Magnolia Electric Co.
Spanish Moon
Baton Rouge, LA
9/27/2006

Apologies for the long post.

The terrible news yesterday was of Jason Molina’s passing. Jason was the force behind the Songs: Ohia moniker (largely for his own solo work) and Magnolia Electric Co (which saw him working with a regular band). He collaborated with a wide variety of artists from indie, country, and bluegrass backgrounds, including Arab Strap, Jim Krewson and Jennie Bedford (of Jim and Jennie and the Pinetops), Lawrence Peters, Scout Niblett, and Sarah Jaffe. He also released solo work under his own name and under the name Pyramid Electric Co.

The first public sign that things were wrong came in 2009, when the tour to support Jason’s album with Will Johnson was cancelled due to Jason’s health problems. These problems were not explained at the time, and Jason seemed to have fallen off the face of the planet. Then in May 2010, an interview emerged suggesting that he simply decided to move because of a new job his wife took in London.

But notes on Magnolia Electric Co.’s website seemed to tell a different story: he was sick, he moved to West Virginia and was working on a farm. A Kickstarter project was started to help him pay his medical bills…and now, finally, suddenly, the news that he had died, at age 39, of natural causes…but natural causes related to “severe alcoholism.” I wasn’t aware until now of this prophetic piece in Chunklet.

I first heard Jason when I was living in Athens, Greece, of all places, in 2003. I went to the biggest music store in the city, Metropolis (now vanished). Up on the third floor, some hipper-than-thou employees had put on The Lioness. I thought maybe it was Will Oldham, but they were all too happy to correct me. I bought the album, and that was it – I had discovered my new favorite artist.

I saw Jason perform three times, in 2004 (Charlottesville), 2006 (Baton Rouge), and 2007 (New Orleans). I spoke with him on two of those occasions. We only said hi the second time, but when I talked to him in Baton Rouge, we had a great conversation, talking about the fact that I’m an archaeologist, and that he was always finding Indian artifacts on his family property in Indiana. I suggested that he contact the local historical society or university and let them do a dig. He seemed interested in the prospect. We also talked about the baffling phenomenon of low attendance at the band’s shows in the South, and how hard it was for them to justify coming to Louisiana, even though they loved it (Florida had long been ignored for this very reason).

I made two recordings of Magnolia Electric Co.’s shows, both from the soundboard. I already posted a song from one of them, a cover of Waylon Jennings’ “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” that now seems eerily prescient. He made a habit of not playing old songs live. I had long considered posting the show you find here, even though the quality isn’t that great – the levels are too high and overloaded, especially when the keyboard is going. But whatever – the man deserves a tribute, this is what I’ve got, so here it is. This recording includes a brief mention of the origin of the song “Spanish Moon Rise and Fall” from the box set.

I’m just going to leave a section from the interview linked above to close:

JM: I think covers are important; I’ve seen it in its maximum power during the Johnny Cash American Recording sessions. You might notice that my songs did not get covered by Cash, or maybe one did but it’s not been released.

JT: Do you know which song he was thinking of, or if there was one in particular?

JM: Yeah, but I think that Willie [Nelson] took it. Then I did that “Song for Willie”… One of my band mates, Daniel McAdams, did the cover art for the new Willie Nelson record. He’s a brilliant silkscreen artist, he did the first Songs:Ohia record, he played bass with me for years, we shared a place together, so I said, “well, look I did this ‘Song for Willie,’ can you give him this fucking record?” and he did, so at least Willie has that in his hands. “Song for Willie” is, I think, the best song I ever wrote. Ever. And whether or not he ever hears it, it doesn’t matter.

JT: I’ll have to go back and listen to that song again. I was listening to it this morning. I mean I like that song a lot, but—well, I don’t want to sit here and have a fight with you about which of your own songs is the best, but I guess if I was putting a list together, “Farewell Transmission” would be a really strong contender for me. Also “It’s Made Me Cry”, with that one riff. I can’t even tell you how many hundreds of times I’ve listened to that song, which is actually hard to “get lost” in in the way I was describing before, because it’s so short. You have to just put it on again and—

JM: (hums riff)

JT: – Yeah, exactly.

