#19 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

What Now by Sylvan Esso

The album in at #19 would have fit right in on the 2015 Top 31, when Chvrches’ Every Open Eye was #1 and bands like The dø and Purity Ring were in the top 15. It was the year for indie girl-led pop. Sylvan Esso, a duo from Durham, North Carolina, are definitely in that mode. Their eponymous debut album came out in 2014, but failed to make my radar that year even though it was fairly popular (I can’t possibly hear every good album that comes out, right?).

What Now is their second album, and it is full of treacly indie pop goodness. The best song from the album, “Die Young,” is shown in the video above, but there are a number of other great songs (and videos: “The Glow,” “Radio,” and “Kick Jump Twist”) on this record. If you’ve liked any of the band names mentioned thus far, you’ll love Sylvan Esso. Beyond that, there’s not much more I can say.

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20. 50 Song Memoir by The Magnetic Fields
21. Plunge by Fever Ray
22. DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar
23. Capacity by Big Thief
24. The Tourist by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
25. CCFX EP by CCFX
26. Woodstock by Portugal. The Man
27. MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent
28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

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#8 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31

Another Eternity by Purity Ring

Another day on the Top 31, another synth pop duo with powerful female-led vocals. This time it’s Edmonton, Alberta, Canada’s Purity Ring, which has Megan James on vocals and Corin Roddick on the instrumentation. This marks the fourth band on the countdown all with a similar sound — not that anyone is counting.

Much like the dø, which were featured at #15, Purity Ring is a duo that’s all power chords and soaring vocals. Another Eternity, which came out in March, is the band’s second album (Shrines came out in 2012, which I haven’t yet listened to). One of the nicer things about Another Eternity is that it’s actually difficult to pick just one song as my favorite. There are fantastic songs scattered across this album.

“Heartsigh,” shown above, is the opening track. I’ll go on record and state that this video is ridiculous. Thankfully the song is not. If you like what you hear in the video, I suggest devouring the rest of the album, too, because it’s fantastic.

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9. Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance by Belle and Sebastian
10. Return to the Moon by El Vy
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

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#13 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31

The Horse Comanche by Chadwick Stokes

I love it when we get to the point in each year’s Top 31 when every album makes me want to say “Oh my god, you’ve got to hear this album; it’s SO GOOD, from start to finish.” That’s where we find ourselves today.

The Horse Comanche by Chadwick Stokes. Oh my god, you’ve got to hear this album; it’s SO GOOD, from start to finish. Up until the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I hadn’t heard of Chadwick Stokes. I had a short date with a woman in which we talked about the Top 31, and she recommended a handful of things she’d been listening to this year that I should check out. The dø (at #15) and Chadwick Stokes were both in her list. And while she and I didn’t fall in love, I did fall for these two albums, and for that I’ll be forever grateful. New music can come from the most unusual of places, but personal recommendations are always preferred.

I hear many familiar inluences in the soft but strong songs from Stokes and company, from Elliot Smith to Paul Simon to the little known Seattle artist Tim Seely (whose 2005 album Funeral Music feels like a sibling to The Horse Comanche). You can hear the whole album over on Bandcamp, and here’s a great Tiny Desk Concert from April of this year.

I’m a big fan of the video above, for the song “Our Lives Our Time,” which is my current favorite on the album (but that will probably change tomorrow — there’s so many good songs on this record!). The video has all the right elements for a video: it’s simple but effective, and keeps you watching through the whole thing to see what changes as the camera slowly spins. The changing dates on the billboard in the background appear to relate to various key civil rights moments on Earth, from the release of Mandela from prison to Massachusettes becoming the first state to legalize gay marriage.

I’m surprised I haven’t heard Stokes on KEXP this year, or maybe I have but it was before I was paying attention. If you love the bulk of the albums I mention on the Bacon Review, then you’ll love this album, too. It’s too good to pass up.

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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

#15 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31

Shake Shook Shaken by The dø

You’re going to start noticing a theme here on the Top 31. This band, The dø, from Paris, fits a mold you first heard at #17 in the Swedish band, Amason: strong, lyrical, female vocals backed by a mix of analog and synthesized electrified sound. I’m not sure if it’s me that’s in a phase that is particularly drawn to this formula, or if there just happens to be a plethora of really good indie pop music coming out right now. Either way, I’m happy.

Shake Shook Shaken is the band’s third full-length, and it technically came out in 2014 in other parts of the world, but since I didn’t hear of it until recently, I’m using the U.S. release date (January 27, 2015) to allow the album to be on this year’s countdown. It’s my Top 31, dammit. I do what I want.

Plus, this album is so good, I want to give it maximum exposure. The dø are a duo, Olivia Merilahti and Dan Levy, who met ten years ago. I haven’t been able to check out their other two albums, but I hope to soon. According to the peak chart positions of their albums, as shown on Wikipedia, the French sure do love them some dø. I’m guessing you will, too.

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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