10. Lady Lamb the Beekeeper – Ripely Pine
Giving a listen to a recommended artist from a favorite blog is a common occurrence. Having an album smack your head around when you least expect it is not. Lady Lamb the Beekeeper is the project of Aly Spaltro, a multi-instrumentalist young woman of immense talent. Her voice is not only beautiful, but it’s real and anguished and the lyrics bite hard while ringing true. “Aubergine” has the repeating “Absence makes my heart grow hollow…make me into an egg without yolk” which makes me feel the same pain. There is an abundance of descriptive stories embedded in varying-paced serious hooks. Lines like “I’m a ghost and you all know it” and “You were my friend…this is my loss of love, my loss of limb” highlight standout rocking track “Bird Balloons”. Opening track “Hair to the Ferris Wheel” demonstrates the impressive singer-songwriter vs. rock-and-roll dynamics that so few can master, while others feature banjo and string sections. I totally dig that she rocks out when least expected and has longer tracks that follow no convention. I can’t wait for future music from this truly original artist.
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper – Bird Balloons
9. J. Roddy Walston & The Business – Essential Tremors
Raw, rowdy, and rumbling rock drawing from classic bands from the south and across the pond, nothing rocked like Essential Tremors this year. This is Roots Rock on an overdose of blood, sweat, booze, and adrenalin. The only thing keeping the train on the tracks is a bouncy melody and surprising harmonies, perhaps inspired by The Band. “Heavy Bells” with its meaty distortion and crazed wail is an abrasive assault on the ears, and the carefree “Take It As It Comes” ranks as one of the best tracks of the year. “Sweat Shock” is a Nashville bar crowd pleaser that would induce the requisite bar brawl. J. Roddy can be tender as heard on “Nobody Knows” and he definitely knows how to craft hip shakers with an indie sensibility, like on the outstanding “Hard Times”. I’m sure someday they will release a more refined effort, but when it’s currently this much fun, I’m not sure I want them to.
J. Roddy Walston & The Business – Take It As It Comes
8. Pearl Jam – Lightning Bolt
A highly anticipated release from an absolute favorite band, Lightning Bolt delivers a very compelling set of songs for the most part, even though there is no reinvention here. “Getaway” and “Mind Your Manners” lead off the new offering with a modern spin on classic rock in the vein of the last 3 albums. Both tunes are easy to consume with the former being the exact middle ground rocker Pearl Jam has perfected so well and the latter resembling the garage punk that has always been a huge influence. Both are roaring songs, and the phenomenal lyrics are representative of the themes throughout the album…. “Sometimes you find yourself, Having to put all your faith, In no faith”. I’ve always been more of a fan of the art rock side of PJ, so I extremely dig the emphatic “My Father’s Son”; steeped in a darkly rhythmic dual bass riff and featuring gripping guitar effects and an Eddie Vedder at odds with the tune. Ed is so good when he seems to push and pull against the music with his vocals as if he’s writing the melody on the fly. It contains the angst proceeded by his early vocals and has a gorgeous melodic bridge before again pleading for reprieve. The song rips! The tempo then slows for the beautiful “Sirens”, a heavy dose of emotive realism. Anyone who thinks this song is too sappy is not paying attention. An amazing thing about the band’s writing is the ability to capture the very deep love for someone but acknowledge that nothing lasts forever, and we need to appreciate it every day. If an adverse incident doesn’t divide us, then death surely will. Mike McCready’s guitar work and Matt Cameron’s drums are quite poignant on title track “Lightning Bolt”, and it’s one of those slow builders that at last soars over immense oceans. There are some slower atmospheric songs that work really well…”Pendulum”… and a couple that are underdeveloped. The acoustic “Sleeping By Myself” was mesmerizing on Ed’s solo Ukulele Songs but seems an odd inclusion here. My favorite tune is “Infallible” which finds the band exploring new sounds and expanded instrumentation while retaining the soaring melodic rock we expect from them. There’s a stomping rhythm section melded with engaging guitar effects and the incredible message that your actions have impact and consequence so make the most of opportunity. Ultimately, Pearl Jam still exhibits the passion for adept songwriting and have found themselves able to craft exactly the album they feel at that time. I may prefer less clean production and a more venturous direction, but there appears to be endless time and no ceiling for this seminal rock band of colossal capability.
Pearl Jam – Getaway
7. Phosphorescent – Muchacho
The rich zen-like arrangements don’t overwhelm the wistful vocals and vice versa…even though both have so much complexity to offer. The swirling dreamy quality is accented with aggressive guitar, piano, and drum fills throughout like the music itself is wrestling with decisions and conflicts very similar to the characters and situations throughout the album. Indie-folk troubadour Matthew Houck tackles love and loss throughout this cohesive and intimate look into adherence and deception, the conclusion which may not be known. “Ride On / Right On” features a pulsing beat and twisted guitars in its story of intoxicated lust, while “Terror In The Canyons (The Wounded Master)” is the heart-wreck that follows. Off-centered soundscapes layer the alt country sound of “A Charm / A Blade” and spooky “The Quotidian Beasts” as the damaged soul takes over. The entire composition is a trip to a foreign place with familiar problems, a journey with a wanton and unnerving partner, an experience of intense pleasure and pain. The biggest compliment to the album is you get all of this after a couple listens before really digging in.
Phosphorescent – A Charm / A Blade
6. The National – Trouble Will Find Me
The National releases albums, and I recognize each time that I need not hurry. My relationship with the album will be a growing entity, like a first meeting where attraction is met with a certain aberrant uncomfortableness. I would describe Trouble Will Find Me exactly like that interaction, only it’s now sometime later and the attractive force is balanced with more complete understanding and careful introspection. It’s beautiful, somber, hopeful, and disturbing in parallel ripples of muted tones and indistinct outlines. I’ve found myself in an almost daydream state with this album swirling in my head, and it’s been some time since I’ve paid this much attention to lyrics, which are incredibly visionary and moving. Lead track “I Should Live In Salt” repeats the familiar mantra of every relationship “You should know me better than that”, and “Don’t Swallow the Cap” features my mantra: “I have only two emotions, careful fear and dead devotion. I can’t get the balance right, with all my marbles in the fight…. Everything I love is on the table. Everything I love is out to sea.” The pounding and powerful “Graceless” summarizes the album themes of holding on to each other when we are coming apart and not our rosy selfs. Matt Berninger’s brooding baritone drifts into multiform territory where he has the unique skill of expression through very minute changes in pitch and volume. The rich orchestration, darkly humorous lyrics, and spooky beautiful world colored by these songs ensure I feel deeply worried about my shortcomings and joyful about my potential.
The National – Don’t Swallow the Cap