My picks for 2010 - 2019

Without further ado:

Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest
Sufjan Steven: Age of Adz
Arcade Fire: The Suburbs and Reflector
LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening
Wolf Parade : Expo 86
Bon Iver: Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Dirty Projectors: Swing Lo Magellan
Beach House: Bloom and 7
Daft Punk: Random Access Memories
M83: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Future Islands: Singles
Wilco: Star Wars
Radiohead: A Moon Shaped Pool
War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream
Kurt Vile: Wakin' on a Pretty Daze
Tame Impala: Currents
Thom Yorke: ANIMA
Sigur Rós: Kveikur
Wye Oak: Civilian
The National: High Violet
Cate Le Bon: Reward
Angel Olsen: All Mirrors

My 2016 Listening Habits

2016, where did you go? It was the year I had a hard time getting heavily invested in any one new record. I spend a fair amount of time with the following records: Bowie's masterful departure note Blackstar gave us the jazz record we never knew we needed. Bon Iver's 22, A Million took Justin Veron's experimental and voice-as-an-instrument experiments to the max, leaving those who still think of him as folk singer in the woods far behind. Car Seat Headrest's Teens of Denial embodied many of the things I still love about guitar based rock music. Verbose songs, with elements of Built to Spill and Pavement, memorable obtuse choruses and songs that grow. 

The majority was spend listened to Radiohead's beautiful A Moon Shaped Pool. It was the first Radiohead record completely missing at least one song with distorted guitar, and most closely related to 2007's lush In Rainbows. Depending about how you feel about bands progressing from their initial sound and beauty in music, the record was sleeper or a tonic to the senses. Amazing string arrangements from Jonny Greenwood spattered across many of the songs, where "the guitars sound like pianos, the pianos sound like guitars." With ties to songs that have been the band's repertoire for quite some time, we finally get a studio version of True Love Waits at it's most abstract. Stand out tracks for me included the dreamy Decks Dark, and the soulful Identikit. Broken hearts truly do make it rain.

My 2015 Listening Habits

Late again, I know; Let's go!

Some past favorites released excellent rerecords this year. Björk with Vulnicura and Sufjan Stevens with Carrie & Lowell were both revealing, soul barring records, mining the depths of human emotion over broken relationships and dead loved ones. Both use mostly non-rock style instrumentation, with Carrie & Lowell avoiding drums almost completely. Haunting to listen to, but not for sunny afternoons. 

TV on Radio with Seeds and Interpol on El Pintor were both in rotation. TVOR has moved farther from there clattering post-punk sound and funk-style deviations to crystal clear synth-rock. Although I am often left wanting the sounds of Return to Cookie Mountain, I am glad the band continues to evolve it sound. Interpol released the record everyone wanted with El Pintor harking back to Turn On the Bright Lights. A good choice and a solid non-reinvention.

2014 material I caught up with this year included  Aphex Twin's excellent Syro (listenable glitch IDM; always different but recognizable all these years later), The War on Drugs' Lost in the Dream (hazy guitar rock of yore),  and Caribou's Our Love (dreamy dance music done right). 

My Favorites Records of 2015:

Wilco :: Star Wars

An excellent surprise record. Hints of Television and A Ghost is Born. Kraut-y jams abound with a in studio/live feel to the entire record. Makes me smile.

Alabama Shakes :: Sound & Color

Surprising if you expected retreat of roots-soul-rock. The Shakes decide instead to expand their sound to be electric, modern, and unexpected in the best ways possible. 

Joanna Newsom :: Divers

On her most accessible record yet, Joanna still manages to make you ant to follow her down the rabbit hole. Beautiful avant-folk for the modern age.

Blur :: The Magic Whip

Hard to believe they finally released this after a supposed failed recording session in Hong Kong in 2014. Although Albarn has many side projects to keep him busy, the boys from London remind us of why we feel in love with them in the first place with a record that does not disappoint.

Beach House :: Depression Cherry // Thank Your Lucky Stars

In the age of fast attention spans, Beach House releases two record in a year. A further trip along the fuzzy, dream pop trail.

Your Options As A Two Piece Band

Look at you! You formed a band! Who's in it? Oh, you and that other guy/girl. I see. Well, your options are clearly laid out before you based on other power duo or two piece rock bands of the last 30 years. Let's dig in:

The White Stripes / The Kills: Believe in the power of two to your own detriment. Harness those limitations to become even more powerful than you could have even if you recruited as many members as Broken Social Scene.

The Black Keys / Flat Duo Jets: Stick with the two piece until you get sick of it. It stops you from getting boring.

Japandroids: Split you guitar signal between two amps, one for clean and one for effects. This allow for a lead and rhythm guitar sound without an additional guitarist.

Sleigh Bells / Crystal Castles: Use a sampler to your benefit.

Beach House: Skip the drummer, at least for a while.

Wye Oak: Have your drummer play one handed on a keyboard. Make it ethereal.

Lightning Bolt: Play your music on the floor, not on a stage. What would a third band member be doing anyway? You can't get any louder than you already are.

My 2014 Listening Habits

So, I am really late on this one. But for posterity...I didn't "get" as many new records this year as I typically have. I think I spent more time listening to This American Life, Radio Diaries, and other podcasts than falling in love with new music. But, here is what I did listen to:

From last year, I finally got my teeth into Bowie's The Next Day. It is the most solid record from the Thin White Duke in (maybe) 20 years. Althought self-referential to his 70s Berlin period, those records have stood the test of time and still sound fresh today.

Here are my 2014 top records:

Jack White :: Lazzaretto

The man is unstoppable. Yes, things are glossier than the White Stripes days, but Lazzaretto is diverse, classic, and innovative all in the same breath. I picked up my copy on vinyl in Nashville at Third Man Records.

Spoon :: They Want MySoul

Eight records in, Spoon continue to release essential records. Britt's voice never gets old, and the boys add more keyboards and other fx without sounding unlike themselves. Just excellent from front to back.

Sharon van Etten :: Are We There Yet?

This was my grower for 2015. I loved Tramp, and on first listen I didn't "get" this one. Haunting melodies and some additional instrumentation round out Sharon's sound. A great soundtrack for late night drives into the woods.

Future Islands :: Singles

If one band dominated my headspace during 2015, it was Future Islands. Yes, I was late to the party here, but I dug into their back catalog and came back with many favorites. The appeal of Future Islands is hard to describe without at least seeing a performance. They bring the soul to dark synth pop. Fans of New Order will hear those Peter Hook bass lines, but Sam Cooke pops up in the vocal delivery at times, along with enigmatic lead singers like Morrissey and other elements of 80s pop music. It may not work on paper, but Singles is just that, a collection of songs that stand on their own by a road tested band who found a sound all their own.