Hello! Back again with you all to discuss the records that were in the
year 2019. Admittedly, it is already early January 2020, so 2019 is officially a has been at this point. Tie a bow around it just like a yuppie’s new car on
Christmas morning in one of those dumb tv commercials- it is now a permanent part of history. Personally, 2019 was an important year with some positive changes that altered
my outlook of the near and distant future. In a more general/global sense,
everything is way more confused (aka worse) than it seemed to be at the start
of the year. All I can say is punch Chads hard this year- 2020 is an election
year! What else? Importantly to some, 2019 supposedly ended Star Wars movies… again. Just like it was over from 1983
to 1997 and from 2005 to the billion dollar Disney acquisition. Seems like rash corporate decision making but bottom line question, was the new trilogy
bad? Lack of a complete vision, yes- bad. Overall execution, yes- bad.
Characters and big plot points, no- actually pretty good. In fact, I'll use this forum
to publicly state I didn’t mind Adam Driver, Finn, Poe and Rey plus I liked all
the new droids. It was odd but still somewhat life affirming to see Luke, Leia,
Han, Chewie and the rest on the big screen one last time before they become force ghosts in real life. Yes, it was also a little unsettling to see their aged
bodies in those familiar costumes and the Luke storyline was disconcerting at first but
then actually seemed kind of on brand for the overall series/storyline once you
gave it some thought. To a much lesser extent, Game of Thrones ended too. Not surprisingly, no one cares in the slightest at this point. We all lived through that tire fire of a last season in real time.
Still very shocking though when factoring in how culturally overpowering the last season
became at the time it was released. Bad writing had this series taking a steep dive off the same
cliff as Lost. Thanks, Boomer!
As for the task at hand, the list can be read below. As always,
this is just what I was feeling as the last half of December 2019 was wrapping
it all up. Did I miss an album or five that will be one of my all-time favorites
five or ten years from now? Probably, yes. Did I forget an album that I loved
in April and never documented in the notes section of my phone or on some random
scrap of paper? I don’t think so right at this moment but six or sixteen weeks
from now, chances are pretty good that will ring true. What I’m getting at here
is that this list is weeks in the making for me but the year is months in the
making. My prep work may have made this an imprecise list but I go by the
philosophy that if I can’t remember it now (when it counts), it wasn’t worth a
spot anyway.
Quickly, I would just like to add a couple contenders that
didn’t make the official list. That new Wilco record, Ode to Joy, was
surprisingly really good but I just can’t add another Jeff Tweedy record to
these lists. My interest level has been waning for years and his voice is now
somewhat grating to me but not all the way yet- it’s a love/hate battle that’s
slowly being lost over time. Still, this new record was listened to more than
any since Star Wars. I also considered that new Bob Dylan bootleg volume with
the Johnny Cash tracks but thought it was too slight for real consideration. The
Dylan/Cash duet tracks were surrounded by a lot of Dylan demos/alts of
previously released tracks that didn’t really meet the list criteria. I did especially
like Dylan’s version of Ring of Fire though. It was real close. Nick Cave also
released a very moody and melancholy record, Ghosteen, that could have made the list but I
just didn’t spend the time with it. My 2019 was not looking to go down the emotional
path Cave is currently walking but I still respect the work. A tough call but it
would have been a stretch to include something I didn’t know that well.
Please indulge me one last thank you and goodbye to 2019- you certainly were memorable!
But enough rambling, onto the list…
18
Wojciech Golczewski
Priests of Hiroshima
The quietly prolific Polish composer Wojciech Golczewski has
been releasing solid albums, eps, soundtracks and singles for the better part
of this soon to be ending decade. Priests of Hiroshima, his third official full
length, is not part of the stellar soundtrack arm of his catalog. Rather it is a
contemplative and menacing synth record finding inspiration in “proto-atomics”.
