My 2008: Artists and Records of Note.

‘Best of’ lists are a collective certainty in the music blogging world, and I am personally not adverse to them myself. In fact, I think it’s a great method of discovery new artists, and celebrating the lesser known genius that occasionally elude the mainstream press. Everyone enjoys spinning yarns about the aural pleasures that have popped up throughout a calendar and I’m not going to buck the trend by not doing one.

As I’ve said elsewhere before, it can take me some time to ‘discover’ acts from bygone years and I’m not going to attempt to try write an article solely devoted to my favourite new bands or records that have been released throughout 2008. Some of these relationships can be fleeting anyway. I’ll give you a concise overview of records and artists who have dominated my speakers throughout the year.

For most of the year, I’ve been on the move, traveling to several new continents. Consequently, the diverse musical tastes of fellow travellers, work pals and other new friends have facilitated my exposure to many new artists. Generally, I can sum up the year with a few bands that, while most of them I’ve heard of, I grew to appreciate. Sort of like a fine wine I guess (alternatively insert some other innocuous metaphor here).

Wilco was one band that asserted itself in my consciousness with their classic “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” album accompanying me throughout South America (I do recall with fondness traversing the Bolivian salt flats with ‘Jesus Etc’ belting from the four-wheel drive speakers). I now curse myself for once giving up the opportunity to see the band live a few years back when I was slightly ignorant of their talent.

Ryan Adams is another artist that I grew to appreciate, particularly his most recent release “Easy Tiger”. I had cycnically assumed Adams as a petulant rock star of little talent and all hype, but now I’m a bit more forgiving. Yes, he is petulant and given to some childish behaviour but he does write some rather good little ditties such as ‘Oh My God Whatever Etc’ which is a personal favourite.

Fleet Foxes (pictured above) released their sublime self-titled debut which quickly became a personal favourite. I’m sure if you’ve listened to the radio or read the music press at any stage this year then you would have heard about some of this bands work. Trust me; they deserve all the praise they have rightfully garnered.


As you may have read, I delved into some older 80s punk/alternative music, with The Replacements and their records “Let It Be” and “Pleased to Meet Me”, along with some Husker Du. R.E.M’s “Murmur” has also undergone more than a few listens.

In terms of new releases and new records, the folk pop crooning of Chad Vaangalen and Bon Iver have been a pleasure to find their way on to my stereo. On the flip side, the doom metal of Japanese rockers Boris kept the metal monster inside of me alive and kicking. On that point, I’d never thought I’d ever say this again, but my teenage romance with Metallica was wistfully re-imagined after the released of the surprisingly good “Death Magnetic” (despite what pitch-arse might say!).

Recently, The Pains of Being Pure of Heart have shaped up as a great new prospect and I eagerly await the release of their debut record scheduled for 2009. Guided by Voices, Of Montreal, the Magnetic Fields and a dozen other regulars still provided me with a lot of joy, head banging, shower-crooning and even air-drumming.

Well, that’s a typically meandering essay of my musical adventures of 2008. I hope 2009 will provide even more fresh discoveries.

Tip Top Tunes

You want some Tip Top Tunes. Well, tune in. I recommend having a listen to some of these bands and their songs when you fancy a spot of music with your muesli.

* No Age - 'Brain Burner'. Simply sheer energy.
* Squeeze - 'Up The Junction'. Great song about impregnating your girlfriend. Presumably in or around Clapham Junction.
* The Replacements - 'Alex Chilton'. I love the intro chords on this one.
* Electric Light Orchestra - 'Mr Blue Sky'. HEEEEYEYY!
* Eurthymics - 'Thorn in My Side'. My new karaoke favourite. Also, it's chock full of sax offenses.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

Chad Vaangalen - Soft Airplane

Using the immortal words of Larry David, Chad Vangaalen’s third record “Soft Airplane” is ‘pretty good….pretty, pretty, good”. While you can hear echoes of Neil Young in the vocal delivery (particularly on “Cries of the Dead”), Chad is not simply the sum of his influences, contributing something truly worthwhile to the musical tapestry of the new century. And why? Well, the songs are all quite good.

Chad is a Canadian musician from Calgary, apparently known for his basement-recorded releases of songs compiled over the many years. I read that “Soft Airplane” differs production wise generally steering clear of the lo-fi nature of his previous work, opting for crisper more ‘serious’ production using computer recording software rather than older four-track recording devices.

The record kicks off with single ‘Willow Tree’, are brooding and morose affair, with banjo-esque melodies mixing well with lyrics that feature Arthurian inspired burial rites which include setting the subjects body on fire and pushing out to sea. These grim themes are often repeated throughout the duration of the album.

“Inside the Molecules” is probably my favourite tune off the record, with its reverbed low fidelity guitar sound over a steady beat. I really love the chord progression during the middle of the song in what you could probably call the chorus. The part where Chad sings “Heeeyyyy, my eyes aren’t working right now, but I’m going to see my baby any day” to be specific. The song is rough, bluesy and extremely interesting.

I really do enjoy listening to this album. Why? Well, in the end, what makes “Soft Airplane” good is its dynamism. It has something for everyone. You want a rock song? Listen to “Bare Feet on the Wet Griptape”. Murder ballad? Check out “Molten Light”, Perhaps you’re after an electronic song about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with a harmonica solo? Well “TMNT Mask” should do the trick.

