I guess it’s actually been posted since yesterday, but you can head over right now to NPR Music and listen to The Decemberists new album “The King is Dead” in it’s entirety thanks to their “First Listen” series. I can’t highly recommend it enough. The Decemberists are one of my favorite bands and this album doesn’t disappoint.

Their last album The Hazards of Love was a sprawling prog-folk opera about mystical forest beings and marked quite a departure from the style of their previous work. The King is Dead changes directions yet again, in a way returning to a more folksy, back porch kind of sound, but with a healthy dose of country twang. As with many of the bands I most like, the Decemberists are defined by their use of layers in their music–the “hugeness” of their sound. On this point they do not disappoint. The Hazards of Love featured driving guitar and soaring vocals. The King is Dead features harmonicas, accordions, tambourines, Gillian Welch backup vocals, and steel lap guitar combine for a mournful yet beautiful sound.

Anyway, have a listen for yourself and let me know what you think!

All right! I think this is the first attempt I’ve made at doing an end of year best of of any kind. I was planning on having this done a few days ago but it actually took a while to track down all of the various YouTube links to songs. I didn’t want to talk something up and then have you unable to listen to it! Anyway, I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave comments and recommendations of your own!

-Best of 2009-

Brooklyn Blurs – The Paper Raincoat
A new find this summer that released their first album this fall. Great orchestral pop from NYC. Their album has a story it is loosely based around but you don’t need to know it to appreciate the music. Apparently they played a show in Santa Cruz before I moved but I didn’t know who they were at the time and missed it.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

It All Depends – The Paper Raincoat
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned) – The Decemberists
This, The Hazards of Love, was my pick for album of the year in 2009 in July. Then Fanfarlo happened. Still, what other bands are ballsy enough to release an hour long prog-rock album these days? When they could have (and many other bands do) veered toward the safety of 3 minute pop songs, they released an epic that is very demanding of listeners. At live shows they literally play the whole album start to finish with no breaks. I tip my hat to you, Mr. Colin Meloy.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid – The Decemberists
Prog-folk-rock at it’s greatest featuring guest vocals from Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond. Colin Meloy’s voice seems to be kinda messed up in this performance so just ignore that and enjoy Shara. It shouldn’t be too hard.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ghosts – Fanfarlo
I actually missed when this album, Reservoirs, first came out because of how the Zune store works. But holy crap. This took The Hazards of Love out back and pummelled it to death to claim the title of Album of the Year in my opinion. Not quite the epic scale of Hazards and definitely more poppy, but it’s like indie-pop cocaine, I can’t get enough! Great album start to finish. I could probably put all of the songs on this list but I’ll stick with my top three.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Harold T. Wilkins, Or How to Wait for A Very Long Time – Fanfarlo
Was actually off an earlier EP before being on Reservoirs. Harold T. Wilkins was a British journalist and amateur historian who wrote two large volumes on flying saucers.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

