#1 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — boygenius

January 31, 2024 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

the record by boygenius

“Give me everything you’ve got”: the first words you hear, sung in glorious three-part harmony by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. And “everything” is exactly what boygenius, the group formed by these three already-plenty-accomplished singer-songerwriters, has given us. Ladies and gentlemen, the record by boygenius is the Bacon Review #1 album of 2023.

You have likely heard of these three — each of the individual most recent albums from Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus have appeared in past Top 31s (Little Oblivions at #6 in 2021, Punisher at #2 in 2020, and Home Video at #23 in 2021, respectively (but none of their earlier albums because I had my head in the ground, apparently). And while I do love the music from each of them individually, there is something “super” about the music produced by this supergroup.

I first fell in love with boygenius on their self-titled 6-song 2018 EP. The three women met while Bridgers and Dacus both opened for Baker on separate tours in 2016, and joked about the “pipe dream” of the three of them forming a band. They booked a co-headlining tour in 2018, and sat down to write one new song that they all could perform together on stage. The EP came out of that initial energy, written, recorded and produced in four days. While the EP was well-received, it didn’t appear on the Top 31 that year because I had stupid restrictions about what could make it onto the list, and EPs didn’t qualify. ¹

As time went on, signs were pointing to them doing something more together. All three performed on each others’ 2020 and 2021 albums mentioned above, contributing mostly backing vocals to a handful of songs. And then in late 2021 they performed together as boygenius again at a benefit show in San Francisco. They separated throughout 2022 to allow themselves to headline on their individual tours to promote their Covid-released albums from the years prior. In the fall of 2022 they got back together and secretly recorded what would become the record. The official announcement of the album came on January 18, with a release of the trio of tracks, “$20,” “Emily I’m Sorry,” and “True Blue” as the lead singles from the album. (the film, featured above, is the accompanying video that was released a couple months later. Directed by actress-cum-director Kristen Stewart, it focuses on each of the three women on the song in which they were the lead writer on: Baker, Bridgers, then Dacus.)

The pre-release hype continued to build with the release of a fourth single, “Not Strong Enough,” along with an accompanying video shot by the three singers and edited by Bridgers’ brother Jackson (who also directed the video that features Bridgers for The National’s “Your Mind Is Not Your Friend,” mentioned in yesterday’s #2 album review). All four singles were instant, ear-worm classics, on repeat in the Bacon Review home up until March 31 when the record finally saw full release. It was an easy transition from listening to the four singles back to back, to listening to the full album on repeat, and it continues through to today.

Each individually known for their command of deep, emotive lyrics, and each with their own singing / vocal style, the record plays well to their strengths. Some songs have a clear lead throughout, with the other two women singing harmonies. And some songs, such as “Not Strong Enough”² and “Cool About It” (and it’s great animated video) feature each singer separately taking a verse or bridge all to themselves. Their voices are distinct between them – Bridgers higher and raspier, Baker full-bodied, and Dacus lower with all the edges filed down.

Not only did I love this album,³ it resonated well with my family, and that always factors into what gets played in the household. One of the beauties of this album in particular is my son, who is fifteen and has broken free from my musical clutches to form his own tastes, came to me one day and asked “have you heard of boygenius?” I’d be hard-pressed to find a parenting moment as rewarding as having my child discover a band himself and love it independent of my direct influence (while clearly having been indirectly influenced by living under my roof for 15 years).

There are many moments in this album where the lyrics are so heartfelt and gorgeous, paired with the perfect rise in volume or culmination in instrumentation that it causes chills. The chorus of “True Blue” (“and it feels good to be known so well, I can’t hide from you like I hide from myself”). The third verse of “Cool About It” (with its interpolation of Paul Simon’s “The Boxer” so strong they thanked him for the inspiration on the liner notes), that goes “Once, I took your medication to know what it’s like, and now I have to act like I can‘t read your mind.”

The climax of “$20” is particularly brilliant, with Baker on lead singing “Gas, out of time, out of money, you’re doing what you can, just making it run” while Dacus sings “Take a break, make your escape, there‘s only so much I can” and Bridgers slowly repeating “Can you give me twenty dollars” over and over building to a screaming crescendo. Each of their voices weave in and out, all layers and words, yet entirely distinct to the careful listener.

None of the members of boygenius are yet 30. While I can’t say for sure there will be more songs/albums to come from the band, they each have literal decades in front of them to continue to blow us away. From what I’ve seen, the tour videos, and the instagram posts, the three of them have been having a blast writing and performing together. It feels impossible that they won’t be able to figure out how to keep that energy going well into the future. Maybe they’re establishing a pattern – get together, record and tour, then break for some solo replenishing, only to reconvene four years later. Or maybe they’ve truly given us everything they’ve got. We’ll continue to get solo music from each of them for sure, so if we’ve gotten all the boygenius songs we’ll ever get, the ep, the record, and the rest, would be more than enough.

^{1. You can watch their Tiny Desk Concert or their Live on KEXP performance if you’d like a little snippet of what they all sounded like 5+ years ago.↩}
^{2. Watch their SNL performance from November, backed by their all-girl band, to see how this plays out across “Not Strong Enough.” Baker taking the “Always an angel, never a god” bridge to its full climax is awe inspiring.↩}
^{3. The band released an additional EP in October, called the rest. It featured four slower songs recorded during the sessions for the record. “The Voyager” from the rest is particularly great, featuring additional writing from Conor Oberst.↩}

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#2 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — The National

January 30, 2024 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track by The National

The National are back near the top of the Top 31, surprising no one. Unbelievably, it’s been four years since they released their last album, the fantastic I Am Easy To Find, in 2019 (#6 that year). Granted, a lot of non-music stuff happened in those ensuing years (remember Covid?). Additionally, a lot of tangential work to The National came out during this period of “down time”: Taylor Swift’s Aaron Dessner-produced albums folklore and evermore came out in 2020 (#4 that year); lead singer Matt Berninger released his solo album, Serpentine Prison, that same year (#8); Aaron Dessner’s not-a-band-but-more-a-“project” collaboration with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver called Big Red Machine released How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? in 2021 (#2)¹ 2022 was the only year in that four-year span that lacked music to fill the massive void left by having no new album by the National.

The band has made up for that time by releasing two great new albums in 2023, First Two Page of Frankenstein on April 28, and Laugh Track on September 18. These two albums more than make up for “lost” time. The band prepared us fans for Frankenstein by putting out four singles between January 18 and the album’s release three months later. Laugh Track, on the other hand, was a complete surprise (aside from the inclusion of Bon Iver collaboration, “Weird Goodbyes,” which was originally released in August 2022).

The National have been long-time staples here on the Bacon Review. Including the albums mentioned above, they’ve always produced music that has been in my Top 10: Sleep Well Beast was #4 in 2017, Trouble Will Find Me was #2 in 2013, and High Violet inadvertently prevented all future albums from defaulting into the top spot by being #1 in 2010.

