songs of the year so far

'Albums of the year' lists should only be produced in December when there has been time for records to sink in and 'mature'. Some records are Summer albums and some are perfect for Winter (such as most Innocence Mission albums), so there will be no decision made on an album of the year here until December and there will be no '....so far' list. However, it seems perfectly fine to do a 'top 5 songs of the year so far' list so here are the five songs that have most pleased TracksandGigs this year. This is of course a personal selection and I would welcome any other picks, just leave a comment...

1. American Music Club 'Sleeping Beauty'

Every new AMC/Eitzel album seems to bring at least one brand new Mark Eitzel classic. 'The Golden Age' contains two or three, but best of all is 'Sleeping Beauty', a song on a par with classics like 'Western Sky' and 'Blue and Grey Shirt'. It takes a special songwriter to write a song this visual and vivid, so that it is impossible to listen to without a picture of the scene forming in your mind. The lyric is heartbreaking and the music fits the words perfectly, building in the right places and the "fly in a jar.." finish where the music builds to almost drown out Eitzel is brilliant. Just superb and the most perfect piece of music TracksandGigs has heard in 2008 so far.

2. Tindersticks 'Boobar'

There are some great songs on the new Tindersticks album but 'Boobar' is just about the best and one of the best things they have ever recorded. Written about searching for something that is lost, Stuart Staples sings this so well, Neil Fraser plays great guitar and is at last at the centre of the song after years of being drowned out by Dickon Hinchcliffe's violin and the Spector-ish call and response vocals are magical.

3. The Sleeping Years 'Macosquin, Coleraine'

It had been too long to wait for a new Dale Grundle record and 'We're Becoming Islands One By One' was worth the wait. This track is the highlight, like many on the album it is a song about home. A simple arrangement, acoustic guitar, handclaps and vocals and a beautiful song.

4. The Twilight Sad 'Some Things Last A Long Time'

The band who can currently do no wrong here recorded this Daniel Johnston cover for their new EP. Stripping the song right down makes James Gordon's vocal sound unbelievably powerful and raw. Powerful and haunting.

5. The Dodos 'Fools'

The Dodos album is a really enjoyable listen. Lots of strumming, harmonies and great percussion. This is the highlight and will probably be used on some advert or BBC intro by the end of the year. Catchy and exciting.

Here's to the second half of 2008 being as good as the first.

Fleet Foxes 'Fleet Foxes'

Hype. Hypety, hypety, hype, hype. Hype.

Its a funny old World readers . Mark Eitzel has spent most of the last twenty years writing some of the most brutal and beautiful songs ever written and nobody bats an eyelid. No 9.0s on Pitchfork, no big features in G2 etc etc. Now though, you can't open a magazine or 'paper without reading yet more about how groundbreaking and wonderful the Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes albums are. The Bon Iver album is great, no doubt about that. Excellent songs and a great story. Bon Iver was April and May, but that album is yesterday's news and now the Fleet Foxes LP is the greatest thing ever, with one review claiming it was unlike anything we have heard before. Really?

No. 'Fleet Foxes' is an enjoyable mix of folk, gospel and classic rock and sounds a lot like the first couple of My Morning Jacket records. They do a nice line in acappella harmonies, particularly on opener 'Sun It Rises'. The highlight is 'White Winter Hymnal', a ridiculously catchy summer pop number that you will be humming all day, whilst trying to figure out the scary and visual lyrics. There is no getting away from the My Morning Jacket comparison, singer Robin Picknold sounds an awful lot like Jim James and a lot of the music has the same Southern rock sound. They do great, heartfelt ballads too, 'Ragged Wood' works through several different phases always staying interesting.

This is an enjoyable record. Fans of all sorts of genres will appreciate it, there are Country elements here too and perhaps the reason for all the hype is that it is so far-reaching. Dreamy, soulful and perfect for a Summer's day then, but not unique.

8.0

'Fleet Foxes' is out now on Bella Union. As if you didn't already know.

Sigur Ros 'Gobbledigook'

I'd somehow managed to avoid getting completely obsessed with Sigur Ros.

