Ready to exhale? We are. Here it is, the moment you haven't really been waiting for - the Landlocked Staff Lists for 2009. Revel in the past, learn from your history, catch up from '08 ya slowpoke! See ya next week for the triumphant return of New Releases! Thanks for making 2009 awesome! Ready? Go! Jason's Best Long Players of 2009 ------------------------- Brothers Gross, Time To Go Now (Bad Track) My favorite discovery of 2009. And they're from Indiana to boot! Punk-informed power-pop, musically and geographically right between the Stooges and Shoes: the perfect band? Their 7" single is super sweet too. Smith Westerns, S/t (Hozac) Chicago kids making Bolan-esque glam on a shoestring. It shouldn't work. Ty Segall, Lemons (Goner) This San Fran guitar wizard released a lot of music this year. I think he's in some sort of race with Thee Oh Sees. Lemons is his 2nd LP, the first is a bit better but it's from 2008. Get them both if you like the aformentioned band, and/or good raw riffage and echo-laced vocals. His performance at Gonerfest this year was too good to put into words. Bad Sports, S/t (Douchemaster) I knew I'd like this one before I even split the shrink with my thumbnail. Three Phil Seymour looking bros on the cover in striped shirts standing in a pee-stained alleyway. Truth in advertising. They're from Denton, TX and I guess they're sort of a side project of the Wax Museums if that means anything to you. Thee Oh Sees, Help (In the Red) More reverb-saoked goodness from thee Bay Area. This band can do no wrong in my book at the moment. Don't be afriad of their daunting and ever-growing discography. Start here or with the Master's Bedroom LP on Tomlab. If you like thee rock and roll music, just jump in somewhere. You'll thank me. White Wires, S/T (Douchemaster) Dumb punk rock songs about love and stuff, with melodies so stupid simple that they seem like they should have been thought of before, but delivered with such spirit and wide-eyed love. This is what the Crickets would sound like if they were three Ottawa dropouts raised on doo-wop and surf music. Jeffery Novak, After the Ball (LMN) Solo joint from Cheap Time mainman. More of a whimsical Anglo-crackpop vibe compared to his band's stuff. He plays all the instruments; sounds like XTC, Syd Barrett, Kevin Ayers etc. Unfortunately it didn't stay in print long. Kurt Vile, Childish Prodigy (Matador) I'm a little baffled that this LP was not better reviewed in the muso-crypto "press". His rep exploded and perhaps there was a pre-emptive/premature backlash. Good songs and lyrics, good uh... atmosphere, sound like Tom Petty exploring some new directions in his basement. Probably the most played LP at Landlocked this year. Come in, we'll play it for you. Night Control, Death Control (Kill Shaman) This is the project of some guy who used to be in some hardcore/emo band called Emery. Sounds horrible, right? Right. But somehow I accidentally played this and I'm glad I did. It's a diverse grab bag of styles, many synth or piano based. Lots of drum machines and sinister bass squiggles. Reminds me of a one-man Faust and Bowie's Berlin-era music. Strange Boys, And Girls Club (In the Red) Another Landlocked store favorite. These Austin brats play a bluesy brand of goodtimes/badtimes rock and roll music, and aren't affraid of throwing a Fats Domino cover into their live set. I have high hopes for them in the future. Too good not to mention: Half Rats, Demo; Fresh & Onlys, Debut and Grey-Eyed Girls (Castleface / Woodsist); Jacuzzi Boys, No Seasons (Florida's Dying); Bare Wires, Artificial Clouds (Tic Tac Totally); Rock & Roll Adventure Kids, Hillbilly Psychosis (?); So Cow, S/T (Tic Tac Totally); King Khan/BBQ, Invisible Girl (In The Red); Black Lips, 200 Million Thousand (Vice); On Filmore, Extended Vacation (Dead Oceans); Dinosaur Jr., Farm (Jagjaguwar); Odawas, The Blue Depths (Jagjaguwar); Group Doueh, Treeg Salaam (Sublime Frequencies) Jason's Best Short Players of 2009 -------------------------- Boys Toys - Girls Like You 7" (Spin the Bottle) Half Rats - Throw