Countdown to 30: My Favorite Album From 2009

 2009

I narrowed this year down to only five albums that were really on top for me. I graduated High School in 2009 and started my first year of college. Especially once I was on my own with a lot more free time, music became essential to my survival. I started to realize around this time that the people around me respected what I had to say and valued my opinions on music. Those people didn't include the occasional chauvinists in record stores, but it included a great deal more than I expected. Obviously I cared a great deal about music, but I'd never really expected others to recognize this as a valuable trait. I started making mix CDs without an IP attached to them. I made them for my sister, my mom, the boy I was developing an unhealthy crush on...

My point is, I was paying a lot more attention to music starting in 2009, and as such, I have picked five excellent albums in my opinion. 

English indie band the xx released their debut album xx in 2009. The album's electronic beats were composed by Jamie Smith on his computer before being mixed by producer Rodaidh McDonald. Romy Madley Croft provides sparse, reverb-heavy guitar and a smoky voice, while Oliver Sim joins her with more reverb on his bass and a calm, clear male voice. The xx were also strongly influenced by R&B. The result is an album with beats and bass, no samples, and no hip-hop. It's a strange combination of sounds that work very well together. 

xx is a masterpiece with stellar composition and production. Reviewers are still very positive about the album and often rank it high in lists of top albums of the 2010s. I still have this apparently crazy belief that "VCR" sounds like "Heroes" by David Bowie, and I love that song along with other obvious choices like "Crystalized," "Islands" and "Intro."

Tegan and Sara released their follow-up to The Con, Sainthood. Sainthood was again produced by Chris Walla this time along with Howard Redekopp. For the first time, Tegan and Sara co-wrote the songs on the album, rather than writing them separately, cowriting a couple of songs with AFI's Hunter Burgan. Sainthood represented the beginning of Tegan and Sara's use of  '80s sounds. On this album they use more alternative influences rather than the pop sounds found on Heartthrob. Obviously The Cure is an influence, seeing as there is a song on the album called "The Cure," the intro to which sounds a wee bit similar to The Cure's "Lovesong." Tegan and Sara's "The Cure" is titled based on the subject matter of the song as well, however. Tegan Quin developed the premise based on recognizing the similarities between her own addiction to romantic love and the drug addiction in her neighborhood. The song "Hell" is also about the bad neighborhood she lived in, but as she says "they're really just metaphors for love."

The title of Sainthood is taken from a Leonard Cohen song, "Came So Far For Beauty." The line in question is "I practiced all my sainthood / I gave to one and all / But the rumors of my virtue / They moved her not at all." Most of the songs on the album revolve around changing yourself for someone or trying to seem like the best version of yourself to attract someone. Tegan and Sara frequently explore themes of love in their music, but each time a little bit differently. Sainthood is more positive than The Con, but still broaches dark subjects such as divorce and the topics I've already mentioned. It sounds very different from the albums either side of it in chronology.

Lily Allen's It's Not Me, It's You was cowritten and produced by Greg Kurstin. I mentioned Greg Kurstin back when I was talking about Allen's 2006 album Alright, Still and he's going to come up again. Kurstin and Allen created Allen's second album with a new polish. Allen's lyrics are more political and cautionary than her first album. The opening track, "Everyone's At It" is a reminder of the burgeoning drug crisis. "The Fear" is about consumerism and the rat race to be richer and better looking than everyone else. Similarly, "22" is about the way society commodifies female youth and physical attractiveness. "F*** You" takes stabs at American president at the time, George W. Bush for his homophobia and public gaffes. In "Him," Lily Allen takes a stab at her own version of "One of Us" by Joan Osborne. 

