My Favorite Music Of 2015

It's December 29th and I haven't started one round up 2015 post yet. Normally I look forward to theses posts all year long. I've found myself consuming music with the idea that at the end of the year I will rank these things because making lists is fun. But, I'm finding it hard to rank music these day. Maybe it's because, as a musician, being ranked is weird. And not being ranked at all can make me a little sad. Feel forgotten. Maybe it's because I personally know a lot of people who made albums this year that I really enjoyed and it feels weird to not have them on the list because there were 10 others that maybe I listened to a little bit more. Or maybe it's because there were only two albums that I really really fell head over heels for and the rest of the rankings seem kind like kind of a random grouping of things I listened to a little more than others.

But is also too much fun to read these years later and see what has still held up and what might have changed. So all that said...here is my favorite music of 2015.

FAVORITE ALBUMS

Girlpool: Before the World Was Big
I kept hearing about this band around SXSW time. Based on the basic descriptions I was catching, I envisioned a very loud, punk, screaming group - but they are so far from that. I have nothing against the previous description. I enjoy a lot of bands with that vibe. But I just found Girlpool so simplisticly refreshing. Only an electric guitar, bass, and two vocals in wonderful harmony singing songs about swimming in Seattle and childhood. They very much remind of The Murmurs, whom I loved back in the day. The plucky, staccato guitar riffs move along with the duo vocals perfectly. Sometimes the guitars are a little out of tune, but for whatever reason, that's okay. It's all the more endearing. This is just an album that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside - and it's great to sing along to. And that's all I ever ask.

Top Three Tracks: "Crowded Stranger", "Chinatown", "Cherry Picking"

Gramma's Boyfriend: PERM
Fronted by the fabulous Haley Bonar, Gramma's Boyfriend is a fun fun fun band. This album is full of danceable, new wave-esque, sometimes silly, sometimes pretty, always excellent numbers. Opener "Down in a Bucket" immediately hooks you with it's Go Team Go sports arena style guitars and synths and the rest of the album continues with hip-moving bass lines and crazy guitars. There's a lot of really great guitar stuff going on throughout. All of this is fronted by Haley's awesomely manic vocals. The band - a side project for nearly all members - claims it's not something they take seriously. Maybe this is a life lesson we should all grab hold of, because this is a great album. You can't not dance to it.

Top Three Tracks: "Little Lightening:, "Forgiven", "I Forgot!"

Erykah Badu: But You Cain't Use My Phone
Why do I always forget the greatness that is Erykah Badu? This album - or mix tape, as it's called - was released unexpectedly late December and it is just so...cool. She is so cool. She might be the coolest. I've always loved her, but my album buying of hers never went past her debut Baduizm (which I LOVE) for whatever reason. But after getting this, I picked up another album of hers and she is all I want to listen to all the time now. Seriously, cool. The songs on this album all bleed into one another and mix and revolve around the topic of phones and communication and how we relate to each other. The album title comes from her song "Tyrone" which you must hear if you've never heard it. (Find it HERE).

Top Three Tracks: "Hello", "Cel U Lar Device", "Phone Down"

Rank Strangers: Lady President, Ringtones, The Box (Trilogy)
I feel I have been waiting for far too long for new Rank Strangers. I see them play all the time and they've had so many new songs for so long that I knew all the words to just from seeing them played live so often. I would always ask when to expect a new album and I was always told they were working on something...and that something turns out to be a trilogy of albums. It's oodles of Rank Strangers songs that I've loved for so long in three beautiful packages. I'm so happy to finally have these songs available to listen to when I want. And all of these other songs that they don't play live that are newly discovered. Rank Strangers make great rock music. Check'em out.

Top Three Tracks on each album:
Lady President: "The Children of the Czar", "Ivan After 5", "When the Pendulum Swings"
Ringtones: "As the World Turns", "Dust and Glue", "Destroy She Says"
The Box: "The Never Never", "King James", "The Empire of Dresses"

Joanna Newsom: Divers
Beautiful. Classical. Whimsical (though I hate to fall into that trap of describing her sound that way). Wordy. Joanna Newsom tells full epic novels in her songs, along with the occasional heart-wrentching love song, that will leave you breathless. I listen to her and I have no idea how anyone even begins to construct a song the way she does. And then there's the harp - her instrument of choice when she's not behind the piano. I watch her play the harp and listen to the sounds and it blows my mind. She is a truly gifted artist. There is no one else like her. I feel like she really is the only musician who can say that. Oddly, tho, like her previous album Have One On Me, it's her use of percussion that draws me on. It's used like a melodic instrument. Not just something to keep the beat. It feels as much a part of the song as the piano or vocal. It has feeling. It has heart. Her music is not for everyone - and I don't mean that in a snobby way. There's usually not much for hooks and her voice is one of those you either love or hate. And did I mention the harp? But once you sit with her albums and really soak them in, you can't help but fall in love.

Top Three Tracks: "Time As A Symptom", "Goose Eggs", "The Things I Say"

Wilco: Star Wars
 Another album that just sort of dropped out of the sky. Wilco released this album unexpectedly and for free. I enjoy Wilco quite a bit, but I'm not someone who runs out the second they release something to buy it. But this was free, so I got it right away. The title has nothing to do with the movie, btw. The songs all have a general sound and vibe to them. It's a rock record. but a laid-back, dad-rock kinda rock record. The fuzzed-out electric guitar that appears on nearly every track brings a cohesive-ness and coolness to the album. It's an album that I can't quite pin-point exactly why I like it so much, I just do. I guess, it's just a collection of good songs.

