The Bacon Review

An annual Top 31 countdown of the best albums of the year

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#9 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Father John Misty

January 23, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Chloë and the Next 20th Century by Father John Misty

Josh Tillman is back on track. I suppose it’s hard to say he was ever off track, as all four of his Father John Misty albums have appeared on the Top 31 (#14 in 2012, #6 in 2015, #15 in 2017, and #26 in 2019). But as you can see in that string of great albums, the quality of his output and his placement in the Top 31 had been declining since his high point, I Love You, Honeybear, in 2015. I’m happy to report that Chloë and the Next 20th Century, Tillman’s fifth album as Father John Misty, is as good if not better than Honeybear.

This album has Tillman’s FJM crooner firing on all cylinders. Backed by full orchestration, including horns and strings, he takes us to an era that predates indie rock, and really any kind of rock, back to the 50s, Chet Baker bid band era. This is exactly where Father John Misty should have been all along.

I had the immense pleasure of seeing FJM at THING, the annual Pacific Northwest music festival held at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA. There were a lot of high points at the festival, but FJM was the highest. He played on the medium-sized stage on the first night. Unlike most festival acts, he had risers and props that made his stage presence match the lounge-act songs he was going to perform. He must have had ten or so guys on stage with him, horns and keyboards and a stand-up bass. And he moved eloquently about the stage between and around the other players, playfully eyeing the crowd and engaging in humorous banter.

Up to that point, I hadn’t loved Chloë. I can safely say because of that performance, my opinion of the album changed for the positive. My wife claims this album to be boring and sleepy, to which I retort “You didn’t see him live at Thing.” The influence a live performance can have on the listener’s opinions – both positive and negative – is a real phenomenon, and my love of FJM is testament to that experience.

Per usual, Tillman loves the visual side of music. Take a look at the above video, for the more upbeat song “Goodbye Mr. Blue.” Other Chloë songs that have been made into videos include:

  • “Kiss Me (I Loved You)”
  • “Buddy’s Rendezvous,” along with a non-album version of the same song sung by Lana Del Ray
  • “Q4” as the credits to a fictional movie from the 50s of the same name
  • “Funny Girl”

If you’ve liked FJM in the past, now is not the time to pull away. Tillman has brought us back into the fold with Chloë, and I hope he finds a way to keep us there long term.

__________________________________________

10. Big Time by Angel Olsen
11. Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road
12. Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky by Porridge Radio
13. I Walked with You a Ways by Plains
14. The Last Goodbye by Odesza
15. A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile
16. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

Full Album
All albums in their entirety.

  • Apple Music Full Album Playlist
  • Spotify Full Album Playlist
  • YouTube Music Full Album Playlist

Radio Station
A single song selection pulled from each album.

  • Apple Music Radio Playlist
  • Spotify Radio Playlist
  • YouTube Music Radio Playlist

View all previous Bacon Top 31s

January 23, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, father john misty, josh tillman, chet baker
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#10 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Angel Olsen

January 22, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Big Time by Angel Olsen

When you have the voice of an angel, it can’t hurt to be given the literal name “Angelina” when you are born. Angel Olsen, born in St. Louis and now residing in Asheville, North Carolina, released her angelic sixth record, Big Time, on June 3, 2022. Except for a couple mid-tempo spots, it is a slow-burning, belly-warming album full of twang. On the sliding scale of “rock” to “country”, this album is just a hair to the right of early 90s band Mazzy Star’s She Hangs Brightly, and is every bit as good as that seminal 120 Minutes hit.

Olsen jumpstarted her career in the early 10s by touring with her friend Will Oldham, aka Bonnie “Prince” Billy, (#30 in 20091) as a backup vocalist and occasional duettist2. Oldham has worked with nearly anyone who’s anyone, and there are a billion worse ways to get your start than to be his #2. Since then, the five albums prior to Big Time have floated around the periphery of my musical world, but haven’t hit me in the same way that this one has.

Adopted at three, Olsen’s retired parents fostered her and her seven siblings while she grew up. 31 years later, Olsen came out as queer via Instagram to her fans and directly to her parents, and introduced her new partner, days before her dad passed away. Her mother died just a few weeks later. It is this short passage of time in April and May 2021 that fueled what became Big Time. “I felt a little bit more at ease with talking about love and how I fell in love,” she told The Guardian as the album was being released. “I think after losing my parents, that brought everything to the forefront. Who cares about these other troubles in my life? It made me feel quiet. I’m older, too. I’m 35. I’m getting used to the fact that things get more complicated as we get older. You can either feel sorry for yourself or learn how to laugh deeper.” This candor is broadcast throughout the album.

She co-produced Big Time herself with producer and Laurel Canyon celebrity Johnathon Wilson, who has worked on many Bacon Top 31 albums (most notably all the Father John Misty albums that have been featured over the years). The song featured above, “All the Good Times,” is great, and as the first song on the album, it gets a little more in your face once it hits its stride. The title song has been released twice, first as the cut from the album, and then as a non-album duet with indie country star Sturgill Simpson.The second to last track on the album, a slow burner called “Through the Fires,” is gorgeous.

Olsen also released a between-albums single, “Like I Used To,” a duet with Bacon Review favorite Sharon Van Etten (#13 in 2012, #4 in 2014, #5 in 2019). It’s only now, in writing this review, I realize what a confluence of events taking place in Olsen’s life at the time this song was released. Lyrics like “change address and draw a line, show my friends the silver lines, call my family just to know they’re there” take on all new meaning.

Big Time is a wonderful, Neko Case, kd lang-esque album, and love and loss and all things worthy of singing about. Angel Olsen may have been making music for a long while, but she’s only now hitting her stride. I can’t wait to hear what comes next.

1. Here’s a bit of quaintness for you: in my 2009 review of his album, Beware, I call attention to how unusual it is for Oldham to have a wikipedia page dedicated solely to his discography. My how times have changed.↩
2. Wow this session blew me away. And here’s a tour video of them as well. listen to her take the lead on that clip of her performing on the Bonnie “Prince” Billy tune “You Want That Picture” from 2011. I just melt when she hits that subtle yodel at 0:42.↩

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11. Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road
12. Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky by Porridge Radio
13. I Walked with You a Ways by Plains
14. The Last Goodbye by Odesza
15. A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile
16. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

Full Album
All albums in their entirety.

  • Apple Music Full Album Playlist
  • Spotify Full Album Playlist
  • YouTube Music Full Album Playlist

Radio Station
A single song selection pulled from each album.

  • Apple Music Radio Playlist
  • Spotify Radio Playlist
  • YouTube Music Radio Playlist

View all previous Bacon Top 31s

January 22, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, angel olsen, will oldham, bonnie prince billy, father john misty, neko case, kd lang
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#11 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Black Country, New Road

January 21, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road

My guess is that this may be the last surprise of the 2022 Top 31. Sure, you might be surprised by the order in which I place my Top 10, or you might be surprised to find your particular favorite wasn’t one of mine. But I would be surprised if you don’t read the Top 10 as they’re revealed over the next ten days, nod your head at each one, and think “yep, ok, I can see that.”

