december 2014 :: rabble rouser(s) of the months

december 2014 news featured two stories prominently.

i would like to honor the sony hackers because it is tomfoolery at it’s most sophisticated. and we certainly can't let it be forgotten how awesome it is to have high ranking executives called to task for unprofessional behavior revealed in their emails. however, the unknown hackers did apparently promote violence and are seen as a “terrorist” organization. that is not to be supported on any level. now, it seems rather apparent that the north korean government is not behind this, but sometimes trusting the government is not a bad idea. so, we take the governments warnings at face value and assume that this is a great matter of national security in order to be sensitive toward the american way of life. so, the rabble rouser of the month award goes to other main news story.

throughout the month of december, in opposition to the grand jury non-indictments of recent police actions, people from the cleveland cavaliers, to the oregon ducks basketball team, st. louis rams, to all other sects of society have worn shirts, staged die-ins and all other support for the #BlackLivesMatter issue. perhaps the best was from the #WhiteCoats4BlackLives protests. medical schools all around the country protested enmasse for the cause, such as the chicago school of medicine:


the protester was time magazine’s person of the year in 2011, due primarily to the memorable occupy wall street movement that expanded to nationwide camps protesting elite corporate control over the people. that movement has not died over the past three years, nor is it anything all that new. it started in this country with the revolutionary war, or actually with the first siting of white men. modern day, it gained a bit more steam with the anti-WTO protests in seattle, 15 years ago in late 1999. that kind of struggle will always continue. that is precisely the kind of struggle that lives on in the protests of ferguson and #BlackLivesMatter protests. incidentally, the ferguson activists were time magazine's runner up for the 2014 person of the year.

this struggle has been anything but universally supported. some people don’t get it. opposition to the cause has been fierce. "what do they have to protest?" "why aren't we protesting #AllLivesMatter?" "michael brown was a thug that got what he deserved." these were all questions that i heard on repeat. certainly, i don't have all the answers, nor should i have very many at all. i live in the middle of nowhere and have barely delved into any of this. i do get to see a different side of people that are completely detached from the news worthy world and it’s interesting to think about these things from a location where nearly everyone can afford to live equally.

on the surface, people in ferguson and elsewhere around the nation were protesting the killing of michael brown, but there is such a deeper level to be considered. if what protesters had to say was only about one kid getting killed, and it was police evidence versus citizens observations, it wouldn’t have spread to every city in the country. thousands of people don’t take to the streets in every city of the country on thanksgiving day, on christmas day, to protest for the fun of it. when that many people put their lives on hold that is an indication that there are real problems and the voices need to be heard. the saddest part of michael brown is that the people will never know the truth. so much was covered up and so many significant questions that people continue to ask will never be addressed.

regardless of what actually happened august 9, 2014 in ferguson, the aftermath has been ugly. and if people can’t trust the police or media handling of events in the aftermath, then there should be little reason to trust things were done honorably in the first place. what people are really protesting in ferguson and everywhere else is the fact that the media and certain sects of society have turned a blind eye, for too long.

the reason people chant #BlackLivesMatter and not #WhiteLivesMatter is because white lives are largely protected and precisely the civil rights that have been such a hard fight don't seem to have progressed very far, if anywhere at all. ny daily news had an article showing 179 people have been killed by NYPD cops since amadou diallo, with only three convictions. and it’s not just the numbers, it’s the manner in which they died. consider some then vs now scenarios:

1999: amadou diallo was shot 41 times by NYC cops. he was unarmed, though even if police needed to disarm him, taking him to the butcher is not the way that should be condoned. 41 shots is clear case of hatred. the four policemen were eventually acquitted of any wrongdoing and the city of new york paid a $3 million settlement to his family. 1997: abner louima was arrested and then beaten to the point that during his interrogation in the precinct bathroom, a police officer shoved a broken piece of a toilet plunger up his rectum. that is beyond any rational interrogation method and shows a blatant disregard for humanity. in that case, the main officer responsible was sentenced to 30 years in a minimum security prison. but, who has learned from it?

2014: eric garner, who was wanted for selling untaxed cigarettes, was approached by police, who promptly strangled him to death on the street. is that an executable offense and are the police judge and jury? the protocol would be to put handcuffs on him, search him and place him in the back of a patrol car. not only did the video corroborate that the police acted irrationally, but the person who took the video was indicted in an apparently separate charge, while the evidence, including garner's autopsy, showed that the police used a banned choke hold, no indictments were given by a grand jury. also in 2014: michael brown was killed by police, controversial as it may be, the police still left his body in the street for four hours. there is no excuse for such a blatant disregard for human life. even if he was a "thug" authorities still need to be held to higher standards, and again i wonder, if they couldn't even get that part right, why should i assume that they got any part of the situation right?

then, as now, such examples, such stories happen everyday in cities across america, continuously. gawker gives detailed information of 69 cases of black people killed by cops since 1999 in less than humane fashion. and not to worry if 69 people doesn't seem evidence enough, there are at 713 replies, mostly of people that were not the list.

consider another time capsule:

1969: fred hampton is assassinated by the chicago police. FBI agent gregg york said, “we expected about twenty panthers to be in the apartment when the police raided the place. only two of those black niggers were killed, fred hampton and mark clark.” does this not show a clear case of hatred?