Sure, I had heard and liked the music on the BBC adverts and I bought 'Takk' but something didn't really click and I found it all a bit too polished. However, 'Gobbledigook' is something else altogether. TracksandGigs are a bit behind the game with this, as this was released as a free mp3 on the band's website a couple of weeks ago, the album is out on Monday. 'Gobbledigook' is stunningly beautiful. All acoustic guitars, tribal drums and singing that I cannot understand but sounds splendid. This is a marvellous tune to play on the train each morning as its otherworldly (is that an actual word?) beauty strikes a juxtoposition (can you strike a juxtoposition?) with the dull, clinical commuter world around me. I look at striped-suit-man listening to Coldplay and reading the Times and I turn up 'Gobbledigook' and it makes me feel better, takes me somewhere else.

'Gobbledigook' is out now as a free mp3. The album 'Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust' (English translation: With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly) is out on Monday.

The Hold Steady 'Stay Positive'

The Hold Steady 'Stay Positive' - early thoughts

I don't normally do this, I usually just keep listening to an album until I'm ready to review it 'properly' but there is a new Hold Steady album and things have to be said!

It may be surprising, given the amount TracksandGigs wrote about THS last year, that there has been nothing on here about 'Stay Positive' until now, since it leaked a fortnight ago. Well, this may be an unfashionable view, but I don't agree with leaks- I don't download them and there are no leaks on this blog. While others have been listening to poor quality pirated copies of the album, I have waited, and today was rewarded as 'Stay Positive' was released on itunes.

Must have listened about 6-7 times so far, but don't yet feel able to write a proper review. More listening and more sinking in required. I am prepared to say though, that it contains two of my all-time favourite Hold Steady songs... 'Lord I'm Discouraged' and 'One For The Cutters', both of which are pretty radical departures from what has gone before.

Full review coming up later this week, but in the meantime, would be interested to hear what other people think. Listening to 'Joke About Jamaica' now are that one is really starting to click.

The Sleeping Years 'We're Becoming Islands One By One'

For all the attention the Bon Iver album is now receiving, and TracksandGigs gave it a glowing review back in...March, there is nothing revolutionary about it. A man with an acoustic guitar sings songs that a lot of people enjoy listening to and lyrics that appear to be deeply personal manage to be universal at the same time. Justin Vernon has managed to do this very well, plus he has a great story to tell, and that is why he has made one of the albums of the year.

Ten years ago, Irish singer-songwriter Dale Grundle was making equally affecting music with his band the Catchers. Their debut album 'Mute' was a beautiful folk/pop record with ballads and breezy summer pop from a simple guitar/drums/keyboards formula and sung by Dale and his co-vocalist Alice Lemon. They received great reviews but were ignored by the public at large and adored by a loyal fanbase who were never able to quite explain why these apparently simple songs meant so much to them. Follow-up album 'Stooping To Fit', released in 1998, was more of the same but with a slightly harder edge and then that was it. They were gone. Grundle stopped making music completely until now, as he has returned with a new project 'The Sleeping Years', this is their debut album.

In his new band, Dale sings, plays guitar, bass and piano and he is joined by Michelle So on cello and Tom Page on drums. The sound is probably a little more folk and a little less pop than Catchers were. Many of the songs are set around acoustic guitar and vocals and sound more like a singer-songwriter than a band.

'We're Becoming Islands, One By One', it would seem to me, is a record about the passing of time and trying to keep a hold on memories and a feeling of 'home' that has become increasingly difficult in the world we live in. On 'Macosquin, Coleraine', a gorgeous hymn with strong vocals and well-timed handclaps, he sings "And they say they know you, that they grew with you, but you don’t know them at all". 'You and Me Against The World' manages to sound sad and defiant at the same time, with a jaunty melody and a world-weary vocal, in a parallel universe it is being played on the radio every day.

Grundle has crafted a fine album here. His voice is as strong as it ever was with Catchers, full of hope and clarity, his lyrics are superb and touching. It comes as no surprise to learn that a few of the songs were written after conversations with his Mother and Father, there is a feeling of yearning for home and for traditional values throughout the record. This is an old-fashioned record in many ways, the songs are delicate and whereas some artists would have been tempted to add a bit orchestral sound to these brush strokes, Grundle keeps things simple. 'We're Becoming Islands...' is a warm and rewarding listen. There are individual track highlights but it seems wrong to single them out from an album that fits together so well. If you enjoy good songwriting and great singing and melodies, this understated gem is an essential purchase.