A quick search of the internet (that I frequent at least) shows no top results
that correspond to that word/phrase. Not sure if Woj is having a translation
issue or just a little fun with science and words. Either way, I confirm this
is the self-described synthscape he promises. One that takes you on a journey
into the inner circuits of his vintage machinery and, maybe even, the dark
corners of his mind… or is it a visit into the proto-atomic world he seems to
be so fond of. What you hear is the byproduct of a man and a machine(s), just
like Kraftwerk sort of was talking about. Proto-atomics may be the inspiration
but Woj’s devotion and consistency make this as engaging a record as the synthwave
genre can produce.
17
Buried Deep In a Bottomless Grave
2019 saw some shockingly great metal records released by
some primo labels- Relapse, 20 Buck Spin, Profound Lore and too many more to
properly credit were killing it this past year. It felt like a ton of bands
with just an ep or a cassette demo released full on metallic statements with
their midlevel label debuts. Witch Vomit isn’t exactly that but pretty close-
Buried Deep on a Bottomless Grave is their third full length and second for 20
Buck Spin. Being a death metal band from Portland, Oregon- Witch Vomit were
already starting from a bottomless grave for me, their locale not exactly a hotbed
for metal. Not fair but it didn’t matter anyway, this record is a ripper
whether you put a bird on it or not. Loud, abrasive and doom laden; an intense
and dense listening experience. Not exactly sure if the next gen doom/death
bands have taken a giant leap for the genre or my own personal tastes are just
taking a louder, more aggressive turn. The truth is always somewhere in the
middle. It’s just this type of thing hasn’t sounded so alive in years. Just
like a hometown you left as a teenager, the return many years later reminds you
that everything equally changes and evolves, not just you. In fact, your
journey might just pale in comparison. Awesome show, Witch Vomit. In 2019, this
was inspiring and important work.
16
Boduf Songs
Abyss Versions
Budof Songs is a band (is a man) who seems to get lost in
the space between (careful- don't want to summon DMB). Still going at it after
nearly two decades, his catalog is consistent like a German clock in a German car in Germany. This band
has been in my life, my musical life, for what feels like two dog's lives (depending on the breed)- though never deep dived, never completely forgotten
or abandoned. Just lost track of for years at a time, like some sort of
father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate; perhaps memorable when
thought of but out of your mind for the majority of your days. But 2019 was a
year I paid a visit to this person who is absolutely nothing to me, and his
approach remains the same even after all these years. An electronic bed with an
acoustic blanket on which lays a truth whispered into a hissingly hot mic.
Atmospheric, moody melodies and soundscapes punctured with hushed overshared
vocals breathed directly into your inner ear. It’s not crazy to see the
similarities between this music and Will Oldham or even Jason Molina with the
sometimes monotonic and always depressive filters permanently in place. Boduf
Songs is a pulse lowering, almost relaxing emotional trek through the peaks and
valleys of the human condition. Abyss Versions is a great entry point for
anyone ready to take the journey.
15
Lightning Bolt
Sonic Citadel
Twenty something years in, Lightning Bolt triumphantly offer
up a fun record that is oddly still just as punishing to the instruments
involved as their previous offerings. As has been noted by every review of this
record, the distortion has been lowered and the structured center of this
tootsie roll pop can now get chewed and gnashed by your aural teeth. By
the standards of a LB lp, this is very well produced and crisp in sound with
the vocals as clear as a 1990’s era Mariah Carey octave wail. The low end is still laid
down with chocks full of bass riffage that would even make Lou Barlow blush.
That is paired with the pummeling drum sounds of a man sounding like he is
pummeling drums. The big takeaway, this thing is accessible and has multiple
entry points for any kind of rock fan with an open mind. Maturity is shining
through the musical mire but, don’t worry, there’s still plenty of muck laying
about. Family life and side project success have mellowed some of the highest
strung tension but that has thankfully left open spaces in this sonic citadel
for pure joy to seep in and claim ownership over this new surface area.
