http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/ 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die en tom@1000recordings.com Copyright 2008 2008-12-22T15:06:43-05:00 http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/moon-ten-best-from-2008/ http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/moon-ten-best-from-2008/#When:14:06:43Z Music happens, even in the weirdest of times.This year brought inspired music-making in daunting quantities, from veteran operators and crazed-genius outsider types who found devoted listeners despite the industry downturn. Below, a roundup of ten recordings I returned to again and again in 2008. They’re in no particular order. As with everything here, please consider yourself invited to share your own discoveries from the year. Thanks! TV On the Radio: Dear Science. If you’re not careful, you might find yourself singing the refrains of Dear Science over and over again, without even realizing it. That’s not terribly unusual until you analyze said hooks a little bit – they’re dark and eerie and weirdly assymetrical, and thus miles away from what allegedly works on the radio. Paired with the equally smart accompaniments – serrated-saw drum machine beats, fantastic gales of analog synthesizer – the result is a giddy dream state that renders other attempts at ‘80s-rock worship (Franz Ferdinand et al) totally irrelevent. Radiohead: In Rainbows. The more I live with this record, the more this year’s oft-repeated media storyline about how Radiohead (1000 Recordings, pg. 627) “regained” its voice seems off. The band is simply evolving, perhaps more rapidly than our benumbed ears can comprehend, recombining devices used on the last few records in startling ways. Thom Yorke’s observations on human vulnerability come through after just a few spins, but it might take years to appreciate everything swirling around inside these stark and stunningly elegant songs. Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago. An opportunity to ponder, at length, the risks and benefits of confronting isolation, distance, and those pockets of darkness that lurk often undisturbed within. This year brought an astounding crop of independent-thinking outsiders; For Emma is easily the most intriguing debut. Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes. Much has been made of the disarmingly earnest vocal blends on this debut. Equally significant are the instrumental expanses that stitch those vocal episodes together. Spacious and wonderfully unhurried, the Fleet Foxes melodies describe pastoral landscapes usually glimpsed only by birds, from a distance, above the tree line. My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges. And mixed feelings. This record’s high points (“Remnants,” “Touch Me Pts. 1 and 2,” "Thank You Too!") reach closer to the rock ecstatic than almost anything else that arrived in 2008. The low points (“Highly Suspicious”) make one thankful for the invention of the remote control. But hey, it’s an album in the classic old-school sense, and that alone deserves applause. It’s refreshing to hear a revered band (1000 Recordings, pg. 537) take so many chances. Alejandro Escovedo: Real Animal; The Gaslight Anthem: The 59 Sound. A tossup. In one corner is a veteran (see 1000 Recordings pg. 261) who this year discovered a new hard-rocking platform for his bittersweet observations on life. In the other is a fast-rising punk trio led by a songwriter (Brian Fallon) who sounds like Bruce Springsteen and isn’t afraid to namedrop Charles Dickens. The Gaslight Anthem careens along at a heedless clip that’s ideal for these songs, which capture the moment of sudden heaviness when the stereotypical knucklehead gets his first taste of adulthood. Santogold: Santogold. Santi White is everything that’s righteous about pop music – she’s open to and conversant in many styles (bouyant ska, shadowy electronica), has the fierce will of a punk rocker and a taste for the snarly side of the ‘80s new wave. Mostly she writes tense, high-drama songs with endlessly infectious hooks. Her eccentric debut is required listening for those who think that everything consequential in the realm of the pop single has already been done. The Mars Volta: The Bedlam In Goliath. Here’s a case where the much-discussed backstory – about a restless spirit communicating song ideas through a Ouija board – probably kept people at arm’s length. That’s a shame, because this intricate cycle (1000 Recordings, pg. 476) is more than merely an audio representation of bedlam – the lyrics, sung in a truly freaked-out scream, grapple with the big questions (life, death, purpose), and they’re supported by instrumental