JM: Well, when it comes to that song, and some others like the “The Lioness” and “The Black Crow,” I get a feeling that those are longtime fans hits. But I don’t like playing them. I already lived those moments.
“Farewell Transmission” must be one of the most heroic recording moments of all time, because I called in people that were not already scheduled to be in the band and I was like, “Oh, now we’re going to have a violin player, and we’re going to have an extra singer.” I called out all of these things, much like a conductor does – and trust me, I’m not a conductor. I’m the break man. I will not fuck you up if I am the break man, I just don’t want to move anymore.
We put, I think, about 12 people in a room and recorded that song live, completely live, and unrehearsed. I showed ‘em the chord progression, they had no idea when it would end, and we just cut it.
Steve [Albini] did a beautiful job. I noticed that at one point when it was a little too loud or a little too soft he came and opened a door to make it work, because it was just an ambient recording. When you hear that song kick off everybody knows it, and what’s so disturbing to me is the way that I ended it is I was dictating to the band and Steve—I go “Listen. Listen. Listen.” And then at one point they all stop. It’s great.

JT: I can’t even believe that was done live and improvised. That is absolutely stunning.

JM: I got all my favorite friends from Chicago, and my favorite, good musicians and we just did this record, and it has lasted. It’s got weight, I’m talking 500 pound weight; something you ain’t going to be able to lift too easy. You have to understand we’re working on a string, and Steve is throwing us a bone, giving us the studio and everything, and we are terrified about how expensive it is and he just went the extra mile. That’s the way it works and that’s where I come from. You get the job fucking done.

Set List:
1. Talk to Me, Devil, Again
2. What Comes after the Blues?
3. No Moon on the Water
4. Just Be Simple
5. Leave the City
6. Montgomery Bound
7. Lonesome Valley
8. Memphis Moon
9. Marsh Fire
10. Astrabel
11. I’ve Been Riding with the Ghost
12. Spanish Moon story
13. Shiloh
14. Hammer Down

Download: Magnolia Electric Co. – Baton Rouge – 9/27/2006 – 101 MB

Sample: I’ve Been Riding with the Ghost (Live)

Nearly the exact same complaint can be levied to the the April 4, 2012 MF set-list at Beacon Theater – too many songs with Claudia/Shirley on vocals. (L.D. and Dudley have been notably absent from the recent MF albums/tours. Pourquoi?!?)

I suspect Stephen Merritt, the lovable curmudgeon, generally finds touring bothersome and, therefore, the less he does on-stage, the better – hence heavy helpings of songs with Shirley or Claudia on vocals.

Here is a live take of the stand-out track on Love at the Bottom of the Sea, “Andrew in Drag”.

Beacon Theater April 4, 2012 set-list:

I Die
A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off
Your Girlfriend’s Face
Reno Dakota
Come Back From San Francisco
No One Will Ever Love You
I’ve Run Away to Join The Fairies
Plant White Roses
Drive on, Driver
My Husband’s Pied-A-Terre
Time Enough for Rocking When We’re Old
The Horrible Party
Smoke and Mirrors
Goin’ Back to the Country
Andrew in Drag
Quick!
Busby Berkeley Dreams
Boa Constrictor
The Book of Love
Fear of Trains
You Must Be Out of Your Mind
Grand Canyon
Swinging London
It’s Only Time
Smile! No One Cares How You Feel (The Gothic Archies)
Encore:
Tar-Heel Boy
Forever and a Day

Download: Magnetic Fields – Andrew In Drag (Live)

Brian Wilson started this phenomenon when he trotted out the fabled Smile album in 2004, some 30+ years after he shelved the most infamous album never released. I suspect that you will find that the recent rash of “classic” album tours can be traced to Wilson’s Smile tour and his follow-up Pet Sounds tour.

Here is a notable track from the ever-cool Robyn Hitchcock‘s generally most revered album, Eye which he played in its entirety to an enraptured crowd in Gowanus Brooklyn in 2011. A sampling of Robyn’s inimitable banter included, natch.

11/19/11 Bell House Setlist

Cynthia Mask
Queen Elvis
Flesh Cartoons
Chinese Water Python
The Executioner
Sweet Ghost Of Light
Linctus House
Transparent Lover
Beautiful Girl
Clean Steve
Raining Twilight Coast
Glass Hotel
Agony Of Pleasure
Satellite
The Aquarium
encore break
One Long Pair Of Eyes
Madonna Of The Wasps
Ole Tarantula

Download: Robyn Hitchcock – The Executioner (Live)

This slick photo is a Carlie special…

The Raveonettes
El Rey Theater
Los Angeles, CA
10/8/2012

We saw Danish group The Raveonettes in what was our second show at The El Rey Theater in about a ten-day span. This was another band I had been wanting to see for a very long time — readers who have seen my “Best of” lists will know that their records consistently make it into consideration, and often appear on the lists themselves. But they never came to my neck of the woods (i.e., central Virginia or Louisiana) — so now that I’m in a city where one of the two members (Sharin Foo) now lives, I was more than a little enthusiastic for the show.

