Top Three Albums of Summer 2012

Given the date on the calender and the impending beginning of the school year, the time has come for me to review the music of Summer. Allow me to start big and examine some of the albums released this summer.  Two of the three are sophomore albums, with my honourable mention being a debut.

3. There's No Leaving Now,  The Tallest Man on Earth. Released June 11.
- This album's title alludes to the significance of it; Kristian Matsson's performance aka The Tallest Man on Earth, on this album will determine whether or not he can maintain his hold on the modern folk scene. Of late, his stock has been on the rise and thus he has a lot to live up to. Also, it does not help him any that he sings in a raspy voice and plays acoustic guitar; the Dylan comparisons are both complimentary and pressure causing. But thanks to an album full of fresh folk tunes, there is no leaving now for this Swedish singer/songwriter. The album opens with four killer tracks. Each one drives in a new fashion and speaks to a new message. The second track "Revelation Blues" stands a Dylan like track in both its title and style.  The instrumentation sounds like a track from Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home. It reflective tone is classic Matsson; both hopeful and frustrated. He does declares "its the damn revelation blues", but he also shares "Sometimes its just roses dying to be young." This statement echoes the same emotion as his classic ""The Dreamer" which told all that "sometimes the blues is just a passing bird".  It is a testament to the musician that Matsson is that he can both honour who came before him while incorporating his own style. This four pack of tracks concludes "1904" , which is the lead single of the album. It is very much so in the vain of Mumford and Sons' "I Will Wait", but with a more relaxed feel. Keeping in tune with the image of the music video for "I Will Wait", instead of racing down the road, Matsson walks down that road with ease. The rest of the album dips at times with songs too spaced out and slow, but overall Matsson continues forward and produces a great album overall, but one that shows more greatness on the way. I believe that it could be a Rubber Soul/Revolver to a future Sgt. Peppers.

2. Gossamer, Passion Pit. Released July 20th
- "Take A Walk" is not only, the first track and the lead single from the, but it is also a goo place to start this musical analysis of Passion Pit's sophomore album. It sounds like a classic Passion Pit tune, possibly a b-side from Manners. It wets the palate of the listener by easing them into the new sound of Passion Pit, which soon follows in the proceeding tracks. The band on this album took all the elements of the their old music, mixed them up, added some new sounds and produced music which strives forward, bring the band with it. For example, both "Carried Away" and "Constant Conversations" strike a new path for Passion Pit. The former shares the perspective of someone who is blantly states that he is all set with someone, but still deals with them. The way he/she goes about it is crass and enjoyable. "I do not really know you and I do not think I want to but I think I can fake if you can". The song has a dance beat which has me picturing the singer twirling in circles to it. The later is a slowed down almost r&b jam that showcases the quarrel between two lovers. The musical landscape is one of a night club on a weekend night. At one point the singer says "Ok everybody now" and the listener joins in on the jam. It took me a while to warm up to this song but now it is one of my favorites on the album. Its innovative sound is what endears me to it. And that is what also endears me to the album overall. Some of the later tracks unfortunately do not continue the listening experience started by the opening tracks. Overall, it is a listening experience I will continue to go back to. 

