The Albums Of The Year: The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

First off, I have to say I really don't like The Arcade Fire. They are so big and pompous and so militant in their hurdy-gurdy playing and anthemic in their choruses and it's just all a bit wearying to me.

So, why am I leading off a love note to The Besnard Lakes with a hissy-fit about the Arcadians? There's a lot of similarities... a husband-wife led band from Montreal writing and performing "Big Music" on an American indie label. But there's a greater warmth to me in The Besnard Lakes, even a playful sexiness that illuminates the epic nature of the music.

I was a fan of the previous album, The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse (ah, yes, it's not like I promised no pomposity,) but the band fell off my radar over the last couple years. When I heard Albatross, the standout track from the new album, I immediately re-upped, though. Albatross sounds like Kim Deal fronting a My Bloody Valentine/High Llamas team-up (or maybe my pals Sixteen Deluxe working through a Beach Boys phase.) It's a definite lock in my Top Ten Songs Of 2010 list.

The rest of the album doesn't quite hit those heights, but there's a great sense of drama and tension throughout. Fortunately, the band understands how to throttle back and keep it small and appealing. Alternating male/female vocals and lush harmonies make a big difference here. Glass Printer is a great example of a wiggy guitar workout augmented by an indie chorale.

Oh, and just to be fair to The Arcade Fire... your name is significantly better than The Besnard Lakes!

The Albums Of The Year: Janelle Monae - The Archandroid

Don't make your end of year lists too early... I'm looking at you, well, almost everyone. I literally hadn't heard one note of Janelle Monae's The Archandroid until after Christmas, but I've listened to it twice a day every day since. Why? Because this record is so mindnumbingly immense, I've got to keep playing it to figure it out!

What is it, exactly? It's got more styles of music than you can shake a stick at. There's choral folk, party jammz, glossy Euro-electro, psychedelic soul, revved up rave-ups, and more - but it all hangs together somehow. Perhaps the best album to compare it to is The Avalanches' magnum opus, Since I Left You. That record was essentially a mix of hundreds upon hundreds of samples into a crazy mash-up. The Archandroid , on the other hand, plays with actual songs - building arrangements with real strings and brass and modern beats and grooves, but it's still a crazy mash-up too.

It is not the sort of record you expect anyone to make anymore. A big-budget, ambitious work that only gives a few cursory nods to modern commercial radio. Sure, Tightrope (which features Outkast's Big Boi, one of the benefactors of Monae) works as a boom-car jam, but you are going to find more orchestral fantasias and Joni Mitchell-eqsue chord changes elsewhere than you would follow-up singles.

At its heart, The Archandroid is a pop record, but it's one of those unique collections of indulgent creativity like you might expect from a Kate Bush or Os Mutantes or Van Dyke Parks. It's too early to say that Janelle Monae ranks anywhere near those folks, but she's sure making a big splash into the pool.

(It's impossible to pick a representative track from this album but I'm digging the weird cousin of Crystal Blue Persuasion called Mushrooms & Roses and the sorta-drum&bass sorta-Time Faster.)

Reissue Of The Year!: Dolly Mixture - Everything And More...

In this age of everything ever created being available at one's fingertips, it's still a treat when a beloved record gets a deluxe reissue, even more so when the band's collected works are almost impossible to find and/or afford.

So, hurray for Dolly Mixture and Everything And More. (OK, it is neither "everything" or "more" but it's more than has ever been available apart from crappy multi-generation tape dubs or internetted vinyl MP3 captures.)

In 1979, it wasn't terribly unusual for three girls to form a band, but it was uncommon to channel punk energy through a 60's pop style. Imagine a DIY Shangri-Las with more sass and (only slightly) less polish. And so, Dolly Mixture almost immediately floated between the tones of the time and pop classicism. That probably contributed to enthusiastic but small crowds at gigs - and to the absolutely miserable efforts of getting records out.