2014: cleveland area police officer aaron mcnamara wrote on youtube, “abolishing slavery was the worst thing we could have done. these people should be exterminated.”

if these examples don't show a problem with racism consider a critical fact in CNN's statistical analysis from early december. they showed propublica's statistic that, "the 1,217 deadly police shootings from 2010 to 2012 captured in the federal data show that blacks, age 15 to 19, were killed at a rate of 31.17 per million, while just 1.47 per million white males in that age range died at the hands of police."  that is more than statistically significant. that is mind boggling. very clearly, there is a police bias against black people when young black people are 21 times more likely to be killed by police.

anon put the matter astutely when they compared the #AllLivesMatter question to an analogous argument of feeding the hungry. instead of saying “we should feed the poor and hungry” try saying “let’s feed all people”. that's how inane the #AllLivesMatter argument is. there is a time when certain things matter more than others. and when black people feel that they are still living in the 1960s and evidence clearly can support that, then that’s not progress. they feel they deserve some attention and to be treated equally.

that’s why people have lost trust in society and are taking to the streets in protest. the idea of protesting just happens to be more prevalent now than it was in, say, the cocaine addicted 1980s. the memories of hundreds of people who died needlessly and continue to die needlessly is a cause for concern and has finally reached a boiling point.

still, to say this is a race matter is partially the case, but a bit shortsighted. in the end, most of the problems, including these protests, can be linked back to the subjugation of people in lower classes. when people go on prison labor strikes, hunger strikes, minimum wage strikes, these are not spearheaded by people like al sharpton. these are spearheaded by people sick of extreme and vile conditions, by a society starting to suffer collective PTSD. the al sharpton’s are simply some of the people capitalizing off the melee.

that is why this is not so much about race, as about a battle of the haves versus the havenots. and it so happens that people of color are mostly in the have not category. to that end, this could be considered a race issue. still, it is mostly about the little guys getting fucked. people are tired of it. that’s why these protests have been going on so long. thanks to social media and the ability of everyday people to go out and show the truth in the streets straight from their cell phones, major media has become less relevant and the struggles have been more pronounced, more advertised and getting more attention over the last few years. as long as the bullshit justice continues, expect the protests and riots to continue. no matter your opinion on the protests, the fact that they will continue is evidence that there is a lot of bullshit at play.

best albums of 2014: #6

willie nelson – band of brothers (legacy recordings)

even at 81, willie can still churn out records with the vivacity of his days leading the outlaw country movement at the dawn of the 70s. even though he is over 80, he can still confront the world with his grin and bear it and roll with every punch. the track sequencing seems a bit off, it could have grouped more similar songs together, but i guess after hearing so many albums that are concept albums, or otherwise arranged around a central theme, this seems more like a greatest hits album. then again, even though willie is the best country musician of all time, he can’t be expected to produce a red headed stranger every time. and making an album of all new tracks for the first time in maybe a decade that sounds like a collection of greatest hits is a remarkable achievement in its own right.

as a cohesive whole though, the focus tracks promoted to radio stations that begin the album, serve as an introduction to the real collection of songs. not to shortchange those first seven songs, by any means, they all come with willie’s amazing signature melodies. the wall and whenever you come around are the only times willie suggests a vulnerability. wives and girlfriends contains the kind of humor that only willie can get away with. the song would have been banned in the 50s, and might even be in some states today.

still, it’s the midway point when the album really gets started on the twangy honky tonk song used to her. then willie hits with three straight hard blues songs that preach timeless truths. willie has always been at his best with a sidekick, so it’s a wonder that git go, featuring jamey johnson, is the only duet. but he pays homage to the entire inner workings of the industry on the title track band of brothers and relents that there are truth tellers and people that speak the most on hard to be an outlaw, both songs make a little stab at the industry leeches. he gets back into the honky tonk comedy on crazy like me to make a caricature. the penultimate track, the songwriters, is also the ultimate track that sums up willie’s work the best and tells of all sides of having a superstar’s life. in the finale, willie wraps up the various moods and topics of the album into a concise sayonara song, which is refreshing in its implication that there is much more to come.  there can, of course, never be too much wille nelson.

best albums of 2014: #5

 black lips – underneath the rainbow (vice records)

underneath the rainbow benefited heavily from the time it was released. record labels tend to release the most powerful albums january thru april. presumably, the late winter, early spring, time frame drives summer tours and the chance, particularly for rock and roll albums, to become teenage summer anthems. this album is, in all accounts, a teenage summer anthem. in retrospect, though, the later months of 2014 served up more joyous records (in my experience that hasn't heard so many of the *major* indie records). with lesser albums in spring, underneath the rainbow spun more freely on my tables. even better, hearing this on my buddy’s boom box in the garage hit straight in the heart of a rebellious youth.

