MASS MoCA, in general, is a playground.

It was built with the intent to become a “center that would both present and catalyze the creation of works that chart new creative territory“.

Since its inception in 1999, MASS MoCA has embodied just that; a hub of curiosity and wonder, set in a delightful, welcoming space.

This weekend’s SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL, held on MASS MoCA’s grounds, was an ideal setting for people to learn, discover and enjoy great weather, food and of course, great music.

From a spectator’s standpoint, this festival couldn’t have been set up any better. Short walks between stage areas, bounties of shade from the sun, $1 bottles of water, Intelligentsia coffee / espresso and tons of eye candy in-between. Most notably, the MASS MoCA galleries themselves acted as a palate cleanser if the music or outdoor activities ever became overwhelming.

Simply delightful.

One couldn’t discern whether it was the hunger of MASS MoCA fans to put on such an event or whether it was headlining/curating band Wilco’s fans who made this event a pleasure to be at. (OK, not everyone was a prince/princess). But seriously, despite the presence of copious amounts of beer, there was nary a bad / muscle-y / jerky / imposing vibe in sight.

MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS : (this human only caught Day 1 and most of Day 2; hardly comprehensive)

* Vetiver :: built a perfect set that moseyed slow at the top and ramped up feverishly through the end. It was ideal for folks such as myself who were having a difficult time easing into the day.

* Vetiver’s guitar player (who does not resemble Kevin Barker, who plays on some of the Vetiver albums) :: nimble, conscious, tasteful.

* The Books :: although I could complain that their set should have most definitely been outdoors and unencumbered by the trappings of the Hunter Theater, I am going to simply revel in the fact that we were able to hear songs such as “Be Good to Them Always“, “Take Time” and “That Right Ain’t Shit” were a real treat, if even from the hallway.

* Mountain Man :: spun circles around the late afternoon crowd gathered to hear the three lovely ladies sing. Despite sadness over Molly Sarle’s broken guitar, Andy from Vetiver kindly shared his Martin acoustic to play the spare parts that underpinned a few of the songs. Otherwise, it was otherworldly vocals only. A wonder, considering their rigorous UK / EU tour schedule and most recently, a week-long jaunt with Deer Tick which would leave anyone hoarse.

Here’s a video of their set closer, an un-named folk traditional:

This past weekend saw the opening of one of the most impressive displays of art Albany has ever seen, HEAVY.

The event lived up to its name, completely transforming St. Joseph’s (and the surrounding neighborhood, even!) into an art playground.

Pal Sébastien Barré covered all kinds of bases with this blog post and photo set from HEAVY.

Here are a few images from the weekend that don’t necessarily overlap with some of the other images I’ve seen; including a few from the Dwell/OneUnit “Fireflies and Night Skies” room (that you had to look to find…) and a few outside shots.

As far as music goes, I feel lucky to have been able to perform a sixty minute improvisation featuring looped samples, vocals and affected mandolin. There were two moments during that time where I felt terribly connected to the space, despite being completely insular and uncommunicative with beings in the room.

If you had to miss the opening weekend; well, you’re in luck! It was announced yesterday that HEAVY will once again be open starting this Friday (7/30) at 5PM (again on Saturday as well) with no less than 10 new installations/artists collaborating on more work!

I’m happy to announce that I’ll be performing a similar set of drone/improvisation on Friday along with Sean Rowe and Pete Edwards. Much more music to be added…

Albums:

Emeralds – Does it Look Like I’m Here?

The Brother Kite – Isolation (pre-order bonus mp3s!)

Pale Blue Sky – Shades of Grey

Greg Mol mp3s – sadly, unsharable

Nils Frahm & Anne Müller – 7Fingers

new Winterpills songs

Websites:

Vinyl Lust:

Pirate’s Press – “Record of the Week” Blog

OMG Vinyl

Other:

Summer-y beers! (Southern Tier Hop Sun, Boddington’s, Honey Moon and Dogfish Head Festina Peche)

Croquet

Things to Look Forward to:

Playing on the roof of the Tang. (This Friday).

A new Peter Broderick album on September 6.

New Rick Moody book (The Four Fingers of Death) on July 28.

More summer.

A few weeks ago, Bennett V Campbell caught this pic of Adam Muro (of Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned fame) whispering something to me outside of Valentine’s in Albany, NY.

In an effort to continue to reduce my bloated physical music collection, I thought it’d be fun to run with the idea that Sébastien Barré had to hold a “Caption This” contest with this photo.