The band never put out a proper album and only managed four 45s (on three labels!) over five years. Perversely, they can boast a UK #1 single as the more-than-just-backing singers on Captain Sensible's wacko cover of "Happy Talk" (from South Pacific! - and try telling me they don't look absolutely adorable with him on Top Of The Pops) - as well as another big hit on the Captain's follow-up, "Wot." (As big aficionados of weird 80's pop, that meant I was a big fan of the Dollies long before I honestly knew anything about their own great work.)

Maybe those up-and-mostly-downs took the pure pop rush of How Come You're Such A Hit With The Boys, Jane? into increasing wistfulness as heard on Shonay Shonay but it might have simply been the maturation of the band from crushes to heartache too. Treasures like Everything And More simply reinforce Dolly Mixture's place in the pop echelon.

As the band began to wind down, they took matters into their own hands and released Demonstration Tapes, a compilation of almost everything they'd recorded to date. This long MIA record makes up the first disc of the reissue and packs in 27 fantastic pop songs. The rest of the package includes the major label singles, a handful of pre-break-up songs, and live tracks. Disc One alone makes for essential listening but the icing on the cake is the amazing Been Teen, a much bootlegged gem that finally saw the digital light of day. And if you take a gander at this crummy video footage, you'll realize just what a holy grail that a clean copy of Been Teen is! The hefty booklet relates the bittersweet tale of this unjustly overlooked band. Go and get this, pop kids!

Song Of The Year: "When The Sun Don't Shine" - Best Coast

"I just want to tell you that I always loved you." OK, not the most original sentiment, but when has a great pop song needed to be completely original? And face it, that's pure concentrated heartbreak right there.

I'm old and I'm jaded. I still love music but there are days when I've heard it all. And then there's a song like this. I had to pull my car over to make sure I could get the name of it on my phone. I don't remember the last time I had to stop what I was doing for a song... but I wish it was more often!

When The Sun Don't Shine was my introduction to Best Coast and I was hooked, even though I had to wait for the album to come out. (Another "when's the last time that happened" phenomenon!) Bethany Cosentino's vocals sound a lot like the young Neko Case but the overall vibe goes much further, like a Shirelles/Nuggets combo.

This plaintive gem is short and sweet. A handful of chords, just a few more words, and it's done - although it's not done with me.

The Year Wanes, The Lists Wax

The best excuse someone who runs a dormant music blog can make is... "I was too busy listening to music." Sounds airtight to me. But now that 2010 is almost over, it's time to ask the big question... "what's good?" Hang on, and I'll tell you!

Mo' Retro: The 2009 Top 25

Dear Blogheads: I got so hung up on my Decade lists, I realized that I forgot to carry on the old Poddish tradition of the year end lists. 3 months late, I now give you my most played songs of 2009.)

2009 ended up as a pretty great year for music, if you were bored with the same-old, same-old. (Of course, a lot of people don't bore as easily as me, so maybe it was a painful year for everyone else!) Apart from a few stalwarts like Camera Obscura, Neko Case, the Jaxx, and Superchunk (straight outta the "where have you been?" file!), there was a lot of newbies bringing the noise... although there wasn't much of anyone bringing the funk last year.

Without further ado, here's the list (along with my iTunes play counts... stat geeks, you know who you are). Anything with a link takes you to streaming audio at Blip.fm or you can just go to my playlist there to listen to the bigger batch of goodies.

1. French Navy - Camera Obscura (30 total plays)
2. What A Drag - Bear Hands (24)
3. Golden Phone - Micachu (22)
4. Plastic Bag - Navvy (22)
5. Sunlight - Tune-Yards (22)
6. To The Dregs - Wavves (21)
7. News - Tune-Yards (20)
8. Jealous Of Roses - Bibio (18)
9. Sticker - Navvy (18)
10. Count In My Head - Kids Love Lies (17)
11. Dead Lazers - Kap Bambino (16)
12. Blackjack Eddie - Violet Violet (16)
13. New In Town - Little Boots (15)
14. Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth - Neko Case (15)
15. Fuzzy Felt - The Kabeedies (14)
16. Red Sign - Kap Bambino (14)
17. Sleepyhead - Passion Pit (14)
18. Fossil, I - Sky Larkin (14)
19. Antibodies - Sky Larkin (14)
20. Blood Gets Thin - Pete & The Pirates (13)
21. For You - Tune-Yards (13)
22. Raindrops - Basement Jaxx (12)
23. Satisfied - Esser (12)
24. Ode to Millers - Kasms (12)
25. Blinders (Fast Version) - Superchunk (12)

French Navy, if you haven't heard it, is an indie-pop girl-group gem. Here's a long-winded appreciation, from an earlier blog post. There's more about Navvy, Kap Bambino, Tune-Yards, and Bibio too!

