As ye sow, so shall ye reap.  We take irrational pleasure in putting out our Best of Year lists and proselytizing for good music.  And of course we enjoy seeing what music others preach on their lists.  In the process, magnificence may be unearthed.

Take this year, for example.  At year’s end, we checked the venerable HearYa site and their Best Albums of 2011, and discovered at No. 2 (behind only the deserving Other Lives’ Tamer Animals) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan’s The Deep Dark Woods and their Americana sound.   And now we can’t stop listening to the band and their well-rendered odes of woe (with an anti-woe exception or two) on 2011 album, The Place I Left Behind.   Devastation and heartbreak await in their songs, but as with the best in this genre the gain is more cathartic-afterglow and marvel than mere misery.  The Deep Dark Woods manage to deliver the dark tales with pristine, gorgeous harmonies and precise piano, guitar. banjo and violin embellishments.

While we laud the studio versions of these songs as heard on the album, in many ways we cotton more to the live versions captured by HearYa and others below.  Check out the live performances below and then go pick up the album (which is currently available at Amazon for $5.00).

First up is The Banks Of The Leopold Canal (audio only), which according to HearYa is “a Canadian soldier’s tale of woe as he’s forced to leave his love for battle in WWII. [Band member] Ryan was inspired to write the song after seeing a special on “The Battle of the Scheldt” in which an interviewed soldier was quoted saying “thousands were dead in the Leopold Canal.”  Next up is Ballad Of Frank Dupree, which HearYa advises is “a fictional song about a man who murders his girl and repents as he faces death by hanging at the gallows. It’s hard not to sympathize with this criminal as he blames the liquor and tries to explain his evil sins to his mother and father.”  You know, just some light listening.  Also included below is the title track of their album as performed by the band on CBC’s Radio 3.  Great stuff from yet another Canadian band.

The Deep Dark Sea–The Banks of the Leopold Canal (HearYa Live Session):

[audio:https://www.thelefortreport.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/01_Banks_Of_The_Leopold_Canal.mp3|titles=01_Banks_Of_The_Leopold_Canal]

The big-buzz band, Alabama Shakes, showed up yesterday on KCRW and played their songs, Be Mine and Hold On.  The modern, blues-based thang ain’t our thang, but ferheavensake–we’d take Brittany Howard and crew any day over Adele and a nation or two of imitators.  At least she’s bluesing-in-tongues while channeling Janis.  Their first album, Boys & Girls, will be released in April.  Check ’em out.

Wilco showed up on Conan last night and performed Whole Love and Dawned On Me (the latter a “web exclusive”).  Check it out below courtesy of the Audio Perv.  The former is pleasant, if pedestrian, but the latter is enlivened by Nels Cline and his guitar-exorcisms on throwback, double-necked guitar.  Feels like the early 70s again.  The harmonies after the 3-minute mark add immensely.  Wilco descends on Santa Barbara on February 10th at the Arlington with Other Lives opening.

Another of our all-time favorites, Nada Surf, are streaming their brand new album, The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy (on Barsuk), today over at PureVolume HERE.  The band will also be streaming their SOLD OUT record-release show at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on their YouTube channel tomorrow HERE starting at 7pm Pacific Time.

The Best 70 Songs of 2011

A bit late, but c’est la vie.  The following were the songs that dominated our playlist in 2011.  Except for an exceptional case or two, we purposefully limited bands to one song on the list in order to spread the wealth, all under the theory that many of the bands whose other songs might have warranted inclusion had already received proper recognition via our Best Albums of 2011 list.

The songs below aren’t necessarily what you might think of as “singles,” but they’re songs that particularly moved us one way or another.   Listed in order of merit, though slightly skewed to the old-world-vision of  “singles” (and we can’t definitively explain differences in ranking after about No. 5).  Included, where possible, is “Inspirational Verse” from each song (in homage to the self-dubbed “Dean of American Rock Critics,” Robert Christgau).

1.  Radiohead–Separator

Perhaps not as pumped up as some of the songs listed below it, this is simply one of the best songs of all time, with its multiple melody lines and rhythm layers, and the usual deft playing and singing.  The melodies sneak in and take over your brain.

Inspirational Verse:  “And if you think this is over, then you’re wrong.”

Radiohead–Separator

2.  Foster the People–Pumped Up Kicks

Catchier than chlamydia in Cambodia, it was the one song that stuck in everyone’s head this year.  We prefer Weezer’s version below (until the songwriters get their live act down).