These Walls Are Coming Down – Fanfarlo
What’s left to say? Best album of ’09, in my humble opinion. Actually, I guess I haven’t really said what it is I like about Fanfarlo and Reservoirs. I really like bands with big sound and lots of instrumentation, so Arcade Fire, Beirut, Decemberists, etc. Fanfarlo has this great mix that includes at different points everything from melodica to mandolin to violin.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hello Seattle – Owl City
I’m one of those people who has had their fingers crossed for years that The Postal Service would finally release some new material but since Ben Gibbord has pretty much killed the project I figured that was that. Enter Owl City. Leave it to a guy living and recording in his parents basement to fill that void. Great electric pop album. Fireflies is the single from the album, but this song’s about Seattle!
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Little Secrets – Passion Pit
I don’t dance. Ever. So you can imagine how funny it is when I hear this song and can’t help but do a little chair dance. And what band seriously features 4 keyboards?
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sign the Dotted Line – Jeff Mangum
Mangum was the lead singer of Neutral Milk Hotel. Chances are you’ve never heard of Neutral Milk Hotel unless you are an indie pop-rock loving hipster. But if you in fact are an indie loving hipster, than their seminal album Airplane Over the Sea is probably among your favorite albums of all time. Music that ranges from beautifully composed to wild and frantic and Jeff Mangum’s voice whaling away make it unique if nothing else. You can see in them the roots of groups from Fanfarlo to Arcade Fire to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Airplane Over the Sea was their last full length album and it came out in 1998. Mangum rarely plays shows and hasn’t really released any new music since 2001. So when this song came out on a Chris Knox tribute album, it was a pretty big deal.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wait it Out – Imogen Heap
I don’t often listen to Imogen Heap so it seems a little strange to put her on a best of list but her music is just so good that I inevitably find myself wanting to hear more.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Honey Bee – Zee Avi
Final new find of the year and the newest. Zee Avi is actually from Malaysia originally but she plays acoustic pop that oozes happy even when she is singing about breaking up or having an affair. I first heard her play a NPR Tiny Desk concert a few weeks ago. She just played a show in Seattle earlier this month but it was on the same night as one of my school finals so I didn’t have a chance to go. Fantastic album. As I said on twitter, think Madeleine Peyroux sings Jack Johnson.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Valentino – Diane Birch
I’m not quite sure what to compare Diane Birch to. Not because her music is werid or experimental, I just don’t listen to much other stuff like it. I guess she can best be described as somewhere in between Norah Jones and She & Him. A little bit of a rock/jazz throwback feel to the music but her voice is definitely the selling point. She has an impressive range and very strong vocals.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

-Best of the Rest-

Since I haven’t really done a best of list before, this is a collection of some songs that I’ve listened to a lot in the last year but since they are from 2008 or earlier I haven’t written about them before. Think of this like the cherry on top.

Just Like Honey – Headless Heroes
Fantastic cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain song.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I Don’t Know – Lisa Hannigan
I didn’t realize this was a 2008 album, how time flies! Still one of my most listed albums/tracks of 2009. I absolutely love her voice.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

King of Carrot Flowers, Part 1-3 – Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel remains one of my all-time favs. Airplane Over the Sea is one of the most influential indie-rock/pop albums of the last 20 years. Go reread what I wrote above about Jeff Mangum.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Penalty – Beirut
Beirut is a band that I didn’t like when I first listened to them. Then even after I got their album The Flying Club Cup I didn’t listen to it much until I started listening to Fanfarlo. Love the vocals and backing of the brass.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Blue Mind – Alexi Murdoch
Alexi Murdoch needs to quit whatever it is he’s doing and record more music. Seriously.
Link:

Click here to view the embedded video.

-Bonus Round-
I’m still kicking myself for not going to the Fanfarlo show when they were at the Croc this fall. Oh well, here is a live performance by them recorded by @sarahana at SXSW.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Link: http://hoovesontheturf.com/200904/fanfarlo/

-Bonus, Bonus Round-

If for some reason you’ve never heard of or seen inbflat.net, you should definitely go check it out. It’s music, and I found it in 2009, so I’ll count it as a best of. Very cool project! My friend @javajunky even contributed to it.

So I was going to post on this the other day and completely forgot. I’ve found a new musical flavor of the month and wanted to share since she just released her debut album as a solo artist. I’ve known about Lisa for a while and I had been wondering when she was going to release an album. She was formerly the backup singer for Damien Rice.

Oh my goodness gracious her voice is amazing. Watch this video on YouTube of her performing at a small pub in Ireland (where she is from).In some of her earlier performances that can be found on YouTube she seems almost shy, by the time she has now released her own album it is a joy to see her perform. She doesn’t just sing the songs, the music flows through her. She experiences the song as much as she sings it. Love it, love it, love it.