14
Guided By Voices
Sweating the Plague
In the entirety of the GBV catalog, this record sounds
different. I’ll admit to it, GBV and me were officially done after the last
reunion round. Pollard went back to solo/side project lps and GBV as more of an
Uncle Bob and whoever. Recruiting Bobby Bare Jr and getting Doug Gillard back
into the fold did little to raise any interest in the proceedings. Live lps,
multiple singles and new records/double records with this new GBV came and went
along with the fifty other lps Pollard released that year just added layers of
cover to where the lifeless body of my former fandom lay beneath. With both shock and
amazement, that hollow body rose in 2019 from the pile of rubbish it was buried under to be pumped full of the long forgotten feeling of excitement. It’s all thanks to
the venerable institution known as the independent record store. Waiting in
line to purchase a different record that I no longer remember, I heard the opening a cappella lines of the
song Mother’s Milk Elementary. Pollard’s voice alone in a world weary tone and
condition before an anthemic ballad like strumming of guitars kicked in to bail
his strained voice from the burden of its solo. While I may have listening lapses that
last years in the Pollard discography, this still was a new and almost odd usage of the Pollard brand…
and I loved it! Some more big production on the next few songs had me seeking
out and buying this lp as well. 40 years after starting this band and seemingly
thousands of records later, how does this record sound so vital to the overall
GBV catalog? Uncle Bob is sounding more like Nephew Bob on this set of songs.
Let’s be honest, this record is no Bee Thousand (but to be fair only twenty to
thirty records out there are) but it’s damn good. A return to form for me to
this man’s genius.
13
Dallas Campbell
EIV
EIV is a short stack of an album running under thirty minutes
of big chunky synth with drum machine propulsion. Finding that razor’s edge of
space that weaves just in and out of classic sci-fi atmospherics and dance
floor bangers. Never really thought something could not only live but thrive in
this space between two very different planes of existence. It’s like finding
those oddly shaped, glow in the dark fish that live at the bottom of the
deepest part of the ocean feeding off of one of those Carolina Reaper hot magma
vents. The only other inhabitants in this zone being the elusive MECO making
that Star Wars themed disco funk, but that’s another story. Dallas Campbell,
known to this listener through his pairings with OGRE, Data Airlines records
and Burning Witches records, is an American electronic producer and musician.
He seems to have a knack at digging up sounds that conjure both future worlds
and deep nostalgia. If I close my eyes, the images of a pretty great unmade
eighties movie start to form very quickly from this aural barrage. The next
moment when the beat drops though, my thoughts go to some dystopian vision of a
huge future rave that Neo would be whoahing his way through. This is honestly a
fun listen, short on time so it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome and the full on
labersynth of sound stays long in your memory. It really straddles genre
lines and finds a home in being oddly familiar but still cold and distant even
while burning wildly with colors.
12
Cherubs
Immaculada High
What a treat this is- it’s amazing it even exists. The back
story being that a great/forgotten band reforms, picks it up where they left
off and just kills it. Two albums sized slabs of oddness in their first life;
now two more cold stones to mirror their original output in their second life.
While this second set of rock stones is cut from the same marble, Cherubs
reunionization shows signs of maturity. The heaviness of their sound never
required a fast tempo but, none the less, things have slowed by a step or two
to the discerning ear. The buried pop elements are now in a shallower grave and
the vocals are just slightly less throat scorching, I think anyway. It takes a
few listens to come to that conclusion but I believe it to be true. I’m not
saying it’s low T, it’s just lower T. That’s definitely not a bad thing as it
offers new opportunities to open that sound up. Guitars still rule the day,
feedback is respectable, vocals are familiar- this is still the same sludge
band that made Heroin Man, just a little grayer and wiser. Smoother corners and
a little less heavy to lift, this makes for a well-crafted experience with
drone filled moments and built in breaks for a medium paced chugger of a rock
album.
11
Mortiferum
Disgorged From Psychotic Depths
Doom. Death. Sure. Whatever you want to call it, that works.
Just be clear, this is metal producing that signature low end rumble with the
heavy, sometimes wiry guitar lines and double kick drum attack. Growling vocals
that never cross that line into the comical or self-righteous. This is a
complex record that allows for both moments of restraint and moments of full
bore instrumental barrages. Mortiferum are not out to gain crossover appeal at
this point in their career, this is their first full length and they are
looking for legitimacy. In political terms, they are playing to their base on this
one (while a great opportunity, no bass jokes being added here). What you get
with this record is a band taking advantage of a great earned opportunity with
Profound Lore records. This is taking their sound and vision out of their home
state of Washington and onto a national level. Quite honestly, they have created
an absolute ripper that rises to the occasion. A varied metallic opus that
respects the genre but shows enough variation to make it a regular listen.
There’s just something very likable about this band- they create a harsh,
tough sound but the haunting songs and structures keep you coming back for more.
10
Tomb Mold
Planetary Clairvoyance
With all due respect to Mortiferum, this record right here
is death metal for the masses. This has the potential to be a crossover record
for an entire genre. Crossing over into what, I’m not sure. In some future
timeline, I could envision Tomb Mold t-shirts being sold at the Hot Topic (is
that still a thing) at the mall (is that still a thing). While I’m willing to
admit it’s a bit of a stretch, death metal is just not usually this palatable.
It won’t find an audience with every demographic/age group and the
circumstances have to be right to throw this kind of power on a sound system,
but this has the charisma to follow a similar path tread by the metal
trailblazers of the past, this just being a more extreme version for a more
extreme moment in time. Just don’t expect to get approving nods for your
musical selection at a dinner party where the finish on expensive Italian wines
is being routinely discussed. But this can easily find a home in your car or Apple
AirPod Pros while you are theoretically doing the exercise (probably not on a
Peleton though). Alone together fandom will produce the same numbers as the
outrightly popular at the end of the day anyway. Planetary Clairvoyance just
brings it all- amazing transitions, solid, crisp production, variation in
approach and vocals with the genre defining growly heft but still in a radio
friendly range. An appropriately dark record for the year we all just lived
through. Hands down, Tomb Mold wins the year for all things death in 2019.
9
Dean Hurley
Anthology Resources II: Philosophy of Beyond
Dean Hurley, an established sonic world builder, has taken
on the subject of one of life’s greatest mysteries with this record- the
afterlife and release. I’ll let you in a little secret- he unquestioningly
succeeds in his efforts. Pulling together unused works for films (he is a close
collaborator with David Lynch) and art gallery work, his new creation emerges
and has immediate questions for the great beyond. On top of that, this record
also sounds amazing in my earbuds waiting alone for an Uber in a nearly empty
commuter parking lot being enveloped by 10pm darkness in below freezing
temperatures. Even more so in that particular setting, there are cerebral and
celestial elements that poke at your mind’s eye and extra sensory perceptors. Afterlife
or no afterlife (that is the question), this is a haunting, intense and
beautiful work. It has the ability to be spine tingling, a real button pusher
for your fight or flight response, as well as warming and inviting to come
closer to the light. As this is a Volume II, it should be noted that Volume I
was a digital only release of unused work for the most recent, third Twin Peaks
season on Showtime. For the complete story, the Anthology Resources releases
are to quote “service the… gap that straddles atmospheric score and sound
design”. As promised, this music fits that description perfectly- it’s more
than a score, it’s an entire, solo idea that lives and breathes on its own.
Life is teeming in this world and this record, so full of ideas, so full of
desires, all expressed thoroughly through the circuitry and mind of a life
dedicated to sound. It’s all right there if you give it the chance to speak to
you directly.
8
Duster
Duster
A little perspective, this is a band that made one of my all
timers, Stratosphere, in the late nineteen nineties. They had another couple
releases after that- a full length, Contemporary Movement, and an ep, 1975
(along with a couple seven inches). That was it, a relatively short existence.
They became part of the great annals of indie rock history back in 2001. That
history was near perfect, pristine and loved by those who heard the calling. In
the ensuing years, band members went on to other bands, some played with each
other even in lesser versions. That was nice but never the same. Then the
internet happened and then mp3s and Napster ushered in the era of free music
allowing access to everything for all. Then, in the 2000 tens, this music was
rediscovered by a whole new younger generation of couch bound modern day John
Faheys to Duster’s Skip James. In this case, demand created supply, and Duster
decided to reform for the kids. Along the way, they started writing. Now, we
have a new lp in the cannon. Duster’s short, perfect history and discography
has been unlocked like Pandora’s Box for both good and not good (bad not even a
word possible for this band). Thankfully, this new album is good. Is it a
needed album worthy of their perfect past run? Only time will tell. Hearing new Duster songs is a damn trip and I can't yet wrap my head around it but the elements are all there on this self titled record to create new magic. With a December 2019 release date, there isn’t
enough time for proper perspective to really give an accurate opinion on this
record. All I can say right now, is that it sounds really good. I’m not putting it above any of their previous releases, but maybe months or even years down the road a new perspective will prevail. This
record happened. They did it. It’s now part of their story. We all have to move
forward or we die, or maybe not- I really don’t believe that I’m a shark and common
sense dictates you aren’t either. Still, the glass is half full, this is a
solid release with all the trappings of nostalgic similarities and tones.
Duster did as they saw fit for a newer (and bigger) generation of fans. Maybe
even this time they can reap some reward humously and not post like last time.
Let it be known to all far and wide – Duster lives!
7
Sunn
Life Metal/Pyroclasts
Hail, O’Malley & Anderson! I won’t be able to say it
better than Julian Cope so I’ll just stick to the records at hand. One of
2019’s best attributes was the release of two Sunn records in this one single
year. Sunn lost their Steve virginity (they held longer than most independent
guitar bands) and Albinized their sound. Truth be told, it still sounds very
much like it should, a sign of both a unified band in sound and vision as well
as a professional and veteran recording engineer. If this was recorded in 1988,
the outcome may have been a bit different but so would the clothes and haircuts
(wait a minute, for all parties involved here, no they wouldn’t). Honestly, I
think Steve Albini only contribution might have been sneaking in a Silkworm
dude under one of those hooded robes without them noticing. Never did I ever
even come close to dreaming up the thought of Tim Midgett playing on a Sunn lp.
I suppose that’s my job to comprehend that combo, not theirs (or yours for that
matter). In life and especially in music,
both quantity and quality are a hard duo to master, a rare bird in every
sense of the word. In awe, let the record books proudly declare that in 2019,
Sunn became that rarity. Do I ever need to describe what Sunn sounds like? They
are an institution at this point. If so, think words like low, rumble,
atmospheric, fog of guitar, doom, brown note, etc. Speaking of notes, Hildur
Guonadottir plays on this record. That’s a name you may want to remember. Finally, for the fictional person pressing me on this, if
you had to pick just one of either Life Metal or Pyroclasts, which would it be?
Let’s agree that’s a stupid question (and you’re a stupid person)(let the
record state I am talking about myself). These are compositions recorded at the
same sessions and are companion pieces. They cannot and should not be separated
in thought or review and will go hand in hand of doom for eternity.
6
Hildur Guonadottir
Chernobyl Soundtrack
2019 was a breakout year for Hildur Guonadottir. As you can
surmise, she created the groundbreaking soundtrack for the HBO miniseries
Chernobyl for which we are currently thanking her. She also wrote the score for
the new Joker movie which is garnering her serious Oscar nomination buzz. On
top of that, as mentioned mere single-spaced lines above this, she played on
the two new Sunn records released this year. A triple stack of success which
sounds like she successfully scored on all three at bats this year (a baseball
analogy? ridiculous). The Chernobyl soundtrack is a moody, atmospheric work
that conveys the tension and ominous tone of the critically acclaimed series.