It's Not Me also includes many songs about relationships, but rarely in the typical love song fashion. The closest to a love song is "Who'd Have Known," which is much more specific than a typical love song, describing friends-turned-lovers who are shy and awkward as they fall in love, who didn't expect to get together or for it to turn out so well. The closing track, "He Wasn't There" is about a relationship that went through a rough patch but was able to be repaired after forgiveness and growth from both parties. On the other end of the relationship spectrum is "Not Fair" about a man who treats her well but is self-centered in the bedroom and "I Could Say" about a woman who is finding a great deal of peace after her breakup and refuses to romanticize it. "Never Gonna Happen" is about a woman who is kind of taking advantage of a man (although she has told him many times that she doesn't love him). Then there is "Back to the Start," an apology song for Allen's half-sister who she resented and treated unfairly when they were teens. Finally, "Chinese" is a love letter to Allen's mother and describes her craving for the simplicity of spending time with her. 

I adore the variety of subjects Allen wrote about on It's Not Me, It's You- and I didn't really even explore how great the musicality and production are. It's my favorite Lily Allen album to date.

Regina Spektor released Far in 2009. It is her most playful album in my opinion. Spektor enlisted multiple producers as she said that she felt as though making an album was like taking a class and she wanted to have multiple teachers. Those "teachers" were Jeff Lynne (ELO. Also previously mentioned in reference to 2002's Brainwashed), David Kahne who produced her previous album, Begin to Hope (as well as First Impressions of Earth by The Strokes, Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full, and several Bangles projects), Mike Elizondo, the producer of her future album What We Saw From the Cheap Seats (he has also worked with Kelly Clarkson, Switchfoot, Eminem, Eric Clapton, Eric Hutchinson, and The Regrettes just to name a few), and Jacknife Lee (who has worked on Taylor Swift's Red, Weezer Red Album and Raditude, Bloc Party, The Cars, and R.E.M.). Spektor decided to try to enlist Lynne after learning he was the producer for Tom Petty's Highway Companion. 

Since she is someone who began their career with some unusual music, it wasn't strange to hear Spektor singing about romanticizing the life of someone whose wallet she finds in "Wallet" (sidenote: how unfortunate that her plan would no longer work so well as there are no longer many Blockbuster stores to look up someone's number on). Spektor shows a knack for vague, haunting lyrics in "Genius Next Door." She typically refuses to explain her lyrics which she explains by saying: "I don't want to destroy someone's relationship with my songs by talking about them - why limit something that could be so limitless?" The best information I've seen about the plot of the song comes from an Entertainment Weekly article: "a little science fiction story in a song. Like a Twilight Zone episode."

There seems to be a common thread of faith throughout the album. "Genius Next Door" references that "atheists were praying full of sarcasm," "Blue Lips" begins with "He stumbled into faith and though/God this is all there is" and mentions "all the gods in all the worlds." "Laughing With" is the most in-depth exploration of this topic, a reminder of how much more seriously people take faith when they are in desperate times. Spektor herself noticed this theme, although she didn't intend it. She told Spin: "When I was done with this record I was like, 'Whoa, I have a lot of stuff here that's just about, like, religion.' Which is amazing. It wasn't planned, but it's one of those concepts that my mind is just fascinated with, and I'm always mulling over."

Every song on the album has something to offer, whether it be twee and cute or deeply meaningful- even if you don't exactly know what meaning she intended.

Finally, we have reached my album of the year for 2009, Aim and Ignite by fun. Aim and Ignite is the first of two albums by fun., released just a year after The Format announced a hiatus and frontman Nate Ruess got together with Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff. The songs still credit Sam Means as a songwriter, possibly because they are unfinished Format songs. 

"Be Calm" kicks off the album with what is almost a mantra for the narrator, who is going through a lot. The track features trumpet, accordion, cello, violin, viola, and calliope (played by Roger Joseph Manning Jr., formerly of Jellyfish). The infinitely singable "Benson Hedges," like many songs associated with Ruess, is very hard to parse the meaning of. 

