BEST OF 2008 (strictly
for fun and heated argument) by Peter Jesperson For me, 2008 was another
terrific year for music, both recorded and live. I was helplessly obsessed with
the first seven records here: 1. The Fireman – Electric
Arguments The 3rd
collaboration under the ÔFiremanÕ alias, in actuality Paul McCartney and Youth
(former bassist of influential Brit punk-electronica-metal band, Killing Joke
and a noted mixer/producer). But,
whereas the 1st two were side-projects made up of ambient dance instrumentals,
this oneÕs pretty much a full-on Paul McCartney album – vocal pop-rock
songs with the FiremanÕs previous soundscape style present only in the final
four numbers. Paul sings and plays all instruments, Youth and Paul produce. There wasnÕt much advance
hoopla. In fact, in September when a friend from NY told me heÕd been invited
to a listening party for a new McCartney record the night before, my first
thought was, ÒHow could there be a new McCartney record without me having heard
about it??!!Ó When he explained it was a ÔFiremanÕ
album, I vaguely recalled having heard some scuttlebutt. When my friend
informed me that they had given out advance promos and that he had snuck an extra copy for me, I was pleased but, frankly a little
skeptical. Even though IÕm a McCartney devotee, the other Fireman albums
werenÕt big favorites of mine. Still, worth me covering the cost of a Fed Ex,
especially since this friend – who wasnÕt normally a Paul fan - said he
thought it was especially good. Lo and behold, on the very
first play, it was crystal clear that Electric Arguments is an exceptional work. Paul McCartney finally snuck
up on himself and unselfconsciously made the finest record of his solo career. Electric Arguments wins the top honors in both the McCartney canon and
my personal hit parade in 2008 for a number of reasons. Among them, his
peerless vocal ability - which is in absolute top form here; the dizzying
instrumental virtuosity; consistency in quality and remarkable variety of the
material throughout; and for the sheer feel, the exuberance of the thing! One of the reasons he did so well in terms of feel is
certainly due to the spontaneity – the duo recorded each of the 13 songs,
start to finish, in a day, spread out over the period of roughly a year. You
should know going into it that this methodology means the material wasnÕt
carefully composed (there are no Maybe IÕm Amazeds or Tug Of Wars or Calico
Skies or You Tell Mes) but the trade-off is worth it. I wouldnÕt want all his
albums to use this template but here, itÕs a total gas É a stupefyingly free
and exciting swirl of inspired creativity and imagination. Another pal of mine
out east who fell for the album as hard as I did made a comment that really
stuck with me - he said, ÒCan you imagine how hard it is for Paul McCartney to
do something this fresh?Ó And what is an additional
astonishing feat is that the album is completely cringe-free from start to finish – an unprecedented
achievement for McCartney solo. Even on his finest work of the last 38 years
– whether itÕs Ram
or Band
On The Run or Flaming
Pie or Memory Almost Full, thereÕs always been at least a moment or two where
you wince, or say to yourself, ÒGeez, WHAT was he thinking?!Ó
Electric
Arguments has nary a-one of those
moments. Kicking off with the
screaming rocker, ÒNothing Too Much Just Out Of SightÓ (like some bastard child
of ÒHelter SkelterÓ), they lay down the law right outta the gate, thereÕs a
real commitment to these performances. ÒTwo MagpiesÓ follows in the
ÓBlackbirdÓ/ÒJenny WrenÓ delicate acoustic finger-picking
style. ÒSing The ChangesÓ sets a jubilant tone that pops up again and again as
the album goes on. For me, the 3 song section - ÒSun
Is Shining,Ó ÒDance ÔTil WeÕre HighÓ and ÒLifelong PassionÓ – is the best
part but the entire record is truly extraordinary from start-to-finish,
