It's that time again for the best of 2013! This is my Best of 2013 CD mix. Isn't it pretty? This was a great year for Americana, pop, and rock. Next year, I fully expect traditional folk to eat everyone else alive with releases from Seth Lakeman, Emily Smith, Julie Fowlis, Malinky, Fiona Hunter, and so many more.
Read one for why I chose what I did! Of course I always open and close with upbeat songs, like Patsy Cline always said.
“Dance Apocalyptic” by Janelle Monáe
The Electric Lady
Why be miserable the rest of the apocalypse when you can
dance it out of here? As a follow-up to
her previous two releases on the theme of a future android traveling to the
past, Monáe gives us a glimpse of how much fun the apocalypse could be. While some are freaking out and doing dumb
shit, others are living it up. I don’t
dance when I’m not fueled by alcohol, but this song makes me dance every time,
even during those few sober moments.
“Royals” by Lorde
Pure Heroine
Though slow, “Royals” is beat-heavy with words more like
that of a rap song. Lorde’s rich, smoky,
Adele-like tone is applied to a more R&B/pop sound. But its lyrics extend beyond the typical
affairs, going as far as to comment on the lifestyles of the rich and famous in
a song that brilliantly discusses class and privilege. Pop music needs more like Lorde.
“Black, Black Water” by The Greencards
Sweetheart of the Sun
Clearly influenced by Pink Floyd in their attempt to create
a coherent concept album, The Greencards produced an album with nothing but
stellar songs. “Black, Black Water” was
written by vocalist and bassist Carol Young as a sequel to their song “Weather
and Water.” It’s a song from the point
of a fisherman’s wife this time. There,
she waits on the shore for his return.
Every person she sees sailing in her direction, she hopes it’s him. But, alas, it seems he is not returning, for
he has died at sea.
“No Forgotten Man” by Solas
Shamrock City
“No Forgotten Man” is the Hope Diamond among a collection of
rare gems. While the entire album is
absolutely stellar, “No Forgotten Man” recounts through the story of one man
the struggles of a generation living through the Great Depression, World War
II, and the effects of both. It’s
heartbreaking, yet touchingly full of pride.
I cry every time. Solas now must
use this album and song as the milemarker standard for any future music.
“That Kind of Lonely” by Patty Griffin
American Kid
Oops. Two tearjerkers
in a row. I had to put them together, so
I didn’t get too down in too many places.
Patty Griffin brings some of the rawest emotion possible to this song
with just an acoustic guitar and her voice. That feeling of utter despair, on the verge of
unraveling and falling apart, comes through in her uneven, weak, strained
voice. When she first hits the chorus,
you can’t help but feel something that reminds you of the losses in your
life. There’s no end in sight to that
kind of melancholy, the kind that you just don’t care or know anyone else is
present. This is one of the most
powerful songs I’ve ever heard without having being a powerhouse singer.
“Two Weeks Late” by Ashley Monroe
Like a Rose
It’s like Loretta Lynn wrote this, and Monroe uncovered it
and sang it herself, but “Two Weeks Late” is solely Ashley Monroe, the Hippie
Annie. It’s been a long time coming for
her first official solo album. The previous
one she made was never released due to a record label cleanse just before the
release date. It’s such a fun song,
despite its “heavy” lyrics of being broke and pregnant. She gives light to the struggling single
mother, something that needs light.
“Spanish Dancer” by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell
Old Yellow Moon
For some reason, “Spanish Dancer” really got in my head with
this album, despite all the songs being outstanding. The poetic combination of Hispanic sensuality
and spirituality of the song contribute to Harris’ vulnerable voice.
“Dearest Johnny” by Heidi Talbot
Angels without Wings
Heidi Talbot’s newest album was heavily advertised by the
record label, Heidi, and record stores, spreading like wildfire through social
media. Not much is noteworthy on the
album, except for “Dearest Johnny”, a tune that switched key, tempo, and tone
throughout. Talbot’s voice is clear and
less airy, blending perfectly with the harmony.
It’s the only song that shows any hint of emotion. If all of her songs sounded like this, she’d
be rising to par with Cara Dillon and Kate Rusby.
“Walking Past the Graveyard” by Hem
Departure & Farewell
In true New Orleans fashion, Hem contributes an unusual song
to their album lineup. They typically
don’t stray from the country-folk sound, but the spirit of New Orleans surfaced
in this song with the foot stomps keeping beat, the brass, gospel choir, improvisation,
and the image of the broken-down beautiful graveyards, perfect for
hide-and-seek, providing refuge from the city.
The song is of good memories where two people played in the graveyard
but one ended up being in the graveyard, giving a different meaning to the
sacred place. However, those good
memoires still surface. If it should be
at all telling, Hem thought it was perfect the first time around. There were no rewrites; the song wrote
itself, foot stomps and all.