I love indie music. I love the lo-fi, the music for the sake of music, the love and the passion, the honesty of the sound. And I love that by its very nature, you don’t often meet people who have the same music tastes as you. Even here in Santa Cruz I often start listing off bands only to get blank stairs in return. But it is so exciting to meet someone and find out they listen to Neutral Milk Hotel or Arcade Fire. Anyway, I just spent the evening reading a great indie comic about being 26. They list the soundtrack in the back of the book and it’s all bands I listen to. I wish I was more gifted musically, maybe then I could actually be in a band. Who knows, maybe someday I will.

Since my friend Brandon already did a great write up I’ll just link over to him for the actual story.  I’ll just say that this guy could sing his laundry list and it would sound amazing. . .

Click here to view the embedded video.

I saw a friend do this the other day and it looked like fun.  Basically you just shuffle all your music and write down what songs come out next to the different scenes from the movie of your life. . .

Opening Credits: The Decemberists – The Crane Wife, Parts 1 & 2

Waking Up: Death Cab for Cutie – Talking Bird

First Day of School: The Eames Era – I Don’t Mind

Falling in Love: Weepies – Take It from Me

Fight Song: The Smashing Pumpkins – This Time

Breaking Up: Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer – Popsicle

Prom: Queen – You’re My Best Friend

Life: Rilo Kiley – Science vs Romance

Driving: Moby – Porcelain

Flashback: Nirvana – All Apologies (from Unplugged in New York)

Getting Back Together: Ray LaMontagne – Trouble

Wedding: Jonathan Coulton – The Future Soon

Party: She & Him – Sweet Darlin’

Birth of A Child: Gogol Borrdello – When the Trickster Starts A-pokin’

Final Battle: The New Pornographers – Chump Change

Funeral Song: Guns ‘n’ Roses – November Rain

Ending Credits: Foo Fighters – My Hero

Now, I do have to admit I cheated some because I have so much random music and podcasts and spoken word stuff on my Zune that half the list would have made no sense.  So I skipped some songs and tracks if I didn’t recognize it or it was a stand up comic or something like that, all the songs did still appear randomly from my playlist though.

So what does this list say about my taste in music?  I think it says I’m a geek with a penchant for 90′s rock and Indie pop bands no one’s ever heard of.   Seems about right.

After I got off work tonight I went down to Santa Cruz with Brandon.  To hit up one of the local bike shops in my search for a new bike.  I actually got a lot of great tips from people at Spokesman Bicycles that firmed up in my mind what it is I want in a bike.  I feel a little bad though because I will probably be going over the hill to take advantage of the 20% member discount I have during this month.  If it weren’t for that discount, I would definitely buy from one of the local shops.

After we walked around Spokesman for a while (I did buy a helmet so I didn’t leave empty handed) we headed back to the car and I had every intention of leaving.  Brandon insisted we couldn’t leave 45 minutes on the meter so we headed off down the street to find a coffee shop that is apparently the favorite of people who like to be different as a crowd.  We kept walking down the street and happened across MetaMusic Records.   MetaMusic is the kind of record store I’ve wanted to find since I got down here.  I’m sure any real local thinks I’m an idiot for taking this long to find it but, well, I now know and I’m sure I’ll be going back sooner rather than later.  Anyway, MetaMusic is one of those rare stores that actually caries new vinyl.  And not just unopened records from decades past, but new releases.  So I picked up a couple by two of the groups I’ve really come to like in the last six months.

I really like listening to records.  I can’t claim the audiophile ear that actually hears a real noticeable difference versus CD or digital format, but it is definitely more of an experiential exercise in listening to music.  Listening to a record is the only time that I will put on music, and then just sit there with my eyes closed and listen.  I also really like playing records when I have people over or I’m cooking.  I was playing my Taj Mahal blues record last night while we were BBQ’ing for St. Patrick’s and it made for a great backdrop.  Anyway, Coffee Cat is about to close up shop so I’m going to head home.  Later!