Altered Estate

YAY FOR GOOD ALBUMS!!!

I had a difficult time putting together a list of top albums from this past year. All the albums I would have put on this list were good on their own, but to compare them to other albums that might not even be in the same genre was a little ridiculous for me. So instead, I felt it best to just tell you what I thought the better albums of the year were in no particular order. So for the next couple of posts you’ll get my favorite albums of the past year and a couple of key tracks from each. Hope you enjoy.

• Bill Callahan - “Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle”

“I started telling the story without knowing the end.” - “Jim Cain”

I never really got into Bill Callahan until a few months after his last album, “Awoke on a Whale Heart,” came out and he came through Hattiesburg on tour. His voice was what really caught my ear. He has this soothing, rich baritone that gives life and subtle beauty to his songs. On record he has a little bit more to back him up, so even though his voice is still upfront there is more of a backbone to the songs. The orchestration of every song is beautiful and not too overwhelming, giving just enough room for the words to fill the rest of the space.

Key Tracks: “Eid Ma Clack Shaw” (never once have I heard gibberish sound so triumphant or empowering) and “All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beasts”

• Fever Ray - “Fever Ray”

“Dry and dusty I am a capsule of energy.” - “Dry and Dusty”

This album was one of the first albums this year that got me infatuated with dark, warm bass tones. There is something eerie yet comforting and welcoming about this album. When played loudly the deep tones driving the songs begin to envelop you as if the song is trying to give you a big hug. The lyrics are rather mysterious and the voice of the singer, Karin Dreijer Andersson, is heavily vocodered helping to give the album a very David Lynch like feel. This album can come across like a big dream, fairly hazy, everything seems familiar so you are comfortable, but something seems to be a little off and you can’t quite put your finger on what it is.

Key Tracks: “I’m Not Done” and “Triangle Walks”

• Real Estate - “Real Estate”

“Suburban dogs are in love with their chains” - “Suburban Dogs”

Oh the sound of summer! It was all over the place this year, and man did it aggravate me a little. I’m not too terribly fond of the Hattiesburg summers that I have been through. It’s always too hot to really enjoy being outside, so instead I find myself constantly trying to find ways to stay cool. All this album did was make me long for the couple of weeks or so around October or November where the weather would be comfortably in the 60s, and I could lounge around outside relaxing to these easy tunes. This album relaxes me on the days where it isn’t nice outside at least, it reminds me that there are nicer days ahead. If this album makes me think about summer it is mainly in that it makes me think of carefree good times. The easy flowing rhythms take you down a comfortable easy stream in the warm sunlight, what could be nicer?

Key Tracks: “Beach Comber” and “Pool Swimmers”