Why I Oughtta

It may not be currently in the works, but if a Hollywood studio ever wants to create a modern reboot of The Rat Pack, Sondre Lerche is a shoe-in.

Between his blue eyes, his smooth voice and his gentlemanly demeanor, the 27-year-old Norwegian proves that he possesses the classic charm of generations past on “Heartbeat Radio.” He even provides a cheeky acknowledgement of his charms by comparing himself to failed one-time James Bond portrayer George Lazenby.

Lerche’s fifth studio album is a familiar cocktail of jazzy flourishes, robust string accompaniment and pop melodies. Songs like the breezy “Almighty Moon” and “Easy to Persuade” typify his musical aesthetic – Lerche sings his lyrics with a wink on top of relaxed acoustic guitar strumming and an unhurried drumbeat.

“You be words/ And I’ll be music/ Ain’t you heard that’s how to do it/ You’re a poem when you’re on your own,” Lerche sings on “Words and Music,” as if he were addressing an audience full of platinum blondes holding martini glasses.

While “Heartbeat Radio” is an easy album to like, there’s nothing particularly exciting about the outing. Lerche is a prolific songwriter as well as a deft musician and song craftsman, but all of the record’s pleasantries and charm often come at the expense of emotional impact.

Attributing the phrase “background music” to Lerche’s style seems like a disservice to such carefully rendered music, but Lerche’s endearing tenor and polished arrangements allow for passive listening.

Still, while “Heartbeat Radio” may not be a life-changing album, it remains a consistent and well executed endeavor. Lerche’s modern take on the debonair songsmith always provides for a reliably pleasant listen.

Every time I plunge into a year-end top ten list, I feel the need to cleanse myself of the the whole music nerd ritual. I find it troubling that people spend a lot of time bickering over which list “got it right” as opposed to which lists reflect a unique, honest point of view.

I know it’s fun to celebrate the success of bands you love and bemoan the success of artists you don’t care for (Lord knows no one needs to hear me sound off again on how much I hate Animal Collective), but everyone tends to present their results as definitive — the product of either a pseudo-scientific polling system or a rigorously thought-out survey of the year’s offerings. Pitchfork has emerged as the basis of comparison for pretty much every list. Whether or not you agree with their decisions (chances are you probably don’t take their word as absolute gospel), if you are the kind of person who reads and writes top ten lists, you tend to get the idea of which record is Better (capital B) than the other.

In considering my approach to year-end lists, allow me to liken myself to Owen — the rotund sad sack played by Danny DeVito in the 1987 comedic romp “Throw Momma From the Train.” In one scene, simple Owen shows Billy Crystal’s character his beloved coin collection. While Crystal’s sophisticated professor expects to see rare and universally prized items, Owen reveals simple quarters and nickels. His collection is sentimental, and he details the memory each one triggers.

This is the way music lists should be — specific records of the music that fueled your life for the previous year. I’d much rather see a top ten list with a slot created for a best friend’s collection of demos over a predictable list of usual suspects that only adds to the competitive, testosterone-fueled approach to list-making.

On that heavy-handed note, here’s my list.

10. Kittens Ablaze – The Monstrous Vanguard; Slow Club – Yeah So; Other Lives – (self-titled)

While I’m on my soapbox, I’m going to use the first entry on my list to prove a point. It drives me a little nuts when people come out with their top ten lists in November. It IS possible for great albums to come out in December. Or, if you have access to pre-releases, I’m sure you can use the time to listen to more records.

So, here are three albums that I felt deserved a spot on my list and all of them were late 2009 discoveries. Kittens Ablaze (disregard the name) offers a propulsive debut, full of hardcore riffs, emotive vocals and two full-time string players to flesh out the sound. Slow Club is a UK-based duo whose harmonies sound polished whether they’re singing over Simon and Garfunkel-inspired ballads or freewheeling White Stripes-y anthems. Meanwhile, Other Lives plays beautiful pastoral music buoyed by a violin and singer Jesse Tabish’s seasoned vocals.

