“Pange Lingua” (chant, attributed to Thomas Aquinas)

In honor of the day, my favorite of the year in some ways (the version linked to above is, as one comment mentioned, a bit fast, but was the best I could find. Also, the channel for the person who posted the video on you tube is chock full of other lovely things).

The One-Armed Men- “Night Beach”

Directly related to the preceding post- more of the same. To be fair, we’ve been practicing and playing these enough that they really have been running through my head repeatedly for the past couple of weeks…

The One-Armed Men- “Weeping Willow Waltz”

On a more personal (and perhaps disquietingly self-promotional) note, the band I’ve been playing with for the last 8 or 9 months just got back from our first kind-of-sort-of “tour”- a trip halfway across the country from our homes in Northeast Minneapolis to play at our lead guitarist’s friend’s MFA final project/gallery opening at Yale. Granted, it was only one show, as initial ambitious plans to try to find other places to play along the way quickly fell through due to work schedules, laziness, and none of us having the slightest idea what we were doing in that regard, but nevertheless, as the first time I’ve ever driven all night in a van stuffed full of amps and drum kits to play a concert in another state, it still seems worth mentioning. We played in a big, brightly lit blank white echo-y and mostly empty art gallery, in front of an enormous painting of St. Jerome and an old wooden cabinet stuffed full of a collection of erotic dolls. There were a couple dozen people in attendence, the best we’ve ever done, and, much to my surprise and pleasure, they mostly seemed to like it- at least they mostly stuck around for the whole thing, and quite a few of them even danced.

(by the way, since I seem to be doing the self-promotional thing in earnest, if by any chance you’d care to hear more it can be found at soundcloud.com/theonearmedmen)

Big Star- Jesus Christ (from “Third/Sister Lovers”)

I’m a bit late to the party on this one- I tried to get to love Big Star in college, reading about their supposed place among the first of tragically-underappreciated beloved tragic cult bands- the sort of thing I’m usually a sucker for- on the usual internet-criticism-derived required listening list for young would-be music snobs, but without much luck- “September Gurls” seemed fairly perfect but a bit lightweight, like cotton candy, and Holocaust and Kanga Roo were pleasing enough, but I still preferred the This Mortal Coil versions floating around the campus network. Now, listening again nigh on a decade later, it’s painfully obvious that everyone was right all along, and I wonder how I could have overlooked such sheer gorgeious elegance- their best songs, of which this is an example, are perfect classicist miniatures, models of refinement and restraint, aching and tender yet beautifully detached and not infrequently absolutely heartbreaking- a much better sonic approximation of “filigree and shadow” than the celebrated 4AD. I’ve grown particularly fond of this song, which manages the near-impossible feat of using lyrics taken only from stock Christmas carols in a straightforward pop song context, horn section and all, without their seeming the slightest bit cloying, insincere, or even out of place, the music perfectly evoking a winter night full of frost and stars and joy and glory. Granted, not all their songs are near so good, and when not firing on all cylinders they could be dead boring, but enough approach it to make each of their albums a delight- I’m only glad to finally realize it.

Gillian Welch- Hard Times (from “The Harrow and the Harvest”)

While posting songs good for listening during long drives in the country, here’s this lovely and devastating little number from my favorite old-timey combo- Ms. Welch remains somewhere on my list of favorite voices, while her partner, a stone-cold genius, sits much higher on a shorter list of best guitar-players I know. I was a bit disappointed in this, their something like a comback album on the first few listens, and it still strikes me as a bit spotty, but it’s grown on me since, and quite a few of the songs, this one in particular, keep getting better each time I hear them.

Songs Ohia- Cross the Road, Molina (from “Didn’t it Rain”)

In honor of recent trips driving across Wisconsin to see my sister near Rockford, Illinois (and perfect music for driving down the interstate towards the Illinois state line just past midnight into a full moon, Chicago-bound semis barelling past). More “heartland rock” songs need to start with lines like “wolf-headed conjurer in the crossroads”- one of the all too rare examples of a precious, self-consciously artsy and minimalist song that aspires to the same kind of nerdy badassness found more often found in metal, and perhaps the best musical celebration of a region that always deserved better than the likes of Bob Seger. If musical associations can imbue the post-industrial wasteland of northern England with romance and glamour for generations now, why not the American Rust Belt (which is every bit as haunted and strange)? At any rate, God bless Jason Molina for trying.

M83- Wait (from “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming”)

This album, by contrast, though (or perhaps because of being) hyped to the skies and by an artist I usually enjoy a great deal, was a bit of a disappointment to me (at least I liked it a bit less, on balance, than the last two albums). Still, it still has its share of heartbreakingly lovely songs, out of which this is my personal favorite, and quite possibly the best thing they’ve ever done. There’s still nothing to beat a good sad song, and this one’s close to perfect.

Atlas Sound- Quarks Part 2 (from Parallax)

A companion-piece to the previous post, though I’d meant to post this several days earlier, demonstrating that the abstract pieces are nearly lovely as the pop songs, and blend quite nicely together.

Atlas Sound- Lightworks (from “Parallax”)

I liked Deerhunter’s music more the more of it I heard and the more I listened to, enough so that I sought ought, and really, really wanted to like Mr. Cox’s solo project, Atlas Sound. Despite a number of earnest efforts, though, it most always left me almost completely cold- occaisionally a lovely song buried in the midst of thoroughly dull sludge. Very pleased to report, therefore, that the balance is shifted in quite the opposite direction on the latest- a bit self-indulgent, and still drags a bit in places, but the atmosphere is solid enough to carry the whole thing, and there are many more good songs (and a few that are thoroughly brilliant) than dull ones. And with the one listed above, the highlight of the album, he hits it out of the park- a near perfect piece of pop, the sort of thing that unfailingly puts a smile on the face and makes one want to press harder on the gas pedal (not bad for a supposedly experimental and self-indulgent solo project), and my favorite (new-ish at least) song I’ve heard this year.
 

Kate Bush- The Hounds of Love (from album of the same name)

My experience with Kate Bush has up til now been quite limited- I’d sought out a few of her more famous songs (“Wuthering Heights”, “”Running Up That Hill, “Hounds of Love”) a couple of times after having her heartily recommended to me by a friend of mine, but they never made a terribly strong impression. Still, I was curious enough to acquire a copy of her latest album, after seeing it get on so many year-end best lists (a guilty pleasure it’s a bit shameful to admit), and found myself quite liking it, which led me back to “The Hounds of Love,” and left me very surprised to find myself sobbing as I drove listening to the title track on the way to visit my father, on a snowy January late afternoon.