If you don’t know The Raveonettes sound, it’s 50′s-60′s song structures overloaded with fuzzy distortion (especially on guitars and vocals), guy-girl harmonies, and lyrics that push the grittier end of the spectrum. Fans of The Jesus and Mary Chain should find a lot to like here. The band member responsible for writing the songs, Sune Rose Wagner, has mentioned Twin Peaks as a kind of inspiration for the atmosphere in the band’s songs. On their early records, they added the gimmick of only playing in one key (B-flat minor for the 2002 EP Whip It On; B-flat major for their first full-length album, 2003′s Chain Gang of Love). Thankfully, they soon gave up that trick. While those early releases were good, I personally thought the band hit its stride with Lust Lust Lust and really started kicking ass with the follow-up In and Out of Control (which if I were redoing my annual list for 2009, would be in the top 3, up from #10).

In any event, what I was expecting from the show was not exactly what we got. Now first of all, I have to admit that in my heart of hearts, I was hoping that since the show was in Los Angeles, Ronnie Spector might show up to reprise her part in the song she recorded with The Raveonettes for their album Pretty in Black, “Ode to L.A.” That was pure fantasy, I know, and of course it didn’t happen. But I also thought that given the rich instrumentation on their songs, the band would show up with several touring members (like Menomena did). Instead, they only brought a drummer, and relied on quite a bit of canned audio to fill out their songs. This wasn’t an enormous problem — I still really enjoyed the show — but there were certain moments where things just didn’t work. The trouble was clearest during the song “Observations,” off the brand-new album Observator. The band themselves have talked about the importance of adding piano parts to the new record, and this song is probably where that addition is most prominent — but there was no keyboard on stage. Again, it’s not typically a big issue (for me, at least) to have some canned piano, but there is a part of this particular song where there is no other instrumentation or vocals, so the band just stood there while the piano played on. It just seemed awkward to me, at least more so than when Wagner and Foo were playing different guitar parts while one could also hear a very prominent bass line — they had something to do, anyway!

One other note: some of the least between-song banter I’ve ever heard from a band, and in fact they seemed to be a little down. I have no idea whether this is normal. Foo said that the band was being “very Danish tonight” — perhaps fatigue from being near the end of the tour? Again, a great show, really delighted to have seen them…just maybe not exactly what I was expecting.

Set list:
1. Hallucinations
2. She Owns the Streets
3. Dead Sound
4. Blush
5. Curse the Night
6. The Enemy
7. Gone Forever
8. Observations
9. Remember
10. Young and Cold
11. Love in a Trashcan
12. Medley: Attack of the Ghost Riders/My Tornado/Bowels of the Beast/Aly, Walk with Me

Encore:
13. Lust
14. Sinking with the Sun
15. Cops on Our Tail

Download: The Raveonettes – Los Angeles – 10/8/2012 – 322 MB

Sample: Gone Forever (Live)

Menomena
El Rey Theater
Los Angeles, CA
9/27/2012

It’s been another long hiatus since the last post here, but hopefully this one will make it worth your while. Menomena kicked off their latest tour here in LA last week. It was a tough night to pick what to see, since Savoir Adore was opening a show for Kisses at the The Echo (which TSOI’s Kevin attended) and Dum Dum Girls were playing at Los Globos.

I had never seen Menomena, though, and I was curious to see just how their complex arrangements would translate into live performance — especially since they’re no longer a trio (Brett Knopf left the group at the end of 2010, following the release of Mines). They showed up with three touring band members and put on a hell of a show. Relentless rhythms are such an important part of Menomena’s music, and those were definitely in evidence here, maybe at the expense of the lush textures found on their albums.

Probably the most fun was the introduction of local dancer/actress Charlene deGuzman, who performed a tap dance routine alongside a song from the new album, Moms, “Don’t Mess with Latexas.” It was silly, but it actually worked. It’s not clear whether they’ll try this in other shows on the tour, but it did lighten the mood for a band whose music, beautiful as it is, can be ponderous at times.

Setlist:
1. Muscle ‘n’ Flo
2. Plumage
3. Capsule
4. Weird
5. Giftshoppe
6. Five Little Rooms
7. Pique
8. Strongest Man in the World
9. Queen Black Acid
10. Baton
11. Tap dance banter
12. Don’t Mess with Latexas (with Charlene deGuzman)
13. Rotten Hell
14. Heavy Is as Heavy Does
15. TAOS

Encore:
16. One Horse
17. The Pelican

Download: Menomena – Los Angeles – 9/27/2012 – 397 MB

Sample: Don’t Mess with Latexas (Live)

X
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
Los Angeles, CA
28 January 2012

It has been far, far too long since I last posted on TSOI. The brief explanation is a change of venue, combined with a fair bit of sloth. Carlie and I left Louisiana back in August for a new life in southern California, and it bears mentioning that TSOI’s Kevin has been one of the reasons our transition has been as smooth as it has. Even so, new places take time for adjustment, and so it wasn’t until last month that we actually got our shit together enough to go out to a show. But what a show for our intro to the LA rock scene!

Contemporary art aficionados are likely aware of Pacific Standard Time, the current retrospective of southern California’s contributions to the art world from the end of the Second World War to the end of the twentieth century. This event is sponsored by the Getty Trust, but is actually happening at dozens of venues from LA to Orange County and beyond. The Museum of Contemporary Art’s location in Little Tokyo hosted (until today! go if you have time!) the show concerning art produced in Los Angeles between 1974 and 1981, which they called Under the Big Black Sun. Punk-rock fans will recognize that this title was lifted from the third album by LA’s own pioneers, X. To celebrate the exhibition, MOCA organized a concert in the plaza outside the Geffen Contemporary featuring X together with their contemporaries from northern California, The Avengers and the now-Jello Biafra-less Dead Kennedys.

We had seen Exene Cervenka playing a solo acoustic set only a year ago in New Orleans, but had never had a chance to see X live. It’s fair to say I was blown away — not only having this classic LA experience be my first live show in this new hometown, but also seeing how tight these guys are. Billy Zoom is a ridiculously talented guitarist, with a beatific grin on his face the whole time, never once looking down to the instrument to see what he’s doing. And DJ Bonebrake‘s drumming set (and sets) a standard for any punk drummer. I don’t need to say anything, probably, about Exene or John Doe and their chemistry, since their reputation precedes them. A dynamite show from top to bottom.

Setlist:
1. Your Phone’s Off the Hook, But You’re Not
2. In this House That I Call Home
3. We’re Desperate
4. Blue Spark
5. Beyond and Back
6. Barricade interstitial
7. It’s Who You Know
8. Year 1
9. Los Angeles
10. The Hungry Wolf
11. The World’s a Mess, It’s in My Kiss
12. Sugarlight
13. True Love
14. Breathless
15. Back to the Base
16. Nausea
17. Johnny Hit and Run Paulene
18. Because I Do
19. Motel Room in My Bed
20. Devil Doll

Download: X – Los Angeles – 1/28/2012 – 263 MB

Sample: Los Angeles (Live)

The Mercury Lounge show was an early show which started at 8 for some reason. I got the feeling that it was simply a warm up show for the tour the band was about to embark on. It’s funny to listen to how mellow this crowd is and the band sounds considering that now they are bona fide rock stars and have sold out every headlining show they played in NYC after this one (3 to date). I’m glad I got to see these guys in such an intimate environment before they blew the fuck up.

The Terminal 5 show took place during the bands’ tour with Cut Copy on April 1st (see previous TSOI post). This week was a busy concert week at Terminal 5, full of DFA-related bands. LCD Soundsystem had just finished up their 4 night T5 run leading up to their farewell gig (see previous TSOI post), followed by this tour rolling into town for 2 nights. This LCD overload may account for the fact that the place was half empty when Holy Ghost! took the stage.

Mercury Lounge 02/02/11
1. Static on the Wire
2. It’s Not Over
3. Hold On
4. Say My Name
5. Hold My Breath
6. Wait and See
7. Slow Motion
8. Do It Again
9. I Will Come Back
10. Jam for Jerry

Download: Holy Ghost! – New York City – 2/2/11 – 324 MB

Sample: Hold On (Live)


 

Terminal 5 04/01/11
1. Wait and See
2. Hold On
3. It’s Not Over
4. Slow Motion
5. Do It Again
6. I Will Come Back
7. Jam for Jerry

Download: Holy Ghost! – New York City – 4/1/11 – 208 MB

Sample: Do It Again (Live)

Since I grow my music library by bouncing back and forth between decades and music styles, playing catch up on the music I’ve missed, I don’t really have a “Top 10 Albums of 2011″. I could do a list of “10 Albums That Were Released in 2011 That I Have” but that would make me look stupid since I’m pretty sure Duran Duran’s newest album is not one to the best 10 albums released this year. I could also do a “Top 10 Albums That I Discovered This Year” list, but then people would see how out of touch I am with what’s cool in music (see the LCD Soundsystem entry below). So here’s my “Top 10 Shows of 2011″ list:

1.OMD – Terminal 5 March 8
This was the culmination of years of anticipation. OMD has been one of my favorites for many years, and I had been following their tour plans closely since they announced their reunion. After seeing them announce one tour after another in Europe, they finally made the announcement that they were coming to the US. Originally booked at Webster Hall, the show sold out quickly and was moved to the much more spacious Terminal 5. I got to attend the soundcheck and meet the band before the show, the whole day was a trip, and possibly one of the best days of my life. It’s all been downhill since then.

2.The Cure – Beacon Theater Nov 27
I was fortunate to score a ticket to the final night of The Cure’s “Reflections” series of shows which came to the Beacon Theater for 3 nights. The set was simply mind blowing: The first three albums in their entirety followed by a series of encores which added up to 3+ hours of music and 48 songs, all of which dated from the early phase of the bands’ career. If I was a bigger Cure fan, I’m pretty sure my head would’ve exploded.

3.LCD Soundsystem – Terminal 5 March 28
I didn’t even like LCD Soundsystem until I went to this show. I just bought a ticket figuring I’d get into them at some point in the future and I’d be kicking myself for not seeing them during their original run when I had the chance. It turned out to be a wise decision. Much like my #2 show, this one clocked in at over 3 hours. It was an awesome show, though the crowd was a bit too rambunctious for my taste, perhaps because they really thought the band was breaking up forever (I still think they’ll be back in 2017).

4.Royksopp – Music Hall of Williamsburg March 21
I had a ticket for this sold-out show, but wasn’t really feeling up to going out the day of. I debated whether or not to sell my ticket but in the end sucked it up and went in with the expectation that it was going to be a crappy DJ type show with 2 guys standing behind gear the whole time. Holy shit I was wrong, the guys brought in band members to spice up their tracks and the visuals were really cool. I’d definitely recommend seeing them even if you’ve never heard them.

5.The Damned – Irving Plaza Oct 22
It sucks that the Damned are so freakin’ old. This show celebrated their 35th anniversary by playing their first album (::yawn::) and the Black Album (::boner::) in their entirety. The Damned is my favorite band of all time, and the show should be higher up on the list, but this was a stupid Live Nation show at Irving Plaza. There were a million different sections on the balcony, and I had “VIP” tickets but was escorted to the wrong section at first then got moved to this horrible area with this horrible shrieking banshee of a woman behind me, who absolutely wrecked my attempt at recording the show. The day after the show, I fired off an angry email to Live Nation about how they’re an evil corporation and their customer service is lacking and ended it with the phrase “OCCUPY LIVE NATION!”. I’m still waiting for a response.

6.Cold Cave – Knitting Factory July 12
I’m glad I caught these guys at the intimate Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. I was unsure how good the band was going to sound, and I had heard they intentionally played more obscure tracks in lieu of their more well known songs. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised how much fun this show was despite Cold Cave playing only 10 songs. I’m looking forward to seeing them again, hopefully in 2012.

7.Soundgarden – Prudential Center July 08
This one wins the award for the best show with the worst sound. Soundgarden played their first NYC area show in 15 years at the cavernous Prudential Center. The set was awesome, the song selection was great, and the sound was awful. But it was still a good show. Plus, it could have been a lot worse: the band played the alcohol-free Jones Beach Theater on Long Island the next night. It has really, really, REALLY bad sound…trust me. And there’s a serial killer on the loose who’s been killing prostitutes and dumping their bodies in the marshes up the road from the place. So that can’t be good.

8.Duran Duran – Madison Square Garden Oct 25
I finally popped my “Floor Tickets to an arena show” cherry with Duran Duran playing to a definitely not sold out Madison Square Garden. Seeing a show from the floor at the Garden is an awesome experience, as the sound is way better than my usual tickets in the upper reaches of the arena. The downside is that there’s only one bar and it’s occupied by the 1%, who choose to order mixed drink after mixed drink in their continued effort to stop the 99% from getting a beer in a reasonable amount of time.

9.Deicide – Gramercy Theater Feb 21 My first death metal show in a couple years was a good one. Deicide brought the brutality and Satan was definitely in the house this night. I naively stood in the middle of the floor when the band took the stage, completely forgetting that mosh pits happen at metal shows. I was gently reminded and immediately got pushed to the outskirts of the floor, where the long haired dude in front of me kept whipping his hair around blocking my view. It was stereotypically metal.

10.Penguin Prison – Music Hall of Williamsburg Dec 30
My last show of 2011 managed to sneak into my Top 10 at the last minute. Though this shows’ appearance on this list could be chalked up to the fact that I only recently started listening to the band, I decided that I really liked the show and it was worthy of being named. You’re welcome, Penguin Prison.

Bottom 3 Worst Shows of the Year
Chameleons Vox – Home Sweet Home Nov 23
Believe it or not, I went to a show this year that was actually worse than Guns N Roses. Chameleons Vox is two original members of The Chameleons and two other guys playing Chameleons songs. They were playing the classic Chameleons’ album “Script of the Bridge” in its entirety, so I was really looking forward to the show despite the fact that it wasn’t the original band. I figured at least they had the original singer/bassist in the band, so how bad can it be? The answer? Really bad. The show was held at a bar on the Lower East Side during a goth night, there was no bathroom, and it was super crowded around the stage so I couldn’t see anything. As far as the sound, the drums weren’t miked so it was basically like going to a local band showcase. And the guitars, which were miked, sounded like they were underwater. It was produced by some NYC – based post-punk record label. They are dumb and do not know how to put on concerts and should not be allowed to book bands that I like. I was chanting “refund! refund! refund!” during the set (I was pretty intoxicated) but no one else in the place shared my sentiment. If the show was held at a real venue, it probably would’ve kicked ass because the band sounded fairly competent.

Guns N Roses – Izod Center Nov 18
Yeah, I know, it’s not really Guns N Roses. I knew going into this show that it was going to be bad. I heard that Axl had gained a lot of weight and that his voice was shot and that he had fallen on stage a couple times during this tour, so I was kind of hoping for a train wreck. Unfortunately what I got was more like a train fender bender. Axl sucked, but not enough that it was funny. He managed to stay upright the whole time, despite the fact that he constantly dashed on and off stage, leaving his band to fend for themselves through countless guitar solos and boring classic rock covers. By the time they went on stage at 11PM, beer sales had stopped and the buzz from my tailgating was wearing off. Though I did make myself laugh several times that night by referring to the arena as the “Kneel Before Zod Center”.

Chris Isaak – Jones Beach June 18
The only reason I had the misfortune of seeing this douchebag was because he was the opening act for Hall and Oates (don’t judge!) at the aforementioned Jones Beach Theater. Don’t get the wrong idea, I know he sucks and would never pay money or travel to see him. I just got to the show way too early. He played nothing but obvious covers (Pretty Woman, Ring of Fire, etc.) while undergoing multiple costume changes in the process. He didn’t even play his one hit, Wicked Game, which is actually not awful. My girlfriend and I tried to wait out his set in the concession area by slowly eating overpriced chicken fingers for about 40 minutes, and still got stuck witnessing his last 2 songs because he would not get off the stage.

Dishonorable Mention:
Rammstein – Izod Center May 5
These guys’ December 11th Madison Square Garden appearance made my top 10 show list for 2010. Then they came back to the NYC area a couple months later in May and played the EXACT SAME SHOW. Fuck that shit.

1.PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Polly Jean Harvey has been my favorite artist for almost 20 years (!), but I haven’t felt this strongly about one of her albums in at least a decade — maybe even since 1995 and To Bring You My Love. Casting herself as an English patriot just to knock those ideals off their pedestal, Harvey uses discordant sounds, off-kilter rhythms, skewed stereotypes…and her tremendous vocal range to create a haunting, hypnotic record. Just a stunning achievement.

2.Peter Bjorn and John – Gimme Some
Probably the record that spent the most time in my car stereo this year, this is pop gold that resuscitates the reputation won by Writer’s Block back in 2006. I could have done without the album cover, one of the least appealing I’ve seen in a long time (it features a cartoon amputated hand with three thumbs up, viewed from the viscera end), and the pseudo-punk “Black Book,” which reeked of trying too hard, though.

3.The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong
POBPAH have moved into the big time, getting production on this album from the likes of Flood and Alan Moulder. You can still hear some of the Cure-influence left over from their debut, but the songs are considerably cleaned-up. Now they sound more like early-’90′s shoegaze, which certainly works for the themes of teenage love and loss that dominate Belong. Fun show, too, when we caught them in New Orleans in March.

4.TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
On first listen, Nine Types of Light isn’t much of an evolution from 2008′s Dear Science. But the slowed-down tempos on many of the songs may signify that the band has reached a comfort zone. I would suggest that lyrics such as those in the first single, “Will Do” (which repeats cliches, co-opting them to create heartfelt meaning), imply a willingness to show a sense of humor, too.

5.Cults – Cults
I see Cults as producing a New York version of the vintage ’60′s instrumentation that Generationals has been perfecting over the last few years in Louisiana. (I have to admit, by the way, I have no excuse for not having heard the Generationals album Actor-Caster yet, except that it came out in the summer while I was abroad and then moving halfway across the country. Probably it’s insanely good and deserves to be on this list, too.) There’s more of the synth stuff with Cults, and of course the front-and-center female vocals that call back to Phil Spector.

6.The Feelies – Here Before
New Jersey’s Real Estate won all the plaudits from journalists this year for Days, but if you ask me, that album was small beer (boring, even) compared to Here Before, which was released by The Feelies, a legendary band from the same region (and one that obviously influenced Real Estate). The Feelies take up where they left off twenty-some-odd years ago, with sweet songs that are somehow both casual and precise at the same time. As with (now-departed?) Sonic Youth, I think the feeling of precision comes from the drumming; Stanley Demeski is rock-solid against the loose guitars. The slowed-down “Morning Comes” is a real stand-out.

7.Beirut – The Rip Tide
Like Nine Types of Light, The Rip Tide is not a radical change from what came before it. The traditional European instrumentation creates an appealing contrast to so much indie rock, and Beirut seals the deal by avoiding the too-clever literary lyrics of The Decemberists. There isn’t much that I listen to that really transports me to another place on the planet, but Beirut does it.

8.St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
Annie Clark is a weirdo — in the best way: madly creative and a virtuosic musician. It’s one thing to listen to tiresome weirdness like Animal Collective, Panda Bear, or The Fiery Furnaces and say, “OK, these guys are just being weird for weird’s sake, or because they’re high, or because they’re messing around with their equipment to no real end, or all-of-the-above, and it’s just annoying and I don’t care.” Annie Clark’s music is, in many ways, equally weird — to the extent that I usually spend half my time listening just trying to understand how she came up with these ideas — but it’s also beautiful and moving and challenging…and clearly not weird merely for the sake of being weird.

9.Yuck – Yuck
Dumb band name, great record. I said in my post on a show they opened in Baton Rouge for The Smith Westerns back in February that they reminded me of old Superchunk (especially on songs like “Operation”), and I still think that comment fits — brash, charming power-pop from young folks.

10.Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi
Anna Calvi is totally derivative — it just so happens that she’s derivative of probably my favorite album of all time, the aforementioned To Bring You My Love. The same twangy, Morricone reverb on the guitar; sultry, blues-style, low female vocals — this is a formula that never needs updating.

Honorable mention
Dum Dum Girls – Only in Dreams
It happens every year in the last spot: an album I listened to over and over, even if I can spot its deficiencies straight away. In the case of Only in Dreams, the real problem is a lack of imagination — phrases like “I need your bedroom eyes” or “I think I’m coming down” are repeated ad nauseam rather than livening them up with even minor variations. Otherwise, the songs are terrific, with a moody atmosphere like Mazzy Star and Wall-of-Sound-style production.

Once again, the great releases of this year are roundly ignored by other ‘best-of’ music compilers. I am again mystified how some of the releases included here got such short shrift, particularly, when there was not much by way of competition. 2011, overall, was largely dominated by folkie southern-rock sounding bands, which is a direction that is easy for me to ignore except for the insanely good The Wooden Birds record, which, against all reason has shown up on no best-of lists that I have seen. Low put out another great record, which, has long been expected out of Low. I am convinced that Low and The Wooden Birds are the two current active pillars of great American rock music, without which, the whole shaky edifice would crumble. Once again, these two great bands release another great record and because they are expected to do just that, they get passed-over by critics for the latest pan flash.

Otherwise, based on prominence of keyboard based bands last year, I figured we would get much more of the same in 2011. We did get a new Cut Copy release and similarly styled debut by Holy Ghost! but there wasn’t near the output of synth driven bands as I expected.

Anyway, the following are the top-ten very worthy cds that kept my laser occupied.

1.Acid House Kings – Music Sounds Better With You
AHK put out the best pure pop album of the year by a country mile. Music Sounds Better With You is pure and effortless and along with The Wooden Birds release nearly monopolized my cd laser for the whole year. The track “Windshields” is so good I can barely stand it – even after hundreds of listens.

2.The Wooden Birds – Two Matchsticks
As noted, 2011 is full of Southern-Rock and Folk-Rock tinged albums. The Wooden Birds, the post American Analog Set project of Andrew Kenney, mine some of the same influences but do it with subtle brilliance and without being retreads. The cool burn of Two Matchsticks and its delicate, yet assertive guitar and male/female vocal interplay make The Wooden Birds the best thing going right now. How this band has gotten so little attention is criminal. I just don’t get it. Pure. Simple. Brilliant.

3.Low – C’mon
Low have been quietly releasing the best catalog of the past 20 years, and this is another nice addition to their epic high standards of quality. Unlike their also great release of a few years ago, Drums and Guns, C’mon has pretty fuss-free production, which I think is how the religious experience that is a Low release is best served.

