Back To Back: Eno & St. Vincent

Seems as though the reported on-going collaboration (presumably four songs in at the studio) between David Byrne and Annie Clark aka St. Vincent has got Annie listening to some of David's old pals.

Back in 1981, The Night Owl's college roommate came home with a new album from the neighborhood independent record store, indicating that he had bought it because of a quick listen on the store's turntable. (Maybe Nick Hornby happened to be there as well, using this incident as a basis for his famous vignette in High Fidelity.) Well, I couldn't just ignore the guy, given he had unearthed Pete Townshend & Ronnie Lane's Rough Mix only a month earlier. So I grabbed the LP cover from him while he placed 33 1/3 on the record player and dropped the stylus on the vinyl.

I scanned the multicolored photo on the front and back. Brian Eno. Yeah, the guy from Roxy Music who quit before they really made their mark. The English studio wizard who had worked with Bowie. Here Come The Warm Jets. Oh yeah, that record he put out before the ambient music thing pulled him away from rock.

The song titles didn't exactly invite you in as a listener: "The Paw-Paw Negro Blowtorch"; "Baby's On Fire"; and "Dead Finks Don't Talk" among the ten tracks.

But damned if I didn't sit next to the Advent speakers for the next 40 minutes totally taken in by the melodies and production. Later research revealed original rave reviews from Lester Bangs ("Incredible") and Robert Christgau ("Grade 'A' . . . The idea of this record -- top of the pops from quasi-Dadaist British synth wizard -- may put you off, but the actuality is quite engaging in a Velvet Underground kind of way"). I've been a true disciple of the album ever since, and with recent reissues, Here Come The Warm Jets still resonates with new generations.

And so it is with St. Vincent, who now gives us a wonderful cover of "Some of Them Are Old." We invite you to compare, contrast and enjoy both her version and the original.

St. Vincent - "Some of Them Are Old" (Brian Eno Cover)

St. Vincent Covers The National

Sometimes the most interesting art comes when no almost no one is watching.

Such was the case this past week in Lyon, France at a sound check when Annie Clark, a/k/a St. Vincent, took a run at The National's "Mistaken For Strangers." The song, from the Brooklyn-based band's album Boxer, has a prototypical haunting melody and word structure.

Fans will readily recognize the voice that joins in with Clark's after the first verse: that of Matt Berninger, lead singer and chief lyricist for The National.

St. Vincent is back in North American for some upcoming dates, including the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago tomorrow (18 July), the Calgary Folk Festival (24-25 July) and Central Park Summerstage in New York City (1 August).

The National returns to the continent on 27 July for a sold-out Celebrate Brooklyn! show with Beach House. The tour in support of High Violet continues with a few Europe/US criss-crosses at least through November of this year.

Covers, Covers Everywhere

TNOP has been impressed with a number of covers from noted artists flying around the internet, so we've gathered some of these efforts together for your enjoyment.

Dave Matthews & Neil Young, "Alone and Forsaken"
Out of the much hyped "Hope For Haiti" national telethon that featured dozens of musicians, this pairing and choice of song most floored us. The tune was written and recorded by Hank Williams, Sr and originally released 25 July 1951. The plaintive cry of the lyrics were transposed perfectly to the tragic situation in Port-au-Prince and beyond by Dave Matthews and Neil Young. It is our best guess that the genesis for this choice was Young, given his affinity for Hank and covers in the recent past by fellow Canadian Neko Case (0n 2001's Canadian Amp) and frequent collaborator Emmylou Harris (from the 2002 Hank tribute CD Timeless).



Annie Clark & Justin Vernon, "Harvest Moon"
And speaking of Ol' Shakey, his "Harvest Moon" was covered by the stellar pairing of Annie Clark (St. Vincent) and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on 23 January for Haiti relief.


