Hi.
Three years ago, Owen and I started a music blog called Liner Notes at the website HyperVocal. For various reasons - some legit, some extremely juvenile (:raises hand:), we stopped posting there in the summer of 2011. But we didn't stop listening to music.
Owen and I are music fans, obviously. We're also music omnivores, whose tastes often, but not always, overlap. Most importantly, we're friends. (Full disclo: We became acquainted while posting on a Phish message board about the Grateful Dead. And, quick plug, we're also members of the shadowy collective known as the GDC, whose website - helmed by web wiz Matthew Mulvihill, is well-worth your time.) And we email almost every day. Lately, the chains have been all about the year-end "best albums" lists, and what would make our own lists. And in the course of those convos, we decided to reboot the blog.
And that's why you're here.
I looked back at my first post on HV. It was a year-end list for 2010. What was I into back then? Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was my #1, tho Joanna Newsom's Have One on Me could've, and maybe should've, been. Looking at the rest of my Top Ten, Broken Social Scene's Forgiveness Rock Record is my retrospective #1, at least in terms of (treadmill) listens; Flying Lotus and Sleigh Bells should've been lower; and Deerhunter and Arcade Fire should've been higher. I'm still confused about whether I enjoy Sufjan Stevens, or just feel that I might. But Best Coast's debut, after so many killer singles, and Mogwai's second live record? Hellz yeah. Shrug.
I was mainly into the sound of my own ranty voice, or the sight of my own ranty words on the internet, cajoling you (or whomever read that blog) to care, all in the name of some sketchy grad law school allegiance to the French high prophets of deconstructivism and the postmodern values of connection and communication.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I still want you to care. The point then, I guess, was that music matters. And it does, but why? There's Frank Zappa’s quote, “music is the best,” voiced by the ever-wasted "girl from the bus." Sure, and fine. But “best” is too vague and too judgmental. Vague in the sense that it’s the best, compared to what? And judgmental in the sense that best connotes better than everything else. And if we’re going to get judgmental - and don’t worry, we will - I’d rather back into that.
We’re all critics. We’re all opinionated. Sometimes those opinions are negative, sometimes positive. And both are cool, except that so often those opinions are...what? Hasty? Rash? Ill- or under-considered? Basically, they’re not supported by anything other than taste - a gut-level feeling that I know what I like, and what I don’t, and so what. Well, here's what. If your response to a piece of art, whether it’s a painting or a song is either “I like it b/c I like it” or “I dislike it b/c I don’t get it,” and you’re onto the next thing, then I have a few bones to pick with you.
(A short sidenote on snobbery. I'm a snob, definitely a music snob, but I'm in sorta rehab for that. I actively want to acknowledge that I'm not an expert and that other people may or may not like records as they choose, without me rolling my eyes silently or, too-often, openly judging. That's between me and the artist, not me and the fan/non-fan. I mean, it is and it isn't. Close parens. Keep reading, please.)
Owen referenced a few records in his initial post. I’ll reference a few others. I’d guess that most of you have not heard the Body/Head (Kim Gordon of the beloved, maybe-broken-up/hopefully-just-hiatused art rockers Sonic Youth and Bill Nace) record Coming Apart. I’ve heard it exactly once. And, tbh, it’s not a pleasant listen. It’s actually pretty interesting, and definitely visceral, and I’m glad I exposed myself to such ugly sounds. I doubt I’ll revisit it, but after spending a commute with it, I have to admit that it put some things into perspective. What exactly? How about marriage?
Kim and her ex-husband, SY guitarist Thurston Moore, split after he cheated on her. SY finished their tour with an incredible show in Brazil, and the band went poof. During the last few years - actually, dating back farther, but I’ll spare you details - of SY’s history, Thurston had a lot of side projects, and most of them were inaccessible. New Yorky stuff, if that makes sense - jazz, noise, whatever. So Kim’s first music after her divorce isn’t her playing bass in a rock band, like she did for so long with Thurston, but something closer to what he was doing. Anything you can do I can do better, maybe. I don’t know. It’s certainly not coincidence that she chose that route. The fact that her record got more positive press than his record with a new band is interesting. What does that say about a woman’s role in, if not society or art in general, then avant-garde music?
