Top Ten of 2007: Meet Me in St. Louis - Variations on Swing

obviously, i dwell in music that takes itself to seriously. Meet Me in St. Louis, while serious do seem to have their own share of fun while playing their music. this in other words makes 'Variations on Swing' an anomaly in my favorite releases of this year solely based on how abstractly enjoyable it is. to me, this is how all pop music should sound. a series of microcosms inside a larger piece that is constantly progressing into something more and more. the range of influences that seem to become apparent on the first listen of this record range from pop-punk to glitchy electronica, not bad for a now instrumental quintet that seemingly popped up from nowhere. if you want similar artists, these guys sound like someone accidentally played the 33rpm 'Menos El Oso' at 45. they have their moments of lucidity, but mostly this is kind of embracing that whole idea of louder is better that currently is plaguing the recording industry. think of it as an underground Say Anything without the irony. there's humor here, but its not self realization in the form Max Bemis seems to embrace.

meet me in st. louis

in basic terms, 'Variations on Swing' instrumentally is the record At the Drive-in's 'Relationship of Command' should have been. highly technical, obtuse arrangements that easily transpose themselves into gloriously anthematic sections. heavy on riffing, but also heavy on a variety of other guitar techniques the two guitarists in this group aren't necessarily evoking Omar of ATDI but rather weaving their way through a quilt of Tera Melos, Million Dead, and Maps and Atlases. rhythm section of course effortlessly accents all of the gorgeous tones that the other two players are cascading over the forty five minutes of this record. Toby, the vocalist (now former) is the obvious anomaly (sorry for using that word again) in that his technique is kind of flawed, and his ability pales in comparison to the rest of his band mates. sort of a Tim Kasher of math rock, his lyrics echo that early Kinsella feel of nonsensical personal allusions. simply to declare this band as a derivative of their influence though would be a complete case of discredit.

meet me in st. louis's 'variations on swing'

what terms does this record hold in my year? car drives, easy listening, wanting something simple. certainly, some people won't find this record as easy to listen to as i do. in a sense it represents everything poppy about post-hardcore pushed to the very brink. of course, Hawthorne Heights already did that, so why even bring up 'Variations on Swing'? i guess just so i can act like i know a bunch of really unknown artists.

meet me in st. louis - variations on swing (2007)

Top Ten of 2007: Tusk - The Resisting Dreamer

Julie Christmas's side project Battle of Mice released one of my favorite records last year in the form of 'A Day of Nights'. blending the harsh, dissonant metal of bands like Isis and Neurosis with a one of a kind female vocal performance, it was a side of metal that i had really never heard before. basically most post-metal is distinctly monotone in the vocals. Isis' Aaron Turner may sound tortured, but he is basically like a guitar without any effects; he can be distorted or clean. Julie Christmas essentially put that idea to rest and let out one of the most terrifyingly, volatile vocal performances ever. imagine the squeaky voices of Bjork and Joanna Newsom thrown through the vocal linguistics of Diamanda Galas. Christmas lets you feel her pain on 'A Day of Nights' through her unabashed, charismatic, story telling and cries for plea. the guitar playing behind her on 'A Day of Nights' is unsurpassed in its simplicity. the rhythm section, a slow plodding monster that beautiful accents, Christmas' variety of howls. anyways, the point is nothing ever really sounds like 'A Day of Nights' and i wasn't expecting anything else to. it was one of a kind its pure emotion involved with a very metal performance. of course, this was all before i had heard Tusk's 'The Resisting Dreamer'.

battle of mice's 'a day of nights'

'The Resisting Dreamer' is a collaboration between former Breather Resist vocalist Evan Patterson and Kayo Dot front man Toby Driver with the back up of 3/4ths of Pelican playing behind them. where A Battle of Mice was very devoted in making a certain kind of atmosphere with 'A Day of Nights', Tusk seems holy been on forming a trinity between The Jesus Lizard, Pelican and Kayo Dot. i only say Kayo Dot, because of Toby's tortured vocals on track 2 which are interestingly enough very similar to Christmas' on 'A Day of Nights'. Tusk is totally noisy and epic all over 'The Resisting Dreamer' and the even manage to pull off a sixteen minute noise track without making it seem boring. these two bands are obviously pushing for a more interesting take on the long overdone post-metal. Battle of Mice with their strangely anthematic atmospheric metal, and Tusk with their forways into making post-metal less sterile and over produced and turning it into something raw, almost reverting back to a simpler more 'hardcore' time.

tusk's 'the resisting dreamer'

both of these records have had tremendous replays in my collection. excellent with any form of psycho-active and just all around heavy, stoned reflections on various perspectives of life. they both share a common line in their mix of very serious music with almost childish perspectives in terms of their vocals. Tusk is clearly one of the best records of the year with it's obtuse take on post-metal and if you have any interest in the versatility of metal, i suggest you take a look at both of these albums.

tusk's 'the resisting dream' (2007)
battle of mice's 'a day of nights' (2006)

Top Ten of 2007: Charles Mingus - Cornell 1964

the most beautiful thing to me about audio production is the broad varieties of rawness that appear on various records. if Spot of SST fame was involved in your debut 12" you'll know it simply because of how Spot used his complete lack of knowledge in the field to create some of the most simple and emotional releases ever. 'Cornell 1964' has some of the best produced jazz sounds i've ever heard. although that should come to no surprise what with the line up of Mingus, Dolphy and Byard. all brilliant performers in their respective ways and all in a variety of ways. while Mingus mostly dealt in realms of composed beauty (see his masterpieces: 'Blues and Roots' and 'The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady'), Dolphy was known for his intense devotion to the free form avant garde sound that he'd help basically patent (see Andrew Hill's 'Point of Departure' and Dolphy's own 'Out to Lunch'), Byard was sort of a meeting point between the two who turned in great work with Sam Rivers and Mingus himself.

charles mingus

perhaps, the most important factor of 'Cornell 1964' is the way it treads the line between the new and old of jazz at the time. surely Mingus and Dolphy's incredible interpretation of the song "Meditations" isn't something you'd hear any of Mingus' teachers play, but his devotion to honoring his elders is clearly seen in Fats Wellar's "Jitterbug Waltz". where Mingus embraces the more playful side of jazz with his takes on folk songs and old classics, in his own band's compositions there is an intense feeling of seriousness. "So Long, Eric" and the previously mentioned "Meditations" are all intensely intrinsic performances that define the players skills and also their ability to present emotion.

charles mingus sextet with eric dolphy - 'cornell 1964'

'Cornell 1964' is such a great release and to think that it has only been heard by the masses this year is mind blowing. clearly a definitive mark in Mingus and Dolphy's careers and in terms of jazz in my life it is just a great record that embraces the various kinds of jazz i love. very few times do i connect to a jazz album as personally as this one and the slight irish undertones in honor of St. Patrick's Day that are present give me even more of an interest in this record. one of my top ten releases of the year and for good reason.

charles mingus sextet - cornell 1964 (disc 1)
charles mingus sextet - cornell 1964 (disc 2)