Inspirational Verse:  None really.

3. Lana Del Rey–Video Games

She’s gonna be huge (despite that SNL showing), and this one kick-started the campaign, replete with harps and strings.  Dreamy, eh?  Her first album “Born To Die” will be released at the end of January.

Inspirational Verse:  “It’s better than I ever even knew, they say that the world was built for two, only worth living if somebody is loving you, baby, now you do.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO1OV5B_JDw&feature=relmfu

4.  MX83–Midnight City

Another ridiculously catchy song from the French band, MX83.

Inspirational Verse: “Waiting in the car, waiting for a ride, at night the city grows, look at the horizon glow.”

5.  Bon Iver–Holocene

Bon Iver did their best to take over the world this year.  This song (and video) helped capture the flag.

Inspirational Verse:  “And at once I knew I was not magnificent…and I can see for miles, miles, miles.”

6.  TV On the Radio–Keep Your Heart

Nine Types of Light was filled with great songs, but this one sang to us the most.

Inspirational Verse:  “With the world all falling apart, I’m gonna keep your heart.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNETlb0MFN8&feature=artist

7.  Bright Eyes–Shell Games

Though Ladder Song is probably the best song on the album, this song has more of the Sugar, Sugar (with its Cars gestalt) and is a great status report from Oberst/Bright Eyes.

Inspirational Verse:  “We’ll be everything that we ever needed, everyone on the count of three, everyone on the count of three, all together now!!”

8.  Diego Garcia–You Were Never There

This one came at us out of the blue and stuck.  All the elements are there.  Why wasn’t this a top radio hit?

Inspirational Verse:  “Where you are looking up at the sun, see all the cars standing still as they run, the days start to fade sleep away out of side, a flash in the sky lighting up my dark night.”

9.  Destroyer–Poor In Love

Kaputt was replete with great songs (Chinatown, Song for America, Suicide Demo, etc.) , but this one impoverished our listening-time the most.

Inspirational Verse:  “I was poor in love, I was poor in wealth, I was okay in everything else there was, oh I was poor in love.”

10.  Adam & the Amethysts–Dreaming

Canada’s Adam & the Amethysts were big hits in the extended Lefort-family in the last months of the year, and this song was the dreamy introduction to the band.

Inspirational Verse:  “If it feels like we’re dreaming, don’t wake me.”

Keep reading »

Following on the heels of last week’s firin’ Arcade Fire episode, and as warned, this week Austin City Limits broadcast the multiply-talented Joanna Newsom (and some other shmos who we hear are doing The Implosion).  Skip to the 28:28 mark (or take a nap) and watch Ms. Newsom’s usual stunning performance.  And if you don’t have much time skip to the 41:16 mark for a glimpse of her sonorous sorcery and then the masterful Good Intentions Paving Company at at 43:54.  She’s unlike anyone else out there.  Thankfully.

Watch Fleet Foxes / Joanna Newsom on PBS. See more from Austin City Limits.

One of the comparatively unheralded greats, Joseph Arthur, appeared on the Letterman Show Friday night to perform his new song, In the Dark of Graveyard Chatter, off his brand new double-album, Redemption City.  While he played every instrument and sang every note on the new album, on Letterman he showed up with a big, powerful band (replete with four backup singers and a bevy of instrumentalists, some wearing leathers, some not).  Check the performance below.  Oh my!!  He does rock n’ roll proud.  Once again.  And you can tell Dave and Paul are appropriately wowed.  After the video (courtesy of the Audio Perv), check out Arthur’s pertinent words regarding the new album, its release and its downloadable options on his website. Give what you can to support great art from one of our art greats.

Joseph Arthur:

“Please don’t take the method or the freedom of this release
to be any judgment on its value.
I think it’s top notch,
but it’s great to take advantage of what the internet is actually good at –
IMMEDIACY.

This is the first time I’ve released something while still
inhabiting its space,
I’m alive in the nowness of it!
Join me there or here or here and there.

Around the time I was putting out Redemption’s Son,
I met Peter Beard in Montauk.
Lucky enough to stay with friends at the old Andy Warhol
house,
where the Rolling Stones had rehearsed.

A bunch of us were there
partying, playing cards, trying to do yoga,
but mostly partying.
It was fun.
(Thank you Rene and Suzy.)