Not so for Black Country, New Road, here at #11, which you’ve likely not ever heard of, despite some modest level of critical acclaim. And if you have heard of them, then you no doubt know why I’m placing them way up in my top albums of 2022. Known as BC,NR because, well, it’s a lot easier to write and it’s also awesome to have a comma in an abbreviation, the band met in Cambridgeshire, England, in 2018. They named themselves after the subject found at a click of the “random article” button in Wikipedia: Black Country New Road, a street in the West Midlands. Ants From Up There is their second album, recorded with seven members: Tyler Hyde (bass), Lewis Evans (flute, saxophone), May Kershaw (keyboards), Georgia Ellery (violin), Charlie Wayne (drums), Luke Mark (guitar), all of whom played their instruments deftly while singing backup to frontman, guitarist, and principal lyricist Isaac Wood.

Wood’s voice is low, with a vibrato that makes your subs shake — not quite as low as Ian Curtis, not quite as smooth as Justin Vernon, but every bit engaging. His lyrics have a literary lilt to them that don’t quite paint a story, but lead you to the next word, verse, and chorus as if compelled by tendrils of sound. And much to everyone detriment, there will be no more BC,NR albums with Wood at the helm. Four days before the release of Ants, Wood and the band announced on Instagram that he would be stepping away from the band, from the limelight, permanently. His mental health had been suffering greatly, and he needed to take care of himself.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Black Country, New Road (@blackcountrynewroad)

I first heard the album probably a week or so after it debuted on February 4, 2022. It filled me with such excitement, when I first started trying to learn more about the band I was devastated to find the post above and learn I’d never be able to experience the excitement Wood brings to the stage. I listened more and more to Ants over the coming months, and hit a point where I couldn’t put the album down. Pulling from the same influences as Beirut, Neutral Milk Hotel, the Decemberists, Slint, Noah and the Whale, BC,NR bring together heavy orchestration, ivy league intelligence, and prog-rock turns that leave you breathless. This is the album you need to fill the Arcade Fire-sized void left behind because of Win Butler’s sexual misconduct.

You’ll recognize violinist Georgia Ellery’s name, as she is one-half of Jockstrap, featured at #21 just 11 days ago. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time an artist has been an integral part of two separate bands featured on a single Top 31. When Wood announced his departure on January 31, the band had to cancel their upcoming tour and weren’t sure where this would lead them. A few months later, they had picked themselves back up and were touring again, now as a six-piece, with Hyde, Kershaw, Evans, and Wayne taking turns on lead vocals. I have not been able to see this incarnation of the band, but the strength of these songs and these musicians makes me believe it’s still every bit as strong.

Ants came out a year after those original seven band members released their debut, For The First Time, in February, 2021. I missed their debut, and based on how much I love Ants, a fairly sizable oversight on my part. I’m curious to see where the band will go next. I enjoy the Wood incarnation of the band, and am patiently waiting to see what the band will put together next. “Concord,” shown in the video above, is probably my favorite song on the album. But if you like it, I encourage you to explore the rest of the album.

  1. Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky by Porridge Radio
  2. I Walked with You a Ways by Plains
  3. The Last Goodbye by Odesza
  4. A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile
  5. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
  6. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
  7. Laurel Hell by Mitski
  8. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
  9. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
  10. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
  11. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
  12. Dripfield by Goose
  13. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
  14. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
  15. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
  16. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
  17. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
  18. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
  19. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  20. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

Full Album
All albums in their entirety.

  • Apple Music Full Album Playlist
  • Spotify Full Album Playlist
  • YouTube Music Full Album Playlist

Radio Station
A single song selection pulled from each album.

  • Apple Music Radio Playlist
  • Spotify Radio Playlist
  • YouTube Music Radio Playlist

View all previous Bacon Top 31s

January 21, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, black country new road, arcade fire, joy division, ian curtis, justin vernon, bon iver, beirut, neutral milk hotel, the decemberists, slint, noah and the whale, jockstrap
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#12 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Porridge Radio

January 20, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky by Porridge Radio

When I moved to Seattle in 1997, I was introduced to a a few things in quick succession that opened my eyes to the world of music. First came “public radio:” kexp.org. Prior to then, I had no idea there could be radio without commercials screaming at you. Next came “club shows.” I’d been to a few concerts, some even in smaller venues (Tori Amos in the 250 person Sooner Theatre in 1992 being my first ever concert), but the idea that a venue existed where different bands performed multiple times a week was entirely foreign to me prior to moving to Seattle. And finally, “local music.” Of course I knew a band or two locally in Oklahoma, but the idea that a city could sustain multiple bands playing multiple venues around town regularly and only rarely escape the city limits was beyond my comprehension.

It was there, in those formative, new-to-Seattle days that my love of indie rock solidified. Sky Cries Mary, Death Cab for Cutie, Built to Spill, Damien Jurado, Modest Mouse — these bands were all essentially in my back yard, any one of them playing a show nearby on any given weekend, along with countless other, less well-known but still equally as-good bands.

Into this miasma of fuzz is where my hearing-deprived brain wants to throw the band who occupies the #12 spot on the 2022 Top 31, despite the band being from nowhere near Seattle, and with over 20 years separating me from those formative days of my youth. Porridge Radio, from Brighton, England, are a throwback to an era not too far away in spirit, but far enough away to be able to legally drink in the US.

Led by the dynamic singer / songwriter / lead guitarist Dana Margolin, Porridge Radio brings a heavy amount of spite and angst to their songs that feels urgent and unbridled. Behind her is Georgie Stott on keyboards, Maddie Ryall on bass, and drummer Sam Yardley. Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky is the band’s third LP since forming in 2015. Their last album, the critically acclaimed Every Bad, came out March 13, 2020, exactly six days before I packed up my desk and told my boss “I have to worry about my family, I’m going to work from home for the next couple weeks.” According to Pitchfork, Margolin had already started writing “Back to the Radio,” featured in the video above, when Every Bad came out.

Go ahead and hit play on the video above. It has all the things I love about indie rock – fuzzed out, strong guitars; heavy drums that start out low and build; and a dynamic, charismatic hero/heroin at the fore, giving it their all. Multiple songs on the album convey this same feeling. Together, the album is a real triumph. I haven’t yet heard Every Bad, but a few months ago I did get to see Porridge Radio live on an actual stage. Barboza was packed, with its low ceiling and narrow build, and Margolin filled it out wonderfully. I can’t wait to experience it again. Prepare yourself as well – listen to the album, and then go with me the next time they come through town.

__________________________________________

13. I Walked with You a Ways by Plains
14. The Last Goodbye by Odesza
15. A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile
16. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

Full Album
All albums in their entirety.

  • Apple Music Full Album Playlist
  • Spotify Full Album Playlist
  • YouTube Music Full Album Playlist

Radio Station
A single song selection pulled from each album.

