Animal Collective (the band behind my favorite album of the year) just put out a five-song EP, Fall Be Kind. You can check out the cover art on the link there. I’m not a huge fan of blurry photography. So I made my own.

It’s a little retro, probably much more so than Animal Collective goes for on a day-to-day basis. But it was a fun exercise in Photoshop/Illustrator.

I drew the original in sharpie, which you can find after the jump.

So I drew that freehand, and then colored it digitally. I was trying to emulate Chris Ware’s style, especially the following cover:

(Images taken from the Carl Hammer Gallery’s website). Gotta love Ware! I was also trying not to incorporate outlines into the drawings, which I think succeeded in some parts (the trees) but could have been helpful with the text. Anyway, I just want to get past this without anyone suing me for copyright issues. But I think I’m in the home clear. Adios.

Some of you may have noticed that I’ve been on a comics run, posting comics left and right with absolutely no regard for not posting comics or things that aren’t comics, like music lists. The run has been cut short, for now is the time for me to share with you my Top Ten Albums of 2009! Following the lead of one TJ Matzen, who recently numerated his picks, I’m going to list, in ascending order, my Top Ten Albums of 2009. I hope you’re ready:

10. The Hazards of Love – The Decemberists

• The Decemberists explore the fine line between overwrought concept album (each song contributes to the larger, mythical story arc), and a work with a few clearly outstanding pieces (“The Rake’s Song,” “Repaid”) that can stand alone. Each track flows seamlessly into the next, and recurring motifs, musically and lyrically, help to tie the entire album together, in addition to the narrative. Guest vocalist Shara Worden (the forest queen) steals the show from Decemberists’ frontman Colin Meloy, although his voice is generally not responsible for the band’s successes. I’ve unfortunately not been able to see The Decemberists perform live in the last few months, as I’ve heard that they play the album in its entirety at shows, guests and theatricality all included. Give this one a 7.4/10.

9. Noble Beast – Andrew Bird

• Andrew Bird’s fifth solo album is good. He is, as always, a talented multi-instrumentalist (guitar, violin, whistling) and songwriter. Noble Beast comes full circle, from the opener “Oh No” to final track “On Ho,” and while the intervening songs are all of a caliber, both in craft and substance, that we’ve come to expect from Andrew Bird, my biggest complaint is that the album lacks the important sign of artistic development. It’s as if, since performing as a solo artist, and maybe 2005’s Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs, Bird has hit a plateau, his ability to write good songs consistent, but not exploring new territory musically. I hope we’ll see that in the future. Nonetheless, Noble Beast is an excellent album, with a few stand-out tracks: “Fitz and the Dizzyspells,” “Nomenclature,” “Anonanimal” all come to mind. I give this album a 7.6.

8. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Phoenix

I like it when bands don’t self-title their debut album, but instead wait until they’re more well-established. Phoenix not only did that, but managed to reference arguably the most famous Classical composer in the same album title. There’s something charming about a band that suggests that they’re right up there with Mozart, whether sincerely or as a joke. The Classical-inspired elements of the album don’t end there: the lead single, “Lisztomania,” refers to German composer Franz Liszt, specifically audience response to his piano performances. The highlight of this album is “1901,” Pitchfork Music’s 228th-best song of the decade, and one of the better uses of a repeated “hey-ey-ey” in the chorus I’ve heard in quite a while. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix gets a 7.7 from me.

7. A New Tide – Gomez

A New Tide is most similar to Gomez’s 2006 release How We Operate. The group has matured, and mellowed over their 11 years in existence. A New Tide lacks the Southwestern-inspired faux-blues riffs of Bring It On, or the more traditional alt-rock energy of Split the Difference, but the album is more coherent than Gomez’s last few releases. With three main vocalists and songwriters in a five-man group, that’s no small feat. Past albums, while having more hit singles than A New Tide, also had more lulls in pacing, and more songs that felt incomplete. The 2009 release, on the other hand, stands as a single work that shows how well the group functions. The last song, “Sunset Gates,” is marvelous, and a perfect way bring the album to a close. I give A New Tide a score of 7.8/10.

6. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand

Tonight is a concept album, similar to but less cohesive than The Decemberists’ The Hazards of Love. Rather than the album being a larger narrative, though, each song on Tonight relates to the theme of the partying life, and all that comes with it. The music is more synth-based than Franz Ferdinand’s earlier guitar-driven dance rock, but in turn, that much more danceable. Apparently one of the tracks, “No You Girls,” uses a human skeleton for percussion. Pretty dark, eh? The bass/synth breakdown at the end of “Lucid Dreams” is wonderful, although it feels a bit like it should be the last track and the album continues for two songs afterwards. While it is much better than 2005’s You Could Have It So Much Better, this album doesn’t quite live up to the band’s debut album. However, Franz Ferdinand continues to show progression as a musical group, and Tonight is overall a success. I give it an 8.1.

