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Favorite Music of 2010 so far, Pt. 1

Heres-to-taking-it-easy

We’re nearly halfway through the year, and I’ll go first with band choices for favorite music of 2010. I don’t claim that I’ve listened to tons of new music this year – I still haven’t heard the new Hold Steady, so hold steady – but my favorite CD of the year is Phosphorescent’s “Here’s To Taking It Easy.” It kicks ass.
 
Here are some reasons it stands out for me:
 

-          Lots of horns, pedal steel and slide guitar, honky tonk piano, heartbreak (and by that I don’t mean merely romantic heartbreak), and attitude that take it close to Flying Burrito Brothers territory, but other places, too.

 

-          Speaking of places, most of the songs seem to deal with specific places, as in, being stuck in the wrong places, or choosing to be stuck in the wrong places, or maybe they turn out to be the right places? Interesting how that works from situation to situation.

 

-          Matthew Houck’s voice is tough and reedy at the same time. Like he’s been through a lot but has not been totally beaten down by it. I like that! And his harmonies are great, that’s where a lot of the heartbreak feel resides.

 

-          The players leave space for guitar and piano interludes that are always a little surprising – spots where two guitars play simultaneously while seemingly unaware of each other are very cool, and the breaks and endings of several songs are oddball but work just right.

 

-          In the CD art, Houck has a motorcycle in his living room.

Favorite couplet: Well, apart from the things I touched/Nothing got broke all that much
 
Fwiw, my favorite song so far this year is “Floating Vibes” by Surfer Blood, off their Astro Coast disc.
 
-John
 

Posted May 27, 2010 by John 
May 27, 2010
Chris said...
I have been loving the daylights out of David Bazan's "Curse Your Branches" album. It might be a late 2009 release, but it was new to me in 2010. It's full of catchy-bits, smart songs, and great playing. It also sounds terrific!

I'm also totally in love with Mike Strauss' "Ideal Road" album, Shalini Chatterjee's "Magnetic North" EP, and The Belmont Playboys' "Complicated Life." Those last two aren't out yet (the Shalini record comes out June 22nd), but I assure you, they're good. Also, as a disclaimer, I worked on those three albums, but that's not why they're good. They're good in spite of that.

Also, Nina Nastasia has a new record coming out in June (Hell Yeah to all the great June releases this year) and if every single one of her other albums is any indication, it will be topping my list for this year.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

May 27, 2010
Bruce said...
Two words: The National.
Try their new album "High Violet" and they also have an online film directed by the one and only D.A. Pennebaker.