The Best CDs of 2013: Red Baraat reigns at the top of the pops!
1) Red Baraat –Shruggy Ji .
Before he became a famous producer
of best-selling albums, Boston rock critic Jon Landau once famously scripted a critical
review proclaiming “I saw rock and roll future and its name is
Bruce Springsteen.” With apologies to both the Boss and Landau, I think the
same claim could be made for Red Baraat. As America increasingly becomes a
nation of Third World immigrants, this Brooklyn collective of mostly Muslim
brass and percussion players seems to suggest our new musical landscape will
incorporate a plethora of exotic, wild new sounds that seem very foreign to our
ears. We can only hope more of the same glorious
stuff is in store. Without making any religious or political statements, the
band shows us a glimpse of what the new American world music may be: an
inspirational, in-your face blast of brassy fun. Red Baraat takes its name from
the Indian wedding ceremony in which the groom, joined by friends and family, walk to the bride's family's dwelling to pick her up –
accompanied by a rollicking brass band on this joyous trek through the
neighborhood. If this sounds like a
rejiggered New Orleans street tradition, well so does Red Baraat. Led by Sonny
Jain on dhol (a large drum that Jain wears on a strap over his shoulder), the
Brooklyn band is a savvy fusion of brass-heavy New Orleans jazz, bhangra funk
and Indian wedding music. If there is any “fault” it’s that the studio album
does not quite measure up to the band’s live performance. Don’t miss them if they’re
playing within a 50 mile radius. You’re smile for days afterwards. This is
irresistible and imminently danceable party music.
2) Patty Griffin – American Kid and Silver Bell.
One
could make a case that no American recording artist had a better year than
Patty Griffin. I’ve been a sucker for this Maine singer-songwriter since first
hearing Living With Ghosts a stripped
down 1996 acoustic set of poignant vignettes that plumb the depths of love, loss
of love and family life. Her latest collection, American Kid, is reminiscent
of that initial effort, songs that detail her relationship with her father.
They were written shortly after learning of her father’s impending death and
explore his absence in her life. Her new husband, Robert Plant, sings
background on several of the songs, most notably “Ohio” and “Faithful Son.”
This is Americana’s finest recorded moments of 2013.
Later in the year, she released Silver
Bell, an album of kick-ass rock and roll songs that were never released by
her record company when they were recorded in 2000. Stand out tracks include
“Boston”, “Little God” and “Silver Bell.” Both albums are worth owning. That
they both came out in the same calendar year makes 2013 a very special time for
one of America’s best female rock/pop musicians.
3) Okkervil
River – The Silver Gymnasium. I put Okkervil
River at the top of my end of the year list twice in the last seven years, so
my affection for this band is well documented. I adore this
record. I listened to it more than anything else in 2013. It’s easily their
most accessible effort, showcasing Will Sheff’s most intimate songwriting. “Down
Down the Deep River”, the year’s best pop song, is a roller coaster remembrance
of the fears of growing up in a small New England town. The rest of the
collection of a cycle of songs celebrating the joys and despairs evident in
small town American life. It’s chock full of Sheff’s poignant obser/reservations.
If there is any justice, this CD some day will be parsed and studied in high
school English classes the way Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio still is. Don’t overlook “On a Balcony” and
“Walking Without Frankie”. Another artistic achievement from the best rock band
in America.
4) Rokia
Traore – Beautiful Africa. If
you allow me the concession that Red Baraat is really an American band (after
all, they reside in Brooklyn!), then I would say this CD is my favorite
World Music disc of the year. Traore’s aching vocals are a revelation. She’s made
a savvy decision to allow John
Parish, PJ Harvey’s producer and sideman, to turn the sound knobs for this record.
He’s moved her away from the acoustic blues influences of her other CDs into
something that sounds a lot more visceral. Yet Traore’s reliance on the n’goni
(her stringed instrument) makes this a distinctively African album, partly sung
in her native language, Bambara. It succeeds because of her shimmering,
intensely soulful singing. Highlights include the furious “Kouma” and the
thoughtful “Mélancholie”, a highly personal reflection on solitude.
5) Parquet
Courts – Light Up Gold – Fifteen
head-banging songs in just 33 minutes. Not one of them feels like filler. This
Brooklyn rock quartet (they originally hail from Texas) take the lo-fi
aesthetic of Pavement, the Feelies and Guided By Voices to new heights and turn
that 1990s template into something that sounds fresh and original. And when you
listen closely, you can hear the ghost of Lou Reed in their performances. Like
Reed, none of these guys can sing a note. Like Reed, they put their songs over
with passion and confidence. Songwriter Andrew Savage’s wry observational takes
on politics, pop culture and personal relationships suggest he spent more than
a few months of his teenage years listening to both Reed and Jonathon
Richman. Start with “Stoned and
Starving” and “Borrowed Time.” Let the slacker angst wash over you. Revel in
the innocent glory of a garage rock band finding their voice. Pure punk bliss.