5. Bitte Orca – Dirty Projectors

Breaking into the top half is Bitte Orca, the latest release from Dirty Projectors. I have to confess that this is the first album of theirs I’ve heard, but I’m starting to explore their earlier work and am liking what I hear. Bitte Orca (taking its title from the German word for ‘please,’ and, you know, what Shamu is), while standing at only 9 tracks long, has a lot of sounds on it – boy, does it have a lot of sounds. The driving beat of “Stillness is the Move,” the gentle guitar of “Two Doves,” the alternately abrasive and welcoming harmonies of “Useful Chamber” – it’s all there. Dirty Projectors defy classification as a group. Bitte Orca defies classification as a piece of music. 8.6/10!

4. I Think We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat – The Brighton Port Authority

Norman Cook (a.k.a. Fatboy Slim) is the driving force between The Brighton Port Authority (BPA), whose debut album was released this February. Cook produces the songs and collaborates with a different, often British, vocalist on each track, ranging from relative unknowns such as Olly Hite and Pete York to superstars David Byrne and Iggy Pop. The first track I heard, “Toe Jam,” with a great music video to boot, features Byrne and British rapper Dizzee Rascal. Cook embraces pop, evident in the radio-friendly “Seattle” and “Superman,” but is willing to experiment (“Jumps the Fence”). The eclecticism of this album wins me over, and two of its music videos are my favorite of the year. I award this album 8.8 points out of 10.

3. Veckatimest – Grizzly Bear

TJ’s top album of the year makes #3 on my list. I saw Grizzly Bear at the end of September in Minneapolis, a great show with a Carleton-heavy audience, to my pleasure. Veckatimest, the follow-up to 2006’s Yellow House is exquisite, at once familiar-sounding but offering a glimpse of something mysterious, like its namesake island. The album’s first single, “Two Weeks,” saw significant radio play, and served to draw in more pop-inclined listeners to Grizzly Bear’s unique mix of traditional and experimental sound. The sublime chorus of “While You Wait for the Others” after the bridge might well be the best moment in music of the year. Each member of the band contributes significantly to the album, from singers Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen, to bassist and woodwind player Chris Taylor and drummer Chris Bear (his real name). Veckatimest is hard to beat, and I give it a final score of 9.4.

2. Bromst – Dan Deacon

My favorite album art of the year, and an awesome, intimate but extremely energetic and fun show (at The Cave, no less), Dan Deacon not only met, but exceeded expectations based on 2007’s Spiderman of the Rings. From the slow fade in on the appropriately-titled “Build Voice” to closing track “Get Older,” Bromst continuously delivers enticing, strange sounds and rhythms in which to find yourself. I can’t hear “Of the Mountains” without remembering the interpretive dance performed at the concert in October. The glottal, vocal breakdown in “Snookered” marks an extraordinary point in the song and album: the fine combination of live recordings and computer-generated sounds that’s become Dan Deacon’s signature. In between electronic rhythms and noise, he even records a player piano, re-wired specifically for the album. Even the all-female vocal “Wet Wings,” eerie and haunting, layers over and over Steve Reich-esquely until you can hardly tell that the sounds were originally sung. That track is followed by “Woof Woof,” (Deacon obviously has a thing for alliteration), which samples a sound you might hear on a children’s toy keyboard, and which fits in perfectly. Bromst, a near-masterpiece, gets a 9.5/10: quite excellent.

