In their latest album, Strict Joy, the Swell Season‘s Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová proved that they not only understand ’70s soul but that they’re pretty damn good at it. This duo recently took another challenge from that decade and added disco to their resume when they covered Candi Staton’s “Young Hearts Run Free” for Pioneer Sessions: The Revival Recordings, Levi’s new campaign which features current artists covering hit songs from the past.

The duo replaced the flashiness of this disco classic with a simpler arrangement. No brass or bell bottoms here–just the soulful harmonies of the Swell Season and their trademark folk vibe:

If you like what you hear, you can download the track here. For more information on The Swell Season, visit theswellseason.com.

With the most gluttonous of holidays behind us and the last month of 2009 in the throes of its annual death rattle, we’re using this time to leave you with our requisite year-end, “best of” list. There was a lot of music that slipped through the cracks in 2009, but we dug deep and gathered a substantial amount of albums which we believe to be the best that the last official year of the decade had to offer. Though, due to technological constraints, we weren’t able to include every artist, we have provided a playlist of highlights from the majority of the albums in our list!

As an independent music website run by a collection of music fans, we really appreciate every possible shred of support you send our way, so thank you for everything you’ve done to help contribute to the growth of Audioholic Media over the past year. Hi-fives for everyone, and happy New Year!

Audioholic Media‘s Favorite Albums of 2009
In alphabetical order, so as to not play favorites amongst our favorites:

Air
Love 2
12 tracks, Astralwerks — Caroline
Coming back around from their last foray into experimental music for experimenting’s sake, this stylish French duo turn in an album full of brilliant, accessible melodies and delightfully dense textures. Face it, these guys are freakin’ geniuses with all the grooves and tones they can pull out of those keyboard layers, and the driving, almost spy-like themes on some of these tracks take them in a whole new direction. Despite having a cover that looks more like an Air Supply album, the songs are dynamic and well-conducted, pared down in instrumentation but fleshed out in arrangement. Hip, stylish, catchy, and synth-y – coolness = maintained.

The Antlers
Hospice
10 tracks, Frenchkiss
This album shows us that we can have a dark side and be compassionate all at the same time. The haunting and melodic tunes of Hospice bring an unconventional feeling to easy listening. Make sure to listen to this album from beginning to end (no shuffle option, either!) because the whole story unfolds that way.

Antony and the Johnsons
The Crying Light
10 tracks, Secretly Canadian
The Crying Light is a quiet, polished and slightly left-of-center album either best or worst listened to while on psychedelics. The third studio release from the band, Antony Hegarty and his Johnsons created something that feels almost uncomfortably personal, with Hegarty’s unusual and slightly eerie voice and lyrics lingering over each melody. The album creates a sense of mystery and is a little haunting in an unearthly sort of way.

Bat For Lashes
Two Suns
11 tracks, Astralwerks — Caroline
If there’s an artist that combines modern heartache and yearning with mystical, mythical imagery more seamlessly than Natasha Khan, they’re in hiding. Her pure, crystalline voice delivers her heart’s longings cased within tales of knights in crystal armor and siren songs, evoking a palpable mystique which is both enchanting and jaw-dropping, turning from concert-hall tours-de-force to intimate piano missives without missing a step. Breathtaking in so many ways, this album amply demonstrates Khan’s place as a too-rare artist who keeps magic and melodrama dancing together brilliantly.

Bobby Long
Dirty Pond Songs
10 tracks, Bobby Long
When Bobby Long isn’t being attacked by girls who dream of being ravaged by a blockbuster vampire, he’s making really good music for girls who dream of being ravaged by a blockbuster vampire… and for the rest of us. Dirty Pond Songs is an honest album with so much depth you would think the kid is just hitting his mid-life crisis. This album is consistent the whole way through and is a pleasant reminder that music can still be solid without losing its sincerity. It isn’t packing any fancy tricks, it’s simply a beautiful album from beginning to end. Long clearly takes his craftsmanship seriously and it can be heard in every lyric of every track, particularly in songs like “Left to Lie” and “Dead and Done.”
» Read our interview with Bobby Long here.

