The Pelican’s Perch

Okkervil River
The Stand-Ins

Okkervil River are mood music.  Meaning I have to be in the mood to listen to a whole album of theirs.  So, it’s no surprise that this new album finds the same fate.  I’ve read that it’s part two of the story that began with their last album, but I’ve never looked beyond that first review to find out more.  The Stand-Ins is a good album and I’ve recommended it many of my friends, but it’s just one of those albums that brings me down when I usually want something uplifting.  Nothing against Will Sheff’s masterful story telling, I’m just too upbeat a guy to listen to an album like this for its entirety.  I’m sure I’ll keep listening to it throughout next year, but I knew right off the bat it wouldn’t make my year end list.  Still, songs like “Lost Coastlines” and “Singer Songwriter” do enough to push this album onto this honorable mentions list.

Lost Coastlines [mp3]

Ben Folds
Way to Normal

I may get grief for even mentioning this album among my honorable mentions list, but I will always be a Ben Folds fan.  Rockin’ the Suburbs will remain my favorite Ben Folds’ solo album and I highly doubt anything he makes from now on will dethrone that album, but Way to Normal does a good job of returning to that carefree Ben Folds I know and love.  Songs for Silverman was good, but in that “he’s all grown up, has a kid, and wants to sing about it” kind of way.  This new album is him singing about falling off stage in Japan during a show, singing about F’ing in Effington, and simply enjoying life and everything that’s thrown his way along the journey.  Ben Folds may have become a guilty pleasure out of nowhere for some reason, but I’ll always be here in support of the man behind one of my favorite bands ever, Ben Folds Five, no matter how cheesy his music may get.

You Don’t Know Me (ft. Regina Spektor) [mp3]

The Black Keys
Attack and Release

From the first time I heard “Strange Times”, I had a feeling this album would grow on me and become an eventual year ender.  But with each listen, I found the album never matching that track as a whole, which is a shame, because that song is just great.  As it stands though, I’m left with one of my favorite tracks of the year, surrounded by funky, gritty rock tracks that try to match the quality heard in that song, but not quite getting there.  I still recommend it whole heartedly, but I’m looking at 50 albums that beat it out hands down.  Still, fans of straight-up guitar & drums rock will be plenty satisfied.

Strange Times [mp3]

Islands
Arm’s Way

I really enjoyed Islands’ last album.  This one didn’t affect me near as much.  “The Arm” is great, and many other tracks fit my love for strings in music mold, but in the end I kept getting half way through this album before turning to something else instead.  I’m sure this will end up being one of those albums I go back to next year and enjoy a lot more, but as it stands, my lack of interest led to a lack of listens, and no album can grow on you if you never give it a chance.  We’ll see if I turn back to it in ‘09 and change my mind.

The Arm [mp3]

Sebastian Grainger
Sebastian Grainger & the Mountains

I’ll give my roommate Ryan all the credit on this one.  We share music all the time, and he threw this cd my way a while ago, touting the fact that it’s one of the guys from Death from Above, so of course I was going to check it out.  I enjoyed it immensely, but couple the fact that it’s just an EP, and that I only caught it at the end of the year, and I just couldn’t include it on my top 50 list.  So, here this little indie rock dance EP sits.  Honorable indeed, and well worth a listen, but not quite enough to stand out among the crowd for any further praise.  I do look forward to any full lengths he’s bound to release in the future though.

American Names [mp3]

Hot Chip
Made in the Dark

I like Hot Chip to an extent.  None of their albums have ever held me for any extended time and made me want to come back for more.  I read all the reviews and Pitchfork praise, but each album was good for a couple songs.  And this new one falls in the same boat for me.  “Ready for the Floor” is easily one of the best dance songs of the year, so that alone gets this album at least mentioned in the Honorable year end category.  Every Friday at Black Box’s dance party for months on end that song was played, whether it was the original or the countless remixes out there.  If anything, that song should be heard by everyone, as it defined our dance parties, but as an album, I just couldn’t get into it as much as everyone else.  But that’s how the dance party goes sometimes.

Ready for the Floor [mp3]

Stark Raving Calm
FleshNectarAsphaltAdrenaline

Most of you remember me mentioning Stark Raving Calm here at the Perch numerous times.  They’re my good friends, and even though that should affect my view of their music for obvious reasons, I’m still happy to be able to confidently put their latest, and last unfortunately, album on my year end list.  The first thing you’ll notice is that their music doesn’t fit the Perch mold musically, being a lot harder than most things I post.  But after seeing their evolution as a band these last few years, always further refining their already amazing skills at each member’s respective instrument, all of our friend group were floored when we finally heard this final release.  It’s a shame they had to break up, with two of them moving to Seattle and the other two also leaving town, but I’m glad I got to see their last few live shows and see arguably the most musically skilled band Springfield has had in quite some time.  Their music isn’t for everyone, but anyone that has seen them live can back my statements up.  Here’s to hoping Brad and Jason start something up again in Seattle.

A Systematic Collapse [mp3]

And the rest that are worth mentioning, but didn’t quite make the list for various reasons:

Andrew Bird – Soldier On (Tour EP)
The Apples in Stereo – Electronic Projects for Musicians
Cadence Weapon – Afterparty Babies
Chris Walla – Field Manual
Cold War Kids – Loyalty to Loyalty
Constantines – Kensington Heights
David Ford – Songs for the Road
Dosh – Wolves and Wishes
Headlights – Some Racing, Some Stopping
Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead
Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue
Johnny Greenwood – There Will Be Blood
Flight of the Conchords – S/T
Hauschka – Ferndorf
Likki Li – Youth Novels
Man Man – Rabbit Habbits
Minus the Bear – Acoustics
Muse – HAARP (live from Wembley Stadium)
Peter Bradley Adams – Leavetaking
She and Him – Volume One
Subtle – ExitingARM
Sun Kil Moon – April
Ryan Adams – Cardinology
Unwed Sailor – Little Wars
Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend