Favorite albums of 2009

Everyone else was doing it two weeks ago! ...So naturally, I've only just gotten to it now. (Story of my life.) This is in no particular order.

Florence + the Machine - Lungs
Vienna Teng - Inland Territory
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
Brandi Carlile - Give Up the Ghost
Metric - Fantasies
Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Imogen Heap - Ellipse

And also the self-titled first releases from Codeine Velvet Club and The Paper Raincoat. There were also a few albums that didn't quite make the cut but still had a few of my favorite songs from this year. Like "The Great Defector" from Bell X1's album, Blue Lights On the Runway, or "Human of the Year" from Regina Spektor's Far. (I'm firmly convinced that last one would make an excellent short story. Listen to it. Seriously.)

The arbitrary line

Sometimes XPN and I are on exactly the same page when it comes to albums we love. But sometimes I hear the hype, hear the album, and then wonder if we are hearing the same thing. Such was the case when, by chance, I ended up with a copy of the Dirty Projectors' latest, Bitte Orca.

When I look at the separate parts that make up the sound of this album, it seems like something I would want to listen to. Odd time signatures, impressive guitar playing, tight harmonies, string sections... all things I like. Yet somehow when they're combined here, it's just too much. It doesn't sound like music; it just sounds like noise. (Useful Chamber, in particular, feels like an assault on my ears.) I find it unlistenable, yet it made Featured Album of the Week and found its way onto several Best of 2009 lists. So what's the deal?

Don't worry, this isn't going to be a post devoted to bashing the Dirty Projectors. That would be easier, but it would also be pretty low. There's no point in verbally eviscerating a band just because they're not my cup of tea. But listening to that album got me thinking about what as listeners we look for in artists, what draws us to one and pushes us away from another. For instance, here are some characteristics that are determining factors for me:

-I really admire musicians with technical skill. However, I really hate it when I feel like a musician is doing something just to show off their technical skill.

-If a musician does something unusual instrumentally or vocally, it's cool and innovative. Unless I don't like them, in which case it's just a gimmick.

-The lyrics are the most important thing, except for when the music is the most important thing.

-If someone gets clever with lyrics, it's intelligent and I like it. If someone gets too clever with lyrics, it's pretentious.

-I like music that has genuine feeling behind it, but not so much feeling that it's emo (whatever that is).

...Okay, so that last one was a little bit of a joke, but for the most part these are all true. Is this list arbitrary and contradictory nine ways from Sunday? Yep. But when I look through my iTunes library, which ranges from Simon and Garfunkel to My Chemical Romance, it doesn't seem all that surprising.

What does your list look like?

Inspiration post: Imogen Heap

Today's vid: Just for Now by Imogen Heap.



Why this band? I have to admit that at the moment I don't actually own any of this talented lady's albums, but I've been interested in her stuff sort of peripherally ever since I fell in love with the song Hide and Seek from her 2005 release, Speak for Yourself. (Yes, the one that Jason Derulo stole sampled from for his symphony in autotune song Whatcha Say.) Quite simply, it's a beautiful song and I like how, especially performed live, it's a cross between acoustic and electronic. On the one hand you have her natural voice at the center, and then you have the choir of computer-generated voices surrounding it. This kind of synthesis seems to be her main approach to creating and performing music. She is primarily an electronica artist, so naturally much of her music relies heavily on synthesized, programmed effects, but she doesn't take any cheats or shortcuts when playing live. That's something I really admire.

Why this performance? See what I just said up there about how she doesn't take any shortcuts live? Take a look at this for an astounding example. No instruments, no other singers, just herself and a looper. She's creating samples of her own voice and arranging them on the fly, interspersing it with layers of clapping and snapping. The first time I saw this video, my jaw dropped. Every time you think, okay, that's all, she throws in another trick, adds another layer. I love the shot near the end where the camera pulls back a little and then it really hits you—wow, all that sound is coming out of one person. Brilliant.

Inspiration post: Emilie Autumn

Today's vid: Rose Red by Emilie Autumn.



Why this band? Well, I've mentioned Lady Emilie on this blog before. (In a post full of fangirlish squealing. Shhh, pretend you didn't hear that.) Many of my favorite musical acts are ones that mix up genres, and Emilie's no exception. She's coined the term "violindustrial" to describe hers. She's a classically trained violinist and has a naturally pretty singing voice. So you might think she would produce lovely soft string-laden tunes, and sometimes she does... but more often than not she shreds on her customized e-violin and uses that pretty voice of hers to scream like a beast. She's a little bit crazy, and for that I love her all the more.