Let's hope it gets the credit it deserves.

9.0

'We're Becoming Islands One By One' is out now on Rocket Girl.
for more info visit http://www.sleepingyears.com/

She & Him 'Volume One'

Disappointment. It is everywhere in life.

TracksandGigs has had it's fair share. From Nico Rosberg getting caught up in Lewis "stupid" Hamilton's accident in the Grand Prix yesterday to Planet Clothing in Bedford deciding to stop stocking Carhartt, things often just won't go the way we would like them to. Against all the odds and expectations, the new LP from She & Him has to go down as a disappointment too.

She & Him is a collaboration between actress Zooey Deschanel and singer songwriter, producer and arranger M Ward (who can do no wrong in TracksandGigs' book). Deschanel has written and sung the songs, Ward has arranged and produced them and plays guitars and keys. The preview track 'Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?' was distributed months ago and raised expectations sky high as it is a wonderful, shimmery pop masterpiece with Ward's arrangement sounding Spector-like and Zooey sounding like Nancy Sinatra singing 'Jackson', containing at least three hooks it is quite splendid and I hoped for more of the same on the LP.

Which, to an extent, is what you get. Opener 'Sentimental Heart' is country/pop similar to the Jenny Lewis solo album but is a nice enough lead into 'Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?'. After that,'This Is Not A Test' benefits from an upbeat, stripped down arrangement and a humourous lyric. After that though a certain amount of laziness sets in. Many of the tracks in the mid-section of the album are interchangable country ballads with laid back woozy arrangements and lots of pedal steel. Deschanel sounds less Nancy and more Dolly Parton. Ward keeps things simple music-wise, allowing the songs to breathe and presumably aiming to put the spotlight on lyrics and vocals. Vocally, Deschanel is great. She has a strong, warm voice and puts character into her singing but too many of these songs are standard "you've done me wrong, but I still love you" / "I did you wrong, now I'm lonesome" affairs. Looking at the track list, at least six of the twelve songs follow this theme and it does become dull and a little irritating.

What is frustrating is that when this record is good, it is superb. 'I Was Made For You' is extraordinary. Great fun and hard to believe that it isn't actually a 50s Girl Band standard. 'I Should Have Known Better', a Beatles cover, is a sweet duet, benefiting from M Ward's additional vocals. 'Sweet Darlin'' is more upbeat, with a 60s sound and some great backing vocals.

There is plenty to love here and it is an enjoyable album to listen to on a Summer's day, but in many ways it feels like a missed opportunity. Good music, good arrangement and a good singer singing good songs, but frequently a spark is lacking.

7.0

'Volume One' is out now on Domino.

The Twilight Sad 'Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did'

The Twilight Sad's debut album '14 Autumns and 15 Winters', from nowhere, was one of the highlights of last year. The Glasgow band mixed passionate vocals, loud guitars and a pounding rhythm section to create a sound that occasionally resembled My Bloody Valentine fronted by one of the Proclaimers. That is meant to be a compliment, the album was one of the best five released last year and gets played on the 'TracksandGigs stereo' extremely regularly.

This new EP is designed to show another side of the band. It features four new recordings of songs from the LP, a new song and a Daniel Johnston cover. The arrangements are very different, far more restrained and the band never unleash their 'full on noise' as they often do on '14 Autumns..'. This turns the focus to the vocals and the melodies and reveal James Graham to be a quite amazing singer. Losing none of the passion he shows on the bands louder recordings, he twists and turns the lyrics of these songs to give them a different feel to the earlier recordings.

'And She Would Darken The Memory' in particular is stunning here. Building slowly into a dense soundscape but never cutting loose, with violin and organ used to great effect, it circles the listener creating a truly haunting effect. The Daniel Johnston cover 'Some Things Last A Long Time' is another highlight using space and tension in a similar way to 'Talking With Fireworks' from the LP.

The first time you listen to this EP, you keep expecting the band to cut loose and use the wall of sound guitar sound as they did on the album. They never do, instead using tension, reverb and slow builds to create an entirely different sound but with the same passion in the vocals. This is a very confident release for such a young group and shows a band who are ready to try different ideas and experiment with their sound. Its a great companion to '14 Autumns..' and we await the follow up LP with very high hopes.