I'll dig into some of these other musical biscuits soon.

Shout-Out Time!

The Fruit Bats (featuring my pal Ron Lewis on keys) were invited to participate in The Onion's AV Club's cover project. The AV Club created a list of 25 songs and once it's covered, it's no longer eligible to play.

The Bats lucked out by showing up early and getting their pick of all but one of the list. (Ted Leo was first.)

Here they are playing Hall and Oates' One On One.

Pity the poor schmucks who are going to get stuck with We Built This City, although, fingers crossed, it could end up being awesome!

Surveying The Soundscape

Maybe the Best Of The Decade lists took more out of me than I thought - or perhaps I'm now listening to everything with a much more critical standard, but I'm not feeling it with 2010 yet. There's been some decent stuff that's come out this year, but I haven't connected with much of it.

Best of the batch so far is the Lightspeed Champion album, Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You. and the new Quasi record which is much improved over the last couple of so-so efforts. I want to get excited about the Lonelady debut, since she has created some awesome singles in the past, but the best songs were recut and aren't as immediately brilliant.

I still need more time with the new Laura Veirs and These New Puritans discs too, but there's some good stuff within.

Here's some Lightspeed and Quasi for you to chew on while I mull over what to rant about next.

Welcome Back!: Quasi

Even though the last couple of records didn't really do it for me, I'm happy to see Portland's finest duo (errrm, make that trio!) re-emerge with a rockin' new song.

Repulsion is the unhinged rave-up you want from Sam Coombes, full of sass and fire. Sam's back on the guitar thing (oh, how I miss the skronky old Roxichord, though) and he's cranking it up.

There's a definite joyful verve to this punker, especially when the various members fall into the chorus at different times. For some bands, this might seem like a blown take, but for Quasi, it's all (messed-up) good.

The new album is supposedly imminent and live shows will certainly ensue. (But, please tell me that they'll be reprising the Quasi Sings The Who set that they did in Portland. Having seen them play Pictures Of Lily ages ago, I'm ready for a full night of that action!)

From The Future: New MGMT Album in April

A song about Brian Eno, a song about "Lady Dada", and guest vocals from the girl from Royal Trux? Oh, MGMT, you had me at a song about Brian Eno.

See you in April!

The Latest: Help by Thee Oh Sees

Yikes, this might be the worst cover of all time. Fortunately, it doesn't reflect what's inside. (My brain just blinked off to avoid thinking about what music that cover would represent.)

Of course, what is inside isn't exactly beautiful and lovely. Thee Oh Sees are masters of scuzzy garage rock, like a modern down-and-dirty version of some of the best tracks on Nuggets. This is real off-the-walls and on-the-floor rock'n'roll. They are also muy prolifico. While I'm just now digging into (and digging) Help, they've released another album (Dog Poison) to end 2009. But I'm OK playing catch-up if they stay this good.

For starters, I recommend Enemy Destruct and Meat Step Lively (which boasts a rockin' flute solo, of all things.) If you like those, you're on track to dig the whole shebang. You should come up with a substitute cover, though.

(By the way, I highly endorse The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In which leads off with the mighty Block Of Ice. An Album of the Decade!)

The Latest: Donuts by J. Dilla

I don't even know where to begin with Donuts. What is it anyway? Is it a proper album or a bunch of amazing demos? Is it a batch of hip-hop backing tracks awaiting vocals? Or is it the feverish dream of a gifted beatmaster that can build jams out of almost anything else? (Can you guess what camp I'm in?)

