Halftime Report: My 15 favorite songs of 2012 thus far
7. “Eyeoneye,” Andrew Bird
Bird always seems to have one song on his albums that is more like a guitar-based rock song than all the gentler, violin/whistling-based pop compositions that make up the remainder. This is that song in his ninth album, Break it Yourself. [even more words]
Andrew Bird is playing Aug. 9 at The Independent in San Francisco [tickets] and Aug. 10 at Outside Lands [tickets].
6. “Serpents,” Sharon Van Etten
Moody, somewhat dark, expertly crafted, smart, female-dominated rock. I think that Brooklyn-based songwriter Sharon Van Etten is going to be big. Maybe not Madonna big. More like Wye Oak big.
Sharon Van Etten is playing on Aug. 10 at Outside Lands [tickets] and later that night at Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco [tickets].
5. “Don’t Get Married Without Me,” Punch Brothers
Mandolinist Chris Thile and the rest of his band of merry bluegrass ringers take acoustic music to some very interesting, very strange places on their latest album. The final song is grounded in an enjoyable groove, but it flirts with unusual time signatures, wandering key changes and effects that make you say, “How did they get a fiddle to make that sound?” [even more words]
4. “We Take Care of Our Own,” Bruce Springsteen
This is perhaps what Woodie Guthrie would have sounded like if he was playing to arenas and backed by the E Street Band. The Boss is in full-blown populist mode, with a song that stands the best chance of being misunderstood as a rah-rah patriotic anthem since “Born in the USA.” Behind that peppy chorus is a question that makes the title ring hollow: How it is that so many people find the American Dream out of reach?
3. “Closer Than This,” St. Lucia
The rich harmonies on the chorus far outweigh any misgivings I have about the song’s ’80s nostalgia mongering. My cynicism doesn’t stand a chance when confronted with the Brooklyn band’s blissful synthpop. [even more words]
[remix via Sound Cloud]
St. Lucia plays July 26 at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco. [tickets]
2. “Tuck the Darkness In,” Bowerbirds
This indie-folk group was responsible for one of my favorite albums on 2009. That subtly arranged effort sounded like it could have been recorded in a trailer of the back woods of North Carolina—in fact, I think it was—but on the trio’s follow-up, they’re reaching for (and achieving) Arcade Fire levels of grandiosity, complete with drums and woozy strings.
[mp3 via Dead Oceans]
1. “Breaking in the Yearlings,” Shearwater
I loved Rook—it made the cut as one of my 50 favorite albums of the 2000s—but somehow I wasn’t that enthused about the Austin, Texas, band’s follow-up. Singer-songwriter-ornithologist Jonathan Meiburg won me back over again with this year’s Animal Joy. Other folk-influenced rock bands, including Bowerbirds, tend to present a portrait of nature as a place of relaxation and peace. Shearwater subscribes to a more brutish but no less awe-inspiring take on the natural world, where survival of the fittest is the rule. This song sounds particularly dark, like rolling thunder that suddenly breaks into full fury.
Shearwater plays Tuesday (July 17) at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. [ “Call My Name,” Ghost & The City The Oakland soul band’s latest single trades a bit of the group’s trademark dark, boozy swing for a Motown beat, bolstered by gospel-style backup singers and, of course, a horn section. The arrangement is stellar, but once again it’s Ash Maynor’s deep, gritty voice that distinguishes the proceedings. [mp3 via ghostandthecity.com] Ghost & The City is playing July 26 at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. [tickets]
As always, this is a great read — even if I haven’t heard any of the songs. Next time, throw in Call Me Maybe, OK? I’m going to Austin City Limits Festival in October and look forward to seeing some of the artists you included, armed with this list!