true to black lips psychedelic form, they continue to fuel fun-loving pranksters, and are maybe at the pinnacle of such form. less reverb-drenched than previous efforts, black lips are much more accessible to a wider audience, giving even older, jaded, listeners a reminder of what still can exist. it was recorded in three different eastern locales by different big money producers (from the likes of the dap kings and black keys) giving this album a slicker polish than previous black lips albums and may even speak to average teenagers better.

the entire album is full of kooky grooves and catchy lyrics and themes about cruising, getting busted, chasing girls, ditching school, smoking, partying all night, an whatever things such an album supposed to talk about. despite or maybe because of juvenile lyrics, the dance-ability factor juices the album up in a decidedly playful way. but play it in the garage rather than the car, lest you really look like a teenager roaming the streets and, you know, get busted.

my experience getting to see black lips for the first time came later on in the year. it was as refreshing as being high school-aged again. the one thing i long for that the midwest offers better than any other part of the states is the dingy, garage rock clubs. portland clubs may sell cheaper tall boys, but not even the tonic lounge, or slabtown (r.i.p), or satyricon (r.i.p), could ever come close to matching dimly lit, month-since-washed denim stench, damp sticky beer drenched hard wood floors of just about every rock club located in a 500 mile radius of missouri’s borders. places like iowa city are magnets for the best garage rock, always have been and probably the reason why bands that don’t tour out of cascadia can't ever get the proper sound. that’s a comfort of home, right there. the black lips a comfort of youth.

best albums of 2014: #8

 james dean kindle & the eastern oregon playboys – many splendored things (self-released)

for starters, before even playing the reocrd, the cover artwork captures the ideal the playboys are going for in making an old country record. the cover photo of a couple square dancing on a belt buckle on a satin background feels post-war americana. and the back cover emulates perfectly, the dawning age of home entertainment, right down to the small print describing the manufacturing process of the vinyl. the blue vinyl, however, is a deviation of form and the story of the mine disaster approaches ridiculousness. yet the story illustrates the band's dedication and is the right humor to present a caricature of human spirit in a time before the robotification of man. the sadness of the human demise is carried straight into the music as only country blues can offer.

if there was ever any doubt about the playboys ability to recreate a new, but genuine 1950s country album, that doubt was quickly blown off from note one. side one is a perfect record in every way. the production was earnest with well-seasoned professionals sean ogilvie and levi cecil on hand. that’s the main aspect in which the playboys have advanced from their 2012 self-titled album. many splendored things isn't better or worse, but a different project entirely that needed different ears and recording skills.

laura gibson’s appearance on the first song, the other way, is pure time travel since she is about the only person alive that could match kitty wells for substance. country radio (when that was real music) would have used i’ll be around as the promo single, for showing off the entire band first in the guitar and piano solos, but mostly peter walter’s sax as the added pepper. it was not needed on the album, but it does, for a moment, turn the otherwise drunk, love-sick balladeers into a swing band. and that up tempo spirit is needed to sell records and get bookings in ballrooms. the addition of the psychedelic country song in your mind allowed kindle to put his own stamp on the genre. it is perhaps my favorite song on the album. the repeated kaleidoscopic noodling at the end is a fair addition for a crooner gone overboard, but damn them for pressing that laugh, followed by what sounds like an elbow to a piano key in the last groove at the label. try waking up sweating at two in the morning with that still spinning. a love affair gone awry feels better. at least that possibility of the technical tomfoolery separates the record from its cd counterpart, which could not have been present sixty years ago.

side two starts off as promising as side one, but quickly becomes somewhat of a different record, though it still follows the old country album diversity, a little like tom t. hall records maybe. laura gibson is given a solo of her own on let’s pretend we’re strangers, which, followed by kindle’s sassy reply in the chorus, makes it about the heaviest hitting song on the album. but the song sets up a regrettable part of the story. considering the production, the seedier side of life in i only… (the song i can’t stomach enough to finish the title) and brain cells should be no surprise, but go beyond the subtle charm of an older age, even those that sang about the typical destruction. the mood is recaptured with the rendition of louis armstrong’s we have all the time in the world. cover songs are a tricky business and often ruin records, but the playboys do turn it into an appropriately sad county ballad. plus, it is a perfect choice of song to close with, leaving an aftertaste of a trashed and empty ballroom the morning after. it completes the record’s homage to a time nearly forgotten.

best albums of 2014: #7

 strangled darlings – boom stomp king

strangled darlings have had three albums on the rabble rouser year end lists over the last four years. seems to be an indication they need to be more widely listened to. one mandolin, one electric cello, no effects, george veech and jess anderly have produced their most stripped down album yet.

it takes a real effort to figure out what most of these songs are about. then again, that seems to be the main point of it all. the majority of the album is an expose on how humans have lost touch with their own nature and spirituality. real needs have been replaced by an artificially produced life, mass marketed and cheaply purchased. ideals like freedom only exist in far away places that individuals have no hope of reaching. yet, even those few who are lucky enough to have material wealth, to be able to roam in open space, or even in their own minds, share a blindness to the fact that every single one of us is part of a bigger plan, and that’s just considering this physical human form. the wanting of more and more of this life, without any true appreciation of the fragility, is a common thread on the album.

i divide this nine track disc into two halves; the first four and the last four. the middle track, bunnies, is the only one where the brief period of true living exists, and it is only sort of hinted at. if the last half of the album is related to the first half, it’s in the telling of the sad end, the decay after the world has taken its toll. the time on earth is short, the end is hard, but there are hints, particularly in the tone and in the final song river of love especially, that it isn't all bad. there is some relief and ultimate freedom after the last yard sale.