  • Apple Music Radio Playlist
  • Spotify Radio Playlist
  • YouTube Music Radio Playlist

View all previous Bacon Top 31s

January 20, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, porridge radio, tori amos, sky cries mary, death cab for cutie, built to spill, damien jurado, modest mouse
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#13 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Plains

January 19, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

I Walked with You a Ways by Plains

When you want a new Waxahatchee (#1 in 2020) album but can’t have a new Waxahatchee album, having an album that Waxahatchee, aka Katie Crutchfield, sings beautiful duets with another lovely voice, that of Jess Williamson, is more than enough to tide you over. Together, Crutchfield and Williamson become Plains, a couple of southern belles with hearts of gold, setting aside their indie-rock roots to dive deeper into their countryfied pasts.

Plains harkens back to those halcyon days of popular country music. Long before mainstream country found their post-9/11 conservative and nationalist voice, the mass, approachable appeal of 90s country reigned high. My own countryfied past is eating it up. I grew up in Oklahoma, and while my family listened to classic rock in my younger days, when I started finding my own musical tastes, I was heavily influenced by the juke box at my local Pizza Hut. The Cure next to Garth Brooks. Guns N Roses alongside Mary Chapin Carpenter. Boys II Men paired with Dwight Yoakam. It was a magical, cross-genre landscape (with a distinct lack of hip hop) that introduced me to much more music than I would have heard in my little KMOD 97.5 FM bubble. There are lots of things I’d rather not remember from my Oklahoma past. Singing Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and Reba McEntire songs loudly while driving the backroads of suburban Tulsa in my beater Chevy is not something I’ll ever forget.

The video for “Hurricane,” shown above, brings back the Glamour-shot visuals of those days as well. It is truly a joy to listen to as well as watch. Two other videos have been put out by the duo, one for the unbelievably catchy “Abilene,” and another for the equally great “Problem With It.”

Earlier in 2022, Katie Crutchfield gave us a hint of where she was heading with Plains before we even knew that Plains existed: she performed a duet with one of her idols, Wynonna Judd, one-half of one of the most successful country acts of all time, The Judds. Judd and Crutchfield wrote and performed a new song together, “Other Side,” and its probably a little too country for my current tastes. But Crutchfield’s voice… sigh.

This isn’t the last country-ish album that will be featured on the 2022 Bacon Top 31, but it’s the most country of them all. Crutchfield and Williamson gave us something we didn’t know we needed, and it is perfect.

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14. The Last Goodbye by Odesza
15. A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile
16. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

Full Album
All albums in their entirety.

  • Apple Music Full Album Playlist
  • Spotify Full Album Playlist
  • YouTube Music Full Album Playlist

Radio Station
A single song selection pulled from each album.

  • Apple Music Radio Playlist
  • Spotify Radio Playlist
  • YouTube Music Radio Playlist

View all previous Bacon Top 31s

January 19, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, plains, waxahatchee, jess williamson, katie crutchfield, the cure, garth brooks, guns n roses, mary chapin carpenter, boyz II men, dwight yoakam, trisha yearwood, reba mcentire, wynonna judd, the judds
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#14 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Odesza

January 18, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

The Last Goodbye by Odesza

One of the many reasons I like running my Top 31 in January rather than December is that it allows me to see where everyone else stands on their favorites of the year before settling on my own. It also gives me the chance to make sure I didn’t make any glaring errors (despite getting in my own way occasionally). Such is the case with Odesza, whose album The Last Goodbye made it all the way up at #14 this year. When I reviewed the KEXP Top 90.3 of 20221, and I saw that Odesza was #6, my first thought was “there’s a new Odesza album?”

The Last Goodbye, Odessa’s fourth album, and first in five years, came out in July 22, 2022, but I didn’t know that until I read about it on December 18. So I put it on, and didn’t really turn it off for quite a few days. It’s so good. The duo out of Bellingham, Washington, whose third album A Moment Apart was #31 in 2017, are predictable in their sound and predictably good with their output. Their reputation has started to precede them, as more and more stars appear to be flocking to their side to guest vocal their songs. Bettye LaVette, soul icon, sings on the title song. The Knocks perform with Odesza on “Love Letter” and Ólafur Arnalds features on the lovely “Light of Day,” shown above. (The video for “Light of Day” is gorgeous – don’t leave this page without having watched it).

Odesza are two men who met just before graduating from Western Washington University in 2012: Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, whom I’ve just learned on wikipedia are known individually as “Catacombkid” and “BeachesBeaches”. Huh. Together, they make straight-up dance-beat techno that makes you want to move. Low lows, massive crescendos, and nothing but fun from end to end. The Last Goodbye is their best album so far, and I doubt it’ll be their last.

1. The KEXP Top 90.3 of the year is often a troublesome list because it is the result of thousands of people voting on their Top 10 albums of the year without ranking. Meaning the #1 album is merely determined by how many people put that album somewhere in their Top 10. If 15,000 people think an album is not their #1 album of the year, but it’s just barely good enough to make their Top 10, then that album still has a strong chance to land at #1 because everyone included it in their voting. Ah, democracy.↩)

__________________________________________

15. A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile
16. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

Full Album
All albums in their entirety.

  • Apple Music Full Album Playlist
  • Spotify Full Album Playlist
  • YouTube Music Full Album Playlist

Radio Station
A single song selection pulled from each album.

  • Apple Music Radio Playlist
  • Spotify Radio Playlist
  • YouTube Music Radio Playlist

View all previous Bacon Top 31s

January 18, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, odesza, ólafur arnalds, bettye lavette, the knocks
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#15 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — The Smile

January 17, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile

The album at #15 this year presents an interesting conundrum. “If it walks like a Radiohead album, and talks like a Radiohead album, then it most certainly has to be a Radiohead album.” (Radiohead: #26 and #7 in 2011, #3 in 2016) But no, the fantastic A Light for Attracting Attention is not a new Radiohead album. It’s the debut album of a project called The Smile, featuring Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood (the two principal songwriters from Radiohead), along with drummer Tom Skinner. No Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, or Philip Selway anywhere to be seen on this album. But longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich is here, making every sound hum with that unique Radiohead tone.

There’s not much I can say about the songs. You know what Radiohead songs sound like, and you know whether you like them or not. There is no new ground being broken here. Fantastic, syncopated rhythms from Skinner, Jonny’s excellent finger picking, and Thom’s haunting falsetto make you forget the outside world for 13 songs stretched across 53 minutes and 18 seconds.

Perhaps you knew that Thom and Jonny had a side project. They’ve done a ton of promotion around the album, starting with a surprise 32-minute performance video created a year into Covid, in May 2021 and streamed as part of the Glastonbury Festival. They performed eight entirely new songs, and nobody was sure quite what was going on. Then, early in 2022 they performed in front of audiences at three separate shows in London, which were also live-streamed worldwide. The album then finally came out on May 13th, 2022 and the trio set off on an international tour that just concluded on December 22.

Along the way, the band stopped in at a couple of my favorite radio programs to record some in-studio sessions. First came the band’s Tiny Desk Concert on NPR’s All Songs Considered, hosted by Bob Boilen. The band only played three songs there (with a fourth that was recorded but ultimately scrapped thanks to band veto), all stripped-down and quiet. Shortly after that came the KEXP live session, an intimate performance by the band the day before playing their sold-out show in Seattle. They played five songs in that set, demonstrating their live chops in a small, slightly chaotic room. The band have released three videos as well, including Pana-vision above (starring the one and only Cillian Murphy), “Thin Thing,” and “Free in the Knowledge”.