Where Easy To Find was a true departure for the band, seeing Berlinger relinquish the lead-singer role to a bevy of female guest stars on a number of songs, Frankenstein and Laugh Track are a return to form, quintessential National albums. There are some repeat guest stars here (the aforementioned Justin Vernon, and Sufjan Stevens), and some new great ones as well. Phoebe Bridgers sings beautiful harmonies on three songs across the two albums. Rosanne Cash shows up on “Crumble” from Laugh Track. And by far the biggest name, the Taylor Swift, joins Berlinger on the absolutely perfect duet called “The Alcott” on Frankenstein. After having spent a long time singing the Vernon/Swift duet “Exile” from her album folklore, I am glad my 6-year-old daughter and I have a Berninger/Swift duet to sink our teeth into for Car Karaoke²

Check out the video above, for “Your Mind is Not Your Friend,” one of the songs Phoebe Bridgers is on. The band have released a number of other nice music videos from the two albums, but this one, directed by Bridgers’ brother Jackson, really gets to the heart of what makes the band special. Over National-trademarked Sad Dad lyrics about trying to pull yourself out of depression, Matt Berninger and his brother Tom cavort around comically. Tom shows the depressive side of Matt’s lyrics literally, moping around and being sad, and Matt portrays the happy side of his brain, with flowers attached to his suit as he leads Tom around a park playground. Bridgers makes a brief appearance, appearing in the playground to take her character’s baby away from the grown men playing on the structures. That’s The National to a tee: cathartic depression. And that’s why I love them.

You can watch the rest of the videos they’ve released, too:

“Eucalyptus”
“Dreaming”
“Laugh Track” featuring Phoebe Bridgers
“Alphabet City”
“Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces)”
“Space Invader”

These are The National’s ninth and tenth albums in 24 years. It is now officially impossible to say any one of those albums is their best, as the answer will shift from day to day. No other band in my lifetime has been able to put out as much consistently great music as these five men have. Every new album they put out, I feel “whelp, this must be it, no way they can keep up this pace,” and every time I’m proven wrong. Who knows what’s next for the band? Whatever it is, it will be amazing.

^{1. Dessner produced Ed Sheeran’s 2023 album, _–_ (otherwise known as “Subtract”), which I’m listening to for the first time as I’m writing these words – too late to include in the Top 31, and too early to say if I would have even tried to include it. If it’s anything like his collaboration with Taylor Swift, I’ll have made a huge mistake not hearing it earlier. (Update – still listening, but struggling. In Swift’s Dessner-produced albums, there’s an easily recognizable Dessner influence. Despite him having touched every song on Sheeran’s album, Ed’s voice and lyrics pull things far enough away from anything related to The National that I lose the thread entirely.)↩}
^{2. If you want a real thrill as a parent, sing fantastic songs as a duet with them on repeat while driving around town. Rarely can I get through “The Alcott” with my daughter without choking up.↩}

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#8 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — Sufjan Stevens

January 24, 2024 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Javelin by Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens has led many musical lifetimes in his 48 years on this earth. He released his debut album when he was just under 25 years old, in 2000. His third album, 2003’s Michigan, was the first of his that I heard, and it established Stevens as a talented singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist (he played no less than 18 different instruments on the album). It was his sixth album, Illinois, that saw his fame rise to the highest of highs. The album was recognized as “best of the decade” by a number of publications (and I generally concur). Those six albums constitute his first “lifetime,” creating lush, Spector-like arrangements on top of his hushed falsetto singing songs about inanimate objects, geographic locations, and even serial killers — rarely turning the lens inward on himself.

The next ten years produced only one album, The Age of Adz, which came in at #3 in 2010. This album is his second “lifetime,” creating what I believe is his best record, but one that is confrontational, noise-laden, and rich to extravagance. It also marked a distinct shift in subject matter in his lyrics, where he chose to focus inward, blatantly focusing on his emotions and health concerns (he’d been suffering through a mysterious debilitating viral infection that affected his nervous system and caused chronic pain).

Carrie & Lowell, his seventh album, came out in 2015 (#4). It started yet another chapter in his musical progression, staying focused inward on deeply personal subjects such as the death of his mother Carrie and his relationship with her husband, Stevens’ stepfather Lowell Brams. Stevens attributes a lot of his love of music and musicianship to Brams, who came into his life when he was young. Carrie & Lowell, laden with quiet, whispered vocals throughout, is a complete departure from Adz. Rather than pushing you away from the speaker with loud noise-driven over-layered music, Lowell forces you to lean in closely.

The next five albums, a series of extended collaborations, contemplative orchestration, and less evocative lyrics, form the fourth chapter: Planetarium (with Nico Muhly, the National’s Bryce Dessner and James McAlister) (#30 in 2017), Aporia (with Lowell Brams) in 2020, The Ascension (#9) in 2020, Convocations in 2021, and A Beginner’s Mind (with Angelo de Augustine) (#29) in 2021.

And now, two years after that, we find Sufjans writing a new masterpiece, learning from the many chapters of his musical history, and forming way may become known as his best yet, with Javelin. Lyrically and musically, the album picks the best parts of The Age of Adz and Carrie & Lowell and creates something wholly new. Stevens dedicated the album to “the light of my life, my beloved partner and best friend Evans Richardson, who passed away in April.”

A month prior to album release, Stevens announced on Instagram that he had been hospitalized for a debilitating illness called Guillain–Barré syndrome, a fast-moving autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nerves. Stevens “woke up one morning and couldn’t walk. My hands, arms and legs were numb and tingling and I had no strength, no feeling, no mobility.” Stevens was sent home to continue his recovery on the day Javelin was released.

While not directly about these events, Javelin feels like Stevens’ most intimate album. Aside from backing vocals provided by others on most tracks, and longtime friend and collaborator Bryce Dessner’s guitar on track 9, lovingly called “Shit Talk,” Stevens performed every instrument, and recorded and mixed every song in his home studio. At times quiet like Lowell, and others bombastic like Adz, I’m not being hyperbolic when I say this may be the best manifestation of Stevens’ talent. It’s a testament to the number of great albums from 2023 that pushes this phenomenal work down to #8.

No matter what level of fan or non-fan of Sufjan Stevens’ work you’ve been in the past, Javelin is for you. It’s the best place to start a new obsession, or to put the cherry on the top of one you’ve already been building (like me).

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#2 on the 2021 Bacon Top 31 — Big Red Machine

January 30, 2022 by Royal Stuart

How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? by Big Red Machine

Every year there’s the big obvious acts that continually appear on the Top 31. At the top of that list are both The National and Bon Iver, both of whom have had #1 albums (2010 and 2016) along with three additional, separate appearances on the Top 31 each. In fact, I haven’t done the math, but I’m confident in saying that Aaron Dessner (20% of The National) and Justin Vernon (99% of Bon Iver), combined, have been responsible for the largest percentage of all music I’ve listened to in the last 15 years.

The two of them have done many things together, arguably the most prominent being the work they’ve done together as Big Red Machine. Their first foray into a partnership was a collaborative song called “Big Red Machine” on the Dessner-produced Dark Was the Night compilation in 2009 (#10 that inaugural Top 31 year). According to wikipedia, Dessner reached out to Vernon via MySpace, and they collaborated on the song remotely, and didn’t meet in person until a follow-on performance for the collaboration was hosted later that year. They continued to work together while producing and creating with their respective bands. They formed a record label, 37d03d, which released the first full Big Red Machine album in 2018 (self-titled, #13 that year). In addition to Dessner and Vernon, that album also features Phoebe Bridgers, Dessner’s brother Bryce and Bryan Devendorf from The National, and multi-instrumentalist Richard Parry from Arcade Fire, among many others.

Then they turned their attention to Taylor Swift, or many she turned her attention to them. The two albums that came out of their collaboration had a big impact on my 2020 Top 31, coming in collectively at #4 last year. But Swift is not the only Dessner/Vernon produced artist I’ve enjoyed. From the very first Top 31 in 2009, with the aforementioned Dark Was the Night compilation and Bon Iver’s Blood Bank EP, there have been only two years (2014 and 2015) that one or both Vernon and Dessner did not appear on the Top 31 as performer or producer. Sharon van Etten, Local Natives, Frightened Rabbit, Taylor Swift, Kanye West — they’ve all benefited from the magic touch of Aaron Dessner and/or Justin Vernon in the last 15 years.

