Spitball Army

Albums:

1. Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard – One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Music from Kerouac’s Big Sur
– It took no time at all for me to fall in love with this record.  With music by turns jaunty and melancholy, the songs here are primarily literate, being inspired by and, at times, lifted intact from Jack Kerouac’s dark memoir Big Sur.  Some editions of the CD come with a documentary on DVD that is a painstaking analysis of the book and the culture that birthed it, and generously feature the music in this album; in the context of the film, the music makes even more sense, and resonates more clearly.

The trailer for the film One Fast Move or I’m Gone:

2. Great Lake Swimmers – Lost Channels
– Here‘s what I said about this album in April.

3. Richard Hawley – Truelove’s Gutter
– A swooning, romantic dreamscape of an album.  Richard Hawley’s records always sound like “Richard Hawley records,” yet each new one seems to enrich his Byronic aesthetic further.
[audio:Richard_Hawley___Open_Up_Your_Door.mp3]
“Open Up Your Door” by Richard Hawley, from Truelove’s Gutter (2009)

4. David Mead – Almost and Always
– One of the purest pop voices today – and seemingly unnoticed by the general public.  Almost and Always contains a song written by Spitball Army favorite Daniel Tashian, but that is by no means the only high point in this collection of stripped-down songs which often sound like meditations.
[audio:David_Mead___Sicily.mp3]
“Sicily” by David Mead, from Almost and Always (2009)

5. Portugal. The Man – The Satanic Satanist
– Here‘s what I said about this album back in August.

6. Dawn Landes – Sweet Heart Rodeo
– A big jump forward – in terms of production – for this former member of Hem.  Landes shows that she can rock at one moment (“Young Girl”), sound fragile the next (“Brighton”).  Meanwhile, that wide-eyed but knowing voice from past recordings is still there, in musical settings that sometimes sound like a wind-up toy belonging to Beck.
[audio:Dawn_Landes___Clown.mp3]
“Clown” by Dawn Landes, from Sweet Heart Rodeo (2009)

7. Robyn Hitchcock – I Often Dream of Trains in New York
– A new live performance of Hitchcock’s 1984 classic album, filled with sparkling moments of acoustic clarity, but very little of his trademark twisted between-song banter.
[audio:Robyn_Hitchcock___My_Favourite_Buildings_(live).mp3]
“My Favourite Buildings” (live) by Robyn Hitchcock, from I Often Dream of Trains in New York (2009)

8. Various Artists – Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets: 1965-1968
– Here’s a really fine collection of tunes, following the blueprint of Rhino’s original 1972 Nuggets compilation of psychedelic rock, this time concentrating on the scene in L.A.  Many of the songs included here were overlooked at the time of their release, but are no less deserving of praise than the more familiar hits by the same artists.
[audio:Jackie_DeShannon___Splendor_in_the_Grass.mp3]
“Splendor in the Grass” (1966) by Jackie DeShannon with The Byrds
[audio:Monkees___Daily_Nightly.mp3]
“Daily Nightly” (1967) by The Monkees

9. Beck – Sea Change (Mobile Fidelity)
– Here‘s what I said about this reissued album in November of this year.

10. Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows
– The resurrection of Cheap Trick, figuratively, whose train I completely missed jumping on during my youth (their heyday).  No wonder I made that musical connection (I found out after listening to this record a few times), as the drummer is one Bun E. Carlos, drummer for Cheap Trick. This “supergroup” also contains James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne) and Taylor Hanson (yes, one of those brothers).  Add also a smattering of T.Rex essence, just for fun, and this is what you get.
[audio:Tinted_Windows___Cha_Cha.mp3]
“Cha Cha” by Tinted Windows, from Tinted Windows (2009)

11. Mark Olson and Gary Louris – Ready for the Flood
– My pick for the Americana record of the year.  Fills a gaping hole left by the absence of The Jayhawks (though this pair equals one-half of that band’s original lineup).
[audio:Mark_Olson_and_Gary_Louris___Doves_and_Stones.mp3]
“Doves and Stones” by Mark Olson and Gary Louris, from Ready for the Flood (2009)

12. Barbra Streisand – Love is the Answer (quartet version)
– Please don’t hate me for this choice.  This (a bonus disc attached to the more widely-available commercial version of the album with its typically overblown arrangements) is simply an instrumental jazz quartet backing a classic voice singing standards.  It’s a nice and clever touch that the quartet’s pianist is Diana Krall.  By now, we’re so used to hearing Streisand belt out songs with gooey accuracy; but this is the freshest I’ve heard her sound in decades, and the only record of hers I’ve truly enjoyed listening to since 1971’s Stoney End.  So, naturally, I felt it was worth mentioning.
[audio:Barbra_Streisand___Make_Someone_Happy.mp3]
“Make Someone Happy” by Barbra Streisand, from Love is the Answer (quartet version) (2009)

Songs:
1. Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard – “Big Sur”
[audio:Jay_Farrar_and_Benjamin_Gibbard___Big_Sur.mp3]

And here’s a live take of “Big Sur.” Jay and Ben performing the song on radio station WNYC’s Soundcheck:

2. Mark Knopfler – “So Far from the Clyde”
This track from Knopfler’s Get Lucky displays his ability to be virtuosic yet subtle with both his electric and acoustic guitar work while, simultaneously, showing off his unique way with the British Isles folk styles that he obviously loves.
[audio:Mark_Knopfler___So_Far_from_the_Clyde.mp3]

3. Hem – “Full Phathom Five”
Vocals by Audra McDonald and Anne Hathaway, from Hem’s score for the Public Theatre production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.  A lovely song, though short…proving that wit is not the only characteristic fueled by brevity.
[audio:Hem___Full_Phathom_Five.mp3]

4. Mason Jennings – “Ain’t No Friend of Mine”
I love the Jimi Hendrix-meets-TheKinks vibe of this track – not typical of the Blood of Man album from which it was drawn, but a great moment on that record nonetheless.
[audio:Mason_Jennings___Aint_No_Friend_of_Mine.mp3]

5. Matthew Mayfield – “Her Name Was December”
This dude from my city of residence continues to get better and better with his songwriting. I can hear this one (in my head) performed in a variety of settings – the sign of an expansive musical talent (his, not mine).
[audio:Matthew_Mayfield___Her_Name_Was_December.mp3]

6. The Smithereens – “Sparks”
An instrumental from The Smithereens Play Tommy, and proof that the older bands can rock their butts off, too.
[audio:Smithereens___Sparks.mp3]

7. Jamie Cullum – “Don’t Stop the Music”
Jamie Cullum’s original songs are fine, but he always really shines in the cover versions (listen to his takes of Radiohead’s “High and Dry” or Pharrell Williams’ “Frontin'” to hear what I mean).  His version of this song by Rihanna is no exception.
[audio:Jamie_Cullum___Dont_Stop_the_Music.mp3]