6) Iron & Wine – Ghost On Ghost. I usually find it
difficult to appreciate the earnest yearning of Sam Beam’s warm as oatmeal vocals. He tends to put me to
sleep. (Which, for a guy with old man sleep issues, is something I should enjoy
more). But this year’s Iron & Wine effort sounds like a nod to Van
Morrison’s “Astral Weeks/Moondance” era. Beam’s baritone is backed by a blend
of soulful horns and gloriously augmented by the thrum of acoustic bass,
violins and tasty female background vocalists. His singing feels lighter and
more carefree than ever before. He seems confident in his role as front man of a revved up rock band. Van would be proud! Standout cuts include “New Mexico’s No
Breeze” and “Grace for Saints and Ramblers.”
8) Frank
Turner – Tape Deck Heart – Former
front man for the British punk band Million Dead, Turner turned to a more
traditional brand of Brit folk rock later in his career and has released a string
of great CDs that mine the same territory as Billy Bragg, whose liberal
politics provide a nifty template for Turner’s own voice on Tape Deck Heart. “Four Little Words”
stakes a riotous claim for dancing in the mosh pit and the celebratory “Recovery” makes
addiction to a woman sound like a necessary part of living a full life. This underrated
artist deserves attention and this CD is one of the hidden gems of the year. It
you pick this up, pay special attention to Nigel Powell’s drumming. Turner may craft the lyrics, but Powell is the pistons of Turner’s V6
engine.
9) Sallie
Ford & the Sound Outside – Untamed Beast.
This
Portland band sounds like punk rockers who grew up listening to rockabilly and Charles
Mingus. And Sallie sings with a swagger that’s sexy, sultry and natural. The
All Music Guide described her vocal performances like this: “With a voice that
can belt, soothe, caress, and flat-out spit sass, attitude and raw street
emotion, she sounds like a dream cross between Ella Fitzgerald and Janis
Joplin.” Songs to download: “They Told Me”, “Bad Boys” and “Do Me Right”. But
be sure the house doesn’t burn down while you’re listening.
10) The
Will Callers – What Else Is Left? – If
you like your alt-country ballsy, loud and with a slathered side of greasy
greatness, you’ll dig the Will Callers, Fort Worth’s finest. Produced by Ray
Wylie Hubbard (the bespectacled Texas hippy whose “Grifter’s Hymnal” topped my
best of the year list last December), this 2013 CD is shot through
with gunslinger attitude. The band
earned a statewide Texas rep by winning the Shiner’s Rising Star contest in
2010. This is their first full length studio CD and marks them as a band to
watch carefully in the near future. “One Single Tear”, “Weight of the World”,
“Heart Like Mine” and “87 Miles” will rock the house.
In alphabetical order, my next 10
favorite CDs of the year were: Arcade Fire, Reflektor;
Daft Punk, Random Access Memories; Jason
Isbell, Southeastern; King Khan & the Shrines, Idle No More; Laura Marling,
Once I Was An Eagle; Kacey Musgraves, Same
Trailer Different Park; The National, Trouble Will Find Me; Satellite
Hearts, Imperial Green. Allen Toussaint, Songbook; Kurt Vile, Walking On a Pretty Daze.
The ten best songs of 2013: 1) “Down
Down the Deep River,” Okkervil River; 2) “Shruggy Ji,” Red Baraat; 3) “Recovery,” Frank
Turner; 4) “Dance Apocalyptic”, Janelle Monae; 5) “Light Up Gold,” Parquet Courts; 6) “Bite
My Tongue,” King Khan & the Shrines; 7) “Ohio,” Patty Griffin; 8) “Bad Boys”,
Sally Ford & The Sound Outside; I9) Iron & Wine, “Grace for Saints and
Rambles”; 10) Daft Punk, “Get Lucky".
The best music I heard all year didn’t come out on a CD. Soon, though, I have a feeling my friends will be able to hear the Late Greats, my favorite new band, on their own compact disc. At Thanksgiving a year ago, my son Luke started writing songs with some friends he knew from the creative writing program at West Chester. The music had a rough, folk/rock edge to it and most of the songs had a humorous twist to them. Some were more clever than most. A few were kind of impressive. Luke and some of his writing friends played a benefit concert in Upper Darby for a work colleague who had some medical bills to pay. Before they played a single song, he mentioned the band was looking for a drummer. Once they secured one, just a few weeks later, their songs were beginning to round into form. By mid-summer, they were playing in my basement in Downingtown once every two weeks. Their transition into a real band of rock musicians was fast and exhilarating to witness. The Late Greats had potential. That was obvious on the basement performance footage I shot on a Flipcam.
In July and early August, they played several gigs in club venues in Philadelphia. You could see them gain confidence and proficiency with each passing performance. Then, just two weeks ago, they headlined a benefit concert Luke organized for his sister’s library project for the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. I introduced the band before they performed. Standing on the stage with them felt like being in presence of caged lions. They were ready to pounce. And once Luke started singing, they owned the room. Music savvy friends who had never heard them before were suitably impressed. The Late Greats made my favorite music of 2013. I wish they had something out on CD, they’d be on the list for sure.