There were also a couple of Big Red Machine singles to come out in 2020 that haven’t appeared on any albums: “No Time For Love Like Now” with Michael Stipe, and a get-out-the-vote in Wisconsin cover of Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up” featuring 4 of out 5 members of The National and others.

And now we’re finally up to the present, with How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?, the supergroup’s 2nd full-length album under the Big Red Machine name. The album features a daunting list of guest appearances: Taylor Swift on two songs, James Krivchenia of Big Thief, Anaïs Mitchell on three songs, Ilsey (a prolific singer/songwriter who has written for and sung with a dizzying number of artists you’ve heard of), Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, Naeem (otherwise known as rapper Spank Rock), a song called “Hutch,” dedicated to the lost-too-soon lead singer of Frightened Rabbit, Scott Hutchison, featuring Sharon van Etten, Lisa Hannigan, and Shara Nova (lead singer of My Brightest Diamond), La Force (aka Ariel Engle of Broken Social Scene), Ben Howard, and This is the Kit (Kate Stables).

Whew.

There are many highlights to this album (as there should be for a #2 album of the year). The Robin Pecknold / Anaïs Mitchell sung “Phoenix,” shown in the lyric video above, is my personal favorite (mostly because it’s the favorite of 4-year-old, who demanded I play that song over and over again throughout the summer of 2021). But even the most stripped down songs, such as the two where Aaron Dessner finally takes the spotlight all by himself, playing guitar and singing on “The Ghost of Cincinnati” and “Magnolia” in what can only be described as his best Elliott Smith impersonation. The Taylor Swift collaboration “Renegade” is a poppy, Swiftian jaunt you’ll love – it could have easily been created for Swift’s 2020 albums folklore or evermore.

It’s hard not to look at How Long as the capper of one hell of a musical decade for Dessner and Vernon. There’s no way that either of them is done making music. But if you look at the arc of U2, R.E.M., or The Stones, now is about the time in their respective careers that the drive to create something new and different clashes with the desire to slow down, spend more time with family, and rely heavily on the income from previous hits rather than create something new and earth shattering. Selfishly, I hope they choose a different path and continue to give us everything they’ve got. We’ll find out soon enough – 2022 is a new year, and maybe there’ll be another Bon Iver or National album, or some new Dessner- or Vernon-produced project that will simply blow us all away. I can’t wait.

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3. Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast
4. A Way Forward by Nation of Language
5. Things Take Time, Take Time by Courtney Barnett
6. Little Oblivions by Julien Baker
7. Valentine by Snail Mail
8. sketchy. by tUnE-yArDs
9. A Very Lonely Solstice by Fleet Foxes
10. Hey What by Low
11. Local Valley by José González
12. Head of Roses by Flock of Dimes
13. The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows by Damon Albarn
14. Collapsed in Sunbeams by Arlo Parks
15. Loving In Stereo by Jungle
16. Flying Dream 1 by Elbow
17. Screen Violence by Chvrches
18. Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice
19. Mainly Gestalt Pornography by Pearly Gate Music
20. Peace Or Love by Kings of Convenience
21. These 13 by Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird
22. Mr. Corman: Season 1 by Nathan Johnson
23. Home Video by Lucy Dacus
24. I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico by Various Artists
25. Siamese Dream by Fruit Bats
26. NINE by Sault
27. Observatory by Aeon Station
28. The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania by Damien Jurado
29. A Beginner’s Mind by Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine
30. Where the End Begins by Knathan Ryan
31. Private Space by Durand Jones & The Indications

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#3 on the 2020 Bacon Top 31 — Phoebe Bridgers

January 29, 2021 by Royal Stuart

Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers

The “sophomore slump” has been a real and documentable phenomenon. I don’t know how many bands I’ve lost interest in after the excitement of their first album failed to reappear in their second. But apparently Phoebe Bridgers believes the slump to be mere sophistry, as her phenomenal sophomore (see what I did there) album, Punisher, is a noticeable improvement over her very good by any measure 2017 debut album Stranger in the Alps. I’m still kicking myself for having paid attention to that album too late for it to make the 2017 Top 31, but I’m so glad I didn’t miss the boat on Punisher.

The laziest way for me to describe to you Bridgers’ music is via these three words: “female Sufjan Stevens.” Throughout the album, Bridgers undersells the power of her voice, singing at just above a whisper. Her tone is that of a delicate flower, fragrant and beautiful. But like Stevens at his best, she punctures that quietness in calculated bursts, wielding her power like a dagger hidden in an ankle holster. The production of her music places the mic close to the fingers on her guitar, so you hear every movement and pluck, and filled out with key strings and slide guitars and ever-so-perfect digital wisps layered on top. It’s lush, a valley of cool breezes and wildflowers.

It’s the stark changes, however, that truly remind me of Sufjan. “ICU” is a loud, digitally-infused rock song about breaking up with her boyfriend. “Now I can’t even get you to play the drums, ’Cause I don’t know what I want until I fuck it up.” He remains the drummer in her band, despite the scenes described in the song. “I Know the End,” my favorite song on the album, starts out simply enough, quietly describing the depression that comes from constant touring. But then it builds, and builds some more, in a Sufjan-esque way, to a beautiful cacophony of screams and noise. The song ends with Bridgers endearingly mimicking the sound of a stadium crowd screaming.

Even though she’s only been in the music business since around 2014, she’s worked with and performed with a crazy amount of top artists you know. She joined forces with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus to form Boygenius, who released an EP in 2018. And then she and Conor Oberst released an album as Better Obvlivion Community Center in 2019, all three of whom appear at various points on Punisher as well. She has performed many times with Matt Berninger and The National, most recently in 2020 when she appeared in Zach Galifianakis’s feature length movie “Between Two Ferns” as the lead singer of the fake band Phoebe Bridgers and The Spiders from Bars, with Berninger and two members of The Walkmen as the Spiders.

Bridgers, whose middle name is Lucille (which I love), was 25 when Punisher came out on June 18, a day early, like so many other albums that were released early in response to the global unrest caused by the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. She is politically outspoken and uses her platform to call attention to causes she believes in, and by choosing to release her album early she pushed her fans to donate to racial justice charities and called for the abolition of police. Additionally, she actively campaigned for Biden/Harris, vowing to cover Goo Goo Dolls’ massive hit “Iris” should Trump lose. She recorded the song with Maggie Rogers and released it on November 13.

Bridgers has released a number of great videos from the album. “Savior Complex,” shown above, was directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (a favorite of mine – go watch “Fleabag” right now if you haven’t seen it) and stars Paul Mescal (who starred in my favorite show of 2020, “Normal People.” It’s brilliant, go watch it right after you watch “Fleabag.”) “I Know the End” is cryptic, but since it’s my favorite song I’ll give it a pass. “Kyoto” and “Garden Song” were filmed just as the pandemic was taking hold, created in a necessarily lo-fi way.

If you’re like me, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do in the world of Phoebe Bridgers. Don’t sit on it — if she keeps up the rate at which she’s producing music, you’ll be permanently left behind, and we simply can’t have that.