That’s about all I can say. A Light for Attracting Attention by Radiohead The Smile is wonderful. Pick it up if you’re only hearing about it for the first time.

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16. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

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January 17, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, the smile, thom yorke, jonny greenwood, tom skinner, radiohead, all songs considered, kexp
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#16 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Kendrick Lamar

January 16, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar

Despite it being called the best album of 2015 by Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pitchfork, and almost every other popular-music–ranking service, Kendrick Lamar’s How to Pimp a Butterfly barely made the Bacon Top 31, sneaking in at #29 that year. I ended my review of the album saying “I can’t say I love it, and I doubt I’ll listen to it a lot going forward.” That’s true, I didn’t. But I was very shortsighted in how much Kendrick Lamar.

What I didn’t understand then was that my taste in music was still maturing, still growing. I wasn’t ready for Kendrick Lamar in 2015, but it laid the groundwork for my love of Frank Ocean’s Blonde, (#4 in 2016). I still couldn’t find the right groove for Lamar’s next album, 2017’s DAMN. which came in at #22 that year, but he opened the door wide with his stellar Black Panther: The Album. My love for the form continued to grow in 2020 with Run the Jewels (#6 in 2020). And that’s how we get to today, with my and Kendrick’s relationship in much better shape.

I listened to Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers more than I have to any other Kendrick Lamar album, and I would have listened even more if it didn’t conflict with my family’s musical tastes. (There has to be a limit somewhere on the amount of cursing I can tolerate around my five year old, right?) The double album, 1 hour and 19 minutes in length, is fantastic. But that doesn’t mean the music is free of difficulty and controversy. For instance, “We Cry Together,” towards the end of the first half, is an abrasive, spoken-word, emotionally violent duet between Lamar and actress Taylour Paige. The couple in the song is arguing angrily, devolving into a yelled chorus: “[sexual expletive] you [racial slur], [sexual expletive] you [derogatory term for female]” back and forth. It’s brutal to listen to, but the video (NSFW at the very end) is highly compelling to watch because it is extremely well acted by the two.

Don’t miss the video for “The Heart Part 5” shown above. While Lamar lip-syncs the rap while standing in front of a deep-red background, the one-take video uses deepfake technology from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s studio Deep Voodoo to transform him into six other famous black men: O. J. Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle. The overall effect is mesmerizing. Each verse of the song as sung by the alter egos is written from their perspective, adding an additional meta layer to the song. “Heart” is technically not from Morale, but instead was released just prior to the album coming out as a teaser. It is included here because why the hell not.

There have been other videos from the album released: “N95,” “Rich Spirit,” and “Count Me Out,” with actually features Helen Mirren, of all people. Lamar’s video output proves he’s a master of both sound and visuals. He took his myriad talents to the top of the mountain back on on October 1, when he performed three songs from the album on Saturday Night Live. He managed to pull off a feat I don’t know that I’ve seen before on SNL – he made the live performances have an element of music-video-ness to them. See the fantastic shadow-play in “Rich Spirit + N95 - live on SNL,” and watch the walls literally move in on him in “Father Time (feat. Sampha) - live on SNL.”

The steady progression of Lamar-produced albums moving up in the ranks of the Top 31 is more an expression of my changing musical tastes than his changing production. I don’t see myself leaving behind the usual dad-rock and indie-pop albums and artists I enjoy. It just makes for a more diverse list, a wider variety of music to tap into when the mood strikes. It also makes me more excited to hear what comes next.

__________________________________________

17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

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January 16, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, kendrick lamar, frank ocean, run the jewels, taylour paige, o.j. simpson, kanye west, jussie smollett, will smith, kobe bryant, nipsey hussle
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#17 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Andrew Bird

January 15, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Inside Problems by Andrew Bird

My love for the artist at #17 this year comes in waves. Andrew Bird, the venerable singer/songwriter with the melodic voice and vibrato-laden whistle, has been releasing music under his own name for 27 years. According to wikipedia, Inside Problems is his 18th release, with and without his backing band “Bowl of Fire” (disbanded in 2003).

Bird has been on my radar since his sixth album, The Mysterious Production of Eggs. The handful of albums immediately following that were a bit all over the place while he worked on defining where he wanted to land. (Noble Beast his eighth album, was #22 in 2009) Thankfully, over the last decade he’s been settling into the “consistently great” phase of his career. Inside Problems is Bird’s fifth appearance on the Top 31 (#5 in 2016, #17 in 2019, and #21 last year).

Bird works an easy-going humor into his lyrics, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, sometimes blatant. Equally adept at playing the violin with a bow and plucking it like a ukulele, Bird is a virtuoso sonically but also physically. He’s gotten so comfortable in front of the camera, he’s started acting. He had a recurring role as a troubled father in season 4 of Fargo back in 2020. I could watch him eat a peanut butter & jelly sandwich with rapt attention.

His music videos reflect that same ease in control. In the video for “Make a Picture,” he’s singing directly into the camera, animatedly bouncing through the lyrics while he attempts to photograph cats of all sizes in a bare studio. There’s another video for the same song, a take on a lyric video, and rather than Bird being the animated one, the lyrics from the song, broken across many different languages, move a flow around the stoic, slightly confused Bird, still walking around that bare studio. Be sure to also check out the video for “Atomized” shown above, also from the studio. Bird must have spent the full day, maybe more, in that studio. In addition to the three videos mentioned above, he also released a 20-minute meditation that illuminates the deeper meaning behind the album’s title.

In addition to releasing the excellent Inside Problems in June, Bird put out a non-album single called “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain.” He and Phoebe Bridgers (#3 in 2020) trade off throughout the song, creating a gorgeously haunting duet, singing the Emily Dickinson poem of the same name. “I came across this Emily Dickinson poem and found it to be the most vivid description of an inner world I’ve ever encountered. It became an inspiration for the songs on Inside Problems. Who better to sing it with than Phoebe Bridgers? I sent her a demo, and so here we are. Thanks to Ms. Dickinson’s publisher at Harvard University Press for allowing us to use this poem. As I understand, her poems weren’t published as she intended them until the 1950s — that is, without the heavy hand of her male editors.” If it were on the album, this song would be my favorite on it. I’m so glad he didn’t wait until the next album to release it.

If you’ve not been able to get into Andrew Bird up to now, there’s no time like the present. Inside Problems isn’t his best (see 2016’s Are You Serious for that), but it’s likely his most approachable, without a bad track on it. Enjoy.

__________________________________________

18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

Full Album
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January 15, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, andrew bird, phoebe bridgers
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#18 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Mitski

January 14, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Laurel Hell by Mitski

Mitski Miyawaki, who writes and performs under her first name, Mitski, quit music in 2019. Shortly after her critically-acclaimed fifth album Be The Cowboy entered the mainstream, at the final show of her tour supporting that album, she announced to the crowd that it would be her last show indefinitely, and she meant it. “I was thinking this was the last show I would perform ever, and then I would quit and find another life,” she told Rolling Stone when looking back at that time in the build up to the February 2022 release of her wonderful sixth album, Lauren Hell. Her triumphant return, in more ways than one.