In the comments below; leave your (Safe For Work) version of what you think Adam is saying in the photo. The funniest response between now and Friday, June 25th will receive TEN CDs from my collection, handpicked just for you. I may even throw in some surprises…

You must comment with a valid email address (will not be published) for your entry to count!

Thanks for entering, folks! Winner to be announced next Wednesday, June 30.

Here’s a plate of sushi for two from one of my favorite restaurants in the Capital Region – Mr. Fuji! Strangely tucked away in a strip mall in Clifton Park, this place delivers some excellent sushi with great service in a bizarrely comforting atmosphere. Ignore the pastel drop ceiling tiles, the errant silver spraypaint on everything and simply take a peek at their specialty rolls. There’s some combos on that list that are crazy and delicious.

From left to right ->

“D and D Roll” ( spicy tuna crunch, deep-fried with chef’s special sauce! )
“Deep Fried Rainbow Roll” ( spicy salmon, deep-fried with chef’s special sauce and caviars )
Sweet Potato Roll
Salmon Skin Roll
“Scallopfornia Roll” ( California Roll topped with torched scallops, sesame seeds )

This was a delicious meal.

Recommended.

In January of this year, Artist/Musician/Painter/Cartoonist/Rad-Diviner Scott Alden unveiled an exciting new project – “The Trials of Gary“!

One might remember Scott’s “Parallelaverse” series from two years ago. Well, Trials of Gary is a whole new ball of wax.

Since this is a subscription-only web-comic, I’ll keep the storyline within the circle of those within the know. Let’s just say that there’s some drama in Gary-Land, and we’re in for a long year of watching this saga unfold. Soul-sacks, ringing helmets,

Along the way, it seems that Scott has some “Live Trials”, contests and real-life situations planned for subscribers.

The first contest gives us a chance to win a first-hand peek at the appearance of one of Gary’s foes – TERRY. By coming up with what Scott deems the most interesting or most hilarious spell that Gary or Terry will use will win a framed portrait of Terry weeks (possibly months!) before he is revealed in the comic.

Furthermore, I was recently followed by a Twitter user named – TERRYKILLSIT! Turns out, it’s actually Terry!

Sample Tweet: “I wonder sometimes how many people I’ve left tied up in cellars and COMPLETELY forgotten about.”

Terry sounds like a bad, bad dude!

What I love about this series is that Scott is able to take simple, free internet tools and create a world for fans to be reminded about the series in their everyday life. Seeing Terry’s maniacal musings in my Twitter-feed always gives me a chuckle (or a pang of fear, depending) and I look forward to the weekly email installments of the story.

Cheers to new media!

Photo by Flickr user Groll Photography

Two years ago, a shot rang out o’er the tiny little world of Upstate NY.

It was less of a shot and more of a beat.

A loud beat.

A beat which was followed by a bleep.

An errant bleep, probably from a synth.

Then a guitar rang after the beat shot, weaving a wave of arpeggio over the ensuing sounds.

And then the words that stopped our sleepy little town, if for just a second…

“Wake up…

You’re getting high on your own supply…”

Enter (their then name) – Charlie Everywhere.

There was something immediately magical about the duo of Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter. Everyone who knew Josh could tell he had talent and was capable of making intriguing music, but I’m not sure everyone knew that Sarah could be an equally powerful musical force.

I remember the first time I saw the band perform live (which may have indeed been their first show together) at King’s Tavern in Saratoga Springs. I remember technical difficulties left and right. The PA simply couldn’t handle amplifying vocals loud enough to power through the beats and sounds that were being pushed through at the same time. I remember long spaces between songs as they each took time to call up new settings on their sound processing gadgets that were tangled together in braids of black patch cords.

Despite all this, the groundwork was already there for what everyone in the room could feel was something special to behold. A new sound that was familiar, yet completely unknown and exciting to our ears.

Here’s the beginnings of a piece I started to write in 2008 about the band. I had hoped to start a feature for this blog called “In the Studio“, where I would interview/profile/tape a regional band in their studio space while they were in the throes of recording. I never quite finished this piece because it was around this time that their story began to change quite quickly and quite dramatically…

Take a drive twenty-five minutes southeast of Saratoga Springs, NY through some gorgeous farmlands and quiet fields and you may just happen to hear a surprising rhythm coming from a garage behind an old modest home. If it catches your ear as you drive by you will stop the car and wonder if it’s the ghost of your stereo picking up some progressive hip-hop station from the future, whose main goal is to override your pop-of-the-day-station. Then you’ll hear voices singing – a male and a female voice – sometimes singing together, sometimes singing apart and you’ll crane your head to hear what they’re singing about, but you are fighting your body’s urge to move to the beats and the music at the same time – close but still far away.

