Best Recordings of 2012

I thought I’d finish up my best of 2012 lists with the best recordings I’ve put up here. These are the shows that are of sufficient quality (in terms of performance and audio) to make them worth listening to regardless of whether you attended.

Noel Gallagher – the guy knows what the fans want and delivers in spades. It doesn’t hurt that his album (and the new material he played) can hold their own with any of the Oasis material he played.

My Morning Jacket – not much talking and some things that didn’t make a lot of sense, but the music was stellar.

Simone Felice/Josh Ritter – what an amazing double-header! I love Josh Ritter and he certainly lived up to expectations, but Simone Felice proved that his post-Felice Brothers work deserves to put him on a par with his former band.

War on Drugs – maybe my favourite show of the year, and the only time I’ve left a show desperate to hear more. These guys are my discovery of the year. Hopefully they’ll be back soon.

Radiohead – biggest tour of the year? The most anticipated? Regardless, it managed to live up to the hype with an amazing show mixing new and old with a light show that has set a new benchmark for arena shows.

Best Albums I Got in 2012

A quick note: having quietened down for a while things should pick up around here next week. I’ve got three sets ready to put up right now, have another one that might be ready by the weekend, plus an exciting run of shows coming up. Keep an eye out.

Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)

Belle & Sebastian featured in last years list, this year I added the last few ‘must haves’ from their catalogue, this being the best of them. I’d avoided the band for quite a while because people tended to use terms like ‘fey’ and ‘twee’ to describe them. While there are slight elements of that in their music, they are usually incredibly hooky and don’t take themselves entirely seriously, which are the two failings that I usually associated with twee music. Particular highlights include Step Into My Office, Baby (the break in this song gives you an idea of what I was worried their entire catalogue might sound like); Piazza, New York Catcher; I’m a Cuckoo; and the title track.

Childish Gambino – I Am Just a Rapper 1 & 2 (2010)

These two EPs (free from foreverchildish.com/iamjustarapper and foreverchildish.com/iamjustarapper2) are my joint favourites from the five or so Childish Gambino records I’ve listened to this year (all also freely distributed). I Am Just a Rapper 1 is the weaker of the two, but features the strongest track ‘Bitch Look at Me Now’. That title should make it clear to those looking for more comedic gold from Donald Glover (writer for 30 Rock and star of Community) that this isn’t comedy-rap; he takes this seriously. Having said that he raps about the issues he faces, which aren’t struggling to make ends meet or dealing drugs. That honesty is pretty refreshing and coupled with his obvious talents make him worth checking out.

Drive-By Truckers – Decoration Day (2003)

I usually manage to discover one or two bands via tours. This year I found Jason Isbell from the Ryan Adams tour, and War on Drugs from Harvest. I’d actually already heard DBT’s supposed masterpiece ‘Southern Rock Opera’, and not enjoyed it. So my expectations of this were fairly low, but I bought it in part because of the Jason Isbell tracks I’d heard live. But the rest of the material here is great too, similar to Southern Rock Opera, but with more of a focus on the music, rather than the overhanging theme. Particular highlights include Outfit, Decoration Day and Sink Hole.

Japandroids – Celebration Rock (2012)

My great discovery of last year was Japandroids, so my expectations for this album were pretty high, although tempered by the fact I hadn’t enjoyed Post-Nothing as much as some. This album is a mixed bag (at least by Japandroids’ standards). The House That Heaven Built is as good as anything they’ve done, and Younger Us makes an expected album appearance. But that standard isn’t maintained over the albums relatively short length. I’m still waiting for Japandroids to create their masterpiece, but this is better than most bands ever achieve.