I’d also guess that most of you have heard parts of Beyonce’s s/t "visual" album. I have to admit, I’ve never liked her, and still don't. She’s had some ok singles, but as a whole, I prefer her husband’s music. R&B isn’t my bag, as much as I try to keep an open mind about it. (Rap/hip-hop isn’t either, just like punk/power pop isn't Owen's. We're sorta vicey versey on those genres. And, no, I don't still live in my parents' basement.) But, on an xmas day car ride, I had the pleasure of having a convo about Bey’s new joint with a college student - a woman, a strong woman, and above all someone whose opinions on music I trust. She described some of the songs as related to the “male gaze” and everything clicked for me. I won’t lie and say that I enjoy the album more (it didn't come close to making my list), but I appreciate it in a new way. And I’ve had parts of “Flawless” in my head ever since. Thanks, JHR.
One more. Owen pegged Justin Timberlake’s two-part opus The 20/20 Experience as his #10. I didn’t enjoy nearly that much, but I did have a moment with one song. On a trip to Toronto with the love of my whole life, J, last summer for Broken Social Scene’s Field Trip music festival, she and I stumbled (I was the stumbler) out of the venue with members of a really great band and into a cab back (sadly, without them - No Bar vs. Bed Bar) to our hotel. As we talked about whether to go back out and hang with BSS’ Brendan Canning, whom we had met after sneaking backstage after the last set, we heard "Mirrors" way too loud on the cab radio. Caught in a haze of the day’s memories, and braced by the cool breeze thru the windows, I thought that was the perfect song to hear.
I still want you to care. The point then, I guess, was that music matters. And it does, but why? There's Frank Zappa’s quote, “music is the best,” voiced by the ever-wasted "girl from the bus." Sure, and fine. But “best” is too vague and too judgmental. Vague in the sense that it’s the best, compared to what? And judgmental in the sense that best connotes better than everything else. And if we’re going to get judgmental - and don’t worry, we will - I’d rather back into that.
We’re all critics. We’re all opinionated. Sometimes those opinions are negative, sometimes positive. And both are cool, except that so often those opinions are...what? Hasty? Rash? Ill- or under-considered? Basically, they’re not supported by anything other than taste - a gut-level feeling that I know what I like, and what I don’t, and so what. Well, here's what. If your response to a piece of art, whether it’s a painting or a song is either “I like it b/c I like it” or “I dislike it b/c I don’t get it,” and you’re onto the next thing, then I have a few bones to pick with you.
(A short sidenote on snobbery. I'm a snob, definitely a music snob, but I'm in sorta rehab for that. I actively want to acknowledge that I'm not an expert and that other people may or may not like records as they choose, without me rolling my eyes silently or, too-often, openly judging. That's between me and the artist, not me and the fan/non-fan. I mean, it is and it isn't. Close parens. Keep reading, please.)
Owen referenced a few records in his initial post. I’ll reference a few others. I’d guess that most of you have not heard the Body/Head (Kim Gordon of the beloved, maybe-broken-up/hopefully-just-hiatused art rockers Sonic Youth and Bill Nace) record Coming Apart. I’ve heard it exactly once. And, tbh, it’s not a pleasant listen. It’s actually pretty interesting, and definitely visceral, and I’m glad I exposed myself to such ugly sounds. I doubt I’ll revisit it, but after spending a commute with it, I have to admit that it put some things into perspective. What exactly? How about marriage?
Kim and her ex-husband, SY guitarist Thurston Moore, split after he cheated on her. SY finished their tour with an incredible show in Brazil, and the band went poof. During the last few years - actually, dating back farther, but I’ll spare you details - of SY’s history, Thurston had a lot of side projects, and most of them were inaccessible. New Yorky stuff, if that makes sense - jazz, noise, whatever. So Kim’s first music after her divorce isn’t her playing bass in a rock band, like she did for so long with Thurston, but something closer to what he was doing. Anything you can do I can do better, maybe. I don’t know. It’s certainly not coincidence that she chose that route. The fact that her record got more positive press than his record with a new band is interesting. What does that say about a woman’s role in, if not society or art in general, then avant-garde music?