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here is a message from strangled darlings, which came in an email just this morning.

Hello far flung friends!

Six months ago, on the longest day of the year, we left our hippest of twee cities to move into a 12 x 18 foot rolling green room & new home (Code name: Shakeyhouse). The American RV, with it's timeless brown swooshes bedecking the sexless square walls gets a new type of client: The Indie Band. We are reaching out to you dear listeners, Steve Albini style, in an effort to eschew acts of corporate greed, ripped mp3's & sheer musical monotony to deliver something live to you from Strangled Darlings.

Since that auspicious Solstice half a year ago, we have logged 14,000 miles, playing 85 shows in 29 states in ShakeyhouseRV. I am happy to report the toilet still works & no one has been murdered. Instead we shall winter in sunny Florida with stops in Alabama & Louisiana.

The funtimes with snow birding will end in early March as we climb northern the to salt crushed roads of the midwest and the True/False Festival in Columbia, MO. I'll be saving my fleece. We'll be back in DC (among what JFK called the "Northern Southerners") by late March to climb back up I-95 to mud season in April's Vermont. Wait for our comeuppance then.

And to our fair moist Portland! Forestall your espresso suicide! We return for a summer kiss in endless July. And yes, absence surely makes our hearts grow fonder.  For details on where we’ll be and when, see our rather ambitious and ever-changing tour schedule here.

Oh, yeah, and in the meantime, we’ve recorded a new album (yeah that's right), Boom Stomp King. We cut some new videos too. Stay tuned for details. For now, a little teaser from a tune honoring exploits of Neill Armstrong. (Try beating this for your next FB post, "Took one small step on extra-terrestrial heavenly body today.")

Thanks for your support,

George and Jess

best albums of 2014: #2

pontiak – INNOCENCE (thrill jockey)

the only musical culture i was aware of through most of the 90s was that of stoner rock and other pub bands touring in broken down vans. for all of the 00s, i was out of range of even that and most other direct american influence. for the past four years, i’ve only been further submerged in the remote parts of eastern cascadia. that is why i am only barely conscious of the fact that queens of the stone age became a major label, arena rock band (what the hell?).  needless to say, i never knew about bands like pontiak, even though they are now ten albums into a blistering rock career. thus, i should like to thank the planners of treefort ’14 for scheduling pontiak just before wooden indian burial ground to ensure that i was finally, and properly, introduced.

to instantly become a rabble rouser favorite, a band could, say, begin their show toasting each other to shots of tequila before launching into the most raucous screaming guitars. no wonder they spent most of the rest of the year touring northern europe, where the most appreciative audiences of true garage noise exist.

to create an instant rabble rouser classic, an album could, say, begin with the singer yelling “waaaysted, in the streets!” and launch into the same raw, driving chords they do live. that first song, the title track to the album, which i assume is an ode to tweekers, turns out to be a fair indicator of the album, though things get waaaay better. it is a great kickstarter for lacklustre rush and ghosts, which are the most respectable stoner rock power, reminiscent of nebula’s heyday.

pontiak does let off the throttle though, and shows a softer side, which is where most of their detractors seem to point out flaws. the reviews i’ve read seem either indifferent or flat out opposed to the album’s ballads. i hope those crappy reviewers get paid less than i do, because noble heads and wildfires sound straight out of obscured by clouds sessions. it was said that these ballady songs sounded out of place, though it’s not like the songs are sandwiched in between primal screamers. pontiak breathes out the fury and then settles down. it’s not like, after ten years, a band isn't allowed to relax a bit. and it’s not like listeners need to neurotically eat their own turntables either.

no one who saw pontiak perform it’s the greatest on KEXP would be caught dead saying the ballads suck. listeners that only want the sheer force can rejoice, i suppose, in the fact that side two has only one slow song. pontiak ends we’ve got it wrong with a message, “we know we’re right.” considering i’ve listened to 200+ albums this year and haven’t found anything close to as glorious as this, i am not sure any half-witted critic can make a better record.

best albums of 2014: #1

 hallowed oak (happily family records) 

the numbering of the top albums list really is somewhat of a meaningless triviality.  any of the albums on the list could have been number one. hallowed oak coming in first is kind of like a freshman winning the heisman trophy. it probably should never happen, but newness often holds an extra attraction. this self-titled album just happened to match my moods the most and influence my life for three straight months.