1. Merriweather Post Pavilion – Animal Collective

What can I say about Merriweather Post Pavilion that hasn’t already been said by thousands of hipsters? To begin, 9.7/10. For sure. Anyway. Shackled with an unfortunate January release date, the album was hailed from the beginning as one of the best of the year, and it remains the most cohesive, well-crafted, consistently impressive work of the last twelve months. The title pays homage to Animal Collective’s home of Baltimore and its Gehry-designed concert venue. Each track on the album is sample-based, with some guitars and percussion (and a delightful jaw harp on “Lion in a Coma”). Stylistically, it is closer to band member Panda Bear’s 2007 album Person Pitch, and the band’s 2008 EP Water Curses, a transitional collection of songs. The lyrics in some songs are as impenetrable as ever, but others, especially in the singles “My Girls” and “Summertime Clothes” are downright heartfelt. “Bluish,” it must be said, might be the most romantic song Animal Collective has released to date. The arc of the album is strong, leading the listener from one musical idea to the next until the swooning “No More Runnin” gives way to the opening lyrics of “Brother Sport”: “Open up your, open up your, open up your throat”. The joyful six-minute track, a discourse on expressing one’s self in times of suffering and, implicitly, the importance of family (a theme in the album, see “My Girls” and “Daily Routine”) is the perfect ending to this album. The rhythmic break, punctuated with Avey Tare’s refrain “Whoo!” finally lead to the song’s closing chorus, a fade out stating that “You’re halfway to fully grown… won’t help to hold inside.” Some have called Merriweather Post Pavilion a tremendous step forward for Animal Collective. While the album does showcase their commitment to artistic growth and a tangible maturity on the part of the band members, I prefer to think of it as something more visceral and emotional: something that couldn’t be held inside. A long-awaited release.

Oh boy. That’s right, these suave, urbane musicians are all single, will make you tingle, and of course they’re ready to mingle. They’re the Funky, Sexy Jazzmen, the sole (or perhaps, soul) survivors of a dying way of life: the jazz (click each image for a larger, jazzier version).

The three featured here are but a small portion of the underground collective known as the Funky, Sexy Jazzmen. Rumors of their musical and sexual prowess have spread from Portland to Pittsburgh, and then right on to the other Portland.

Why, you might even have an FSJ in your very own neighborhood, under your nose! By day, they pose as ordinary men: dog catchers, small appliance repairmen, high school custodians, but by night, they transform before your very eyes into Funky, Sexy Jazzmen.

I’ve managed to capture the likenesses of just three FSJ’s here, but there could be countless others out there in the world… going about their daily lives with an untold, secretive secret: that they are the Funky, Sexy Jazzmen, bound by their honor to uphold a dying way of life. The Jazz.

Also, check out the slightly updated, slightly less pixelated, slightly bluer version of Protagonist: Fish!

Happy July! This means that we’re halfway through with the calendar year of 2009. As I’ve been creating a lot more art this year than I ever have in the past, I’ve also been listening to a lot more music this year. Yesterday I swapped some with my friend TJ (who blogs much more often about music than I do), and I imagine I’ll be listening to the stuff he gave me for the next several months. Anyway, I’ve gotten a surprising number of albums this year that were actually released in 2009. So I decided to make a list of some of my favorite songs that were released the first half of this year. In a purposeful listening order, they are:

1.  The Rake’s Song – The Decemberists (The Hazards of Love, March 24).

• The Decemberists often make very dark music (“A Cautionary Song,” “The Mariner’s Revenge Song”), but this one might take the cake. The singer, we find out, was a bachelor who got married and had three children before the fourth “died on delivery, mercifully taking her mother along.” The bachelor, or rake, decides he’d rather not live alone with “three little pests,” and decides to kill them, even burning the final child’s body for “incurring [his] wrath.” It’s got a great, simple chorus, and I think will be what 2009 is all about: child murder (shout-out to The Pillowman).

2.  Live Alone – Franz Ferdinand (Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, January 26)

• Another (albeit somewhat less) dark song, about a person breaking off a romantic relationship because of the inevitability of its ending, despite the longing to return to what once was. The album as a whole deals with partying, womanizing, and their after-effects. The bridge of this song suggests the singer might consider playing for the other team: “…when I get in a taxi / I say “man” to the driver / So he’ll say “Man, I could imagine having a drink with that guy!” A few other Franz Ferdinand songs imply a gay singer/narrator (“Michael,” “Do You Want To”).

3.  Airstream Driver – Gomez (A New Tide, March 31)

• I wrote briefly about this song in a previous post, but didn’t offer much in the way of description. Airstream Driver is a unique song in that it lacks a chorus. Structurally, it’s most similar to Gomez’s song, “78 Stone Wobble” (from their debut album Bring It On), with three verses that repeat a couple of times through the song. I can’t speak as to the meaning or lyrics of this song, except that there’s something otherworldly about them: “All the angels on the wire… I would return the favor / Oversleep the rapture.” The lack of cohesive narrative is also similar to “78 Stone Wobble.”

4.  Now We Can See – The Thermals (Now We Can See, April 7)

• I’ll sometimes try to avoid using title tracks or hit singles off of albums in my mixes, but in the case of “Now We Can See,” I think the title track is still my favorite. In my opinion, it’s the catchiest song on the album, with its vowelized hook and self-affirming declarations. The Thermals also pull off a pretty good job speak-singing, something that often turns me off of bands (i.e. The Hold Steady).