9. The Pomegranates – Everybody, Come Outside!

An unassuming Cincinnati-based foursome whose 2009 record grew on me with every listen.

Best tracks: This Land Used To Be My Land, But Now I Hate This Land; Coriander

8. The XX – (self titled)

When discussing The XX’s debut, everyone seems to discuss the album’s maturity in contrast to the band members’ youth. And for good reason. Because — holy crap! — the restraint they employ and mood they effortlessly establish defies their age. These kids should be thrashing on the guitars and writing opaquely about their hormones, but they’ve created upscale booty music for the art rock set.

Best tracks: Crystallizsed, Islands

7. AA Bondy – When the Devil’s Loose

I never would have thought that the force behind the dirty 90s post-grunge band Verbena would evolve into a mercurial singer-songwriter with a country bent. But, here he is, with a second solo album that is tighter and more realized than his debut, “American Hearts.” His voice is just as sad but the songs are more unified and the whole thing seems more genuine.

Best tracks: False River, Mercy Wheel

6. An Horse – Rearrange Beds

There’s not a lot to An Horse. One girl, one electric guitar, one boy, one drum kit. But their debut album is singer-songwriter fare powered by jet fuel. The lyrics are generally unhappy, but Kate Compton’s sincere delivery (and her undisguised Australian accent) gives “Rearrange Beds” a sweetness makes the songs all the more enjoyable.

Best tracks: Rearrange Beds, Postcards

5. Julie Doiron – I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day

2009 marks the year I learned about Julie Doiron. She’s been making music up in Canada for ages, writing emotionally raw folk-rock, but “I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day” is her first album to find me. This record won me over with Doiron’s simple and direct writing style, her childlike voice and her spare rock arrangements.

Best tracks: Consolation Prize, Spill Yer Lungs

4. Ohbijou – Beacons

Ohbijou is a band I traveled all the way to Canada to see. Their second record is consistently gorgeous, employing cello, violin, piano and glockenspiel. Elegant, beautiful music that provides a lush backdrop for Casey Mecija’s high, delicate voice.

Best tracks: Make It Gold, New Years

3. Noisettes – Wild Young Hearts

On their second record, Noisettes go straight for the pop jugular. While their debut, “What Time Is It Mr. Wolf?,” was equally eclectic (ranging from acoustic balladry to funk-inflected rock), it was a rougher around the edges than their sophomore record. Every song on “Wild Young Hearts” showcases shiny pop melodies and singer Shingai Shoniwa’s larger-than-life presence. There’s an air of fabulousness that surrounds the music’s muscular energy — think sequin hotpants in a grimy rock club (which is exactly what Shoniwa wore when I saw them).

Best tracks: Wild Young Hearts, Beat of My Heard, Never Forget You

2. Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns

What an excess of riches — one of my favorite albums of the year is performed by one of my biggest crushes of the year. While watching Nils Edenloff perform is a pleasure in itself, listening to his record “Hometowns” sans the visual stimulation is still rewarding. The RAA receives a lot of comparisons to Neutral Milk Hotel comparisons and not without good reason. Like NMH, Edenloff has a tendency to belt out his songs through his nose (in a good way) and they both incorporate vigorous guitar strumming as the basis for many of their songs. However, The RAA’s lo-fi electronic embellishments, manic percussion and nature-as-a-metaphor-for-romance lyrics set the band apart as a unique and exciting new act.

Best tracks: Drain the Blood, Four Night Rider, Sleep All Day

1. Fanfarlo – Reservoir

There were a lot of albums I liked in 2009, but what puts Fanfarlo’s debut over the edge for me is the response it has received from everyone I’ve recommended it to. More than any other record this year, this is the one that has been universally adored by everyone I’ve shared it with. After all, it’s an endlessly tuneful record filled with complicated lyrics, old-fashioned instrumentation and wonderful vocal harmonies.