most of what i know about hallowed oak comes from a thirty second conversation standing in line behind the singer waiting to use the bathroom. they are a seven piece, though i only saw two, who moved from fort collins to boise in the middle of summer just as their debut album was being released. the most amount of information known about the band seems to be the names and instruments of the rotating cast of seven musicians on their bandcamp site. the only other thing i know is that collin ingam’s website is suspended. if you can find anything more about the band, please do let me know.

the seven piece band is used extremely economically. the structures are basic and mostly soft, making the album relaxing. but the crafty mix is what makes this album. the pieces are layered in a way that gives a feeling of walking through a maze. the songs sound as though they recorded themselves, either that or the band has a well-seasoned studio tech. i don’t like to compare bands and albums to others the way promoters always do, but this album is clearly from another time. it sounds about forty years old, like some early 70s recording where nick drake joined big star. the closest thing to today would maybe be mid 90s smog. i don’t know, but that’s some testament to how focused this album’s production is

the production results for the listener creates something somewhat like starting from a trailhead in the foothills, thinking you might want to hike to the summit, only getting easily distracted by the first river you cross. The album holds an eager anticipation, and grinds upward, but then revels in its own mission content with encountering a glacial runoff that turns into a crystal clear river.

the intro notes of anything personal suggest tension about to explode. but the band really makes you wait for it. lyrically, the first four songs seem to be the travelogues of a wandering soul, dealing with the loss of love the songs are somewhat self-introspective, singing to a foreboding. this leads to not worrying about the loss. but don’t worry, this is not an emo thing.

next autumn is the where the wanderer has found his answer. it is also the most powerful song on the album. the power of having gotten to the end of the week, to the holidays, some time off work, going assuredly down the road.   that’s the content and the strength level of the song. you will sing it over and over. it makes you forget about the explosion that seemed eminent from the beginning. muscle music, then, is a surprise rock song by the time hallowed oak gets to it, but it doesn't deviate from the journey’s lesson in retelling the stories of the wanderer. oh glory is the most complex of the arrangements. the sounds are sweet and bubbly, holding the promise of better times. somewhat of a precursor, because, though the wanderer has found a temporary reprieve in the penultimate track three words, he’s still find himself taking too much time even if he seems to have collected himself.

i am not the biggest fan of love stories, but hallowed oak paints a picture with the right colors, and are certainly open and honest. the story also transcends being about love at all. it calls for numerous listens, but for the story part of it, the end needs to be listened to more because the last three tracks aren't too clear about an ending. this album brings to mind the last time i was so excited about a large orchestral band’s first album. that was buffalo death beam, but they broke up before a second album. hallowed oak can’t break up, they still have a story to finish.

best albums of 2014: #4

run on sentence – feelings (hush records)

best i can tell, feelings has somewhere between four and seven songs on side one, and three or so songs on side two. needless to say, it would be helpful if there were a standard tracklist. i won’t even bother to suggest reading the lyric sheet. let’s just say that a hit of acid might make that easier. the only way to even tell the difference between side one and side two is that the center stickers match the front and back covers, which are inversions of a photograph of dustin hamman and his dog. depending on how much you’ve had to drink, it might be easier to read the etchings around the inner groove.

all kidding now aside, this is a powerful product and thank heavens run on sentence found dan galucki of wooden indian burial ground to back up on drums. the most far reaching folkster with the hardest hitting drummer makes for a serious business model. though dustin starts out by making the listener think he’s about to deliver one of his rap trips, side one is instead mostly a swaying in the breeze, margarita-in-hand, type rock effort with loads of horns for masterful effect of the big band in the sky. the songs center around the spirit of trying to get back youthful innocence, while dealing with getting old and tired. by the time of oh sweet death, the dedicated headphone wearing participant is certainly partied out and ready for the other side.

side two’s first track has another auspicious lead in, such that the listener has no idea what’s coming. what does come is authentic country blues that neither of the two country albums on the top 14 list can muster. instead of waiting for imminent death, side two’s songs are tellings of experiences in the after-life.

someday, instead of those jimmy buffet bars where people dance to that margaritaville song all night, people should dance and sing stoned, drunk and blind. they’d certainly get more out of life if they did. it’s a song about a son’s application of his mother’s advice gone awry. it is NSFW or to be accessed by individuals under 18. while i won’t report anyone for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, i also don’t have a job to offer anyone that gets fired for singing it at work. the title song feelings colors rainbows in the mind with the best guitar work on the album. the epic finale, death highway motorcade, ends the story with what seems about like a boeing bringing hamman back onto earth, leaving him content with the life and experiences he has had and rejoicing for the stages yet to come. the story really comes full circle as a proper ethereal, other-world experience story always does.

