Part 2 of 2

J Meagher’s Most Played Songs of 2009

"Beach House - Wedding Bell"

Translucence, ghosted, baleful, musty, creeping, shimmering, autumnal, and murky are all adjectives used in pitchfork reviews to describe Beach House’s sound. Wow, now those are some fancy descriptive words. Let me give it a try: Listening to Beach House is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket of noise on the couch and having everything you could possibly want within arms reach. The sounds made by Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand are soothing, while maintaining enough spookyness to keep your attention. Even though I love this group I was still surprised I listened to them more than any other band this last year. I mean, It’s not usually what I go for, no punchy rhythm section and not many stringed instruments to be heard. But there’s something to be said for a band that can craft a sound that is immediately recognizable as theirs, and Beach House does the hell out of that. Can’t wait to listen to their upcoming album. “Norway” for the next year.

"Akron/Family - River"

I was pretty damned disappointed when I heard that founding member Ryan Vanderhoof was leaving the band to go live in a Buddhist Dharma center. I thought the bands sound was getting bigger and better with each release, and Vanderhoof’s vocals were my favorite of the group. Their 2007 album “Love is Simple” was one of my favorites of the year and I waited, excited but worried, for their follow up. I don’t thing SEW, SEF is the cohesive and consistent experience that their previous effort was, but there is good news. There are some really good songs on this album, the vocals do not suck, and everything on the album is interesting and progressive enough for me to stay excited about these guys. They are a lean threesome now but their sound is rich and complex. “Love is Simple” was a more melodic album than their latest release, but this gem shows they’ve still got that hat, and they wear it really damn well.

"Chris and Thomas - You're The One I Want"

Telling the elongated story of how I discovered these guys would take too long so basically it was: Fleet Foxes Pandora station -> girlfriend -> me -> seeing them play a random Eritrean bar in DC. Their music to me takes the vocal style of Simon and Garfunkel and adds a more nuanced and textured acoustic background. There are songs on this album that have more variety, but besides being a sentimental favorite, it really shows what makes these guys special: Vocal harmonies that go together like chocolate and peanut butter, and gorgeous acoustic melodies. I was damned impressed by this whole album and Chris and Thomas are really genuine guys that love music as much as you. I think they are finishing up their next album and prepping a tour for 2010 so check them out.

"The Felice Brothers - Frankie's Gun!"

The drunker you sound while singing, the more you sing about getting drunk, the more you sound like you’re living in the 19th century, and the closer you are to Canada, the more I’m going to like you. This is basically the template mastered by The Band in the ‘70s: Timeless Americana that makes you feel something, maybe drunk. The Felice Brothers put out an album this year (Yonder is the Clock) but I was a little let down by the crawling tempo towards the end of the album and the cleaner sound of the recording. Their self-titled LP however, is flawless in my mind, encapsulating everything I like about music.

"Animal Collective - Brothersport"

I never had a brother, so this songs timeless message about familial bro support and voice lessons ring a bit hollow. But damn when that beat drops don’t I just want to shake my ass all over the damned place. I finally gave in to the Animal Collective this year, it’s been fun. I don’t see it as a long-term relationship, but my new years resolution is to live in the now.