it Around 7" (Culture Cast) Two great singles from two great bands out of Lafayette. Trouble in Mind (label) Various singles They're all rad especially the White Wires and Charlie & the Moonhearts singles. Davila 666, Pingorocha Y La Diva Rockera (Douchemaster) & Primero Muerta 7" (Horizontal Action) Two killer singles from Puerto Rico's golden boys. Others: Mayyors - Deads EP (Hurling Man) Buzzer, Teacher’s Pet (Tic Tac Totally) Jacuzzi Boys / Woven Bones split 7" (Needless) Jeffrey Novak, Home Sweet Home/Three Sisters 7" (Sweet Rot) Ty Segall / Ohsees split 7" (Castle Face) Real Estate, Fake Blues 7" (Woodsist) Personal & the Pizzas, Brass Nuckles 7" (Bubble Dumb) Jason's Best Old Players of 2009 ------------------------ Zero Boys, Vicious Circle / History Of (Secretly Canadian) The Quick, Mondo Deco (Radio Heartbeat) Kim Fowley, One Man's Garbage / Another Man's Gold (Norton) Breakaways, Walking Out on Love (Bomp) Sonic's Roundezvous Band, Too Much Crank (Devil's Jukebox) Death, For the World to See (Drag City) Michael Hurley, Parsnip Snips (Mississippi) Horribly Wrong, C'mon and Bleed With... (Eradicator) George-Edwards Group, 38:38 (Galactic Zoo Disk) Pisces, A Lovely Sight (Numero) Heath's Top However-Many ------------------------ I normally end up blurbing pieces that the other guys don't on purpose, but this year saw a lot of my favorites belonging to me alone, regardless - so be it. Lots of their picks are great too, I just wanna highlight some more! Deradoorian - Mind Raft EP (Love Pump) Tussin soul from an Armenian angel. Gorgeous layered vocals that play to her heritage, be it accidental or subconscious. She also plays in Dirty Projectors, but I won't hold it against her. Probably my most played release of the year. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle (Drag City) Its been a long, hard road for Bill and I, and I think we've finally come to an understanding. We haven't dug eachother much for most of our lives but now, I think we can finally be best buddies. Just stay away from my lady friends. Destroyer - Bay of Pigs EP A two song, twenty-one minute EP that explores a completely new universe for Dan Bejar. He calls it ambient disco. I call it the best thing he's done in years. Megafaun - Gather, Form & Fly (Hometapes) Mountainman indie-folk with just the right amount of unbridled experimentation. Great harmonies, great vibe. The XX - s/t (XL) The make-out album of '09. Shockingly mature and sparse for such a band of young'ns. Soulful, but achingly dark. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Glassnote) An undeniable pop album from these Frenchies. The world is catching on. Gentleman Losers - Dustland (City Centre Offices) Second album by these Finnish brothers. Fragile, sad, miniature and graceful. "like a ballroom orchestra recorded inside a snow globe." That's pretty good. Marmoset - Tea Tornado (Joyful Noise) Fans of Marmoset past shouldn't be afraid, this is a great album filled with plenty of great Marmoset moments. Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth (Hometapes) I was really glad when Pitchfork gave this a good review because we normally do not agree. It pleases my inner shoegazer, electronic dude & record store nerd. Heath's Fave Live Moments of '09 ------------------------ I see a lot of shows. Its really hard to choose. In roughly chronological order. Gentleman Jesse + Paul Collins Beat @ Bear's Place (Jan 2009) There was a snowstorm. It was midweek. But a small crowd came out and was completely floored by this amazing performance from a legend and the winner of Jason's album of the year for last year. Power pop lives! Lambchop @ Anna's basement in Nashville, TN (February 2009) An intimate basement show from the always magnificent Lambchop. Now here, almost a year later, it makes me wish even moreso that I had seen the late, great Vic Chesnutt touring w/ Silver Mt Zion recently. Bonnie Prince Billy & Lou Barlow instores @ Landlocked (March/April 2009) Two legendary performers do us a super kind favor and pop in for amazing live sets. Oldham