Lauren Hell was not a return to form or an unexpected surprise to me — it was the catalyst to finally understanding Mitski and her music. Despite placing her fourth album, Puberty 2, at #24 in 2016, I’ve never really connected with Mitski before. Her fifth album, the one that got her so much popularity that she had to sever all ties from the music world “indefinitely” barely hit my radar in 2018. I think I probably listened to it only once, maybe twice, never to be heard again. Even in the build up to this year’s list, with Lauren Hell, — similar to Big Thief at #24 this year — I knew I should like it, and I tried a few times but it just didn’t click.

Then I compiled the 2022 list towards the end of the year, as I do every year. I took a stab at where things would likely land, and this album was somewhere in the upper 20s. But in the day or two before I was to write about it, like I do every album on the list, I played the album a few times back to back to back. This time, the light bulb turned on. This was not a bottom-of-the-list album, it was better than that. So I shuffled things around. I didn’t push it too far up – I’m not crazy enough to think it’s better than 17 other albums from 2022 – but where each album is placed is meaningful to me, and having this album fall in the middle of the list is saying something. This album is great.

The songs of Lauren Hell are predictable in the best way possible. They start off quieter, they swell to a crescendo in the middle, and then they fall slowly at the end. They’re approachable, and impeccably crafted indie pop. She carries the torch first lit by Kate Bush, carried forward by Tori Amos, and most recently hoisted up by St. Vincent (2009 #24, 2012 #15 with David Byrne,2017 #27).

Mitski conveys a little bit of “off-kilter” similar to those artists in her videos as well. Watch “Love Me More” above, as well as “Working for the Knife” and “Stay Soft,” and you’ll find a performer fully invested in themselves and without shame. She continually puts herself in strange and unusual positions that are fantastic to watch while listening to her beautiful constructions. I didn’t sit with them to try and sort out the deeper meaning, but I’m convinced it’s there. Let me know if you find it. I’ll be over here listening to the album and trying to sort out what’s taken me so long to get to where the rest of you have been all along.

__________________________________________

19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

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January 14, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, mitski, kate bush, tori amos, st. vincent, big thief
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#19 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Phosphorescent

January 13, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

The Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent

The only artist to have ever taken the #1 slot twice (and #20 in 2010) in Bacon Review history slots in way back at #19 in the 2022 Top 31. Matthew Houck, the driving force behind Phosphorescent, did something a little different with his 2022 release. Called The Full Moon Project, Houck recorded and released a new single for every full moon through out the year, resulting in more of a “slow-building playlist” rather than a formally-released, purchasable album.

Each song on the project is a cover. Randy Newman, Nick Lowe, Nina Simone, Lucinda Williams, Fleetwood Mac, and Bob Dylan (x2) songs all make the cut. It’s not Houck’s first foray into an album full of covers – see his 2008 album To Willie, an homage to the great Willie Nelson. And he’s done a handful of covers in the interim, the hands down best being “Ya Hey,” which he did live at KCRW back in 2013. You wouldn’t know it by listening to the Vampire Weekend original, from their album Modern Vampires of the City (#3 in 2013), but Houck proves those fantastic Ezra Koenig lyrics weren’t meant to be in a Phosphorescent song.

Houck has an unmistakable drawl, a purposeful laziness in his delivery that forces you to slow your pace, close your eyes and lean in. He conveys the warmth of burning embers in your headphones. On The Full Moon Project, he makes each song his own. Sometimes, like the lovely “Like A Rolling Stone” shown above, it’s not too much of a stretch from the original (I never considered how much Houck could sound like the elder Dylan until now). But other times, such as in his cover of “To Love Somebody,” the Nina Simone song from her 1969 album of the same name, his take on the song makes it seem as if the original never existed.

It’s not clear whether the project is now complete, or just on hiatus. He didn’t release a song on the January 2023 full moon (which occurred back on January 6). But the post with his last Full Moon song, Dylan’s “Tryin’ To Get To Heaven,” released on December 7, 2022, Houck said “I may have to put [the project] on hold for next year, as I gotta make the next proper Phossy record, and man this stuff takes a lotta time! But maybe not too. We'll see what happens come next full moon…” I’ll be sure to update this post if he does record some more Full Moon songs. In the mean time, this current collection of songs and his nine unbelievably great albums that led up to it will tide me over until we get “the next proper Phossy record.”

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20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

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January 13, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, phosphorescent, Randy Newman, Nick Lowe, Nina Simone, Lucinda Williams, Fleetwood Mac, willie nelson, vampire weekend, matthe
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#20 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Fontaines D.C.

January 12, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.

The band just barely making the Top 20 of 2022 should be known to avid readers of the Bacon Review. Fontaines D.C., five Irishmen now living in London, have been on the Top 31 for their entire history — their debut, Dogrel, was #26 in 2019, and their stellar second album, A Hero’s Death, was #12 in 2020. Now they’re back, at (what we hope is) the tail end of the Covid pandemic, with a brutal album that is so perfect for right now.

Whereas in 2019 I was quick to compare the band to English post-punk outfit (and KEXP darlings) Idles (who were #16 in 2018 and #24 in 2020), Fontaines has pushed further and further from the sound that they burst onto the scene with back in 2019. The band still has the same core members (Carlos O'Connell and Conor Curley on guitar, Tom Coll on drums, Conor Deegan III on bass, and Grian Chatten, principle lyric writer and singer). But they’ve found a new version of themselves that will no doubt put a lot of previous listeners off. Chatten, who barely sings as it is, seems to magically take his voice an octave lower – more haunting, more droning. I love it.

The album name, Skinty Fia, is an arcane Irish slur that translates to “damnation of the deer.” In the interim between their 2020 2nd album and this one, the band left their native Ireland for London, in from what I read was more like an act of rebellion against the status quo. And yet the amount of Irish and Dublin-related elements of the album belie the fact that the band clearly miss home.

Listen to the song in the video above, “I Love You.” It starts off well enough, a paean to the home they left. But then it goes on, a near-shouted list of shame about Dublin that settles into a groove not unlike the best Underworld lyrics (substitute “lager, lager, lager” for “echo, echo, echo”). But London can be hard for the Irish, as demonstrated in the opening song, “In ár gCroíthe go deo” which is an Irish phrase that translates to “in our hearts forever”. Back in 2020, a recently departed Irish woman’s family had wanted to put that phrase on her gravestone but were forbidden to do so by the Church of England unless the family also put the English translation on there as well. That’s a level of cultural control bestowed by the state that is hard for me to even fathom, and well worthy of a song to commemorate it.

If you enjoyed “I Love You,” there are four other videos the band has produced from the album:

  • “Roman Holiday”
  • “Skinty Fia”
  • “Jackie Down the Line”
  • “The Couple Across the Way”

I know I can’t make you like everything I like. What a boring world that would be. But I hope you give this one a chance, even if it’s not resonating with you at first. After a few listens it sinks into your pores. With the torrential downpours the western side of the US has been getting these past few days, I can’t imagine something better to be listening to.

