Artists We Lost Too Soon: Jeff Buckley

To honor my new chocolate lab Buckley, I thought I'd write about an musician that we didn't get to hear enough of.

Jeff Buckley, a California native, was a gift to the music world even though he only recorded one proper album. Blessed with an angelic voice and great guitar playing ability, he was a combination of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. Yes, he was that good. Buckley's sole album, Grace, is considered one of the best of all time. He died in 1997 by accidental drowning in Memphis, TN while recording his follow-up to the debut record. I don't need to say much more, so I'll quote some of the best musicians on their opinions of the man.

"Both songs are beautiful (Lilac Wine, James Shelton, and Corpus Christi Carol by Benjamin Britten). It's my tribute to Jeff. The record he has left is very emotional, very beautiful. An intriguing work, challenging. Using only his voice, he reaches regions (of) unimaginable feeling. But, while recording the songs he chose for himself, I am not stealing it because they are two very different visions. I think he would approve. I have the impression that Jeff Buckley, although he had a very brief passage through life, has become something like Jimi Hendrix, whose presence remains forever."

- Jeff Beck (legendary guitarist and musician)


"Technically he was the best singer that appeared, that had appeared, probably, I'm not being too liberal about this if I say in two decades. I started to play Grace constantly, constantly and the more, the more I listened to the album, the more, the more I heard -- the more I appreciated of Jeff and Jeff's talents and Jeff's total ability to which he was just a wizard and it was close to being my favorite album of the decade. We actually made a point of going to hear him play and seeing and it was absolutely scary. One of the things is a little frightening was that I was convinced that he probably did things in tunings and he didn't. He was doing things in standard tuning. I thought, oh gee he really is clever isn't he ? He quite clearly had his feet on the ground and he said his imagination was flying, flying way, way out there, beyond, beyond. Jeff Buckley was one of the greatest losses of all."

- Jimmy Page (lead guitarist of Led Zeppelin)

"You mentioned two spectacular vocalists there (Jeff Buckley and Freddie Mercury) I mean, both of whom had much better chops than me. I mean real great, great singers. Jeff Buckley's voice. I was playing with Jimmy in the mid 90s when we were working with an Egyptian ensemble and we played a festival in Switzerland and Jeff Buckley was playing and we went to see him and it was mind altering, his voice. Spectacular singing and so much conviction."

- Robert Plant (lead singer of Led Zeppelin)

"Kurt was fairly quiet and introverted most of the time. Jeff was the opposite. He was very much full of life and had a lot to say. He was somebody in love with experiencing everything. Within a very short time, he had all these famous old rock stars coming to his shows, which put a lot of pressure on him. People talked about his concerts the way they used to talk about Hendrix. They'd sit there, wide-eyed, telling you stories about him. He definitely had an aura. It's impossible to say what it is exactly a guy like that has, that is so attractive to other people. But he had more of it than anyone I had ever met."

- Chris Cornell (lead singer of Soundgarden)

"I had this really interesting whispering vibrato. It sounded so intimate and spiritual and ethereal, and it reminded me of Jeff a bit. I think I can sing with just about anybody, but he's one of the few singers who truly intimidates me. He's one of the best I've ever heard."

- John Legend (R&B Artist)

"The last few records that I bought that I really enjoyed... Jeff Buckley. It wailed me. I was, like, walking around in tears, just so grateful that I discovered this record."
- Steve Vai (legendary guitarist and musician)

"Jeff Buckley was a pure drop in an ocean of noise."

- Bono (lead singer of U2)

"Grace"

"Mojo Pin" - Live from Glastonbury

"Satisfied Mind" - Johnny Cash Cover

Mini-documentary on Jeff Buckley feat. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden

Happy New Year - Hendrix-style

Here's a festive track by the late, great Jimi Hendrix.  A legendary 12/31/69 Band of Gypsys performance at the Fillmore East in New York City.  Have a safe and happy new year everyone.

"Auld Lang Syne" - Live at the Fillmore East 12/31/69


Purchase:

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Fillmore-East-Jimi-Hendrix/dp/B00000I5JT

Pearl Jam 20

It's hard to believe it's been 20 years of Pearl Jam.  Wow.  This is the first band I really followed extensively and probably needed to join a support group for.  It was an obsession, and I tried my everything I could to get a hold of the latest bootleg or unreleased song. Today you can download entire albums in seconds, and I remember dialing into AOL on Windows '95 and waited an hour to download a 5 minute shitty live recording of "Breath" without thinking twice about it.  From the late night album release parties, Ten Club memberships, and driving to a shady area of Richmond (at the time) to purchase a $40 bootleg, I really needed to get laid more often.  But I wouldn't trade it for anything.


As part of their 20-year anniversary, the band released a fantastic documentary directed by Cameron Crowe (of Vanilla Sky, Jerry McGuire, Almost Famous, Singles, and Elizabethtown fame).  Crowe is a long time fan of the band and Pearl Jam played a part in the movie Singles as members of Matt Dillon's band Citizen Dick.  Although I knew most of Pearl Jam's history, Crowe did an excellent job chronicling the band through the 20 years from their beginnings in Seattle, connections to other grunge rockers Soundgarden and Nirvana, the incident at the festival in Roskilde, Denmark, and other intimate moments in PJ's career.  It's definitely weird watching a doc on a band that you grew up with.  I feel old. 20 years?  Where did the time go?  I can picture showing my kids this documentary one day and them saying "aw, dad, who the hell are these guys?"  I know I did when my dad introduced me to Led Zeppelin for the first time.  But, I think they'll grow to love them in time, just as I did with the pioneers of hard rock.


Today, I'm not such a huge fan of the band as I once was, but they'll forever be a part of me. They haven't really released a great album lately but still thrive in a live setting.  Aside from My Morning Jacket, you could make a strong argument that this is one of the best touring bands around today.  This documentary embodies everything that was amazing about the band in their 20 year career, and they're still going strong.

Check out:

Pearl Jam 20 trailer.  The opening is hysterical.  To-to-today juniah.


Purchase:
http://www.amazon.com/Pearl-Jam-Twenty/dp/B005LLXB9K


The entire doc can also be seen on Netflix streaming, if you haven't cancelled your subscription yet.

Frank Ocean - Strawberry Swing (Coldplay cover)

Frank Ocean, a New Orleans, LA native, is also part of the new R&B revolution in 2011. Like The Weeknd, he released an excellent mixtape titled nostalgia.ULTRA. Although he's not so much of a stranger to the music world having written songs for Beyonce, John Legend, and Brandy, and rapper Nas, this is his first solo effort.  Here's a track I like from the mixtape - a cover of Coldplay's "Strawberry Swing". It's not much different than the originial, but it shows Ocean's star-potential and that we can expect big things from him in 2012.


Frank Ocean - Strawberry Swing (Coldplay cover)

My Favorites of 2011

Honorable mention:  Cut Copy - Zonoscope, Panda Bear - Tomboy, The Black Keys - El Camino, The Roots - Undun, Radiohead - King of Limbs, Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, My Morning Jacket - Circuital, Atlas Sound - Parallax, The Antlers - Burst Apart, Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation


10. War On Drugs - Slave Ambient



With Ryan Adams and Wilco struggling to recapture the magic of their first few records, americana has needed a fresh boost and luckily the War on Drugs have provided it.  A bold statement, but Wilco and Ryan Adams seem to be concerned about being as prolific as possible, sacrificing quality in favor of quantity.  War on Drugs have come close to a Yankee Hotel Foxtrot with their sophomore effort, but I think these guys have more in them.  Highly textured, with added synths, this is record one you'd want to listen to on a drive through miles and miles of farmland.  It's an amazing, highly cohesive album which should be listened to as a whole because not one second is wasted. War on Drugs along with the Fleet Foxes have both brought americana back to relevancy at just the right time.


Highlights:

"Brothers"

"I Was There"

"Come to the City"

"Baby Missiles"

"Blackwater"

09. Drake - Take Care



Drake.  Love him or hate him, he released a great album this year.  He's definitely matured from his previous effort, it's more introspective look into a man who isn't afraid to show his softer side with a conscience.  Akin to Kanye West's 808s and Heartbreak, on Take Care, Drake sees the emptiness in grandiosity and the pseudo intimate connections in the strip club and hard partying scene.  The Toronto native eschews the macho, overly-confident attitudes that have dominated hip-hop for many years and alternates between singing and rhyming, creating many enemies of the more forceful rappers such as Ghostface Killah of Wu Tang Clan.  Ghostface Killah has openly dissected and chastised this album on his blog in a comical way; however, as Drake asserts on the opening track, "but jealousy is love and hate at the same time." Ghostface, I love you, but you're dead wrong on this one.


Highlights:

"Over My Dead Body"

"Headlines"

"Crew Love(feat. The Weeknd)"

"Marvin's Room"

"Doing it Wrong"

08. James Blake - James Blake



James Blake may be a tough pill to swallow for some listeners.  It's a very heavy album with rich lo-fi and dubstep beats, but I'm enamored by the aura of minimalism.  Aside from pounding bass and highly synthesized style, the Englishman's hauntingly-soulful voice and masterful piano playing complete the entire package.  The most interesting track on the album is a cover of Leslie Feist's "Limit to Your Love", a brilliant rendition in true Blakeian style.  It just rattles you to your core, much more so than the original.  After the album was released, Blake performed on the BBC and covered Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" which wasn't on the self-titled debut.  Stripped of all the effects and synthesizers, it was just Blake and his piano and showcased his enormous underlying talent.  It made me think that this is the tip of the iceberg with Blake and we're definitely going to see more amazing things from him in the near future.


Highlights:

"Unluck"

"Wilhelm's Scream"

"Limit to Your Love (Feist cover)"

"Give Me My Month"


Also check out:


"A Case of You (Joni Mitchell cover)"

07. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy



Don't let the pretty face fool you, Annie Clark a.k.a. St. Vincent has quickly established a strong solo career with three fantastic albums under her belt.  A former member of the Polyphonic Spree and a touring partner of Sufjan Stevens, what sets her apart from the Feists and Cat Powers of the world is her multidimensional style.  In one song she can be sweet as her delicate exterior, but then can quickly surprise you with a track like "Laughing with a Mouth Full of Blood" and knock your socks off.  

Strange Mercy doesn't really deviate from her previous works but that's not a bad thing.  It's just more great songwriting and the continuation of an artist who is on top of her game.  In a recent interview,  Clark stated, "I don't think it's the best record I'll ever make, but I think it's a good record."  Really? This is exactly what you want to hear from an artist, but Annie you are being too hard on yourself.


Highlights:

"Chloe in the Afternoon"

"Cheerleader"

"Cruel"

"Surgeon"

"Dilettante"

"Year of the Tiger"


06. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo

This is Vile's fourth studio album, a more cohesive work than the last three which showcases his vocal and guitar ability with more traditional singer/songwriter type songs.  A brooding, dark album, but highly listenable and fantastically produced.  Rich harmonies and hazy/baritone vocals permeate this effort along with skillfully crafted songs about life, love, and loss.  Vile, a Pennsylvania native, was also a former member of War on Drugs who are also on this list.  You can say 2011 was a great for year for both artists.

Highlights:

"Baby's Arms"

"Runner Ups"

"In My Time"

"Smoke Ring for My Halo"

"Ghost Town"

05. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

This is the second album released by the duo.  Based in San Francisco, the band consists of Christopher Owens, the main singer/songwriter, and bassist and producer JR White.  Owens' backstory is quite unique as he spent most of his childhood in the Children of God cult and lived a nomadic lifestyle volunteering in various countries.  He never went to a formal school and moved by himself to Amarillo, Texas from Slovenia when he was sixteen.  After nine years in Amarillo working odd jobs, he hitchhiked to California to begin a music career.  Owens' sheltered childhood didn't allow him much freedom for artistic expression as most of his music exposure came from cult-approved sources.  Girls is an embodiment of Owens' artistic freedom without rules or boundaries, and styles can be compared to past greats Deep Purple, Paul Simon, Pink Floyd, Buddy Holly, and the Beach Boys.  Owens' finds a way to merge these different styles into something truly extraordinary.

Highlights:

"Alex"

"Vomit"

"Die"

"My Ma"

"Jamie Marie"

04. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

With huge debut releases in their self-titled debut and Sun Giant EP in 2008, Fleet Foxes solidified themselves in the indie music scene combining the styles of classic rock, folk greats Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young and the Southern California harmonies of The Beach Boys.  All of the members could easily be the frontman in the band, but Robin Pecknold is the right guy for the job.  Hailing from Seattle, the critical darlings found instant success and expectations were high for their sophomore release.   Feeling the pressure of a strong follow-up, Fleet Foxes scrapped a set of songs in 2009 before the mixing process and decided to start anew.  The painful process turned out to be a good thing, and we were rewarded some three years later with a fantastic album.


Although a little darker, the record doesn't deviate too much from their 2008 releases but builds on them with more intricate and complex instrumentation.  There's not a real low point, and it's a remarkable second release for a band that had already set their bar really high.  Fleet Foxes have revived the styles of old for a new generation, and I'm glad to be here for the ride.