Phoenix, "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"
A number of sites have revealed the mp3 of Phoenix's interesting choice of covers: Dylan's opus to his first wife. [The track on Blonde On Blonde exceeded 11 minutes; the French band cuts that by more than half.] Interesting to note Thomas Mars' vocal approach on this one. Listen to it via Twenty-Four Bit here.

Fiona Apple, "He's Funny That Way"
Ms. Apple has been lying low for some time, so it is good to see her in this performance with her frequent collaborator/producer Jon Brion. The selection is an old jazz standard written by Richard Whiting and Neil Moret, previously recorded by a number of artists, including Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Nat "King" Cole. The venue is Los Angeles' Largo at the Coronet on behalf of the "Love and Haiti, Too" benefit concert on 23 January.

TNOP's Best Albums of 2009

10. ST. VINCENT - Actor

After a so-so album debut a couple of years ago and the timid performance we witnessed as an opening act in 2007, this fine effort came out of the blue. Annie Clark a/k/a St. Vincent finds her voice on Actor, adapting a number of personalities in a varied collection of songs. And don't let the sweet voice fool you.

KEY TRACK: "Actor Out Of Work"
BONUS: "Oh Sister" (cover of Dylan song with Andrew Bird, Providence. RI, October 2009)

9. DAVE RAWLINGS MACHINE - A Friend of A Friend

Previously known as the key co-writer and musician on so many fine works by Gillian Welch, out from the shadows steps Dave Rawlings and his superb band. The mix of originals and unique covers, assisted by Welch and proteges The Old Crow Medicine Show, are delivered in grand fashion.

KEY TRACK: "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High") (live at Grimey's Records, Nashville, TN, December 2009)
FURTHER READING: Alec Wilkinson's excellent New Yorker profile of Welch and Rawlings from 2004.

8. NEKO CASE - Middle Cyclone

A wonderful follow-up to Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, Neko Case takes on another natural disaster and triumphs.

KEY TRACK: "People Got A Lotta Nerve"
FURTHER READING: February 2009 profile of Neko Case from The New York Times Magazine.

7. BOB DYLAN - Together Through Life

In which the Patron Saint of TNOP interprets Chess Records blues with a Tex-Mex undertone. And it works, continuing the Bard's late-career renaissance. [Side note to long time fans: it's like Desire, except David Hidalgo's accordion replaces Scarlet Rivera's fiddle.]

KEY TRACK: "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'"

FURTHER READING: Bill Flanagan interviews Dylan about the record.

6. DAN AUERBACH - Keep It Hid

First solo effort from The Black Keys' front man allows him to flesh out his sound. The record gets stronger with each listen, and shows that Auerbach is now a major player on the music scene. He's in a prolific stage, as evidenced by the BlakRoc project and the expected new Keys' release in 2010.

KEY TRACK #1: "My Last Mistake"

KEY TRACK #2: "Trouble Weighs A Ton" (with James Quine)

5. THE DECEMBERISTS - The Hazards of Love

America's least-likely rock stars continue their musical ascendancy, using little known folk tales as their narrative compass. We admit it took us a little longer to warm up to this effort than previous favorites like The Crane Wife and Picaresque, but this "Folk Opera" treats the listener to bombastic shapeshifters, ghostly kids and a psychotic queen. Too adventuresome? Pretentious prog rock gone bad? Some thought so. But head man Colin Meloy clearly believes in the album concept, and dares to push back at the iPod singles mentality. And it doesn't hurt that he sure knows how to pen a melody.

KEY TRACK: "The Rake's Song"

KEY TRACK #2: "The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid" (with Shara Worden, Los Angeles, CA, May 2009)
FURTHER LISTENING: David Dye of The World Cafe interviews Colin Meloy.

4. U2 - No Line On The Horizon

After two albums of straight ahead rock cementing the familiar "U2 sound," the Dublin lads decide to step out of the box again. The result is their best studio record since Achtung Baby. Their massive stadium tour will continue into 2010, a sign of how much they believe in the new work.