I’m almost hesitant to give Fanfarlo the number one spot, because it almost seems too pleasant of a record to be a number one album. There’s no real boundary-pushing or edge to speak of. However, frontman Simon Balthazar’s comforting croon and his ensemble’s masterful pop arrangements make “Reservoir” a truly special album.

Best tracks: The Walls Are Coming Down, Comets, Finish Line

My best albums are on their way. But, in the meantime, here are my favorite songs of 2009.

In the past, I’ve done my top 35 songs of the year (no more than one song per record). But I’m doing fifty this year based on the fact that I’ve probably consumed more music this year than I have in my entire life. Unemployment will do that.

1. Ohbijou – Make It Gold
   Ohbijou’s sound is characterized by its lush, pastoral nature, making heartfelt and restrained music buoyed by strings and singer Casey Mecija’s subdued chirp. But my most listened-to song of 2009 is probably the darkest and most intense track on the band’s sophomore album, “Beacons.”
   It’s all about the build. “Make It Gold” begins quietly with a delicately plucked electric guitar, thumping kick drum and singer Mecija’s high, pure voice. Gradually, though, it builds as Casey’s sister Jenny joins in on violin, along with Anissa Hart on cello. A lonely trumpet blasts a bittersweet melody. About three and a half minutes in, the song reaches a thrilling climax — the loudest and most dramatic moment on the entire album. Casey’s trademark coo turns into a desperate yelp, a piano pounds, the strings release short staccato bursts.
   “Make It Gold” is an emotional ride that I’ve taken more than any other song this year.
   (Listen on YouTube)
2. Noisettes – Wild Young Hearts
   Noisettes singer Shingai Shoniwa is hot shit and she knows it. She’s beautiful, an amazing singer and a born entertainer. If you need proof, you need only watch the video to the title track on Noisettes’ second record, “Wild Young Hearts.” Shoniwa exudes confidence and a winking sensuality, as she wails against the backdrop of a roaring rock guitar and dramatic piano accompaniment. On a consistently strong album, “Wild Young Hearts’” shimmering old-timey flair wins me over every time.
   (Watch the video)
3. Fanfarlo – The Walls are Coming Down
   Fanfarlo’s album “Reservoir” is chock full of memorable melodies, but nowhere does it soar as high as on “The Walls Are Coming Down.”
   (Watch the video) (Read my album review)
4. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Drain the Blood
   
   On “Drain the Blood,” The Rural Alberta Advantage plays exactly how I like them best — manic percussion, vigorously strummed acoustic guitars and lead hottie Nils Edenloff singing as loudly as he can. The RAA is folk music for people who hate folk music. And for people who love folk music.
   (Watch the video) (Read my album review)
5. Julie Doiron – Consolation Prize
   Julie Doiron’s been around forever, but I’ve only just learned about her. “Consolation Prize” is atypically heavy and atypically deadpan, but it’s one of my most memorable songs of the year.
   (Watch the video) (Read my album review)
6. Diamond Rings – All Yr Songs
   For a sunshiney pop anthem, “All Yr Songs” is a strangely polarizing song. Perhaps its the outlandish video peppered with ridiculous eighties fashions. Perhaps its John O’Regan’s seemingly unnaturally low voice. Perhaps it’s the fact that it is just so sickeningly sweet. But it doesn’t matter to me — “All Yr Songs” is such a fun bit of lo-fi bedroom pop that I find it to be an immediate mood-booster.
   (Watch the video)
7. An Horse – Rearrange Beds
   A subtle rock anthem from an adorable Australian duo.
   (Listen at Lala.com)
8. Sleigh Bells – Crown on the Ground
   