I’d also guess that most of you have heard parts of Beyonce’s s/t "visual" album. I have to admit, I’ve never liked her, and still don't. She’s had some ok singles, but as a whole, I prefer her husband’s music. R&B isn’t my bag, as much as I try to keep an open mind about it. (Rap/hip-hop isn’t either, just like punk/power pop isn't Owen's. We're sorta vicey versey on those genres. And, no, I don't still live in my parents' basement.) But, on an xmas day car ride, I had the pleasure of having a convo about Bey’s new joint with a college student - a woman, a strong woman, and above all someone whose opinions on music I trust. She described some of the songs as related to the “male gaze” and everything clicked for me. I won’t lie and say that I enjoy the album more (it didn't come close to making my list), but I appreciate it in a new way. And I’ve had parts of “Flawless” in my head ever since. Thanks, JHR.
One more. Owen pegged Justin Timberlake’s two-part opus The 20/20 Experience as his #10. I didn’t enjoy nearly that much, but I did have a moment with one song. On a trip to Toronto with the love of my whole life, J, last summer for Broken Social Scene’s Field Trip music festival, she and I stumbled (I was the stumbler) out of the venue with members of a really great band and into a cab back (sadly, without them - No Bar vs. Bed Bar) to our hotel. As we talked about whether to go back out and hang with BSS’ Brendan Canning, whom we had met after sneaking backstage after the last set, we heard "Mirrors" way too loud on the cab radio. Caught in a haze of the day’s memories, and braced by the cool breeze thru the windows, I thought that was the perfect song to hear.
Back at the hotel, we decided against going back out. We ate a street vendor veggie dog and weirdly decent fries, chatted thru our collective day and individual days, washed up, turned on the same pop music station from the cab, and fell asleep happy. Overnight, I remember that song played a hundred times, almost on a loop - or maybe that was just in my head. We heard it again on the way to a Lake Ontario beach the next day, and for better or worse, it will always remind me of that trip and my relationship with J. It's seriously like she's my mirror because how I process music, and more importantly how I view myself and my world, is reflected in her - and vice versa, I hope. That’s amazing. There’s this other person, who experiences things differently, and she and I can talk about that and sometimes see and hear the world thru each others' eyes. I'm a lucky, lucky man.
So, yeah. It matters. I promise it really does - the challenging stuff and the not challenging stuff. But even the not challenging stuff isn’t easy. It’s not as easy as just plain liking it or not liking it. Or it shouldn’t be. Or - here’s the more precise way to phrase my point - I wish it wasn’t that easy, and shame on people who want us to assume it is. I wish we all had the time and attention for music as more than a soundtrack. That part’s great. But background listening doesn’t foster connections, it doesn’t bring any of us closer together. Headphones, and I’m in my zone. And you’re not. But once they come out, you’re still not there. B/c we don’t talk. And we should. Music is the best precisely b/c it's a great connector.
Owen and I talk almost every day. We talk about our families, and about football, and about music. We pay attention. We read and listen, and sometimes fight. We relisten and laugh and realize that the fight was dumb, and the music is all that matters. And we do this all for fun. At the end of almost every day, I feel more connected to him, and to the world, for our discussions.
Anyway, I’ll dismount the soapbox. More later. I just wanted to say hi. And it’s good to be back. Here’s my list. I did only a few blubs b/c everything on here is good and didn’t necessarily need a preface. Plus, Owen put me on a strict “finish before January 1" deadline.
1. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
Simply, imho, the deepest record, lyrically and musically, in five years and maybe more. An all-time classic. Fwiw, “Ya Hey” is a love song to Yahweh (“I am that I am”). “Unbelievers” is great, "Step" is greater (the image at the top is from that video), but “Hannah Hunt” is the greatest.
2. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
There’s something laudable, and almost endearing, about artists whose reach exceeds (but not by much) their grasp. This band is one of them. Wow, they annoy the piss outta me with their costumes, masks, and requests that everyone who sees them wear costumes. But the music and lyrics rarely let me down. +1 to James Muphy (LCD Soundsystem) for his excellent production.
3. Laura Marling - Once I Was an Eagle
Truly, the most beautiful record that I heard this year. The first five songs are a suite, whose themes appear throughout the rest. The “title” track chokes me up. But “Pray for Me” and "Saved These Words” do, too. This easily could’ve been #2, but for my penchant, and appreciation, for some weird Canadian vision thing.