breathtaking, inspiring stuff. In my opinion, Electric Arguments is Paul McCartneyÕs single best work, post-Beatles. 2. Robert Forster – The
Evangelist ItÕs funny how circuitous
the discovery of music can be. In May, Murry Hammond, friend and bassist of the
awesome Old 97Õs, calls and asks if he can stop by my (New West Records) office
with an associate of his, Allison McGourty, from the fabulous UK label, LO-MAX
Records (http://www.lomaxrecords.com). Allison is a mad fan of the 97Õs and
offers her assistance in Europe. Our discussion leads to what our respective
labels are working on. She mentions a new Kevin Ayers album
which excites me as IÕm a longtime fan of his. I give Allison some New West
music and she promises to reciprocate and send the Ayers album and says sheÕll
include another new release, by Robert Forster, former co-frontman of
Australian band, The Go-Betweens É a band IÕve always liked peripherally but
had just never heard much of. A couple of weeks later, a package arrives. I
immediately put the Ayers album on and like what I hear very much. A day or two
passes, I keep eyeing the Forster album. It has a kind of odd but cool cover. I
put it on. It has a certain air, a thing about it that hits me right away. Interesting to look back now, I
remember clearly it was song #8, ÒDonÕt Touch Anything,Ó when I hear Forster
sing, ÒNow that I know how to control myself/Now that IÕve learnt how to
contain myself ÉÓ that I go completely over the top, the delivery is so dry, so
funny and so poignant at the same time. I proceeded to play the album
obsessively for months. During which time, naturally, I start to pick up more
of his work É what a catalog he has! ItÕs completely overwhelming. In my
40-plus years of being a music nut, I have never had an experience like this -
discovering an artist 30 years into their career with a collective catalog of 20-some
albums - 10 by The Go-Betweens, 5 by Forster solo, plus singles, assorted
compilations, a DVD, a Go-Betweens BIOGRAPHY fer goshsakes! Not to mention the
work of his late musical partner in The G-BÕs, Grant McLennan (who sadly and
unexpectedly passed away in May of 2006), who has 4 solo albums É plus 3 under
the name Jack Frost (McLennanÕs collaboration with Steve Kilbey from the
Church); I reiterate, how could I have missed all this??!!
Tracking down and getting into all this material over the last 7 months has
been indescribably cool (and pricey!). ItÕs like, instant new favorite artist
of all-time. But I digress, back to The Evangelist - the writing just SLAYS me! 3 of
the songs were brilliantly completed by Forster from song-sketches he
posthumously found in McLennanÕs notebook. And Forster addresses McLennan and
his absence in other songs as well – the feeling of loss, yet being
reconciled to it, an integral part of the whole. There
are not enough superlatives to accurately convey just how astonishing this
album is – please seek it out and see for yourself! 3. Angus & Julia Stone – A
Book Like This A
brother-sister folk-rock outfit hailing from Sydney, Australia. I came across this, their debut album, in March.
Found it enchanting and addictive. CouldnÕt stop playing it, played it multiple
times daily for months. Quickly found myself buying everything I could find by
them - digital EPs, vinyl 12 & 7-inchers, the incredibly classy, limited
edition, hard cover, 2-disc deluxe package including the album and a DVD of
their videos. Even found myself hunting down promo-only CD singles on E-Bay.
Angus and Julia come from a musical family. ThereÕs a great story about how
their father played in a band that did a lot of covers and, when they first
heard the BeatlesÕ White Album, they were surprised to find that those songs
werenÕt written by their Dad! They say they ÒdonÕt listen to heaps of other
musicÓ but they remind me of things like Fairport Convention and Nick Drake.
