meats & fishes

When I review an album here on Meats & Fishes, it’s either going to be something that was released somewhat recently, or that I recently discovered. But I also wanted to go back and write about all of my favorite albums up until now. So I’ve compiled a list (which just so happened to result in a nice, round “10”), in no particular order, of my all time favorite albums and wrote a little mini-review for each one. Then, at the end, I threw on some recommendations that didn’t quite make the cut, but are still pretty sweet. (Also: the line “Oed’ Und Leer das Meer” originates from Robert Wagner’s opera “Tristan and Isolde”, and was used by TS Elliot in his poem “Wasteland”, which Ted Leo references in the song “Biomusicology”. For the unusually curious, the original meaning and context of the line can be easily looked up.)

Broken Social Scene – Broken Social Scene

The Canadian baroque pop supergroup Broken Social Scene certainly has a knack for receiving favorable critical acclaim, and their most recent, self-titled album is an excellent explanation as to why that is. On the first listen, it becomes immediately apparent that it is a very dense record; layers upon layers upon layers of instruments and vocals mixing in a way that is at first overwhelming and occasionally disorienting—but as full of careful nuances as it is of impassioned chaos. It is an awesomely diverse record—sometimes fiery and chaotic, other times low-key and serene—and really shows off the band’s talents. Apparently, the thing was a complete pain in the ass to record, too, so go reward the band’s efforts and pick up a copy.

The Decemberists- Castaways and Cutouts

It’s strange how difficult it is to write about one’s favorite band. It’s no secret that I adore The Decemberists, so I hold their debut album, Castaways and Cutouts, in particularly high regard. More than any other Decemberists album, Castaways seems to really capture the spirit of the band, and is definitely the place to start one’s collection. The album includes Decemberists classics, like “July, July!” (about an abandoned slaughterhouse in Portland that Colin Meloy spent some time living in), “A Cautionary Song” (about a mother who sells herself to the sailors at night to feed her children) and “The Legionnaire’s Lament” (about, well, a French legionnaire). It’s a completely brilliant album, and an absolute gem in the Decemberists discography.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

For a lot of people, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is difficult band to like. Generally, the complaints are about frontman Alec Ounsworth’s vocals, which are, one could argue, somewhat unconventional. I know that when I first heard the album when it released, I didn’t really care for it and couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Then, about a year later, I listened through it again on a whim and became completely obsessed with it. While I can understand why Ounsworth’s vocals wouldn’t be everyone’s cup o’ tea, I’ve grown quite fond of them—and once you get to that point, you don’t have far to go to fall in love with the album. It’s some of the most unique and catchy rock in recent memory, and it’s easy to see why the critics went crazy for it—though I still don’t understand why I didn’t like it at first. Those must have been the days when I was super lame.

Sufjan Stevens – Seven Swans

In 2004, Sufjan Stevens took a bit of a detour from his “50 States Project”, and released the more folk-oriented Seven Swans. Instrumentally, it is less populated than his previous efforts (often it is just Sufjan and a guitar or banjo), and, though many if not all of his albums include some sort of religious reference and symbolism, the Christian themes on Seven Swans are particularly overt; several songs are even direct retelling of stories from the Bible (“Abraham”, “The Transfiguration”). Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m anything but religious, but even my strong atheist convictions do nothing to dilute my enjoyment of this album. There are a lot of elements of faith-based religion that I find rather disagreeable and frankly a bit ugly—but the graceful reverence that Stevens displays is not among them. The fact of the matter is that Seven Swans is inarguably some of Stevens’ finest songwriting, and leaves a lasting and powerful impression.

The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday

On 2004’s Almost Killed Me, The Hold Steady established their sound; a messy, fervent, anthemic rock that takes inspiration from classics like AC/DC, Springsteen, and even a little Billy Joel. Separation Sunday tells the story of a girl named Hallelujah (a secondary character from Almost Killed Me) and her journey through sex, drugs, and, eventually, redemption. Frontman Craig Finn weaves a compelling narrative, juxtaposing burnouts and fuck-ups with salvation and Jesus— but it’s never exactly a clear distinction between good and evil. And while Finn spends more time speaking than singing, and more often than not sounds somewhere in between mildy inebriated and completely shit-faced drunk, the delivery is nothing short of perfect.