While being a classically trained cellist, this score is composed from recorded
sounds found in a Lithuanian decommissioned nuclear power plant. The building
itself provided the field recordings that Hildur then pitched to distinct
ranges. The only additional element added to these pitched field recordings was
her own voice which was also manipulated. The intention was to blend together
the power plant with humanity as the responsibility for the Chernobyl incident
are shared equally. This soundtrack is a powerful piece of music, the
inventiveness of the arrangements seems almost perfectly designed to create a
visceral reaction. In combination with the miniseries, the music stands its
ground even when coupled with the goriest images, jumping off your tv like
nuclear radiation silently seeping through your skin into your body and brain without
being directly aware of the impact. As a purely audio medium, this music has
the permission to be given a second life, free from the visual binds that initially
brought it to life. Regardless of the medium, this inventive and groundbreaking
composition is both hauntingly beautiful and beautifully haunting. Hildur’s biggest
triumph during an amazingly successfully year.
5
Earth
Full Upon Her Burning Lips
Has this band ever disappointed? Through all Dylan Carlson’s
shifts in sound and moniker, the music has never wavered. No matter the year,
the musicians around him or the label distributing his offerings- his output is
always hypnotic, meditative and engaging. In a perfect world, the musical
cannon he leaves behind will be revered as sacred scripts for sonic
exploration. Yes, the man behind the music is flawed, to be sure, but his
musical landscape is like an uncut gem. On this new Earth record, Carlson is
once again aided by drummer Adrienne Davies. This time around, they perform as
a duo with no special guest vocalists or additional musicians. This is more in
the vein of a classic Earth record where the riffs shine the brightest. It’s
not hard to do with the open spaces created in the songs for both musicians to
play in. The crisp production allows the pace and slow deliberate movements to
openly state their objective. Full Upon Her Burning Lips is proof this version
of Earth just keeps getting better with each release. Each album more confident
than the last, Carlson and Davies musical bond seemingly stronger than ever
with the band riding in a solid groove on their chosen path into the future unknown.
Unquestioningly, 2019 sees Earth nearing the height of their powers, having
rode a long, slow trek to get to a place this close to their apex. There is a focused
clarity of sound with this record that becomes increasingly obvious with
repeated listens. The subtleties start to pop and become overt while the small
become expansive as a reward for your dedication.
4
Bill Callahan
Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
The double record set that is Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
at first glance seemed too long and overwhelming. Bill Callahan needing two
records to tell his surely fraught and depressing tales sounded more like a
chore than a fun way to spend an hour or so. It kept me away for a few months
until late in the Fall. Turns out, I am a moron. This record couldn’t be more
whimsical, a lyrically honest and sometimes confessional, sometimes meta
approach to songwriting. The music can be foreboding with just the right
touches/moments of synth and keyboard to fill out the upright bass and acoustic
guitar foundations. But Bill Callahan
knows how to be gentile, to lull you into a peaceful space even when the lyrics
veer into the darker corners of the mind. While there are twenty songs, the
album goes by insanely quick and then you’re playing it again anyway. The longest
tracks are four minutes and change with a few songs under three minutes as well
to even out the average song length to a friendly three minute range. Nothing
overstays its welcome. Bill Callahan made a fun record! The extended time away
since his last lp, Dream River, seems to have been a creative boon for Callahan.
Much has been written about the fact that he is a new father, happily married and
is working his domesticity into this record. It’s all there at the surface but
Callahan is a deep thinker and an exceptionally stark and talented writer. He
could be writing about the plumbing in the walls of a house and it would turn
into a humorous yet tearful morality play on the thin line between beauty and
death. Regardless of the inspiration, you can feel the life and happiness in
these modern fables bellowed via his ominously deep and reassuring voice. I really
can’t remember liking one of his records this much since Apocalypse or maybe
ever. Over a thirty year career, that is actually quite a statement to
contemplate.