Highlights:

"Helplessness Blues"

"Grown Ocean"

"Someone You'd Admire"

"Montezuma"

03. The Weeknd - House of Balloons, Thursday, Echoes of Silence




Unbelievable.  One word to describe this newcomer to R&B, a genre that has been fluttering with the same old stuff for a while now.  Armed with an infectious voice and an excellent production team (Doc McKinney and Illangelo), Abel Tesfaye has made a big name for himself, releasing 3 "mix-tapes" (albums) in 2011.  He's drawn a huge following without the assistance of a record label, entirely through social media and offering free downloads of each release through his website.  Apparently, Tesfaye turned down a lucrative record deal approaching $7.0 million - commendable for someone who deserves every bit of it.  Aside from his own work, he's been commissioned by established artists Drake and Florence and the Machine for their latest releases.  Needless to say, the guy has been busy in 2011 and we've all benefited from it.  

House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence are all very good in their own way, but the former and latter releases are the strongest efforts of the three.  Stylistically, Tesfaye has the pipes to deliver an excellent range drawing comparisons to all the great R&B artists of the past (even MJ is in the discussion).  He's not the most radio friendly and pushes boundaries by singing about his hedonistic lifestyle, sex, drinking, and drugs, but at only 20 years old, he still has room to grow.  Doc McKinney and Illangelo follow suit by layering thick lo-fi beats and sampling some indie-favorites to complete the aura of Tesfaye's extreme lifestyle.  Perhaps the most ballsy move The Weeknd made this year was covering Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" on Echoes of Silence; however, they nail it flawlessly and add a fresh touch to the original.  2011 was the year of the Weeknd, and they're just getting started.

Highlights:

"High for This"

"Weekend Games"

"Dirty Diana"

"Loft Music"

"Outside"

02. Bon Iver - Bon Iver




Emerging from a Wisconsin cabin in 2007, Justin Vernon delivered one of the finest folk albums of the decade - For Emma, Forever Ago.  An album rooted in lost love and uncertainty, it quickly became a favorite in indie circles and eventually made it's way to the mainstream.  Featured in many tv shows and films, Vernon's popularity exploded and caught the ear of hip-hop's most notorious and prolific artists, Kanye West.  West featured Vernon in many tracks in his 2010 masterpiece, My Beautiful Dark and Twisted Fantasy, heavily sampling "Woods" from Bon Iver's Blood Bank EP in the closing track.

After setting bar very high with the first release, Bon Iver could have appeased fans by following the same mold, but Vernon et. al, like all great artists, weren't satisfied with creating more of the same.  It was a daring move, and they didn't disappoint with this effort.  Vernon is accompanied by a more complete arsenal of musicians, adding depth to his amazing songwriting ability.  The most interesting track on the album is the closer "Beth/Rest", a throwback to the 80s and the Steve Winwood days.  It sounds cheesy, but Vernon finds a way to make it work like the rest of his music.  With this A+ album, Vernon and company have proved that they're not a fluke and are here to stay.


Highlights:

"Perth"

"Holocene"

"Calgary"

"Beth/Rest"


01. m83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

The most ambitious record of the year is my favorite of 2011.  Double albums are difficult undertakings as cohesiveness is typically hard to execute given the sheer volume of songs (see Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins).  However, this record is one of the rare ones that gels throughout.  m83 is mainly the brainchild of Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez, but over the years he's recruited some serious talent in female backing vocalist/keyboardist Morgan Kibby, brother Yann Gonzalez, and drummer Loic Maurin.  Gonzalez is not a stranger to the music world and has released many fine, critically acclaimed albums over the last 10 years.  2008 marked an artistic shift for the band with the release of Saturdays = Youth.  On this record, Gonzalez abandoned the more ambient style of his previous albums and created some fantastic shoegaze/electro/80s pop.  Hurry Up, We're Dreaming continues in this new direction and builds upon it with denser and more varied instrumentation.  


Opening with a strong, ethereal track cleverly called "Intro", the band sets the stage for the rest of the album - a dream-like journey to the stratosphere.  The brilliance doesn't stop and immediately transitions into one of the finest songs of the year "Midnight City" - a scorcher of a track that could easily be the theme song for Miami Vice.   The rest of the album weaves through uplifting, trance-like interludes, soaring songs, and powerful ballads.  Gonzalez perfectly executed his vision, overwhelmingly exceeding expectations and released his best album to date.  

Highlights:

"Intro (feat. Zola Jesus"

"Midnight City"

"Claudia Lewis"

"OK Pal"

"Steve McQueen"