Dave's Den

The Decemberists are hard to classify. If I had to put a label on them, they'd fall somewhere in the "hyperliterate-epic-prog-folk-maritime-medieval-fairy tale" category. Their last two major releases, Picaresque and The Crane Wife, have built upon each other, and that progression has led naturally to their latest release, The Hazards of Love. Whereas The Crane Wife was a loose collection of songs held together by a 3 song concept suite, Hazards of Love is a 60 minute, full-on concept rock opera from start to finish.

The narrative can be a bit obtuse and open for interpretation, so I'm not even going to attempt an explanation here. Suffice to say, it's a love story involving a shape-shifter, infanticide, and the promising of one's life to the waters. In the end though it does hang together and start to make sense upon repeated listenings. As for the music, there aren't a lot of memorable hooks here as on some of their previous works, but the hooks have been replaced with interesting, varied music that best serves the story. There are moments of pure 70's prog rock in the Jethro Tull/Yes vein, to quiet acoustic interludes.

The standout track here is the closer, Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned). It's a beautiful, heartbreaking song about the two lovers, William and Margaret, and their last moments as their ship sinks beneath the waves. It's my favorite song of the year thus far, and is going to be hard to knock off that pedestal. The album as a whole is The Decemberists most ambitious work, one that's highly satisfying and grows on you with each listening. It's that rare gem that's meant to be heard as a complete work, in a quiet room, from start to finish. For my money, this is the most interesting and inventive band around these days. I can't wait to see where they go from here.

Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)

Live version of Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)

Streaming audio of The Decemberists debuting Hazards of Love in its entirety at SXSW

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It's time again for my wrap-up of the best music I discovered in 2008. First, a disclaimer. You may have noticed that I used the word "discovered" above. I know some of these were released prior to 2008, but I'm considering it new if I hadn't heard it before. After all, I can be a little slow on the uptake from time to time. So, without further ado, here are my favorite discs of the year, in no particular order:

The Everybodyfields: Nothing is Okay

The Everybodyfields defy strict classification. Not quite country, not quite folk rock, this is a disc overflowing with beautiful, bare bones melancholic melodies about heartbreak and sorrow. Rarely does a disc create such a mood and sustain it in an interesting way over it's full length, but Nothing is Okay manages to pull it off. Although I thought it was quite good when I first heard it, I find myself continuing to listen to it more and more as time goes on. A real treasure. Here are some lyrics from Lonely Anywhere:

I walk in
You walk out of rooms everywhere
I’m talking
You’re looking through me
With a blank stare
And I can’t help but ask if today would be my last
Would you care?

And I can be lonely here
And I can be lonely anywhere
Yes I can be lonely
And I can be lonely

I think the best description I've read is from an editorial review at Amazon:

The quality of communication between two people during the time of a sizable rift is fair-weather at best. The few words that do get through are not the ones that you hold dearly when resting your head to pillow; rather these are the ones that keep jaws locked tightly until hopefully, finally, fatigue sets in. After your mind has been poisoned by hatred, after you've lost your voice from screaming, after the words have stopped coming together, you have once again managed to tare yourself back to center.

Right back to where you started--at nothing.

These songs are one year's worth of conversations between people who decided equally to stop talking to each other. They are perhaps more honest and useful than any which might have transpired. This is not a biography of happiness, nor is it a field guide to discontent. These songs are a mutual offering to the characters involved herein.

The Galaxies: Here We Go!

Nothing fancy here- just a strong, energetic collection of catchy power pop. Lyrically, this is a complete 180 from the Everybodyfields disc mentioned above. The Galaxies are all about new love and happy times. Standout tracks: You Promised, Here We Go Again, Love Has Found Me

Brian Wilson: That Lucky Old Sun

Better than I had any right to expect for a 64 year old guy with a lot of baggage, this was a pleasant surprise to see he still has some creative juices flowing. My full review can be found here. Standout tracks: Midnight's Another Day, Southern California

Coldplay: Viva la Vida

Much better than their previous disc X&Y, this one adds a new dimension to their sound without straying too far from their strengths. The production of Brian Eno helps add some atmosphere to the proceedings. Strawberry Swing is the standout track here, and is one of my favorite songs of the year. It's also worth noting that there is a better version of Life In Technicolor, the disc's first track, on their new EP Prospekts March.