wickedness that goes hurtling by at warpspeed. Only very occasionally does it sound like anything you’ve heard before. Juana Molina: Un Dia. These journeys often begin with Juana Molina’s lone voice offering a contained, haiku-like idea that is easily repeated. From there, the songwriter and visionary layers that voice into massive chorales that move in tight synchronization, like trains running on parallel tracks. There’s lots going on, but never too much: Every element is essential to these majestic, often wistful and surprisingly hypnotic soundscapes. Like Segundo (1000 Recordings, pg. 511), this is mindbendingly great. The Roots: Rising Down. With this blast of astringent commentary, the Roots (1000 Recordings, pg. 660-661) move beyond hiphop gamesmanship to talk violence, addiction, media stereotypes and long-festering racial divisions. Arguably the first great record of the Obama era. 2008-12-22T14:06:43-05:00 http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/an-open-letter-to-the-beancountertypes-of-universal-records/ http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/an-open-letter-to-the-beancountertypes-of-universal-records/#When:15:23:59Z I am writing...to register alarm over your company’s chronic neglect and mishandling of the Elis Regina catalog. In some parts of the world (Brazil, obviously, and also Japan), it’s possible to buy all of Ms. Regina’s classic titles, with original artwork and liner notes. In the U.S., you are selling six different slipshod anthologies of her hits – while ignoring the individual titles, some of which have been out of print for years. To make matters worse, most of what’s available on CD here has not been properly remastered; the audio is of the dismal quality associated with the first-generation compact discs in the 1980s. This is troubling for many reasons. Elis Regina was one of the greatest singers of the 20th century, a master whose slight inflections tell stories behind the story. Her recordings – most made for Philips in Brazil and issued on various Universal-owned imprints in the U.S. – represent an important point in the history of Brazilian popular music. They are thrilling whether you understand Portugese or not. They are classic illustrations of the “Long Tail” idea, as they’re considered essential by those who worship the music of Brazil and by rock devotees who rarely venture into anything marketed as “World Music.” Elis Regina’s contribution to world culture is well documented, and still Universal seems to regard her as an alien creature. It’s outrageous – but given the state of the industry, not surprising – that her important recordings are not in circulation. Not too many years ago, major label executives recognized the value of the catalog; they saw themselves as caretakers of legacies. That meant not simply preserving great recordings, but championing them so that current listeners might discover them and be, as I’ve been, profoundly enriched. There’s much less of that advocacy happening now, as the labels pursue hits over careers. The end result of such short-sight is painfully audible in the braying, high-drama histrionics of your present-day divas. They clearly haven’t ever heard a singer like Elis Regina. And they desperately need to. Right away. 2008-12-12T15:23:59-05:00 http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/whats-on-your-list/ http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/whats-on-your-list/#When:10:18:57Z Share a few of your must-hear recordings here. Please include title, artist and year of release if you know it. And tell us why it's essential! Thanks.... 2008-12-01T10:18:57-05:00 http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/what-would-woody-say-to-the-aig-ceo/ http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/what-would-woody-say-to-the-aig-ceo/#When:15:00:47Z What would Woody do? I’ve been thinking about the “perfect storm” conditions that led to our present economic implosion(s). Wondering what a farmer fleeing the dust bowl would make of “credit default swaps” and the like. Wonder whether the people Woody Guthrie writes about in the songs of Dust Bowl Ballads would even consider our current circumstances to be adverse. Though it’s something of a cliché to look back at the hardships of the old days, in this instance perspective is helpful, particularly given the general twitchiness of the media. Guthrie’s chronicles from that long-gone era offer more than sketches of economic devestation – inside his songs are glimpses of the internal resolve, determination and faith that helped ordinary people survive extraordinary challenges. Perfect for your next rent party. 