Each year, instead of Christmas cards, I send music. The 2-disc set comprises one CD of holiday tunes which range from the traditional to the obscure, featuring genres from blues and jazz to rock and novelty; and a disc of music released during the current year which reflects my varied tastes in music and what I've been exposed to lately. It's quite a project. It generally consumes my free time for most of November and the first half of December. I always use a week of vacation time in December's second week just for the assembly, packaging and mailing of this thing. With 165 pieces, this involves burning 330 discs, creating and printing the artwork, applying the artwork to the CD cases, labeling the discs with stamps, getting it all into the mail (100 or so are mailed and the rest are passed out locally). It's a more personal kind of xmas card, and it makes me stay current with good music, which is out there - you just have to look for it. Or, listen.
Santa's Little Helpers:
Jessica advises me on the artwork, proof-reads the copy, helps find and select images, and does the layout. Before she came along, I was using the cookie-cutter layout stuff you get at Office Max. She has made the presentation and packaging more tasteful, artistically endearing, the most labor-intensive one-man arts & crafts project this side of anywhere. Charlie hooked me up with some new xmas metal for the holiday disc. Pete ran the current-year disc through the high-speed burner at work to cut my CD burning time in half (he helped a brother out last year, too). Rosalie has a cool stamp which she let me use on the current-year disc. Geoff and Lorien are great photographers who let me peruse hundreds of their cool shots and use whichever one I chose. (in exchange, I'm making them a batch of meatballs and a loaf of my xmas dessert bread - a small price to pay for a photographic image which serves as the face of something on which I spend hundreds of hours, send to my friends and family, and put my name on). These generous people make the final product that much more special. Good friends tend to have that kind of impact on a fella.
The Lightning Round:
Skipping the part of the story which entails buying music throughout the year and ultimately spending November and early December with headphones virtually glued to my melon... (I must be a joy to live with this time of year!) Once I've got it narrowed down to about two hours of music, it gets tough. A CD can hold 80 minutes of music. Using round but realistic numbers, if I buy 50 albums during the year, chances are ten of them are turkeys. Of the remaining 40, some have a song that inspires consideration, many have a couple, some have several. The first round of selection normally puts about 4 hours of music into consideration. From there, it's simply a matter of listening to all the tunes, repeatedly, to let some float to the top while others prove to have less staying power. I don't posture this mix to be a "Best Of" for the year - only people who make a living as music critics and get exposed to so much more are qualified for that - but this disc, for me, personifies two things: [1] putting a time stamp on which music excited me the most while it was current, and [2] exposing my friends and family to music I'd like them to hear. This sometimes means that music I love does not get included. Using this year as an example, Bob Dylan released a GREAT album, possibly the best I've heard in '09, but as I'm trying to reduce a couple hours of great music to a collection of tunes that can fit on a single disc, the process begs the question, "does anyone really need me to hip them to Bob Dylan?" And so at some point, it becomes a numbers game. It's down to the wire, three-four-five songs (depending on length) must be cut, but all which remain standing absolutely need to be heard! As an ambassador of turning folks on to music that's new to them, I feel compelled to simply cut the songs by artists who've previously appeared more often on my year-end mix. This year, that meant cutting Dylan, Wilco, and my good friend Michael McDermott, each of whom I love, put out great albums this year, but each has appeared twice. The result? A disc of 21 songs, 19 of which are by artists making their debut and 2 of which come from artists who've appeared only once in the past (Wolfmother and the Fruit Bats).
The Songs:
1. The Moondoggies - "Save My Soul/Changing"
A Seattle band which will probably experience a national break-out in 2010 (you heard it here first, folks). The keys player (Caleb, whose work on this song is simply delightful) also plays in a great gospel band fronted by my old friend Gareth. Their only album to date was released independently in '08 but this recording comes from a 2009 performance at Seattle's great community radio station, KEXP, which was released on the station's annual release of the year's in-studios.