Josh Ritter – Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (2007)

One of my favourite gigs of the year was the Simone Felice/Josh Ritter double header at the Corner. I’d borrowed both this album and Animal Years in the leadup to this show and loved both. In fact, when I eventually buy Animal Years (I’ve been trying to track down the 10^th anniversary version if anyone has any suggestions) it’ll end up on a best of year list. The particular standout on Historical Conquests is The Temptation of Adam. Part of the reason I love it is that it does a wonderful job of telling a story, without (like most attempts by musicians) being too blunt or too bland. It’s no surprise that Ritter has also written a well received novel. I’m now slowly working my way through the rest of his catalogue, but so far this is the standout.

Various Artists – Beginner’s Guide to Africa

I’ve got a theory that any reasonably large genre, timeframe or geographic region will have some good music. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to start finding out about African music. One of the things that this compilation establishes pretty quickly is that the concept of ‘African music’ as some kind of traditional music makes as much sense as saying American music is just folk songs like the Cuckoo is a Pretty Bird. This is a very cheap three cd compilation, with each disc focussing on a different facet of African music. Highlights for me include Vieux Farka Toure (recently announced for Womad, so hopefully about to undertake a full Australian tour), Sir Victor Uwaifo, Juldeh Camara, Lobi Traore, and Yousseu N’Dour. Particularly given the price, this is a great introduction for those who know virtually nothing about the music of this enormous continent.

War on Drugs – Slave Ambient (2011)

Not only is this my favourite album of the year, their show at the Northcote Social Club was one of my favourite shows of the year. This is amazingly catchy, managing to at times to have hints of Bob Dylan, at others Fleetwood Mac, but constantly being unique. I’ve listened to, but not bought, their first album Wagonwheel Blues, which isn’t quite as immediately catchy, but is still extraordinary good. If there’s any justice in the world (and there seldom is) this band will have a lot of success in the future.

Jason Isbell – Here We Rest (2011)

I’ve already mentioned Drive-By Truckers, but this album is at least as good as what I’ve heard from them. The album is more laid back than most of the DBT material I’ve heard, and perhaps more folky than country. Having said that, it should appeal to DBT fans (particularly if they like Jason Isbell’s contributions). Virtually everything on this album is great, but particular highlights are Alabama Pines, Codeine and Daisy Mae.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – S/T (2011)

This album and Noel Gallagher’s Big Day Out sideshow were unexpected highlights of the year. I’ve appreciated bits and pieces of the Oasis catalogue, but have never been a big fan. This album (and the shows) manage to emphasise the Noel Gallagher aspect of Oasis without either being simply an attempt to clone their sound or to diverge greatly simply to demonstrate his independence (for those who think that balance is easy to achieve, try listening to Beady Eye). Although there hasn’t been any news of a follow up, the Melbourne sideshow included a couple of songs that weren’t on the album, so hopefully the sophomore effort (and another Australian tour) aren’t far away.

Sigur Rós – Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust (2008)

Among the great things about Vietnam are the cheap albums. I bought a bunch of genuine albums for $2.50 each. At that price its reasonable to get albums I might not normally have been so interested in. That was the case with this Sigur Rós’ album; while I’d enjoyed Takk, none of the other albums had particularly grabbed me. I think the difference is that the other albums are extremely delicate, slowly unfolding to reveal themselves. There isn’t anything wrong with that (in fact lots of people love it), but I find it means they’re only suited to a very particular mood, and if I’m not in that mood they are frustrating listens. This album is much more upbeat and accessible, without sacrificing the essential albums that make this a Sigur Rós album, rather than simply an indie album that happens to be (mainly) in Icelandic).

The Eastern – Hope & Wire (2012)

This double album was written in the wake of, and at least partially in response to, the Christchurch earthquakes (the band are based in Lyttelton, which is about 20 minutes from Christchurch, and was also badly affected). That produces a slightly melancholy tinge to the songs, but never descends into moroseness or despair (and as usual there are a few raucous, uplifting songs). The band has started to make excursions into Australia, and look set to continue that with an April show already booked for a Victorian festival. For those who enjoy Jason Isbell or Gillian Welch, this is a band to check out.