3
USA/Mexico
Matamoros
More please. Was this record made just for me? Based on the
end result, the chances seem pretty good- not 100% positive but in the ninetieth
percentile for sure. Shit and Shine mixed with a Butthole and even covering a
Cherubs classic? Forget that garage rock label that signed all of Ty Segall’s high
school friends, this is actually In The Red. Fuzzy shards of noise with secrets
buried deep down inside screaming from the bottomless abyss struggling to be
heard above the deafening squall. This music is blown out like a Brazilian’s
hair, repetitively repetitive, methodically plodding and just waved out category
five guitaricane intensity. Oh, and that Cherubs cover, guest vocals come
curtesy of Cherubs’ own Kevin Whitley! Songs like Eric Carr T-Shirt (subtle KISS
reference, not sure if genuine or mocking but it’s there none the less)(I’m good
with that either way) and Vaporwave Headache are standouts in their different
approaches to the same end. With only two other tracks to mention (Matamoros
and Anxious Whitey), there isn’t a single bad song or idea or even 3 second
span of time. Nothing is wasted (timewise anyway). This album just slays from
start to finish. I could use a bunch of superlatives to describe this record
but you just need to hear it. I fully understand this may not be for everyone
but, for the intended audience, this is a mood changing, monolithic slab of
joyful noise. King Coffey has solidified his crown as the King Bhole in every
way possible (via Trance Syndicate, post-breakup bands and affiliations). Damn,
it’s been right there in his name from the beginning.
2
Purple Mountains
Purple Mountains
“The end of all wanting is all I've been wanting” – DB
A sadly joyous triumph of self-inflicted defeat. 2019 was a
tough year for David Berman, his tragic death at the hands of depression occurred
just weeks after the release of his new invention, Purple Mountains. If there was
any planning to his actions, it would seem this record was left as an
explanation, an artistic statement of mind and intention or perhaps even an
indirect suicide note. Then again, maybe it wasn’t. A tour was scheduled, future
plans were made for some kind of future, no matter how short term. Anything is
believable as this record has more punch in its lyrics than any piece of music
heard this century. David Berman’s actions will always give this album an
increased sense of importance and, in turn, increased scrutiny, debate and analysis.
That’s troubling, as these lyrics are devastatingly melancholy even free of the
backstory. The song “Darkness and Cold” was used to promote the album before
release and even then the lyrics were a gut punch contrasting with the almost
danceable beat- “The light of my life is going out tonight” with the song title
repeated over and over again. At the time, with the songwriter still of this
world, I shut it off halfway through and never heard the rest of the song or album.
It was just too much of a downer, the sadness jumped out and slapped you about
the face. I distinctly remember thinking this is too much for anyone to want to
actively listen to or pursue. To anyone listening at that time, this seemed to
be an obvious breakup record that had some extra odd moments of praising his mom
(but Mark Kozelek did that too) and friends. While there were morbid lyrical interpretations
to indulge in, those possibilities seemed purposeful to increase the weight of
the surface meaning attributed to a devastating break up. David Berman’s forte throughout
his career was lyrics that could discuss the larger issues of existence through
the small mundane details of life and love. Even knowing David Berman’s open battle
with depression, this album still just seemed like a way of writing through the
pain for the inevitable bounce back. That’s the well beaten path for most
people- high to low and then back again. This album would just be a historical
document of his low before the recovery. For David Berman, this became a
document of the ultimate low with no hero’s tale of triumph and recovery to
follow. For better or worse, this is where this album will now live forever.
Nick Cave wrote an incredible album dealing with a very specific loss this
year, Phil Elvrum released a personal record regarding the loss of his wife, Warren
Zevon and David Bowie had incurable illnesses and each recorded their final album
knowing the end was near. This record can be included in the same breath as
those works- depression is a disease as real as any other. It’s just so much more
mysterious as this didn’t suddenly happen to David Berman like the sudden death
of a loved one or the onset of cancer, his battle had been decades. Add to the
mix how talented of a writer he was, these seemingly purposeful lyrics are here
for all now and forever in the public domain. The music on this record chugs
along and is innocuous enough to keep your head bobbing and your toes tapping. As
catchy and memorable as the music can be, these songs are just the vessels for
his words, the shells in which they live or even the spoonful of sugar that
makes the bitter medicine go down. This album could be sung a cappella and would
be just as emotional and satisfying. Yes, as you can tell, I eventually pursued
this record a few months after David Berman’s passing. Wanting to listen to
better understand the man behind the music I had listened to for the past couple
decades, to hear if the whole record was the desperate cry that “Darkness and
Cold” appeared to be. While a through line of high emotion binds this record
together, that is also true of any Silver Jews record. Over time, I dropped
that search for the man in the music and learned to take this record at face
value, treating it like any other David Berman album. If you can mentally
separate those concepts, this record has some amazing poetry with extremely memorable
lines and, honestly, highly inspired moments. This is a top notch break up
record, the feelings are raw and the music is either perfectly contrasting or
gently atmospheric to create a soft bed to land the emotional power being
generated. As a final record in the David Berman cannon, this was all of the
things you wanted it to be- the best songs, lyrics and overall record he made
in a long while. That is not belittling his past few records, this is pure
praise for the entirety that is Purple Mountains’ majesty. I do not mourn the
loss of more, I choose to celebrate the time given.