5.  Wunk Engine – Duck Bus (The Movie)

• Duck Bus was a Carleton-based band (hence the lack, here, of album art) who played their last show in March of this year, with two graduating members and a bassist going off-campus in the spring. “Wunk Engine” has been one of their more well-known original songs, the band playing it at most live shows. Duck Bus’ funk and prominent slap-bass has been compared to Blood Sugar Sex Magik-era Red Hot Chili Peppers, and it’s particularly notable on this track.

6.  Fitz and the Dizzyspells – Andrew Bird (Noble Beast, January 20)

• One of the year’s early great albums, Noble Beast is heavy on both ear-pleasing music with inventive instrumentation and unnecessarily wordy lyrics. “Fitz and the Dizzyspells” is more friendly to the layman in the latter regard, but still references an “aubergine,” and “muted screams of an old regime” (all right, Bird, we get it… you went to college). Nonetheless, this is a great, upbeat song, highlighting Andrew Bird’s whistling skills and violin prowess.

7.  Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear (Veckatimest, May 26)

• Placed against this album and most other works of Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks” stands out as one of the brightest, most pop-friendly songs. The back-up vocals drew it to me initially, and I was hooked after seeing the video (showcased recently in one of my friend TJ’s blog posts), which can be found in its entirety here. I recommend watching it, as it speaks to a completely unexpected side of this song.

8.  Boombox (feat. Julian Casablancas) – The Lonely Island (Incredibad, February 10)

I’ve been a fan of The Lonely Island since the summer between my junior and senior years of high school, first introduced to their videos and then their early songs (recorded under the group name Incredibad, and compiled into the album Please Incredibad, Don’t Hurt ‘Em). This track features Julian Casablancas of The Strokes on chorus vocals. I’m not sure which member of the group speaks the verses, but his pronunciation of the phrase “boiled goose” disgusts me more and more with each listen (in a very good way).

9.  Seattle (feat. Emmy the Great) – Brighton Port Authority (I Think We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat, February 3)

• This is the second song I was introduced to on this album, both before its release and in YouTube video form (video can be found here, but is slightly different than album version). Brighton Port Authority is Norman Cook’s (Fatboy Slim) latest project, on this album choosing a different vocalist for practically every track. “Seattle” is less danceable than others but more heartfelt, and an ambiguous exploration of America: “…I can see the blue sky falling like a wire holding up America / And you know you find a new day dawning / Every single morning in America.” While tracks like “Toe Jam” and “He’s Frank” get you moving, “Seattle” gets you thinking. And feeling. Right on.

10.  Woods – Bon Iver (Blood Bank [EP], January 20)

• Blood Bank is Bon Iver’s follow-up to 2008’s highly successful For Emma, Forever Ago, and Jagjaguwar (Bon Iver’s record label) has said: “As much as Emma is about the cold, the Blood Bank collection is about the warmth that gets you through it.” “Woods” is the soft, auto-tuned, harmonious closer to this four-song collection. The lyrics are four simple lines: “I’m up in the woods / I’m down on my mind / I’m building a still / To slow down the time.” Justin Vernon’s (the man behind the name Bon Iver) delivers these words like a mellow, reflective T-Pain were he from Wisconsin.

11.  Guys Eyes – Animal Collective (Merriweather Post Pavilion, January 6)

• Every track on Merriweather is a gem, but in my opinion, “Guys Eyes” is the most underrated song. Animal Collective’s lyrics, for me, come secondary, and the merit of the song is based on the sum of its parts as sounds: the noises emanating from Panda Bear and Avey Tare’s mouths, their percussion, Geologist’s beats. Rhythmically and musically, this song satisfies as a complex, multi-layered work.

Well, these 11 songs make up some of my favorites that were released this year. I encourage you to listen to all of them (most can be found on YouTube), and to explore the artists featured here. Anticipate a second part to this post in late December or early January. For now, enjoy!

One of my favorite bands, Gomez, is due to release a new album this Tuesday, March 31st. I’ve been waiting for quite some time for this! And to show my excitement, I painted this for the (anticipated) first single of their album, Airstream Driver (for a while, this was available as a free download from their website, but no longer). It’s a great song, and if any indication, A New Tide will be a great album. My roommate Peter and I plan on driving somewhere out of Northfield next Tuesday so that we can buy it as soon as it hits stores in the U.S.

And since I forgot to update on Monday, here’s a picture of a regretful man:

See you on Friday!

