2010 is over. Here is a list of albums that came out that stood out among the rest.
-WHITE FENCE - S/T LP (Make a Mess)
I wasn't sure what to expect from this record but every time I put it on I feel like I'm being pulled by a tractor beam into some sort of psychedelic nether world. It reminds me of one of those "lost" records by damaged folkies like Simon Finn or Twink. Not that White Fence's Tim Presley sounds like either of those artists, it's just that the album he's made is constructed as an insular entity that lives and breathes by it's own rules. Through the course of the record Presley switches from warped garage pop songs to magic mushroom folk tunes in seconds. The texture and sound of the recording is completely entrancing, with tape warble, vintage amps, and basement drums setting the tone. Probably one of the best headphone albums of the year. His voice toys with melody in a detached croon while the lyrics stand as indecipherable abstractions. Occasionally lyrical images will poke out of the confusion but for the most part it's all non sensical word play, which in the end suits the janus faced nature of the songs. Presley has some pretty obvious hero worship to sort out, (I swear some songs sound like out takes from The Who "Sell Out") but the more I start thinking of bands he's ripping off the more it doesn't make sense as a whole. For psychedelic pop music no one's come close to making something of this sort in a while.
-ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFITTI - Before Today LP (4AD)
A lot has been said about this record already. I'm definitely no expert on the matter of Mr. Pink but have to say that this record really is like no other, not this year anyway. With his goofy theatrics and genre defying references Ariel Pink has assembled a band unafraid to flaunt it's affinity for the cheesiest bands from pop's checkered past. Like Sparks and Ween before them Ariel Pink has found a way to mesh dated drum and synth sounds with yacht rock's smooth grooves and filter them through his own warped lens to make a crazy work of art. But what's really crazy is how listenable it all is, no matter how bent the performances and lyrics are the songs remain well constructed pop songs. Ariel Pink has done well in hand picking the members of Haunted Graffiti, unlike so many other bedroom dreamers these guys can really play. I love the hooky bass lines and light fm synth pads. The vocal harmonies are pretty stellar too. I have to say that even though the production is higher than his last dozen albums there is still a layer of slime seeping through the walls. Honestly it's refreshing to know that he's still doing what he wants, which means not giving his audience exactly what they want.
-NOTHING PEOPLE - Soft Crash LP (S-S)
One of California's best kept secrets is a little band by the name of Nothing People. As far as I know these guys are still "anonymous" and live far off the beaten path somewhere in a town called Orland. They're mysterious as hell and I salute them for it. This has to be one of my favorite bands of the last couple years. It's obvious they they put a lot of care into their recordings and possess a keen ear for sounds and arrangements. Soft Crash is their third record in as many years. At first I resisted it, opting for their especially haunting second album "Late Night", but after spinning it a couple more times I came round to it. Soft Crash starts off on the aggro side bringing the Chrome references they've always gotten full circle. The singer is screaming "Is this what you want?", definitely an unsettling way to start an album. But by the time "Marylin's Grave" erupts it's a whole new game. This is the type of song I would love to blast out of car stereo speakers whilst dragging main... if I did such things. The following song "Exploded View" has some super 80's flange effect with trilling leads while the singer mimics Siouxsie's "Happy House" down to the whoa whoa's. "In the House" has a dark western Lynchian vibe to it and the singer's voice is a dead ringer for Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo. The great thing about this band is how they seamlessly genre hop but somehow sound like themselves throughout. It's also clear to me that these guys can really write songs, as the lyrics are audible even with all the dark distortion and tape manipulations. Overall they're an art band with heavy clouds on their brows but with a serious love for rock n roll in their hearts.
