Darwin’s Re-Evolution

The first post of 2010 deserved to be a good one. It could have easily been about Vampire Weekend making the “sophomore slump” seem like something that only happens to everyone else. Or Spoon going back to the drawing board and crafting another flawless spectacle out of tinfoil and toothpicks. It’d be too obvious and tell you absolutely nothing you don’t already know.

Instead, my first post of 2010 is about someone you’ve (probably) never heard of. It’s a guy who, at first glance, looks like such a hipster that I gagged. And then I pressed play. Three seconds into “Constellations”, I was sold. Next song, boom. Next song, bam. It’s so on.

He goes by the name of Darwin Deez and his sound is certainly evolutionary. This gentleman plays a 4-string guitar of his own secret tuning and makes me beg the question “why do we need the other two again?” Someone either hilarious or genius (or both) has named him the Michael Jackson of indie rock. All I really care about is that this combo of endless melodies, jagged plucky guitars, summer-soaked drums and handclaps are nothing short of infectious. Astouding, even. I’m giddy.

Listen:
The City
Bad Day
[from Darwin Deez|buy]

R.I.P Vic Chesnutt

R.I.P Vic Chesnutt, dead of a drug overdose @ 45 Christmas Day after spending 2 days in a coma. This song is amazing and it’s really hard to believe how prophetic it is. And I almost posted it last week. Would have been weird…

“I am a man
I am self-aware
And everywhere I go
You’re always right there with me

I’ve flirted with you all my life
Even kissed you once or twice
And to this day I swear it was nice
But clearly I was not ready

When you touched a friend of mine
I thought I would lose my mind
But I found out with time that
really I was was not ready, no no

Oh, Death
Oh, Death
Oh, Death
Really, I’m not ready

Oh, Death you hector me
Decimate those dear to me
Tease me with your sweet release
You are cruel and you are constant

When my mom was cancer sick
She fought but then succumb to it
But you made her beg for it
Lord Jesus, please I’m ready.

Oh, Death
Oh, Death
Oh, Death
Really, I’m not ready”

Vic Chesnutt – Flirted With You All My Life
[from At the Cut|buy]

the Best Songs of 2009

It’s been another great year for music and I know there is a ton I missed out on. Feel free to inform me of any omissions you deem egregious. Every year, there are a handful of life-changing songs I hear for the first time in the weeks immediately following the posting of this list. That’s the breaks. Let’s start with an arbitrary number…like 85.