Brandi Carlile
Give Up the Ghost
11 tracks, Columbia
In her third studio release, Pacific Northwesterner Brandi Carlile brings her trademark powerful, sometimes rugged vocals to some softer, more personal lyrics than she’s released in the past. Produced by Rick Rubin, Give Up the Ghost features a less guarded, more cerebral side to Carlile as a vocalist and occasional lyricist. “Caroline” even offers an almost-unrecognizable Elton John collaboration! They grow up so fast…

Coconut Records
Davy
10 tracks, Young Baby Records
Davy is a collection of songs built for sunny days, even when the second track, “Drummer,” begins with a lyric as honest and blunt as, At fourteen, I lost my dad, it’s true. Each track on the album is a welcome reminder that the words “fun” and “catchy” aren’t (always) synonymous with “obnoxious.” With each track lasting only about three minutes, every song on Davy has its own short story to tell, and as it turns out, Jason Schwartzman has some worthwhile things to say.
» Read the full review here.

Cymbals Eat Guitars
Why There Are Mountains
9 tracks, Sister’s Den Records
This album is a great reminder that indie rock isn’t dead (or hiding behind some really cool sunglasses). Why There Are Mountains is a great debut and steps up to the plate where other albums in this genre usually hit this standard somewhere right around their sophomore release. “Some Trees” and “Wild Phoenix” showcase the band’s ability to take songs on a musical ride. There is so much texture to these tracks, it’s almost rough to listen to at times. The joy behind it all is that you can actually anticipate the unexpected and find yourself hearing the next twist or turn that the song is about to take. If you’re looking for melodic hooks embedded into one hell of a bumpy ride, then Why There Are Mountains might be the right dose of chaos you’ve been looking for.

The Dead Weather
Horehound
11 tracks, Warner Bros.
This super-ish-group is the first creative project on which Jack White doesn’t take the spotlight (despite the fact that every headline about them has his name bigger than the band name), instead manning the drum kit and handling backing vox. This does not detract, however, and the music is trademark raw, bone-crunching psychedelic blues-rock, the kind for which Mr. Gillis is known and solely capable of producing. Alison Mosshart’s vocals do the right job, and Pat Keeler and Dean Fertita unleash this band’s melodic gunfighter-style bare-bones melodies with full barrels of dynamics and sticks of reverb dynamite. It’s undeniable — even with JW on the skins and the rushed story of the band — that this album is highly worth checking out.

Dirty Projectors
Bitte Orca
9 tracks, Domino Recording Co.
Admittedly a bit obtuse by popular standards, by musical standards no other album this year even approaches this excellent work. Long at odds with creating music anything short of eclectic and almost pretentious, DP’s veritable mastermind David Longstreth finally made some concessions and composed tunes that could almost be described as accessible and even catchy on this LP, adding yet another vocalist and solidifying their unit into a tight-as-nails full band. Wisely yielding the spotlight to his other vocalists for a few tracks also produced one of the year’s most interesting crossover tracks in “Stillness Is the Move,” with vocalist/guitarist Amber Coffman waxing soul-diva with a hook that keeps climbing to an amazing peak (SITM was recently covered by Solange and is now a legitimate hit in the R&B world as well. Variety!).
» You can see a full review of the compositional, musical, and vocal grandeur that is this wonderful piece of work here.

Ernie Halter
Ernie Halter Live
11 tracks, Rock Ridge Music
This is an excellent live album which showcases both Halter’s raw talent and his genuine affability. Ernie Halter Live is a felicitous representation of the level of fun and musicianship that can be expected at a typical Ernie Halter show. If you find yourself constantly searching YouTube to get a live fix of Ernie Halter, this should save you the trouble of sorting through all of those user-uploaded covers of “Whisper.”
» Read our interview with Ernie Halter here.

Freelance Whales
Weathervanes
13 tracks, Freelance Whales
It’s hard to make assumptions about a new band that is thrown into a scene where there are endless numbers of competitors. Freelance Whales make their mark with Weathervanes and do so in a way that saves them the trouble of trying to show off. They’re not getting lost in their sound only to polish up their mishaps the following year on a sophomore album to show us how much they’ve learned, they’re simply showing us that this is what they know, and that they will be the best at it. The layering in “Generator ^ First Floor” and “Starring” take songs with simple lyrics and turn them into more complex situations that are easy to listen to. Sometimes the depth in their songs can be dismissed for quirkiness, but in all respect, that’s part of the total package of Weathervanes.

fun.
Aim & Ignite
10 tracks, Nettwerk
Forming a modern day supergroup, Nate Ruess (formerly of The Format), Andrew Dost (formerly of Anathallo), and Jack Antonoff (of Steel Train) fuse their various talents to create a band with a name that couldn’t more appropriately define their sound. Aim and Ignite establishes a lighthearted and cheerful tone on first listen, but in true Nate Ruess form, a song’s lyrics can sometimes contradict its melody. In “Be Calm,” a full orchestra swells in an aggregation of emphatic melodies and uplifting chords behind Ruess’s catchy vocals while he sings about talking himself off a ledge. The last 60 seconds of “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used to Be)” bear an honesty not often explored by most artists. Despite the song’s breezy overtone, Ruess delivers an eloquent and emotionally apathetic gut punch in the song’s final lyrics when he states, “I’m not a prophet, but I’m here to profit” after proclaiming that he doesn’t fall in love, he just fakes it.

Ouch.

» Read the full review here.

Future of Forestry
Travel EP I & II
2 discs, 12 tracks, Credential Recordings
With Eric Owyoung’s breathy tenor and dynamic guitar textures mixing brilliantly with his rotating band’s masterful rhythmic and production dynamics, Future of Forestry promises to be a delightful band. These releases up the bar with some surprisingly deft world percussion flavors, skilled lyrical concept connectivity (the EPs cover themes of air, sea, and land — land being the subject of a third EP on the way in 2010), and wave after wave of huge, catchy chorus hooks. Surprises at every turn, and a solid and innovative follow-up to their 2007 debut. Top job all around.

Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest
12 tracks, Warp Records
Once the hype settled over this flagship indie hipster band’s new album (even their announcement of its title got more press than most other bands combined on the hipsterweb circuit), a careful listen revealed a wonderful album out of time, combining lush mini-orchestral arrangements, sunny harmonies, subtle production flourishes, a boys’ choir, and Ed Droste’s and Daniel Rossen’s singularly unique lead vocals leading the charge. These four guys have a lot of musical acumen under their belt, and they brought all their toys to the table here, ultimately living up to the hype this album generated, if only in retrospect.

Ice Palace
Wonder Subtly Crushing Us
10 tracks, Rebel Group
Wonder Subtly Crushing Us hints at being a folk-rock album then covers that idea with layers of grunge- and indie-rock, creating a comprehensive collection of tracks which utilize a multitude of concepts and introspective lyrics to construct Ice Palace’s second official studio release. Because the album draws from a plethora of genres and influences, critics have been hard-pressed to find a category in which to place the album — which is the album’s primary selling point as well as its (most impressive) pitfall.

Julian Casablancas
Phrazes For the Young
8 tracks, RCA
Coming in last of all the solo Strokes’ work in the ’00s, the style-idol frontman’s output really surprised on many levels. Digging and twiddling for “hip” keyboards, Casablancas hit the mother lode in sweet sounds, and used the whole payload on these eight tracks. His gift for wry, sardonic lyrics has not diminished, nor has his signature dry, disaffected delivery, but it’s the music here — both in composition and arrangement — that’s leaps and bounds beyond his work with his bandmates. Great cover art as well — a great bonus out of left field.

Julie Peel
Near the Sun
12 tracks, American Laundromat
Julie Peel is an understated singer/songwriter of French-Canadian descent with a subtle gift for expressing the most complicated of emotions with effortless grace and melancholy frankness.  Most of her songs are so film-scene worthy it’s ridiculous, and the deceptively simple arrangements lend a sort of faded classic feel to every track. Worthy of much more notice than she’s received so far, but we hear one of her tracks is featured on that Mercy show on NBC so maybe better things are a-comin’…

Neko Case
Middle Cyclone
15 tracks, Anti/Epitaph
That voice is unmistakable, big and broad-shouldered while subtle and vulnerable, usually weaving a tale of some myriad shade of dysfunctional relationship — romantic or otherwise — past the point of repair. Neko Case’s work over her last two albums has been a perfect confluence of folk Americana and gritty roots rock with a splash of traditional country, and her lyrical ability just keeps getting better. Add to that a band which has been honed to a razor-sharp edge and that waxes and wanes in flow and power with mechanic precision to every curve, every hairpin turn in Case’s masterful songwriting. Worthy of all the multiple “best of” year-end lists on which it has found itself.

