It has been eight long years since Damien Rice release his last album. So where was he? In an interview he did for The Telegraph he described his self-exile as a time of "transition," One in which he shedded old attitudes to life and exploring new ones. "I am really curious about life, about why we are all here. I notice my skin is aging, things are changing, I've seen people dying, so that's the train we are all on. And I would like to figure some shit out before I reach the destination." Back now, Rice takes us into the mind of a man who is searching and yearning for many answers, but is getting more comfortable with just living the journey.
If one has a music blog named after a song by a band, can the writer truly be objective about the band and their music? I hope so. At least I think that I am. Yes, Elbow's last album, Build A Rocket Boys!, also made my 'Best Of' list back in 2011, but it should have. Elbow truly is one of the great bands of their generation. With each new album they further establishing themselves as a class unto themselves. With The Take Off And Landing Of Everything, Elbow has given us another collection of stellar songs. While one might confuse these lengthier songs as being more ambitious than on past albums, this is not the case. Elbow's music has always been about creating specific soundscapes and on The Take Off And Landing Of Everything, the band simply allows these songs to fully occupy the spaces where they live.
Woods, With Light and with Love
I have been a fan of Woods for a few years now, having first been introduced to them through their 2012 release Bend Beyond. Since then, I have gone back and spent time with their earlier albums. They are all very good, with each one building on the strengths of the previous. As Ian Cohen wrote for Pitchfork, 'this isn't a jamband who occasionally stumbles onto golden tunes: Jeremy Earl's high, distinct voice is predisposed to melodies that quickly corkscrew their way into your memory'. With With Light and with Love, Woods arrives with a new collection of catchy, foot-tapping songs that combined to make this their best album yet.
Luluc, Passerby
Passerby is a beautiful album and one of the best releases in 2014. It's the kind of album built for a cozy, quite morning when you want to slow life down. NPR's Stephen Thomson described Zoe Randell and Steven Hassett's album best when he wrote that they 'traffic in gentle, disarming simplicity, rarely allowing their music to speed up past a gentle lope...Luluc uses calm as a medium unto itself.' This calmness, at the center of Passerby, is what really resonated with me. It elevates the beauty of these songs, the songwriting, and instrumentation. Passerby is simply a gorgeous album and one not to be missed.
Spoon, They Want My Soul
Some wines age beautifully over time, some spoil. The same can be said of bands. After 21 year together, I can say that Spoon is aging beautifully and their new album, They Want My Soul, maybe their best yet. This statement maybe a hard sell to the many Spoon faithfuls, including myself. Spoon has always owned their own space in the music world. No one sounds quite like them and I think that they have taken conscious strides to ensure that this is the case. On They Want My Soul, like with a nicely aged bottle of wine, there are subtleties, depth, and undertones. And like a finely aged Cabernet, this album is bigger and bolder than those released in their youth. So drink this one up.
Funny, offensive, slacker, and talented. These are all words that have been used when writing about Montreal native Mac Demarco. I would say that all are on point. Not giving a shit is also how I would describe him and his music. Demarco marches to his own beat, with his own sound and style. It works and it works, really well. Don't let the slacker grooves or slightly off-kilter sound fool you. Demarco is a serious musician with a knack for writing incredibly catchy songs. Recognition for his latest collection of songs comes with Salad Days' nomination for Canada's 2014 Polaris Music Prize for best album of the year.
Warpaint, Warpaint
Warpaint was released way back in January and it has been a listening mainstay for me all year. To me this is the best compliment that I can pay to the band. Spotify was right on target when describing Warpaint as 'a unique force of four, delivering the deep, dark and mesmerizing sounds of swampy bass and ethereal vocal hooks.' In an interview with The Fader, the band said of their first album, the critically praised The Fool, that they had so much to say that the record was a bit chaotic. Not so on Warpaint. The 2014 version of Warpaint is more subtle and frankly more seductive. Talking about Warpaint, the band said that they wanted a more spacious, sexier record where 'things aren't being spoon-fed to you.'
They definitely achieved the sound and space that they set out to
create and have me hooked.
They definitely achieved the sound and space that they set out to
create and have me hooked.
When Beck released Sea Change back in 2002, it was a revelation. The songs and album completely turned everything that Beck had done before on its side. I completely fell for that album and wondered if Beck would ever return to that musical space. Twelve years later, Beck has done just that. With Morning Phase, Beck revisits everything that made Sea Change such a special album. Yet it is a different album. There was an intimacy with Sea Change that frankly can never be duplicated. But it does not need to be. Beck is not trying to duplicate the past. He is acknowledging it and using the framework for what made that album so special to explore something new.
Distance, Light & Sky, Casting Nets
Chris Eckman, Singer/songwriter and founding member of the Seattle band The Walkabouts, along with British-Dutch singer/songwriter Chantal Acda, and composer Eric Theileman of the EARR Ensemble, released this gem of an album last month. I'm sure that it is not yet on the radar of most folks, but it should be. Casing Nets is a warm and beautifully realized album. Amazing to me is that these three artists walked into a studio in Prague earlier this year with producer Phil Brown (Talk Talk, Spirit of Eden), having only played together once before, and having only shared these songs via email, and recorded this album in six days. Recorded live with almost no overdubbing, these songs provide a listening experience that exemplifies true artistry at work.
Melanie De Biasio, No DealHarriet Gibsone, who writes for The Guardian, wrote "Among the buzzing cyber hive and unrelenting pace of modern life, there is a special place for albums that suspend time." She was speaking of No Deal, the slow burning, atmospheric, and utterly captivating new album by Belgian jazz singer and flautist Melanie De Biasio. De Biasio has said that she likes the space in blackness because you can imagine so many things. In an interview with Mojo, De Biasio added "What was important to me...was to create a space with no time, and to let the listener put his own emotions in.....I hope that this record give a space for the listener to dream, rest or have a good time." Does it ever.
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