KEY TRACK: "Moment of Surrender"

KEY TRACK #2: "Get On Your Boots" (live at the 2009 Grammy Awards)

FURTHER READING: Producer Brian Eno talks to The Telegraph about the recording of No Line On The Horizon.

3. WILCO - Wilco (The Album)

The top American band hits a solid groove from beginning to end in this self-titled (kind of) CD. Major fans of Wilco's experimental, atmospheric side will be disappointed to an extent, but the album brims with confidence from a line up of musicians who clearly listen to and love all shades of rock and roll - and learn from it.

KEY TRACK: "You Never Know"
KEY TRACK #2: "You And I" (with Leslie Feist on Late Night With David Letterman, July 2009)
KEY TRACK #3: "Wilco (The Song)" (The Colbert Report, October 2008)
FURTHER READING: Time talks to Jeff Tweedy about the album, the passing of Jay Bennett and a fellow Chicagoan.




2. PHOENIX - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Regular readers of TNOP know that we are suckers for the unadulterated joys of pop. After three promising tries, France's Phoenix stormed the U.S. shores this year with its sunny, percussion driven sound. We dare you not to like it.

KEY TRACK: "Lisztomania"
PERFORMANCE: "1901," "Lisztomania/One Time Too Many" and "Long Distance Call" (from La Blogotheque Take Away Show, December 2009)
FURTHER READING: "Phoenix Remains A Band Apart" from September 2009 issue of The Fader.




1. GRIZZLY BEAR - Veckatimest

The Beach Boys-like harmony and hollow bodied guitar sound - with production finished, appropriately enough, in a New York church - made this record by the Brooklyn quartet Grizzly Bear TNOP's most played record in the car and on the stereo and iPod during 2009. Although its production is sparse and tones often hushed, there is an unique and youthful exuberance about this work. It is a record that will be played for many years to come.

KEY TRACK: "Two Weeks"
KEY TRACK #2: "All We Ask" (Blue Ribbon Vision @ Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, WI, June 2009)

KEY TRACK #3: "While You Wait For The Others" (KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, February 2008)
INTERVIEW AND PERFORMANCE: Chicago Public Radio's Sound Opinions, November 2009.

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The Next Ten
Raphael Saadiq, The Way I See It
Dawes, North Hills
Monsters of Folk, Monsters of Folk
Black Joe Lewis & The Honey Drippers, Tell 'Em What Your Name Is!
Levon Helm, Electric Dirt
The Swell Season, Strict Joy
Various Artists, Dark Was The Night
Passion Pit, Manners
Andrew Bird, Noble Beasts
Lisa Hannigan, Sea Sew

First, This News

John Fogerty talks to USA Today about making his long-gestating The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again. While the first 1973 Blue Ridge effort was a strictly solo affair, this time the CCR veteran uses a crack back-up band to interpret a unique set of covers. And Bruce Springsteen stops by to sing Don Everly harmonies to Fogerty's Phil-like lead on "When Will I Be Loved."

Muzzle of Bees links to a worthy Dylan cover to add to our - and your - collection: Andrew Bird's take on Desire's "Oh Sister," accompanied by the talented St. Vincent. Somewhere Bobby D and Emmylou Harris are nodding with approval.

UK harmony masters The Magic Numbers report that they are completing a new album, due for release in the spring. In the meantime, they are out on a short tour through England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland and invite you to download a new song for listening pleasure. The brother and sister act also pass along that they've recently collaborated with Mali's Amadou & Miriam as well, available via iTunes.

Nate Chinen's cover story profiles Wilco guitar whiz Nels Cline in the latest issue of The Jazz Times.

WXRT's (Spin and) Marty Lenertz has a review of the Rodrigo y Gabriella show last Friday night in Chicago. The dynamic acoustic guitar duo's latest, 11:11, will probably make a number of year-end "best of" lists.

The Los Angeles Times ran a previously unpublished story by Kurt Vonnegut in yesterday's editions, entitled "Look At The Birdie."

And so it goes.