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1. Saint Cloud by Waxahatchee
2. Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple
3. Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers
4. folklore + evermore by Taylor Swift
5. Untitled (Black Is) + Untitled (Rise) by Sault
6. RTJ4 by Run The Jewels
7. Shore by Fleet Foxes
8. Serpentine Prison by Matt Berninger
9. The Ascension by Sufjan Stevens
10. Making a Door Less Open by Car Seat Headrest
11. Dreamland by Glass Animals
12. A Hero’s Death by Fontaines D.C.
13. Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez by Gorillaz
14. Mordechai + Texas Sun EP by Khruangbin
15. Introduction, Presence by Nation of Language
16. Free Love by Sylvan Esso
17. Miss Anthropocene by Grimes
18. 3.15.20 by Childish Gambino
19. Women In Music Pt. III by HAIM
20. The Third Mind by The Third Mind
21. Superstar by Caroline Rose
22. Impossible Weight by Deep Sea Diver
23. We Will Always Love You by The Avalanches
24. Ultra Mono by IDLES
25. Visions of Bodies Being Burned by clipping.
26. Thin Mind by Wolf Parade
27. The Loves of Your Life by Hamilton Leithauser
28. Palo Alto (Live) by Thelonious Monk
29. color theory by Soccer Mommy
30. Fall to Pieces by Tricky
31. Quarantine Casanova by Chromeo

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#4 on the 2020 Bacon Top 31 — Taylor Swift

January 28, 2021 by Royal Stuart

folklore + evermore by Taylor Swift

If I were to allow myself a quick indulgence in forgetting the shit ton of god awful shit that happened, 2020 would go down as “The Biggest, Most Exciting Year For a Fan of The National That Doesn’t Feature a New Album by The National.” Not only was there the phenomenal debut solo release by lead singer Matt Berninger (Serpentine Prison, at #8), there were not one but two wholly-unexpected Aaron Dessner-produced and co-written jaw-droppingly good Taylor Swift albums, albums that could easily be called The National albums but with Swift slotted in for Berninger.

I would find it unbelievable if you told me you didn’t know Swift had released a couple albums in 2020. It’s impossible to be that in the dark that you somehow avoided hearing about the best selling album of 2020 (folklore set so many records upon its release on July 24, and it ended the year atop many best-of lists) and its sister album (evermore, released on December 11, may yet set records for sales in 2021, even if it will be out of contention for the critical year-end lists). But I can’t blame you if you discounted it outright, simply for being a couple of Taylor Swift albums. Well, I’m here to tell you that you’ve been thoroughly missing out. These albums are two of the most approachable, exciting, and universally-appealing records you’ll ever experience.

Swift was meant to team up with Dessner (guitarist, producer, and co-writer for The National, who have appeared on numerous Top 31s in the past, as well as one-half — with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver — of Big Red Machine, who appeared at #13 in 2018). Her personal, intimately written stories told in rhyming couplets and double entendres layer beautifully on Dessner’s musical tapestry. If you remove Swift’s words and voice from these songs, these are The National songs. It’s abundantly clear who drives the sounds of their albums. Then you add in Swift’s poetry and voice, and it’s almost too much for one person to handle.

folklore was a huge hit in our house from the day it was released. My family loved it as much as I did, including the youngest of us. Only two at the time of release, my toddler loves to proclaim “You know this song!” whenever she hears any song she’s heard more than once. We heard her say that a lot when we’d put it on. But when she got even more comfortable with it, demanding “Again!” at the end of the album’s best song (“Exile,” one of two duets Swift has with Bon Iver on the albums), and then started quietly singing the words from the song on top of Vernon and Swift… ouch my heart. Hearing my three-year old daughter singing “I never learned to read your mind, I couldn’t turn things around, ’cause you never gave a warning sign” will stick with me forever.

I’ve written so much about The National over the years, but I’ve not ever written about Taylor Swift, so let’s dive into how amazing she is for a minute. The woman has been producing music professionally since 2006, when she was only 17 years old. In the ensuing 14-year span, she’s put out 9 albums and a ton more EPs and single, all of which have sold over 227 million copies, good enough for #10 on the all-time list for most copies sold by any artist, ever. She’s won 10 Grammy Awards, an Emmy, and has set seven Guinness World Records, including “Biggest-Selling Album Worldwide For A Solo Artist” for her 2019 album Lover.

She is the perfect embodiment of female empowerment, and speaks out for herself, gun control, women’s rights, Black Lives Matter, LGBT rights and gender and racial equality, and the importance of voting. And she speaks out against white supremacy, systemic racism, and police brutality, all with an impeccable wardrobe and smile. On top of that, she’s picked up where Prince left off with his struggles against the leech-like record labels that suck every last dollar out of the artistic rights of their recording artists. She has publicly, continually, vehemently battled her record label for the ownership of her master recordings. Failing that, she’s decided to simply re-record all of her old recordings, no doubt making them better in the process and rendering the old masters all but worthless. “Commendable” doesn‘t even begin to define Taylor Swift.

All of that history makes the creation of folklore and evermore all that more astonishing. WIthout the pandemic-induced lockdowns, I don’t believe these records would have happened at all. Rather than being on a worldwide tour (that was supposed to begin in April), she set to recording new music. A few months of absolute chaos later, and she delivers the nicest care package imaginable.

These songs are without fault, and are infinitely listenable. The video above, which Swift directed, for her song “Cardigan” from the first album is not my favorite (see “Exile,” mentioned above), but even the worst song on the album is world’s better than 99% of what came out in 2020. The companion song from the second album, “Willow,” also has a Swift-directed video that starts exactly where the first video left off, and it’s not my favorite, either. For that, I’ll point you to the Justin Vernon co-produced song “Closure,” which doesn‘t feature Vernon’s succulent voice, but does feature key Bon Iver sounds and digitization, such as when he pushes Swift’s voice through his Messina – the vocal modifier that featured prominently on his 2016 Top 31 #1 album 22, A Million.

It’s clear I could keep gushing about these albums for much more — I’m finding myself striving to read all the background material out there (of which there is plenty, of course) to repurpose and regurgitate for you, dear reader. But I’ll stop here, and just tell you to listen, and then seek out the additional material yourself. There are deluxe versions and pared down versions and accompanying films and and and… The Taylor Swift machine is in high gear, per usual, but this time around I truly care, and I’m excited to see where she goes next. I hope there’s at least a few of you out there that I’ve convinced to listen to these records if you haven’t already. And for those of you that were as surprised as I was to find yourself in love with a couple of Taylor Swift albums in 2020, I’d love to hear from you about your experiences with the albums. Do reach out!

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#8 on the 2020 Bacon Top 31 — Matt Berninger

January 24, 2021 by Royal Stuart

Serpentine Prison by Matt Berninger

Matt Berninger may very well be my favorite performer, ever. If you’ve been following The Bacon Review for the last 11+ years, then there’s a good chance you’d know this already, given how much prominence the lead singer of The National has been allotted over the years. Including his main band’s appearances on the Top 31 (four times: #6 2019, #4 in 2017, #3 in 2013, and #1 in 2010), his side project, El Vy (#10 in 2015), and Berninger’s appearances in other performers’ albums (such as Chvrches and CYHSY), the man has been mentioned nearly every year that the countdown has existed.

I mention this history because it plays a big part in how I listen to and quantify the new stuff he puts out. It’s not just “how does this music compare to everything else this year?” but also “where within all the music of his that I love does this rate?” Never an easy question, and it inevitably changes over time. For instance, while The National’s High Violet ranked #1 in 2010, I don’t consider it the best amongst the four albums the band has on the countdown. (That honor currently goes to 2013’s Trouble Will Find Me. Ask me again tomorrow and I’ll give you a different answer.)

Serpentine Prison, Berninger’s first true “solo album,” is a great effort. No, it’s not a National album, but it’s damn close. And I’m sure it will stick with me a lot longer than the El Vy album has. Sonically, the album sounds similar to what a National album might be if they left the bombast that comes with a lot of their songs on the shelf. Prison is soft-spoken, and because of that it doesn’t immediately hook you. It’s more of a slow burn.

