WEINLAND

Best of 2009: TDoL and the Furious 15

Sunday, December 20th, 2009 | musiX, pdX | 12 Comments

Seems like it was only yesterday that I was cobbling together the TDoL best of 2008. Yes, time flies when you’re old and surly. And, yes, I know year-end lists are everywhere, cliché, overdone and a dime a dozen—but I do love them so.

These lists are difficult to make, too. I mean who has time to really absorb a full record when you’re being bombarded with hundreds of albums and mp3s? It was chore to make a list that exorcised both my discerning (wax-clogged) ear and my (beer-besotted) gut—the “I can see what this artist is trying to do here” versus the “this fucking rules and I’m going to sing it at the top of my lungs in my car/boxers” if you will. I prefer the latter—less thinking involved.

The following is a semi-in-depth look at what I liked about music in 2009 … in list form. It’s a magical place where good and evil coexist, where big, dumb rock mingles with smarty-pants indie, a place where it’s Christmas year-round. But before we get down to it, I’d like to present to you the following pre-list list.

Thing(s) to do after reading the TDoL Best of 2009:
1. Leave your own list in the comments.
2. Harshly ridicule and mock my list, also in the comments.
3. Praise my list for its fine taste and heterogeneousness.
4. Tweet/tell your friends to read it and do the same.
5. Explain to me what the hell heterogeneousness means.
6. Click on the album cover to purchase.
7. Note there is no Animal Collective on this list …
8. … or Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
9. But there is a KISS on my list.
10. Thank you for reading.

15. Pacific Dust - The Mother Hips (Camera Records)

After years of wrestling with major label politics and personal demons—all of which led to members taking a two-year hiatus—The Mother Hips came back to release one of their best albums in 2007’s Kiss the Crystal Flake. Pacific Dust feels like its sister record, the Hips again playing to their strengths—gorgeous Bee Gees-inspired harmonies, pop hooks, country licks and the occasional Sabbathian riff. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The Mother Hips are criminally underrated.

“Young Charles Ives” - The Mother Hips

14. Crack the Skye - Mastodon (Reprise)

I’m still trying to figure out how Mastodon became so popular among non-metalheads … though they aren’t your typical metal band. With Crack the Skye Mastodon has created a sweeping monster of a record that piles riffs on top of mind-bending prog passages. It’s as beautiful as it is brutal, sort of like Tool. And I guess if hipsters are listening to Mastodon, it means less time spent doting on Merriweather Post Pavilion and It’s Blitz … which is never a bad thing.

“Divinations” - Mastodon

13. Amorum Tali - Purple Rhinestone Eagle (Eolian Records)

Led by lanky guitar-whiz Andrea Genevieve, Purple Rhinestone Eagle strings together mighty riffs that crackle over the rib-rattling rhythm section of Morgan Ray Denning and Ashley Spungin. Amorum Tali (Talons of Love) stands firmly at the intersection between San Francisco flower power and Birmingham doom, especially on “Walk With the Wizard.” Add the fact that the lyrics often touch on deeper social and political issues and you have an incredibly potent rock machine.

“Walk With the Wizard” - Purple Rhinestone Eagle

12. Now We Can See - The Thermals (Kill Rock Stars)

The Thermals’ Kill Rock Stars debut doesn’t quite match the barbed nastiness of 2006’s The Body, the Blood, the Machine—it’s still intense, however, as guitarist/vocalist Hutch Harris reflects on his time on Earth after offing himself in the very first song. Now We Can See is a polished piece of wicked pop punk—songs are more refined, hooks sharper. And it took only, what, three releases for bassist Kathy Foster to finally lay down some backing vocals? Now we can hear!

“I Let It Go” - The Thermals

11. Popular Mechanics - Surrogate (Tooth & Nail)

Surrogate hails from Chico, Calif., touring only occasionally and putting out some incredible pop records on a label that puts out some incredibly god-awful records. Multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Chris Keene has come into his own after playing hired gun in his previous band Number One Gun, writing smart, earnest, well-produced indie rock that should make fans of Nada Surf take notice. Keene’s influences are all over the map, but it only takes one spin to make Popular Mechanics feel like home.