1. Here, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. Released May 29th,.
- This sophomore album tops my list because of all the albums I listened to this summer, it was the one most conducive to listening to it straight all the way through. Along the way, the listener encounters some killer tracks which I believe will stand the test of time because they speak of a positive philosophy about life. These songs use a language composed of sounds resembling those of music played at a campfire. The album opener "Man on Fire" espouses a philosophy so simple yet so complete, "Only desire that's left in me, I want the whole damn world to come dance with me." It is a sentiment that at the surface appears to be carefree, but Edward Sharpe aka Alex Ebert, recognizes that by having a good time, we can escape the bad parts of life. Later in the song he commands "Come dance with me, over heart ache and rage. Come set us free, over panic and strange." The subtle rock and roll to song gets the listener to begin to dance with Alex. Towards the middle of the album, "Dear Believer"contributes to discussion about life. It communicates Alex's journey to becoming and his embrace of being this prophet of positivity. During the song's opening verse, Alex boastfully details all that he has conquered, such as anger and murder. The chorus reads "Paradise, has its hunter / Call me blind, call me fool /I don't mind chasing thunder /I say reaching for Heaven is what I'm on Earth to do." I remember after hearing this for the first time I was so inspired and longed to adopt it as a mantra. Possibly the greatest statement from the band comes in the album's third track "I Don't Wanna Pray". This song is far from an anti-religion track. In my opinion, it is actually respectful of religion and what a prayer signifies. Also it is about personal greatness. As the chorus proudly declares "I am looking to become not the prayer, but the prayer." Alex and the band want to be a part of a system of faith all their own. Now I cannot offer testament to their success in achieving that goal, but I can say they successfully craft music all their own. Yes, it falls under the header of modern folk, but it is so much more than that. It is music made by a bunch of young people coming together and reflecting on the world. Just as they would all contribute their own thoughts, every member adds a new sound. It can be a horn, or piano, or percussion, or hand clap. Even if one of these sounds were missing, then the song would be lacking. For these reasons, both lyrically and musically, I dub Here to be the best album of Summer 2012.

Honourable Mention: My Head Is An Animal, Of Monster and Men. Released April 3rd.
- Released a little before Summer blossomed, this album certainly did in the summer months. Helped by the single "Little Talks", this album came into view and earshot of the public. I offer it praise for possessing a lot of the same qualities of Here; music which is made by a bunch of people and consequently sounds like it. Both albums convey the image of people sitting around and playing together. Also like Here, the album offers some philosophy. "Mountain Sound" is as much a celebration of youth as "We Are Young" with its chorus of "we sleep until the sun goes down", implying they live all night. The track following "Mountain Sound" is called "Slow and Steady". Sung by the female singer of the group, it is introspective in nature. She shares "I move slow and steady, but I feel like a Waterfall. Yea, I move slow and steady past those who I used to know" The pride and acceptance embedded in her delivery is nothing short of inspiring. Be proud of who you are how you go through life. Overall I very pleased with this debut album and I have all the confidence in the world that by the time Of Monsters and Men release their second album, they will be right on the same level as Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros.  

Strum and Sing

One revolutionary thing about The Beatles was that they did not just have one lead singer, but all the members sang and could sing lead on a song. In fact, when they met producer George Martin for the first time, he tried to figure out which member would be the lead singer, but he did not want to sacrifice any of the voices in the band. It should be noted that the Fab Four took this practice from their idol Buddy Holly, who had all the members of his band The Crickets sing on his records.

Now as revolutionary as this was, it did not become a practice continued on throughout Rock 'n' Roll. Their media-driven rivals from that era, The Rolling Stones, had a member who was simply a singer. This is no dig at Mick Jagger, for the world would not be the same without him, it is simply observation. More specifically an observation that leads into the thought that sparked this post: I love it when the lead guitarist, who does not regularly sing, takes over the duty for a song and allows another aspect of his genius to shine forth.

 The third band in the trinity of 60's British bands, The Who were a driving force behind the practice of the lead singer taking a song off. Given his force behind each song, Pete Townshed would typically inject himself into the songs both through guitar and backing vocals. At times, he would sing the role of one character and Roger Daltrey would sing the other. But on "Going Mobile" from the bands 1971 release, Daltrey steps aside completely and allows the band to function as a trio with Townshed on lead vocals. In my opinion, on this song Townshed lets loose and relaxes a bit. It is light-hearted in tone and in feel. An acoustic guitar gets the song started and continues to drive throughout the song as the rest of the band comes in. Toward the end, Townshed injects a guitar solo played on a synthesizer. For me, that signals that he is not trying to shine forth on this song as the guitar player that made him famous. Instead he is the fella relaxing, playing acoustic guitar with his mates, and singing about traveling. Truly, he uses some fun lines in the song. For example, he is a "hippie gypsy", who is mobile as "the police and taxman" miss him and who is at home while driving free. The song is all about escape and hitting the open road. Everyone can find inspiration in the fact that Townshed makes this statement doing what he loves the most, playing music. 