This is the kind of album that feels like good background music at first, but by the middle of the album you find yourself leaning in, listening intently, and picking out the hints of the album’s collaborators. The album has a good, down to earth feel that sounds full and polished, thanks to producer Booker T. Jones. (He of Booker T. & the MG’s and a ton of collaborations from the 60s on (including Otis Redding, Willie Nelson, Rita Coolidge, Bill Withers, and Neil Young, just to name a few.) Jones plays on a few songs as well, and helped bring together a slew of other big names to participate in the making of the record, including Andrew Bird, Gail Ann Dorsey (who featured prominently on The National’s 2019 album I Am Easy to Find), Brent Knopf (Berninger’s partner in crime in El Vy), and The National’s Scott Devendorf. The song above, “Distant Axis,” is probably my favorite of the album. The video is quite fun as well.

Berninger has been keeping himself busy since the last National album in 2019. In addition to creating this solo album, he’s released a couple of new songs worth listening to that don’t appear on the album. His fantastic duet with Phoebe Bridgers, called “Walking on a String,” is from Zach Galifianakis’s feature length “Between Two Ferns,” in which Berninger and Bridgers appear in the movie Phoebe Bridgers and The Spiders from Bars, along with two members of The Walkmen. He also released a cover of Mercury Rev’s “Holes” as part of a benefit series called “7-inches for Planned Parenthood.”

Perhaps after reading all this, you agree that Berninger is worthy of the praise I heap upon him. I can understand if his baritone and delivery aren’t your cup of tea, but I don’t think it’s possible to deny his greatness. Serpentine Prison is a worthy solo debut, and I highly recommend that you pick it up as soon as possible.

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#6 on the 2019 Bacon Top 31 — The National

January 26, 2020 by Royal Stuart

I Am Easy to Find by The National

Like my 2018 top 10, the top 10 of 2019 is chock full of former #1 artists, still out there producing stellar, boundary-pushing music. Like Elbow and Bon Iver, The National have consistently been in the top 10 with every release they’ve had during the life of The Bacon Review Top 31. It’s quite easy to argue that The National’s output has somehow gotten better with each release, despite having been #1 back in 2010, with High Violet. Their 2013 release, Trouble Will Find Me, was #2 to Phosphorescent’s all-time great album Muchacho, and their 2017 release, Sleep Well Beast, was #4, behind stellar output from Arcade Fire, Rostam, and Elbow. Yes, The National‘s output has gotten better with time, but the competition has gotten even better than that.

I Am Easy to Find, the eighth full-length album the band has released in their 21-year history, is yet another fantastic National album. It also marks a distinct departure for the band, veering off into territory they’ve never been in before. For starters, they’ve brought in a number of co- and lead vocalists to pair up with Matt Berninger, who embodies roughly half of the band’s lyrical output (with his wife Carin Besser) and their singular, deep-voiced lead singer. Gail Ann Dorsey, David Bowie’s long-time bassist and backing singer, takes the lead vocals from him halfway through the album’s opening song, “You Had Your Soul With You.” By the time you get through the all 63 minutes of the album, you’ve also heard Lisa Hannigan, Mina Tindle, Kate Stables, Sharon Van Etten, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus all take turns at the mic. It’s unexpected at every point of departure, and it works so well.

In addition to the beautiful music, the band also teamed up with Miranda July’s husband, filmmaker Mike Mills (did you see “Thumbsucker?”), to collaborate on not only the crafting of the album but the making of a 25-minute film starring Alicia Vikander (from “Ex Machina”). The film is quite moving, having Vikander portray the full life of a person, from baby to old age. The video above, for the quietly lovely “Light Years,” shows a condensed version of the film. Watch that, and then go watch the full thing.

At its core, The National continues to be Berninger and brothers Dessner (Aaron and Bryce) and Devendorf (Bryan and Scott). 2019 was a particularly busy year for the band. In addition to releasing the new album and film and touring around that new release:

the band participated in a podcast about them: Coffee & Flowers, “a long-form examination of the Grammy-winning band’s music, going one album per season, one track per episode.”
they released a cassette-based live album in a way only The National could: Juicy Sonic Magic was recorded over two nights at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, California, in a style known as “The Mike Millard Method” — Mike was a famous bootlegger who went so far as to sneak recording equipment into shows in a wheelchair he didn’t medically need.
Bryce Dessner wrote the score for the great Netflix movie The Two Popes
Matt Berninger appeared and sang in (with Phoebe Bridgers) the rather terrible movie version of Zach Galifianakis’s long-running internet show “Between Two Ferns”

I Am Easy to Find is not your typical National album, in all the right ways. If you’re not a fan of the band, this may be your best chance at getting in on something new, different, and great without it feeling too much like a National record. And if you are a National fan? What the hell are you doing, sitting here reading this article, rather than listening to the album?

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7. 5 + 7 by Sault
8. Giants of All Sizes by Elbow
9. i,i by Bon Iver
10. Kiwanuka by Michael Kiwanuka
11. The Destroyer (Parts 1 + 2) by TR/ST
12. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish
13. Cheap Queen by King Princess
14. Anima by Thom Yorke
15. Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Parts 1 + 2 by Foals
16. Gallipoli by Beirut
17. My Finest Work Yet by Andrew Bird
18. Four of Arrows by Great Grandpa
19. Designer by Aldous Harding
20. Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey
21. Our Pathetic Age by DJ Shadow
22. Juice B Crypts by Battles
23. Pony by Orville Peck
24. Hyperspace by Beck
25. Eraserland by Strand of Oaks
26. Dogrel by Fontaines DC
27. You’re the Man by Marvin Gaye
28. Big Wows by Stealing Sheep
29. 1000 gecs by 100 gecs
30. In the Morse Code of Brake Lights by The New Pornographers
31. Radiant Dawn by Operators

Subscribe to the 2019 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2018 Top 31s

#2 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Chvrches

January 30, 2019 by Royal Stuart

Love Is Dead by Chvrches

Just barely missing out on their second #1 album in a row, here’s Glasgow, Scotland’s Chvrches with their third fantastic album, Love Is Dead. Chvrches (pronounced “churches”) has been a mainstay on the Top 31 since their debut album came out in 2013 and was #4 that year. Two years later, their follow-up, Every Open Eye, was the best album of 2015. And this new album marks their third straight 4th-or-better release, a phenomenal run by any standards.

Clearly I have a bias, but dancey pop music really doesn’t get any better than Chvrches. The trio, featuring Lauren Mayberry on lead vocals, and Martin Doherty and Iain Cook on synths and additional vocals, is defining an entire genre of sound for a generation. Just looking back at the lower albums in this year’s Top 31, Chvrches fingerprints are all over. Janelle Monáe, Christine and the Queens, and Wye Oak are all producing similar sounds, and that’s just within the Top 10. But Chvrches is the best.

My family agrees. I had the immense pleasure of taking my son to his first-ever, true concert, seeing Chvrches this past September, and it was glorious. The band put on their usual amazing set, and Mayberry bounced around the stage, amping up the crowd. My son is not one for big displays of emotion in public, so catching him singing along quietly to himself during the songs he knew was a big highlight for me. And if Dirty Computer is my daughter’s favorite album ever (she’s 15 months old), then Love is Dead is definitely her 2nd favorite. You should see the smile across her face when she hears those keyboards kick on.

It really feels as if Chvrches can do no wrong. Three albums, all at or near the top of their respective years’ releases. There are some great songs on this new album. “Miracle,” shown above, is one. There are two other videos from the album: “Get Out” and “Graffiti.” Matt Berninger, lead singer of Bacon Review favorites The National, also makes an appearance, on the song “My Enemy.” That song is a result of the two bands being on the same bill at Treasure Island Music Festival back in 2015, when Mayberry joined The National on stage for their song “I Need My Girl.” I love it when the bands I love have unexpected chance encounters and then decide to make music together.