Tally Hall: Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum

Another band that defies categorization, although there's a distinct Barenaked Ladies vibe going on here. Their sound is all over the map: tongue-in-cheek rap, pop, a ballad about apathy, and a song about stalking Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. This one has it all- it's catchy, clever and funny. Standout tracks: Welcome to Tally Hall, Just Apathy, Spring and a Storm

The Hi-Risers: Once We Get Started

This is simply straight-ahead stripped-down rock and roll that will knock your socks off. Imagine a no-frills trio from the early 1960's cutting it up in a smokey bar and you'll get the idea. ATM Inside rocks like it matters, and is another of my favorite songs of the year:

My bank account got wiped out
When you became my bride
You don't have a heart
Just an ATM inside

Other standout tracks: Foundation Rock, She'll Be My Ruin, Here With You

The Malibus: Keep an Eye on the Malibus

This one is a couple of years old, but I was so knocked out by it I had to include it. There are a lot of bands out there trying to mimic the sound of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. While The Malibus mine the early Beach Boys territory of surfing, cars and girls, they do it with original songs that stand on their own without being too derivative or blatant rip-offs. There is a lot of musical ability on display here, and this one is good from start to finish. Standout tracks: It Don't Mean Much Now, The Calm Song

Unfortunately, they have since released a follow-up, Now!, which IS too derivative for my tastes.

The Uglysuit: The Uglysuit

Once you get by the unfortunate choice of name, this band impresses with their gorgeous harmonies and dreamy, layered production. Chicago is the standout track here.

Well, that's it for another year. I'm looking forward to new releases from The Decemberists and U2 in 2009, so we'll see what the new year brings.

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Saturday night I went to see Brian Wilson at the State Theater in Minneapolis. Including this show, I've seen him on his last four trips to the Twin Cities. Mr. Wilson's shows are unique, to put it mildly. It's almost as if you're seeing a seven year old child on stage, but one with tremendous musical talent and the ability to reach down and grab you at an emotional level. Saturday was no exception.

Brian made his entrance looking like he'd just happened upon the stage on his way from the gym. He wore a white and blue striped shirt, some workout pants and a pair of tennis shoes. During the first set, which consisted entirely of old Beach Boys hits and a couple of more obscure tunes, Brian looked rather sleepy and disinterested. He flubbed a few lyrics, and didn't give the appearance of someone who's heart was really in it. The band, however, was top-notch as usual, keeping the ball rolling even over Brian's missteps. In the surreal category, at one point Brian got the audience to sing a couple rounds of Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

The intermission music was a crazy mix of old Beach Boys hits done as if they were part of an Austin Powers soundtrack. Strange, but funny.

The second set consisted of the entire, uninterrupted performance of Brian's latest CD, That Lucky Old Sun. Brian seemed to perk up for the new material, almost as if the old stuff was more of a burden. With Brian more engaged and obviously enjoying himself, it made for a memorable performance. Midnight's Another Day just blows me away, as does the closer, Southern California. In the most obvious show of emotion I've ever seen from him on stage, he wiped a tear from his eye on each of these songs. The encore consisted of more Beach Boys staples, and the show closer was the always gorgeous Love and Mercy.

Even though it appears on occasion that he's in cruise control with his band covering for him, he can still hit emotional highlights that speak to me directly on a very personal level. It's an amazing feat, considering he's 67 years old and still doing his thing. While this performance didn't hit the consistent highs of the Smile or Pet Sounds tours, it was still tremendously enjoyable, and it's a privilege to see a living legend who is still engaged enough to be artistically creative in his later years.

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