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btw, praise from above goes to dustin hamman for selling his entire catalog, plus a t-shirt, for the grand total of $50 at hermit fest. that’s just wrong. next time i think i should give the merch booth another $20 and a some gas money for run on sentence's travel expenses, or at least i could give a couple beers. unless, it’s the underage girl working the merch booth, then i won’t give her the beers. and as for hermit fest in general, wow, what a deal, even though it took two months to pay for it, is the reason why i can’t give a top 14 concert list for the year. i have been so lucky to attend so many concerts, and great fests, and uniquely was able to see a number of artists in different environments. ranch fest was one of the best yet, treefort too. but out of all my travels, hermit fest was the most enjoyable. all the people made it a smash. this includes hillfolk noir, who put in the most amount of work, and mike coykendall for the ride down memory lane to get there, and gregory rawlins for playing in (almost) every band, and run on sentence for rocking the hardest and selling the farm for $50, and stoneseed and all the other dozens of awesome bands that don’t immediately pop into my mind, and the underage merch booth girl that i won't give any beers to, and indian creek winery staff for being so tolerant of drunks, though i guess that’s sort of their job, and the genki takoyaki food cart! i really don’t know how hermmit fest 2015 could be any better. they’d have to add anna tivel to the roster and let me hitch a ride with her.  now, that’s giving me ideas. i need to shoot off a few emails. whatever happens, anyone reading this should part the seas and traverse the continent, whatever the cost to get to hermit fest, labor day weekend 2015, you will not regret it. heaven is in kuna, idaho.

best albums of 2014: #10

 clarke & the himselfs II (happy family/heart in box recordings/curly cassettes)

it’s mesmerizing to see clarke pull these songs off live. if the chords sound simple and effects driven on the recording, well they are, but consider this is one guy with a reverb pedal, guitar, kick drum, cymbal, and tomtom, who strums the guitar with the drum stick in between beats. it’s a mind trip, incomprehensible even while witnessing it. without that, the music and it’s lyrical equivalent either speak a comprehensible language or they don’t. for someone that grew up with a passion for suicidal tendencies because they spoke hard truths and provided an outlet that a sheltered and lost soul could relate to, i see clarke espousing a similar guiding insight, even if his songs are depressing enough to make listeners with beating hearts seek professional help. as his own songs will testify, hiding from horror doesn't make it go away. there is a lot to learn from in tragedy, and to deny that knowledge by only wanting to see the sunny side of life is more maddening than the horrors themselves.

toxic world is the hit song. it brings the most crowd engagement and sells everything at the merch booth. sludge is about as toxic as anything. it can’t easily be cleaned up, nor do those responsible for it have to deal with the dirty work. toxic sludge is the by-product of everything we have been born inheriting. the song untitled also appears to blame an elder figure for producing the environment when they knew better. the only distraction in either song is love, even if that is just as toxic. clarke makes an attempt for it at toxic world’s end, but if the other songs are indicative the outcome is fruitless even when finding love.

railbug, is a terribly horrifying title, much less for the song to kick off the cassette. it does start hopeful by looking for new beginnings, via train hopping, via astral trips, but the means won’t matter to a person transfixed on loss. the result of the negative position can only bring hopeless feelings of what one cannot attain. thus, a "railbug" is the inevitable outcome. at least four songs on the cassette appear to have the person of desire commit suicide. there is a lot of presumption on my part. poetry is already slippery enough, but it’s even harder to understand the guy through the reverb on the mic and the bandcamp site only has lyrics to four songs. besides, maybe i read too much into these things, but the depth of the feelings beg to be probed.

the cassette format somehow also forwards the primal concerns. and man, i love my cassette deck. the cover art is interesting in considering the toxic world. there are no less than 119 historical figures in the collage. if you can name even one-fourth of them, i’ll trust you to captain my spaceship.

best albums of 2014: #9

thurston moore – the best day (matador records)

thurston moore is one of the best, who’s at his best. he’s created a relaxed and balanced record, with his distinctive sound. moore is probably not the kind of guy that wants to hear people say this sounds like a sonic youth album, though it kind of does groove like thousand leaves era, maybe upping the tempo somewhat to mix in some rabble rouser spice with the kind of recipe that made ndaydream nation one of the biggest rock classics. since relocation to london, moore seems to have found fresh sources in a comfortable niche, teamed up with some familiar coworkers in steve shelley and the bass player for my bloody valentine.

the album sounds like it’s title. panda asked how to get over her seasonal affective disorder soon after this album was released, and i sent this to her after just spending three days straight listening to on repeat. it is calming, with flowing rythyms, unassuming in typical thurston moore intrigue, with a lot of positive imagery in lyrical tone. it’s the kind of thing that adds pep to daily tasks when a little motivation is needed.

the best day does, however, go way beyond mood music and a spiritual uplifting. throughout his career, thurston moore has mostly marched to his own beat. the stereotypical image of a rabble rouser is that of a tough, ne’er-do-well miscreants, which is far from the reality. it’s not about being a troublemaker, it’s about doing what is right, regardless of what the rules are, the consequences, or what the social definition of acceptable behavior is. rules don’t always make sense, they don’t always serve to achieve their intended outcome. speak to the wild sets a tone for the best day much like teenage riot did. before anyone can be expected to enjoy themself, they have to be comfortable with their place and what they’re doing. speak to the wild is a lay down your arms type song, but still not falling in line with authority. hear the teachings with such lyrics as “protect your child, from empty empire…extinguish things, of earthly desire…don’t let the dark get you lost…the king has come to join the band, the king has come with no demands.” that’s all about creating a stress-free environment, a way to get angst out to be able to settle down.