2. The Big Pink - "Dominos"
The debut album by a couple guys from London, this was a recommendation from a music message board. Wow. How awesome? Very awesome. My head bobs, my fists wave, my body sways.
3. Basement Jaxx - "Raindrops"
I guest-co-hosted at DePaul University's radio station in 2003 on a great show called The Clampdown, hosted by a wunderkind named Ben Welsh. That night, he exposed me to a few great artists, one of whom was this British progressive house duo. This song is my unofficial summer anthem of 2009.
4. M. Ward feat. Zooey Deschanel - "Never Had Nobody Like You"
Singer-songwriter out of Portland, Oregon who has earned some high praise among critics and other artists. The entire album is fantastic, tastefully recorded with a minimal production which stays out of the way and lets the songs breath and speak for themselves.
5. Monsters of Folk - "The Right Place"
A supergroup made of M. Ward with Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket. A fun, organic album with soaring three-part harmonies. The sound recalls something like the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield with a classic rock influence, but it's fresh and new and I dig it.
6. Vince Mira - "Cold Hearted Woman"
Known as "Juanny Cash" in the Seattle area, we've been catching this teenager's shows since early '08 as he plays a regular gig at the delightful Can Can restaurant and cabaret in the Pike Place Market, owned by our friend Chris who is also Vince's manager. He started as a Johnny Cash tribute act and has been writing his own stuff. This recording was produced by Johnny and June's only son, John Carter Cash, at Johnny's cabin.
7. The Blakes - "Little Bit About You"
Exciting Seattle band, a young and energetic British Invasion-inspired sound. Their debut was among the last cut from the final mix of the '07 edition of this mix. Their '09 follow-up is at least as good.
8. Girls - "Bid Bad Mean Motherfucker"
California garage grime from this band's interesting debut. Girls is a duo comprised of a guy who was born to parents of a cult called the Children of God who moved him around the world and made him sing in the cult choir before he split and moved to San Francisco where he met a liberal punk rock kid from Santa Cruz. They formed this band. Their music is good.
9. Bob Log III - "Shake A Little, Wiggle It, and Jiggle It Too"
Dude is weird in all the good ways. Saw him live this year. He wears a shiny gold jump suit and a motorcycle helmet with dark visor and a telephone receiver jury-rigged into the visor as a microphone. No band behind him, he sits on a stool, plays guitar and uses his feet to play drums and cranks out some edgy Delta blues. He also drinks Scotch throughout the show and conducts "band meetings" in which he turns his back to the crowd and says to his imaginary bandmates, "So how do you think it's going so far? I think they f***in' love us, man. I especially think they really dug that last guitar solo I did. Yeah. Let's rock 'em some more!" When this magnificent bastard comes to your town, don't miss it.
10. The Dead Weather - "I Cut Like A Buffalo"
The latest Jack White project (he of White Stripes of Raconteurs fame). Here, he teams up with vocalist and queen of dirty rock awesomeness Alison Mosshart of the Kills (who appeared on last year's edition), guitarist Dean Fertita from Queens of the Stone Age (who appeared on the '02 edition), and with White playing drums his rhythm section battery is fleshed out with bassist Jack Lawrence from the Greenhornes and the Raconteurs. Rock, hard hitting yet not afraid to carve out room for some space. Quirky but also rhythmic. I dig it.
11. Electric Six - "Egyptian Cowboy"
I was a few months late to the party on this Detroit band's rocktastic single "Gay Bar" (2003) so it missed the boat on that year's edition. They put out a great record in '07 and were among the last cut that year. In '09, I was committed to making sure this band made the cut. A few songs from the album were worthy, and I chose this one mostly because it represents their pleasantly tongue-in-cheek sophomoric demeanor and punchy rock dynamic.