In August, I invited myself out to the wonderland that is known as Harmony Lodge Studio, where Charlie Everywhere Phantogram was putting the finishing touches on their first full-length album. Curious as to where and how this incredible music was being born, I was surprised to find quite a contrast to the complex and oftentimes dark moments that permeate the songs.

Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel have known each other since grade school. Friends for years, they discovered a surprise songwriting and musical synergy when they casually got together to jam on some new music that Josh had been working on. A master of unique, street-influenced hip-hop beats, he has an equal affection for lush, swirling guitars and layers of synths which take these sounds to new ground. Sarah brought a certain sweet sadness to the table with her plaintive, emotive vocals – there is no flash in that voice, only the most tempered, honest tone with no bravado (or vibrato, for that matter). In their brief year together as Charlie Everywhere, they have amassed an impressive swath of songs that bring together a myriad of influences that quickly magnetized a hungry, underground group of fans into action.

It was a surprise to me to enter the converted garage / studio and note the little amount of gear laying around. Something in me expected a line of guitars and amps buttressing an overflowing microphone cabinet filled with the most vintage of mics. What was there amounted to just a bit more than their live gear; a simple, small dual keyboard setup fed by a laptop for Sarah, and a Fender Stratocaster guitar through a Peavey 2X12 combo amp for Josh. A few processors interrupt their vocal microphones’ route to the P.A. and a handful of ancient drum machines lie dusty on tables nearby but there is nearly no physical evidence that heavily layered and detailed recordings were made in this room.

On the day that I visited, they were terribly close to finishing the album that is now known as Eyelid Movies (released today, 2/9/10 on Barsuk in the U.S.). The two were still debating tracklisting, song order and even song inclusion at that point. Over the course of many months they had been adding and taking away songs, moving them to the front, then sending them to the back, possibly tweaking a mix, possibly canning a jam altogether.

As the story went, there was just one more song to be born to complete the album; “Futuristic Casket” (check the fun fan-made video) arrived within a week of our hang, only to be sacrificed to a late-night red wine + laptop death. Luckily, Josh and Sarah rebuilt the song because to me, it’s the cornerstone of the album and rightfully sums up the best parts of their music.

So what is it about Phantogram?

How did they get to where they are?

What launched them so quickly to a place where they are cruising the world, performing their music?

This is only a guess – but it feels to me that their formula is so compelling, so unique, so personal that it’s simply undeniable that once you’ve been hooked that you have to tell someone about it.

That they are so capable of evoking soundtrack-style moodiness with often sad, contemplative lyrics is an immediate magnet for lonely, human souls out there.

That they can incorporate the vibe of the unique beats of J Dilla into their music without sounding posed or out of place magnetizes anyone who has an ear for underground hip-hop.

That there is an element of melodic guitar squall summons the folks planted in their early 90′s UK bands.

Then the duality, harmony and contrast of male and female voices singing alone and together tying the whole mess into a bundle truly seals the deal as something ultimately special.

And the spread of it all?

Well, at first it was all about MySpace. Two or three songs posted. A few pictures of Josh and Sarah sitting in the grass with headphones on. A keyboard hanging from a tree.

A few fans turned into 100 fans.

100 fans quickly turned into 1000 fans.

1000 to 5000… and on and on.

Then, it was the engagement – songs would appear in their MySpace player for two days and then quickly removed – replaced by a completely different song. I remember logging in late at night seeing a new song had been uploaded within the last hour, then only to find it missing the next morning. I know I was hooked, and it certainly kept me coming back for more and more.

The whispers around town that the band had signed a few record deals came quickly and loudly. Seems like everyone knew it or at least everyone was talking about it. The details of all this took time to reveal though; first the announcement of signing with BBE in the UK. This was big, but the Barsuk then the Ghostly International announcements were the clinchers. Josh and Sarah were on their way.

There is the wonder why it took so long for Eyelid Movies to be released in the U.S. If we look back on the past year, we can see that plenty of smart moves were made for the band to set them up to have a true shot at bringing their music to the highest level it could muster.