Cave Singers – Invitation Songs (2007)

This is the Cave Singers’ debut, and probably got attention because of the presence of a former Pretty Girls Make Graves and Murder City Devils member. Those folks might have been disappointed to find that this is a much more subdued effort than the work of those bands (or at least so I’m told, I don’t really know their work much). This is often described as indie folk, but unlike Fleet Foxes for instance, the emphasis is more on the indie than the folk. I can’t say this is a genre I listen to a lot so I can’t think of any bands to compare them to. The best I can do is say that for those who normally find indie folk too slow and melody focussed at the expense of energy and movement, this might be a good entry point. As a side note I just saw that they’re releasing their fourth album this year, so hopefully an Australian tour might happen (they seem like a good fit for Harvest).

There were a bunch of other albums that could have made this list, but I couldn’t be bothered writing something for all of them: Gary Clark Jr – The Bright Lights (Aust Edition), Radiohead – The King of Limbs, The Rolling Stones – Singles Collection: The London Years, Vieux Farka Toure – Live, Neil Young – Americana, The Fourmyula – Very Best of the Fourmyula, Wavves – Life Sux, Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything to Nothing

Best of 2012: Books (Part II)

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts

I quite like documentaries that follow on a small topic and reveal the interest in it. That’s a harder trick to pull off in a novel, but this book does it. As the title suggest, this is a book about fonts. It’ll explain to you the difference between serif and sans serif, why comic sans is so despised, what the most commonly used (and misused) fonts are, where they all come from, and why you should care. That’s the books really trick, by the end I really did care.

Crecy

I went through a phase around the start of the year of reading graphic novels. I figure it’s a big enough genre that there must be some good things to find. And there are. I read lots of things that I only knew from crappy movies, but were actually really good. But my favourite is Crécy by Warren Ellis. It describes the Battle of Crécy and the events leading up it. I’m surprised it hasn’t been made into a movie yet, because, as well as having a good storyline (with the added bonus of being faithful enough that you can learn a bit of history), its also incredibly violent. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this as an entry point to the world of graphic novels, but once you’ve read a few this is a good one to get.

The Maze Runner

I saw the Hunger Games movie this year. It seemed like a good (but not very original) idea poorly developed. I figured the books would probably do a better job, but having read all of them I can tell you: they don’t. So if you want to read some young adult fiction (some people might be a bit embarrassed, but there are some fantastic novels, the label usually just means they have main characters that are young adults) The Maze Runner is a better choice. A young boy wakes up in the centre of a maze. There are lots of other boys there – apparently they have been arriving at regular intervals for some time. Beyond that you (and they) don’t really know a lot. The book is one of those where every time something is revealed some new mystery immediately follows. The key to these is whether the author manages to end the whole story in a satisfactory way. I’ve only finished the first two novels in the series so I can’t answer that, but at this point its substantially better than some of the more well known titles in the genre.

Tearing Down the Wall of Sound

I imagine that Phil Spector is a tough subject to write about. Widely regarded as mad even before his manslaughter conviction (the book was written during the retrial) and equally widely regarded as a genius, capturing both sides sympathetically but accurately is tough. This book covers Spector’s musical contributions in detail, but isn’t afraid to fully cover his poor treatment of women (which was really just an example of his poor treatment of everyone around him), and his infatuation with guns. Although the book had to be careful, given the retrial hadn’t been completed, my impression was that it was a surprise that Spector hadn’t killed someone already (accidentally or otherwise).

FDR

Each century has had one great US president. The most recent (and least well known in the international consciousness) was Franklin Delano Roosevelt – FDR. FDR had to deal with both the Great Depression and World War II. He instituted the welfare state (slowly eroded since his death), ended prohibition, served longer than any other president (which will only ever change in the unlikely event of a constitution amendment to allow presidents to serve more than two terms) and brought the phrase ‘brain’s trust’ into our language. All of this while he was largely confined to a wheelchair (struck by polio as an adult, he could walk with assistance when necessary). One of the most interesting things I got from this book was that, despite being the greatest US president of the 20^th century, as an invalid with (probably) an open marriage he wouldn’t have even been considered as a plausible candidate in the last fifty years.