Angus has some Joni Mitchell in him, song-wise É and resembles Jorma Kaukonen,
guitar-wise (circa Õ69 Jefferson Airplane); and this might just be me but
JuliaÕs sometimes exaggerated, playful, cockney accent conjures Hunky
Dory-era David Bowie. The music is smart and
so unusual. Overall, thereÕs a
whimsical, childlike feel to it and theyÕre both excellent musicians and
vocalists. Though IÕve never been especially good at predicting what will sell,
for reasons I canÕt exactly put my finger on (apart from them simply being
great artists), I think these guys are going to be HUGE! A
Book Like This was released
originally in Australia in September of Õ07, UK/Europe Feb Õ08. Due out in the states March Õ09. 4. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago Essentially
the work of one man – Justin Vernon of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Arguably the most written about record of the year,
I donÕt know what I can add. I didnÕt respond to it the first two times I heard
it. But when I did connect, I had a full-blown epiphany. ItÕs so ungodly
beautiful, I almost canÕt believe my ears. A sort of
folk-soul music. Justin has said, among many other things, heÕs a big
fan of Mahalia Jackson (not a reference we often hear in rock) and that may
explain why there are elements of the spiritual song tradition in these tracks.
And with most of the vocals done in falsetto, one canÕt help but be reminded of
another great spiritual vocalist – Curtis Mayfield. 5. Rachael Yamagata – Elephants
ÉTeeth Sinking Into Heart One of the most
uncompromising, bull-headed, self indulgent artistic
statements IÕve ever heard – and I mean that as a sincere compliment.
Rachel had a vision for these songs, stuck to her guns through thick and thin
and finally got them released her way. An unabashedly personal record that
completely floored me on first listen and continues to
do so with each subsequent play. Fantastically well written songs, deeply
committed performances. A 2-CD set - an album and a 5-song E.P., the quieter
material on disc one, rockers on disc two. Not the cheeriest album but one that
you ought to hear. 6. The Walkman – You
& Me Brainy, majestic, ultra-cool
and carefully thought out art-rock with a touch of Bob Dylan in the vocal
delivery. No one else sounds like The Walkmen. I see these guys as some kind of
artist-scientists: five totally focused writer-musicians who take their music
very seriously while clearly having fun doing it. 7. Beachfield – Brighton
Bothways Technically released in 2007
(on a small German label), this album by latter day drummer for The
Go-Betweens, Glenn Thompson (playing all instruments), is something I only
discovered in September and was one of my most played things in 2008.
Descendent of all the great pop-rock that came before,
particularly the ultra-catchy school of Paul McCartney. 8. Mudcrutch – self-titled This record is just plain
GREAT, no-nonsense American rock ÔnÕ country. And I gotta
ask – does Mike Campbell EVER NOT play killer guitar? I mean ever? 9. Supergrass – Diamond Hoo Ha 6th album,
carrying on in their Grand Tradition of Top-Shelf-Pop-Rock! 10. TV On The Radio – Dear
Science When one does these year end lists, one inevitably ends up relistening,
sometimes really hearing something in a way it hadnÕt been heard before. This is one of those
records. I may not have played it a ton but every time I did, I loved it. Even more so now in reassessment. And play is still
increasing in Ô09, the song ÒFamily TreeÓ is a big
favorite. The blend of rock, jazz and urban is seamless. This is very original stuff. 11.
American Music Club – The
Golden Age Further proof this band is
back at the top of its game, this is right up there with records made in their
heyday. TheyÕve been a favorite of mine since I first saw them live in Berkeley
in the fall of Õ83, before they even had a record out. ÒDecibels And Little
PillsÓ is about as good a song as AMC has ever done. 12.