Noah and the Whale
The First Days of Spring
11 tracks, Interscope
We get it. You’re really really sad and this break up is so different than any other one we’ve heard about. You’re in pain. If you’re apathetic to the pain of a struggling artist, we don’t really blame you. There are indie films for that. The First Days of Spring not only becomes its own film, it wraps up every cliche you could imagine in a little over 40 minutes. Is that bad? It’s not necessarily something to boast about, but it’s apparent that the band members weren’t trying to accomplish anything beyond that. This album is packed full of light strings, percussion and piano, making it a very calm and peaceful experience regardless of its thematic tone. “The First Days of Spring” and “My Door Is Always Open” are two standout tracks which reflect the liveliest parts of the album as well as the parts that barely have a heartbeat.

Person L
The Positives
12 tracks, Academy Fight Song
Having a soft spot for the punk-rock movement, it’s expected that an artist like Kenny Vasoli would want something more than what’s being dished out lately. Vasoli told us in an interview that he’s waiting for someone to do something dangerous. The Positives seems to be his “dangerous” something. It’s not a flawless album by any means, but it’s an album that isn’t afraid to try different things. Person L had a habit of taking songs to a certain peak but never really exceeding expectations. This album finally makes it over that hump and brings to the table tracks like “Changed Man,” making it an unpredictable piece of work. These stylistic surprises happen from track to track, but songs like “Loudmouth” and “Goodness Gracious” are specific reminders that this band has roots firmly planted in its punk-rock influences.
» Read our interview with Person L here.

Phoenix
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
10 tracks, Glassnote
Giving the French quartet the attention they’ve deserved for years, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix presents Phoenix as a band that the whole of the public can enjoy (as proven by this year’s late night talk show tour, showcasing the band on basically every American evening-based talk show). Still as poetic-yet-confusing as ever, the lyrics are no easier to understand upon first listen than they were on the band’s previous albums, but the songs are heavy on the dance vibe. Though “1901″ and “Lisztomania” were likely the most well-received tracks, “Rome” is the standout dark horse of the album.
Finding their footing as a band who are willing to experiment without being too experimental, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is left-of-center without being too esoteric for, say, basic cable.

St. Vincent
Actor
11 tracks, 4AD
In her second studio album as a solo artist, Annie Clark pairs her quiet vocals with some hard-ass guitar jams and creates the 11 ethereal, catchy, and sometimes haunting tracks which make up Actor. The lyrics on “Marrow” bear the most infectious cry for help of the year while the chorus of “The Bed” is little more than a serene-yet-severe threat which demands for you to stop right where you stand and put your hands in the air. The only real disappointment on the album is that “Actor Out of Work” is entirely too short, clocking in at a mere two minutes and 15 seconds of hard beats and pedal fuzz, but whatever. If your intention is to leave everyone wanting more, you have hit the nail on the head, St. Vincent.

The Swell Season
Strict Joy
12 tracks, Anti/Epitaph
This is the album Glen Hansard has been chasing his entire 2+ decade-long career. All his work with his veteran band The Frames, most of whom are present here, has been honing his songcraft for this moment, and all it took was Marketa Irglova’s fragile harmonies, perfect piano counterpoint, and lost love to cement it all in. These are songs which look achingly back through a bumpy relationship tunnel with honest self-deprecation and wide-smiling appreciation, played by a band who fills in the sonic corners with skill and tact and sung by Hansard and Irglova with complete transparency. Special props to the subtle strings played by violinist Colm MacIomaire, adding just the right shades of cloudy sky or warm sunbeams whenever necessary.
» Read the full review here.

Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures
13 tracks, DGC/Interscope
Does anything else need to be said other than Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, and John Paul Jones? This is way beyond a supergroup — these three rock icons came together over their love of each other’s music and rock ‘n’ roll as a force; the result wasn’t commercial, but is unstoppable, full of face-rocking riffs and pinpoint-precise rhythm section interplay. Every track on this album has something memorable and is noteworthy for far more than the pedigree of the musicians creating it. Them Crooked Vultures is rock for rock’s sake, crafted and released into an over-commercialized world by skilled tradesmen who know their way around the crushing power of well-played rock and roll. They’re already talking album #2, and rock fans in the know are mopping up their saliva, with good reason.

The Trews
Acoustic- Friends and Total Strangers
15 tracks, Bumstead Productions Ltd.
Whether The Trews find the most joy on the stage or in the studio, their songs seem to shine best when played to a live crowd and Acoustic — Friends & Total Strangers showcases exactly that. Opening the album with solid harmonies on “Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me” and ending just as strongly an hour later with Colin MacDonald’s seemingly unaffected and unwavering vocals powering through “Hold Me In Your Arms,” the album is consistent throughout all 15 of its tracks. As difficult to skip songs as it is to choose a favorite amongst them, Friends & Total Strangers is a kick ass, acoustic rock show just as much as it’s one more excuse to get off your ass and go see The Trews live.

WHY?
Eskimo Snow
10 tracks, anticon
There isn’t as much alternative rap in Eskimo Snow as you might have hoped for, but that isn’t necessarily the only magic behind frontman Yoni Wolf’s talent. There’s no need to worry — his poetic license is still stapled to every single track throughout the album. The joy behind the majority of this album is the constant wit, charm, humor and raw truth behind every single word. “January Twenty Something” isn’t a long track but it holds enough momentum to feel like a pretty substantial ride. Other tracks like “Against Me” build momentum solely on a lyrical level but couple well with the calm nature of the melodies, balancing the layers of each song. At times, the content can be cryptic and unsettling, but Eskimo Snow still finds a weird way of being comfortable.

Will Hoge
The Wreckage
11 tracks, Rykodisc
Born from the accident that landed him in intensive care last year, The Wreckage features Will Hoge’s strongest studio work to date. Highlighting some of his most earnest lyrics without sacrificing the trademark rock ‘n’ roll sound he has built his reputation around, this album ties all of Hoge’s previous work together while also coming closest to exemplifying the sweaty charm of his live shows. “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” delivers the album’s biggest gut punch in the lyric Keep on dreamin’, even if it breaks your heart, broaching the eternal conundrum of every starving artist: Get rich or die tryin’.

Various Artists
Ciao, My Shining Star
3 discs, 41 tracks, Shout! Factory
A stirring and stellar (and amazingly prolific) tribute to a little-known singer/songwriter, all for a heartwrenching and heartwarming cause. Although Marc Mulcahy, and his bands Miracle Legion and Polaris, aren’t household names, luckily the list of people that had heard of him included a veritable who’s who of rock music from all genres. So, when tragedy struck his family and he lost his wife, the mother of their 2 daughters, it evoked an outpouring of support from the likes of Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Frank Black, and many, many others in the form of this album, a collection of Mulcahy’s songs re-interpreted by these artists and more, in order to provide him a means to support his remaining family. A noble gesture of course, but for the rest of us it is also a very satisfying piece of work — not only are these songs smart and intricate in their own right, the guest list’s renderings of them are spot-on and really incredible. Worth checking out for the charity, but more so for the incomparably great music.

Various Artists
Dark Was the Night
2 discs, 29 tracks, 4AD
A compilation for the Red Hot charity for AIDS research, somehow this double album turned into a summit of any and every big-name indie talent across the spectrum. Produced by Bryce and Aaron Dessner out of The National, this project pulled in the top-shelf tracks from anyone who’s anyone on the indie blog circuit: Arcade Fire? Check. Yeasayer? Check. Dirty Projectors? They did one with David Byrne. Feist, Grizzly Bear, and Bon Iver each appear twice, either on their own or with the likes of St. Vincent, Ben Gibbard, or each other. Sufjan Stevens even took a few moments away from his 50 States project and BQE orchestral suite to toss off a brilliant 10+ minute electronic work of staggering genius for the album. The only track that didn’t really make an impression was Kronos Quartet’s head-scratchingly dissonant title cut. All-in-all, this is 31 tracks of mind-altering brilliance — and for a good cause. You get great music, and up your hipster cred, and that’s what a great album is all about. WIN.