Late update Saturday! I flew to D.C. from Milwaukee yesterday to visit Lisa for a long weekend. I’m off for spring break for another week or so, and on Thursday I got tickets to see engage in some high school nostalgia by seeing Ben Folds with my kick-ass little brother at the Rave in downtown Milwaukee. I saw him three years ago at the same building, but he was playing at the Eagles Ballroom as opposed to the Eagles Club, which is much smaller. What did he do to get downgraded?

First, a disclaimer: I don’t do much blogging about music. I prefer to leave that to my friend TJ. But I also hadn’t been to a real concert in over two years, so it was a pretty big event for me. Anyway, Ben Folds:

In my opinion, his latest release, Way to Normal, while a valiant effort to return to the whimsical, irreverent style of the Five, kinda blows. Yes, there are a few good tracks, but as an overall work, not so much. Not going to give you a review of that here, though. Check out the sidebar on the Wikipedia page for those… Pitchfork’s review (2.7/10) is especially damning. Here you’ll find the setlist from Ben’s show on Thursday:

1. Lovesick Diagnostician (a.k.a. the fake ‘Dr. Yang’)
2. Dr. Yang
3. Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)
4. Free Coffee
5. Annie Waits
6. Alice Childress
7. Bastard
8. Effington
9. Brainwashed
10. There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You
11. Fair
12. You Don’t Know Me
13. Landed
14. Zak and Sara
15. Bitch Went Nutz (‘fake’ version)
16. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces
17. Boxing (solo)
18. Eddie Walker (solo)
19. Best Imitation of Myself (solo)
20. Kylie from Connecticut
21. Cologne
22. Tom & Mary
23. Rockin’ the Suburbs
24. Army
25. Errant Dog (encore)
26. Where’s Summer B.?
27. Not the Same

There were a few treats there, especially Fair, Boxing, and the little-known Tom & Mary. He improv’ed a little about the microphone smelling bad. But I was extremely disappointed that Errant Dog, probably one of the worst Folds songs out there was the encore opener. And was it just me, or did Ben seem much less personable and open than he has in the past? I missed the stories, the audience interaction, even throwing the stool at the piano was gone. He did call some people ‘fuckin’ assholes’ at the end. In any case. Let’s break down this setlist:

• Way to Normal (9/30/08): 9 songs
• Way to Normal (fake) (leaked summer ‘08): 2 songs
• Songs For Silverman (4/26/05): 2 songs
• Sunny 16 (9/30/03): 1 song
• Rockin’ the Suburbs (9/11/01): 4 songs
• The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner (4/27/99): 1 song
• Naked Baby Photos (1/13/98): 2 songs
• Whatever & Ever Amen (3/18/97): 2 songs
• Ben Folds Five (8/8/95): 4 songs

Or, by recording group:

• Ben Folds: 18 songs
• Ben Folds Five: 9 songs

Hmmm. He played almost every track on Way to Normal (skipped Frown Song, Before Cologne, and Bitch Went Nuts), which is to be expected, but I was surprised at how little he played from Songs For Silverman and how many from the Five’s namesake album. I think I wasn’t the only one engaging in nostalgia Thursday night. Here’s to hoping that the next time Ben returns to Milwaukee, he’ll have found his way… to normal.

A lot of things happened in 1996. Bill Clinton got re-elected. It was a leap year (if you see the 29th comin’ you better duck). The Unabomber was arrested and brought to trial. I turned nine years old. And… a lot of good songs were recorded. To reflect that last aspect of ‘96, I drew this:

It’s the heads of the main songwriters of some of 1996’s best songs (according to the Billboard Modern Rock number-one tracks list, according to Wikipedia). “1979” by Smashing Pumpkins’ frontman Billy Corgan; “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova” by one-half of the Gallagher brothers, Noel, of Oasis (apparently they were on proverbial fire that year); “Ironic” (the ironically unironic song) by Alanis Morissette; “What I Got” by Sublime’s Bradley Nowell, who died of a heroin overdose that same year; “Pepper” by Butthole Surfers’ Gibby Haynes; and “Novocaine for the Soul” by Mark Everett (“E”) of Eels.

I didn’t actually discover any of these songs until long after 1996, probably in the early 2000’s. And it should also be noted that these aren’t all the Billboard Modern Rock number-one tracks of ‘96. There were also more (which sucked, and were omitted from my drawing).

I was most pleased with how the heads of Billy Corgan and “E” turned out. I think I went a little overboard with the text for “Wonderwall,” though. And something about Alanis Morissette doesn’t quite feel right to me.

This style of illustration and content is something I’d be interested in pursuing further. What do you think? What other years or songs are worthy of being immortalized?