For me, hip-hop has always been at its peak when the beats match the creativity of the rhymes. Tell me you don't love the insane soundclashes of It Would Take A Nation Of Millions or the giddy playfulness of 3 Feet High And Rising. You can't... and now I'm telling you that J Dilla is in the same league as The Bomb Squad and Prince Paul for bringing the noise.

Case in point: Workonit. This song is built out of 10cc samples. Samples of a terrible 10cc song - The Worst Band In The World, no less (and as you probably know, I love the 10cc). The end result is a Jam with a capital J.

You can play Donuts as a complete work or enjoy the little snippets individually. I'm not sure if I can explain it, but it makes me think of listening to dusty soul on the front stoop on a hot night, where the music is more than a soundtrack. It weaves in and out of your consciousness, with familiar refrains triggering memories and thoughts. The mix is woozy and wonderful, with looped beats and warped grooves from classic old school stuff. Time: The Donut of the Heart and Glazed are both brief heartbreaker instrumentals constructed from little bitty bites of Jackson 5 and Lou Rawls songs. (And it's killing me that I can't find audio to share with you, they are soooo good!)

Sadly, Dilla was gone before I even found out about the guy, but there's a ton of stuff out there. I've been warned a lot of it isn't anywhere near the quality of Donuts but I'm going to enjoy the trip.

The Latest: Idyll Intangible by Navvy

OK, where did this record come from? I can't honestly recall why I bought it, so it's got to be a Rough Trade or Artrocker recommendation. But thank god I did buy it, because I love it to death.

Navvy reminds me of the days when the original new wavers realized they could move some behinds by building their songs off a good groove and into an indie dance party. That doesn't mean drum machines and sequencers. It means you've got a rhythm section in lock-step, supporting some bouncy tunes. Think early Gang of Four or Au Pairs or Mo-dettes... or for something a bit more recent, think Dig Me Out era Sleater-Kinney or Bis.

Actually, this sounds like the second coming of Bis, now that I think of it. Shouty boy-girl vocals in a call-and-response mode, angular guitars playing off fat bass lines, and sloganeering lyrics... it's just a lot of fun. Plastic Bag is an awesome dance floor jam, in that Alternative Music Brigade kind of way. Sticker might be even better, with its updated Devo/Satisfaction vibe and wonky synth accents. (I'm still trying to nominate this as the official anthem of Schtickers!)

I'd like to thank whoever recommended this puppy to me, but since I can't figure out who that was, all I can do is do the same for you.

The Latest: The Silence Of Love by The Headless Heroes

One of the non-advances of our times is the fact that everyone in a band has to write their own songs. Oh, definitely, some of the greatest songs ever came directly from artist to you, but there are centuries of filler tracks wasting the time of the few to have ever bothered to listen to them.

To put it another, cover songs are good for you.

The Headless Heroes would agree, since they've put together a stellar collection of others' songs, most of them from unexpected or obscure sources. The "band" is an assembly of studio rats with an impressive pedigree, but the center of the record is singer Alela Diane who, thanks to her own accomplishments as a solo artist, was brought on as the "hired gun" voice of the project. And what a voice. Although Diane's own records are filled with a hushed grace, the results are sometimes not completely engaging. When bringing others' work to life, it's a whole different story.

There's no better example of that than on my personal favorite, The North Wind Blew South. A true lost 60's gem by a fellow named Philamore Lincoln (dig that!), it's a testament to both singer and song on how this track comes alive. The mood goes darker with another little-known song, To You, originally by I Am Kloot. Here, Diane's voice drifts through a sonic haze, bringing chills to your spine in the process. Although everyone seems to cover Daniel Johnston these days, the Heroes' version of True Love Will Find You In The End is a sad, beautiful keeper.

Maybe it's because the most obscure tracks were the most interesting but I was less enthusiastic about the more obvious Jesus and Mary Chain and Nick Cave covers. But hey, they are pretty cool, nonetheless, as are Alela Diane's two solo records. If you like this album, check out her own stuff.