Their booking agent / management team did them just right by putting them on nationwide tours with bands such as School of Seven Bells and Zero7, who would have fans and followers that would appreciate Phantogram’s music. These tours also served a purpose of connecting the band with the early fans that found them on MySpace.

New fans and old fans united; a true groundswell of love and excitement.

Now what?

On this day of the Eyelid Movies album release, we who have known this music since its birth can sit back and revel in the miles of possibility in front of our friends.

And ourselves, if we try.

Round-up of national-level reviews, as they come in:
Spin.com
NPR
Paste Interview (thx @TheHiddenCity)
AfterEllen.com

Here’s an mp3 of the audio in the above video (33+MB): (thanks for the request, Devin!)

There were some amazing songs released this year. Here’s a list of my favorites!

“Dry Grass and Shadows” by Alela Diane,
“Wounded Bird” by Heather Broderick,
“Two Weeks” by Grizzly Bear,
“One Wing” by Wilco,
“where the author, now free, finds escape was the easiest part and having neglected to plan further regarding transport to his desired destination begins to lose his bearings and sneaks into a pub called ‘the ring’” by Scientific Maps,
“Worth Keeping” by Jill Andrews,
“Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise” by the Avett Brothers,
“Who Will” by Will Stratton,
“Don’t Looks Good” by Swamp Baby,
“This Tornado Loves You” by Neko Case,
“Voices” by Phantogram
“More Childish Than a Long Time” by Taxi Taxi,
“Belle (Taxi Taxi cover)” by Peter Broderick,
“Across the Lake is Where My Heart Shines” by Rameses III,
“Murder of Crows” by We Are Jeneric

CONTEST! Name all three songs (in correct order) that are featured in the video above. First person to leave a comment below with the correct song names, artist and order in the video will win one 12″ vinyl LP, one 7″ vinyl single and a CD from my home collection! I promise to pick some rad gems for the winner! Promise!!!! Make sure to use a valid email address in the comments (will not be published) so that I can contact the winner! Jesse wins!!!

(Note: I will be attempting to shrink my physical music collection over the next few months, stay tuned for more giveaways like this!!)

Lastly, there’s an inherent sadness to much of this music, and while, I’m not the saddest person on the earth, it’s clear that sad music connects with me on a deeper level than anything else.

10. Brent Gorton : San Diego (2001) A brilliant (solo) debut album from Brent that still wrecks me to this day. San Diego shares traits with some of my other favorite albums from this decade; home-recorded, sincere, unique, sad, magic, etc. It’s a clear vision that Brent presents; pop songs that are not “pop”, love songs that skate around the word “love”, lonely laments that make you feel less alone. Since there’s less of a chance that you might have heard songs from this album, here are “Maiden Spring” and “Holland“:

Brent Gorton : “Maiden Spring”

Brent Gorton : “Holland”

9. Wilco : Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) Here’s a great example of a band who has only made one album I truly love. I find their “Before YHF” albums a bit too “alt-country” and their “After YHF” a bit too “experimental without handing over good songs”. This record drives the arrow straight between those two lines. A world where chaos intersects with beautiful, thoughtful songs and inventive sound production. Witnessing this band perform the Yankee Hotel songs at Union College just a week or so before its release date was a highly memorable occasion from those days.

8. Bon Iver : For Emma, Forever Ago (2008) There’s something charming about the story behind this album. Boy goes off alone to family cabin in the woods to steam-off a breakup by writing and recording songs. Surely not the first time this has happened, but it may be the first time it happened this well. What feels and sounds like an open wound of emotion teeters on the edge of searing beauty and sadness. “Lump Sum” is the song that really caught me, with it’s cyclical chords, thrumming rhythm and hair-raising harmony climaxes. That this record revealed itself to me in winter was certainly perfect for its sounds and vibes.

7. Gillian Welch : (Time) The Revelator (2001) There was some serious internal debate about whether this album or its follower Soul Journey should be included on this list. I’d say the latter has better songs on it, but Revelator ended up here on the merits of the fourteen-minute album closer – “I Dream a Highway“. There is not a more cathartic, sullen, gem of an experience to be had with two acoustic guitars and two vocals produced in the 2000s.

6. LOW : Things We Lost in the Fire (2001) This fourth full-length album from the Minnesota band LOW is responsible for digging me out of one of the worst sadnesses I’ve ever felt. Well, I should say the concert I witnessed that was in support of the release of TWLITF brought me out of that ugly funk. “When they found your body, giant Xs on your eyes…” sung in gorgeous harmony by husband and wife team Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker are the lyrics that kick off this record. Despite plenty of dark, creepy moments, this album is comforting and warm.