__________________________________________

21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

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January 12, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, fontaines dc, idles, underworld
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#21 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Jockstrap

January 11, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap

What sort of music do you hear in your head when you learn a band is named “Jockstrap?” Well, you’re wrong. Jockstrap is the brainchild of English duo Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye, and they sound pretty much exactly the opposite of what you’d expect with that name.

Their sound is a bit tough to pin down. Ellery sings, and plays a mix of guitar and string in various places across the album. Her vocals are beautifully breathy, clear as day, as if she’s lying next to you in the grass, singing directly into your ear while the sun dances across your faces. Then Skye’s electronics come screaming in, all heavy beats, unapproachable melodies, and playfully tweaked samples. At least that’s what the first three songs sound like. But much like the weather of my native Oklahoma, if you don’t like what you’ve got, just stick around because it’s fixin’ to change. Pitchfork said of their chaotic soundscape that the band “is still rummaging through a trunk of masks.” Feels apropos.

Ellery and Skye met as students of the vaunted Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. After putting out a handful of well-regarded EPs from 2018-2020, they were able to gel long enough to assemble a full LP, their debut I Love You Jennifer B. “Glasgow,” featured in the video above, with its easy listening guitar and strings playfully dancing together throughout is likely the most universally approachable song on the album. Of the song, Skye said it “is our coming of age, moving forward, long-distance, traveling, beautiful bosk, wonderful thicket song.” “Concrete Over Water” (click for video) is another personal favorite, and so, so loverly.

If those are too “normal” for you, check out the video for “Greatest Hits,” which feels like a throwback to the 90s. The video, which features a fictional trial between two aging musicians, is quite fitting with its Night Court vibes. And then there’s the fourth video from the album, for their song “50/50” — an industrial sounding, dance-beat driven song better suited for the tweaker kids on the dance floor.

Jockstrap’s sound is all over the place, but that doesn’t mean it’s poorly done. This is a stellar debut, front to back, and I encourage you to not give up on it if you don’t find what you’re looking for at first. The payoff is worth it.

__________________________________________

22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

Full Album
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January 11, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, jockstrap
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#22 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Cheekface

January 10, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Too Much to Ask by Cheekface

Cheekface are a riot. The Los Angeles-based trio led by Greg Katz on guitar and lead vocals, Amanda Tanner on bass and backup vocals, and Mark “Echo” Edwards on drums call themselves “America’s local band,” three basic words that reveal a surprising amount about them and what they stand for. Katz and Tanner’s lyrics dive deep into anxiety and sociopolitical unease, topics near and dear to my heart, and Katz delivers them with a talk-singing patter that is dry, witty, and absolutely dripping with sarcasm. The post-punk/power-pop blend works extremely well.

The song above, “We Need a Bigger Dumpster,” became an anthem on my beloved KEXP shortly after Too Much was released, reflecting so accurately the feelings we all experience when we’re forced to face the state of the world around us. Please hit play on the video above and revel in its stock-footage ridiculousness. It was the power of this one song, as played on KEXP and heard for the first time while my son and I were driving to Port Townsend for the 2022 Thing festival that caused us to immediately download the album to hear the rest of its majesty. Throughout the rest of the year, any time “Dumpster” came on the radio, which was often, my family would sing the super-catchy, much-repeated lyrics at the top of our lungs. All music should be this fun.

In my research for this post I learned that some fans of Cheekface, the band whose third LP Too Much to Ask is the #22 album of 2022, call themselves Cheek Freaks. I don’t think I’ll ever be a big enough fan to rise to Freak status, but here in early 2023 I can’t unequivocally say I’m not headed in that direction. Perhaps now you’re pointed down the same road I am. If so, give the album a listen and see what you think. On top of that, the band has released a 3-song accompaniment to Too much, called Don’t Ask (b-sides) EP. It is equally as good and catchy. “Why’d they put the headache so close to my brain?” is a question I never thought to ask but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Enjoy.

__________________________________________

23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

Full Album
All albums in their entirety.

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Radio Station
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January 10, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, cheekface
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#23 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Goose

January 09, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Dripfield by Goose

Jam bands aren’t my thing. They’re a lot of other people’s thing, but not mine. I understand, intellectually, why people like jam bands, start to obsess about their favorite one, and eventually become Deadheads, Phish Phans, or Gizzard Wizards (these names may be entirely fabricated), finding themselves following their favorite jam band around the world to continually worship at the feet of their chosen god. But unlike the guilt I feel when not listening to Big Thief, I feel no guilt for not having fallen in with the jam band scene.

Goose, from Norwalk, Connecticut, are proving to be the catalyst for a shift in my thinking. Not only is Dripfield, really, really good, but I also got to experience them in their true form this past summer: live, in person, at Thing festival just outside Port Townsend, Washington. Both the album and the experience have left me changed, softer on my stance regarding jam bands, and open and ready to explore more. My jam-band-aficionado friends — you know who you are — are not-so-silently rejoicing.

I’ve not listened to Goose’s first two albums: 2016’s Moon Cabin and Shenanigans Nite Club from 2019. But from what I’ve read, those albums were mere stop-gaps to getting the band back out on the road. In true jam-band fashion, they slowly built a following based on consistently good live shows, almost in spite of their recorded work. Part of that following involved Ezra Koenig, lead singer/songwriter of long-time Bacon Review favorites Vampire Weekend. Koenig likes the band so much, he asked them to create a 20 minute, 21 second-long remix/cover of Vampire Weekend song “2021” from Father of the Bride (#3 in 2019) for their 2021 EP, 40:42.

All that performing work over a five year span allowed Goose to hone a near-perfect 60-minute set to record for in studio for their 2022 release, Dripfield. The band’s third full-length album is, even by the band’s own admission, their first real album. It has a number of gems, including ”Hungersite,” shown in the video above. A personal favorite is the first track on the album, “Borne,” and the title song is pretty great as well. All three of these songs have the band at their best (despite the visual side of the videos being a touch on the boring side): lead singer Rick Mitarotonda’s smooth vocals and solid, guitar-driven hooks along with multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach’s keyboards rounding out the top end while the rhythm section (Ben Atkind on drums, Jeff Arevalo on percussion, and bassist Trevor Weeks) drive the songs deftly forward.

Hearing these songs as recorded in the studio is nice, but hearing them performed live is otherworldly. The band’s day one headliner slot at Thing festival this past August couldn’t have been better: their set time followed a pair of perfect openers in Sparks and Father John Misty (another Bacon Review favorite), clear skies with a stiff breeze coming in from Puget Sound, and a crowd of thousands enjoying their much-needed freedom after a couple years of pandemic-forced introversion. Goose played eight songs in their 90-minute set, each clocking in at well over 10 minutes long. It was a thing of beauty.