-WOODEN WAND - Death Seat LP (Young God)
How many albums is it now? This guy does not stop and he's only come out wiser in the end. One of the few contemporary songwriters out there that really hits home for me. I've been a fan since his "Second Attention" album back in '05. It seems to have been an uphill battle in a lot of respects, some unfortunate forks in the road for sure, but aren't those situations needed if you're going to silence the multitudes with a simple song. Wooden Wand is the moniker of one James Jackson Toth. He's been cranking out records with no end in sight for the better part of the last decade. Despite the flood of releases he's fared well as he rarely misses. His voice is commanding, he knows his song well and he'll be damned if you convince him otherwise. The music is never complex, on this one it's understated to great effect. No rockers here, just lonely laments on solitude, love, woe, the whole bag. I think this might be one of his finest albums mainly because I think it's his most direct and for lack of a better word "honest" batch of songs. There have been records in the past where he would get hung up on word play, constructing fantastic images as if to impress with diction alone. I like those records and enjoy the lyrics but this album is simpler, and he delivers straight from the heart. The song "I Wanna Make a Difference" is particularly poignant. So unabashedly naked in it's truth. I'm not going to get into details with all the songs, all I know is that if you care about "real" songs then you need to start buying this guys records.
-JACK ROSE - Luck in the Valley LP (Thrill Jockey)
People the world over mourn the passing of Jack Rose, yet in this mourning we must stop to celebrate the feat that is "Luck in the Valley". A real giant of music, Jack Rose will be sorely missed. I can't think of any other contemporary acoustic guitarist that rivals him. From new vistas he bares the contents of his soul, captured for eternity herein. I believe this album is some of the best work he's ever done. The modulation of chords in "Moon in the Gutter" bring chills down my spine, and some of the best slide playing I've ever heard is featured on "Woodpiles on the Side of the Road". The joyous rag of "Luck in the Valley" with jews harp accompaniment, and the hoe down country honk of "When the Tailgate Drops, the Bullshit Stops" and everything in between all suggest that Jack was set on going to new places all the time. Rounded out by a cast of incredibly talented players this album emanates pure joy. When I listen to it I imagine that the players all have chesire grins stretched across their faces. A high light in a career full of bright lights.
-SUN ARAW - On Patrol LP (Sun Ark)
I've been a fan of Sun Araw since first catching wind of the Beach Head LP on Not Not Fun, but this record beats everything that came before. 'On Patrol' is a double LP that plays like the best trip you never went on. Throughout it's four sides Cameron Stallone dishes up the finest psych-stew of subterranean dub and aquatic elevator music this side of Venus. I don't know how he does it honestly. His sonic palette is so rich and vibrant that it's virtually impossible not to get lost in the sound world he creates. The warm hum of distorted organs over clattering percussion provide the framework of many of the album's defining jams, while wordless vocal phrasings appear and disappear in the stereo field like apparitions on the highway. Stallone is obviously a master improvisor, he's capable of wringing sounds from his guitar that sound simultaneously passionate and inhuman, which in my opinion is the true sign of a guitar hero. His music is not for the quick fix pop listener, it's a slow burn that will take you places if you let it. So if you're in the mood for a little mind altering, find your favorite armchair beverage combo and get ready to go "on patrol".
-DAN MELCHIOR UND DAS MENACE - Visionary Pangs LP (S-S)
Another self portrait of the artist is hung on the wall of the Melchior Museum for the looky-loos to gawk at, and what a picture it is. This is Dan's finest of the year I think. A great collection of misanthropic punk teasers and 'Vegetable Man' balladry. The song sequence is interesting as many of the songs intersect and inform each other. Both sides start with a couple short songs and end with song cycles. I'm especially enamored with "Intelligent Design Pt. 1", which begins the first cycle. This song stops time like the best songs do and I swear I hear a little of Mr. Jagger in his vocal delivery. Dig the two rooms down electric guitar playing too! Once the song ends it goes into some abstract guitar noodling bringing me into the 'Clear Spot' zone of the blues and then down at the gates of hell for "This Fetid Day". Out of the cloud that ends side 1 is "I got lost", a great folk tune with the line "I got lost, my mind got wiped by a space-age frost", just one of many gems on this album that reminds me of how great a songwriter Dan is. "Black Dog Barking", is another stand out wherein Dan expounds on going to the crossroads and the rock cliche that the act entails, and more specifically how to "pacify the black dog barking in [his] heart". The album ends with another cycle, this time it's a fitful rant on music blog culture over the back drop of metal machine music guitars. Listening to this album makes me think that Dan is finally making the music he wants to. He's a genuine artist and experiments freely with both songwriting and recording. The scope of this record is huge and his pen is mighty sharp.