Why this performance? These days, she doesn't play her violin live quite so much anymore, which seems like such a waste of talent. She produced a whole album full of interesting e-violin pieces right after Opheliac, called Laced/Unlaced, but she rarely uses those songs in her set lists. So I like this performance because it's all instrumental. The song, Rose Red, is off her first album, Enchant. The album version had vocals and I like that one too, but this just flat-out rocks. It makes me want to jump up and down just like she does!

Inspiration post: Within Temptation

All right, so lately things have been getting a bit stale for me music-wise, so every day this week I'm going to post a video of a musical performance that inspires me. Today's video is Mother Earth by Within Temptation, from the Black Symphony DVD.



Why this band? Within Temptation is one of the few bands that I picked up in high school and continued to stick with over time, simply because they do what they do really well. They consistently produce great symphonic metal and they also sound good live. The Heart of Everything, their most recent studio album, is (at least in my view) a return to form for them. On The Silent Force they didn't sound quite like themselves--I think maybe because they were trying to reach a wider audience. But The Heart of Everything sounds to me like Mother Earth would have if they'd had the kind of production capabilities then that they do now. Also, Sharon den Adel is one of my favorite frontwomen ever. Period. She's beautiful, sweet, funny and has an incredible voice.

Why this performance? Really, pretty much everything from this show is great, but I have a soft spot for this song. It's the first I ever heard from them, and finally being able to hear it with a live orchestra and choir is spectacular. Definitely beats the old keyboard effects and one-guy-layered-to-sound-choral on the album version. Sharon's voice is in fine form as usual, and I love the way she punches into those high notes on the chorus. (Also, fire. Oooh.)

The Paper Raincoat's full-length debut

If you've been following this blog, then you'll know I've been eagerly awaiting this album. Long story short--I'm not disappointed.

Alex and Amber have obviously put a lot of care and thought into the whole package. The artwork is soft watercolor that fits their colorful, melodic sound to a tee, and the songs form a cohesive whole that tell a story. You can read that story in full on their Myspace, but you don't need it to appreciate the album. Really, it's the story of anyone who's ever arrived in a new place and struggled to make it a home.

If you take a look at the album on iTunes you'll see that it's categorized as a soundtrack, and that makes a lot of sense. From the sweeping strings that open the album on Right Angles to the triumphant closer It All Depends, the whole thing feels like the soundtrack to an imaginary film, and in a way it is. Alex and Amber set out to create a world with this album, and they've succeeded.

I would mention some standout tracks, but honestly it's a small album and everything is so good I'm finding it hard to pick favorites. Pretty much every song features beautiful harmonies (though they trade off on lead vocals from song to song), thoughtful lyrics, and creative, quirky instrumentation. The only one that falls slightly below the mark for me is Rewind, and that's not so much because it's bad as because the live version is just better. Without the coordinated clap-and-stomp percussion they pull off live, it falls a little flat. But overall, this album is a gem and it makes me smile. Don't miss it.

Brandi Carlile's Give Up the Ghost

I only ever listen to Brandi Carlile when I'm miserable. I'm sure that doesn't sound like much of a compliment, but it is. I've always gotten the sense that songwriting for her is very much about connecting with the emotions of her audience. Her lyrics aren't the best ever written, but they ring true because she delivers them with complete conviction--and boy, does Brandi deliver. The title of this album is no joke: she really pours her heart and soul into these songs, covering everything from crises of faith to bad breakups to lost friendships. Great party music it ain't, but when you're feeling low, you could do worse than giving a Brandi album a spin. The compassion that characterizes much of her music shines through on the album opener, Looking Out, where she sings, "When you feel like giving in, on the coming of the end, like your heart could break in two, someone loves you."

Brandi has never made a secret of her preference for vinyl recordings, so it comes as no surprise that the album is divided into two sides. Side One is populated mainly by what I like to think of as the "show pony" songs--the big, powerhouse rockers and anthems. Dreams, the first single, is one of these, a tale of hopeless love set to a thumping beat and shouted chorus. The biggest "show pony" of them all is Caroline, a jolly road trip of a tune featuring piano and vocals from Elton John. The one really quiet moment on this side is That Year, a fragile acoustic number written in memory of a high school friend who committed suicide. Initially I found Side Two disappointing in comparison to the strong showing on the first, but now I find myself appreciating these softer songs just as much, if not more. Her voice reaches spine-chilling heights on the chorus of Before It Breaks, and the harmonies in Touching the Ground are particularly lovely and delicate.

