3. Say Anything ( Self-Titled )
I consider Say Anything's Max Bemis a song writing prodigy. He's barely 25 and already his body of work is so impressive. Think of this band as a much more well read version of the pop-punk outfits you see trotted out and manufacted by big record companies to make a buck, but with actual talent, something important to say, and the means to say it cleverly. Say Anything once canceled out on a tour I had tickets to because Max, a well documented bi-polar, was so filled with anxiety he couldn't get off the tour bus. While I hated them for it at the time, it's that same bi-polar, all-over-the-place sound that makes Say Anything stand out. If you're new to them , check out ...Is a Real Boy instead, but eventually graduate to this.
2. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
...because even their worst material is better than a lot of other music.
21st Century Breakdown was just another confirmation that Green Day has left behind the humor and disorganization of past records on the path to becoming a respected band of rock stars on par with the U2's and Pearl Jam's of the world. Consider this record a sequel to
American Idiot or a more narrowed, subjective look at its cast of characters. It's a great listen made even better for Green Day fans with its many allusions to lyrics, characters, and plots from all of the bands past 7 LPs.
1. Dead Man's Bones ( Self-titled )
There's a new "DMB" in town, and this one doesn't have saxophones. I honestly found my experience discovering, listening to, and seeing Dead Man's Bones to be one of the highlights of 2009. That Ryan Gosseling is a creepy dude! This self-titled record was completely void of the pretensiousness one might attach to the musical endeavors of a famous Hollywood actor. It never feels gimmicky, but is instead a very sincere--charming, even-- and welcome combination of children's choir and songs about the dead and otherwise creepy situations. Whereas horror pop bands are inspired mostly by the shock factor, DMB are out to celebrate the darkness we all have somewhere inside. Best record of the year, by far, even if just for the experimental sound of adding the choir and the self-imposed rule of "no more than 3 takes." The only problem I had with this record is that it seemed like a seasonal listen appropriate mostly during Halloween.
According to my iPod I have 8,345 songs available to me at any moment. So I consider it a severe improbability that the Shuffle function would ever play the 3 instrumental tracks out of a possible maybe 20 instrumental tracks I might have in a matter of twenty minutes. And yet it happened today. Okay, okay, I get it. Shuffle works in mysterious ways. But it just so happens all three would be perfect for urgent, aggressive, espionage scenes.