AC Newman- The Slow Wonder

The Slow Wonder was AC Newman’s first and so far only solo effort. It’s not dissimilar to what he does with The New Pornographers, but a bit less power-pop-ish and more of a simplified, summery pop-rock. Newman is a master of hooks and melodies, and could certainly be considered one of the best pop songwriters around.

Neutral Milk Hotel – The Aeroplane Over the Sea

Few albums hold such sentimental value in my heart as Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. There’s something warm and intimate in the lo-fi recordings, the tragic themes, Jeff Mangum’s quavering vocals… the album possesses an indelible charm that is only amplified by Magnum’s exceptional songwriting. Many of the songs are based around World War II; in particular the story of Anne Frank and recurring dreams that Mangum experienced about a Jewish family during the Holocaust. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I can recall one particular occasion when the ending of "Two-Headed Boy Part 2" brought a tear to my eye. It is a extraordinarily beautiful and sad song, and a fitting conclusion to such an amazing album.

Spoon – Girls Can Tell

Spoon is, quite simply, a rock solid and instantly likeable band. Each album they release seems to attract more attention and garner more and more critical acclaim—and with good reason. They just make damn good music. A little blues, a bit of jazz, a whole lot of rock n’ roll, maybe even a little disco; the influences are hard to nail down, but the sound is very distinctly Spoon. 2001’s Girls Can Tell really saw the band first developing this sound (previous releases, such as Series of Sneaks, or Telephono are more straightforward rock, with Series also wandering a little into the punk scene), and it has been noticeably fine-tuned since then, with 2004’s Gimme Fiction nicely capturing the essence of the band. But that’s not to say Gimme Fiction is the best record—they’re all extraordinary albums. I just chose to feature Girls Can Tell because I like the song “Chicago At Night” so much, and happened to be listening to it when I started writing.

Destroyer – Streethawk: A Seduction

Dan Bejar is the kind of guy that, even when things aren’t going too well for him, just wants to keep making music. Before this year’s Rubies was released to enormous critical adoration, Destroyer had a pretty small but devoted following. Bejar was also, or rather still is, a contributing member of The New Pornographers as a guitarist and vocalist, even bringing some Destroyer tunes to the table (the songs “Breakin’ the Law” and “Streets of Fire” were featured on The New Pornographers’ albums The Mass Romantic and Twin Cinema, respectively, but were originally recorded for Bejar’s debut album We’ll Build Them a Golden Bridge), but Destroyer has always held priority for him. Among the Destroyer albums, I personally consider Streethawk: A Seduction to be the best, though Rubies definitely comes in a close second. Bejar’s music doesn’t seem to fit into any particular genre, but Bejar calls it “European Blues”, which is probably the best and only way to describe it. His lyrics are particularly graceful and poetic, if a little enigmatic, and his sometimes unconventional song structure is nonetheless enjoyable and catchy.

TL/RX – Tyranny of Distance

Choosing my favorite of Ted Leo’s albums is no easy task, and of them, I would have to say that Tyranny of Distance is probably the least-consistently good. That is to say that I’ll sometimes skip over one or two of the tracks, whereas the other albums are enjoyable all the way through. That said, Tyranny of Distance also has some of Ted Leo’s best work on it. Tracks like “Parallel or Together?”, “Under the Hedge”, “Timorous Me” and “The Gold Finch and the Red Oak Tree” are absolutely essential Ted Leo, and the opening track, “Biomusicology”, still stands as my all-time favorite song from any artist.

Also recommended: Band of Horses - Everything All the Time, The Long Winters – When I Pretend to Fall, Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Raise Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, Danielson – Ships, They Might Be Giants - John Henry, The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema, and Oh no! Oh My! self titled LP.