   No matter how low the volume is when you turn on “Crown on the Ground,” you’ll immediately think it’s playing too loud. Propelled by a series of shrill electric squeals and an overdriven, distorted beat — the song would be unlistenable if it weren’t so damn catchy based on Alexis Krauss’s candy-sweet vocals and pop melodies on the guitar.
   (Download the mp3 here)
9. The XX – Crystalised
   (Watch the video)
10. Metric – Gimme Sympathy
    (Watch the video)
11. Sunbears! – Little Baby Pines
12. Matt & Kim – Daylight (Watch the video)
    
13. The Von Bondies – Blame Game
    Wonderfully un-trendy rock and roll.
14. Twiggy Frostbite – Heroes
    A Swedish band I’ve heard absolutely no buzz about, but randomly stumbled upon via mp3 blog. “Heroes” features heart-wrenching keyboards and other-worldly vocals that recall Stina Nordenstam (or some other Scandinavian pixie). (Watch the ridiculously depressing video here. Or just play it and open another window.)
15. Camera Obscura – The Sweetest Thing
16. God Help the Girl – Funny Little Frog
17. AA Bondy – False River
18. Lymbyc Systym – Ghost Clock (Watch the video)
19. Kittens Ablaze – This Machine is Dying (Watch the video)
20. Elvis Perkins in Dearland – Shampoo
21. Japandroids – Wet Hair
22. FrYars – Happy
23. The Most Serene Republic – Heavens to Purgatory
    The Most Serene Republic’s third album was a bit of a let down. After producing my favorite album of 2007, I found “…And The Ever Expanding Universe” a bit of a bore. The passion of “Population” had been watered down into a bog of studio effects. However, the single “Heavens to Purgatory” recalled the same kind of fun, youthful energy the band employed on their fun-but-scattered debut “Underwater Cinematographer.” Eh.  Better than nothing.
    (Watch the video)
24. Pomegranates – This Used to Be My Land, But Now I Hate This Land
25. The D’Urbervilles – The Receiver
26. Ramona Falls – Diamond Shovel
    This song just rips my heart out and stomps on it every damned time.
27. Other Lives – Black Tables
28. Tegan and Sara – Hell
29. Land of Talk – May You Never
30. Idlewild – Readers and Writers
31. Delorean – Deli
32. Slow Club – It Doesn’t Have to Be Beautiful
33. Freelance Whales – Starring
34. Wye Oak – For Prayer
    Few things please me more than female musicians who can just wield an axe just as powerfully as the boys. Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner is one of those ladies. The guitars on “For Prayer” just howl — it’s the sound of a slide guitar being tortured.
35. Phoenix – Lisztomania
36. The Raveonettes – Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)
37. Amy Millan – Low Sail
38. Kyte – Eyes Lose Their Fire
39. Micachu – Golden Phone
40. Telekinesis – Foreign Room
41. Thao with the Get Down Stay Down – Cool Yourself
42. We Were Promised Jetpacks – Roll Up Your Sleeves
43. The Thermals – Now We Can See
    Like The Most Serene Republic’s new record, The Thermal’s 2009 LP was fairly disappointing. The album “Now We Can See” was a step down from the ambitious punk opus “The Body, The Blood, The Machine,” opting for more traditional (and forgettable) power pop. But there were some memorable tracks, most notably the title track.
44. Throw Me the Statue – Noises
45. Malcolm Middleton – Kiss at the Station
46. Little Brazil – Perfection
47. The Twilight Sad – Seven Years of Letters
48. The Pragmatic – You Blame Me
49. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero

Listen to a pretty song after the jump.  It annoyingly starts automatically when you load the page.

(Read on …)

Two posts in one day.  I know.

But here’s a lovely song by Roddy Woomble with some pals playing backstage at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.

This was a good year for music.  But I guess every year is if you’re looking in the right places.  Here are my fifteen favorites — top tracks of 2008 to come when I’m bored over Christmas.