moore returns with a couple more rabble rouser themes in detonation and germs burn, but just like sonic youth did at their best, it’s innocent and playful angst. detonation ends with, “game crashing seekers find the truth. just you wait, maybe we’ll use a toy grenade.” idaho greats finn riggins writes quite similar, subtle meanings into their songs. thurston moore just happens to be more fluid at it because he’s been doing it forever, since before even i was in high school. even at his age, moore still looks young and keeps that kid-like freedom of exploration. he knows how to appeal to others while being himself.

the record isn't preachy and doesn't give any formula for success. the lyrics leave it up to the individual listener. for instance, the songs forevermore and the best day don’t really make a lot of sense, they have obtuse and indirect meanings. “animals they sing and adore, intuitions flash before you. born to kiss the live and soul face, is happiness the throne of your grace?” it’s certainly full of meaning, but the meaning is manipulable. the imagery creates an atmosphere of something beautiful and positive. grace lake especially gives that feeling, while being an instrumental. feelings are present, and the listener can easily flow with it. yet, even in the midst of some of these most laid back tunes, thurston will shake things up with his sort of off-kilter guitar riffs.

the first few times i heard it, the album felt too long, too much noodling. that may result from expectation on my part. moore has had a penchant to go off on trippy tangents or get too experimental. but repeated listenings really have made it sound appropriate as if more things are being said. he basically just hangs and enjoys that “best day” with his best friend, like the cover photo from the 1940s of his mother and her dog in the water. you want to swim in the warm water a little longer, you want to feel the breeze while laying back and staring at the sky a little longer. without getting carried away, the recording holds on to that fleeting moment of happiness.

best albums of 2014: #11

 ryan joseph anderson – the weaver’s broom  (self-released)

i picked this album up in even more of a serendipitous manner than any other of the top 14 albums. anderson appeared with kory quinn and the comrades in an early december, for a sweaty party of a concert. anderson did his own opening set, and it was hard to gauge him. he only had about fifteen minutes to perform solo in the terrible acoustic venue, though he smoked some lead guitar parts with the comrades. he did approach taboo waters by trying to cover tom waits, though he picked a most excellent choice, cold water, that was lost on the audience.  two swing dancers found that song their reason to finally get off their feet, which seemed as odd then as it does thinking about it. anderson said that fans of tom waits would be pleased with his new record. covering tom waits is one thing, but it is audacious for a young artist to compare themselves to such a legend. it takes a confident person and anderson surely delivered the promise without hesitation.

i paid the $20 and took anderson at his word, only to be damned to find out he wasn’t pulling any punches. side one is certainly worth the price of the record alone. the first song, crooked heart, did have a sort of heart of saturday night/blue valentine vibe and song two, when the bees went mad, probably would fit on an album like black rider or mule variations, but beyond fruitless tom waits comparisons, each song has a it’s own persona seemingly matching a different 70s acoustic superstar stylistically. not that this sounds remotely close to some k-tel late night infomercial compilation album, and i certainly don’t want to take away from the conceptual efforts, but it does present as though it could be someone’s greatest hits album. whether that sounds like a compliment, i don't know, but it should.

side two is a bit sleepier than the rock tempos of side one. that’s not a bad thing, and seems to be the intent. it’s an interesting choice of sequencing that has not been the norm on albums this year. though it was released in april, my find is new, and experience with it so brief that i haven’t nearly been able to digest it. they are great stories from gifted songwriter and instrumentalist.

the more amazing this is that this album is self-released. i am not sure there was a better album out of nashville this year, except for maybe that country legend that appears a few spots higher on the list. the nashville music industry has made its net worth known many times over, and i have to give this guy credit to trying to survive the cutthroat bs of it all, but he is a chicagoan with some real bravado. nonetheless, some nationwide record label should be paying this guy money to make music.

best albums of 2014: #12

michael eaton – individuation (destiny records)

i am in no way qualified to talk about much of anything, much less jazz. i certainly should not be allowed to put a jazz album on the list. i’d be inclined to say things like songs without lyrics are too hard for me to understand.  and how silent movies and mimes intrigue me endlessly, but i can never figure them out either. something doesn’t really need to be figured out to be enjoyed. 

            

michael eaton, a tenor and soprano saxophonist, is a relative newcomer and his debut album individuation is apparently a play on words for his graduating into becoming his own band leader. he is accompanied by a few other fresh faces, and one legend. brad whiteley, who also released his debut album earlier this year, is eaton’s main cohort on piano and “prepared” piano.  no idea what a prepared piano is, but i gather that it uses a certain collection of nails and screws in the strings.

