My Favorite Records of 2009 (#s 11-20)
Here are some records I liked a lot this year that almost made my Top 10. In particular, the entries by PETER HOLSAPPLE & CHRIS STAMEY along with those by THE CLEAN, VISQUEEN and A.C. NEWMAN almost made the cut.
Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey – hERE aND nOw (Bar/None)
The list continues from last week.
When PETER HOLSAPPLE and CHRIS STAMEY got back together back in 2005 to reform the original lineup of THE dB’s, the tantalizing “World to Cry” (then released as a free download on their website) made fans curious to hear more and think that a new dB’s album was forthcoming. More than four years later, a new dB’s album is apparently still in the works, but what we got instead was a Holsapple/Stamey record that’s much more in the mold of 1991’s Mavericks collaboration than anything recorded by the dB’s.
As such, this is beautiful, gentle, soothing music that like the last few releases by THE TRASHCAN SINATRAS, THE BLUE NILE‘s High and SPRINGHOUSE‘s From Now to OK (my favorite album of 2008), is music for adults that isn’t inane MOR twaddle and that’s actually rough around the edges but heartfelt and pretty at the same time.
Some have complained that the sax solos on songs like the hokey yet wonderful “Early in the Morning” make this feel more “adult contemporary” than it needs to be, but to me that doesn’t distract from the power of this music. “Santa Monica,” a wonderful cover of FAMILY‘s “My Friend the Sun” and especially the monster hook-fest “Long Time Coming” will delight fans of Mavericks and these two songwriters in general.
Additionally, the limited edition version includes acoustic versions of “Happenstance” and “From a Window to a Screen”, both from the dB’s 1982 masterpiece (and last album to date with Stamey) Repercussion. While those are nice to have, it’s the new originals here that really shine.
The Clean – Mister Pop (Merge)
The Clean’s raucous, early ’80s post-punk sound is long a memory (except in their wonderful live shows). As such, this follows the template of more recent (albeit sporadic) releases like 2001’s Getaway. The songs are mellow, but while they may not hit the first or second time, repeated listening really strengthened my impression of this album. In particular, the wonderfully titled “In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul” and “Are You Really on Drugs”? are highlights with only the penultimate track “Tonsile” recalling their harsher ’80s sound. There are also a few wonderful instrumentals on here like “Moon Jumper” that will make fans swoon.
The Clientele – Bonfire on the Heath (Merge)
Yes it’s true. The Clientele don’t change much from album to album. However, this one finds them (at least on a few tracks) more amenable to slightly disco-flavored grooves. Fear not, though, as they haven’t made a dance record. This is the same wistful, melancholy indie-pop that’s somewhere between GALAXIE 500, THE GO-BETWEENS and FELT and frankly, I’ll take dozens of these type of records!
Mission of Burma – The Sound The Speed The Light (Matador)
While not as immediate as 2006’s incredible The Obliterati or 2004’s OnOffOn, this is another one that really rewards repeat listening. Opener “1-2-3 Partyy!” is a bit of a ruse. A CLINT CONLEY penned and sung track that sounds like many of his previous, more melodically inclined tunes, it nicely references THE SYNDICATE OF SOUND‘s Nuggets-era gem “Hey Little Girl” (memorably covered by THE DEAD BOYS on their debut Young, Loud and Snotty). The rest of this disc, however, finds Burma in a much more dissonant, post-punk mood that they haven’t really referenced since 1983’s incredible Vs or perhaps some of the outtakes on the self-titled Mission of Burma Lp.
Sonic Youth – The Eternal (Matador)
When this record came out back in the spring, many reviews seemed to note that this has a much rawer sound than their Geffen records since this is the first full-length they’ve released on an indie label in more than twenty years (not counting their SYR releases). If that’s true, frankly I can’t hear the difference, as The Eternal continues very much in the same vein as 2006’s Rather Ripped and especially 2004’s Sonic Nurse. As such, it continues a career rebirth that’s put them on a winning streak not seen since their mid ’80s to early ’90s heyday. The highlights here are plenty, from the opening “Sacred Trickster” to “Malibu Gas Station”, but my favorite is LEE RANALDO‘s “Walkin Blue”.
Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs (Matador)
I’ll be honest here. Compared to every record they’ve made since 1997’s I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, I was a bit underwhelmed with this one. It’s not that this album’s dominance of slower, gentler material was anything new, especially after 2000’s …And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out and 2003’s Summer Sun. It’s that much of it just didn’t hit me as hard as the songs on those previous records. However, opener “Here to Fall” is a window-rattling bass stomper and “Nothing to Hide” (my wife’s favorite) is a future indie-pop and YLT classic that could’ve come on any of their earlier records. Plus, we get another closing jolt of guitar jamming via the closing track “And the Glitter is Gone”, which adds some much needed noise to the proceedings.
A.C. Newman – Get Guilty (Matador)
Although many loved his 2004 solo debut The Slow Wonder, aside from a few songs it didn’t make as much of an impression on me as his wonderful records with THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS have over this decade. This, his second solo album, is a different story. Opening with a near-perfect orchestral pop gem (“There are Maybe Ten or Twelve”) and a flamenco-flavored number (“Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer”), the pop gems are many over the course of this disc. It culminates with the wonderful “All of My Days and All of My Days Off” and the digital bonus track is a faithful cover of The Go-Betweens classic “Love Goes On”.
Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy (Matador)
Yes, I know. Like the last four records I’ve listed, this one is on Matador, meaning that half of the spots on this week’s list are taken up by one label. That’s just because they happen to put out a ton of good records, though, and the Matador debut of Philly’s own Kurt Vile (yes folks, that’s his real name) is no exception. Someone on the popular music blog Brooklyn Vegan described Vile as what JAY REATARD would sound like if he smoked a lot more pot and though I somewhat agree, I think that there are more sonic differences between the two recent Matador signees than their are similarities.
With that said, Vile has one foot in classic rock ala BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and NEIL YOUNG and another in ’90s indie rock ala PAVEMENT. I also hear a strong “freak folk” element in some of his material. At first, this mishmash is hard to make sense of, but again, this is another album that really demands and rewards repeat listening. Some of the songs, like “Hunchback,” “Overnite Religion” and especially the epic “Freak Train” are really well written and some of the year’s best. Don’t miss this.
Visqueen – Message to Garcia (Local 638)
I have loved this Seattle band, led by singer/songwriter/dynamo RACHEL FLOTARD, ever since a review of 2004’s Sunset in Dateland by our own JACK RABID led me to seek out that record as well as their incredible 2002 debut King Me.
After a five year absence (much of which Flotard spent taking care of her ill father), they’re back with another hook-filled, unpretentious power pop record. This time, though, the sound is augmented by strings on a few tracks, horns on the opener “Hand Me Down” and even a genuine country ballad (“So Long”), a first for the band. NEKO CASE also provides several backing vocals here and the players on each track are all different save for mainstays Flotard and monster drummer BEN HOOKER.
To sum up, if you like King Me and Sunset on Dateland, you’ll like this one and if you’ve never heard them before, this is a great place to start.
Joe Pernice – It Feels So Good When I Stop (Ashmont)
This is the soundtrack to Pernice’s novel of the same name (surely a first) and as such, features cover songs mentioned in the novel. The material ranges from ’90s indie-rock fare SEBADOH‘s “Soul and Fire” and the PLUSH obscurity “Found a Little Baby” to country chestnuts like TOM T. HALL‘s “That’s How I Got to Memphis” and SAMMY JOHNS‘ “Chevy Van”. As such, some of these versions are more effective than others. Pernice really shines on THE DREAM SYNDICATE‘s “Tell Me When It’s Over”, DEL SHANNON‘s “I Go to Pieces” (a hit for PETER AND GORDON) and TODD RUNDGREN‘s “Hello It’s Me”. There’s also a Pernice original called “Black Smoke (No Pope)” that he wrote in the style of the fictitious ’90s band THE YOUNG ACCUSER, which fittingly appears in the book. Also included are intermittent spurts of dialogue from the book that Pernice reads aloud and that come between the selections.