Strict Joy
Release Date: October 27, via ANTI-

01. Low Rising
02. Feeling the Pull
03. In These Arms
04. The Rain
05. Fantasy Man
06. Paper Cup
07. High Horses
08. The Verb
09. I Have Loved You Wrong
10. Love That Conquers
11. Two Tongues
12. Back Broke

The Frames’ frontman has been making top-shelf tunes for the better part of two+ decades and has made due with many various groupings of musicians, but with The Swell Season, he finally has something that has eluded him for most of those two decades: worldwide attention (thanks to Once, the 2007 film which garnered an Oscar for Best Song, and cemented his working relationship with Czech singer/pianist Marketa Irglova), and the players to really put on a good show with that international spotlight on. Indeed it is Irglova who seems to be the most striking addition to Hansard’s sound, her soft, winsome voice and piano providing sure-handed counterpoint to his heart-worn lead vocal and seasoned guitar playing. She also turns in two powerfully heart-rending lead vocal performances in “Fantasy Man” and “I Have Loved You Wrong” (which she composed as well), and her vocal harmonies complement his in just the right measure at every turn.

Irglova’s piano is but one piece of a masterfully-applied miniature orchestra of support players on this album, with most of Hansard’s current Frames band mates lending in on rhythm, violin, and guitar duties, plus some additional guitar and horns (from Leonard Cohen’s and Levon Helm’s bands, respectively). This ensemble is skillfully utilized, filling in the small spaces of each track with finesse, just the right application of sound when needed. From the subtle string and horn swells in lead-off track “Low Rising,” to the stunningly-arranged vocal interplay in the interludes of first single “In These Arms,” to the unique and refreshingly divergent song structures throughout, the compositional prowess is leaps and bounds beyond the competition on this album, as are the production skills, which are shared between Hansard and indie go-to boardman Peter Katis. You might benefit greatly to consume this LP by headphones, as all these layers are expertly mixed, with not much overlap and never any clutter. The string layers alone are a special treat, even when just a single, sustained violin note, and violinist Colm MacIomare fills in the stratosphere with the right tone every time.

Atop the music, Glen Hansard has authored yet another worthy body of songs dealing with heartbreak, love and loss. While any Frames fans know this is not a new subject for him, the recently-ended romance with his Once co-star Irglova provides fresh framework for these compositions, and they carry more ache throughout the album because of it. Right out the gate, Hansard is proclaiming “I wanna pull back the veils and find out what I’ve done wrong” in opener “Low Rising,” a sentiment of regretful hindsight which rises up repeatedly in tracks to come, from the wishful detachment of “Paper Cup” to the resigned, wry-smiled despair of quick-footed album stunner “The Verb,” which finds Hansard repeating stanzas like “All joy escapes in the dark, and I can’t make this make sense” and “I’m stuck here killing myself, you’re out there drinking somewhere” while Irglova’s counterpoint vocals cascade all around like raindrops bouncing off the cobblestone street. Throughout all this emotional turmoil, however, the mood itself never becomes despairing, which is the true triumph of this set of songs — to examine heartache and sadness and come out better for it, to turn regretful sentiment into life-affirming conviction.

All in all this band has made an album of truly life-affirming sentiment, even if the storybook romance of its core duo has written its final chapter. When the two sing in unison “It’s not just this, it’s everything” on “Two Tongues,” they’re singing for an entire generation of lovers who have passed the point of reconciliation; likewise, when they join to intone “Maybe I was born to hold you in these arms,” they’re capturing the deep-seated hope in all of us to find purpose in comforting our other half, wandering around somewhere waiting for us to discover them. The gorgeous musical accompaniment shines and shimmers in all the right places to buoy these sentiments with sonic display, and even in the overcast moments it’s difficult to not be enchanted by Glen Hansard’s sheer emotive conviction. Closing out “Paper Cup,” singing “Maybe time will provide, give you strength to decide, you know it’s not too late,” one can’t help but believe this is an artist holding firmly onto hope even through the storm, and with a foil like Marketa Irglova and an ensemble like the one The Swell Season currently boasts, he’s got good reason to keep his hopes high.

—–

For more on The Swell Season, visit theswellseason.com.

