I find myself singing/muttering both of them to myself interchangeably and often muddled together.

While listening to my favorite radio station – WRUV (90.1 in the Burlington area, and http://soundtap.com/wruv for anyone else) – I was just introduced to their album So Many Nights.

Stop reading this, as it’s much more important to listen to this, if you’ve got Spotify:

The Cat Empire – So Many Nights

When you’re done, riddle me this – do I see Youth Lagoon on Friday and Band of Skulls on Saturday, or do I skip one or the other for The Cat Empire at Metropolis?

Thanks to Ross Flournoy of Apex Manor for taking the time to write down and send me the lyrics for Teenage Blood, which features a couple of my favorite lines from last year’s crop:

I’m a cat de-clawed but I’m eager for a little wrestle time
You’re a green-eyed minx with a tender spot for the risky kind

2011 was a strange year for me in terms of music consumption. Due to work overload and a rapidly evolving landscape of music sources, I didn’t buy nearly as much music as I did the previous year (nor did I see nearly as many shows, nor really did I keep up with this blog as much as I’d like to). That being said, while I was slacking on the listening, there were many bands out there really getting at it. This is a compilation of my favorite tunes among the really fantastic releases of 2011.

If you “like” this site on Facebook, and want a copy of this year’s CD, just send me an email using the link in the upper right of this site, and include your mailing address. If you dig any of the music featured, please support the artists making it by going to their shows, buying their albums, and letting your friends know they should give a listen as well.

Listen to this playlist on Spotify (partial playlist).

2010
Artist	Song	Album
Wye Oak	Civilian	Civilian
The Antlers	Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out	Burst Apart
Milagres	Here To Stay	Glowing Mouth
Akron/Family	Light Emerges	S/T II: The Cosmic Birth And Journey Of Shinju TNT
Fleet Foxes	Blue Spotted Tail	Helplessness Blues
The Generationals	You Say It Too	Actor-Caster
Fort Lean	Beach Holiday	Fort Lean EP
The Rural Alberta Advantage	Tornado ’87	Departing
The Cave Singers	No Prosecution If We Bail	No Witch
East River Pipe	Tommy Made A Movie	We Live In Rented Rooms
Apex Manor	Teenage Blood	The Year Of Magical Drinking
Ty Segall	Where Your Head Goes	Goodbye Bread
Girls	Honey Bunny	Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Iron & Wine	Big Burned Hand	Kiss Each Other Clean
The Thoughts	Orange Sky	I Won’t Keep You Here
Thao & Mirah	Eleven	Thao & Mirah
WATERS	For The One	Out In The Light
Youth Lagoon	17	The Year Of Hibernation
The Head and the Heart	Rivers and Roads	The Head And The Heart
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons	I Killed Myself But I Didn’t Die	Mysterious Power
Darwin Deez	Radar Detector	Darwin Deez
The Middle East	Jesus Came To My Birthday Party	I Want That You Are Always Happy

I’ve worked my way steadily through 100 or so albums, and while some have been real duds (looking at you, Seals and Crofts), I’ve really taken to more than a few of them.  I’m not accustomed to writing about music from previous generations, but in the interest of sharing what I’ve been doing during the pretty sustained silence on this blog in the past 6 months, here’s a look back at some new (to me) favorites:

Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy

I’m now ashamed to admit how little I knew about and how little I’d heard of Steely Dan.  I’ve listened to Countdown to Ecstasy, Katy Lied, Can’t Buy A Thrill and Aja a few times each, and while the others have highlights, I really think Countdown to Ecstasy is the most impressive, cover to cover.  Speaking of, the photo on the back cover of this album has inspired more than one “who would you be in you were in Steely Dan” conversation, and is likely to inspire more as it’s definitely one of the most played LPs I have.

Countdown To Ecstasy on Amazon mp3

Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection

Packaged in a glossy, heavy duty cover and accompanied by a full-sized lyric booklet, this 1970 release, Elton John’s third, has also become a favorite.  With vague echoes of some of his better known tunes, this album has a really different sound than anything I’d heard of Elton John’s (which was admittedly mostly pop hits from later in his career).  A “concept album” about the American West, this album didn’t have any released singles, though I have a few favorites (“Son of Your Father” among them).  If you can get past some of the clunkier thematic elements and accept this as a concept album, it’s a great listen.

Tumbleweed Connection on Amazon mp3

Roberta Flack – First Take 

Part soul, part jazz, Roberta Flack’s 1969 debut album was recorded when she was still playing intimate shows in tiny venues like D.C.’s Bohemian Caverns, a spot I frequented for a spell when I lived down there.  It is absolutely magical to put this album on, crank up the volume and close your eyes.  First Take has started me on yet another exploration, delving into the Jazz bins at Burlington Records.  If you’re in the mood for something a little different, you should definitely give this a spin.