ad-libbed some Coug over breakfast and Lou played amazing acoustic versions from his entire catalog. Dinosaur Jr @ Bluebird (April 2009) Wow. Total sonic annihilation. J is the man, the myth, the legend. Here We Go Magic @ Cinemat, Buskirk, ACLFest Lucky enough to see HWGM at ever-increasing capacity shows 3 times in '09. A great band with a very bright future. Bring it on. Balmorhea & Tiny Vipers @ Bear's Place (June 2009) Two beautiful albums and gorgeous hushed live shows. Entrance Band @ Russian Recording (July 2009) The skinniest man alive playing the fattest riffs. Third eye salute! Kings Go Forth @ Video Saloon (August 2009) The best soul/funk album of 2010. I brought them through town and they completely destroyed and won over every single person in attendence. Luaka Bop is putting out their album very soon. Endless Boogie @ The Bishop (September 2009) I love their album. Its totally record store rock. Black Oak Kraut? The 4 other dudes in attendence agree. Thee Oh Sees @ Festers (September 2009) The last show I ever saw at Festers (hurrah) - They set up their own PA upstairs and slayed a writhing mess of bodies. If you were lucky enough to be close, this is probably on your list too. Jack Rose @ The Bishop (September 2009) Lucky enough to catch the most amazing contemporary acoustic guitarist one last time before he sadly passed on, far too young, this past month. Absolutely mesmerising. Bon Iver @ Austin City Limits Festival (October 2009) Watched from sidestage with Lance Armstrong (!?!?) as Justin and his band play to thousands of awe-struck fans in a freak torrential downpour. This might be the optimum way to experience his music. Grouper / Polvo / Damien Jurado / Tiny Vipers / Mountains / Early Day Miners @ Tanned Tin Madrid (November 2009) Hanging out and absorbing amazing sets from all these wonderful acts in Spain. Hot damn! Absinthe blinded and ecstatic. Honorable live mentions: final Impossible Shapes show, Carolina Chocolate Drops, DM Stith, Larkin Grimm, Neil Hamburger, Drakkar Sauna, Hold Steady, Grizzly Bear, Tammar, Nomo, final Tremendous Fucking show, Deerhunter + No Age, Woods, Davila 666, Sufjan Stevens, Blitzen Trapper, Hacienda, Califone, Coke Dares finale. Heath's handful of SOUL/FUNK/JAZZ picks ------------------------ Akira Sakata & Chikamorachi - Friendly Pants (Family Vineyard) Best legit free jazz of the year! Lee Fields & The Expressions - My World (Truth & Soul) As good as any Daptone record. Mr Chop - For Pete's Sake (Now Again) A favorite future producer bangs it, Pete Rock-style. Black Dynamite - OST & Score (Wax Poetics) Wow - the soundtrack is almost as bad-ass as the movie. Blaxploitation lives?! Natural Yogurt Band - Away With Melancholy 2×10" (Jazzman / Now Again) A futuristic funky soundtrack to nothing, YET. Chin Chin - The Flashing, The Fancing (Def Jux) Modern 70s disco-funk done right. Heath's fistful of ELECTRONIC / HIP HOP picks ------------------------ Juan Maclean - Future Will Come (DFA) "Happy House" is one of my fave tracks of the year. Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care (Domino) Another amazing album. The next Pet Shop Boys (thats a good thing) Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself (Bpitch Control) A sad end (?), I love their glitch soul. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 Duh, it was worth the wait. Hip hop was dead til this. Doom - Born Like This (Lex) After all this time... still good. Etienne Jaumet - Night Music (Domino) All analog Goblin-throb produced by Carl Craig! Tyler's Best New releases (alphabetical): ------------------------ The Big Pink - "A Brief History of Love" (4AD) Boduf Songs - "Inviolate Projection, Blood From Rome" 10" (BlueSanct) Chris Corsano & Virginia Genta - "The Live in Lisbon" LP (8MM) Duet free jazz recorded atop a roof at dusk in Lisbon, Portugal, Summer, 2008; this LP captures two sides of fire-conjuring from Virginia Genta (of Jooklo infamy) on saxophone, flute, and vocals trading blows with drummer-extraordinaire Chris Corsano. Cold Cave - "Love Comes