4.Cut Copy – Zonoscope
The Cutters self-produced 2011 release, Zonoscope, starts out with a face-melting gem in “Need You Now”. The rest of the album doesn’t reach that high again, but is a consistently good stream of interwoven synth excursions.

5.Anything Goes Original Cast Recording – Broadway Original Cast Recording
What can I say, I bought my first ‘show tunes’ album (I don’t think buying Laibach‘s Jesus Christ Superstar really counts). I would generally not be too proud of that fact, but this Sutten Foster led production of the Cole Porter classic was too irresistible to one who swore he was immune to the saccharine charms of musicals. This Cole Porter and P.G. Wodehouse collaboration has to be among the best examples of ‘all killer, no filler’ ever, like the Purple Rain of the 1930s!

6.The Pains of Being Pure of Heart – Belong
The Pains went big with this album as far as production goes, but their charms remain subtle. I hope they are hard at work on a follow up.

7.Holy Ghost! – Holy Ghost!
Based on a few tracks of Holy Ghost! 2010 ep, I was really hoping for a band that was going to re-inhabit Shriekback as a bit more sophisticated and bit more aggressively vocaled synth band, but that hope is dashed pretty much after the second track of this, their self-titled debut. Nonetheless, this is a great synth pop record.

8.Peter Murphy – Nine
This record pretty follows along the buzz guitar rock of Cascade, which is, in my opinion, Murphy’s best. Nine is a shockingly good and fresh record coming from a true unabashed living legend.

9.Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes
Lykke Li has dropped some of her quirks that acted as a kind of hook for her in her debut and put out a little more straight forward release that digs more in ’50s girl group soul rather than in asymmetric indie affectations, which got her initial notice. I like.

10.Chain Gang of 1974 – Wayward Fire
This is the only new band, for me, to make the list. Chain Gang tread in the ’80s and ’90s New Wave New Romantics territory that several others are into these days. The vocals and other intangibles makes this effort by Chain Gang of 1974 my favorite of the lot.

Here is a list of releases that are honorable mentions but were eeked out of the top 10 slots.
Peter, Bjorn, and John – Gimme Some
Foster the People pretty much lifted the template that PBandJ set with “Writer’s Block” and I hope are paying PBandJ their due royalties. PBandJ, to their credit are moving on.
Jane’s Addiction – Great Escape Artist
This might not be a great Jane’s Addiction album, but god-knows, there is no where to get killer top-shelf hard rock vocals like Perry Ferrel’s anywhere else. I am glad they are providing me a new fix.
Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital
This probably would have made the list but I totally forgot about it. This was the best M/F with Synth record of the year.

Top 10 Concerts of 2011

As in 2009 and in 2010, the best of 2011 is once again filled with veteran bands. If you are a new band, for the love of god, go see some of the bands on this list and see how it is done. Actually, the top slot belongs to the sublime The Wooden Birds (see above for best album pick) for their 2011 performance, who also was my pick for tops performance for 2010 too!

1. The Wooden Birds – Rock Shop (see Sept 28, 2010 TSOI post)
2. Savoir Adore/French Horn Rebellion – Glasslands (see French Horn Rebellion Jan 4 2011 TSOI post and see Savoir Adore Dec 8 2010 TSOI post)
3. The Cure (first three albums) – Beacon Theater
I was not particularly looking forward to hearing The Cure perform three of their least accessible albums back-to-back, but wow, this was a great way to see why The Cure are so good and why they have been able to fill stadiums for decades. This short tour was a nice display of the gestation of the weird genius that is Robert Smith.
4. Bad Religion – 3 Decade Shows – Irving Plaza (’80s, ’90s and ’00s)
5. Controlled Bleeding – Death by Audio
6. Advance Base – Mercury Lounge
This is the first NY showing of Owen’s first Casiotone for the Painfully Alone project. I look forward seeing more of this bigger-and-badder enterprise.
7. OMD (Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark) – Terminal 5 (see March 29 TSOI post)
8. Universal Order of Armageddon – Death by Audio
9. D Generation – Irving Plaza
D Generation are to be praised for bringing Rock and Roll back to New York City, where it belongs. I am sure The Strokes tip them a hat when they cross.
10.Jane’s Addiction – Irving Plaza
Truth be told, the most notable part of this show was an enterprising gentleman that took it upon himself to raise his phone video recorder among the sea of other raised arms getting crappy YouTube fodder, but instead of recording footage, played porn on his screen. The affect was like he was recording something much more interesting than the rest of his neighbors. Super funny. I hope it catches on.