Top Three Tracks: "Where Do I Begin?", "The Joke Explained", "Taste the Ceiling"

Beach House: Depression Cherry
Depression Cherry was released in August and then, as was the trend this year, they released another album, Thank Your Lucky Stars, unexpectedly in October. Both are very similar albums. Beach House don't tend to stray too far from their signature sound. And that's fine. Because they are really good at it. Dreamy, ethereal, pop. This album was a constant for me when I was recovering from my surgery. It will always be tied to that time of my life. I find their music to be very soothing. You drift off in it. Grab a glass of wine and put it on.

Top Three Tracks: "Space Song", "PPP", "Wildflower"

Erica Russo: In Between Dreams
Erica Russo is such a weird artist for me. Not because of anything to do with her. Just because I never would know who she was if she didn't contact me out of nowhere and asked me to play a show with her as she traveled through Minneapolis on her tour. She's out of New York and doing well for herself, but the randomness of my connection to her is something I find interesting. I think she's fantastic. Her way with lyrics is special. I'd liken her to another favorite lyricist of mine, Anais Mitchell. She made this album completely on her own. Playing all the instruments, handling the recording. It feels very drawn from within. It's a bit eerie. It's another one that was with me a lot while I was recovering from surgery.

Top Three Tracks: "Dreamcatcher", "Barnacle", "So Tired"

Murder Shoes: Daydreaming
I hate to use the term 'local band" as that implies that they are trapped within the city they are from. And I don't think that's the case with Murder Shoes. I first heard them when our songs from our new albums were debuted on The Current's Local Show the same night. I really liked them and asked them to join me for a show some time. They ended up playing my residency at the 331 Club. If you remember that song "Sometime, Always" from the 90s - a duet between Hope Scandoval of Mazzy Star and The Jesus and Mary Chain, then you know what Murder Shoes sounds like. Fuzzed out dream pop. They also have a lot of humor in their songs, like in "Reefer and Pizza" and "Girls Named Benji". I was listening to this the other night again and wondered how this could not make my Top 10. So here it is.

Top Three Tracks: "Girls Named Benji", "So What May", "Can You Sea Me?"

Matt Latterell: Phase & Field
Beautiful album driven by complex songwriting that speaks to your soul. Matt puts it all out there when he sings and with his words, leaving nothing behind. The songs surprise you. What may at first seem to be a nice little acoustic ditty can suddenly take a turn into completely unexpected territory.

Top Three Tracks: "And I'll Never Let You Go", "Two Tornados", "Surprise Inspection"

Beirut: No No No
Another modern-day classical album. Beirut's lead singer/songwriter's main instruments are the trumpet and ukulele. So already how can I not love it? It's a bit orchestral. A bit baroque. I imagine puffy sleeves and rosy red checks and powdered wigs tip-toe dancing through a ballroom when I listen to this album. It's elegant. Another one to go with that glass of wine (or bottle).

Top Three Tracks: "So Allowed", "At Once", "August Holland"




ALL THE REST:
EL VY: Return to the Moon, Strange Relations: Centrism, Blur: The Magic Whip, Mary Bue: Holy Bones, Fury Things: VHS, Katy Vernon: Present, The Juliana Hatfield Three: Whatever My Love

FAVORITE SONGS:
(not featured on the favorite albums listed above)

Belle and Sebastian: "Nobody's Empire"


Catbath: "Ta Da"


Lizzo: "BGSW"


Noel Gallagher: "Do the Damage"


EL VY: "Paul Is Alive"


Zoo Animal: "Delicate"


SOAK: "Sea Creatures"


My Morning Jacket: "Get the Point"


Beach House: "Somewhere Tonight"


Oh, yeah...also, I released an album in 2015. Reactor. Listen below.

And then I released an EP just for the fun of it. You can listen to that below, too.

Looking forward to all of the music that is coming out in 2016 - including maybe new stuff from me, too? Maybe? Hmmmm....

It's Something Unknown That Drives You And Carries You Home

There was a time when you couldn't just look things up on the internet to get an answer. You had to work for those answers. Somethings, you never found out. Others, you stumbled on. But generally if you really wanted to find something out, you had to do some work to get the answer.

There was also a time when I really loved Guns N' Roses (don't worry, this all ties together). They were my everything. I bought the albums, t-shirts, posters...all of it. I also bought their double VHS release of their Use Your Illusion tour shows in Japan. 3 hours of early 90s rock excess. They were great.

In the middle of the show, before a certain song that I don't remember, Axl sang a bit of a song by another artist and it always stuck with me:

sail away sweet sister
sail across the sea
maybe you'll find somebody 
that loves you half as much as me
my heart is always with you
no matter what you do 
so sail away sweet sister
i'll always be in love with you

I don't know. I just liked it. And it was a nice, sweet, quiet Axl moment. And I liked Axl.

I knew it wasn't from a Guns N' Roses song and I didn't recognize it from anywhere else. He didn't say where it was from and it wasn't credited anywhere on the packaging.

But I knew it had to come from somewhere. But I had no way of knowing where.

I could do what one did back then: call radio stations or walk up to record store employees and sing the lyrics and hope they recognize it and tell me what it is.

But who's going to actually do that?

So I just went through life not knowing, but always keeping my ear out.

And then a few weeks ago I was listening to the radio and there it was. Those words. Out of the blue. Over 20 years later.

It's Queen.



I'm also a huge fan of Queen and have been since my Guns N' Roses days. I could probably credit being introduced to them via Axl Rose and his love for them - and also Wayne's World. But I don't have their entire discography. If only I would have picked up all of their albums years before...

...but that wasn't the first or the last time that had happened.

Keeping with the Queen theme, after Freddie Mercury died, a big benefit concert happened that EVERYONE played at - Guns N' Roses included. Their performance is still one of my favorite videos:



But anyway...