           

individuation is basically a four-parter. section 1 (tracks 1-4) features a good amount of sax and piano interplay. tracks one and three, bring in trumpeter jon crowley, who provides some beautiful harmonies with eaton.  it’s a bit hard to tell who the track guru refers to because it probably should refer to the world renowned soprano saxophonist david liebman who comes in on the track alter ego for some interesting sax exchanges. section 2 (tracks 5-7) are more or less duos. liebman and eaton trade off sax lines on prickly, and then crowley comes back once more for some hot trumpet leads on centrifuge. you’re my mystery is a short eaton showcase backed by whiteley. section 3 is the title section individuation, five tracks that merge together, eaton testing himself with whiteley backed by the drum and bass section. individuation 1, 2 and 3, build up a certain sense of urgency, which really takes off on part 4 and part 5, the most excellent parts in which the piano and sax trade stops. lifecycle is the album’s highlight, for bringing back liebman and kind summing up the album up with all the band back in one cohesive six-minute track.

all the tracks are particularly tight arrangements, which musically blows away most of other albums on this list. that’s probably what happens in a world where musicians have to intern under masters and finally individuate in their 30s. compelling stuff that begs for replays.  you can’t take your mind off the music to stare at the cover photo either.  graphic art without words is an entirely different matter.  you’ll get caught up in trying to find out how many rings are in the tree, or whatever the cover is that starts with an atomic yin yang, until realizing it’s eleven minutes later and the CD is on part 4, so you have to keep going back to the beginning. 

best albums of 2014: #3

anna tivel – before machines (fluff & gravy)

one of my biggest criticisms of humans is the attempt to simplify life by implementing technology that only further complicates life. anna tivel’s before machines can be put into the category of concept albums of being serious about simplicity. not sure if there are other albums in that category, so consider this a one-of-a-kind.

before machines is about the basics of survival. it’s about escaping trouble, which is discussed in map of the stars. it's not about running from trouble, but about having already escaped it, somewhat effortlessly. the album itself has a feeling of effortlessness, but getting across complex ideas with basic words and arrangements is a painstaking task, kind of like living a basic, yet complex life. don’t expect any five-dollar words from anna, much less acknowledgements of things like smart phones. anna seems to have read through the entire “urban dictionary” finding only highway and satellite as the most modern concepts of any use.

in an era when folk music is about to implode on itself, anna tivel is the freshest voice in, probably, forever. still, this album is orchestrated a bit more than a “folk” album. anna has written songs, cleverly layered with sparse, musical accompaniment just present enough to give the few breaths needed to complement the subject matter, such as the soft, dark bass of midnight on a monday, the dancing fiddle on the free, the disparate, electric guitar searching on map of the stars, or the fiddle-singing-lullabys winding the album toward its closure on for emily asleep. while the music is superb, it’s merely an eerily quiet backdrop to the masterful vocalist. anna’s delivery is one that leaves the listener enraptured. she sings with a fiery conviction, yet an innocent tenderness – at the same time, compelling the listener, as much as forcing them, to keep listening.

the album starts with a *pop* song, five dollar bill, that shows a playful, sassy persona that walks into a creaky old house and gleefully lies down a welcome mat. the only other song that resembles pop music is grace and gasoline. still, it only takes about three spins until the listener is trying to sing back all of the album’s lyrics more guiltily than any michael jackson song. by about the thirtieth spin, the listener realizes that, though they may know all the words, they can never catch up with the depth of the literary content. so much for simplicity. just for fun, pick out any random stanza, from the middle of the album, such as…

“and this is just a motel, with a bell in every room,
where they speak in only riddles, yeah the speak in unison.
i hollered out i’m lost here, on a hunt without a kill,
a thousand people moving, but you are standing still.”

the entire album is so considerate of the basic concept. it’s only the genre that changes from song to song. topics flow from plain truths, to finding strength and the way to redemption, to longing for more beyond one’s reach. surely, as much life is considered in before machines as in the tao te ching.

the album closes with a goodbye song, i’ll be home, that shows a stubbornness to ever change from the roots that created the album. though the singer gives some suggestions of vulnerability, she is comfortable in own skin, loves her creaky house, and needs nothing more than what she has.

of all the albums on the top 14 list, this figures to be the most enduring. grandiose in its simplicity, before machines has a timeless quality that is beyond being one of the best albums of the year. i’d take this if i were banished to a 110-year-old house in the middle of nowhere with only ten albums, but that may be a small step since i already live in a 110-year-old house in the middle of nowhere.

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i’ve seen many musicians live three, four times in a year. i’ve seen several musicians on back to back nights. anna tivel (along with moorea masa) must certainly be the first musician i’ve seen play three nights in a row. i’ve no idea which one was the best, but if she did a residency in la grande for thirty straight days, i would attend every one and if anyone tried to utter so much as one word of distraction, i would have them bound and gagged. that’s probably why the show at LG brewskis with moorea masa and foster haney (10/17) was the best. the house was packed, but the silence was so haunting throughout the performance that a pin could be heard – the day after it was dropped. but the show she did with gregory rawlins at the deep (8/26) was probably the most lively and entertaining. however, it's hard to forget the opening set she and moorea did for test audiences and finn riggins at BGB (10/18). whatever type of scene suits you, anna can fit snugly into it.