‘09, Musically Speaking
As far as I’m concerned, I am pleasantly surprised with the way things turned out in music in 2009. Part of that might have to do with the fact that I didn’t go into the year with high expectations. I went into things with a “let’s see what happens” kind of attitude, and it made for some discoveries as well as new ways to look at old favorites.
A couple of weeks ago I did a huge writeup on the old site about Steely Dan. They made up so much of my listening time this year (last.fm is the greatest) that it seems like everybody else was robbed of plays. But forget statistics and my obsessive/compulsive need to see how many times I listened to Joy Division over the last 12 months. Let’s start with my album of the year…
Glasgow's Finest
I love Franz Ferdinand, and the funny thing is that Greg does, too. We have a big overlap of musical tastes, but we are fanatical about the Scottish quartet. They are everything a good rock band should be: energetic, exciting, funny, and danceable. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is their third album, and it’s an upgrade over the first two, which were essentially one and the same. What sets Tonight apart? Greg might’ve put it best when he said, “It’s like when the Beatles did Revolver. They did a bunch of songs that were all Beatles songs, but they did something different to all of them. Each one works on its own, and they all go together really well.” So while “Turn It On” and “No You Girls” are stock rippers, they put on faux-reggae guitars for “Send Him Away” and mild synths on the second half of “Live Alone,” you still know, with or without the “I’m-more-macho-than-I-look” vocals of Alex Kapranos, that this is still FF. At least until the epic funkified second half of “Lucid Dreams,” which was the biggest surprise in all of the album’s 43 minutes, and maybe of any new music all year. It’s a shame that Spin Magazine forgot about this one in their year-end round-up. Next time these guys come around, I’m going.
In other music this year, Yeah Yeah Yeahs also did some reinventing. It’s Blitz! is a great mix of their usual loud sound, but Nick Zinner is now manipulating a synth more than his guitar at the insistence of Karen O. Unbeknownst to me, YYY recorded some of the album at Long View Farm Studios, which is literally minutes from my home. I have my own code when it comes to Long View visitors: Leave ‘em alone. They came here for a reason, and that’s to record in peace. It goes without saying that had I known, I would have abandoned this ethos on the spot and shown up every day until I got to give Karen a hug and high five Nick and Brian. The whole CD is great, but if you don’t think “Dragon Queen” is the best track, then you obviously don’t think that dance music is the direction that YYY should go.
Jack White was busy, too. But instead of starting another band in which to showcase his guitar chops, he started a band in which to show us that he’s really good at the drums, too. After joining forces with the smoldering Alison Mosshart (The Kills) and the Raconteurs’ “Little” Jack Lawrence and Dean Fertita, Jack created The Dead Weather. The result is what you’d expect: it’s bitchin’. That’s really the only word there is to describe it. Imagine combining The Kills with The Raconteurs and take Brendan Benson out of the picture. “Bitchin’” is the word you should be thinking of. (Note: Brendan is a great songwriter and singer in his own right, but there’s only so much bitchin’ness to go around.)
A couple of new acts caught my eye: for one, New Zealand’s Pip Brown emerged under the moniker of Ladyhawke, giving us some straight-outta-the-80’s tunes. Her “My Delirium” and “Paris Is Burning” are required listening. Brooklyn is constantly churning out handfuls of twee college grads at a time, but The Pains of Being Pure at Heart really caught my ear. They’re essentially The Smiths without being morose, and had they existed while I was in high school, I’d have owned a lot more sweater vests. I’ll just leave it at that.
Meanwhile, some old faves got back in the game. Pearl Jam, Wilco, and The Flaming Lips all put out great new efforts. PJ’s Backspacer is their most vital and fun (!) work in about a decade and Wilco (The Album) is just plain good. The Lips’ double-sized Embryonic is surprisingly dark and experimental. But when it comes to Wayne Coyne and company, the more experimental, the better. Long-time fans only.
Sure, there’s more, but that’s the gist of it. 2010 looks to be exciting for a guy like me: R.E.M., Radiohead, and CAKE are all working on new music right now, and The White Stripes are due for an album, too (and maybe a movie?). But it’s not only a new year to look forward to in music… it’s a new DECADE! The Aughts are over, it’s time for… Awwww, what are we gonna call this decade? We had a hard enough time naming the one we just got through! I can only assume the “Teens,” but we have to wade through three years until that’s relevant…
Let’s not worry about it for now. Just turn up the music.