Dawn Kinnard – The
Courtesy Fall From State College, PA,
temporarily transplanted to Nashville and now spends most of her time in
London. One of the most original female artists IÕve come across in the last
few years, her unique voice and words captivated me on first listen. A writerly, catchy sort of rock. 13. Gary Louris – Vagabonds One of my
favorite singers on the planet. 14. Elliott BROOD – Mountain
Meadows Highly original rock ÔnÕ
roll with a catchy, rootsy slant. Played on amplified acoustic guitars, ukeleles,
banjo and harmonica (like some hopped up version of The Band), topped off with
an excellent lead singer by the name of Mark Sasso. Full of exuberance, when
they get excited band members seem to just spontaneously holler out loud! An
expansive sound considering there are only 3 people in the group. Though this
Toronto trio, adeptly produced here by my dear old friend John Critchley
(frontman of the killer rock band 13 Engines, circa 1985-1997), is already great, I think their
future is even brighter. P.S. Visually, the album
package is gorgeous and now that IÕve seen them live, IÕm here to testify
– they are very snappy dressers. 15. Glen Campbell – Meet
Glen Campbell This served as a reminder of
what an incredible artist Glen Campbell is. Song selection and production
courtesy of gifted producer Julian Raymond. Worth the price
of admission for the cover of Paul WesterbergÕs ÒSadly BeautifulÓ alone. 16. Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power and the Amorphous Sturms
– Dark Developments A
refreshing relocation of the Chesnutt thang, a wonderfully ramshackle group setting for his
smart and funny songs. 17. Kevin Ayers – The
Unfairground A one-of-a-kind, deep,
baritone voice, a beautiful collection of songs, his literate, wry sense of
humor is fully intact. IÕve been a fan of Kevin since his work as
bassist/vocalist with The Soft Machine in the late 60s and this, his first
album in 15 years, is very exciting, like hearing from an old friend. 18. Centro-matic/South San Gabriel – Dual
Hawks 19. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Dig!!
Lazarus Dig!!! 20. Everest – Ghost Notes 21. Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow
Stairs 22. Rachel Unthank & The Winterset – The
Bairns Gorgeous
UK folk outfit. Great album,
especially their spot-on cover of Robert WyattÕs ÒSea Song.Ó 23. Liz Durrett – Outside
Our Gates Her best record yet.
Thoughtful, poetic songs embellished with horns in places but still as solitary
a sound as there is. 24. Haley Bonar – Big
Star Folky, pop-rock stuff from
Minneapolis/St. Paul, IÕm madly in love with her voice. Another
artist with vast potential. ÒArms Of HarmÓ in particular was one of my
favorite songs of the year. 25. Mavis Staples – Live:
Hope At The Hideout 26. Lucinda Williams – Little
Honey 27. R.E.M. – Accelerate 28. Freddie Stevenson – All
My Strange Companions 29. El May – Sound The Key Note (E.P.) 30. Starling Electric – Clouded
Staircase 31. Murry Hammond – I
DonÕt Know Where IÕm Going But IÕm On My Way 32. James Hunter – The
Hard Way 33. The Cut Off – Packaged
Up For Beginners SPECIAL MENTION Robert Wyatt & Bertrand
Burgalat – ÒThis Summer NightÓ (12Ó) Modern disco, impeccably
sung by the divine Mr. Wyatt REISSUES/COMPILATIONS/ETC
These first three are
incredibly strong and were among my most played things of the year: Neil Young – Sugar
Mountain – Live At Canterbury House 1968 The Move – Anthology
1966-1972 Charlie Pickett – Bar
Band Americanus – The Best Of Charlie Pickett Golden Smog - The
Best Of Golden Smog – The Rykodisc Years Little Richard – The
Very Best Of Thank You Friends - The Ardent Records Story Ian Hunter - Behind
The Shades – Recorded Live at LondonÕs Astoria in 2004 Nick Lowe – Jesus