I walked off the festival grounds that night a changed man. I had been shown the light of the jam band experience, and I was left wanting more. That’s the Goose way. Join me in my newfound excitement! Check out their wonderful album Dripfield, and then book tickets to see them when they come to Seattle in April. Maybe I’ll see you there.

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24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

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January 09, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, goose, the grateful dead, phish, king gizzard and the lizard wizard, vampire weekend, father john misty, sparks
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#24 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Big Thief

January 08, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief

Sometimes I have a complicated relationship with an album or a band. (In case it wasn’t obvious, I think a lot, probably too much, about music.) Big Thief is a prime example of the kind of relationship I’m referring to. Simply put, they make me feel guilty. To be fair, they’ve never heard of the Bacon Review and have no idea who I am, so I can’t really say they make me feel guilty. It’s not their fault. And it’s not the fault of the radio stations who promote the band with repeated in-studio performances. Nor is the fault of my friends who continually bring up the band, hoping for some camaraderie around their excitement (hi Pete). I have no one to blame but myself.

I can appreciate them, and I have for many years. While their debut album Masterpiece didn’t make it on the Top 31 in 2016, their second album Capacity came in at #23 in 2017, and the third and fourth albums Two Hands and U.F.O.F collectively hit #4 in 2019. And here we are with their fifth critically acclaimed, massively promoted (for an indie rock band), Best New Music 9.0 out of 10 Pitchfork ranked album, and I have to force myself to put it on.

Every time I do, I enjoy it. But every time I finish it, I move on to something else, and a week or two go by before I remember it and put it on again. That’s not my habit for albums I love – I don’t have the drive to listen to the band on repeat for a week straight. It’s as if my brain has a blind spot for them. I do very much feel this is a problem unique to me, hence the guilty feeling. But – I know what it is I’m missing out on, and I’m here to tell you about it, to in no small part alleviate that guilt.

Big Thief are from Brooklyn, NY. They’re fronted by the pixie-ish, Joanna Newsom-esque principle song writer and guitarist Adrianne Lenker, and they feature Buck Meek on guitar and backing vocals, Max Oleartchik on bass, and James Krivchenia on drums. Nothing fancy about that lineup, aside from the fact that all five of them are exceedingly skilled at their craft. Lenker writes and sings lyrics that float by your ears on feathers, and the band plays behind her with a fervor that only a close-knit group of bandmates can muster.

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is essentially a double-album. At 20 songs, it clocks in at over 80 minutes, and there are a wide variety of musical styles crammed into those minutes. Hit play on the video for “Red Moon,” above. It sounds nice, a typical progression for the band, a bit country, a bit stompy, but very infectious, even when you get to the “That’s my Grandma!” in the middle with the off-key whistling. There’s not really a damn thing wrong with it. The rest of the album is just like that. Not in tone, but in likability.

Pick up this album and give it a whirl. Prove to yourself (and then to me) that this guilty burden is mine and mine alone. I guarantee you’ll like this album. Everybody does. Even me, when I remember to put it on.

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25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

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January 08, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, big thief, adrianne lenker, joanna newsom
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#25 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Weyes Blood

January 07, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood

Natalie Mering has been writing and performing under the nom de plume Weyes Blood since 2011. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is her fifth album in that span, but only the first one to make it onto the Top 31. Based on the way this album has landed squarely in my regular rotation, the absence of her previous four albums is 100% my fault.

Mering grew up in a deeply religious Pentecostal Christian family of the “born again” variety. (This is now the 2nd time religion has come up as a big part of the upbringing of the featured artist. I wonder how many more times we’ll see it.) Born in Santa Monica, her family moved around a few times before landing in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She left the nest and headed west to Portland for college and started playing in bands regularly. In 2011 she released her debut album as Weyes Blood, The Outside Room. She released a couple more albums in 2014 and 2016 and started to garner some critical acclaim. But it wasn’t until her fourth, 2019’s Titanic Rising, that that acclaim started to catch up to her.

She defines And In The Darkness as part two of a trilogy that began on Titanic. As mentioned in Pitchfork, part one “was a foretelling of catastrophe, and its follow-up is a dispatch from the center of it.” I’ve not yet been able to hear Titanic, but I aim to soon.

Mering’s voice hits in the same register as Aimee Mann, and a lot of the production throughout the album could be mistaken for Mann’s work — a high compliment in my book. Heavy orchestration and strong lyrical storytelling are found throughout. She’s lands at the intersection between Mann and Father John Misty (I would fear the power of that love child).

Her videos have a FJM-like tongue-in-cheek quality to them as well. In addition to “Grapevine” above, which features surreal and dark animated figures behind the performing Mering, she’s released another dark, surreal, and animated video for “It’s not me, it’s everybody”. I’m not sure if the style of these videos is indicative of all Weyes Blood videos, but they both feature blood so I’m inclined to think that’s an overarching theme.

Give this album its due – it sinks in deep and grabs your guts in a way that only a few albums can.

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26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

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January 07, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, weyes blood, aimee mann, father john misty
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#26 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — DOMi & JD BECK

January 06, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK

Jazz is very slowly working its way into my listening habits. I’m still put off by a lot of the more freeform works, but when it provides some recognizable structure I’m able to really enjoy it (see Thelonious Monk’s Palo Alto Live, #28 in last year’s Top 31). The lone jazz entry in this year’s Top 31 comes from an unexpected duo: 22-year-old Frenchwoman Domi Louna and 19-year-old Texan JD Beck, known collectively as DOMi & JD BECK.

The cool kids / aliens have been making music together since they met in 2018, when they were presumably 15 and 18 year old prodigies in their respective fields. You could be forgiven for expecting their music to be the result of some computer-based output, but then you see them perform. Check out their Tiny Desk Concert from August. The frenetic pace of Beck’s drum playing and DOMi’s keyboards, it’s all real and very analog.

The duo were picked up pretty early on by Anderson .Paak, who featured them as backing musicians starting in 2019. There’s more early evidence of their work together behind Thundercat and Ariana Grande in this Aqua Teen Hunger Force video from the all-streaming 2020 Adult Swim Festival. That video is so enjoyable to watch, both DOMi and JD BECK, as well as Thundercat’s leadership and Grande’s nonchalance. Pitchfork labeled the duo “the 100 gecs of jazz,” which feels spot on.1

The album contains a who’s who of guest stars, from the aforementioned Anderson .Paak and Thundercat, to Mac DeMarco, Busta Rhymes, and Snoop Dogg, and jazz luminaries Herbie Hancock and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. The duo also have the power of Anderson .Paak’s production company behind them. See the video for “TAKE A CHANCE” shown above. It was directed by .Paak, and features he and the duo on an album-related heist.

The duo’s screen appearances are fun and nonsensical, and make me love them more. On top of the video above, another high-profile video was created for their song “SMiLE.” The video was also directed by Anderson .Paak, and stars a heavily made up Mac DeMarco as jazz musician McBriare Lanyon, the fictional mentor of DOMi and JD Beck, and for whom they are throwing a surprise birthday party. Thundercat, the late comedian Teddy Ray, and a slew of .Paak-related folks all show up to the party.