First Take on Amazon mp3

If you’re unfamiliar with these albums, I highly recommend giving them all a listen.  If this post is old news to you, maybe it’ll at least serve as a reminder of how awesome these albums are, and encourage you to listen to them again.

It was a wicked early show (started at 7:30p), so I can’t say that I was surprised to walk into a fairly empty venue just as Waters started playing. But it did feel really strange that only a handful of folks were on the dance floor while Waters cranked through a fairly energetic and engaging set.

Of course, that meant that I was able to stand directly in front of the stage, and even leave my beer on the floor as I walked around for a couple different camera angles.

I’ve finally got the aperture setting down for show photos, but I’m still having a hard time with manual focus (as auto-focus uses a beam of light to find the subject, which I assume would be incredibly annoying to the band). So while he gave me plenty of opportunities to get a great shot, this is the best I could do to capture Waters frontman (and former Port O’Brien lead singer) Van Pierszalowski’s impressive headbanging:

Eventually Pierszalowski was able to coax some of the more timid from the back, culminating in an acoustic rendition of “Mickey Mantle” played from the floor, with the audience leading the song’s chorus. Pretty damn cool way to end a show, and an excellent way to energize a fairly docile and uninvolved crowd for the main act.

Unfortunately, CYHSY did very little to continue that energy. Their music sounded great, a good mix of tunes from their debut self-titled album and their latest, with at least one tune off of their sophomore album. But they had absolutely no stage presence, putting on a performance best characterized by the look on lead singer Alec Ounsworth’s face in this shot:

It’s too bad – I really dig their new album, and hoped I’d catch a performance as energized as the first time I saw them (at Bonnaroo in 2006). But it definitely felt like they’d all taken a handful of sedatives right before taking the stage.

The best part of the night was yet to come, however. Since the show let out so early, I was also lucky enough to stumble upon a k-os performance at Club Soda. I had sadly left my camera behind, but suffice it to say k-os made up for whatever lack of energy I’d been left with from the previous show, accompanied by a break dancer and a kickass band and turntablist. k-os gave me exactly what I asked for in May of 2010 when I wrote “I hope to catch k-os again at some point, preferably playing to a much larger audience with a lot more energy.” Thanks Kevin!

Though I was one of maybe 3 people at the Monkey House to see The Thoughts tonight (the other 8 folks there were REALLY LOUD people playing pool in the back), they still put on a show that would have worked as well in either my living room or to a crowd of a couple hundred.  While the show was billed as a trio, Williams and violinist/harpist Katie Mosehauer were without percussion.  It may have livened up the show, but I was just as happy sitting in a chair at the front and resting my legs so my ears could do all the work.

I only wish I’d paid more attention so I could have invited more folks to the show tonight.  I can’t think of a single person who I share musical interest with who wouldn’t have loved the performance.  The Thoughts are on the East coast for a few more shows, and are based out of Seattle.  If you have the chance to see them, I highly recommend it.  I’m already looking forward to their next trip east, and will be listening to I Won’t Keep You Here from now until then.

I don’t plan on abandoning this site for much longer though… I’ve been listening to a lot of classic vinyl, and I’ve got a lot to talk about, when I have time. Not long, I hope. If only my iPad cold transcribe my thoughts I’d have much more luck. Alas, the wait goes on…

As a brief introduction for those unfamiliar, Jeff Mangum was most notably the the driving force behind Neutral Milk Hotel, indie rock idols who last released an album in 1998.  Yup, the same year I was heading off to college with posters of 2Pac and Wu-Tang Clan to hang on my walls, Jeff Mangum released what could be considered one of the best albums of my generation.

Last night, after taking a decade or so off of performing live music, Mangum proved to an adoring crowd of several hundred overheated fans that the wait was worth it.  And the audience responded in kind, pumping the packed, nearly 200-year old church with a palpable electricity.

A few songs in, as he was putting down one guitar and picking up another underneath a glowing red altar, the PA system popped and went silent.  Taking it completely in stride, Mangum picked up his folding chair and a guitar and sat on the floor facing the first pew to sing a tune while the issue was fixed.  With at least half of the audience singing along (at his request), he belted out an acoustic rendition of Two Headed Boy Pt. 2 as people streamed from the pews to the floor to sit beside him.

Playing a good mix of tunes from Neutral Milk Hotel’s two releases (Avery Island & In the Aeroplane Over the Sea), as well as a Daniel Johnston cover and an unreleased song requested by someone up front, Mangum gave us no hint as to his future as a performer, only a reminder of his talented past.

Kudos to everyone there last night (at least as far as I’ve heard) for respecting the artist’s request for no photos or recording of any sort.  It definitely spoke volumes about the quality of Burlington’s live music scene, and made me excited rather than envious for the first time in a while.

Extra special thanks go to Angioplasty Media and MSR for bringing this show to Burlington. Your efforts are more appreciated than I’m able to express on the internet.  Please keep doing what you’re doing.