"All the Pretty Girls" is a little bit easier to understand, and acts as the lead single for the album. "All the Pretty Girls" seems to describe a situation in which a breakup occurs for whatever reason and the man finds himself unable to forget about the woman he was with, constantly bringing up his ex with potential new women, disappointed in the way these women don't understand the things he brings up. It harkens back to The Format's "She Doesn't Get It." The affection seems to me to grow until by the end of the song, he doesn't believe anyone else will possibly be able to replace his former lover as they have a connection to one another and a history.

Much like Spektor's lyrics, the songs on this album all have multiple possible meanings. "I Wanna Be the One," for example, is either about: a) the birth of Sam Means' first child b) the birth of Nate Ruess' niece c) the relationship between Ruess and girlfriend Rachel Antonoff, sister of Jack Antonoff and a vocalist on the album. 

fun. at Slim's in San Francisco, 5-14-2010

My favorite track on the album is "Light a Roman Candle With Me" from which comes the title of the album. "Candle" is the most romantic song on the album, and probably the easiest to interpret. The narrator wants to take a chance on love with someone because they will seemingly make a great couple, and even if they don't, they'll never know unless they try.

"The Gambler" was originally written for The Format, and was so-named because the original melody sounded like the Kenny Rogers song of the same name. I'd love to hear that original demo. "The Gambler" is another adorable song, describing a perfect love story, a couple who have been together for 30+ years, have raised a family together, and are still madly in love. It reminds me of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's "Our House." The consensus seems to be that Ruess wrote "The Gambler" about his parents. 

The final track, "Take Your Time Coming Home" became the band's closer for live shows even after Some Nights was released. It's a perfect closer for a show, and a good one for this album. Though still a little obtuse, the lyrics of this final track are some of the best on the album.

Toward the end of 2009 when I visited
the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time.

I got into The Format when my friend Zack introduced them to me. I listened to their albums and bemoaned the fact that they had broken up before I got into them. Sometime toward the end of 2009, I was Skyping with my sister, listening to The Format songs on Youtube when "All the Pretty Girls" came up in the recommended videos. I clicked it and realized the guy sounded just like Nate Ruess...because it was Nate Ruess.

I wrote a short story for one of my classes based on "All the Pretty Girls." I then got lucky enough to see fun. live in support of Aim and Ignite. It was at Slim's San Francisco, the same tiny venue I saw Tally Hall open for Rooney. While I waited in line, I heard them warming up with "Dog Problems," which they did play later. It was a fantastic show, putting fun. right near the top of my list of favorite bands to see live. 

The album itself will always hold a special place in my heart because it's a great pop album with indie sensibilities. 

Okay, let's see what it looks like on that leaderboard. 

Join me tomorrow for my favorite album from 2010.

Concert Review: fun. in Columbus, Ohio

The last time I saw fun. was at Slim's in San Francisco. A couple of local bands opened for them, and they played a powerful set to a few hundred people. It was a small show that has to be one of the best ones I've ever been to.

Thursday night, I had the pleasure of seeing them again, with another of my favorite bands, Miniature Tigers, opening. The show was originally set for the Newport, a smaller Columbus venue, but there was such demand that it was moved to the Lifestyle Communities Pavillion, a venue that will hold around 2,200 people- and it still sold out. The line at 6:00 reached all the way down the block.

The show started at almost exactly 8:00. Miniature Tigers took the stage mostly unknown and played a knock-out set. Charlie Brand displayed his usual ability to engage a crowd, despite the fact that the crowd was much larger than a typical Miniature Tigers turnout.

Miniature Tigers

Miniature Tigers played a forty-five minute set that was a pleasant mix of their first three albums. Although Brand's voice seemed a little worn from several months of touring, he still remained on-key and belted the tunes out. I was already a fan, but most of the rest of the crowd also seemed convinced. 

There was a decently short wait time between acts, and fun. took the stage to uproarious applause. 

Fun. played an energetic set true to my memories of them...except more. The crowd seemed to dance and sing along to every song, but the music was still audible- and properly mixed- over the top. 