12. Tinted Windows - "Kind of a Girl"
Another super group! This power pop bowl of sugar reminds me of all the great stuff coming out of Chicago in the 90s, from Material Issue to Loud Lucy, Tripl3fastaction to Cassius Clay and so much in between. Tayler Hanson on vocals, James Iha from the Smashing Pumpkins on guitar, Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne on bass, and on the drums... Mr. Bun E. Carlos! If you don't know who he is, then I'm pretty sure we can't talk until you've seen this. Click on it now. Now. I said NOW.
13. Julian Casablancas - "Out of the Blue"
We know Julian as the frontman of the Strokes. They're on a break. He made a solo album. It's good, in a Strokes-go-new-wave kinda way. This song is so catchy, it should be illegal. I also have a soft spot for the Strokes because in the hundreds of shows I've worked and had significant direct contact with rock stars, these guys were just as nice, humble and in touch with their fans as they come.
14. Wolfmother - "Cosmic Egg"
One of only two artists who've previously appeared on the year-end mix, these young Aussie lads can't be denied any more than their guitars - so heavy, so fuzzy - and the foot-stompin' hookery. I describe as Black Sabbath minus the 'ludes.
15. Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band - "Albatross, Albatross, Albatross"
This Seattle band's debut is simply awesome. Over the summer, they staged a show and played at the base of Mt. St. Helen. (middle of nowhere) + (eruption-could-happen-at-any-time) = exciting. Little is known of this band. The drummer is 13. His older brother told him if he learned to play, they could form a band together. The kid learned and here they are.
16. Mark Mallman - "White Leather Days"
I can't figure this guy out. He's from Milwaukee, WI and has been based out of Minneapolis for a few years. He was in a few different bands and has been doing the solo thing. Jessica saw him live and was blown away. I listened to the CD and it did nothing for me. I joked that maybe he's a superhero who solves problems at malls, like some guy has a beef with the Sbarro and Mallman brings some crumbled sausage to make everything copacetic. I cast it aside. Last month, at Jessica's urging, I revisited, and as fate would have it...
17. Peaches - "Trick Or Treat"
Proceed with caution. I've loved this one-woman electronic band since '03 when I was playing her every night on my Chicago radio show but thought she'd scare you too much. This year, she is yours. I love this chick.
18. Andrew Bird - "Oh No"
I've been enjoying Andrew's music since '96 when he was sitting in as a violin prodigy with Squirrel Nut Zippers and started putting out his own stuff, which has ranged from hot jazz with his band Bowl of Fire to quirky folk-pop and everything in between. The album he released this year is so great, it makes you feel warm and airy, and I recommend it for a summer afternoon on the porch with fresh lemonade and a rocking chair.
19. The Cave Singers - "I Don't Mind"
This Seattle collective began when members of the great indie rock band Pretty Girls Make Graves formed a folk outfit with members of other bands (Hint Hint, Cobra High) to record some tastefully-arranged stuff that recalls a blend of the Dylan-Cash sessions and the better part of the Fleetwood Mac catalog.
20. Fruit Bats - "Being On Your Own"
If no other band charts my personal moves... this Chicago band migrated to Seattle around the same time I did, around the same time they signed to the legendary Sub Pop label.
21. Bon Iver - "Blood Bank"
This Wisconsin native's 2008 debut was hailed by critics and fans of the folk-pop movement. I knew the title track from the EP he released in January '09 would be a perfect closer for this year's mix the moment I heard it back in the first month of the year.
Honorable Mention:
Among the artists whose 2009 music was good and considered for this mix but for one reason or another, not included in the final cut: Rocco DeLuca & the Burden, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Felix Da Housecat, Grizzly Bear, Prince, Moderat, Jarvis Cocker, Regina Spektor, Franz Ferdinand, Blitzen Trapper, Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan, Michael McDermott, Wilco, Bruce Springsteen, Manic Street Preachers, Jay Reatard, Cam'ron, Tortoise, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Rye Rye, Eminem, the Black Eyed Peas, Kid Cudi, Pitbull, Sollilaquists of Sound, Khingz.
