The Coast Is Never Clear

At surface level, Beulah's The Coast is Never Clear is a fantastic album that had me enamored from my first listen, and the story surrounding the band around the time that they made this record has kept it interesting.
Miles Kurosky, the band's vocalist, wrote much of the material for the album while in Japan, and mailed demo tapes to each of his band mates. Their individual interpretations led to different styles of music on some songs, which gave way to a variety of instruments featured on any given track. The lyrical tone of the album was influenced by Kurosky having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder just as the band began recording. The fusion of upbeat California pop, alt country, and garage rock was met with dark and down beat lyrics. The result could have been a disaster, but the album stands out among the band's other work (which is also good and worth checking out). Many artists try to fuse genres and juxtapose mood with varying degrees of success, but Beulah's ability to do so on this album comes off as sincere, especially in the context of how the material was developed and arranged.

Beulah MySpace (Unofficial)
Miles Kurosky MySpace

20 Favorite Songs of 2009

Musical preferences vary with and without reason from person to person, but given enough time any number of people can find common ground. With that in mind, I'd also like to point out that the following list has no more or less merit than any other that simply states partiality. Hopefully, though, we're able to share an interest in at least one of these songs.

Animal Collective - My Girls
Au Revoir Simone - Shadows
The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
Gui Boratto - Besides
Dirty Projectors - Stillness is the Move
The Dodos - Fables
Dutchess and The Duke - Let it Die
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
JJ - From Africa to Malaga
Lusine - Baffle
Metric - Help I'm Alive
Modest Mouse - Satellite Skin
The National - So Far Around the Bend
Pariah - Detroit Falls
Portishead - Chase the Tear
Trailer Trash Tracys - Candy Girl
The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa
The XX - Crystalized
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

Cory's List

The Best Songs I Heard This Year

I don't think there's a need to further introduce or define this bookend year to the musical decade. I'll leave that up to the professionals at Pitchfork, Paste, Rolling Stone, and the amazing amount of quality blogs out there. However, I think its important that I put this list into a personal context. This year opened my ears sonically to music that I would have easily shoved aside a few years ago. There is a mix of nostalgia for the roots rock that I am consistently drawn to but also a pull toward the more complex nature of current electronic/indie trends (see: anything by Animal Collective or Dirty Projectors).

This list is by no means extensive or in any particular order. There are many bands that I am just getting to know (the xx and Fanfarlo to name a few) and bands that I haven't found yet. These are songs that I have simply not been able to put down, songs that seem uncompromisingly honest, and songs/artists that I have recommended in conversations throughout the year.

I hope you found some new and worthwhile music over the past 12 months. There was certainly plenty of good tuneage to go around.

Andrew Bird - Anonanimal

Animal Collective - My Girls

Avett Brothers - I and Love and You (a close second: Laundry Room and really just the whole record)

Bon Iver - Blood Bank

Dave Matthews Band - Seven

Dawes - When My Time Comes

Devendra Banhart - 16th & Valencia Roxy Music

Dirt Projectors - Stillness is the Move (a close second: Cannibal Resource)

Dirt Projectors and David Byrne - Knotty Pine

Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Shampoo

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

J.Tillman - Earthy Bodies

Mason Jennings - The Field

Monsters of Folk - Dear God

The National - So Far Around the Bend

Passion Pit - The Reeling

Pearl Jam - The Fixer

Phoenix - 1901

The Swell Season - Feeling the Pull

Wilco - One Wing

Wild Light - California on My Mind

Ryan's List

Labrador

Loyal Divide follow up their eclectic (and maybe at times a little over ambitious) self titled EP with some cleverly arranged ambient pop on Labrador. While both albums draw from similar influences, the latter brings more cohesion from track to track. Through the right combination of ominous vocals, glitchy and brittle beats, and a wistful synth, the band has established a consistent voice and a foundation for their sound.

Loyal Divide MySpace

R.E.M. Live at the Olympia in Dublin

The latest release from R.E.M. is a 39 track live recording that should do more than keep fans satisfied until their next studio album. The collection includes unpolished performances of several songs from last year's Accelerate that the band debuted during this live stint. In a couple of cases the difference between the live track and the final version are extremely noticeable, but for the most part, everything seems to have been put into place before they were road tested. The newer material provides a good core for the record, but a good portion of the album features songs from the group's I.R.S years. The modern takes on the older songs helped me realize, not only, just how much the band has matured and progressed in terms of their craft, but also how steady they have been for so long.

R.E.M. MySpace

Jukebox Update 11/17/09

This blog has been inspired by the excitement we get from finding, sharing, and/or rediscovering music. Unfortunately the balance between an enthusiasm for discussing music and the tasks of everyday life, ranging from trivial to crucial, has been skewed enough to deter from regular posts over the last several weeks. Through acknowledging the lack of posts, I hope to avoid another lapse and move forward with a renewed desire to write.

Moneypenny

I was passing by one of the stages at Wicker Park Fest just as Moneypenny started their set in front of a group of about a dozen people. Quickly into their DJ set, the duo had attracted a much larger crowd and had people dancing as far back as the end of the block. A few weeks later at Lollapalooza, they had another large crowd moving and shaking during their DJ set before debuting some original dance/vocal pop compostions. The change of pace seemed drastic, and the performance was new and parts came off as slightly unpolished, but the songs were fun and kept the crowd interested. I am looking forward to hearing more in terms of their new direction, and in the meantime, I've been enjoying the free mixtapes.

Monneypenny at Wicker Park Fest 2009