“Whiskey (Vomiting Words)” - Surrogate

10. Wilco (The Album) - Wilco (Nonesuch)

Well, hand it to Jeff Tweedy and Co. for coming up with their most experimental album title in 2009. So the music within doesn’t come anywhere near the eclecticism of masterstroke Yankee Hotel Foxtrot —it’s simply another tried-and-true batch of songs that further cements Tweedy as one of the great tunesmiths of his generation. And musical wunderkinds Glenn Kotche and Nels Cline again show magnificent restraint. I just like that Wilco continues to simply do what comes natural.

“Country Disappeared” - Wilco

9. Power Move - Screaming Females (Don Giovanni)

Screaming Females got a lot of play at TDoL this year, usually in my car as I was being transformed into a screaming male. The aptly-titled Power Move is a fuzzed-out, riff-laden rock ‘n’ roll that shrewdly pulls from each of the last four decades. The highlight, of course, is Marissa Paternoster, the band’s 5-foot-2 guitar goddess who cranks out noodly solos over an air-tight rhythm section. Album opener “Bell” shows that, as is the case with most shredders, it’s usually the riffs that really scream.

“Bell” - Screaming Females

8. Breaks In the Sun - WEINLAND (Badman Recording Co.)

What strikes me most about Portland’s WEINLAND, is the Jekyll and Hyde they pull with their recordings and live shows. Although Breaks In the Sun comes from less of a dark place than 2008’s La Lamentor, there’s still a calmness and beauty to it. Adam Shearer’s hushed vocals are the centerpiece, floating through emotionally-charged country folk songs brimming with pop hooks. Live WEINLAND transforms into a gritty bar band that would probably buy you a beer. It’s rather impressive.

“Autumn Blood” - WEINLAND

7. Love and Curses - Reigning Sound (In The Red)

It’s unfortunate that Greg Cartwright is known only by weirdos who still like to spend hours scouring dusty bins for records by dead people. Love and Curses is the North Carolina quartet’s first record of new material since 2004, and big guitars and swirly organ still rule here. Cartwright’s voice is a little more ragged this time around, but he sure knows how to convey tenderness and despair whether he’s representing the everyman or a jilted lover. Yes, everyone should listen to more dead people.

“The Bells” - Reigning Sound

6. Sonic Boom - KISS (KISS Records)

Chaim Witz and Stanley Eisen made good on their promise to deliver a klassik KISS album, and the former’s songs are the best of the bunch … don’t tell him I said that. Sonic Boom is one kick-ass rock ‘n’ roll party loaded with sexual innuendo, cheesy lyrics (I’m talking Easy Cheese between two slices of Velveeta sprinkled with Cheetos), riffs, cowbells, ripping guitar solos, walking basslines and anthemic choruses. Attn. hipsters: Wouldn’t it be totally ironic if you played this at your next party?

“Yes I Know (Nobody’s Perfect)” - KISS

5. S/T - The Yule Logs (self-released)

A holiday album on a year-end list? Take away the snow, Santa and menorahs and you’re left with some damn catchy songs with Brit pop jangle and Beach Boys harmonies. The hardest working band in snow business plows through classics as well as a few equal-opportunity originals like “Hanukkah Mambo!” and “Christmastime Is Here (Again!).” And I’ve been listening to it non-stop since August … which means either I’m weird, or it’s just that good. Probably a little of both.

“Christmastime Is Here (Again!)” - The Yule Logs

4. Seconhand Runner - Bodhi (self-released)

Bodhi’s influences are as clear as day—Bowie, The Stooges, Gary Numan—yet they manage to end up sounding like nobody but Bodhi. “Kids Are So Nice” is a fine slice from MTV’s early days when new wave, Nina Blackwood (and videos) ruled. Brian Carr’s voice is the glue that holds the myriad influences in place, even when the band decides to throw a new wave country song into the mix (”Bystander”). Went from 0 to No. 4 on my year-end in less than three weeks.

“Kids Are So Nice” - Bodhi

3. S/T - Harper Simon (Tulsi/Vagrant)

“Shooting Star” grabbed me before I even knew who Harper Simon’s pops was. Simon’s debut is a love letter to Nashville. He recorded there, recruited producer Bob Johnston (Nashville Skyline) as well as noteworthy Nashville musicians including pedal steel player Lloyd Green (Sweetheart of the Rodeo). Not surprisingly, he ended up with a beautiful, warm country record. Simon can’t help but sometimes sound like his father Paul—not a bad thing unless, of course, we’re talking about Graceland.