Robert Plant came out to sing some Led Zepplin songs. I was pretty young and hadn't fully been introduced to Led Zepplin at this time, except for the songs I'd hear on the classic rock station KQ92. But Robert Plant performed a song that I sure thought was pretty:

if the sun refused to shine
i would still be loving you
when mountains crumble to the sea
there will still be you and me

I now know this song as "Thank You". BUT, there was a typo or exclusion on the back of the VHS copy of this concert that was released (that I of course purchased). It said it was "Kashmir" - which is an entirely very different song on an entirely different album.

"Kashmir"


"Thank You"


So I went to the record store (because back then you couldn't preview the album ahead of time) and bought the album Physical Graffiti because "Kashmir" was on it. Oh, and I bought it on cassette.

I rushed home and placed the cassette in the tape player, so excited to hear the pretty song. I started to fast forward the tape as "Kashmir" was towards the end and at that moment, it was all I wanted to hear. I fast forwarded, rewound, let it play a bit...but nothing. The song that I knew as "Kashmir" was nowhere to be found. I was so confused. And disappointed.

Every once in a while I would try to find it on the tape again, but - obviously - I never could. Physical Graffiti just ended up collecting dust at the bottom of my tape collection.

Sorry, Physical Graffiti.

I don't even know when I discovered it was the wrong song. Obviously I did eventually. But oh the time wasted hitting fast forward and rewind on repeat trying to find that little song.

But the first song that left me searching for years was "Run for the Roses" by Dan Fogelberg.





When I was 7, 8, 9 years old,  I used to listen to the radio at night to fall asleep. My station of choice for this was Lite FM WLTE. WLTE consisted of mostly big ballads and soft rock. There was a lot of Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Gloria Estefan...that sort of thing.

And there was Dan Fogelberg and "Run for the Roses" (and his song "Leader of the Band" which is also awesome but not the subject right now).

"Run for the Roses" is a song about horses and the Kentucky Derby. As a young girl who loved horses, it was the Best. Song. Ever. But I was very young and never payed attention to the DJ breaks when they would announce what they just played - and I only ever caught the song by chance, usually while lying in bed trying to fall asleep. But I loved it so and I would get so happy when it would come on.

It wasn't until years later when I was in my teens and I started buying albums on my own that I thought to look for this song. It became an obsession.  I had guessed the song was called "Run for the Roses" or something along those lines and I knew it was a soft rock 70s or 80s male singer/songwriter. So I would spend time reading the tracklistings on the backs of records by the likes of John Denver, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Kriss Kristofferson...anyone that came to mind.

Dan Fogelberg never came to mind.

And then, one day, I had stayed over at a friend's house. I took a shower the next morning. In the bathroom they had a stereo. Her mom liked to listen to music while she took baths. Next to the stereo was a CD. A Dan Fogelberg's Greatest Hits CD. I picked it up just out of random curiosity and flipped the case over to see if I recognized anything by this guy.

And there it was..."Run for the Roses".

I nearly screamed with excitement. All that time searching and there it was.

The funny thing is, after all the time, it was still a while before I picked up the song. I was just so relieved to finally know what it was. It wasn't until my later teens when I started picking up vinyl that I grabbed this greatest hits collection on vinyl and discovered the 70s/80s soft rock awesomeness that is Dan Fogelberg. I was also thrilled to learn he also sang "Leader of the Band". And then, of course, once iTunes came around, it was an early download for me.

Just look at his awesomeness.

Needless to say, I am thankful for the internet and it's easy access to information. I will never be lost wondering what song I just heard. A quick lyric search of one or two lines gets me the info I need. But I do miss some of those discussions we all used to have - trying to remember the theme songs to TV shows - that sort of thing. Now it's all just a click away.

I'm going to stop now before I sound too old.

My Favorite Music Of 2014

This has been an interesting year for music for me. I bought A LOT of albums this year and it made narrowing it down to 10 albums quite difficult. As always, there were the obvious favorites, the albums that never left my side all year long (or at least from the time they were released). Then there were the ones that came out later in the year and so have not had the chance to fully engross themselves into my life. There were also plenty of surprises and some disappointments along the way.

So with that, here are my favorite albums from 2014:

1. Alpha Consumer: Meat
80% Devo and 20% Ryan Adams alt-country stylings, Meat mixes some amazing weirdness with the right amount of heart and a major dose of musicianship that makes this album one of the most fun albums that, really, I've ever heard. From the first notes of "Miss Positron", I was hooked. The head starts bopping and the fingers and feet start tapping. The album slides from fuzzed out guitar rock ("Brain Doctor"), to 80s New Wave danceable numbers ("The Eat"), to oddly sweet country ballads ("You Ain't Alone") with out ever feeling like a song doesn't belong.

Top Three Tracks: "Miss Positron", "You Ain't Alone", "Cry Bullets"

2. Haley Bonar: Last War
Haley is back again with another brilliant album of exceptionally crafted songs. I still stand by it: I don't think it's possible for her to write a bad song. Last War sonically has a bit more grit to it than previous albums with songs like "No Sensitive Man", "Woke Up in My Future", and the title track barreling through with electric guitars and spitting vocals. But her softer side still comes through on "From a Cage" (which features Bon Iver's Justin Vernon on backing vocals) and the hauntingly beautiful album closer "Eat for Free". A stunning album and a perfect next step in her discography.

Top Three Tracks: "Eat for Free", "Last War", "From a Cage"

3. Sylvan Esso: Sylvan Esso
It was their live show that did it for me. I heard the song "Coffee" and liked it enough to pick up the album. Every time my iPod would shuffle onto a song from the album, it would catch my ears and I'd find myself paying more and more attention. But their live show was outstanding and made me completely fall in love with them. That's quite an accomplishment for a band that consists of a singer and a guy hunched over a computer and mixing board. The beats are great and Amelia Meath's vocals and lyrics are perfectly charming.