With every new Chvrches album, I think maybe they’ve hit the peak, and the next one will see them backsliding. But then the new album comes out and it’s stellar. I like this kind of trajectory, and I look forward to listening to new and great Chvrches albums for the rest of my life.

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3. Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) by Car Seat Headrest
4. Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe
5. The Horizon Just Laughed by Damien Jurado
6. Chris by Christine and the Queens
7. Wanderer by Cat Power
8. Tell Me How You Really Feel by Courtney Barnett
9. The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs by Wye Oak
10. Ruins by First Aid Kit
11. Cocoa Sugar by Young Fathers
12. Loner by Caroline Rose
13. Big Red Machine by Big Red Machine
14. I’ll Be Your Girl by The Decemberists
15. The More I Sleep the Less I Dream by We Were Promised Jetpacks
16. Joy as an Act of Resistance by IDLES
17. Hell-On by Neko Case
18. Superorganism by Superorganism
19. Living in Extraordinary Times by James
20. Thank You for Today by Death Cab for Cutie
21. Black Panther: The Album by Kendrick Lamar
22. Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke
23. Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2017 Top 31s

#13 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Big Red Machine

January 19, 2019 by Royal Stuart

2018 came and went without another #1 album by The National or Bon Iver, but it did produce something almost as good: the best “The National collaborates with another group” collaboration album yet. Introducing Big Red Machine, the self-titled debut album from Justin Vernon (aka Mr. Bon Iver) and Aaron Dessner (lead music writer for The National).

It’s almost as if Vernon and Dessner sat down and said “let’s make a Radiohead album.” Blending digital artifacts and hypnotic beats, subtle orchestration and keyboards, and an affected falsetto floating over the top, this is the best Radiohead album the band never made. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bon Iver and The National, and I love what Vernon and Dessner have done together. I’m pretty sure this album was made just for me. At times quiet and wispy, it draws you in like only the best novel can. Then, suddenly, it’s punctuated by staccato rhythms and nonsensical lyrics that cause you to sit up straight in your chair.

Dessner and Vernon’s collaboration started during the making of Dark Was The Night, the amazing Red Hot compilation album that the Dessner brothers assembled back in 2009 (#10 that year), when Dessner apparently cold-messaged Vernon on MySpace, having never met before. The two artists met for the first time at the Radio City Music Hall event surrounding the Dark Was The Night album (and featured in the video on the link of that #10 album in 2009). It took them nine years and collaborating in many ways on many things (including starting a project called PEOPLE, from which this album is by far the biggest output to date).

Yes, the project is named after the 1970’s Cincinnati Reds teams that won the World Series four times in seven years. The Dessner brothers grew up in Cincinnati, and were born right smack dab in the middle of that run (1976). If you even remotely like Bon Iver or the National, or Radiohead for that matter, then you’ll like this album. Perhaps you’ve not heard of it; thankfully your drought is now over.

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14. I’ll Be Your Girl by The Decemberists
15. The More I Sleep the Less I Dream by We Were Promised Jetpacks
16. Joy as an Act of Resistance by IDLES
17. Hell-On by Neko Case
18. Superorganism by Superorganism
19. Living in Extraordinary Times by James
20. Thank You for Today by Death Cab for Cutie
21. Black Panther: The Album by Kendrick Lamar
22. Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke
23. Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

Subscribe to the 2018 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2017 Top 31s

#4 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

January 28, 2018 by Royal Stuart

Sleep Well Beast by The National

Duh. You expected this album to be ranked up this high on the Top 31, I’m sure. I’m fairly predictable when it comes to The National. Their last two albums, Trouble Will Find Me in 2013 and High Violet in 2010 were ranked #2 and #1 in their respective years. The fact that Sleep Well Beast, the band’s lovely seventh album, is ranked #4 is unusually low for them.

But wow, this album. It matters not that the album doesn’t stray into the rhythmically unique as much as the band did on Trouble or 2007’s Boxer. What stands out on this album are the way the band breaks character, ever so slightly. There’s a crack in the wall of their shine, a subtle but purposeful shift from “mechanically clean” to “slightly smudged” — as if they’re the muscle car whose owner has decided it’s time to pull the muffler off.

The usual sound from The National is there. Matt Berninger’s baritone hangs ever-so-beautifully over the orchestrated output from the sets of brothers, Dessner and Devendorf. It’s not unusual for The National to get loud and raucous on stage, but their albums tend to be studied affairs. But where there is similarity on Sleep Well Beast, there is also divergence. Look at “Turtleneck,” for instance. This song stands out for its sheer brazenness — Berninger is practically yelling across the entirety of the song, reminding me of Nick Cave’s “Babe, I’m On Fire” (if you’ve not heard that 14+ minute rager of a song, I command you to go listen to it right now).

I’m not sure if you hold The National with the same high regard that I do. To many, they are the quintessential “dad rock” band, and, well, I’m a dad twice over, so… But I am surprised at their lack of superstardom all the same. This is a band that has produced solid album after solid album, getting better with age. If you’ve not yet heard this album, run out and change that right now. I’m sure it’ll convince you to change your opinion of them, for better or worse; nothing will be the same after you’ve heard it.

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5. Soul of a Woman by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
6. Relaxer by Alt-J
7. Hot Thoughts by Spoon
8. Colors by Beck
9. Mental Illness by Aimee Mann
10. The Wild by The Rural Alberta Advantage
11. american dream by LCD Soundsystem
12. Crack-Up by Fleet Foxes
13. Famous Last Words by The True Loves
14. Cry Cry Cry by Wolf Parade
15. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty
16. Shake the Shudder by !!!
17. La La Land (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by La La Land
18. The Underside of Power by Algiers
19. What Now by Sylvan Esso
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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2009-2016 Top 31s

#30 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

January 02, 2018 by Royal Stuart

Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister

Through no fault of its own, this album is merely “interesting,” not phenomenal. I believe it’s hard to collaborate when you’re a fairly big name on your own — as the men in this “supergroup” are, especially Sufjan Stevens and Bryce Dessner (lead guitarist from The National), both of whom have appeared on the Bacon Top 31 numerous times over the years. These artists must find it difficult to create something together that is on par with what they’ve created on their own prior to the collaboration. I’m sure there’s a great supergroup collaboration out there that I’m forgetting — one better than the sum of its parts — but it escapes me. It seems that the supergroup’s output is always going to be worse on the whole.

Be that as it may, Planetarium is worth repeated listening. On its surface, it sounds like an extension of my favorite Sufjan album, The Age of Adz (#3 in 2010), which makes sense given that these songs were originally written back in 2011. It’s difficult to pick out Dessner’s guitar work, but Sufjan is unmistakeable on the handful of songs on which he sings. And I’m unfamiliar with the work of contemporary classical music composer Nico Muhly or percussionist James McAlister.

Between the nice songs with Sufjan vocals are some meandering, orchestral oddities that oscillate from darkness and foreboding to light and airy, without providing much substance to speak of. And that is why we find the album here, near the bottom of the Top 31. Do be sure to check out the Sufjan creation linked in the video above; the man is a genius of both song and visuals. And while this album may not be the best of his output, give it a listen yourself and let me know what you think.

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31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

2009-2016 Top 31s

#17 on the 2016 Bacon Top 31

December 15, 2016 by Royal Stuart

Not To Disappear by Daughter

When listening to the album featured here at #17, a coworker of mine declared “this is what it would sound like if The National were fronted by a woman.” And wow if he wasn’t spot on. Daughter, from England, has been on Top 31 before, when their debut album, If You Leave, made it up to #11 in 2013. That was a fantastic album, and their sophomore album, Not To Disappear, is a continuation of that beginning.