There are a few songs that probably don’t measure up to the quality of the many of the others. For instance, “Old Man + The Sea” sounds just a bit too, well, engineered. Too much seems to be happening in this song and the message becomes slightly muddled. It is not that it is truly awful, but stands out like a bit of sore thumb in comparison to the quality of the songs that sit adjacent to it on the track listing (feel free to disagree with me though).

Overall, three thumbs up.

The Bell Divers - June, July

I've known of The Bell Divers for a few years. In fact, you could say that I know them more than the average punter, having lived with a former member, and played with most at least two of the five piece in our local futsal competition. These facts alone don’t bode well for an objective album review, so keep that in mind as you read. But wasn’t that nice of me? Admitting my inherent bias straight up like that? I thought so.

Well, I really do like their songs, and I really do like their album. I think many other people would too.

"June, July" is their Tim Whitten produced debut album. For those not in the know, Whitten is the man responsible for twiddling the knobs for quite a few popular Australian acts such as Powderfinger , Gaslight Radio, the Go-Betweens, and many others. Stylistically, the Bell Divers are closest to the aforementioned Go-Betweens.

"June, July" features the songwriting of Clinton Toghill, tackling a variety of subjects such as love, lust and lower middle class idiosyncrasies. "Life in a Caravan" and "I Love a Man in Jail" romanticises such subjects, with uplifting melodies weaved on top of tales of pool-table fornications.

Other songs such as "Swimming in the Flood" and "As Bad as We Can Be" retell tales of youth in a whimsical and yearning fashion, tunes that are immediately accessible to the more sentimental listener such as myself. Both of these tunes make good use of the extro (or outro or however you describe it), the former utilising a Rhodes-sounding piano over a driving drum beat, the latter featuring some great use of slide guitar which melds effortlessly into sweet meandering conclusion.

All the songs on the album are neatly structured, feature a good mix of instrumentation, and never become boring, a sign of adept song writing. For instance, "Window View" has a great mix of little melodies intersecting at straight angles, guitars, vocals and keys blending seamlessly in a way that just feels right. Furthermore, this song also features some well-penned lyrics, a staple of many Bell Divers songs.

However, the highlight of the record has to be the triumphant lead single, "Fallen Down", a gem of a tune which seems over much too soon, clocking in at a brisk one minute and forty-eight seconds.

Anyway, those are my thoughts, do yourself a favour and have a look into checking the Bell Divers debut album out. These guys (and one girl) are so nice they’re even giving their debut away via their website. However, I strongly encourage you to purchase it along with the single "Fallen Down", also available at their webernet site.

Songs You Can Listen To

Well what have I been listening too of late? Well, lots and lots of stuff.

As previously mentioned I've been diving into The Replacements 1983 magnum opus "Let It Be", I've also been casually listening to the noise-rock of No Age and their pitchfork-endorsed record "Nouns" (Yeah, its OK).

While I'm currently in the UK, I still have been listening to quite a bit of local Australian music, in particular The Bell Divers debut "June, July" which was released earlier this year. The Drones have been featuring heavily on my portable music player, particularly their great 2004 release "Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By", a seriously awesome Australian album.

Bon Iver is making a few waves round the globe, and I've been chillaxing to his record "For Emma, Forever Ago", and also Port O'Brien's most recent record "All We Could Do Was Sing".

The Replacements - Let It Be

Many people have written about The Replacement's third long-player Let It Be. I feel a bit sheepish, but I must admit, I'd never even heard of the album prior to perusing the 33 1/3 Wikipedia article (a series of books devoted to inspirational albums over the past thirty to forty years). So much for my supposed musicology credentials.
Well, times have changed. Previously, I had managed to listened to their 1987 record, "Pleased to Meet Me" (containing the great little punk-pop tune "Alex Chilton") and actually quite enjoyed it. After a few listens to "Let It Be", I have concluded that it is a superior album. Essentially it is an alternative album combining elements of early hardcore, punk and pop into what, I'm sure, was quite unique for 1983, the year in which is released.

All the songs are more than listenable. I am particularly fond of the poppy "I Will Dare" which features a great swinging bass line throughout the verses and blends comfortably with the lead vocal and lead melody as it moves into the chorus. The mellow piano driven ballad "Androgynous" sounds like the kind of song you’d hear a lounge pianist to belt out as you sit alone sipping whiskey on the rocks in the foyer of a Japanese four star hotel. The more punk flavoured tracks of "Favorite Thing" and "Tommy Gets his Tonsils Out" are great little tunes that give the record a truly diverse and dynamic feel.

In the end, is it as good as the make it out to be? I'm not quite sure. It is the kind of record I wish I had discovered when I was a teenager, when I was a bit less cynical about music. Nowadays it takes some convincing to get me signed up as an official fan, and while I do actually like the record, I don't yet consider it in the league of say "London Calling" by the Clash. While I doubt it will, don't let that comparison put you off, "Let It Be" is worthy of your hard earned cash, and gives an exciting insight into the early 1980's underground American alternative scene.