Top Three Tracks: "H.S.K.T", "Dress", "Play It Right"

4. S: Cool Choices
This album is probably the biggest surprise of the bunch to make the list because I had never hard of this artist until a couple of weeks ago. I was in the car listening to Radio K and her song "Brunch" was playing and I instantly fell in love with it, got home, looked her up online, gave the the samples from the rest of the album a listen, downloaded it, and immediately went to all of her social media things and liked them all. It's a mix of cool guitar driven tracks and simply beautiful piano ballads led by biting and humorous and painfully honest lyrics that take me back to the early days of Juliana Hatfield. Really excited about this artist and I'm eager to pick up her earlier albums once I've fully given Cool Choices the attention it deserves.

Top Three Tracks: "Losers", "Brunch","Remember Love"

5. Ani Difranco: Allergic To Water
Ani has a new album out, so Ani makes the list. I don't mean for that to sound like the album doesn't deserve it on its own, because it does. It's just that I always love an Ani Difranco album so it's no surprise it made it. Allergic To Water might be the most cohesive album of Ani's in years. She completely took the reigns again on this one and she really needs to do that more often. Her guitar is back out front. The album has a flow and feel to it that has been lacking on her last couple of albums. She said she mixed this album through headphones while her newborn baby slept and you can tell as the album has a quietness to it, even on the more rocking tracks like "Dithering" and "Genie", as if she's decided to whisper you her thoughts this time. The lyrics are grown-up Ani. She's married, settled down, with kids and that's what she reflects on these days. But she does it in that Ani way like on the truthfully funny "Harder Than It Needs to Be".  It just feels like she knew exactly what she wanted out of this album and that's what she got - and it works.

Top Three Tracks: "Allergic to Water", "Harder Than It Needs to Be", "Dithering"

6. Sharon Van Etten: Are We There?
A much more subdued, yet way more raw album than her previous release Tramp, Are We There? is filled with beautiful piano ballads that showcase Sharon's gorgeous vocals. It's a break-up album that feels like it was created right at the breaking point. There's less looking back and reflection and more calling out and realization. I mean, with songs called "Your Love Is Killing Me", "I Love You But I'm Lost", and "Nothing Will Change", it's an album where hope has pretty much sailed. But even with all of that, it never feels like its wallowing. The songs are powerful. They have a statement to make.

Top Three Tracks: "Every Time the Sun Comes Up", "Afraid of Nothing", "Tarifa"

7. Leonard Cohen: Popular Problems 
At 80 years old, Leonard Cohen is still kickin' it and kickin' it well. He's truly a poet so age was never going to get in his way. He's not making rock songs that require him to strut around on stage in leather pants. He writes sonnets. After all this time, he still finds intriguing ways to look at things. Of course, maybe that great insight comes with age. His wonderful back up singers are still there and possibly a little more up front to smooth out Leonard's elder grumble. Their harmonies and his words are laid out over simple grooves. It's a very chill record.

Top Three Tracks: "Did I Ever Love You?", "Almost Like the Blues", "You Got Me Singing"

8. Southside Desire: Southside Desire
Soulful, groovy, smart, fun. Southside Desire has always gone beyond their excellent rhythms and amazing harmonies. Lead singer Marvel writes some of the best lyrics. There is a lot to really listen to on this album...and you can do it all while dancing and singing along to those awesome vocal arrangements.

Top Three Tracks: "Missing", "Make or Break", "Double Dutch/Recognize"

9. J Mascis: Tied To A Star
Another surprise entry on this list. I've never been much of a Dinosaur, Jr. fan - I liked the one song they had as a hit in the 90s ("Feel the Pain"), but that was about it. I certainly never explored his early works. But I scored some tickets to his show at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts back in October and he completely won me over. I picked up this album AND a show poster at the show. I think his voice just really suits these laid back, mostly acoustic numbers. He has an interesting voice and it stands out so much more. The guitar work is great (which is something he's known for anyway). It's just a very charming, quiet little album.

Top Three Tracks: "Every Morning", "And Then", "Come Down"

10. Mimicking Birds: Eons
Mimicking Birds came back this year with another album full of interstellar, evolution via alien origins, sci-fi, introspective thought provoking songs - and if those themes don't interest you, then you will still most likely enjoy the intricate guitar, subtle harmonines and just total chill out vibe. Light the candles, grab a glass of wine, and just...listen.

Top Three Tracks: "Bloodlines", "Owl Hoots", "Wormholes"



Honorable Mentions:
I really try to keep my favorite list to just 10 albums, so these are the ones that just missed the cut (in no particular order):

Jenny Lewis: The Voyager (Really wanted to love this album, but I just don't. But I LOVE the songs "Head Underwater" and "The Voyager". Like LOVE LOVE LOVE them. But that does not a favorite album make.)
Wye Oak: Shriek
The Eels: The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett
We Are The Willows: Picture (Portrait)
Graveyard Club: Nightingale
Sun Gods to Gamma Rays: A Ghost to Find
Erica Russo and The Good Sport: Split EP
Taylor Swift: 1989

Additional Mentions:
These are albums that I felt like I'd have to put a disclaimer by if I included them in the Top 10, so I'm just going to put them here - though they could have easily made the Top 10.

Beyonce: Beyonce
Disclaimer Reason: Technically this album came out mid-December of last year, but it was a surprise release so I (and everyone else) had already put out their best of 2013 lists. It wasn't fair. Because this album has not left my iPod since it was released and would definitely be my #1 album of 2014 - if it was actually released this year.

Anais Mitchell: Xoa
Disclaimer Reason: This is kind of a compilation album. Anais re-recorded a bunch of previously released songs and then mixed in some new/unreleased tracks. It's a beautiful record and these solo, raw takes on some of these older songs are definitely preferred over the originals.

Rank Strangers: I Am Thinking About You
Disclaimer Reason: Not an actual release - but a teaser release of the trilogy of albums they are releasing next year. This album has 3 songs from each of the 3 albums - just enough to leave us wanting more.

