Best of Music 2011

Disclaimer:  There was a ton of good music released in 2011, and I’m a busy man. Thus, I missed a few albums that should probably be on this list. Here are my favorites of the albums I did come across. Also, I feel that some of the big releases of the year got enough attention on their own, so I didn’t spend too much time with the albums from Wilco, The Black Keys, Death Cab For Cutie, and My Morning Jacket. And I’m still not buying into that whole Bon Iver thing. Here goes!

1. “The King Is Dead” The Decemberists

Try These First: Don’t Carry It All, Down By The Water, Don’t Carry It All, All Arise!

From the stomping drums and harmonica blast of the first track, this album put its hooks in me and has yet to release. With the right mix of full-band anthems and folky acoustic ballads, lead singer Colin Meloy and gang have given us a solid rock album soaked in rich vocal harmonies and authentic lyrical imagery. I think this album has more attitude and less story-telling than their previous offerings, and so while I am always a sucker for a good story, I think each individual track on the album carries enough weight without relying on over-arching concepts. If you like crisp acoustic guitars, folk-rock anthems, driving percussion and an abundant supply of fiddle, accordion and harmonica, then The King Is Dead is for you.

2. “Little Hell” City & Colour

TTF:  We Found Each Other In The Dark, Little Hell, Fragile, Grand Optimist

Dallas Green, you’ve done it again. The one-man band (he was named after the former manager of the Phillies) has enjoyed a nice career after his days as the front man of  Alexisonfire, and Little Hell certainly continues the trend. Perhaps the strongest aspect of this album is Green’s voice, and on this offering he really shows his range. There are a variety of arrangements on the record that seem to run the gamut from the introspective to the more lively and all tracks are heartfelt and honest. And according to this humble opinionist, that’s all you can ask. Overall, Little Hell is a solid modern blues rock album featuring one of the most memorable voices I’ve heard in a while.

3. “Major/Minor” Thrice

TTF: Anthology, Treading Paper

Oh, Thrice, how you break my heart with this one.  In the same year as the release of Major/Minor, the California-based progressive-rock band announced its indefinite hiatus. So, if this album is the last we hear from them for a while, at least we got a good one. I’ve always admired lead singer Dustin Kensrue’s incredible song-writing talents, and with this album I think you get his best. This is a band that’s been together a while and I think this album is a superb reflection of all the great parts of their previous works (long-time Thrice fans will pick up on all the references made in ‘Anthology’). Kensrue’s lyrics are stellar as usual and his voice sounds a bit more soulful, while still retaining that classic workman-like rasp. And lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi’s guitar work just packs one punch after another, I cannot believe the amount of quality work he has put in over the years. Front to back, this is a great album and I hope Dustin and co. come back soon.

4. “Passenger” Lisa Hannigan

TTF: Home, A Sail, O Sleep feat. Ray LaMontagne, Passenger

Hannigan’s second album is a real treat. While some might only recall her as the counterpart to Damien Rice for a number of years, she has done well enough in her solo career to deserve praise independent from the enigmatic Irishman. Passenger is a solid next step from her debut Sea Saw, and one that has range. The light, poppy tracks are here (Little Bird, Passenger), but so are the deeper, more fully-developed ones (Home, A Sail). Her voice is nothing short of gorgeous, so while admittedly I’d listen to her read the phone book, it’s nice to hear a more emotionally-complex side of her. If you need further convincing, Ray LaMontagne makes an appearance on O Sleep.

 5. “The Big Roar” The Joy Formidable

TTF: Whirring, The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie, The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade

While some of these tracks can be found on a 2010 EP, The Big Roar is their first full-length, and quite simply, an awesome one. Don’t be fooled by the size of the band; though with just three members, the entire album certainly lives up to its name as something joyous and, well, formidable. With a great collection of infectious hooks and beats (pay attention to the double bass drum), this band could be your typical flash-in-the-pan, pop-rock trio (especially with Ritzy Bryan as its blonde and spunky female lead singer), but I think the real value lies in some well-placed lyrics in each song. Bryan’s song-writing reflects a restless, and at times broken, heart and it is with the driving guitar, thick bass, and pounding drums that she seems to emerge on the other end of the great 20-something struggle with something quite optimistic. And, fun! Play this album as loud as you can.

