Perhaps Nocturne is the atmospheric pop opus that Wild Nothing has been building up to ever since Jack Tatum’s winsome debut Gemini turned up in 2010. For his sophomore album, Tatum taps into an echo chamber of dark, subterranean pop nostalgia that lulls the listener into false paradises without ever losing grip of the songs’ melodic vitality. Nocturne thrives on that sort of ephemera and obscure objects of memory that are miraculously transmitted — only in dreams. – Keith.
mp3: Wild Nothing – Paradise
Ah, so here it is, the last ten picks for the albums we liked best in 2010. If anything, it was a rather painful process of narrowing things down to 40 albums among the three of us, so there was plenty of great music that we just didn’t have the space (or more honestly, time) to write about. Maybe we’ll get about to doing that in the coming weeks or months. In the meantime, though, enjoy and do stay tuned for our favorite EPs and gigs of the year, which we promise to be quite a blast as well.
Spoon – Transference (Merge)
Seven albums in, Transference may strike one as more of a stopgap than anywhere near a milestone for Spoon, especially when it follows their career highpoint of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007), but Britt Daniel’s sharpening grasp of pop music mathematics continues to fascinate. With tracks like “Who Makes Your Money” and “Written In Reverse”, Transference bowls us over still with the band’s laidback confidence and dazzling low-key experimentalism. – Keith.
Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz (Asthmatic Kitty)
I think it’s a good thing Sufjan Stevens has left behind that ever-burdening 50 States project. It has most certainly worked well for what it’s worth (two great albums), but with Age of Adz, Stevens sounds rejuvenated from this newfound freedom to be himself, inserting himself into his songs as he always loves to (“Vesuvius”), and still finding room to grow (“Now That I’m Older”) and experiment, even squeezing in (and i dare say pulling off) some auto-tone in that audacious album-closing epic “Impossible Soul”. What a classic this will grow to be. – Dan.
Sun Kil Moon – Admiral Fell Promises (Caldo Verde) Mark Kolezek returns with an even deeper love for the classical guitar. His lonely sojourns into a landscape of introspective songwriting and deftly written guitar arrangements make this year’s Admiral Fell Promises a gem for the discerning listener. – Brian.
Tigermilk – Social Songs From The Woods (Self-Released)
The Internet is a big place, and sometimes it’s easy to forget that when we routinely read from the same sources, produce the same content, and share the same links. All I know about the band Tigermilk is that they hail from Chile. They may have been named after Belle & Sebastian’s debut album, but there are no similarities. What greets you is the homemade hiss of a four-track, incongruent beats, apprehensive melodies and a whimsical singer that takes no prisoners. Tigermilk makes me believe that their music is the gift that presents itself to the faithful. – Brian.
Tindersticks – Falling Down a Mountain (4AD)
The ever consistent Tindersticks narrative that began almost two decades ago continues in earnest on their more than serviceable eighth album Falling Down a Mountain, lead singer Stuart Staples soldiering on admirably in spite of the departure of several key founding members of the band. From the title track’s sinuous chamber pop to the sensuous Motown soul of “Keep You Beautiful”, Falling Down a Mountain starts off on a robust note and sustains a strong emotional pull throughout its ten songs. – Keith.
Twin Shadow – Forget (4AD)
With the elegant poise of Morrissey and the new-wave sensibility of David Byrne, George Lewis, Jr. has a lot going right for him right now. Released under his Twin Shadow moniker, Forget is anything but forgettable especially under the production of Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, who prepares the album at just the right temperature, cooler than anything you’d hear right now, but warm enough for Lewis’ songwriting and personality to glow in the midst of the chilly air. – Dan.
The Walkmen – Lisbon (Fat Possum)
On their sixth album Lisbon, The Walkmen continues to mine the slow lunging contemplation of their excellent You & Me (2008). Rumbling guitars and brass-band flourishes sit in well with the sense of hard-earned tenacity on Lisbon, while the more raucous rock numbers (“Angela Surf City”; “Victory”) ring true as accessory to the emotional dissonance of growing older. The Walkmen have always sounded best when their music is infused with intimate moments of doubt – a sentiment reflected most keenly when singer Hamilton Leithauser laments “all my great designs never make out of my sleep” – and Lisbon gamely grapples with the romantic woes and other messy contradictions of adult life that we can all identify with at times. – Keith.
Wild Nothing – Gemini (Captured Tracks) Gemini, Wild Nothing’s gorgeous debut album, is the perfect tonic for anyone who has ever nursed an infatuation with C86 pop aesthetics or fantasized about escaping into 4AD dreams – the pure pleasure of ethereal tunes such as “Live In Dreams” and “O Lilac” are the result of sole Wild Nothing member Jack Tatum’s keen ear for bedroom pop melodies. – Keith.
Women – Public Strain (Jagjaguwar)
There is a curious intensity and clarity of purpose to how Women went about their business on their sophomore album Public Strain, winnowing out the noisy distractions that may have marred their 2008 debut and allowing the sound of their detuned guitar atmospherics to seep into its chain of sonic fantasies. Their love-spelled-backwards post-punk mania has never sounded more beautiful and vital as on the likes of “China Steps” and “Locust Valley”. – Keith.