One night I told Peter the name of my record that was
about to come out
“Redemption’s Son,” I said.
“Too religious,” he said.
He was probably right but that’s what it was called, though
it wasn’t out yet.

The next day he said, “I thought of a better title for you.”
I asked, “What?”
He paused for drama and then said,
“Redemption City.”
9/11 had just happened,
it was a crazy title and I instantly liked it better than
“Redemption’s Son”,
but it was too late,
that record was already on its way to stores.
(that’s where we used to get music back in the day.)
But I held onto that title.
I made a giant painting of a city when I opened the
‘Museum of Modern Arthur’
and called it “Redemption City”
but somehow its destiny is to be a title of a record.

Peter Beard is a deep cat,
animal blood on huge beautiful prints must awaken the
favor of the gods
because his will for this title has chased me down the years,
and a few years ago I set about making it.
The record inspired by the title.
What would a city of redemption sound like?
What kind of characters would inhabit it?
The files for this record date back to ’09 and one track
further than that.
I work on it, get burned out and then reopen it weeks later.
I built a studio (with the help of Matt Becker) in Brooklyn
to make it,
and it’s the only record I’ve made where I’ve done
everything on it,
played all the things that make all the noise, drums, bass,
synths and guitars,
produced it mixed it, you name it.
Not that i haven’t been helped.
Jen Michel used to come around and listen to tracks and
say,
“Man, this is the record.”
she wanted this one out for awhile,
but it wasn’t ready;
a few more buildings had to go up and a few more roads
had to be paved.
Carla Podgurecki snapped the cover photo one night on
my roof overlooking the city of NYC
and Merritt Jacob came in at the end of it all and helped
me make final mix choices
and nudged the thing along in the right direction towards
home.
Actually, that’s an understatement; he became the partner I
needed to help find the finish.
Finally, it was mastered by the great Fred Kevorkian.

It’s been one hell of a process,
and I hope you like it.
If you do, pass it along and spread the word!
We’ve set this up so you can just have the record.
You can donate,
pay what you want,
or nothing at all.

Passing it on, spreading the word, is better than money,
but records are hard to make and expensive so if you dig it,
Dig in!

PS

There is lots of interesting low-end stuff on this record so…
I’m talking to you with the laptop on your chest listening to
this thing,
lazy in your bed and not wanting to connect it to fancy
headphones or decent speakers
for shame!

PPS

Part 1

Is complete as a record and for those who are generally
against the idea of an artist making a double record (of
which there are many) you can stop there and you have it.

Part 2

Is the deep cuts,
Which would have otherwise remained on the cutting room
floor or else been leaked out over time in various ways,
fragmented beings with no brothers or sisters or home.
I think both parts serve to strengthen the whole.  They are
relating to each other and breathing back and forth.
They are each other’s shadow and hold hands when no one
is watching.
It’s true that often less is more but sometimes more is more
and that is something that, in this case, will be down to
taste.

With the Internet and new ways of releasing music it seems
that the doors are open to broader perspectives on what’s
too much.
Here you have both a double and a single record,
depending on how you want it or your level of interest.
Also it’s not important (or possible!) to listen to all of it in
one sitting.
Take in Part 1 and then move slowly into part 2.
It’s a city.
There are lots of avenues and side streets,
Abandoned buildings and bodegas,
Cars parked on the side of oblivion with cats in them.
Come in and walk around.

So without further ado,

for Peter Beard and the others who helped me get here,

Welcome to

Redemption City.”

We’ve listened to a good part of the album, and he’s done it again–musical magic.  Go over to his site, and give what you can to download the album..

We are looking forward to the hirsute Cults coming to Santa Barbara (sounds worse than it is).  The critically-acclaimed band will bring their wall-of-retro to Velvet Jones on Feb. 24th courtesy of Club Mercy).  If you don’t know Cults, here’s a flavor for the band via their performance of Abducted on Jimmy Fallon last night.

Laura Gibson’s new album, La Grande (her first for Barsuk and third overall), takes its name from a town in Eastern Oregon that Gibson visited while beginning work on the new album.  As usual, Gibson’s grabbing vocals are the centerpiece, but augmented this time by more varied and interesting and affecting instrumentation.  OPB recorded a session with Gibson before the start of her new tour.  You can check out a video of the title song below, and two other songs off the new album below.   Gibson will play Muddy Waters in Santa Barbara on February 7th.