The Rolling Stones classic 1978 album Some Girls contained a track with Keith Richards on lead vocals. He penned "Before They Make Me Run" following an arrest for heroine possession the previous year. Richards' future in the band was in jeopardy following the arrest. On the song, he sings with a vulnerable and unapologetic voice. The song is about going out on your own terms. Richards declares "After all is said and done, I gotta move, its still fun/ I'm gonna walk before they make me run." It rocks like a classic Stones song. The opening riff to the song announces it start like a trumpet. The march continues on and it has that late 70's groove that the band was pioneering. I believe that it belongs high on the list of Stones hits. If for no other reason than it shows the true talent of the band as an unit. Jagger even contributes backing vocals. In effect he supports his friend's desire to express how he is feeling. Richards expresses so much in this fun, deep album cut from one the most important bands in rock history.

The last song I want to highlight comes from one the most important bands of the last twenty years: Oasis. Just following "Wonderwall" on (What's The Story) Morning Glory? was "Don't Look Back In Anger. For once, Noel Gallagher sang the words he wrote. He does so in a rather controlled manner that stays in tune with the rest of the song. He also includes his signature sound, Beatles-like yet still so Brit Pop. He admits that he did lift a few of the words from John Lennon, but it would not be a Gallagher song without some connection to The Beatles. It should also be noted that the opening piano bears a striking resemblance to Lennon's "Imagine", but that only serves as another means of contributing to the very calm and soothing nature of the song. It is not a large and bombastic anthem like "Wonderwall. Instead it brings the listener in and provides simple and sweet sonic enjoyment.

Please listen to this tracks and appreciate when a musician steps out of their comfort zone to share more of their talent.  

 

Some Great Spots Online for Live Performances

If there is one thing I derive a lot of happiness from, it is passing along good music to others. It is driving force behind this blog (encase you haven't noticed). I strive to recommend songs other than singles because I feel that deep album cuts serve to further a fan's understanding of a band. The same can be said about live performances. It is always a treat when a band includes a live recording as a bonus track on a deluxe edition of an album. It is even better when the live performance is presented free of charge. That is where there the internet provides. In all my web-surfing, I am stumbled upon three sources of such recording. Please enjoy (scroll over for links)

1. A good place to start is Letterman Performances . This deposit of videos automatically collects the guests from each show. It also archives them, which is helpful for going back to view ones from the past. The list varies in prominence and genre. Some of my favorites are The Killers- "Runaways", Gotye- "Eyes Wide Open", and Walk The Moon "Anna Sun". All three of these are amongst my favorite songs from this past summer. It was fun and fascinating to see them performed live. The same applies to the other singles in collection. For that is what is mainly there, singles. But performing them live breathes life into them. Plus Letterman is just funny in his "old man who kind of understands what is going on" antics. I am personally a fan.

2. One that I learned about via the people I live with at Stonehill, is the La Blogotheque aka "A Takeway Show". This internet phenomenon that I do not fully understand captures a variety of artists playing music in public places. For example, The Tallest Man On Earth plays "The Gardner" in the back of a shop. Bon Iver first sings "For Emma, Forever Ago" A Capella  and then transitions into the song in an apartment building. Fleet Foxes walk around Paris singing and playing. As made evident by the artists I highlighted, this showcases shines because of its focus on folk artists. However a fabulous rendition of Phoenix performing "1901" also exists.

3. Lastly, I found this one by accident. It is called the "Tiny Desk Concert" and it is sponsored by NPR. It is literally the artist in a room with a desk and bookcases. For The Tallest Man On Earth it works rather well. He fills the space almost completely as Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes  with all ten of them. It is a tight squeeze filled with folk. Overall there is a good mix of folk and alternative acts with the wild card of K'Naan  thrown in. What I like most about this series is that I have a room just like the one in it and I have listened to all these artists in it. For once, they actually came to life.

Feel free to comment with your favorite performances/ any recommendations