2008-11-20T15:00:47-05:00 http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/five-steps-in-an-exploration-of-jazz/ http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/five-steps-in-an-exploration-of-jazz/#When:17:36:02Z If You’re Just Beginning an Exploration of Jazz: Five Steps Beyond Kind of Blue.Tell a jazz aesthete that you intend to begin exploring “America’s classical music,” and you can usually count on an automatic response: Start with Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, the most famous jazz album of all time. That’s perfectly reasonable advice, as Davis’ 1959 masterwork offers thrilling explorations of mood and color, and contributions from some of the form’s legendary soloists. If you’re enchanted by it, here are five suggestions for further exploration. Count Basie and His Orchestra: Complete Decca Recordings (2000, Decca/MCA). This anthology offers the essential DNA of swing rhythm circa the 1930s, as played by a super-alert (and highly polished) band. Ahmad Jamal: But Not For Me: Live at the Pershing (1958, MCA). Sometimes jazz can seem like the “look-at-me” grandstanding of attention-mongers. But it can also be a realm of poise and understatement, as this shimmering live date from 1962 demonstrates. Cue up the jukebox hit “Poinciana” to hear piano trio music at a sauntering, serene, easygoing peak. Bill Evans and Jim Hall: Undercurrent (1962, Blue Note). At its best, jazz is a constantly evolving conversation between musicians. This recording presents two master improvisors, the coloristic pianist Bill Evans and guitar virtuoso Jim Hall, deeply immersed in a musical exchange. There are no distractions. Booker Little: Out Front (1961, Candid). Recorded just as “free jazz” was hitting its stride, this fiery date led by trumpeter and composer Booker Little strives for – and achieves – a balance of old (hard bop) and new (free jazz) thinking that’s unlike anything else. The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane: At Carnegie Hall (2005, Blue Note). This recently unearthed live performance from 1957 showcases the herculean tenor saxophonist John Coltrane tackling some of Thelonious Monk’s most challenging compositions. It’s a crucial “lost chapter” of music history. 2008-11-10T17:36:02-05:00 http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/found-on-the-web-oum-kalthoum/ http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/found-on-the-web-oum-kalthoum/#When:14:26:53Z This short video, one of many YouTube clips featuring the legendary singer Oum Kalthoum, offers English subtitles translating the lyrics and surprisingly crisp sound. 2008-10-31T14:26:53-05:00 http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/wheres-neil/ http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/wheres-neil/#When:14:20:20Z Can this be? A book of 1000 essential recordings and there’s exactly one Neil Young record? (OK, three if you count Buffalo Springfield and CSNY.) If this seems woefully slight to you, get in line: I’ve been hearing earfuls about what some consider blasphemy, a crime against rock.One of the more impossible tasks in compiling such a list was contending with artists like Young, the mercurial singer, songwriter and guitarist who has made important contributions across several decades – and in strikingly different musical spheres. Knowing I couldn’t represent all of Young’s “periods,” I went with the record I felt was most likely to enchant someone new to his work – After The Gold Rush – in hopes that its fragile, plaintive melodies would send listeners into a longterm exploration of Young’s discography. Below, five Next Stops for those who find themselves newly captivated by this cryptic genius. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969, Reprise). Young’s first album with Crazy Horse seems mannered when compared with the extreme (and sometimes aurally punishing) sonics of later collaborations. But the songs – among them “Cowgirl in the Sand,” “Cinnamon Girl” and “Down By The River” – stand among Young’s most crystalline, razor-sharp compositions. Tonight’s The Night (1975, Reprise). After losing two associates (Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry) to heroin within a year, Young created a caustic, sometimes fractured-sounding masterpiece that’s ideally suited to late-night meditations on the meaning of life. He’s hurt, angry, hungry for truth and mistrustful of fame and all of its once-beguiling trappings. Rust Never Sleeps (1979, Reprise). Somewhere in the mid-to-late ‘70s, Neil Young looked around, noticed a pronounced sense of atrophy (if not outright decay) in the culture, and responded with withering indictments of narcissism, escapism