“Words as Weapons” by Birdy
Fire Within
Birdy’s “Words as Weapons” uses the old idea of the pen as a
sword. Words can cut, but the narrator
finds that she cannot be cut, for she does not fear. She does not allow them to sink in or affect
her actions; she will not cry. This is
her weapon: no reaction. It’s a
beautiful and simple song, delivered with a beautiful, soulful, strong, raspy
voice.
“Geordie” by Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer
Child Ballads
Mitchell teams up with Hamer to produce an EP of Child Ballads,
and Mitchell excels at them all. They
are a perfect fit for her, as she has a knack for storytelling. And that’s what ballads are, after all. “Geordie” is my favorite, though, due to the
sheer willpower of a pregnant woman attempting to free her husband from a death
sentence. She even goes as far as to
challenge the judge to a fight with her sword and pistol. It’s not only a love story, it’s a story of
the unfair treatment of the lower class.
It likens to its contemporary “Fields of Athenry.”
“Take Your Gun and Go, John” by Loretta Lynn
Divided & United: The Songs of the Civil War
Ashley Monroe provides a mean version of “Pretty Saro”, but
I didn’t include it for three reasons: it’s much too similar to Iris Dement’s
version from Songcatcher; I already
have a Monroe song on the mix; and I wanted to include Loretta Lynn. It’s Loretta Lynn, everyone.
“Dark Road” by Sarah Jarosz
Build Me Up from Bones
Bones put Jarosz on the map, a major Americana player. It’s this album that defines her sound, and
this song perfectly encases that idea.
The aptly named “Dark Road” is beautiful, haunting, lonely, and dark.
“The Road You Take” by Court Yard Hounds
Amelita
I’m a sucker for key changes and speed changes, partly
because I could really never do it. I
had enough tempo problems as it was when I played and especially when I sang
simultaneously. “The Road You Take” is
one such song that starts out mellow but rocks out in the chorus. Court Yard Hounds are what Sherly Crow could
have been after the 90s. Their music is
feel-good and genreless. Do you define
it as Americana, rock, pop, country? You
can’t. And that’s part of the beauty of “The
Road You Take.” For some reason, this
one just sticks in my memory.
“The Wire” by Haim
Days Are Gone
Goodness, Haim is amazing.
“The Wire” is so much a throwback to the 80s with the likes of a Michael
Jackson or Prince, even a little Heart thrown in for good measure. They’re already masters of rock, and “The
Wire” is proof; their soft staccato notes lead up to a powerful grooving, rocking
edge. Try not to listen to it twice in a
row. Just try.
“Sakta VI Gå Genom Stan” by Edda Magnason
Monica Z OST
“Walking My Baby Back Home” was covered in Swedish rather
famously in 1962 by Moniza Zetterlund and Georg Riedel's Orchestra, but Edda Magnason,
in playing Monica Zetterlund in this year’s Swedish biopic, has shown that she
has the pipes for that classic bluesy standard.
Magnason is quickly rising in popularity, showing off her ability to
sing standards with the best of them.
“Obvious Bicycle” by Vampire Weekend
Modern Vampires of the City
The complex layers of “Obvious Bicycle” are engaging and enthralling. The choral-like harmony vocals oddly
complement the quiet, soft lead vocals, highly reminiscent of Paul Simon. If I played this on repeat, I don’t think I’d
notice because I get so into the song.
“Joan of Arc” by Arcade Fire
Reflektor
Though it may seem to be about one of Joan of Arc’s soldiers
and why he followed her since the beginning, “Joan of Arc” seems to be about a
man falling for a lady that suddenly became wanted by other men, whereas he had
always loved her, or the idea of her, rather.
She was a rock for him, an aspiration when he was downtrodden and
lost. And he would defend her at any
cost, even when she was ridiculed. But
her response to his declaration of love: “No, I’m messed up, I’m not your
savior. Enough, muckmouth.”
Arcade Fire ☨ JOAN OF ARC ☨ (unofficial music video - from the album Reflektor) from Craig J. Clark on Vimeo.
“The Woodpile” by Frightened Rabbit
Pedestrian Verse (Deluxe Edition), originally appeared on
The Woodpile EP
Frightened Rabbit strikes again. No album is quite as catchy as Midnight Organ
Fight, but “The Woodpile” returns to that sound. Tired of the dating scene, tired of being
around people, the narrator just pleads to his love interest to find him in the
lonely abandoned building, now a pile of wood.
It’s nothing extravagant, but there they can be alone and speak their
secret languages. LOVE.
“Hey Momma/Hit the Road Jack” by Pentatonix
PTX, Vol. 2
I ended the mix on a bang with the always-upbeat
Pentatonix. Their mashup of “Hey Momma”
and “Hit the Road Jack” is intense and, as always, complex.
No comments:
Post a Comment