1. Larry Jon Wilson – Larry Jon Wilson
I won’t lie. Talking to Larry Jon and producer Jerry DeCicca (Black Swans) about this album, learning about its origins, and visiting Wilson’s back catalog gave me a heightened appreciation for this masterpiece. So context helps, but even if you know nothing about the back story, this is a stark, beautiful album from start to finish from one of the forgotten country outlaws. Wilson’s Georgia baritone is the sweetest thing I heard this year. For Townes Van Zandt fans, this is required listening.

MP3: Feel Alright Again

2. The Love Language – The Love Language
It’s a rock n’ roll cliché and a PR flack’s dream: Guy breaks up with girl, drinks heavily, pisses off all his friends, eventually sobers up and retreats to his parents’ house to record an album on a four-track. But man does this cliché jangle with some of the best in-the-red pop songs I’ve heard in a while. Stuart McLamb’s Chapel Hill band signed to Merge in October and is slated to have a new release in August, and after seeing the full band (now a 7-piece) put on a terrific show at the Wexner Center in the fall, McLamb’s next outing could be even better with a little help from his friends.

MP3: Manteo I MP3: Lalita

3. Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
Every aspect of Andrew Bird just keeps getting better—his voice; his gorgeous, multi-layered violin arrangements; his whistling. It makes for a backdrop so compelling that he can sing about proto-Sanskrit Minoans, porto-centric Lisboans, Greek Cypriots and Hobis-hots and have you nodding your head in agreement instead of scratching it in confusion.

MP3: Oh No

4. Kurt Vile – Constant Hitmaker; God is Saying This to You…; Childish Prodigy
I’m grouping these together so I can squeeze more in, but all three LPs probably deserve a separate spot for different reasons. God finds Vile filtering his psychedelia through John Fahey and Neil Young; Childish kicks the volume up a notch and tones the lo-fi down; and Hitmaker, the best of the three, plays both sides with casual brilliance. “Freeway” is one of my favorite songs of 2009.

MP3: Freeway

5. The Antlers – Hospice
Hospice is one of only a few albums this year that completely transports me whenever I give it my full attention. (Brian Harnetty’s Silent City is another.) A concept album about a hospice worker and a young patient, the songs swell like Sigur Ros then retreat into gingerly tapped piano, lightly strummed guitar or shimmery synth. It’s in those quiet portions that Silberman employs his alabaster falsetto — more hushed than Jeff Buckley but less wispy than Antony Hegarty. Back in March, the Antlers played a show at Cafe Bourbon St. in front of me and maybe three other people. I’m thinking there’ll be a few more in attendance next time.

MP3: Bear

#6 onward + Columbus list after the jump.

6. David Bazan – Curse Your Branches
We’ve talked about Bazan a lot recently, so I’ll let this photo/video/recap do the explaining. Just know that Bazan’s crisis of faith led him to create the best album of his career.

MP3: Bless This Mess

7. Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs
Yo La Tengo’s performance at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville was my favorite show of the year. It helps that they played a whole lot from this record. I love that no matter how many perfect, three-minute pop songs Ira, Georgia and James write, they’re still not afraid to beat your ass with 10- and 15-minute feedback-laden wallops.

MP3: Here to Fall

8. Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
“Well I used to be darker, then I got lighter, then I got dark again.” This is post-Smog Callahan at his best — sinister and sweet. And the pristine production on this record complements his deep deadpan perfectly. (P.S. It’s been a good year for Drag City.) (P.P.S. Remember that Used Kids performance? Good times.)

MP3: Eid Ma Clack Shaw


9. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
The great thing about Dirty Projectors is that anything that may come across as high-minded is balanced with something high-spirited. No other band is this brainy and this fun.


10. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
I know, if you’re a blog reader (or even if you’re not), you’re likely beyond tired of this band and this album. But seriously. The deliciousness of this record cannot be denied.

11. Atlas Sound – Logos
“Walkabout” just may be the best song released this year. More Bradford Cox/Noah Lennox collabs, please.

MP3: Walkabout


12. Justin Townes Earle – Midnight at the Movies
Steve Earle’s boy plays country- and blues-inspired folk songs with the conviction of a modern-day Leadbelly, yet his take on the Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait” shows that though he’s indebted to Americana music, it’s more of a gate than a fence.

MP3: Mama’s Eyes I MP3: What I Mean to You


13. fun. – Aim and Ignite
I wrote earlier that this record “sounds like Freddie Mercury and Paul McCartney getting drunk at a carnival, then catching a Broadway show. There’s copious strings and accordions and Wurlitzers galore, all gallivanting next to Nate Ruess’ impressive, addictive tenor. So ‘fun.’ is exactly that.” This is the best ready-for-radio pop album of 2009.


14. The Mountain Goats – The Life of the World to Come
John Darnielle’s best songs capture the darkness of the human condition yet still feel uplifting in some way—a thread of human dignity facing an overwhelming heartache or obstacle. This Biblical concept album is no different.

MP3: Genesis 3:23


15. Volcano Choir – Unmap
Justin Vernon’s collaboration with Collections of Colonies of Bees proves his voice goes well with anything and everything. Even when he’s talking gibberish in a digital haze.

MP3: Island, IS


(16. XX – XX
OK, last-minute add… I was really late getting around to this record, but, wow… Amazing, super-clean production and sparkling hooks that slowly form like icicles. Good stuff. Looking forward to the Wexner Center show in April.)