Yeasayer – Odd Blood (Secretly Canadian)
Following up to 2007’s All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer retain their signature folktronic flavour that made them one of the most talked about bands whilst throwing in plenty of chromatic surprises. Arrangements come lucid, worldly and dreamy as the band take you on a fun-filled escapade baked with plenty of your favorite herbs. – Brian.
sharon van etten:
Lately, I have been obsessed with this band from Montreal called Automelodi. I work at a record label (Ba Da Bing Records) and my boss, Ben, is constantly getting new records in. He knows I have a soft spot for 80s/90s post punk/early electro, vaguely alternative music... and so one day, he put on a Wierd Records compilation. It was a vinyl set of like 4 pieces or something. There were so many good bands on there... however, Automelodi stuck out in my mind as being an authentic, genuine, NON-cheesy version of the 80s I wish I was a part of. The song in particular that gets me going in the morning is called "Schéma Corporel".
mp3: automelodi - schéma corporel
bani haykal from b-quartet:
often enough, it’s the early morning rush which gets me excited about shutting my eyes. and by morning, we’re looking at the 4 a.m. time frame where all you hear is yourself in a foggy blur, thinking if sleep is really all that important because the early few are storming off for work. in all honesty, there is no ipod nor a single earplugging devicetron which i’d attend to. often enough, it’s someone else’s sonic leak i’m getting addressed by. but, i’m listening to Steely Dan’s “Babylon Sisters”. in my head, at least. sanity ‘from the point of no return’, personally. it’s a breath of fresh air. despite its age. everything is beautiful then.
mp3: steely dan - babylon sisters
naomi yang from galaxie 500:
The perfect song to start the day is “A Tonga Da Mironga Do Kabuleté” – the live recording from 1971 by Brazilian artists Vinícius + Bethania + Toquinho. It is like a beautiful sunrise – although I think that the lyrics are actually some sort of political commentary disguised as a Candomble/Afro-Brazilian curse – but whatever! And then you should just leave the CD on, and listen to the rest of the album while you have your coffee. And you will have a great day.
mp3: vinícius + bethania + toquinho – a tonga da mironga do kabuletê (live in buenos aires, 1971)
jamie stewart from xiu xiu:
i have a nico button on my guitar strap and her excess eyeliner has been burning the dirge "janitor of lunacy" into my waking ears as of late, at least 20 times in the last week. until yesterday we have been on tour in scandinavia, russia, poland, austria, germany and czech. these grey locations held hands with her harmonium perfectly.
mp3: nico - janitor of lunacy
justin ringle from horse feathers:
i have been obsessively listening and waking up to this tune by gillian welch called "annabelle". it's a song about a sharecropper in alabama and it is so sad, beautiful and timeless that I can't help but listen more than once in a row. the harmonies in the chorus make my hairs stand up... beautiful song.
mp3: gillian welch - annabelle
tracyanne campbell from camera obscura:
my favourite song at the moment is called 'one in a million' by steve miller. it's really beautiful. his voice is like honey in the sun and it totally melts my heart. the lyrics are quite simple and i guess
corny but it's a great tune and the production is so good it really doesn't matter. i wish i'd written it. in fact i'd love to do a cover version of it. i was recently in stockholm visiting my friend victoria (bergsman) from taken by trees and we were singing it in the flat and talked about recording it. watch this space...
mp3: steve miller band - one in a million
stuart murdoch from belle and sebastian:
every day when i leave the house and walk over the iron bridge and up to the glasshouses, i listen to “what for” by james. i have a habit of dropping back 20 years in my thoughts, and having a parallel soundtrack running in my head so that i may be walking in a street in 2008, but my head is in 1988. i don’t know why that is. this is an up and hopeful song of the period from a band i used to care for deeply.
as we slip into the autumn here, i am prepared to let my new song of obsession become “the game” by echo and the bunnymen.
“everybody’s got their own good reason why their favourite season is their favourite season”.
mp3: james - what for mp3: echo and the bunnymen - the game
alison eales from butcher boy:
I'm waking up to Labi Siffre, and wondering how I managed to stay asleep for so long. His songs are diverse, unpretentious, and performed with tangible joy. I'm literally waking up to him as well - I have 'It Must Be Love' set as my alarm, and it is proving to be a very nutritious musical breakfast.
mp3: labi siffre - it must be love
Advertisements
who we are
dan
i love music, but i can't play it for the life of me, so i might as well try writing instead. hope you like it. i'm from singapore, where there really is good music if you look hard enough. i'd love to hear from you (yes, you): theskinnyfists@yahoo.com.sg
brian
I'm a four stringing minstrel of doom, and hired gun for the odd band or two. Few things excite me more than music, and whiskey soaked vocals are a definite plus, so please be sure to send some my way. When I'm not contributing to I'm Waking Up To and MAP, you should follow my misadventures at http://litford.wordpress.com And yes! I'd love to hear from you too: litford@gmail.com
.
donate
your generous donation will contribute to the running of this site. thanks!