Close" (Heartworm/Matador) Loren Connors & Jim O'Rourke - "Two Nice Catholic Boys" (Family Vineyard) Death - "For The Whole World To See" (Drag City) This year, Death (NOT the defunct Florida death metal band) appeared out of a future long since passed, channeling the likes of guitar gods Eddie Hazel and Phil Lamott with a proto-punk, power trio thump that sorta sounds like, yet predates, the Bad Brains. It's almost unbelievable that an LP this good took 30-odd years to surface. Take advantage of the opportunity you've been granted and pick this one up. The Flaming Lips - "Embryonic" (Warner Group) Flower-Corsano Duo - "The Four Aims" (VHF) A more varied album than 2007's blistering "Radiant Mirror" LP, "The Four Aims" is a demonstration of the Flower-Corsano Duo's extra-sensory operations on even greater planes - and I'm not talking about a simple minimalist-to-maximalist or soft-to-loud spectrum of dynamics - No, at times this is more akin to General Sherman's infamous 'march to the sea' - they've come to set ablaze everything in their path and when they run out of rations they're livin' off the land. This record presents you with five (eight on the 2xLP, for the discerning listener) completely on-the-fly cuts from these improvising shape-shifters that make you wonder if they ever have an off-night at all. This is raw psychedelia in every conceivable way and, aside from their other releases, there is truly nothing else like this out there. (Also released in 2009 - F/C Duo - "The Chocolate Cities" CD-R self-release - Highly recommended as well!) Group Bombino - "Guitars From Agadez" Vol. 2 (Sublime Frequencies) This LP is truly the golden child amongst the "world" music releases, both new and old, to appear this year (along with Honest Jon's "Open Strings" compilation); it easily ranks among the best output Nonesuch has offered in the past through their Explorer series, and is without question my favorite Sublime Frequencies document to date. Bombino is a leading exemplar of the Tuarez guitar style (see also: Tinariwen, Group Inerane), and here you'll find an a-side etched with an acoustic Saharan desert session (complete with camel grunts) existing in duality with the b-side's all-electric performance at a wedding celebration in Agadez (where things really get unrestrained). The LP is now unfortunately out-of-print, but a CD version is now available if you snoozed on its initial release. Liturgy - "Renihilation" (20 Buck Spin) While it maintains the sonic textures of classic black metal, the arrangements, subject-matter, and overall approach that Liturgy employs on "Renihilation" are a welcome departure from many of the now-trite staples of the genre's past. "Renihilation" manages to capture a certain primitivism in the face of complex song structures and their own self-proclaimed "transcendental" stylings (a la Wolves In The Throne Room and/or Weakling) that differ considerably from their other, more crust-punk leaning, US black metal contemporaries like Bone Awl or Ash Pool. Some of the instrumentals and interludes present on the album leave something to be desired, but the meat of this record is undeniable (See: "Mysterium"). Marmoset - "Tea Tornado" (Joyful Noise) Thee Oh Sees - "Dog Poison" EP (Captured Tracks) Bill Orcutt - "New Ways To Pay Old Debts" LP (Palilalia) Bill Orcutt is truly a magicicada of a guitarist, hibernating for extended periods of time only to surface once in a great while to either confuse and annoy the hysterical or inspire awe in those he encounters through recorded mediums. Don't expect Harry Pussy version 2, though; these days Bill is hammering out (really) his own blues that's as jagged and raw as ever but now rests more comfortably alongside the lineage of late-period Fahey than "noise rock" or no wave. Jack Rose & The Black Twig Pickers - s/t (VHF/Klang) Though not technically Jack Rose's final album, this LP stands as a testament to his ever-evolving brilliance as a player and the sheer talent emanating from each of the individuals in the Black Twigs that contains the aura of a