The Needle Drops: Favorite Songs 2012

Continuing the year-end housekeeping, here's the songs that kept me going throughout 2012.  Some were the singles/focus tracks...whatever the hell they're called these days, and some are deep cuts that jumped out and grabbed me, and refused to let go.  There's no small amount of crossover with the previous Favorite Album List, but this is the place to explore the nooks and crannies of stand-alone tracks and EP's released during the year.  For obsessive compulsives, here's the top 10:

10) "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" TAME IMPALA from Lonerism (Modular)

9) "Give Out" SHARON VAN ETTEN from Tramp (Jagjaguwar)

8) "Seaside, Lowtide" CATE LE BON from Cyrk II (Control Group)

7) "Gun Has No Trigger" DIRTY PROJECTORS from Swing Lo Magellan (Domino)

6) "Erika America" JENS LEKMAN from I Know What Love Isn't (Secretly Canadian)

5) "Star Of The Age" SHEARWATER from Animal Joy (Sub Pop)

4) "Troublemaker" BEACH HOUSE from Bloom (Sub Pop/Bella Union)

3) "Now I'm Learning To Love The War" FATHER JOHN MISTY from Fear Fun (Sub Pop)

2) "Sleepover" HOSPITALITY from Hospitality (Merge)

1) "Somewhere There's A Someone" JASON LYTLE from Dept. Of Disappearance (Anti-)

Here for your convenience on this handy dandy playlist:

On a personal note, this post marks four years of this blog. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to visit, comment, heckle, and otherwise keep the faith.  There's always another show on the horizon...

(Stay tuned for the final housecleaning episode: The Year In Photos)

Subversion Is The Move: Dirty Projectors/Wye Oak Live

DIRTY PROJECTORS

WYE OAK

WILTERN THEATER, LA

28 JULY, 2012

Dirty Projectors and Wye Oak teamed up for one of the year's more satisfying shows, certainly in the value per dollar department.  Wye Oak, the duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, led off the proceedings by fearlessly plunging into a brand new song.  And that pretty much encapsulates everything you need to know about the band in one quick nutshell.  Over the past few years they've developed into one of the leading lights of whatever we call this Indie Rock Thing, ignoring fashion and flash, simply putting their heads down and working, keeping their own counsel, and always moving forward.

They swung quickly back into a double shot from last year's Civilian, before letting loose another new song, this one not a complete surprise, as it recently appeared online as part of the Adult Swim Singles Program.  "Spiral" found themselves moving towards Portishead territory, as Andy Stack stepped out from behind the drum kit to wield a bass.  Even after a lengthy set by opening band standards, Wye Oak left them wanting more.

Wye Oak

Dirty Projectors

Some bands might have wilted slightly following up a set like that, but it's a measure of how far the Dirty Projectors have come that they didn't miss a beat.  Opening up with the bucolic title track of their latest LP Swing Lo Magellan, they sequed into the album's opening track, "Offspring Are Blank", and when they hit the solo, it was a perfect Brian May fuzz tone that suggested the Dirty Projectors are hunting much bigger game these days.
The band is tighter, and more volitale these days, and the songs on the new LP are stripped down...well, songs!  What used to meander is now polished and gleaming, and the sheer power of "Gun Has No Trigger" suggested an alternate world James Bond theme.  "Maybe That Was It" was essayed in a stark and bluesy fashion, and one of the evening's highlights was the vocal showcase of "Beautiful Mother", from Mount Wittenberg Orca, their collaborative suite with Bjork, and it was rewarded with some of the strongest audience reaction to that point.
At this point, the Dirty Projectors sound has gelled to the point where they can cop just about anything, and remake it in their own image, suggesting that maybe the band and the Old Mainstream might not be so far apart after all.

Dirty Projectors Set List:

Swing Lo Magellan

Offspring Are Blank

About to Die

See What She Seeing

The Socialites

Cannibal Resource

Gun Has No Trigger

No Intention

Beautiful Mother

Maybe That Was It

Just From Chevron

Useful Chamber

Unto Caesar

Dance for You

Stillness Is the Move

Impregnable Question

Bonus: Make sure you follow the link to the Dirty Projector's website, to answer the question: "What's next..." in the form of a trailer for a short film directed by David Longstreth entitled: Hi Custodian.

Anna Calvi, Troubador, LA

Anna Calvi made her Los Angeles debut Tuesday night at The Troubador, the last leg on her first North American jaunt. With only a single and January's LP behind her, set list wasn't really the question, just order of songs.

Drama was the operative word here, with Mally Harpaz, (percussion, harmonium, guitar), and Daniel Maiden-Wood (drums), filling out the trio. They essayed the twists and turns of the tunes, bringing to life a sound that seems to tap equally from the blues and Morricone...Like early Kills, it's a soundtrack for films yet to be made, and in it's finest moments, out there in David Lynch territory.

The sound was lush and loud, and from the opening instrumental of
"Rider To The Sea", Anna Calvi was in command, half visible in the dark shadows of the stage as light slowly leaked out, illuminating the proceedings. Straight into "No More Words", where she showed a great command of dynamics, dropping to a whisper and forcing the crowd to quiet. You could feel people leaning forward, engaged. Without pause, she let rip "Suzanne & I", scaling back up the heights of volume, concluding the opening trio of songs with admirable poise.

While "Desire" got the most crowd response, high point of the set was a sassy, controlled take on the Elvis chestnut, "Surrender", with a close second being a showstopping take on the first single, Edith Piaf's "Jezebel".


All in all, a night to remember, and a nice conclusion to a trip in which Ms. Calvi made some waves. Originally scheduled to debut in March at SXSW, an unfortunate arm injury caused her to delay the U.S. journey.
Before her departure, time was found for a pop-in to the Morning Becomes Eclectic show on KCRW, who sponsored the Troubador show...Catch up here with a live in studio take on "Desire", and don't forget KCRW at pledge time!

newmuzik: Okkervil River/Kills

"Wake Up & Be Fine" is the first taste of I Am Very Far, Okkervil River's new LP that is slated for a 10 May release on Jagjaguwar. They will be on the road this summer with opener Titus Andronicus, in what might be one of the better dollar for dollar values in touring this summer. Look for a report here from their late June show at the Wiltern Theater in LA.

Also, Alison Mosshart has finished with her Dead Weather dabbling and rejoined the fold (partner Jamie Hince)...Domino Records is kindly providing The Kills: 'DNA' ,from their forthcoming LP, Blood Pressures, due in April.