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 10.27.09
by Joshua Krage

It’s time for candy and costumes, but the only thing scary about this week’s new music is how good some of these albums are, and I’m not saying that for the (candy-)corny joke’s sake. That new Swell Season album is jaw-dropping, the new Tegan and Sara redeems their previous album for me, and we’re even getting some tejano versions of Disney songs that aren’t half bad. Plus, there’s an album from the chick who was backing Michael Jackson on guitar as he was gearing up for his concerts. Yes — scary good. See for yourself:

3
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
Atreyu

Awesome New Republic, Hearts – a dance-tastic indie duo (+touring drummer) that hits me like a hip update of Erasure. Lots of disco synth-pop with solid backbeat and outrageously good vocals that hold up just as well when the tempo slows down.

Devendra Banhart
Bassnectar
Between the Buried and Me
Birdman

Blind Boys of Alabama, Duets – just what it says, and the duets are with a roster including Ben Harper, Jars of Clay, Susan Tedeschi, Toots Hibbert, Asleep At the Wheel, John Hammond, and even Lou Reed. I suspect this is mostly just older recordings, but some of these are new to my ears and they’re all pretty good, in the suped-up contemporary style the Blind Boys have been sporting for the better part of this decade.

The Bravery
Broadcast & the Focus Group
James Brown live
Creed – yes, THAT Creed, with the original lineup
A Day to Remember
Florence and the Machine
Former Ghosts
Garage a Trois
Glass Ghost
Glasses Malone
Gov’t Mule

Gregorian, Christmas Chants – it’s a German modern rock band with gregorian monk singers, curbing their normal rock/pop leanings in the holiday spirit for some traditional Christmas classics, but with their contemporary styling thrown in for good measure.

Euge Groove
Halford
Hem
Hollywood Undead
Hot Chellie Rae
Jack Johnson live CD/DVD
Kid Sister
The Longcut

Los Lobos, Goes Disney – if you couldn’t guess from the title, this seriously is Los Lobos playing Los Lobos versions of classic Disney songs (i.e. rocking them out tex-mex style).

Yo-yo Ma box set
Brian McKnight
Morningwood
The Mother Hips
Joe Nichols
John Nolan

Orianthi, Believe – everyone would’ve been talking about this golden-locked guitarist if Michael Jackson’s concerts had gone off as planned, and the “This Is It” film should get some buzz going just the same. She’s basically a modern-day Jennifer Batten (MJ’s Thriller-era guitarist) out of Australia, and she’s already taken the stage with Steve Vai, among other six-string noteworthies. She does sing fairly decently, but it’s the instrument in her hands which sets fire to these songs.

Pelican

Pink Martini, Splendor In the Grass – one of the most versatile overall bands in the non-traditional pop world, seamlessly incorporating jazz, swing, and world styles into a thoroughly enjoyable multi-lingual hybrid of intoxicating classic dance music. China Forbes’ sultry singing is but one of many highlights to be found…

Radio Disney
R.E.M. – Live at Olympia
Kenny Rogers
Carly Simon
Keely Smith Christmas
Stephen Stills live
Sting live CD/DVD
String Cheese Incident
Suffocation

The Swell Season, Strict Joy – Rest assured, this album is worth lots more words than I can give it. Glen Hansard is no stranger to making quality music, and his seasoned hand is well on display in the songcraft, the arrangements, and production (shared with Peter Katis, another expert hand) of this complete work. Marketa Irglova’s wistful voice and piano provide the perfect counterpoint to Hansard’s weary tenor and urgent guitar playing, and the competing ideas which kept occurring to me listening to these tracks are “filling in the corners” and “keep it simple.” There are expert touches in the album’s small spaces (a backing vocal here, a sustained string swell there), but never any overcrowding, each stroke masterfully applied. These are not simple pop songs, they are small journeys that alternate course, taking detours through a busy city or stopping on the roadside to admire the scenery — and that’s just the music. Hansard and Irglova’s shared songs put the album’s title to the test, veering from quiet celebration to winsome pleading to wide-eyed, regretful wonder. Indeed, when Hansard sings “I’m stuck here killing myself” in standout “The Verb,” you’d be hard-pressed to tell whether it’s from despair or wry-smiled self-deprecation. This is a dynamite follow-up to their Oscar-winning debut, and if this is the direction they’re headed, we can expect even better…