“Shooting Star” - Harper Simon

2. S/T - The Pains of Being Bure at Heart (Slumberland)

Boy-girl harmonies, jangly guitars and hooks up the wazoo (which is less painful than it sounds) reign throughout the New York quartet’s debut. As guitarist/vocalist Kip Berman explained to TDoL earlier this year: “I feel that pop is so wonderfully broad a style of music that you could never ever get bored or fully exhaust it—it’s infinite.” With all the press that TPoBPaH received in 2009, it’s nice to know that they aren’t interested in resting on their laurels. Hell, they might actually be in this for the long haul.

“Young Adult Friction” - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

1. And Girls Club - The Strange Boys (In The Red)

In The Red put out some incredible records this year from King Khan and BBQ Show, Reigning Sound and Thee Oh Sees, but nothing grabbed me as immediately as the debut from Austin, Texas’ The Strange Boys. The combination of chops, songs and enigmatic confidence made these young(ish) boys sound well beyond their years. The band doesn’t go for lo-fi or silly garage-rock aesthetics, instead churning out no-nonsense, R&B-fueled rock ‘n’ roll that falls somewhere between Meet the Beatles! and Bob Dylan’s Newport Folk Festival performance. Guitarist/vocalist Ryan Sambol coyly unleashes his general disaffection through nasally vocals, while jangly guitars and a booming rhythm section crank out the soundtrack for a misfits sock hop. Effortless and fun. Come to think of it, the only thing lo-fi about The Strange Boys might be the album’s cover. But who really looks at those anymore?

“This Girl Taught Me a Dance” - The Strange Boys

The Best of the Rest of the Best …

Bitte Orca - Dirty Projectors

Paint the Fence Invisible - Drug Rug

To Be Still - Alela Diane

Rose City - Viva Voce

Survival Strategies in a Modern World - Liechtenstein

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WEINLAND breaks out the sun

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 | interviewZ, musiX, pdX | 2 Comments

Adam Shearer’s hushed vocals are the fragile centerpiece of Portland’s WEINLAND. It’s what made 2008’s La Lamentor such a melancholy and haunting experience (melancholy + haunting = two of TDoL’s favorite things).

But things have changed with WEINLAND’s latest record Breaks In the Sun—not Shearer’s voice, of course, but the songs. They’re a little … well, sunnier. There’s still a chill breeze blowing gently throughout the disc that is distinctly Portland. Of course, WEINLAND is part of a growing community of musicians in town that marry folk and bluegrass with pop music. The melodies are unforgettable. Add to that an arsenal of dobros, lap steels, cellos, piano and mandolins, and it can be stunning.

Shearer started the band under the name John Weinland as a bedroom project that eventually ballooned into a full band. The music is all the better for it. Live shows are intense and unpredictable (a couple more of TDoL’s favorite things). Breaks In the Sun will be released on Badman Records (Starfucker, My Morning Jacket) April 21.

WEINLAND will play a record-release party Saturday, April 11 at the newly refurbished Mississippi Studios, and will play some Oregon and Washington dates before heading cross country in May. Adam Shearer recently talked to The Days of Lore about Portland’s tight-knit music community and blowing things up on stage.

TDoL: There’s a large community of folk-pop artists in Portland in Norfolk & Western, The Decemberists, The Builders and the Butchers, Loch Lomond, etc. Where does WEINLAND fit in?
Adam Shearer: Indeed, there is a lot of sincere music coming out of Portland. The Decemberists, Norfolk & Western, all of those folks you mentioned, write music that has the power to make you think and sing along. I suppose that’s what makes it folk-pop. WEINLAND fits right in the mix … we are part of the same community, friends and colleagues working to achieve similar artistic goals.