She and Him: Classics
Disclaimer Reason: It's a cover song album and it seems weird for it to be a part of the best of list for that reason. But they are delightful covers and it's a great album for this time of year.








Favorite Songs:
Here's some songs that I loved that are not off of one of the Top 10 albums.

Jenny Lewis: "Head Underwater"


Lizzo and Caroline Smith: "Let 'Em Say:


Taylor Swift: "Shake It Off"


Future Islands: "Seasons (Waiting on You)"


Beyonce: "***Flawless"


Wye Oak: "Before"



We Are The Willows: "Dear Ms. Branstner"


Erica Russo and The Good Sport: "Roller Coaster"

On Anais Mitchell, The National, Music, And Memories

Last weekend I had one of my drink a lot of beer and listen to music really loud solo sing along nights. Just me and my beer, hanging out in the living room with the iPod, letting it shuffle its way around my emotions.

Amongst songs by Cloud Cult, Feist, The XX, and many others, came Anais Mitchell...who I adore.

Anais tells stories with her songs. She sets up scenes and players with words in a way that I can only compare to Paul Simon. She is a stellar songwriter and her voice gets you right where it wants to.

Back in September 2011, I went to see Ani Difranco perform at the Pantages Theater with Anais Mitchell opening (I've written about this show before). I was already a fan of Anais's, but had never seen her perform. I was excited for this show and then anxious because the day before my beloved dog Murray died and Anais has a song called "Changer" that just about rips me apart and makes me think of how I felt the day we put him down and I was terrified she would play it and I would burst into a bubble of uncontrollable sobs right there in theater.

I still can't listen to that song - I can't even read the lyrics - without crying. Just tried. Had to stop.

But she didn't play it. Instead she played her song "Shepherd".  "Shepherd" tells the story of  a farmer working hard to bring in the harvest while a storm moves in at the same time his wife is going into labor and (SPOILER ALERT) she and the baby die.

This song was unreleased at the time and I had never heard it before but the story sucked me in. I knew it wasn't going to end well and I sat on the edge of my seat and when it got to the conclusion, the tears were streaming and I didn't care. It was what I needed.

Music. Immediate. Connecting.

After the show, Anais was out in the lobby at the merch table chatting with people and signing items and all I wanted to do was run up to her and gush and thank her and tell her about my dog and my grief and how her performance moved me and helped me.

But then I thought that would be weird.

So I just went up to her and told her I really enjoyed her set and thanked her for playing...all the while holding back tears. I'm sure I looked like a frightful mess of a person.

I have an easier time listening to this song than "Changer". But still, every time I hear it - whether it's drunken nights in my living room or while playing her album Young Man in America in the car on the way to work - it still brings me right back to that day in September with my still fresh grieving wounds. And the story still makes me cry. And I'm still so thankful for her songs and just music in general for always being there for me.



...........................................

Similarly, about a month ago, I was going through a rough patch. A bad one. Real bad. And one day I just had to get away. So I got in the car and drove around the metro for a couple of hours - finding back roads in the cities I had no idea existed. I didn't have much to listen to in the car at the time that fit my mood. My mix of fun pop songs wasn't going to cut it. But I had The National's Trouble Will Find Me - an album that I extremely disliked when I first got it...and I'm a big fan of The National. It was slow, repetitive. Just didn't excite me.

But I put it in the CD player because it was there and it wasn't Miley Cyrus or Tiffany. And holy shit did that album hit me like a fucking truck. Every single line was exactly my brain at that moment. I don't think I've ever felt more connect to a collection of songs at one moment in time than at that moment. I wanted to keep driving and listening to it on repeat until I was somewhere far, far away. But it also made me want to go back because it made me feel like I wasn't crazy and these emotions were real and felt by others and I shouldn't feel silly about having them.

Music. Immediate. Connecting.

Things I Love Right Now

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning and everything I encounter is making me grumpier so I thought that this would be a good time to take a look at the things that I am actually enjoying right now - the things that are making me happy.

Focus on the positive, right?

1. My New Winter Coat
I finally got a winter coat a few weeks ago. I live in Minnesota and I haven't had a winter coat in two years. It is wonderful. It's from Old Navy - so it probably won't last past this winter - but it was only $40 so that's cool. It really is super warm and exactly what I wanted/needed.

2. Mazzy Star
Oh, it's been so nice to reacquaint myself with Mazzy Star again after seeing their show last month. They opened the show with the song "Look on Down From the Bridge" off of Among My Swan, which is an album I never got around to picking up back in the day, but this song is just lovely. Also, the first track off the new album, Seasons of Your Day, is pretty much the kind of song that I want to make a whole album of. Love it.


 
3. Trailers for the Return of My Two Favorite Shows Were Released
Facing the beginning of winter and knowing that there are still 6 months of this crap to go and you already can't stand it and feel like you're going crazy is difficult for everybody. So you have to try to find things that help you get through it. For me, I am super excited that January brings the return of both Community and Sherlock. I AM SO EXCITED!!! Also, Downton Abbey returns, and I will watch that, too, but with a bit less enthusiasm.

Anyway, it's obvious that the only way for Community to continue is to do what they are doing with Jeff Winger, though I can't imagine how the rest of the gang factors in.

As for Sherlock, the first 3 weeks of January are going to be so difficult as the show returns in the UK on New Year's Day and everyone will know the answer to the big cliffhanger from the last season (that was 2 years ago!!!) and I will have to stay off the internet so as not to be spoiled. Sigh. Stupid internet.

 

4. My Husband's Awesome Cooking
My husband has taken up cooking and baking and he is very good at it and I am very lucky. He's started making banana bread and corn bread (two of my favorites) almost on a weekly basis. Last weekend he made eggplant lasagna and it was delicious! This weekend he is going to make a homemade pizza. I am excited for all of the foods to come.