15. The Ting Tings – We Started Nothing

I really don’t listen to this album enough — because I always love it when I do.  But this is probably the ass-shakingest record I heard this year. Best tracks: That’s Not My Name, Great DJ

14. The Notwist – The Devil, You + Me

The Notwist’s long-awaited return wasn’t a disappointment. Neon Golden is probably one of my all-time favorites, so they set a pretty high bar. And The Devil, You + Me is a more low key affair, but it’s so complicated and developed, it really sounds unlike anything else out there.  Plus, I love a singer with an accent — it makes everything seem more exotic.  Best tracks: Boneless, Good Lies (download here)

13. The Submarines – Honeysuckle Weeks

The Submarines’ second album builds well off their debut, with Blake taking more of the spotlight this time around. I’m happy they’ve gotten a ton of publicity because of You, Me and the Bourgeoisie getting play in a Mac ad. A reliable pop band. Best tracks: You, Me and the Bourgeoisie, The Wake Up Song

12. Kris Drever, John McCusker and Roddy Woomble – Before the Ruin

This is a collaboration between Idlewild singer Roddy Woomble and two veteran folkies. Lucky for me, Roddy takes most of the vocal duties. It’s a lot like My Secret is My Silence (Roddy’s solo debut). I have this weird streak where I feel like Scottish folk really resonates with me. I don’t know what this says about my German/Eastern European lineage. Best tracks: Into the Blue, Moments Last Forever

11. Talkdemonic – Eyes at Half Mast

I love this fact that there’s no one around quite like Talkdemonic. No vocals. Just viola, drums, and a moody mix of other instruments. Best tracks: Ending the Orange Glow, Shattered Into Dyes

10. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles

I like it best when Crystal Castles goes insane. Screeching 8-bit noise, hyper beats and Alice Glass’ distorted screams. This is a great album to freak out to. Best tracks: Xxzxcuzx Me, Alice Practice.

9. Mates of State – Re-Arrange Us

The chances of Mates of State ever releasing an album that doesn’t show up on my year-end list is slim.  And even though I don’t know that they’ll make anything as good as Team Boo again, I always love how they change. This time, they’ve classed it up a bit with natural piano sounds and more subdued vocals, but it’s still sweet (in all sorts of ways). Best tracks: Help, Help; Jigsaw

8. Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line

I got into them late in the game, but better late than never, right?  I’m a sucker for strings in rock songs and Ra Ra Riot’s two full-time players make them one of my favorite chamber pop acts. They haven’t lost the rock, but they give it a great fresh dimension. Best tracks: Ghost Under Rocks, St. Peter’s Day Festival

7. CSS – Donkey

I liked Donkey more than I ever thought I would.  Their first album was cute and brash, but felt silly and pop culture-y. This album maintains the fun-loving aesthetic, but brings newfound sophistication and chops. As I can attest from my experience on Saturday night, they also put on a hell of a live show — catsuits and all. Best tracks: Beautiful Song, How I Became Paranoid

6. The Seedy Seeds – Count The Days

To be honest, I was slightly disappointed by The Seedy Seeds debut — Change States.  I loved it, of course, but the songs I liked best were the demos I already knew. This time, however, the tracks were almost all new and almost all great. The one song I had heard before, The Push, received a makeover and the result is my favorite song the band’s ever done. Best tracks: The Push, On the Subject of Our Past Selves

5. Hot Lava – Lavalogy

Incorporating humor into music can be a really risky thing. If you don’t do it right, you turn can turn yourself into a joke and no one takes you seriously. But Hot Lava is playful and goofy without being cloying. For my money, “Blue Dragon” is one of the best tracks of the year. Best tracks: Blue Dragon, Brain Ex

4. Land of Talk – Some Are Lakes

Sometimes when I listen to an album or a song, I get a distinct moment or a specific setting stuck in my head. When I listen to this album, I feel like it’s 3 a.m., I’m stone cold sober and I’m getting into a freezing cold car. It’s pretty damn melancholy.