5. The Shins : Oh, Inverted World (2001) Sub Pop has a knack for grabbing bands right before they release their best recordings; oftentimes their first! Such is the case for the Shins. Oh, Inverted World is a brief, but classic album. Beginning with a whistle and ending with a guitar strum, we are drawn into the world of James Mercer. There’s songs of situations and love and fear and fear of love and fear in love, all written in unexpected song forms that tend to be short but always poignant. And, despite the schlock in the source of this statement, Oh, Inverted World will indeed change your life.

4. Radiohead : Kid A (2000) My favorite memory of this album was a weeknight spent at the old Lionheart Café on Lark Street, in the space where Bombers “Upstairs” now exists. I can’t remember whether this was a Tuesday night jazz night or a random Sunday night; but I remember Kid A coming on in the back room where the “stage” was, and all conversations began to peter out. By the time “How to Disappear Completely” came on, everyone was silent. It was an inadvertent “movie” moment and we all looked at each other around the room and knew that we had just experienced the same thing; we were in the same world, together.

3. The National : Boxer (2007) Boxer surprised me. I had no idea that this band was capable of the magic it weaves on this album. Woozy, punch-drunk vocals don’t usually do it for me, but singer Matt Berninger really nailed the intonation (or lack thereof) for these perfect lyrics. I said to an excited friend about this album; “Each song is a home-run, or at least has a home-run moment in it!”

2. Tara Jane ONeil : Peregrine (2000) Like a few of the other releases on this list, Peregrine is a home-recorded effort. On this first solo effort after years of playing in bands, TJO makes claustrophobia sound warm and welcoming under layers and layers of carefully plucked guitar textures, errant splashes of violin, piano twinkles and unearthly drones. Her voice is fragile and deliberately hidden underneath these layers, making the listener truly tune-in to hear what she’s singing about. If I were more into synesthesia I could tell you which “color” this album is, because I’m sure it’s a color I’ve never heard before.

1. Iron & Wine : The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002) Another strong debut album from a Sub Pop band. “Band” being in the loosest sense of the word in this case, since this album was made entirely by Sam Beam. On his home computer. Possibly thinking that no one would ever hear these songs. And what a shame that would have been! That the world not be treated to songs like “Upwards Over the Mountain” or “Faded From the Winter” is a thought I do not want to entertain. There is no better instant transport than to drop the needle or click play on the love tone-poem “Lion’s Mane“. For me, it’s an immediate cue to settle in for forty minutes of heart-warming/wrenching song-waves. I have such an attachment to this collection of songs that I have not moved on from this album. No Iron & Wine album since has moved me the way “…Cradle” does. As soon as Beam left the bedroom for the recording studio, the intimacy was lost and I simply cannot enjoy what came next.

In looking back on another year of music, I’m having trouble getting excited about “the album” as wholes that were released in this time period. There were plenty of songs that caught my ear, but, albums? Not as much. Nonetheless, here are my Favorite Albums From 2009, no particular order;

Scientific Maps – Hold on Whoever You Are (free download from B3nson) :: I have to admit I haven’t been taken by a Sci Maps recording until this album came out in March of this year. Another successful product of the RPM Challenge, Hold on Whoever You Are is a perfect example of what can happen when one lets go of all perfectionistibitions (yeah, I just made that word up for Aaron Smith) and surrenders to the creativity muse that drives all of us to capture our ideas in a tangible form. Over the course of nearly a half hour, the Scientific Maps unfurl a story of capture, imprisonment, planned escape and eventual resolve. Sure the sound is a bit raw, the edges are a bit rough, but the songs on this album are catchy nuggets of imaginitive pop sensations.

Rameses III – I Could Not Love You More : 2009 will go down in infamy for me as the year I went through a little unhealthy obsession with Type Records. Finally finding my way there through the music of Peter Broderick, I latched on to the gorgeous, minimal aesthetics of the music and the artwork. There were plenty of purchases to Forced Exposure and Discogs this year. For me, I Could Not Love You More was the first record in the Type Records canon to catch me completely off-guard when I wasn’t looking. Their most excellent SoundCloud / website integration had me listening through the entire label output while I was working online one day. After about ten or fifteen minutes through this gorgeous album, my ears perked up and heard the beauty underlying what seemed hidden at first. To experience this on vinyl LP was a moving moment I will not soon forget.

Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest I must admit I was a holdout for this band. There were a few songs on Horn of Plenty that I thought were OK, and a maybe a song from Yellow House that I wouldn’t skip. To me, Veckatimest cut down all of that non-love and made me a fan. In catching the band for the first time this year at Skidmore College, I felt a hunger, a mission that I hadn’t felt had been captured in any of their previous recordings. This energy is present in the songs on this record. It’s as if the band really WANTS to draw you into their world to discover the magic they are creating instead of hiding it under layers of experimenting.

Themselves – TheFREEHoudini Mixtape :: Although not really into rap so much usually, I found this mixtape from Anticon pioneers DoseOne and Jel to be most inspiring. What set this collection of jams apart from the duo’s CrownsDown LP released this year was the foil that each special guest brought to the table on the mixtape. It felt like Dose was almost outdoing himself on each cut, not to outdo the guest rapper, but to shine for his own sake while taking energy and ideas from each guest. It feels hungry and full of synergy to me, whereas CrownsDown feels overdone and intense. Favorite jams; “Know That to Know This (feat. Aesop Rock)”, “Rappin4Money (feat. Why? and Odd Nosdam)” and “Cross-section of a Wreckage (feat. Alias & DJ Andrew)”.

James Blackshaw – The Glass Bead Game Someone book this guy anywhere near where I can see him. With an orchestra. Or at least a string quartet. A choir maybe? Any which way to catch a glimpse of this deeply moving, hypnotic music. This is a “sink down deep in to your seat with headphones on” kind of record. It feels like an album that should be experienced alone, or, if with another, it should be someone who you would put your life in front of theirs if faced with death. Yeah, like that.

Kings of Convenience – Declaration of Dependence There was an air of trepidation when pressing play for the first time on this set of songs. I loved their Quiet is the New Loud album so much and equally let down by their Riot on an Empty Street album that it was almost like re-opening a wound. Thankfully this album seems to have learned from the brittle, sterile acoustic mess of Riot… swapping that out with beautiful live-sounding takes of these songs. An album that completely fills a room with its own ambience, Declaration of Dependence charmed me endlessly this fall.

Will Stratton – Vile Bodies EP Not totally sure where I came across Will Stratton’s music… somewhere internet-related, certainly, but the trail has gone cold at this point. Needless to say, this recording found me in the thick of fall, when I was busy driving around in rainy cool nights thinking about younger years. Something about Will’s voice is comforting; be it his excellent diction or the arcing melodies that seem to fit so perfectly with the music. Despite the Vile Bodies EP being a freebie giveaway, it truly feels like an album to me. We go on a lonely journey together, I listen to Will tell me things and I want to tell him things in return. I’d love to give his recently released No Wonder album some space here, but I really haven’t given it the time it deserves. For now, Vile Bodies.

Heather Woods Broderick – From the Ground This album was a long time coming. Heather posted demos of some of these songs on her MySpace page a few years ago and I’ve been craving for studio versions ever since. The album was recorded with her brother Peter and truly takes a long journey throughout its ten tracks. My favorite unexpected album left-turn of 2009 comes in the midway point sequencing of “For Misty” – a nine-plus minute bliss-out of cello and field recording gorgeousness. Six or so minutes into the piece, it’s like the fog is wiped away from the mirror and a pristine string quartet appears to then give way to a different set of field recordings and piano outro. Then what next? Oh, just my favorite song from the album – “Wounded Bird“. It’s beautiful, and highly recommended.

We Are Jeneric – Animals Are People Too 2009 couldn’t go by without another We Are Jeneric release, right? This lovely band of lovers were one of the first Capital Region bands to take on the RPM Challenge three years ago which produced their Hansel & Gretel album. The following year produced In the Parlor With the Moon. Much work for this year’s album, a tribute and conversation with the animals that live in and around Jen and Eric’s 18th Century home, happened in February during the challenge period but the final version was completed in the months following. The “release party” for Animals Are People Too occurred in that home, on their land to a semi-private audience of friends. It was the perfect setting to experience these songs which are so charming, rambunctious and exuberant! Gone is much of the melancholy of the two previous albums, replaced by a joyful, playful romp through many eclectic styles. This album receives Best Lyric of 2009 — “Too little broccoli, too much Chuck” from “Woodchuck Charles the II part II”. You have to hear it…