, with songs from a much more personal stance. Lines like “Oh, for once in my life could just something go right?” “Everything, everything, everything, everything, everything, thing, everything, everything, everything, everything, everything is awful” or the coup de gras:

I wanna love somebody but I don't know how
I've been so long lonely and it's getting me down
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
I wanna love somebody but I don't know how

These are not thinly-veiled metaphors for difficulty. This is blatant, painfully obvious suffering, and it’s glorious. As the cherry on top, The Decemberists worked with photographer Autumn de Wilde to create a fantastic video for their song “Once in my Life,” shown above, which de Wilde used as a visual love letter to her 7'2" brother Jacob, and the troubles he experiences as he goes through life. It’s beautiful and sad and heartwarming all at the same time.

We’re all suffering through life in this presidency of awful, and the Decemberists are here to help you sing about it at the top of your lungs. Will I want to listen to this album forever? Probably not. But for now, in a time like today, this is perfect. Give it a listen and hear for yourself, you may find it helps you as much as it’s helped me.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2017 Top 31s

#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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
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.

__________________________________________

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

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2017 Top 31s