TechN9ne

Tegan and Sara, Sainthood – for any of you uninitiated, these Canadian twins have more than just the nasally-sweet voice which dominated their last two albums, and if anyone enjoyed their first two LPs (This Business Of Art and If It Was You), you’ll be happy to hear their soulful, heavyweight rock voices making some appearances on this new LP. I personally felt a bit cheated by the brevity and scrappiness of the songs on their last album (though I shouldn’t — they called it The Con so it was right in the title), so I am happy to report this is a much meatier work: better songs, more musicianship, extra keyboard layers (the kind that made So Jealous so memorable), almost prog-level dynamics, and much bolder lead vocals from both of the Quin sisters. Last album had them composing separately (a mistake), and they began collaborating again on this one, which is evident in its significantly improved overall quality. A great return to form.

Tia Carrerra (the band, not the actress)
Train

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Night Castle – yes, a new one, and it’s a second non-Christmas entry into the prog/Broadway/rock ensembles catalog, so less holiday fare but still plenty of classical intertwines and underpinnings.

U2 – Unforgettable Fire 25th Anniversary

Wolfmother, Cosmic Egg – still calling them “Wolfmother” is a bit misleading, as it’s now just singer/guitarist/afro-helmet Andrew Stockdale and three brand new guys. However, Stockdale is the sound of this band with his classic-rock riffage and high-register vocal histrionics so proper album #2 is a faithful continuation of the chunky, riff-driven retro-metal style laid down so thickly by their (his) earlier releases. The music on the album is great and all, but I might buy it just for the cover alone.

This is a decent lead-up to the holiday season, so get’em while they’re hot. I’m about to burst with all the good music going into my ears from these last few weeks. I’m almost glad the flood will soon trickle down to a quiet stream… almost. Until next week, see you when I read you.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

Co-produced by Peter Katis and The Swell Season’s Glen Hansard, Strict Joy will be available via Anti- on October 27th.

Here are the tour dates, plan accordingly:

11.01.09 Milwaukee, WI @ The Pabst
11.02.09 Indianapolis, IN @ Clownes Theatre
11.03.09 Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
11.04.09 Montreal, QC @ Olympia
11.06.09 Boston, MA @ Berklee Performing Arts Centre
11.07.09 Providence, RI @ Lupo’s
11.08.09 Philadelphia, PA @ Merriam
11.09.09 Washington D.C. @ 9:30 Club
11.12.09 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
11.13.09 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
11.14.09 Dallas, TX @ Palladium
11.15.09 Austin, TX @ The Paramount
11.17.09 Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Arts
11.18.09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
11.20.09 San Francisco, CA @ The Paramount
11.22.09 Seattle, WA @ The Paramount
11.24.09 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
11.25.09 Vancouver, BC @ Centre For the Performing Arts
11.27.09 Boise, ID @ Egyptian
11.28.09 Salt Lake City, UT @ Jeanne Wagner Theatre
11.29.09 Denver, CO @ The Ogden
11.30.09 Kansas City, MO @ Uptown
12.03.09 Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theater
12.04.09 St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
12.05.09 Minneapolis, MN @ The State Theatre

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For more information on The Swell Season, visit theswellseason.com.

Photo by Cory Chisel.

Recorded last year, Strict Joy derives its name from James Stephens’ poem, Strict Care, Strict Joy. (Said poem is kinda long and kinda poem-y but still good. Read it here.) The album was recorded primarily in Bridgeport, Connecticut and is set to be released on September 29th, 2009.

STRICT JOY TRACK LISTING
01. “Low Rising”
02. “Feeling the Pull”
03. “In These Arms”
04. “The Rain”
05. “Fantasy Man”
06. “Paper Cup”
07. “High Horses”
08. “The Verb”
09. “I Have Loved You Wrong”
10. “Love That Conquers”
11. “Two Tongues”
12. “Back Broke”

A U.S. tour is set to accompany the release of Strict Joy. Tour dates have yet to be announced.

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For more information on The Swell Season, visit theswellseason.com.

Photo by Cory Chisel.