9.1

'Here It Never Snowed...' is out now on Fat Cat Records on LP/CD/download.

Zak Sally 'My Secret World'

If you'd asked TracksandGigs to make a list of people we were least expecting to hear new music from, Zak Sally (formerly of Low) would be fairly high on the list. As far as I was aware Zak had basically quit music after leaving the Duluth slowcore legends and was concentrating on acting and producing his comic books.

No.

He's Back! Zak was always my favourite in Low. He made gigs so exciting with his handclaps, out of tune backing vocals, amusing remarks which would often make Alan and Mimi look faintly disgusted and the fact that he wore the same red shirt every gig (or seemed to). Zak was great and Low have quite simply not been the same since.

But, now Zak seems to be embarking on a solo career and has made 'My Secret World', the first track from an album called 'Fear Of Song', available. Those Low fans who heard Zak singing on 'I Love...' may have reservations but while Zak is no Russell Watson, his voice has....character. As does this song. 'My Secret World' is an exciting and unusual ride. Over industrial sounding drums and symbols and electric guitars playing apparently random chords, Zak sings in a laid back manner full of pauses and runover sentences. The lyrics are fascinating. For example...."All I wanted was to find my....spot", sung with some passion and "your nose bled every time they hit that.....note". Its a song about trying to find your own place and not follow the rules and beliefs of others. Hmmmmmm.

And TracksandGigs can declare, in all seriousness, that it is a far more exciting and interesting song than anything Low have produced since Zak left.

You can listen here ... http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Zak%20Sally%20-%20My%20Secret%20World.mp3

Album coming soon, we hope.

There is absolutely loads of new stuff released on Monday, including LPs from Twilight Sad, Fleet Foxes, She and Him, Sleeping Years and (deep breath) My Morning Jacket. Why do they have to all come at once like this?? We hope to have reviews of at least some, over the weekend.

Tindersticks 'What Are You Fighting For?' 7" tour only single

Released on vinyl only as a tour single, it is only in the last few days that I have been able to give this repeated listens. Having done so, it is a mystery to me why this was not included on 'The Hungry Saw' LP.

One of the happiest things about the Tindersticks' re-shuffle is that David Boulter's contributions to the songwriting and the music have increased. Here, he plays a lovely keyboard piece, gently building all the time until it ends the song with a similar sound to 'Introduction'. At the recent London show this meant that the set was bookended by solo contributions from Boulter and that was very appropriate given the amount of influence he had on the rebirth of Tindersticks. This song is, in many ways, a companion piece to Waiting For The Moon's 'Running Wild', all understated and laid back playing. Stuart Staples sings of moving on and letting things go, in much the same way as he does on the beautiful 'Pulling Into The Sea'.

They must have had their reasons for leaving 'What Are You Fighting For?' off 'The Hungry Saw' but it had nothing to do with quality. This is a gorgeous track.

The Dodos 'Visiter'

The Dodos, new to TracksandGigs until this weekend, are a three piece from San Francisco led by singer/guitarist Meric Long and drummer/percussionist Logan Kroeber. 'Visiter' is their new album and is one of the most exciting things I have heard all year.

Their sound is minimalist, predominantly acoustic strumming and innovative percussion, bringing to mind The White Stripes and at times Arcade Fire. Long's voice though is warm and engaging, somewhere between Sufjan Stevens and Stuart Murdoch. The first four or five songs on the album are short and exciting, blending into each other, the highlight being 'Fools' which sounds like Sigur Ros and will surely be used to soundtrack some BBC advert or other before the year is out.

Longer piece 'Joe's Waltz' is the only slight mis-step before the albums gets into a groove again with Jens Lekman-esque ballads 'Winter' and 'Park Song' and the brilliant sing-along 'It's That Time Again', which will have you headbanging along with the drums!

I have compared the Dodos' sound to a lot of other artists, but this is because the sound of the record is familiar and timeless. The ballads are really lovely and will appeal to anyone who enjoyed Sufjan Stevens' 'Illionois' LP and there are also some really superb percussion effects. Ultimately, this is a fresh and engaging record that you will simply enjoy listening to. Highly recommended.

9.0

'Visiter' is out now on Wichita. The Dodos are currently touring UK/Europe.