Fun. pounded through their songs, playing the popular "We Are Young" somewhere in the middle of the set rather than saving it for the encore as I expected they would. They performed a version of "The Gambler" that brought tears to the eyes of some patrons. 

It was clear before the group left the stage that there would be an encore. The crowd's claps and cheers and yells went on for only a few minutes before fun. returned to the stage. They kicked off the encore with a cover of The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" that seemed to improve on the original and blow the roof off. The show ended as fun. shows generally do, with "Take Your Time Coming Home," played gorgeously despite the crowd's constant cheering making it difficult to complete the softer section.

If you enjoy fun.'s music at all, I strongly recommend getting out to see them live. They put on a consistently excellent and lively show no matter what the crowd size is like. 

Album Review: Some Nights by fun.

Indie supergroup fun. hit the scene in 2009 with Aim and Ignite. Some Nights takes the pleasant pop qualities of Aim and Ignite and tries to expand on them with some new musical components. There are some hits and misses amongst the new effects, but you can't hate them for trying.

The album opens with "Some Nights (Intro)," a song which adequately introduces some of the new roads this album travels down, whilst still feeling very much at home in their repertoire. It also serves to introduce the album title "some nights" as a common phrase. The phrase "some nights" is used in four different songs on the album. It can also be assumed from "Some Nights (Intro)" that Some Nights will have a slightly darker tone than that of Aim and Ignite. The band attempted to capture the tone of the song in the video, but I'm not entirely sure that I don't get more out of the song on its own.

"Some Nights" strays back toward the power pop feel of Aim and Ignite, but it also introduces Auto-Tune to the album. "Some Nights" is very catchy, and is only overshadowed by the following song "We Are Young," which became a huge hit single after it was covered on Glee. "We Are Young" was also used in a Chevy Sonic commercial which premiered during the Super Bowl. Even without these sales tactics in mind, the song has incredible flow and power to it that should be able to sell it on its own.

My favorite track on the album though, is probably "Carry On." "Carry On" seems as though it could be the theme for an Oscar-nominated movie. The Irish-influenced strings give it both strength and a sense of culture. "It Gets Better" took me a couple of listens to enjoy. At first, it sounds only a few inches away from an early 2000s alt. rock song, but it is more complicated and melodic, thus saving itself. "It Gets Better" also uses noticeable Auto-Tune. "Why Am I The One" seems like a throwback to lead singer Nate Ruess's days in The Format until it shifts into the chorus, which might be the most flowing of any chorus on the album. The chorus of "Why Am I The One" also features great harmonies borrowed from early 70s folk music.

"All Alone" is my favorite story song of the album. Ruess has a tendency to create amazing stories in his lyrics, and "All Alone" is a perfect example, even if I can hear late 90s boy bands in the melody of the chorus. One of the weaker songs on the album is "All Alright," which seems to have very little energy and an only vaguely interesting chorus. "One Foot" has a great, bouncy beat and a consistently interesting melody.

The only track on Some Nights that I truly dislike is "Stars." "Stars" starts out well enough, with references to the band's origins and dealing with new-found fame. The horns so prevalent on Aim and Ignite are brought to the forefront, and it seems that all will go well. Then, about halfway into the song, Ruess suddenly becomes some demented Kanye West clone, with all of the Auto-Tune they didn't use on other tracks splashed on in not-so-glorious technicolor. Generally, Nate Ruess has a good voice that lends itself well to the songs he sings. The Auto-Tune makes "Stars" sound dead and terrible. It's a pity that "Stars" is the official closer for the album.

I'm not sure how "Out on the Town" counts as a bonus track, since it seems to be on every copy of the album from what I can tell. Either way, "Out on the Town" is a much more pleasant and fitting closer for Some Nights than the artificial "Stars."

