Apparently December first is the end of the year, so before this list becomes even more useless, I'll put it here. The first question to ask: Was 2015 a great year for music? Answer: Ehhh, sort of. It wasn't as good as some recent years, but the standouts were great. Before you click away, let's count this down.
10. Blind Elephant - GemStones
This album comes from one of the most skilled rappers working today. There are some missteps, but "Circles," "Lyrical Miracle", "Almost Home" and several others are some of the best songs released this year.
9. Drones - Muse
This album moves Muse back in the direction of some of their best work. It's an apocalyptic tale of someone losing their empathy and becoming a human drone controlled by others. They try to break free, and lead a revolt. The closing track tells of how the world and the human race gets destroyed by nuclear war leaving only the destroyer of the world to reminisce. How cheery!
8. I Love You Honeybear - Father John Misty
This album has some of the prettiest sounds of the year, all while the lyrics are full of biting sarcasm and genuine love. "The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apt." sounds like a typical love song, but lists all the loved ones faults and quirks that drive our singer mad. "Of the few main things I hate about her, one's her petty vogue ideas. Somebodies been told too many times she's beyond her years." This album is probably the most quotable of the year.
7. Alone in the Universe - Jeff Lynne's ELO
This was the year's biggest surprise for me. It is extremely refreshing to see Jeff Lynne bring a sense of genuineness and fun that seems to be missing from so many. There's no complex statement on the plight of the human race, it's just a collection of great songs that will stay in your head all day.
6. Carrie and Lowell - Sufjan Stevens
This album was a gut punch for me. It's rare that an album connects so much with me on a personal level. The album is greatly inspired by the death of Sufjan's mother, and the pain and melancholy is palpable.
5. Beat the Champ - The Mountain Goats
The way John Darnielle writes makes his songs sound intensely personal, and somehow universal. The album cements my belief that he is one of today's best songwriters. The way "The Ballad of Bull Ramos" progresses in each verse is a master class on how to write a story in your song. The way the defiant chorus becomes heartbreaking on repeat listens is unbelievable.
4. Blurryface - Twenty-One Pilots
On paper, this album should be a mess. It tries on so many different genres, and tries so hard to be clever with its meta lyrics, it should fall flat on its face, right? Nope. They stuck the landing and made the best pop album of the year. No one had better hooks this year then Twenty-One Pilots.
3. Mutant - Arca
This instrumental album took me on a weird journey through twisted yet beautiful soundscapes. It's a classical suite reimagined through a mad man's brain. This album isn't for everyone, but it is rewarding for those who brave the harsh sounds and find the beauty underneath.
2. Fly Exam - JGivens
JGivens has been killing his features ever since signing with Humble Beast, growing the hype around his label debut. It lived up to my expectations, delivering a two part album exploring the highs and lows of pride. You will find something new with each listen, some new insight, some new incredible analogy or metaphor you missed. What really elevated this project over JGiven's previous releases was how he conveyed his emotions so well. His flow became more emotive then ever, culminating on the unbelievable "Humming Bird Stance."
1. To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
The album everybody declared album of the year after first listen. This may seem like a boring placement seeing everyone is declaring this album of the year, but it deserves all the acclaim it receives. Kendrick goes farther down into his psyche than ever before, taking us on a journey through his thoughts. Addressing depression and social issues so well, Lamar us truly getting better and better. It also is truly the perfect album for 2015, encapsulating everything about the year.
Alright, so I hope you all hate my list so you comment and drive more traffic here. I mean, what did you think of my list? Agree? Disagree? Let me know! I hope you all had a fantastic year!
Showing posts with label The Mountain Goats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Mountain Goats. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Friday, September 18, 2015
Hidden Gems #3: "Pale Green Things" by The Mountain Goats
Welcome to Hidden Gems where we look at songs that were overlooked either because it was from a lesser known artist, it was a deep album cut, or it failed to catch on. Today we are going to look at "Pale Green Things" by The Mountain Goats. The Mountain Goats are driven mainly by John Darnielle. John Darnielle is a fantastic songwriter whose writing manages to make intensely personal subjects feel universal. The Mountain Goats made one of the greatest albums of all time with The Sunset Tree, the album that our song comes off of.
To fully understand and appreciate "Pale Green Things", we have to talk about the album it inhabits. The Sunset Tree is about John Darnielle's real stepfather, who was abusive to young John. Most of the album is either about Darnielle trying to forget his stepfather ("You or Your Memory"), or find respites from him. ("This Year") The stepfather is mostly on the fringes of this album, a presence that is always felt but not always seen. "Pale Green Things" is the album closer.
"Pale Green Things" is about John hearing of his Stepfather's death. It starts with a memory of going to the race track with his stepfather: "Went down to the racetrack. Riding with the windows down, shortly after your first heart attack." He details his stepfather staring out into the track while timing the horses workouts. "Casting your gaze out to no man's land. Sometimes I'll meet you out there, lonely and frightened, flicking my tongue out at the wet leaves."
In the last verse, he tells of hearing of his stepfather's death. There's not much I can do to enhance the lyrics, so I will just leave them here: "My sister called at 3 AM, just last December. She told me how you'd died at last. At last? That morning at the racetrack was one thing I remembered. I turned it over in my mind, like a living Chinese finger trap. Seaweed in Indiana sawgrass, pale green things, pale green things." This is a song full of complicated emotions. The memory of the racetrack confuses and entraps him the more he thinks about it. The memory is as perplexing as finding seaweed in Indiana sawgrass.
The instrumentation of the song keeps all the focus on John. There's a strumming of his guitar, and the occasional strings used to great effect.
The song's contrast with the album opener "You or Your Memory", where he tries to forget his Stepfather, is a great way to end this album. This is a beautiful song, and I highly suggest everyone reading this has a chance to listen to it. "Pale Green Things"
To fully understand and appreciate "Pale Green Things", we have to talk about the album it inhabits. The Sunset Tree is about John Darnielle's real stepfather, who was abusive to young John. Most of the album is either about Darnielle trying to forget his stepfather ("You or Your Memory"), or find respites from him. ("This Year") The stepfather is mostly on the fringes of this album, a presence that is always felt but not always seen. "Pale Green Things" is the album closer.
"Pale Green Things" is about John hearing of his Stepfather's death. It starts with a memory of going to the race track with his stepfather: "Went down to the racetrack. Riding with the windows down, shortly after your first heart attack." He details his stepfather staring out into the track while timing the horses workouts. "Casting your gaze out to no man's land. Sometimes I'll meet you out there, lonely and frightened, flicking my tongue out at the wet leaves."
In the last verse, he tells of hearing of his stepfather's death. There's not much I can do to enhance the lyrics, so I will just leave them here: "My sister called at 3 AM, just last December. She told me how you'd died at last. At last? That morning at the racetrack was one thing I remembered. I turned it over in my mind, like a living Chinese finger trap. Seaweed in Indiana sawgrass, pale green things, pale green things." This is a song full of complicated emotions. The memory of the racetrack confuses and entraps him the more he thinks about it. The memory is as perplexing as finding seaweed in Indiana sawgrass.
The instrumentation of the song keeps all the focus on John. There's a strumming of his guitar, and the occasional strings used to great effect.
The song's contrast with the album opener "You or Your Memory", where he tries to forget his Stepfather, is a great way to end this album. This is a beautiful song, and I highly suggest everyone reading this has a chance to listen to it. "Pale Green Things"
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