Why Is This Song So Good???

Ugh. I have loved it so much for so long now.

Lyric Of The Day

I put in my Cloud Cult mix for my commute in this morning. I should really just listen to them every morning. Such positivity in every song. It's an instant good mood.

This song struck me particularly...as it always does. And I think the whole song needs to be the Lyric of the Day:

"today is a good day to flex the muscles of the weary
a miracle is a miracle even when it's ordinary
we will walk on the water even though it seems scary
if someone will show us the way

i shook hands with the man who honestly thinks he's
the grandson of Jesus with the penchant for pinches
he served us communion of cola and twinkies
guess everyone has their own view

he stood on his soap box and told us a parable
of a man with eyeglasses so small they're unwearable
and the moral of the story is it all looks terrible
depending on what you look through, what you look through

he said "do unto yourself as you do unto your neighbour
it's not an eye for an eye it's a favor for a favor
and it's okay if this world had a billion saviors
'cause there's so many things to be saved

take my words with a boulder of salt
or blame it on your devil
always the scapegoats fault
we all point fingers when it comes to a halt
can somebody show us the way, show us the way..."

-from "The Story of the Grandson of Jesus" by Cloud Cult

Let Go Of Your Weather Balloon

Been feeling a little melancholy these past couple of days. I could probably blame it on this sudden change in weather. And I will as I am generally pretty happy these days. More so than I have been in a long time. So that's nice. It's been raining on and off this week and it hasn't done that in a while, so I'm sure that's all it is.

But I've been thinking back on such random things like past pieces of clothing that I owned and miss and wish I still possessed. So silly to long for clothing of days gone by, but I liked those clothes.

I've been having dreams upon dreams upon dreams lately, too. Every night just massive amounts of one dream to the next - and they are never all that interesting. Just random happenings filled with random people that I haven't spoken to in a long time. I'm sure that's adding to the melancholy.

I also haven't seen (or spoken) to my dad in a while and that just heaps on the guilt. I finally got a hold of him last night and sat on the phone for about 5 minutes, neither of us with anything to say. But he's difficult to chat with on the phone, so that's nothing new.

But, overall, things are on the up side lately and that makes everything a little easier.

I'm looking forward to a fun week next week filled with live music nearly every night, including a show of my own on Wednesday.

Busy times ahead over the next couple of months. This weekend I'll look to relax before the craziness begins.

For now, I'll leave you with this song. It's another one of those songs that, beyond just being a beautiful song, completely bowls me over. Like, I can't do anything while it plays. I don't know why or what makes it so different than other beautiful songs. But it just has that thing.

Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville

It’s all over my Facebook page today that Liz Phair’s debut album Exile in Guyville is 20 years old this year. I don’t know if today is the anniversary of the release date or something (and I’m too lazy to look it up), but either way, it’s been out 20 years – and that’s a long time.

I still recall the first time hearing this album. My friend/niece Kimi and I were hanging out at her place doing absolutely nothing and she excitedly put the CD in after getting it from….somewhere. Not sure. She said that I would love it. That it was us. Our lives. Which, looking back, we were awfully young to consider these songs the soundtrack to our lives.  And no matter how early we were at blooming, still. I had never had a “Soap Star Joe”, for example. But I did have male friends who left suspicious things in the sink. For reals. Literally. And when I heard that, I was sold. OH MY GOD. This woman knows everything.

One after another I found a piece or a line from each song that completely and totally resonated with me and my burgeoning womanhood.  How did this woman so perfectly articulate what it’s like to be me???

Each song came from such a strong viewpoint, but most of them are not necessarily about girl empowerment. More just about recognizing the situation and dealing with it. With her deep alto voice, she gives off a sense of strength while at the same time, an underlying  vulnerability and sadness.

She tapped into an honesty that was not at the forefront of any female artist that I can think of at the time. Most women, even when singing about these very topics, over poeticized and decorated everything in metaphor. Liz put it out there, front and center. These are the events that happened. These are the words that were said. (The only other similar album I can think of is Janis Ian’s Between the Lines. One of my all-time favorites – though it is a bit more on the sappy overly dramatic side. It is a BLAST to sing along to when you’re drinking alone. Also that link goes to a listening page on her website. Enjoy!)

On the musicianship side of things, I’ve always been so frustrated because I want to learn to play these songs, but the chords she uses are so strange and my fingers just don’t do those things that there are very few that I can genuinely play in an unaltered way.

I cannot imagine what it would be like to have written such a defining, important album. And then the pressure while writing your next one – which I LOVE Whip-Smart, by the way. It’s not Exile in Guyville, and it shouldn’t be. But the songs are just as smart and engaging.

I had an idea last year to ask local female musicians to submit a cover of a song from Exile in Guyville to put together for a tribute album…but I never got around to doing. I spoke to someone who did this last year for Magnetic Fields’ 69 Love Songs album and he told me what an undertaking it was. I just didn’t have the time for it then. But it’s still something I’d like to try. And if I would have realized the 20 year anniversary was this year, I totally would have tried harder to make it happen.

This album means a lot to me and it still holds up today. It’s a classic. Getting past all of the “Fuck and Run” and “Flower” type songs (which are awesome), it’s way more than what it appears like on paper. It’s just a really good album from beginning to end. Which is a big task for an album with 18 songs. Not a single dud to be found.

I’m trying to think if there is any way I could choose my Top 3 tracks from this album….I don’t think it’s possible. Maybe “Divorce Song” would be #1.  That could change tomorrow. And from there, I don’t know what would be next.

Thanks for this album, Liz.