Of Cool expanded edition LIVE SHOWS (L.A. unlesss otherwise
noted) Rhett Miller –
Troubadour 1.8/Largo 4.11 Rickie Lee Jones –
Echoplex 1.11 The Walkmen – Orange
County Performing Arts Center - Costa Mesa, CA 2.29/Troubadour 8.21 Dan Kelly – Spaceland
3.10 Paul Kelly (w/Dan Kelly)
SXSW Õ08, 3 sets, Largo 3/18 Steve Earle – Hotel
CafŽ 3.24 Ray Davies – Wiltern
3.29 Old 97Õs – The Tonight
Show & The Highlands 4.24/Crash Mansion 6.19 Eisley – C.W. Stoneking – Hotel
CafŽ 5.7 Benji Hughes – The
9:30 Club – Washington D.C. 6.6/RamÕs Head – Baltimore 6.7/The
Greek Theater 6.18 Rilo Kiley – The 9:30
Club 6.6 Supergrass – The
Avalon 7.12 Ponderosa – The
Georgia Theater – Athens, GA 8.14 Dead Confederate – The
Caledonia – Athens, GA 8.14 Randall Bramblett –
The Melting Point – Athens, GA 8.15 Bon Iver/A.A. Bondy –
Troubadour 8.25 & 26 Centro-matic –
Spaceland 9.1 Bob Dylan – Santa
Monica Civic 9.2 Robert Forster – Great
American Music Hall – San Francisco 9.10 Tara Holloway – Hotel
CafŽ 9.17 Fleet Foxes – The El
Rey 9.23 Simon Lynge – Hotel
CafŽ 9.24 Tegan And Sara – The
Henry Fonda Theater 10.16 Haley Bonar – Tangier
10.21 Corb Lund – The Mint
10.29 Angus & Julia Stone
– Hotel CafŽ 11.18 The Abdomen – Hotel
CafŽ 11.29 Joe Pug – Hotel CafŽ
11.24 James Walsh (of Starsailor)
– Hotel CafŽ 12.8 Eliiott BROOD – The
Knitting Factory 12.9 IN A CLASS ALL BY THEMSELVES Mark Olson & Gary Louris – Ready
For The Flood I donÕt usually write about
records IÕm directly involved with for these ÔBest OfsÕ but, as this one was
made for another label and it only came to New West later (and pretty much
finished), IÕm making an exception here. I had been privy to snippets of the
recordings early on and it was clear something exceptional was happening so I
was positively giddy when the project came our way! The story of Mark and
GaryÕs split-up in 1995 and eventual reconnecting is well documented. The
result, this album, is as good as anything they have ever done. TheyÕve created
an album that displays their separate years of experience as well as revisiting
many of their original strengths. Instead of the highly produced sound of The ÔHawks, itÕs more spontaneous and raw, capturing the two
of them singing live, nose-to-nose. An organic masterpiece.
Songwriting doesnÕt get better than this and their two voices together again is
a revelatory experience. Eisley – performance with The Northwest
Symphony and The Total Experience Gospel Choir – Seattle 11.7 When I heard Eisley had been
personally invited by composer/conductor Mateo Messina to perform with a
symphony orchestra and a choir, I knew it was an opportunity I couldnÕt miss.
The program was entitled An American Symphony, specially written for this annual benefit to raise
money for The Seattle ChildrenÕs Hospital and held at the elegant Benaroya
Hall. Though Eisley only performed 3 full songs and participated in a few
others, it was well worth the trip. To hear and see them in this setting was an
amazing experience. So over the top, at times I didnÕt know whether to laugh or
cry. Guess WhoÕs Coming To Dinner? Jennifer (my wife) and I
have been massive fans of legendary Australian writer/performer Paul Kelly for
many years (http://www.paulkelly.com.au/). In 2004, visionary Australian music
business vet, Bruce Milne from the Melbourne label Infidelity, sent me the
debut album by PaulÕs nephew, Dan Kelly and his band The Alpha Males, entitled
ÔSing The Tabloid BluesÕ – BINGO! DanÕs brilliant too!! (http://www.myspace.com/dankellysongs) We proceeded to rant and rave about DanÕs music to
all who would listen. In trying to assist him getting his music heard, we get
to know Dan via e-mail, telephone calls and when he visited the states.