If Auto-Tune can't be counted as a fault in this album, I feel fun. should at least take note to use it in moderation. Apart from the use of computerized vocal enhancement, the production of this album is smooth and thoughtful. fun. bring in a lot of strings and instruments that some people forget have as much place on a pop album as anything else. It's nice to see the experiments performed on Some Nights, and I can't wait to hear the smoothed-out sound I'm sure their third album will have.

fun. are a group consisting of (left to right): Andrew Dost (of Anthallo), Nate Ruess (formerly of 
The Format), and Jack Antonoff (of Steel Train).

Some Nights can be previewed and purchased at the band's website.

Top 5: Modern Male Vocalists

Today I would like to talk about five modern male vocalists that I think have a certain something special. There are a lot of really great vocalists in this modern era, ones that stand out for many different reasons. I'm not going to pretend to be the ultimate judge of vocal talent, or to have heard every single singer ever. All I wish to do is to relate to you some of my favorite male singers who are currently active in the music world. This list isn't in an incredibly specific order, but it will be counting down, as most great lists do.

#5 Julian Casablancas

Julian Casablancas has a rock voice. It’s smooth and coarse at the same time. Not only is his voice perfect for The Strokes, but it’s also beautiful when he uses it on his own (Phrases For the Youth). His vocals make the band recognizable amongst the sea of artists, as well as giving The Strokes, (or anything Casablancas puts his vocals to) a definite edge.

 #4 Ben Gibbard

Ben Gibbard doesn’t have a perfect voice. What he does have is an honest voice. When Gibbard sings, his voice gives you the impression that he’s singing to you, making his emotional and heartfelt lyrics all the more special. Whether he's playing an acoustic solo song, singing along with the digital beeps of The Postal Service, or rocking out with Death Cab For Cutie, Gibbard's voice supplies exactly what the songs need.

#3 Eric Hutchinson

Eric Hutchinson almost sounds like he should be a 60s Motown artist. He has a very powerful voice that suits his piano-heavy songs perfectly. He also does a killer Cher impression.

#2 Nate Ruess

Nate Ruess has taken his voice from The Format to fun., giving each band what they need to make the music wonderful. Like Gibbard, Ruess has a kind of honesty to his voice that allows us to empathize with his tender lyrics.

#1 Carrick Moore Gerety 

Carrick Moore Gerety has to be my favorite modern male vocalist. He can sing almost anything (including "Birthday Sex") and make it sound like a beautiful melody. It helps that his songwriting for Everybody Else actually provides beautiful melodies.

I picked these gentlemen because I think their voices are outstanding amongst the artists that I listen to. There are other great vocalists (like Daniel Merriweather for example) that I know have really great voices, but I just don't listen to them. There are also other men whose music I listen to, but whose voices are not overly outstanding.

 Recommended Tracks: 

Julian Casablancas Vocals:
You Only Live Once by The Strokes
11th Dimension by Julian Casablancas
Boombox by The Lonely Island Featuring Julian Casablancas
Reptilia by The Strokes
Machu Picchu by The Strokes

Ben Gibbard Vocals:
You Remind Me of Home by Ben Gibbard
Little Bribes by Death Cab For Cutie
Handle With Care by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins (featuring Ben Gibbard and Coner Oberst) 
Soul Meets Body by Death Cab For Cutie
Clark Gable by The Postal Service

Eric Hutchinson Vocals:
It Hasn't Been Long Enough by Eric Hutchinson
Rock & Roll by Eric Hutchinson
OK, It's Alright With Me by Eric Hutchinson
Back to Where I Was by Eric Hutchinson
Watching You Watch Him by Eric Hutchinson

Nate Ruess Vocals:
Dog Problems by The Format
Light a Roman Candle With Me by fun.
Snails by The Format
We Are Young by fun. 
The Compromise by The Format 

Carrick Moore Gerety Vocals:
Say Goodbye by Everybody Else
Helter Skelter by Rooney featuring Carrick Moore Gerety
Button for Punishment by Everybody Else
Nine Straight Lines by Push Kings
Soldiers Without an Army by Everybody Else