I love this time of year, and not just because I can lounge around all day in my jammies eating leftovers and candy. I love it because this is when I start cherry picking the best-of-the-year lists for artists I somehow missed or slept on. Today’s find comes from Mystery & Misery’s Best of 2004. They caught my eye because my grandmother’s maiden name is Hinckley, which turns out to be a happy coincidence. Their ragged, folksy pop would make them at home in the Elephant 6 stable but for now they’re unsigned and living in Rochester, NY. Thanks, Jason!
Worm Is Green
We’re officially five days into winter so I thought it apropos to turn our attention to Iceland. I know it’s not winter there year round, but it should be! Worm Is Green’s debut album is almost a year old here in the States, but proper respect has yet to be paid. The band does a brilliant cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” and the rest of the album will put you in a cool chill with its warm synth tones and atmospheric vocals. These tracks are all demo versions and outtakes from Automagic. You’ll have to put down some cash for the final product.
Fonda
What’s the only song better than Wham’s “Last Christmas” on Christmas Day? Fonda’s cover of Wham’s “Last Christmas” on Christmas Day. Like their name suggests, Fonda are a hybrid. (As in Ford + Honda = Fonda; Hord just doesn’t work.) Part British, part American, residing in L.A., Fonda create their own pop: a dash of West Coast dreamy pop, a pinch of British shoegaze, a touch of American indie pop, a morsel of late ’80s British alternapop. And yes, they did the Spy Kids theme.
Whit Hill and the Postcards
Whit Hill and the Postcards’ smart — as in intelligent — style of country provides a nice reminder that there’s more going on in Detroit than garage rock, Kid Rock, and Eminem. (Well, Ann Arbor isn’t quite the big D, but it’s close enough, yeah? I guess maybe not.) Check out “Fifty Miles to Detroit” for a fine example of Hill’s sincere, worldly songwriting, or “Please Pass You” for a plain-old goofy lust song.
Dean and Britta
I really should have kept track of how many hours of my life were devoted to listening to Galaxie 500. Dean Wareham went on to start Luna, who, by the way, are still going strong. Here he joins with Luna-mate Britta Phillips for a song on the soundtrack of the movie Piggie, which he also stars in. Also thrown in is a little number that the two of them recently recorded with Sonic Boom, a founder of Spacemen 3. I really should have kept track of how many hours of my life were devoted to listening to Spacemen 3. Although perhaps it’s better that I don’t know.
Ulrich Schnauss
German, twenty-something with a veritable cornucopia of aliases. If you follow the reverse chronology of music represented here you’ll notice that Mr. Schnauss finally came into his own, name and music, after an early output of more than competent drum ‘n’ bass. On his latest work, A Strangely Isolated Place Schnauss composes lush, atmospheric tracks that’d fit like bricks into My Bloody Valentine’s or Chapterhouse’s wall of sound.
Stephen Duffy & the Lilac Time
In my teenage years I listened to everything from T.S.O.L. to the likes of Mr. Duffy here, recording at the time as Tin Tin. Stephen Duffy was the instructions, the map, and the soundtrack to getting the girl, while T.S.O.L. et al provided the musical score after I’d been dumped, refused, or otherwise unable to, um, score. Alright, let’s be honest. I never came close. Fast forward a number of years and Duffy has matured from British dance pop to stripped-down, acoustic folk songs, without much change in theme. He’s still trying to figure out exactly how love works. Join the club.
At Dusk
As six cousins, ages five and under, make their 100th lap around the living room furniture at my parents’ home this Christmas , At Dusk’s “We Could Do Anything” will be the soundtrack playing in my head.
Giant Robot
Not to be confused with the Japanese pop culture ‘zine of the same name, Giant Robot are members of Nuspirit Helsinki and they run the gamut like Jesse freakin’ Owens. From cozy EBTG-ish ballads (“Best Match”) to lanky, dub-hop (“Konevitsa”). And then you’ve got the remixes, if you’re ready for even more curveballs. Best of all, Giant Robot’s site has a mile-long MP3 page with all of their commercially unavailable tracks, which includes their entire debut album and tons of said remixes. Set aside some download time.
Rachael Cantu
In the “girl-with-acoustic-guitar” sub-genre, it can sometimes be difficult to, well, not sound exactly like every other song that fits the category. Rachael Cantu manages to clear out some space of her own, with a sense of maturity and experience that seemingly can’t match up with her age and offer these thoughtfully pleasant tracks. The assistance of Mates of State‘s Kori Gardner on “Summer of Cycling” doesn’t hurt, either.
P.S. You can also catch Rachael Cantu providing guest vocals for Limbeck and on tour with Tegan and Sara.
ED NOTE: the mp3 links are now dead. Sorry for the inconvenience.