The Latest: Shame Spiral by Tacocat

The world needs more Tacocats. I'm serious, because they aren't. Be in a band because it's fun. Make noise. Write songs that will embarrass you minutes after you write them. Be cute. Be loud.

Shame Spiral is 100% exuberance and punk charm. Songs about Muffin Tops and Bike Parties are a blast and well, UTI is not as gross as it could be. Tacocat draws on a long lineage of punk goodness like Buzzcocks and The Undertones, and Riotgrrls like Bratmobile and Huggy Bear without getting bogged down with a certain sound or scene. They are a band and they like to rock. That's plenty fine as an ethos.

And seriously, Leotard might be the greatest two minutes about making out (and only making out) ever. Take that, Genie In A Bottle and Let's Wait Awhile. La-la-la-la-la-Leotard!

The Big Music

Out of sheer laziness, I let iTunes run through my "Big" albums and realized what an amazing run I had going. May I suggest that you try thinking big today?

• The Big Shot Chronicles - Game Theory: One of my all-time favorites. Jangly, eggheaded power pop, touched by the hands of Mitch Easter. Here Comes Tomorrow remains a giddy, wordy launching point.
• Big Plans For Everybody - Let's Active: Speaking of Mitch, this record (along with the former) were playing non-stop in my room in 1986 (and beyond). Big Shot has aged better than Big Plans, but I still love it. And, in lieu of an album version, check out Let's Active on the Old Grey Whistle Test in England.
• Big Science - Laurie Anderson: This record is almost 30 years old (yikes!) but it still sounds like it comes from the future. Forget about the latter years (and the Lou Reed thing, bleah) and Let X-=X.
• The Big Sell Out - Bongwater. Originally purchased for the wrong reasons (largely because Ann Magnuson was hot), the swan song for what might be the world's only post-psychedelic band is still weird. (And apparently, un-Blip-able.)
• Big Night Music - Shriekback. Another perplexing record by an incredibly strange pop group. This album has got too much digital polish on the whole, but it's enjoyably odd in small doses, like this mutated Andrews Sisters-esque tune.

The Latest: Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age

I've always been a massive fan of Broadcast, who have created a distinctinve, otherworldly pop sound of drone tones, girl-group 45s, and French new wave cinema mystere for over 10 years. (After all, they clocked in with my Song of the Decade!) And although they've mined a similar vein in their last few releases, it's always been a worthwhile listen because their sound is so distinctive.

But apparently, the band grew restless. They disappeared after releasing a retrospective compilation (which suggested their possible demise.) However, when they finally came back, they came back with a doozy... the gobsmackingly titled Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age.

Even after a dozen plays, it's hard to describe this record definitively. Although it retains most of the hallmarks of the Broadcast sound, it recasts them into a larger audio landscape. Most of the tracks are fragments of sound collage, with very little in the way of traditional songs. It is ambient in the true sense of the word, with found sounds falling into the overall mix (which brings a real human presence to Witch Cults.) The record is so atmospheric that one almost suspects a subtle narrative or a soundtrack to some unseen film. The density of sound is engaging and often enthralling, with something new emerging at each listen.

Made with the (apparently extensive) input of musician/designer Julian House (a.k.a. The Focus Group), Witch Cults isn't considered a true Broadcast record, but it definitely fits within their canon. It also stands alone as a distinctive audio document on its own. My only knock on it is the lack of tracks featuring the lovely tones of Trish Keenan, but songs like The Be Colony are boosted by her presence.

Recommended if you love the 4AD aesthetic of the mid-80's or Eno at his wiggiest - or if you want something a little more challenging without being too abrasive.

The Latest: Blacklist by Kap Bambino

Great music can come from anywhere. You know this already. The weird band from off the beaten path is always gonna be far more interesting than scenester-clones. So, I guess it stands to reason that France is going to cough up a good band eventually. C'est vrai, oui?

And believe it or not, there are actually deux bandes* worth talking about these days. Kap Bambino is straight outta Paris with some crazy electro-punk, and as you might expect, it doesn't make much sense, even though it's mostly in English. ("I want to see dead lazers in the night. I don't care about the distance." Well, alright then!)