Give NOT TiGHT a listen. It might not be your cup of tea, but it’s hard to argue with DOMi and JD BECK’s musicianship and ease with which they flow out of your headphones.

1. 100 gecs were criminally underrated by me, appearing at #29 in 2019. They should have been in the top 10 that year. I’ll probably look back on this DOMi & JD BECK review and feel the same in a few years.↩

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27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

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January 06, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, domi & jd beck, anderson .paak, thundercat, mac demarco, busta rhymes, snoop dogg, herbie hancock, kurt rosenwinkel, teddy ray, ariana grande, thelonious monk
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#27 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Ethel Cain

January 05, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain

The second new-to-the-Top 31 artist this year is Ethel Cain, the fictional creation of Hayden Silas Anhedönia, from Tallahassee, Florida. Her debut album, Preacher’s Daughter is my #27 of 2022. While I love the song “American Teenager” shown in the video above, don’t be fooled into thinking her music and this album is full of similar pop treacle. Anhedönia’s typical musical style is slow and sultry, and she can be found sandwiched between Lorde and Lana del Ray in the “Jack Antonoff-esque” section of your nearest Tower Records. While she does sound similar to those other artists, Anhedönia differs from her Antonoffian competition in that she produces all her own songs.

She grew up in a tight-knit Southern Baptist community, her dad a deacon at their church, where she and her mom sang in the church choir. This small-town religious upbringing, and how it felt being a suppressed and ostracized non-binary gay teenager in the South is felt throughout the album, if not in lyric than in feel. On top of those already difficult social circumstances, according to Pitchfork she unveiled her true self as a transgender woman at age 20 via Facebook. This ultimately freed her to be everything she needed to create her art. Amazingly, in the interviews I’ve read and watched, she makes it clear that her upbringing was not all pain and difficulty, despite any preconceptions you and I may bring to the table about being transgender and raised in a majorly religious Southern Christian home. There were hard times, for sure, but she also is careful to point out all the good she’s carried forward with her from her days of daily churchgoing.

The dark, dulcet tones that run through the album are punctuated by extremes in volume and excitement, from upbeat songs like “American Teenager,” to the droning, heavy choruses of “Thoroughfare” and “Sun Bleached Flies.” Together, there’s a large soundwave that blissfully compels you through the full 76 minute opus. In this KEXP live performance from August of this year, Anhedönia talks about the direct influence that the KEXP live sessions from Florence and the Machine and Daughter (#11 in 2013 and #17 in 2016) had on her sound.

I encourage you to listen to Ethel Cain’s KEXP session. She belts three stripped-down versions of songs from Preacher’s Daughter (plus “Crush” from her equally great 2021 EP Inbred) while playing the piano and her band backs her up on guitar and percussion. It’s otherworldly. Then pick up her debut. It’s a perfect listen for those long cold winter nights.

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28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

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January 05, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, ethel cain, florence and the machine, lorde, lana del rey, carly rae jepsen, jack antonoff
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#28 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Various Artists via KEXP

January 04, 2023 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists

In 2022, KEXP — the radio station that broadcasts at 90.3 on the FM dial in the Seattle area and worldwide at kexp.org — turned 50. The station has recorded countless “Live at KEXP” sessions that they then post on their YouTube channel. From those sessions, they’ve produced ten “Live at KEXP” collections over the years. These are wildly varying mixes that lovingly reflect the eclectic nature of the station and all its DJs loves and influences. And that finally brings us to why we’re here: Live at KEXP, vol. 10, my #28 album of the year.

First, a bit about the history of this much-loved radio station: it started as “KCMU” when four UW students in 1972 wanted an outlet and learning environment for journalism and on-air music to students beyond what had been previously available via KUOW, the original UW station (which had been severely reduced due to university budget cuts in the early 70s). It has been through a variety of changes over the last five decades: shifting from KCMU to KEXP thanks to an agreement with Paul Allen’s Experience Music Project in the early 2000s; a formalization of format from a mix of news and DJ-led music to only music in the 90s; and a successful transformation from solvency being provided by university or investor backing to being fully listener supported.

The mission of the station has never wavered: “to enrich [listeners’ lives] by championing music and discovery. [The station’s] vision is a connected and compassionate world embracing curiosity and a shared love of music.” They mean it when they say “KEXP: Where the music matters.” While I can’t pinpoint the connection exactly, it’s safe to say that I wouldn’t have the love of music that I do without KEXP in my life. And KEXP has truly been “in my life”:

  • While my wife and I were in the hospital for the birth of our daughter, we made a request to the station during a quiet moment in the delivery room that was played on air by John in the Morning, along with a sharing of our story, and heard live on our personal speaker in the room
  • It is KEXP I think of when I think back to my personal experience around 9/11 – with my alarm going off early in the morning to the sounds of KCMU in 2001, John’s telling of the first plane hitting the Towers is as clear in my head now as it was that morning
  • At the start of the pandemic, the station adapted quickly to the new rules of society, figuring out how to broadcast from DJ’s homes, and the station’s secondary motto “You are not alone” became a powerful mantra to listeners worldwide, including me and my family. The support the station provided then continues today as the station digs deeper into the support that the station brings to our lives through the music and stories they share.

Having been a Gold Club member multiple times over the years, and privy to the secret stage shows the station held in the tiny Children’s Theater at the Seattle Center during Bumbershoot, I’ve been witness to many intimate and monumental musical performances thanks to the station. It’s those types of performances that fill out the Live at KEXP releases, and Volume 10 is no exception. There’s “En La Front” from a 2022 performance by Argentinian singer/songwriter Barbi Recanati next to “Lump” from a 1995 performance by The Presidents of the United States of America, a 1997 Modest Mouse performance of “Dramamine” (that will simply bring you to tears due to the recent untimely passing of MM drummer Jeremiah Green due to cancer) next to “Legend Has It” from the 2017 Run the Jewels set linked in the video above. My personal favorite from the album is “Süpürgest Yoncadan” from the 2019 performance by (new to me and the Bacon Review) Turkish psych-rock band Altin Gün shown at the top of this post.

I am (we are) so lucky to have an outlet as consistently strong as KEXP to introduce me (and you) to new music from around the world that I (we) would never hear otherwise. I mentioned earlier that the station is listener supported, and consequently the album is not available to hear on the streaming services. You’ll need to go to your local (Seattle) record store to pick up the vinyl, or you can pay (minimum $10) to download the album from Bandcamp. Or of course you can just peruse the full library of performances on KEXP’s Youtube channel. All proceeds from the vinyl and from the album go directly back to the artists featured. And then when you’re done buying the album, why don’t you head over to kexp.org and throw the station a few bucks as well — without them we would not be talking here, today.

__________________________________________

29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

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View all previous Bacon Top 31s

January 04, 2023 /Royal Stuart
2022, advented, kexp, angel olsen, sudan archives, modest mouse, black belt eagle scout, brittany howard, fontaines dc, altin gün, barbi recanati, kikagaku moyo, idles, café tacvba, the presidents of the united states of america, deep sea diver, run the jewels, khruangbin, y la bamba, delvon lamarr organ trio, black pumas, neko case
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