Quiet, brooding, with strong drum lines and dark lyrics, the band makes you feel as though you’re sitting in a dimly lit and dank basement room, talking to a troubled friend in hushed tones about things only the closest of friends can talk about. The lead singer, Elena Tonra, has a voice that is just beyond clarity, causing you to lean in closer to hear her.

Definitely if you liked the band’s first album, you’ll like this, too. But even if you’ve not heard of Daughter before, this album is worth a listen. Seek it out.

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18. Sunlit Youth by Local Natives
19. I Had a Dream That You Were Mine by Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
20. ★ by David Bowie
21. Farewell, Starlite! by Francis and the Lights
22. This Unruly Mess I’ve Made by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
23. LNZNDRF by LNZNDRF
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

#23 on the 2016 Bacon Top 31

December 09, 2016 by Royal Stuart

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

#1 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31

December 31, 2015 by Royal Stuart

Every Open Eye by Chvrches

You could see this one coming a mile away. I’ve talked a lot about this album all year, and the Top 31 is chockablock with bands that sound just like this band. But none of them are as good as Chvrches.

You may remember them from their debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, which was #4 in 2013. I didn’t think Bones could be topped, and when I first heard Every Open Eye, I’d believed that. And then I listened to it again. And again. And again. I’ve been listening to it pretty much non-stop since it arrived in late September. That‘s when I knew.

Chvrches is a trio from Glasgow, Scotland. Lauren Mayberry sings lead vocals (and sometimes plays synthesizers and samplers). Iain Cook plays synthesizers (and sometimes guitar, bass, and sings backup vocals — and even lead on a couple songs). And Martin Doherty also plays synthesizers and samplers (and sings backup vocals). Strong female-led vocals on top of synthesizers; Chvrches is defining the synth-pop genre, one glorious song after another.

The video above, for “Empty Threat,” is a fun video, but it’s not the best song on the album. That would have to be “Clearest Blue,” but sadly there’s only a lyric video for that song. You can also see a video for “Leave a Trace” and a couple other lyric videos. “Clearest Blue” is the climax of this album, and demonstrates what makes this band so great. There’s nothing truly surprising about what they do. It’s derivative pop, but isn’t that what pop is all about: taking a well-defined set of tools and changing things around slightly to make it your own? That’s what Chvrches does, and they do it superbly.

I’m somewhat disappointed to say that this is only the second time a woman has topped the Bacon Top 31 in the seven years I’ve been compiling this list (Fiona Apple did it in 2012). Not only that, but I enjoyed more women-led bands in 2015 then ever before, at 10 acts. (In 2009 there were five, 2010 and 2011 just one(!), 2012 and 2013 there were six each, and last year there were nine. This is a good trend.)

While researching for this article I came across this video of Lauren Mayberry singing a duet with former #1 one band on the Top 31, The National, at this year’s Treasure Island Music Festival. Following that, there was this fun little interview between Mayberry and The National’s lead singer Matt Berninger about that performance and other lead-singer #firstworldproblems. Watch that second video and you’ll get to hear Berninger say about The National: “We are the mop bucket of indie rock,” and Mayberry about her musical ability: “I’m the emotional litmus test.” I want to have dinner with them both.

What a great year for music. It took me a while to realize that Every Open Eye deserved to be the #1 album, but after listening to it for the hundredth time, and realizing the staying power their previous album has had in my ears, it’s clear I’m going to be listening to this band well beyond the time it would be merely embarrassing for my son to admit. I look forward to being a grandpa and reminiscing about this band. Or, who knows, maybe they’ll still be producing music then, a la The Rolling Stones. Wouldn’t that be something!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the countdown as much as I have. I’m already listening to things that will be on next years countdown, but did I miss anything this year? Let me know! I always have a couple albums that I regret not having heard sooner (like the San Fermin album Jackrabbit, which I didn’t hear until a couple weeks ago). Until next year…

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2. Coming Home by Leon Bridges
3. My Love Is Cool by Wolf Alice
4. Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens
5. Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit by Courtney Barnett
6. I Love You, Honeybear by Father John Misty
7. Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes
8. Another Eternity by Purity Ring
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

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

#10 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31

December 22, 2015 by Royal Stuart

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

The new album, Gunnera, from Danny Seim (Menomena), Bryan Devendorf (The National), and Dave Nelson (Sufjan Stevens). Gunnera out May 12th. Available for preorder now: http://store.jurassicpoprecords.com/

#27 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31

December 05, 2015 by Royal Stuart

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

#19 on the 2014 Bacon Top 31

December 13, 2014 by Royal Stuart

Only Run by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

I have liked the band at #19 since I first heard a song of theirs thrown at me by KEXP back in 2005. I remember being bowled over by them immediately. Then hearing the band’s name, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, I couldn’t think of a more strange yet more appropriate name for what I’d just heard.

Fast forward to this past August, when I saw the band perform at the Croc:

I’ve now seen CYSHY eight times, and the transformation of the band over the last nine years has been amazing to witness firsthand. Alec Ounsworth, the band’s principal songwriter, lead singer, and driving force, has calmed himself. No longer does he bounce around on stage, as he once did oh so many years ago. He sounds very much the same, allowing his broken, high-pitched, David-Byrne-meets-Gordon-Gano voice to carry him through.

And later on in the same article:

Barely moving around, not quite leaving the mic, [Ounsworth] looked tired. The set was still fun, and the rest of the crowd seemed pleased with what they were hearing. Perhaps it was an off day for him. But more likely, I feel he’s a reluctant star. The band’s debut album, self-released, was an overnight success, and still holds up well nearly 10 years later. It will be one of a handful of albums that defines the early 2000s for many years to come. And that can be a hell of a lot of weight on somebody.

The band’s second album, Some Loud Thunder, was generally panned by critics, so that just adds to the difficulty Ounsworth has had to endure. Hysterical, the band’s third album, from 2011, started to show signs of life, and brought me, personally, back into liking the band. Only Run, their fourth in just nine long years, is the best of “new CYHSY.” But the years have clearly taken their toll on Ounsworth, who appears as if he’d prefer to stay at home and make music rather than tour around and play 9-year-old songs to a crowd that doesn’t appear to appreciate his new work as much.

Well I’m here to say I do appreciate his new work. All of it, in fact. Hysterical was on the 2011 countdown at #16, and Ounsworth’s solo album, Mo Beauty, ended up on my first-ever countdown at #20. Only Run is better than both of those albums, and it only ranked at #19 because there was a lot of good music this year. There’s even a track on the album that features Matt Berninger (lead singer of The National).

I hope Ounsworth and CYHSY continue to create and play music well into the future. I hope the exhaustion I saw in him back in August was just a temporary thing. And I hope you like this album. The more of us who like it, the more likely they are to continue to making great music.

Side Note: In looking for the video to put at the top of this post, I came across this great song by German DJ/producer Claptone featuring Alec Ounsworth on vocals. The song is called “Ghost” and the video is kinda creepy, but watch it so you can listen to the song. And of course, there’s a site that documents an interview the two of them did of each other.

