#23 on the 2016 Bacon Top 31

LNZNDRF by LNZNDRF

At this point, I’m pretty sure all the guys in The National have broken orbit and expanded into new projects. Two cross-pollenated National / Menomena bands made last year’s Top 31 (Pfarmers and El Vy). And here at #23 this year we have a National / Beirut crossover, with Scott and Bryan Devendorf (the set of non-Dessner brothers from The National) and Ben Lanz (trombone player from Beirut) making some rather proggy, noodly indie-rock.

Remember Secret Machines, that fantastic early 2000s prog-rock trio that brought their own stage to the Showbox and played in the round? That’s what LNZNDRF reminds me of. A few songs on the album have vocals, but the songs without vocals are more intriguing.

The production value of the album is high, as can be expected by anyone in The National. Layers of analog instruments, nothing too overpowering, seamlessly blended together into a cohesive musical story. There’s not much Beirut to be heard here, there isn’t even any horns, which I find surprising. But overall, it’s a lovely album to put on in the background while doing pretty much anything. I suggest doing so at your earliest convenience.

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24. Puberty 2 by Mitski
25. Light Upon the Lake by Whitney
26. A Corpse Wired for Sound by Merchandise
27. Away by Okkervil River
28. case/lang/veirs by case/lang/veirs
29. Love Letter for Fire by Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop
30. Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future by Underworld
31. Preoccupations by Preoccupations

#10 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31

Return to the Moon by El Vy

We’ve made it to the top 10 albums of 2015! Coming in at #10 is the other band I hinted at in my review of Gunnera, by Pfarmers, which came in at #27. El Vy is another group made of pieces and parts from Menomena and The National, and this is the better of the two, because it’s the one that has Matt Berninger on vocals and Brent Knopf on keyboards / backup vocals.

I always preferred Knopf’s songs in Menomena more than the songs written by Danny Seim or Justin Harris. His more recent project, Ramona Falls, felt very much like a full version of what amounted to usually no more than a third of each Menomena album. I was surprised to hear that El Vy doesn’t sound like Brent Knopf’s songs. That’s mostly because Berninger does all the lead vocals, although I can imagine that Berninger and Knopf’s combined songwriting skills are particularly good when they’re working together.

This is a solid rock & roll album. Guitars, drums, keyboards — all the elements are there, including Berninger’s signature baritone. You’ve most likely heard The National before, and to the casual listener, this will sound like The National to you. You can hear other songs from the album over on YouTube, where the band has a few glorified lyric videos. Pick up the album. You won’t be disappointed.

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11. Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) by Lin-Manuel Miranda
12. Art Angels by Grimes
13. The Horse Comanche by Chadwick Stokes
14. Grace Love & the True Loves by Grace Love & the True Loves
15. Shake Shook Shaken by The dø
16. La Di Da Di by Battles
17. Sky City by Amason
18. What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World by The Decemberists
19. Untethered Moon by Built to Spill
20. Viet Cong by Viet Cong
21. The Magic Whip by Blur
22. Savage Hills Ballroom by Youth Lagoon
23. Not Real by Stealing Sheep
24. Beat the Champ by The Mountain Goats
25. Gliss Riffer by Dan Deacon
26. Dark Bird is Home by The Tallest Man on Earth
27. Gunnera by Pfarmers
28. Swimmer to a Liquid Armchair by Ricked Wickey
29. To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
30. Live in Seattle by Moufang / Czamanski
31. High by Royal Headache

What is the Bacon Top 31?
Past years’ Top 31s

#27 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31

Gunnera by Pfarmers

We continue the long-running love of all things Menomena and The National here at The Bacon Review with Pfarmers. A collaboration between Danny Seim (Menomena), Bryan Devendorf (The National), and Dave Nelson (Sufjan Stevens, St. Vincent), Pfarmers is actually the first of two collaborations between those two bands that will appear on this year’s Top 31.

I’m a big fan of members from bands trading players and making more music, giving me elements of what I liked about all of them in a new form. Pfarmers sounds more like Menomena than the National, but just barely. Most of the album is made up of songs that don’t really fit a mold: a bit electronic, a bit analog, and trippy throughout. The high energy song above, “The Ol’ River Gang” is definitely the highlight of the album. The rest of the songs are slower, background-like thinking pieces.

If you liked Menomena or The National, then you’ll like Pfarmers. If you don’t like either of those bands, then you probably won’t like Pfarmers. But give the song above a listen, you may be surprised.

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28. Swimmer to a Liquid Armchair by Ricked Wickey
29. To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
30. Live in Seattle by Moufang / Czamanski
31. High by Royal Headache

What is the Bacon Top 31?
Past years’ Top 31s