My Favorite Music of 2012

This year it seemed like ALL of my favorite ladies released new music. ALL of them. Well, all but one (I’m looking at you, Jenny Lewis). But really, so many of them did. Even I released an album this year. And although Haley Bonar didn’t release a full-length album this year, she did manage to squeeze in a 7” single. So that’s something.

And I don’t mean to separate music by gender – but I can’t deny that I highly enjoy the musicians of the female type and, back in January as I looked at the rumored releases for 2012, I couldn’t help but notice all of my favorite female musicians on the list of upcoming releases and, therefore, I knew it was going to be good year for music.

And though the likes of a few more of my favorites (PJ Harvey, Caroline Smith, and Lykke Li) were unable to release new music this year,  I will cut them some slack because they did all release awesome music in 2011. But, Jenny Lewis, what gives? Come on already! Or take your time and put out something amazing. Whatever. 

So here it is. My Favorite Music of 2012.

 Top 10 Albums of 2012

1. Sharon Van Etten: Tramp

I know she’s been around for some time now, but she didn’t catch my ears until I heard her song “Leonard” played nearly every hour on 89.3The Current here in Minnesota. It was enough to get my attention and have her on my radar for the next time I had some money and could pick up some new music. So when I did, I picked up Tramp and then became obsessed with “Leonard”. I had to listen to it all the time whenever I could, sometimes back to back to back. Then I decided to give the rest of the album a listen and it blew me away. Acoustically driven music that is just grand in its production with Sharon’s voice dripping like soft butter all over the heartbreaking lyrics that seep into your skin. “You’re the reason why I’ll move to the city and why I’ll need to leave” from my current most favorite track on the album, “Give Out”, is just one example of those outstanding lyrics. If baths were something I liked to soak in with candles and cigarettes, this is the album I’d play while doing so. It’s that kind of mood.

Top 3 Tracks: “Leonard”, “Serpents”, “Give Out” 

2. Fiona Apple: The Idler Wheel is Wise Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do Yes, the album title is long. But once you get past that and just listen you can’t help but appreciate the amazing songwriting and arrangements that are happening on this album. Fiona has always been an amazing songwriter and these songs hold up right next to her best work of the past. But what makes them standout are the arrangements. Most of the time the music gets so quiet that you’re not sure if anything is actually playing in the background. Subtle piano keys punctuate her ever biting vocals that effortlessly roll from a whisper to a growl throughout the album. And just when you settle in to the quiet, she starts with a chant or rhythmic, pounding drums come out of nowhere. The percussion on this album is what stands out for me the most.  It takes center stage on a lot of these tracks and I love it.  The rhythms are unexpected and just…cool. This album immediately inspired me in my songwriting. Well done, Fiona.

Top 3 Tracks: “Hot Knife”, “Every Single Night”, “Anything We Want”

3. Zoo Animal: Departure 
From the opening note of remembrance sung by main Zoo Animal Holly Newsom to her ending request to dream on, this album will give you chills. It’s quiet, sparse arrangements only help to magnify both the strength and vulnerability in Newsom’s voice.  While listening, you feel like you're somewhere else – my brain just sort of drifts off and follows the melodies and chords. There is an eerie quality to the songs, yet they are steeped with sweetness and yearning. They are soft, yet strong. The music, though seemingly simple, is perfectly suited to the story and the vibe of the album. Holly has a special way of playing guitar that is hard to describe but great to listen to and even better to watch (catch them live if you can!) It’s almost as if she and her guitar are having a conversation amongst themselves. A riveting one that you just can’t help but eavesdrop on.  

Top 3 Tracks: "Laying and Lying", "Dream On", "Black and Charred" 

4. Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra: Theatre Is Evil

Theatre is Evil is big. It’s loud. It’s, well, grand. The album kicks off with a circus-type MC introducing the band and the album and then immediately jumps to a stomping kick drum that opens the first musical track of the record, “Smile (Pictures or It Didn’t Happen)”, which perfectly encapsulates the running theme of the whole album: That life is short, friends are important, moments are important, try to have a good fucking time and appreciate ALL of it – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the grand. Amanda sings with extreme passion. Every single word is put out there with every part of her being. She is a performer. It is rare when an artist who is so engaging and theatrical and vivid live can transfer that energy to an album, but she does it. Theatre is Evil is not just all about being huge and grand, though. There are quieter moments. “Trout Heart Replica”  is one of those songs that could mean a lot of different things (most likely a metaphor as humans as just meat and product), but I tend to take it pretty straightforward and apply it to my own thoughts on being a vegetarian and therefore, it makes me cry. Just her vocals, piano and a lovely string arrangement. “The Bed Song” is another one of those more simple tracks featuring the life of a couple that loses their meaning of husband and wife – the final verse being absolutely devastating. But the majority of the album is pretty rocking, layered in 80s synth, deep bass, and wordy lyrics. It will make you dance while it makes you think.   

Top 3 Tracks: “The Killing Type”, “Want It Back”, “Trout Heart Replica” and I have to throw in a fourth for "Olly Olly Oxen Free"

5.  Leonard Cohen: Old Ideas

I have to keep checking to make sure that this album did come out in 2012 because I feel like I've had it forever. I've been a fan of Leonard's ever since I saw Pump Up the Volume and Christian Slater's Happy Harry Hard-On played "Everybody Knows" while contemplating how messed up high school is. This album is another collection of super cool songs by Leonard Cohen. It's so relaxing to listen to him sing/speak through these poems/songs. From the first line of the first song "Going Home" ("I'd love to speak to Leonard/he's a Sportsman and a Shepherd/he's a lazy bastard living in a suit") you are immediately sucked into the stories that are about to unfold. Nobody writes lyrics like Leonard Cohen. And still, he has those awesome backing singers. Oh, how I wish I could sing back up for Leonard Cohen. How awesome is it that at 77 years old he put out one of the greatest albums of his career?