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20. Augustines by Augustines
21. El Pintor by Interpol
22. I Never Learn by Lykke Li
23. Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes by Thom Yorke
24. The Voyager by Jenny Lewis
25. Voices by Phantogram
26. Morning Phase by Beck
27. Hungry Ghosts by OK Go
28. Run the Jewels 2 by Run the Jewels
29. Cosmos by Yellow Ostrich
30. Teeth Dreams by The Hold Steady
31. With Light & With Love by Woods

2009-2013 Top 31s

#2 on the 2013 Musical Bacon Calendar

December 30, 2013 by Royal Stuart

Trouble Will Find Me by The National

Upon your initial run-through of “I Should Live in Salt,” the first song on The National’s fantastic sixth studio album Trouble Will Find Me, you’re struck by how unnatural the beat is. The measures alternate between nine and eight beats (although I’m not smart enough to know if that means there’s actually a 17-beat measure encompassing both), and every time you hear that ninth beat you’re caught off guard. A few more listens and you’re able to sit comfortably with it, applauding yourself on your ability to recognize it when it’s coming, each time, predictable as the sun rise. Then, after sitting with the album for a couple months, you no longer notice that errant beat — you’ve successfully absorbed the unsettled-nature of the alternating beat, and are therefore left to contemplate the subtleties.

This is the nature of every song on the album. “Demons,” the 2nd song, has seven beats to every measure. You have to get to the third song, “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” before you’re rewarded with a more familiar 4-beat rhythm. Experimentation with rhythm is nothing new to The National. In fact, it’s something that drew me so strongly to them back in 2007, with their phenomenal song “Fake Empire” from their fourth album, Boxer. Back then, Bryce Dessner said of the rhythms in that song:

“The first song, ‘Fake Empire,’ is one that I wrote, and conceptually I said I would love to write a song that was based on a certain polyrhythm, the four-over-three pattern, which is what you hear in the piano. It’s something I, personally, have never heard in rock music. What’s interesting is the song sounds like it’s in four, but it’s in three. The harmonies and the way I’m playing the piano music are actually incredibly simple — sort of like ‘Chopsticks’ simple — with this really weird rhythm.”

This is also not the first time The National have appeared on the Calendar. In 2010, I fell hard for Matt Berninger and the brothers Dessner and Devendorf, placing their fifth album, High Violet, in the #1 spot for that year. So I was predisposed to love Trouble. There’s nothing new about the new album — if you liked them before, you’ll continue to like them, and if you disliked them up to this point, I don’t believe this album will sway your opinion. But if you’re unfamiliar with them, this is a perfect album with which to start your obsession. If High Violet was the output of a band at the top of their game (it was), then Trouble is that of a band finally free of any need to prove themselves.

This album could have been complete shit and people would have continued to buy it in droves. Imagine the freedom knowing something like that would put on your creative process. I would normally believe the pressure to succeed wildly would be a powerful motivator. This album is proof that it can be the opposite as well. We’ve got nothing left to prove, we’ve reached the pinnacle, and oh, by the way, here’s another album that’s going to knock your fucking socks off.

P.S. The band also performed the song “Sailors in Your Mouth,” which is from the cartoon Bob’s Burgers, (animated video here) after having done “Kill Your Turkey” for them last year, and having had the band’s video for “Conversation 16” from 2010’s High Violet directed by Bob’s Burgers director Scott Jacobson. How can you not love them?

P.P.S. The video above, for “Sea of Love,” is an original song by the National, with a completely ripped-off video. “A loving homage to one of our favorite punk rock videos,” as the band put it when the video was released. The original video, which you can watch here, is by a band called Zvuki Mu, a Russian punk band, for their song “Grubiy Zakat” You can view their video here.

Tomorrow: NUMERO UNO. So excited!

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3. Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend
4. The Bones Of What You Believe by Chvrches
5. The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You by Neko Case
6. In Focus? by Shugo Tokumaru
7. Psychic by Darkside
8. AMOK by Atoms for Peace
9. White Lighter by Typhoon
10. Hummingbird by Local Natives
11. If You Leave by Daughter
12. Pedestrian Verse by Frightened Rabbit
13. The Silver Gymnasium by Okkervil River
14. The Next Day by David Bowie
15. Reflektor by Arcade Fire
16. We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic by Foxygen
17. Lanters by Son Lux
18. Howlin’ by Jagwar Ma
19. Impersonator by Majical Cloudz
20. Dream Cave by Cloud Control
21. Mole City by Quasi
22. Phantogram by Phantogram
23. Julia With Blue Jeans On by Moonface
24. Uncanney Valley by The Dismemberment Plan
25. Event II by Deltron 3030
26. Wise Up Ghost by Elvis Costello and The Roots
27. Us Alone by Hayden
28. Pure Heroine by Lorde
29. Shaking the Habitual by The Knife
30. False Idols by Tricky
31. Let’s Be Still by The Head and the Heart

2012 Musical Bacon Calendar
2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
2009 Musical Bacon Calendar

#10 on the 2013 Musical Bacon Calendar

December 22, 2013 by Royal Stuart

Hummingbird by Local Natives

Top ten of 2013. Let’s do this.

It’s a wonderful thing when a band disproves the “sophomore slump” pitfall that many bands experience. Hummingbird, the fantastic second album from Los Angeles band Local Natives, has the band pushing out the boundaries from their excellent first album, Gorilla Manor, which made the Musical Bacon Calendar back in 2010 at nearly the same spot in the list. Where the first album was bouncy, joyous, a celebration of life, the second album is darker, sadder, and melancholy. This is not a bad thing.

In the time between the first and second albums, the quintet became a quartet, and lead singer Kelcey Ayer’s mother passed away. These two separate but collectively difficult moments became the foundation of what would turn into Hummingbird. Additionally, the band tapped Aaron Dessner, from The National, to produce and perform on the album, which most certainly had an influence on where it would go. Aside from the vocals, which continue to be lovingly delivered by the lead-singing duo of Ayer and Taylor Rice, this could very well be a National album (and you already know how much I love them). Ayer and Rice alternate duties at the lead mic, each of them with gorgeous, higher-register voices with Ayer relying on falsetto and Rice seemingly pushing his voice up without it. Both of whom sound decidedly different from Matt Berninger’s (lead singer in The National) baritone.

The album’s high points are also the most bleak songs on the album: “Three Months” and “Colombia.” The band hasn’t released either of the songs as singles or videos, but there are a number of band-sanctioned live performances out there of the songs, the best of which are from a show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg the week after this album released and this performance from January on air for NPR and KCRW. The videos they have released from this album, including “You & I” above, as well as “Heavy Feet,” “Ceilings,” and “Breakers” all have an irreverance that verges on uncomfortable that makes for an interesting listening/watching experience.

There really is no difference between hearing these songs live or recorded, much to the band’s musicianship. With two albums under their belts, they’ve now proven their ability to craft intelligent, immersive songs that take you to an emotional high only few songs can. This band is still on the unknown side, which is a blessing and a curse. I get to enjoy them at the relatively smaller spaces like The Neptune and the Showbox at the Market, but they don’t get to enjoy the benefits of being an indie band that’s broken through. This will change. Perhaps not on the dour strength of Hummingbird, but maybe on the next endeavor, whenever that will be.

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11. If You Leave by Daughter
12. Pedestrian Verse by Frightened Rabbit
13. The Silver Gymnasium by Okkervil River
14. The Next Day by David Bowie
15. Reflektor by Arcade Fire
16. We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic by Foxygen
17. Lanters by Son Lux
18. Howlin’ by Jagwar Ma
19. Impersonator by Majical Cloudz
20. Dream Cave by Cloud Control
21. Mole City by Quasi
22. Phantogram by Phantogram
23. Julia With Blue Jeans On by Moonface
24. Uncanney Valley by The Dismemberment Plan
25. Event II by Deltron 3030
26. Wise Up Ghost by Elvis Costello and The Roots
27. Us Alone by Hayden
28. Pure Heroine by Lorde
29. Shaking the Habitual by The Knife
30. False Idols by Tricky
31. Let’s Be Still by The Head and the Heart

2012 Musical Bacon Calendar
2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
2009 Musical Bacon Calendar