certain permanence. This is not merely a smarmy, appropriated modern "old-timey" album, but rather the result of immersion (much like Jerry Garcia's into the world of jug bands) and a true love and admiration not only for the music's historical past, but for their own pasts as well, including diverse explorations as far reaching as the experimental ensemble Pelt. Jack Rose, you will be sorely missed. Tiny Vipers - "Life On Earth" (Sub Pop) Daydream-inducing, meditative folk. Female vocals accompanied by dark, sparse arrangements that are altogether captivating. Stare into the abyss and let it take you. Watery Love - "Debut 45" (Richie) Watery Love has seemingly come out of nowhere with their "Debut 45" single on Richie Records, keeping alive the raw, unadulterated garage lineage of Rollins-era Black Flag, Brainbombs and Mecht Mensch. Tyler's reissues/compilations/anthologies: ------------------------ Dock Boggs - "False Hearted Lover's Blues" LP (Monk) Arthur Doyle plus Four - "Alabama Feeling" LP reissue (Rank and File) Michael Hurley - "Armchair Boogie," "Parsnip Snips" LP reissues (Mississippi) Abner Jay - "The True Story Of..." (MIssissippi) LP Onna - s/t 7" reissue & s/t CD anthology (Holy Mountain) Bleak, adrogynous shoegazing dub from early 80's Japan that brings to mind The Velvets' own 'White Light' guitars and the early drummer-less incarnation of A Certain Ratio. The CD features guitar work from the then-young Michio Kurihara and choice tip-on gatefold packaging with a thorough (yet distant) biography written by Onna originator and graphic artist Keizo Miyanish himself. I'd love to see this turn up on LP in the future. The Pyramids - LP reissues (Ikef) Highly recommend for all fans of Art Ensemble of Chicago and the like. Way funky and way, way out. Bishop Perry Tillis - "In Times Like These..." LP (Mississippi) V/A - "Open Strings - Early Virtuoso Recordings From The Middle East, And New Responses" Box Set (Honest Jon's) James (aka the new guy) faves of '09 ------------------------ 1) Akron/Family - Set Em Wild, Set Em Free By far the best live show I saw this year, and the record is great too. These 3 amigos have an almost telepathic commitment to finding the groove. Scary and beautiful at the same time. 2) Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy Bossin it up, Philly style. Just scruffy enough to not give a fuck and nimble enough to fingerpick the slow jams. 3) On Fillmore - Extended Vacation Les Baxter lounge gone all crazy. Like a soundtrack to "Lost" if there were no people or polar bears on the island, just all the existential dread that creeps into the jungle. Bird sounds that scare. 4) DOOM - Born Like This Top notch return to form. Songs are shorter but wordplay is just as elaborate and fun. "Ballskin" is my favorite and yes I meant to say that. 5) Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be OK, dude is hippie. Get past it. Resplendent, Nick Drake-ish folk songs bounce up against Bowie/T-Rex faux funk. Loose in the style you would expect from him, but not meandering in any way. 6) A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar Still kickin myself for missing their Bloomington show a few months ago. I have no idea how to describe this one, I guess like Stereolab with less autobahn beats. Truly strange and hazy, but affecting nonetheless. 7) Lee Fields & the Expressions - My World Soulful soul, in the sense that Fields really sounds like he means it when pleading for your love. The band manages that delicate balance between loose and tight, a requisite for any great soul record. 