Who cares, though, when the sound is this powerful? It's definitely cybernetic. Lots of synths and beats, although they are pretty messed up, so don't expect a clean, robotic synth-pop thing. The keyboards are overdriven and glitchy, the drum machines are jacked up, and the songs shift structure. Dead Lazers, for example, goes from a goth-y anthem into a stadium techno bridge, 11:58 is a pulsing throb that has frequent breakdowns, and Red Sign feels like indie-pop dressed up in buzzsaw synths..

It's all a bit reminiscent of the Robots In Disguise (the electro girls from the Mighty Boosh) but it's also a bit like a much more aggressive Berlin or New Traditionalists-era Devo in places. Aggressive is the key word here. You probably want petite doses at first, since it can definitely wear you out, but it is loud fun, too.

*Le bande deuxieme de Paris is called This Is Pop which is more like a Francophone riot-grrl indie sound. They are incredibly low-profile online, so I can't share anything here apart from my respect and admiration.

The Latest: Bird-Brains by Tune-Yards

Some girls' journals are, as one might expect in the classic "Dear Diary" style, fairly calm and romantically aspirational. Others, though, are wildly fantastical and unhinged, not just chronicling the frustrations of life but inventing a "me-centric" universe in which to retreat.

I'm pitching that theory in order to try to explain what's going on with the Tune-Yards album, but hey, your guess is as good as mine. Quite frankly, Bird-Brains is 100% bonkers.

Take News, for example. This is a relatively straight-forward song with a traditional song structure and hummable chorus. And it happens to be performed on ukelele and ping-pong paddles. Oh, and there's a glassware solo.

It's not quite as impressive these days when one person cooks up an entire album of music, but the inventiveness of Bird-Brains still blows me away. Honestly, even though the sonics of the two records are worlds apart, I keep thinking about Remain In Light when I listen to Tune-Yards. Think about it, though. Tricky rhythms, chanting and call & response vocals, big bumpin' bass lines, and a gleeful round of noise making to augment the songs. (Sunlight is a great example of the weird sinuous funk.) They said Byrne and Eno were nuts, too.

But there's definitely something brilliant in that madness. My guess is that the only person who even halfway understands it is Merrill Garbus... she who is Tune-Yards. (By the way, I'm not doing the official spelling of tUnE-yArDs. It hurts my brain more than the record does.)

And if you like this, you should definitely check out Micachu and the Shapes. Golden Phone is another home-brewed party jam.

The Latest: Ambivalence Avenue by Bibio

Quite literally the last thing I picked up at a mad-dash shopping rampage at Rough Trade East last fall, Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue has quickly turned into one of my favorite new records.

As I started thinking about how to describe this warped, weird masterpiece, almost every statement I could muster was possibly misleading and even more importantly, incomplete. It's not folk (although there are lovely pastoral moods and 12-string guitars throughout.) It's not electronica (unless you are a stickler for the label when samples and drum machines are about.) It's not folktronica (because that doesn't realize exist!) And that's just ruminations on the first track. By the time you get to the amazing single Jealous of Roses, Bibio has dipped into the funk to craft some 21st century dusty soul. Phew... five minutes in and it sounds like the kitchen sink has been thrown in. But the most important thing to note about Ambivalence Avenue is that it is not a clunky "some of everything" laptop jam: it's a fully realized set of songs with a full palette of sonic embellishment.

The closest cousin is Caribou's Andorra, which ran 60's psych-pop through a electronic filter to spectacular effect. (Melody Day, one of my Songs of The Decade, still stuns even after a few years.) But there's also hints of Beck and Bran Van 3000's joyful blending of styles (minus the larger-than-life personalities) and the Avalanches' ability to knit disparate sounds into a cohesive whole.

A dance mix with ambient interludes? A song-based techno compilation? Maybe one of the things I love about Bibio is that it's so undefinable. That's the kind of record I can listen to over and over.

Start with: Jealous Of Roses and try the title track for a calm meditation and crank it up with the 4AD-meets-big-beat Fire Ant.