1
Tropical Fuck Storm
Braindrops
Constant innovation requires a restless heart, a tireless quest
and being permanently unsatisfied (just ask Paul Westerberg). Innovation
abounds on Braindrops, as an album and in Tropical Fuck Storm (TFS) through the
flexible vision of Gareth Liddiard who has never rested on his success (mostly
in their homeland of Australia). Sometimes this impatient wandering spirit resulted
in changes to his musical path that even his fans were left scratching their
heads. In a moment of honesty, I admit that there was skepticism when he
officially ended The Drones after the oddity of a last album they released. A
final musical statement that saw their sound shift suddenly from a Crazy Horse
guitar sensibility to drum machines and a generally electronic turn. It turns
out that sudden reorganization of sound and intention was the struggle needed
to split the band and start both Liddiard and his wife/bassist/co-singer Fiona
Kitschin to the path of TFS. Jettisoning the extra guitarist, drummer and
keyboardist from The Drones (along with traditional rock conventions), Liddiard
and Kitschin hired two new members to the fold, both female musicians that
resulted in a new refreshed energy and style. Any jadedness, while still
present in Liddiard’s delivery and general presence, is supplanted by the new (and
younger) talents of Lauren Hammel on drums and guitarist/keyboardist/co-singer
Erica Dunn. This band is just very 2019, whatever that really means. I’m not
exactly sure but the vibe this band and record gives off just does. In contrast
to The Drones, the difference in vitality is off the charts. Braindrops, TFS’s
second full length release, pushes everything that much more further from sanity’s
center. A Laughing Death in Meatspace, their first lp, was groundbreaking for
Liddiard and his restless ambitions with its somewhere between 90 to 180 degree
change in sound. This second record lacks the large slap in the face that was
the immediate evolution in form from The Drones classic rock home base. This new
record isn’t looking to do the same physical bruising as Meatspace, it wants to
fine tune its attack and challenge your preconceived notions of their sound.
This is a brain slap of a record with a disorientating production sound that
somehow involves a 1990s boom box (see Let There Be Talk podcast #493) and
lyrics that talk about the trials and tribulations of the melting world we inhabit
and the political systems therein. In terms of sound, this is something like a neo-psychedelic
band with some punk, electronic, rock and folk structures with lots of
atmospherics, harmonies, female and/or male lead vocals spread out through
tracks that are adventures onto themselves as well as pop length attempts at
normal. By a large margin (shout out to Pee-wee), this was my most listened to new
record this year. Not even close. This record is just so dense and odd, it
takes a number of listens to sift through it all. It really does feel like you
hear something new, some small nuance, every time you put the record on your
stereo (who am I kidding, your earbuds). Braindrops is a record that requires
multiple spins, unlike a more purely pop record that will grow paper thin and less
engaging over time, losing the edge it once possessed in your mind and gut. If
Liddiard decides to continue his unceasing transformation in the 2020s to a
place outside of TFS’s musical palate, I’ve learned not to question and just
follow. No matter how wrong it feels in the moment, trust has been earned to
give him the benefit of the doubt. If TFS burns out brightly with just Meatspace
and Braindrops as their records of existence, 2019 will only grow in esteem as we
all move further and further into the next decade and beyond.
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