and assorted other “isms.” These songs – “Powderfinger,” “My, My, Hey, Hey (Out of the Blue” – rank up there with the most trenchant rock music ever made. For even more extreme versions, seek out Live Rust, released later the same year. Weld (1991, Reprise). Here’s Young with Crazy Horse, tearing through the “hard stuff” in his songbook at the moment just before grunge would remap the rock universe. There are waves of ear-splitting distortion, and guitar solos that find middle ground between elegant melody and scrap metal, and an absolutely incendiary cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In the Wind,” complete with explosions in the distance. Harvest Moon (1992, Reprise). Young risked significant ridicule when he returned to the quaint acoustic settings of Harvest, the 1972 album that contains his only number-one hit “Heart of Gold.” The Harvest Moon backdrops are similarly poignant and hauntingly spare, but Young – unlike so many rockers desperate to recapture those glory days – doesn’t go backward at all. Instead, he wrestles with the concerns of grown folks in his peer group, writing of friendships that inevitably fade over time, urban Everyman’s role in environmental destruction, the challenges of retaining a bit of fire in the belly as the world drifts into a complacent stupor. 2008-10-25T14:20:20-05:00 http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/1000-recordings-on-all-songs-considered1/ http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/1000-recordings-on-all-songs-considered1/#When:13:37:54Z On this week's edition of All Songs Considered, Tom Moon talks about a few of the amazing records he found researching 1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die. You can listen now on NPR.org. 2008-10-14T13:37:54-05:00 http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/artist-update-juana-molina/ http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/artist-update-juana-molina/#When:13:59:33Z Anyone who’s been around me the last few years has heard the following sermon: If we wish to see music thrive as art and not just marketing, it’s important to follow (and celebrate) the endeavors/exploits of the brazen and the visionary, those folks who, regardless of commercial standing, create works that expand our notion of what’s possible. One example I use is the Argentinean singer, songwriter and sound designer Juana Molina.It’s perhaps unrealistic to expect the world to catch up to Molina – whose Segundo (1000 Recordings, pg. 511) is an exotic concoction of tightly braided vocal harmonies, surreptitious beats and strange primitive electronic sounds. Her music is quirky, an acquired taste. Still I hold out hope that these records will eventually reach a wide audience, because nobody – not even Bjork, to whom she’s often compared – is doing anything remotely like this. Un Dia, Juana Molina’s fifth international release, arrived this week. It’s an astoundingly beautiful studio wonderment, a record potent enough to give beleagured music people hope. Extending the looping-and-layering approach of Segundo, Molina builds beats one wicked percussion tick at a time, until she’s created elaborate, defiantly unkempt rhythms. Rather than commit to a single recurring beat, she implies all sorts of jarring polyrhythms as she goes along, testing out possible variations while sticking to a general flight plan. Atop this shifting foundation are rippling waves of overlapping Molina voices, each expressing variations of pitch or temperment – these chorales are soothing and snarling at the same time. To encounter Molina’s inventive textures at peak, check out “Los Hongos de Marosa,” which gathers wiggly ad-libbed melodies, blissed-out nursery-school songs and entreaties to strange deities into an eight-minute trance. Many of the vocals only occasionally hinge on a fixed text, and that’s intentional: Soundscapes like these can signify about all sorts of things, as Molina indicates in a line embedded in the title track. “One day I will sing the songs with no lyrics and everyone can imagine for themselves if it’s about love, disappointment, banalities or about Plato.” That day has arrived: The lyrics of most songs on Un Dia serve as merely starting points, invitations into a fantastic netherworld of sound. Don’t miss the chance to explore it. 2008-10-11T13:59:33-05:00 http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/found-on-the-web-miles-davis-quintet/ http://www.1000recordings.com/blog/found-on-the-web-miles-davis-quintet/#When:00:15:50Z The great Miles Davis '60s quintet, recorded live in 1966 (if the appended youtube information is to be trusted). 2008-10-06T00:15:50-05:00