In the end, whether you love this album or hate it very much depends on how you feel about the vocals. Brandi has a wide range and a keen sense of dynamics, but the little catch in her voice that has become part of her style can be something of an acquired taste. As always, her vocals are supported by the work of her longtime musical collaborators, Tim and Phil Hanseroth, who provide bass, guitar, and some excellent harmonies... not to mention the occasional whistle.

To sum up: great vocals, strong backing band, and a nice crop of songs that sound even better live. If her style turns out to be your taste, then this album's well worth checking out. Keep doing what you're doing, Brandi. It's working.

In which there is a rat on my head

Okay, time to take off my objective-and-sensible hat and squeal with glee like the mad girl I am. On Wednesday night after her show at Bourbon Street in Baltimore, I was finally able to meet the wonderful and talented Emilie Autumn, along with about twenty other fans who had bought VIP passes.

At the meet and greet, she showed us some illustrations from her upcoming book, The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls, and we had a group singalong of My Fairweather Friend. But most of the time was taken up with signings and photos and hugs (lots of those). I was struck by how well she connects with her fans--she really takes the time to talk to each person, and she seems genuinely happy to see everyone. They say you should never meet your heroes, but Miss Emilie is truly a lovely person.

But, to take my fangirl hat off and put my objective-and-sensible hat back on, I was a tiny bit disappointed with the show. It wasn't so much a musical performance as a theatrical spectacle set to music. I find the Bloody Crumpets entertaining, but at times it seemed like their act took away from the music, which I think should be the heart of a performance and not the background. True, Emilie did sing everything, but I would have loved more violin and harpsichord. The constant use of prerecorded tracks killed it a little for me. However, to give her credit, she did tear through Unlaced and Face the Wall on her signature striped violin. And I did actually enjoy most of the show, particularly the antics of Captain Maggot, who manages to be cute and creepy at the same time. She has the facial expressions of a mime and moves like a demented marionette. Also, how can you not like a show where they throw cupcakes at you?

The audience was pretty good as well. EA shows always draw a colorful crowd, attired in a combination of corsets, bustles, artfully ripped and torn garments, and stripey stockings. I met lots of interesting and friendly people in the queue, two of whom were kind enough to walk me back to my hotel after the show was over. I never got your names, guys, but I owe you. I wouldn't have wanted to encounter that one creepy dude on my own.

Lastly, the sillier photo to which the title refers can be found on my Flickr. Now, off to have some tea.

And the battle continues

I'm making progress on What If.

Kind of.

Well, okay, slow progress.

I've been plucking away for about two hours and have succeeded in nailing down a few more chords. The reason those chords are taking so long is that I have to flip a lever right at the transition between the chorus and the next verse. Yay key changes. Trying to work them in is kind of playing Simon on the highest difficulty level but harder.

My musical nemesis

Repetition. When I'm learning a new song, it's unavoidable. As I mentioned some time ago, I pretty much fail at reading sheet music, so the only way I can really learn is by ear. And the only way to really learn something by ear is to listen to it. Many, many times. And then when I can figure out the fingering, to divvy it up into little sections and play each phrase. Many, many times. When I'm learning a new song, my life becomes the musical equivalent of Groundhog Day.

At the moment I am about halfway through What If by Emilie Autumn, a pretty, flowy kind of tune. I'm veering between the version by this harpist on YouTube (although she's playing pedal, which somewhat screws things up), and the recorded version, twisting my face into bizarre expressions as I struggle to hear the exact notes the piano is playing underneath the layers of strings and vocals. I tell myself that it will be worth it when I can play the full song smoothly. This is what I tell myself as my (bleeding, broken) fingers clamber up that stupid broken A chord for the umpteenth time.

I have already stated that repetition is the best way for me to learn. Unfortunately, the idea of anything repeating endlessly drives me crazy. Stairs. Wallpaper patterns. Carousels. Songs...

So, even though it's in the name of learning a song well, the sound of my own fingers playing the same chords over and over gives me the feeling of being in a recurring nightmare. I must be a masochist, though, because if I'm impatient to learn the song I keep at it, and at it, convinced that just one more repetition will make it perfect.

This must be how people go crazy...