8) The Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca Crazily inventive, sounds like the future beaming its best back to us here in the Stoned Ages. The vocals, which annoyed me with previous DP stuff, are the strength here. 9) King Khan & the BBQ Show - Invisible Girl Fun, fun, fun, bloozy and boozy rock and roll. Mark Sultan steals the show from the King, giving a soulful edge to all the playfulness here. 10) Thao and the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster Sometimes simple songs say so much. One of the few records where the toughness of the lyrics doesn't equal gloomy arrangements. Like Cat Power if she had fun rocking out once in awhile. James' Top 10 Songs ------------------------ 1 My Girls - Animal Collective 2 River - Akron Family 3 Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys 4 Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear 5 Actor Out of Work - St Vincent 6 Ballskin - DOOM 7 I'll Be Loving You - King Khan & BBQ 8 Stillness is the Move - Dirty Projectors 9 Body - Thao and the Get Down Stay Down 10 Freak Train - Kurt Vile -------------------------------------------------- Top 5 sellers at Landlocked Music for the week of 12/28 - 1/3 1. David Rawlings Machine, A Friend of a Friend (Acony) 2. Girls, Album (True Panther) 3. Bob Dylan, Christmas in the Heart (Columbia) 4. Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Merge) 5. The Cribs, Ignore the Ignorant (WB) Don't miss the boat! We have still fresh CDs, LPs and DVDs from Bad Sports, Rev. Louis Overstreet, Clara Rockmore, Animal Collective, Apache Dropout, Bonnie Prince Billy, Midlake, Pearl Harbor, Bibio, Doom, Jookabox, King Khan & BBQ, Molina & Johnson, Nirvana, On Fillmore, Slayer, Swimmers, Themselves, Vitalic, Yeasayer, Devendra Banhart, Bassnectar, Lucky Luke, Shannon and the Clams, The Bravery, R Kelly, Ty Segall, Hudson Mohawke, Pelican, REM, Swell Season, Tegan & Sara, Young Prisms,Black Jaspers, Jacuzzi Boys, Tom Petty, Tom Waits, Fuck Buttons, Gibbard / Farrar, Kings of Convenience, Lightning Bolt, Lyle Lovett, Neon Indian, Nouvelle Vague, Old Canes, Alec Ounsworth, Elvis Perkins, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Slits, Spiral Stairs, Sufjan Stevens, White Denim, Baroness, Beak, Boy Toys, Christmas Island, Bob Dylan, Flaming Lips, Holly Golightly, Har Mar Superstar, Horns of Happiness, Michael Hurley, Vijay Iyer, Norah Jones, Thee Oh Sees, Annie, Them Crooked Vultures, Guided by Voices and much much more! -------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Bloomington shows that Landlocked Music is excited about: 1/14 - Bowerbirds / Julie Doiron @ The Bishop 1/15 - Bear in Heaven @ The Bishop 1/30 - Jookabox @ The Bishop 2/11 - Dr. Dog @ The Video Saloon 2/14 - Fukced Up / Kurt Vile @ 2/16 - Drakkar Sauna @ Russian Recording 2/27 - Balmorhea @ Russian Recording 3/3 - Pattern is Movement @ The Bishop 3/5 - Magnetic Fields @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater 3/6-13 - Pit Stop Music Marathon - TBA 3/23 - Woods / Read Estate @ The Bishop 3/29 - David Bazan / Headlights @ The Bishop 4/5 - Henry Rollins @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater 4/6 - The XX @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater We have tickets and additional information for many of these wonderful performances. Stop in and buy em beforehand! -------------------------------------------------- More information about shows and more on the horizon is available for the technologically inclined at http://www.landlockedmusic.com/ or http://myspace.com/landlockedbton or http://indiana.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2385198570 or http://twitter.com/landlockedmusic We are looking to buy/trade all your old unwanted CDs & LPs! Bring 'em in and we'll make an offer. We are also ready, willing and able to special order anything for you. Email us or drop in and we will hook you up with whatcha need. Feel free to forward this to all your lovely friends that need to know whats going on, we'd love to have them join our little party here on the newsletter. Tell us what you think, what you desire. -------------------------------------------------- BFF, Jason & Heath info@landlockedmusic.com Landlocked Music 202 N. Walnut St. Bloomington, IN, 47404 http://www.landlockedmusic.com/ http://myspace.com/landlockedbton http://indiana.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2385198570 http://twitter.com/landlockedmusic (812) 339 - 2574 Hours of Operation: Monday - Saturday : 11:30am - 7:30pm Sunday : Noon - 5pm