Best of 2012: Books (Part I)

At this time of year everyone comes up with end of year lists to fill space. There are a bunch of shows to come so that’s not problem here. But I do find lists like these irresistible reads, and occasionally useful ways to find something new I wouldn’t otherwise discover. So, in the first of a series of ‘Best of’ posts: The Bests Books I Read This Year (Part I).

Can You Feel the Silence?

I don’t actually read that many music bios (three this year), mainly because they are often really dull. There are few things I don’t like about Clinton Heylin (in particular that he can’t help but include himself in the story), but his books are well researched, well written, and interesting. Van Morrison is a particularly interesting subject because he has been so secretive, produced so much good music, but also failed to have the late career resurgence that many of his peers have experienced. This book goes some way towards explaining that. However, it never really manages to get inside the mind of Van Morrison. That might be too much to ask, given how reserved Morrison is, but it does make it hard to understand some of his actions (Heylin can only speculate). This is almost the definitive Van Morrison biography by default due to the absence of competitors, but if you’re interested in his work this is offers lots of interesting insights.

The Book Thief

I was initially going to rate the books on this list, but after putting The Book Thief at number one I couldn’t get any further. The book is quite long, but a very easy read (well narrated by Death). It focuses on a young girl in a small German village during the second world war. I’ve given quite a bit of thought about how Markus Zusak manages to have written a book with such a lot of potentially depressing content that is actually fairly light (I was tempted to write whimsical, but its heavier than that; really this is a book that’s hard to describe). My conclusion so far is that he’s a genius.

Crooked Little Vein

Warren Ellis is better known for his graphic novels, and so far this is his only novel. The phrase usually used to describe these types of novels is ‘the underbelly of America’ (other common phrases include ‘bizarre’, ‘drug-fuelled’ and ‘hilarious’). If you’ve read anything by Chuck Palahniuk (if you’ve read anything by Chuck Palahniuk you’ve pretty much read everything by him) you’ll be familiar with the type of story. I won’t try to describe the plot because it sounds stupid, and the novel isn’t that, but it’s a good little read.

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families

This is the best book I didn’t finish this year. I decided a while ago that I wasn’t going to waste my time finishing books I didn’t like. But that wasn’t the reason I stopped reading this one. It was because I found myself actually dreading having to read it because of the stream of horrific violence outlined in the book, and the staunch desire of everyone that could do something to stop to avoid doing so.

The book is about the Rwandan genocide that occurred over 100 days in 1994. During this time somewhere between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people were killed. This book does a fantastic job of outlining how and why this happened, and perhaps more importantly, how easily it could have been prevents or substantially reduced, and how determined some western governments were not to have to intervene. This is a hard book to read, but even if, like me, you only manage the first half, it’s a valuable experience.

Team of Rivals

I love politics. In a world where we generally like to assume we are civilised creatures, politics remains a realm where we have no such pretences. And elections! The very apex of the political process. Excitement abounds. Obviously this years big election happened in the US (no not the biennial congressional elections, although those too are fascinating). So I read a bunch of books on US politics (as an aside: if anyone tells you that the electoral college system is extremely complicated they’re not telling the truth). This book is supposedly the definitive biography of the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, with a particular focus on his cabinet (the ‘team of rivals’). For mine, the book focuses a bit too much on the nominating process; that’s necessary to set up the ‘team of rivals’ bit, but it took nearly a third of the book for Lincoln to receive the Republican nomination. As interesting as it was to learn about Lincoln, it was probably more interesting to see how the two main US political parties have changed so much, and to learn that, as much as Lincoln is revered as the ‘Great Liberator’ he was very much a man of his time (he assured Illinois voters that, while he opposed the spread of slavery, he supported Illinois’ laws prohibiting intermarriage and preventing African-Americans from testifying against whites in court).