Some Are Lakes is, by far, the most subtle album on my list. I’m not generally a huge fan of subtlety, but these songs have a slow burn to them that makes them much more effective than if they were more aggressive.  Their debut full-length is more singer-songwritery than their EP, but I don’t mind at all. It’s intimate, it’s vulnerable and Elizabeth Powell’s voice is both deadpan and expressive. Best tracks: It’s Okay, Young Bridge

3. Johnny Foreigner – Waited Up Til It Was Light

This is not a challenging record.  But that’s fine with me.  It’s one of those records that I knew I loved from the very first listen when I heard the single “Salt, Pepa and Spinderella.” Johnny Foreigner is a pop hardcore trio with male/female vocals — one could probably call it emo if that didn’t carry the stigma of self-hating teenagers with knit caps and black nailpolish. But the songs are more about youth and dysfunctional romance and delivered with great energy and impressive technical skill. Alexei’s controlled yelp mixes well with Kelly’s pretty shout, coasting above the consistently loud and energetic riffs. Best tracks: Salt, Pepa and Spinderella, Our Bipolar Friends

2. The Big Sleep – Sleep Forever

I first saw The Big Sleep when they opened up for The Thermals at the Black Cat a couple years ago. It’s always a great feeling to go to a show to see one band and leave the show having gained a new favorite. The Big Sleep took a big leap forward with their second record, making a record that feels less experimental and more assured. Their sound is big, dark and brooding — the guitars are heavy and the synths are agressive. And one of the things I really like about them is that each album has a strong contingent of instrumental tracks. That’s not because the vocals are weak (the male singer has a cool, collected howl and the female singer has an ice water drone).

Furthermore, the band has a great live show that makes their music all the more ominous with the use of their own light kit, which lights them from below. Spooky. Also, the drummer’s hot. Best tracks: Pinkies, Tigers in Our Hearts

1. Los Campesinos! – Hold On Now, Youngster

It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Los Campesinos! emerged at the top of my year-end list — they’ve easily been the band I’ve talked about the most since they released the first of two albums this year. On the surface, they appear to have everything it takes to win me over — rock riffs, male and female vocalists, twee instrumentation (violins, glockenspiels), etc. But it takes more than a glockenspiel to win my heart (<– the name of my hipster memoir).

The reason I love this album (for more than just its melodic rock) is because of frontman Gareth Campesinos’ smart alec lyrics and attitude. Los Campesinos are an unabashedly young band — early-twentysomethings who are part of Generation Text. And Gareth doesn’t try to be anything else.  (I know I’m going to get shit for this, but Gareth Campesinos and the guy from Fleet Foxes are about the same age. I don’t dislike Fleet Foxes, but that band aspires for timelessness. Los Campesinos!, however, are unafraid to date themselves with proper names — talking about LiveJournal and K Records t-shirts. This strikes me as more authentic for what a band of twentysomethings would create. Then again, I’m an Internet-y kind of guy, so I don’t have much of a connection to the mountaintop folk of Fleet Foxes.  If I grew up in Washington state, maybe it’d be a different story.  I digress…)

Los Campesinos! are bratty and smart. They’re part of this new Internet-obsessed generation who are savvy enough to be skeptical of the triteness of culture. By the same token, they’re cynical enough to feel hopeless. This is a record made by people my age who are candidly speaking for themselves and not being examined by a sociological pundits. Sure, there may have been more important albums this year but, for my money, this is the album that spoke to me the most. Best tracks: My Year in Lists; Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks

Honorable mentions: Juliana Hatfield – How to Walk Away; Oh No! Oh My! – Dmitrij EP; The Raveonettes – Lust, Lust, Lust; She and Him – Volume One; Sigur Ros – Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust

A cover of Fleet Foxes by 15 and 17-year-old Swedish sisters.

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This is pretty cool.

Arrah from Arrah and the Ferns has provided the music for a Portuguese movie called Azeitona which, based on the trailer, seems to be some sort of hearwarming coming-of-age drama. And it also has some of the hottest Portuguese men I’ve ever seen.

You can listen to some of the music on their MySpace page.
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