85. Wild Beasts – All the Kings Men
84. Cage the Elephant – Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
83. Brendan Benson – Eyes on the Horizon
82. Cherbourg- Goldmine
81. Cursive – From the Hips
80. Muse – Exogenesis: Symphony Part 2
79. Mew – Introducing Palace Players
78. Say Anything – Eloise
77. We’ll Make it Right – Some Say
76. Company of Thieves – Oscar Wilde
75. Coconut Records – Any Fun
74. Bombay Bicycle Club – Always Like This
73. Fever Ray – When I Grow Up
72. J. Tillman – Marked in the Valley
71. Modern Skirts – Radio Breaks
70. Jookabox – You Cried Me
69. Sleigh Bells – Ring Ring [mp3]
68. The Elephants – Take It!
67. The Shivers – Just Didn’t Need to Know
66. Fink – Sort of Revolution
65. The Gossip – Love Long Distance
64. Hey Champ – Gold Dust Girl
63. When Saints Go Machine – Pick Up Your Tears and Run
62. Ohbijou – Wildfires
61. Julie Doiron – When Brakes Get Wet
60. Flight of the Conchords – Hurt Feelings
59. The Clientele – I Wonder Who We Are
58. Julian Velard – Love Again for the First Time
57. Decibully – Prom Jam
56. Vega – Well Known Pleasures
55. Antony and Bryce Dessner – I Was Young When I Left Home
54. Beirut – Mimizan
53. Discovery – So Insane
52. Jeremy Enigk – Late of Camera
51. The Uglysuit – Chicago
50. Gregory Alan Isakov – Big Black Car [mp3]
49. Mae – The House That Fire Built
48. Nathan Phillips – Thunder Bay, Ontario
47. The Dodos – Fables
46. Will Stratton – Who Will (demo version) [mp3]
45. Frightened Rabbit – Swim Until You Can’t See Land
44. Freelance Whales – Starring
43. Mute Math – Pins and Needles
42. The Longcut – Tell You So
41. Washed Out – Belong
40. The House Floor – All Aboard/My Little Wooden Room (LOL)
39. Grizzly Bear – While We Wait for the Others
38. White Denim – Regina Holding Hands
37. Chris Merritt – I Don’t See You Here [mp3]
36. John Mayer – Edge of Desire
35. Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner – Big Red Machine
34. Telekenesis! – Coast of Carolina
33. The Swell Season – Two Tongues
32. Dan Black – Let Go [mp3]
31. Bowerbirds – Northern Lights
30. The Big Pink – Dominoes
29. Ola Podrida – Donkey
28. Wheat – I Want Less
27. Bon Iver – Brackett, WI
26. the Whitest Boy Alive – 1517
25. Of Montreal (w/ Jon Brion) – First Time High
24. My Sad Captains – Ghost Song
23. Iron & Wine – Love Vigilantes [mp3]
22. Wild Light – California On My Mind
21. Miike Snow – Burial
20. Patrick Watson – Beijing
19. Illinois – The Open Door
18. The Temper Trap – Fader [mp3]
17. Lake – Don’t Give Up
16. Richard Swift – The Atlantic Ocean
15. Dirty Projectors – No Intention [mp3]
14. Sunparlour Players – Battle of ‘77 [mp3]
13. Slaraffenland – Away
12. Local Natives – World News
11. Free Energy – Free Energy – With this much energy, this kind of filthygood energy, one would think that one might pay a whole hell of a lot to get one’s hands upon such energy. Nah. This stuff is free, overflowing, and making out with the wind.
10. Hungry Kids of Hungary – Old Money – Famished kids from Australia blend ’60s pop, unstoppable hooks in another ‘09 gem.
9. The Dream – Rockin’ that Shit – Atlanta’s The Dream is rockin’ that synth like…he rockin’ that synth like…he rockin’ that synth like…sorry, the hook is so sticky I can’t get it out of my cheek. Good luck. [mp3]
8. Dark Mean – Happy Banjo – I haven’t had a lot to be sad about this year, thanks in part to songs like this one.
7. Fanfarlo – The Walls Are Coming Down – Maybe it’s a little too Balkan for someone other than Beirut to be sounding like. But maybe it’s even better.
6. Devendra Banhart – Baby – For this cute snapshot on his major label debut, a usually-polarizing freak-folk icon was as likeable as apple pie and vanilla ice cream. [mp3]
5. Animal Collective – My Girls – Just because it’s obvious doesn’t mean it’s not true. The less obvious thing is why they aren’t #1 on every list on earth. One might expect the clouds to open and Animal Collective to just ascend directly into heaven as the final seconds of 2009 wind down to nothing. They’ve had that kind of year.
4. Volcano Choir – Island, IS – Outside of this song, Unmap is a lesson in expecting the unexpected out of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon (read: confusion/potential disappointment). For this 4:08, however, the collaboration between he and electronic-oriented Collections of Colonies of Bees was everything it should have been and more. [mp3]
3. David Bazan – Curse Your Branches – An impeccably penned lament, reflecting on a forced upbringing. “All fallen leaves should curse their branches for not letting them decide where they should fall. And not letting them refuse to fall at all.” [mp3]
2. Passion Pit – Moth’s Wings – “Sleepyhead” and “The Reeling” might have garnered the early buzz, but this track is Manners‘ triumphant high point. [mp3]
1. Phoenix – Lisztomania – They may not lyrically deep enough to please every critic, might be too popular, etc. But it’s hard to imagine a band with more impeccable pop sense, living in this enjoyable moment more convincingly. [mp3]