-NICE FACE - Immer Etwas LP (Sacred Bones)
The rock album of the year goes to Brooklyn's Nice Face. "Immer Etwas" brings new meaning to the term "killer rock n' roll". Mixing the twitchy guitar rhythms of Devo's first album with the skuzz rock of The Cramps and sci-fi synths of Chrome. Sure it's a noisy affair but there are some great hooks buried under the layers of murk. The singer has one the greatest sardonic punk voices I've heard in a while kinda like early Tom Verlaine meets Stiv Bators. The band uses some familiar punk chord changes but it's how they deliver it that makes it so unique. The recording is raw in the best way possible. The drums snap with high treble, sometimes a drum machine placed in their stead as in the new wave "Had To Let You Know" and the guitars posses a dark distortion that brings out their rough hewn qualities. They're a great band that show their influences without imitating them. All sorts of bands come to mind when I play this record, usually disparate sounding rock that is warped in the head and punk in spirit. "Hard Time" has a Dukes of Stratophere vibe with it's circusy organ and surfy guitar riff. There's some Ramones meets Suicide pop on "Garbage Head" and the almost Descendents like "Invective" makes me pogo happy. One other thing... if you have a chance to catch these guys live you'll find they actually sound like this on stage too.
-TK WEBB - S/T LP (Mexican Summer)
This album gets the troubadour of the year award. Seriously, more people need to know about this guy, he blows all the preconceived notions that people have about contemporary blues, country, roots music to hell. This isn't some alt. country post Wilco limp handshake white soul this is the genuine article. The rock n' roll myth lives in TK Webb and this record is his finest to date. It seems that his songwriting ability has finally caught up with his rustic blues man image. Across ten songs he spills his guts, leaving blood on the mic most likely. The songs hurt in the best way, they're lonely without being nihilistic, rollicking in delivery, and brutal in their honesty. The guitar playing is a perfect balance between Keith Richards and Lightning Hopkins, with his own blend of strummed and picked acoustics and buzzed out leads. The production is clean, recorded by Miguel Mendez in his home studio with all the instruments being played by TK and Miguel for the most part. But it doesn't feel like a "studio" album probably because TK is singing these tunes live in a room with two mics on him, with everything else added later. On "Baby Queens" TK conjures dead at 24 Peter Laughner, with his salt and gravel voice and droning acoustic guitar. In general though if there is someone he most resembles it's Royal Trux's Neil Haggerty. The influence is undeniable but TK Webb plays the troubadour better than Haggerty in my opinion. There are some pop songs on here to boot! On "True Love" TK does his best John Lennon to dazzling effect. The song is all chorus with the lyric "Trained to die on command by your very own hand, how far you wanna go down I don't care, I'm already there, true love don't come but once, maybe twice." Only 1000 copies of this thing exist, make it go out of print.
-ANDREW GRAHAM & THE SWARMING BRANCH - Andrew Graham's Good Word LP (Mexican Summer)
One of the strangest records I've heard all year has got to be Andrew Graham & The Swarming Branch's debut LP. It's a head scratcher for sure. Graham is an oddball songwriter kind of similar in vein to Jeffery Lewis or even Loudon Wainwright III. But don't get me wrong this isn't your typical songwriter fare, this is a crazy man leading a wind up toy band of misfits. His voice reminds me of Leonard Cohen in his most debauched crazed songs like "Death of a Ladies Man". It's nasal and whiny but oh so excited. The song "Meatloaf at the Steakhouse" has a real drowsy jazz feel to it with it's drunk piano playing and high as a kite horns. But it's the song "Take it easy on Kathy, at least She Can Dance" that's the real gem here. The song has that lean funky sound that only early Talking Heads songs have. Andrew's voice comes in like a radio broadcasters bumping over the rhythm with the lyrical phrasings of some wired beatnik folksinger. A lot of thought was put into this album I can tell, that doesn't mean it's for everyone. But for those into high concept songwriting and off kilter arrangements, Jonathan Richman or David Byrne, check this out. It's a lot of fun.