Columbus albums:
1. Brian Harnetty – Silent City
2. Wing & Tusk – The Secret of Toadflax Tea
3. The Receiver – Length of Arms
4. Times New Viking – Born Again Revisited
5. The Sun – Don’t Let Your Baby Have All the Fun
6. Sinkane – Sinkane
7. RTFO Bandwagon – Dums Will Survive
8. Monolithic Cloud Parade – Children with Wolf Heads
9. This is My Suitcase – The Keys to Cat Heaven
10. Bird and Flower – Here We Cease Our Motion

Schedule:
Fri, Jan 22 / Pontiac, MI / Crofoot Ballroom
Sat, Jan 23 / Madison, WI / Barrymore Theatre
Sun, Jan 24 / St. Louis, MO / The Pageant
Tue, Jan 26 / Lawrence, KS / Granada Theatre
Wed, Jan 27 / Tulsa, OK / Cain’s Ballroom
Thu, Jan 28 / Houston, TX / Warehouse Live
Fri, Jan 29 / Austin, TX / Antone’s
Sat, Jan 30 / Dallas, TX / Granada Theatre

Ticket info here.

Elliott answered the questions I sent him with his usual candor, and it’s a pretty good insight not only into the reasons behind the album covers these art-school kids create, but also the creative philosophy behind the band itself.

Who does the band’s cover art, or is it a collaboration?

all of our art is a collaboration, much like all of our music. when we were in actual art school we started the band with the idea of 300% creative control, which allows every band member to have 100%. someone will come up with an idea, another person will add or subtract and so on until we all get stoned, listen to the record and agree the two go together.

What kind of process do you use to create the finished product?

we don’t use any computers during recording, so we try not use computers with our art as well. we usually send our label the actual final product–the exact 12 inch size. on this record we decided to get away from just plain photocopy and collage and used a technique we finessed at school, an old school photoshop sort of deal. the front cover was done with xylene transfers, even the color, on matte paper, from photocopies. it gives it a soft edge. we also make sure the paper it is printing on is matte, not glossy.

There were peace signs on Rip it Off, and there’s a Woodstock flag with a peace sign on the new album’s cover. What’s the significance of that and other iconography of the ’60s and ’70s (Dylan, rainbows)? And are you visually communicating a similar idea for each album?

the woodstock flag is from woodstock 99 and sort of symbolizes the differences our generation has from the 60’s, and how their ideals didn’t really work out and became highly glamorized in all the wrong ways. our last record had rainbows and peace signs, this time we have peace signs in flames. and we just love dylan, the back cover is the image we used for dig yourself obviously.

There’s an aesthetic consistency to TNV’s album covers, much like the band’s sound. How do the two fit together?

the consistency is what we are going for. our sound, our songs, our lyrics and our album art are all considered integral in what we represent. i think this allows us to have more depth as a band and concept if the listener takes to the time to make the connections.

The art for the new 7″ (“Move to California”), though, seems like a bit of a departure from past releases. What direction did you want to take for this one?

actually the image on the front is something we have used from day one. it is the horse from the book version of equus and we kind of adopted it. all our early shirts have that image. the cover was actually what dig yourself was going to be originally. when you get the whole package you will see the connections it has with born again revisited, same label and everything.

Do you do anything different for vinyl releases than CDs, or is the CD just a smaller version?

we think about the cd version absolutely last. i hate cd packaging. on this record, we made sure we had the insert be the record sleeve so there isn’t anything floating around. we try to make it that if you only have our sleeve, or only just the record down the line, you will know the song titles, year it was made and so on. we try to keep info to a low. for the cd we had to rearrange it to make it work, but it loses the purpose but who buys fucking cds anyway?

What are some album covers that have inspired your work?

for this record we were inspired by private press christian records. the front cover is based around that. as far as covers we really enjoy primitive, homemade stuff. DIY seven inches and so on. my favorite cover of all time would probably be flowers of romance by PIL though.

Public Image Limited - Flowers of Romance

You also made a poster for the Whitney Museum of American Art show last year. What other visual mediums do you dabble in?

beth designed that. we played at the whitney in front of a robert rauschenberg, how insane is that. for art school kids just playing loud music, that was an experience i will never forget. it is a funny design too since she used a mondrian print and he is definitely not american.

to answer your question, beth has been working on films. she showed one this year at the wexner, bang wash productions i believe. you tube it dude.

i make collages and conceptual tattoos.

jared dabbles mostly in the art of conversation and drinking with friends though he is an amazing drunk illustrator and i try to get him to paint.

we are all very well versed in art history.

Can you show us your work area?
it is just the floor. in art school my teacher told me once i made art that looks like it was made on my kitchen table. he was trying to be condescending, but i actually did make it on my kitchen table.

——————

mp3: Times New Viking – Move to California

mp3: Times New Viking – No Time No Hope

Born Again Revisited is out Tuesday on Matador.

Hometown faves Times New Viking have played the Wexner Center on two previous occasions, and on September 17, even though they’ll be half a world away, we’ll get the first listen to their upcoming Matador Records release Born Again Revisited at a listening party starting at 6 pm in the Wexner Center Store. Lots of other events going on at the Wex that evening, so stop by, listen to the new TNV before anyone else, maybe win some swag and tickets to upcoming Wex films and concerts.

And a poster for the event from the folks at Matador:

(And hey, no need for a “full disclosure” anymore!)

The Breeders

Keep reading for more photos…

Times New Viking

MP3: Move to California

Matador says:

Catalog number OLE-896 is Times New Viking MOVE TO CALIFORNIA 7″, slated to come out on September 8. The four song 7″ contains two tracks from the upcoming BORN AGAIN REVISITED LP, those being “Move To California” and “City On Drugs,” plus two songs from the coveted STAY AWAKE REVISITED cassette, namely “Pentagram” and “Teen Spirit In Hell.”

Preorder the new album, in stores September 22, and get this 7″, plus a copy of last year’s STAY AWAKE 7″, and a free poster, all for only $13 – while supplies last.