Crud Meridian

These are the albums that ended up really doing it for me in the last ten years. My critical standards are “I dunno man, sounds good to me.” Listed in no particular order.

Never Were The Way She Was (2015) – Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld

My most profound memory of this album is listening to it on repeat while trying to kill a fly in my sweltering summer bedroom, buck-naked and wielding a copy of “Critique of Pure Reason.”

The Ambassador (2014) – Gabriel Kahane

Gabriel Kahane opened for the Punch Brothers in 2016 and absolutely ruined our night. While I’d be tempted to give this spot to his gut-wrenching “Book of Travellers,” The Ambassador will always have a special place in my heart for introducing me to a depth of songwriting I had not thought possible, and for having a verse about throwing Alan Rickman out of a window. Give “Empire Liquor Mart” a try and tell me you don’t leave hollow-eyed and lighter.

Get To Heaven (2015) – Everything Everything

Everything Everything is a band that makes you want to sing the hook and then feel bad about it. The title track makes your feet feel lighter than air and your heart feel heavier than a headstone, which is an admirable tonal balancing act. These guys ask the question “What if Radiohead was a Top-40s pop act?” and then answer it with grim mercenary efficiency. Shout out to “Blast Doors” for the lyrics “You can fire a rocket at a rocket, it’s the future.”

Emotion (2015) – Carly-Rae Jepsen

If you didn’t like Emotion then you, to paraphrase Mark Danielewski, have a microwave oven for a heart. It’s nice to feel 16 again, as long as you have been alive long enough to forget some of what being 16 is actually like. This album is a perfect thing.

You Won’t Get What You Want (2018) – Daughters

I hated this album the first time I heard it, but the problem was that I hated it because it made me feel AWFUL. It’s not boring; rather, it’s radically unpleasant. Every pitch and timbre, every rhythm, every lyrics, has been chosen to push and prod you. Alexis Marshall’s staccato sprecshtimme teeters on the edge of manic tears for a full 45 minutes – by the time Guest House rolls around you’re singing along, begging to be let in. This is not a beautiful piece of music, but if art should be affecting then you’d be hard-pressed to find a more exemplary work.

Joy As An Act Of Resistance (2018) – IDLES

IDLES is sour-sweet, pure sincere. Joy As An Act Of Resistance is an absolutely huge record that makes you want to punch fascists and tell your friends that you love them, which is right about what we need right now. Put on “Never Fight A Man With A Perm” and dropkick the wall.

Be The Cowboy (2018) – Mitski

Mitski is a better songwriter than any of us. This isn’t an album, it’s a flex. “I have a better grasp of pop form than anyone else, and I’m here to prove it,” she says. Then she pulls out your heart, fieldgoals it through the uprights, and puts a cigarette out in the hole.

RTJ3 (2016) – Run The Jewels

I have to be careful listening to this record – doctors tell you it is possible to be Too Pumped Up. Also, the vibe of two people rapping about how good their friendship is is too much for me.

Because The Internet (2013) – Childish Gambino

I’m a white guy with an arts degree, so, yes, I loved this album.

Caligula (2019) – Lingua Ignota

I have listened to this album exactly once. I’m too scared to listen to it again. This is not a joke.

Hiss Spun (2017) – Chelsea Wolfe

The first time I heard “Twin Fawn” I fell out of my chair. Chelsea Wolfe is a controlled substance in most states. Troublingly, after Caligula, this is the lighter, more pleasant version of “Using heavy metal to process trauma” on this list. Let that be a warning.

Choose Your Weapon (2015) – Hiatus Kaiyote

Fuckin’ BEGGING these guys to hurry up with another album. Pinning Hiatus Kaiyote down is a tough sell. They’re like a funk band from a cyberpunk movie that takes place in the amazon, and they have better time than most metronomes. This album is still ten years ahead of its time, so look for it on best-of-the-decade lists for the 2020s as well.

Exmilitary (2011) – Death Grips

I remember showing this to some kitchen coworkers when we were trading our favourite hiphop records. They had to break it to me that this was definitely not hiphop. Maybe they’re right. I dunno, this is one of those records that reminds me that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. Death Grips is too interesting and I don’t know enough about hip hop to make a coherent historical criticism of them. When I listen to this I walk faster down dark streets, and I don’t know if it’s because I’m threatened or because I’m the threat.

The Harrow And The Harvest (2011) – Gillian Welch

A reminder that Dave Rawlings has the best job in the world – harmonize with Gillian Welch and play sick solos. Ten perfect duets, gorgeous singing, incisive lyrics, and “Tennessee,” which is the horniest piece of bluegrass I have ever heard.

Helplessness Blues (2011) – Fleet Foxes

There are a lot of angles for writing about Fleet Foxes. The reverb-drunk psych-folk thing isn’t for everyone – my brother describes them as sounding like they’re trapped in a mine. But I think we have to take Robin Pecknold at his word, that he means everything he writes, and listening to this with an ear to that sincerity makes it charming and seductive and open. Also, this is my list and I happen to think it’s gorgeous.

Landfall (2018) – Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet

I would subscribe to a service where Laurie Anderson called me and read her to-do list for the week into the phone. I wouldn’t say a word. The fact that these haunting soliloquies are accompanied by an otherworldly set of string arrangements feels too good for this world. “Constancy. Gullibility. Sorrow.”

Mouth Moods (2017) – Neil Cicierega

Neil Cicierega is the reason that I’m not allowed near the aux chord at parties and on road trips, but I defy you to find someone on the internet making shitpost music that is this danceable.

My First Car (2013) – Vulfpeck

There are full Vulfpeck albums that might better deserve a spot on this list, but this one has “Wait For The Moment” on it. That song taught me how to play bass properly, and it’s a warm bath of perfect funk.

We Like It Here (2014) – Snarky Puppy

Yes, I like Snarky Puppy. I also like hamburgers and ice cream and kissing and joy.

A Dotted Line (2014) – Nickel Creek

I really wanted to put a Punch Brothers record on this list, and, while I adore them, there’s no one record of theirs that I adore perfectly. Not so with A Dotted Line, which distills everything I adore about this style of newgrass. The chorus of “Destination” should be on display in the Smithsonian.

Punisher (2020) – Phoebe Bridgers

I don’t know if I’ll still be listening to this in a year, but I listened to it a whole lot this year, and I think Moon Song was directly responsible for the worst month of sleep I have had in my life.

Sound and Colour (2015) – Alabama Shakes

I bought this on a whim back when I had a CD player, and it stayed in the disk slot for a few months. Whether it’s the lullaby-perfect shuffle in the title track, the dial-tone grit of the guitar solo in Gemini, or the dissertation on dynamics in “Gimme All Your Love,” this album cycles through every good idea a person can have in twelve songs.

Partita For 8 Voices (2012) – Caroline Shaw, Roomful of Teeth

I once made a project of listening to all of the pieces of music that had won the pulitzer prize, because I am a fucking moron. I remember being furious at how boring “Become Ocean” was, and I lost faith. Then Caroline Shaw kicked my head off with the most fun I have had listening to classical music since, uh. Well. Maybe just The Most Fun. Partita For 8 Voices sounds like an insane computer wrote it, and I for one look forward to serving our robot overlords.

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Music is great.