Top 3 Tracks: "Going Home", "Crazy to Love You", "Show Me the Place" 

6. Ani Difranco: Which Side Are You On?  

This is Ani’s 17^th studio album. Through the years her style has evolved and changed and that’s a good thing. This one is a little softer, yet not any less stronger, than her earlier work. The guitars are less plucky and fierce and are given an almost music box quality dancing around the words and support of her backing band. The album starts out quietly with a tale from the perspective of a homeless woman asking the world for acceptance and at the same time not really caring if she gets it in “Life Boat” and flows right into a song of Ani asking her new love to help her stop worrying in “Unworry”. These songs almost feel like intros or their own separate A and B side tracks before the album really kicks off with the title track “Which Side Are You On?”, an old protest song originally written by Pete Seeger but reworked lyrically and musically for the modern day by Ani. And not to discount those first two tracks completely (as “Life Boat” is a great song), but from here on, the album really feels like a solid piece of work. Almost evenly split between politics and love, Which Side Are You On? truly encompasses the best of what Ani Difranco is all about. Funny lyrics poking at monogamy in ”Promiscuity”, brutally honest and forthright political songs like “Amendment “ and the funky “J”, and heartbreakingly beautiful songs about love, like “Hearse”, the album's stand out track. And though it is her 17^th studio album, it’s a great album to give to the first time Ani listener.

 Top 3 Tracks: "Hearse", "Which Side Are You On?", "Mariachi"

7.  Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles: Heat

 Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles went rock n’ roll with their fourth album. Well, not entirely rock, but definitely amped up. The ukuleles, accordions, and cellos are all still there, but they are now backed up on many tracks by some crunchy electric guitar. Lucy’s sweet voice still shines through and her lyrics are ever thoughtful. There’s a definite maturity and more of a  pop sensibility to this album. Songs like “Just a Kid and “Undone” are radio ready yet still keep their indie-ness to keep them interesting.  Love was definitely in the air while making this album – there almost seems to be a story of a relationship unfolding with each track. The first meeting thoughts of “Just a Kid”, the lustful yearning of “Undone” the contemplation of “Million Things” and “Catacombs” and even a proposal in “Pugent Sound”. The album is aptly named as all of the songs have heavy feeling to them. You can almost feel the sun beating down and the sweat on your brow, which is even more of an accomplishment when you consider the album was written in Minnesota during one of its most brutal winters. But that kind of confinement can sometimes bring out massive amounts of creativity and that is certainly the case here.

 

Top 3 Tracks: "Undone", "Million Things", "Oh, Home"

 8. Anais Mitchell: Young Man in America

Anais is here to tell you stories and all of them are awesome. I don't think there's another storyteller in the music world out there quite like her right now. Her songs move so effortlessly. Her voice just lets it all out, each word falling after the next like there is no other place they'd rather be. The title track "Young Man in America" is an instant classic telling the story of, well, a young man in America with the lyrics "My mother gave a mighty shout/opened her legs and let me out" and "I come out like a cannonball/come of age of alcohol"...seriously I could just quote the whole song. And that's just one of the songs. The song "Shepherd" is based on a story her father wrote and is a heartbreaking tale (I also just learned he is the man on the cover of the album). The beautiful piano-driven "Coming Down" gained some recognition after being covered by Bon Iver. There's just a lot of beauty and brilliance in this album.

Top 3 Tracks: "Young Man in America", "Tailor", "Shepherd"

9. The xx: Coexist
If you want something to drink wine to in a dimly lit room, this is the album. Super chill yet still kind of danceable in that sort of head bobbing sway way. Terrific beats. Simply sweet lyrics, like the repeated ending of "Reunion": "Did I see you see me in a new light?". There's a lot of cool moments like the kind of guitar solo that comes out of nowhere in "Chained" (as well as the beats in this song that almost sound like they are off but they are not and it's super interesting to listen to). Oliver Sim and Romy Madley-Croft's vocals blend so perfectly. Boy and girls singing together. That's where it's at.


Top 3 Tracks: "Angels", "Chained", "Reunion"

10. Cat Power: Sun

Cat Power changed it up again with Sun. Her voice works well with this sort of dancey/electronic music. But, really, when doesn't her voice work well? The album feels a little standoffish. Like she doesn't want people to get too close anymore so she put herself behind all the bleeps and distorters and dance beats. But sometimes you gotta do that. There's a definite anger there. But, what might be the most interesting part (besides the 10+ minute epic aptly named "Nothing But Time") is that these songs really touch on humanity while sounding like the least humanly made songs of her career. Shout outs to how we should all just love and accept each other as we are. You gotta like that.  

Top 3 Tracks: "Manhattan", "3,6,9", "Peace and Love"

Album I Just Got Last Night That Is Awesome:

Prissy Clerks: Bruise or Be Bruised: Prissy Clerks debut album release show was last night and they are something else. Great live act. Great album.

Songs of the Year (in no particular order)

Sharon Van Etten: "Leonard"
Just beautiful.


Delta Spirit: "California"
I heard this song while just hanging out at home and it totally caught my ears. I went to go check out the album and it didn't do much for me. But this song is wonderful.


The Chalice: "Push It"
These ladies are the real deal.


Best Coast: "The Only Place"
This album is on my Christmas list. I just never got around to picking it up this year. But you can't deny this is a great pop song.


Ani Difranco: "Which Side Are You On?"
Ass kicking political anthem.


Anais Mitchell: "Young Man in America"
You won't be able to turn it off.


Zoo Animal: "Laying and Lying"
Another one that's just beautiful. Nothing more to say.

French Films About Trains: "Hope & You"

This song is Sunday mornings.

The Best of the Rest:

The Broken Bicycles: Minneapolis, Southside Desire: Songs to Love and Die To, Dark Dark Dark: Who Needs Who, Fairfax AK: Love Stories and Picture Shows