4. Waxahatchee - Cerulean Salt
Sad, sad, sad songs that the Breeders should’ve written.
5. Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze/it’s a big world out there, and i am scared EP
Kurt’s guitar is simply amazing, and his slacker delivery of what are truly koans, win him the last spot in my top five. And the EP is of a piece. Check out “The Ghost of Freddie Roach,” which sounds a lot like his crazy-good set at Pitchfork Fest 2011.
6. Atoms for Peace - AMOK
This was my number one for a while, until Waxahatchee, then until Vampire Weekend. Then some stuff pushed it down, but not that far. I had to get a refund for my tickets to see them in Chicago because, basically, Ticketmaster sucks, and the band hate that and made it impossible to give the tickets to J and BT. That made me mad, at the band, albeit unrighteously.
7. Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Finally, an accessible Autechre record. Jk. This one freaks me out, in a good way.
8. Kanye West - Yeezus
No comment, esp re: the Bound 2 video.
9. Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe
10. The Darcys - Warring
Idk why I like this so much. Maybe it’s Danille’s voice. Maybe it’s the Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight” thing that starts “The Wire.”
12. Lorde - Pure Heroine
Her lyrics remind me of The Bling Ring, which would've been better if a New Zealand teenager were creative consultant to Sophia Coppola.
Great music to paint a bathroom to.
14.Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
15.Local Natives - Hummingbird
16.The Field - Cupid's Head
17.Okkervil River - The Silver Gymnasium
“Down Down the Deep River” is the most fascinating song of the year, imo.
18.The Knife - Shaking the Habitual
19.Superchunk - I Hate Music
20.Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus
Another Twenty That Were Really Close and on a Different Day May Have Made My List (alphabetical order):
James Blake - Overgrown
Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe
Califone - Stiches
Charli XCX - True Romance
Mikal Cronin - MCII
Cults - Static
Sky Ferriera - Night Time, My Time
Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Embassadors of Peace and Magic
Tim Hecker - Virgins
Los Campesinos! - No Blues
The Men - New Moon
Mutual Benefit - Love’s Crushing Diamond
The National - Trouble Will Find Me
Rhye - Woman
Savages - Silence Yourself
Ty Segall - Sleeper
Speedy Ortiz - Major Arcana
Washed Out - Paracosm
Yo La Tengo - Fade
Zola Jesus - Versions
EPs:
1. Best Coast - Fade Away
2. Burial - Rival Dealer
3. Andrew Bird - I Want to See Pulaski at Night
4. The Antlers - Undersea
And not surprisingly, the best show, or set, I saw this year was BSS doing You Forgot It in People at Field Trip.
Finally, if you’re not on Spotify or Rdio, you should be. iTunes Radio isn’t bad, either. (I’ll dissect all the services in a future post, once I figure them out myself.) But, fwiw, Spotify is what I use, and it’s newly free. So get there, follow me, follow my 2013 playlist, and spend some time with some music (everything on these lists, for starters, haha) that will make your life better. My next post will be a playlist of some of my fave tracks from this year.
Happy 2014!
JF
So, yeah. It matters. I promise it really does - the challenging stuff and the not challenging stuff. But even the not challenging stuff isn’t easy. It’s not as easy as just plain liking it or not liking it. Or it shouldn’t be. Or - here’s the more precise way to phrase my point - I wish it wasn’t that easy, and shame on people who want us to assume it is. I wish we all had the time and attention for music as more than a soundtrack. That part’s great. But background listening doesn’t foster connections, it doesn’t bring any of us closer together. Headphones, and I’m in my zone. And you’re not. But once they come out, you’re still not there. B/c we don’t talk. And we should. Music is the best precisely b/c it's a great connector.
Owen and I talk almost every day. We talk about our families, and about football, and about music. We pay attention. We read and listen, and sometimes fight. We relisten and laugh and realize that the fight was dumb, and the music is all that matters. And we do this all for fun. At the end of almost every day, I feel more connected to him, and to the world, for our discussions.
Anyway, I’ll dismount the soapbox. More later. I just wanted to say hi. And it’s good to be back. Here’s my list. I did only a few blubs b/c everything on here is good and didn’t necessarily need a preface. Plus, Owen put me on a strict “finish before January 1" deadline.
1. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
Simply, imho, the deepest record, lyrically and musically, in five years and maybe more. An all-time classic. Fwiw, “Ya Hey” is a love song to Yahweh (“I am that I am”). “Unbelievers” is great, "Step" is greater (the image at the top is from that video), but “Hannah Hunt” is the greatest.
2. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
There’s something laudable, and almost endearing, about artists whose reach exceeds (but not by much) their grasp. This band is one of them. Wow, they annoy the piss outta me with their costumes, masks, and requests that everyone who sees them wear costumes. But the music and lyrics rarely let me down. +1 to James Muphy (LCD Soundsystem) for his excellent production.
3. Laura Marling - Once I Was an Eagle
Truly, the most beautiful record that I heard this year. The first five songs are a suite, whose themes appear throughout the rest. The “title” track chokes me up. But “Pray for Me” and "Saved These Words” do, too. This easily could’ve been #2, but for my penchant, and appreciation, for some weird Canadian vision thing.
4. Waxahatchee - Cerulean Salt
Sad, sad, sad songs that the Breeders should’ve written.
5. Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze/it’s a big world out there, and i am scared EP
Kurt’s guitar is simply amazing, and his slacker delivery of what are truly koans, win him the last spot in my top five. And the EP is of a piece. Check out “The Ghost of Freddie Roach,” which sounds a lot like his crazy-good set at Pitchfork Fest 2011.
6. Atoms for Peace - AMOK
This was my number one for a while, until Waxahatchee, then until Vampire Weekend. Then some stuff pushed it down, but not that far. I had to get a refund for my tickets to see them in Chicago because, basically, Ticketmaster sucks, and the band hate that and made it impossible to give the tickets to J and BT. That made me mad, at the band, albeit unrighteously.
7. Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Finally, an accessible Autechre record. Jk. This one freaks me out, in a good way.
8. Kanye West - Yeezus
No comment, esp re: the Bound 2 video.
9. Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe
10. The Darcys - Warring
I wanted to put this higher. It’s art-rock, and it’s so good. "Hunting" at 1:17, and "Horses Fell." Yeah.
11. Haim - Days Are Gone
Idk why I like this so much. Maybe it’s Danille’s voice. Maybe it’s the Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight” thing that starts “The Wire.”
12. Lorde - Pure Heroine
Her lyrics remind me of The Bling Ring, which would've been better if a New Zealand teenager were creative consultant to Sophia Coppola.
13.Colleen Green - Sock It to Me
Great music to paint a bathroom to.
14.Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
15.Local Natives - Hummingbird
16.The Field - Cupid's Head
17.Okkervil River - The Silver Gymnasium
“Down Down the Deep River” is the most fascinating song of the year, imo.
18.The Knife - Shaking the Habitual
19.Superchunk - I Hate Music
20.Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus
Another Twenty That Were Really Close and on a Different Day May Have Made My List (alphabetical order):
James Blake - Overgrown
Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe
Califone - Stiches
Charli XCX - True Romance
Mikal Cronin - MCII
Cults - Static
Sky Ferriera - Night Time, My Time
Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Embassadors of Peace and Magic
Tim Hecker - Virgins
Los Campesinos! - No Blues
The Men - New Moon
Mutual Benefit - Love’s Crushing Diamond
The National - Trouble Will Find Me
Rhye - Woman
Savages - Silence Yourself
Ty Segall - Sleeper
Speedy Ortiz - Major Arcana
Washed Out - Paracosm
Yo La Tengo - Fade
Zola Jesus - Versions
EPs:
1. Best Coast - Fade Away
2. Burial - Rival Dealer
3. Andrew Bird - I Want to See Pulaski at Night
4. The Antlers - Undersea
And not surprisingly, the best show, or set, I saw this year was BSS doing You Forgot It in People at Field Trip.
Finally, if you’re not on Spotify or Rdio, you should be. iTunes Radio isn’t bad, either. (I’ll dissect all the services in a future post, once I figure them out myself.) But, fwiw, Spotify is what I use, and it’s newly free. So get there, follow me, follow my 2013 playlist, and spend some time with some music (everything on these lists, for starters, haha) that will make your life better. My next post will be a playlist of some of my fave tracks from this year.
Happy 2014!
JF
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