I’ve got a good story that includes almost everyone on your list. Last spring at the end of our West Coast tour we came home to a Portland night with lots of show/bill competition. The list of headlining shows in town included Colin Meloy, Norfolk & Western, Laura Gibson, Dolorean, Jose Gonzalez, Laura Veirs, etc., etc., and WEINLAND. We were playing a pretty small club and were a bit daunted by the other shows taking place that evening, but it was our coming home from tour show, so we went in full force. Just as our show was finishing, which ran later than the others, all the folks from town that had shows that night started filing down to where we were playing—just because everyone wanted to get together and hang out. We finished our set and began the process of saying “hey.” Chris Funk (The Decemberists) asked me what I thought about getting a “jam” going. Within a few minutes we had formed a supergroup consisting of Colin Meloy and Chris Funk, Rachel Blumberg (M. Ward, Norfolk & Western), Dave Depper (Loch Lomond, Norfolk & Western), Scott McGaughey (R.E.M., Minus 5), Laura Gibson and, of course, WEINLAND. We played some very rambunctious and completely off-the-cuff covers, from John Lennon to Neil Young songs. It was an absolutely amazing experience.

The 150 or so kids in the room were going nuts and it was the first time I’ve ever run into an audience with a microphone to lead a floor-level scream-along! I don’t think anyone in that room had any idea what was in store for them that evening, but everyone left with a very strong sense of musical community in Portland.

In the live setting do prefer to stay true to the recording, or is that a place to allow things to become more unhinged?
We tend to blow things up a little. It really depends on the venue. When we’re playing a sit-down theater, we’ll be pretty true to the recordings. A few weeks ago we did some dates with Neil Halstead and we even brought things down a few notches from how they were recorded. But in general, we let it out quite a bit when we play live.

Our music is really sincere and intentional and sometimes somber, but we have a ton of fun playing and performing and that shows in how we interpret the live versions of the songs. I have definitely finished a few shows hoarse from screaming—not on purpose, but I just get carried away in the moment. I think that’s one of the reasons our live audiences have been growing so steadily over the years—every show is different and filled with good energy.

How different was the approach to Breaks In the Sun from La Lamentor?
La Lamentor was recorded over the course of a year. Every month or so we would spend a few days in the studio working our partially finished songs and committing them to tape. La Lamentor was also our first label album, and when we started we hadn’t signed anything yet, so we were conscious of that.

Breaks In the Sun was very spontaneous. We spent about 18 days in a row in the recording studio recording as we wrote nearly every single song. It was all very in the moment, which is exciting. This record captures the moments of conception for almost every song. We would go in to the studio in the morning having no idea what we would leave with … so everything that happened was a pleasant surprise. As a result I think this record is much more cohesive and upbeat and has a greater sense of our personalities in the work itself.

“Autumn Blood” has sort of a ’70s AM radio feel to it. What was the influence behind that?
When I was coming up with the chords and the vocal line, I certainly didn’t expect Ian [Lyles] to lay a disco beat over the verses. But when he did it just sort of fit, so we stuck with it. That song has more of a concept than most of the songs I’ve written. The lyrics aren’t entirely personal, though I connect with them. It’s written from the perspective of someone else. It’s easier to be more experimental with a song when you don’t have to protect yourself in its arrangement. I think that’s what gives it that feel—we were were not bridled to any specific approach and we just played what came out. We were all excited because we thought the verse and the hook were reminiscent of Tom Petty. Even though I don’t listen to a lot of Petty, I always appreciate his hooks and the drive of his music.

And you’ve fully embraced the band approach to writing songs?
Things always have to start somewhere and often the songwriting starts with me. But on this record there’s a song that starts with Paul [Christensen, piano] and two more that he brought to life with his additions to the writing. I feel like everyone is finally completely comfortable with the fact that we are a unit and it shows in how people played and arranged their parts for Breaks In the Sun. Live and off stage we are very much equals through the process, so it feels really comfortable to have that translate to the recordings.

What can people expect from the upcoming tour?
People can expect all sorts of things, but we won’t be handing out any promises! We feed off the energy from the audience and if you come looking for a rowdy time, I’ll be you’ll get one. If you come looking for a quiet, introspective listening experience, we can deliver that as well. We have enough instrumentation in our arsenal and enough variation in our songwriting to play the kind of show the audience wants, and we never make a setlist before we can get a read on what people are looking for that night. We enjoy all aspects of our dynamic, so it’s another fun level of getting to be creative to try and tailor our sets … sometimes we miss the mark, but we’re getting pretty good at it.

“Autumn Blood” - WEINLAND

“Sunken Eyes” - WEINLAND

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