Fast-forward to March of Õ08. Dan & Paul were coming to play at The SXSW
Music Festival in Austin, TX along with some other, assorted club shows around
the U.S. (including Largo in L.A.). I catch 3 of their sets in TX and am blown
away by how well they play together. Dan is nothing short of astonishing as a
harmony singer and lead guitarist on all our beloved PK material. When they
arrive in L.A. the day before the Largo show, Dan calls and suggests we have
dinner. I figure these guys have seen a lot of hotel rooms and restaurants, maybe a home-cooked meal is in order. Dan
checks with Paul and his manager, Bill Cullen and theyÕd all be delighted to
accept our invitation. Now obviously, Jennifer and I are grown adults but we
felt like 5 year-olds at Christmastime É it was a surreal experience, we were
so excited to have a true hero of ours coming to our house. Naturally, Paul is
the perfect gentleman, puts us at ease immediately and we all had a splendid
evening of listening to music, food, drink and conversation. One
of the great experiences of my life (our lives). Robert Forster & band – The Great
American Music Hall – San Francisco 9.10 After falling
head-over-heels-in-love with Robert ForsterÕs album, The
Evangelist in May, I discover he is
coming to the states in September, only hitting 4 cities, NONE of which is L.A.
So, a guyÕs gotta do what a guyÕs gotta do - I made
plans to catch the San Francisco show on September 10th, at one of
my favorite venues The Great American Music Hall. Playing with him were 2
latter day members of The Go-Betweens - Adele Pickvance on bass/backing vocals
and Glenn Thompson who, though he had been the drummer of The G-Bs, was playing
guitar and singing backups. One Matthew Harrison very ably handled the drum
seat. As Forster said when he came on stage alone to start the show, ÒItÕs
going to be a long program,Ó and that it was - 2.5 hours, 26 songs. It was a
remarkable performance. Adele is a fabulous bass player and an even better
singer. I had also recently been turned onto GlennÕs solo material (under the
band name Beachfield) so it wasnÕt surprising that his guitar playing and
singing were also excellent. Forster himself was a hugely impressive, arty
figure. It was the first show of the trip and there was a certain tentativeness
to the first set – the solo portion of 10 songs was a wee bit stiff but
wonderful nonetheless, including opener ÒSomething For MyselfÓ (from the G-BÕs
2003 Bright Yellow Bright Orange
album) and an unexpectedly early-in-the-set appearance of Evangelist album closer ÒFrom Ghost Town.Ó He brought the band on
one at a time beginning with Adele who joined him for ÒCloudsÓ (from G-BÕs 1988
album 16 LoverÕs Lane) and ÒBorn To A
FamilyÓ (from G-BÕs 2005 album Oceans
Apart). And on it went. One fucking fabulous song after
another. To be able to see Forster live for the first time in the very
thick of my obsession, I just canÕt help but marvel at the syncronicity of it
all! There was an umistakeable camaraderie onstage.
Being the first time the group had played in the states since Grant McLennanÕs
death in 2006, it must have been quite emotional performing the G-BsÕ songs, in
particular for Glenn who did some of the guitar breaks Grant used to do. As the
show progressed, the band got tighter and Forster loosened up, smiling
frequently, adding hand gestures and body moves that were dramatic and
humorous. His delivery veers from
animated to droll, his voice at times conjuring his heroes – Tom
Verlaine, Richard Hell, Lou Reed (I hear some Neil Young in there too). Set
highlights? Where to begin?! From the Forster albums -
ÒIf It Rains,Ó ÒDemon Days,Ó ÒThe Evangelist,Ó Ò121,Ó ÒHeart Out To TenderÓ;
From The G-BsÕ - ÒDive For Your Memory,Ó ÒSpring Rain,Ó ÒDarlinghurst Nights,Ó
ÒLove Is A Sign,Ó ÒHead Full Of SteamÓ and the totally rockinÕ set closer,
ÒHere Comes The City.Ó Two encores later, Robert said, ÒThis is our last song,
one that Grant and I both loved ÉÓ and they closed with San Francisco band The
Beau BrummelsÕ ÒDonÕt Talk To Strangers.Ó A few of us who hung out after the
show were lucky to meet and talk to the band who were
as cordial as can be. Robert, Adele and Glenn signed my copy of The Evangelist and I left, happily dazed,
with all of my expectations exceded (http://www.robertforster.net/). Eternal
gratitude to my old pal Frank Riley and Dawn Holliday for the front and center
seat! |