 6. “CAMP” Childish Gambino

TTF: Outside, Bonfire, Kids

What? Troy from NBC’s Community released a hip-hop album? Yes, indeed. And it’s good. Donald Glover got his rap pseudonym from an online Wu-Tang Clan band name generator, and his debut full-length is thrilling from start to finish. Primarily, Glover is a brilliant lyricist and you’ll often find yourself catching your breath trying to keep up with his witty and clever wordplay. But more than just a talent with words, he’s writing from a place of insecurity, where he’s trying to juggle all the aspects of his life and at the same time find some due respect and acceptance. He gives us a much-needed break from the watered-down hip-hop machine, and while he does rap about girls and getting money, the focus on this album lets us in on a more personal side of a guy who’s had some career success, yet is still trying to find some validation. Give this album a listen and you’ll be hoping Abed features on the next one.

 7. “One Day Die” Matt Duke

TTF: M.L.T., Love You Anymore

I’ve enjoyed following this South Jersey native’s career from his early days playing at an ice rink I worked at while in high school and am impressed with his third full-length release. To me, this one is a continuation of Duke’s evolution from the soft, acoustic singer/songwriter style of his debut Winter Child to an edgier and heavier style found on Kingdom Underground. While I’m still undecided whether I like that one or One Day Die better, there’s no denying the quality lyrics and arrangements on this one. Duke draws a lot from literature, and it’s always a pleasure to listen to him match smart songwriting with intricate guitar playing, and the band he plays with only enhances the overall sound. The piano and rhythm section on Love You Anymore are hauntingly infectious, and Needle and Thread is a fun interpretation of the age-old “young and invincible” feeling we all get every once in a while.

 8. “Barlande” Pedro Soler & Gaspar Claus

TTF: Insomnio Mineral, Caballitos De Mar (Alegria)

Admittedly, I’m not an expert on the intricacies of flamenco guitar and the cello, but if this album is my baptism, then I’m a convert for life. This father (Soler, on guitar) and son (Claus, on cello) duo have given us an extremely rich offering that is as easy to listen to as it is complex. The detail and texture with which the two play speak to the vast tradition of both instruments and styles, and yet the album as a whole has a very modern sound. Put this on and close your eyes and there’s no way you won’t imagine yourself in some big European villa with a 73-year old man playing in a beautiful flamenco style while his 28-year old son passionately coaxes some emotive notes from his cello.

9. “I Am Very Far” Okkervil River

TTF: We Need A Myth, The Valley, White Shadow Waltz, Rider

Okkervil River’s latest offering might be their most accessible and is certainly a turn from what we’ve been used to.  It’s interesting to listen to IAVF and not have to follow such an obscure style of storytelling that exists on their previous albums, but I think this one works all the same. It’s a rock album for sure, but one that still requires a certain amount of attention to fully understand what lead singer Will Sheff is driving at. And that’s probably why I give a thumb’s up to this one; you can put it on and play treasure hunt with the lyrics, or you can simply listen to each track and, without much effort, you’ll be head-bobbing. Also, the lyrics on We Need A Myth are simply excellent.

10. “Barton Hollow” The Civil Wars

TTF: Barton Hollow, 20 Years, Poison & Wine

In a year seemingly bespeckled with indie folk-pop releases, Barton Hollow stands out. The album features melodies ranging from the playful (I’ve Got This Friend) to the more delicate (Girl With The Red Balloon), and of course, the foot-stomping backwoods blues (Barton Hollow). The voices of Joy Williams and John Paul White go quite well together and they seem to know with each track when to back off and let the instrumentation take center stage. Their vocal versatility is impressive and the album as a whole really sounds like the two are just having a conversation. They’ve certainly gained a lot of fame this year (a song on Grey’s Anatomy will do that for you, I suppose), but I think it is well deserved. Barton Hollow is a fine spectrum of all the emotions that go into good songwriting, and I’m curious to see what they have to offer next.

11. “undun” The Roots

- Perhaps the best offering from the Philly hip-hop legends, and the one with the most to say.

12. “Kiss Each Other Clean” Iron and Wine

- Sam Beam put together a real groovy record.

13. “So Beautiful Or So What” Paul Simon

- Any kind of Paul Simon record is still better than most things in this world. Check out the title track.

14. “Smoke Ring For My Halo” Kurt Vile

- Another solid effort from a Philly-based guy.

15. “The Harrow and the Harvest” Gillian Welch

- The long-awaited offering from Welch and David Rawlings doesn’t disappoint. Beautifully played guitar and hard-hitting lyrics.

16. “El Camino” Black Keys

- Hell of a Season, Little Black Submarine. How can two guys make so much noise?

17. “Helplessness Blues” Fleet Foxes

- A good album, but the mysteriousness of the vocals that made me love Ragged Wood seem to be missing here.

18. “21” Adele

- Probably the 2011 definition of “overplayed,” but her voice is just, well, you know. It’s good.

19. “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive” Steve Earle

- Some say Mr. Earle is mailing it in, I say there’s some gems on this one. Try “Waitin’ On The Sky” and “This City.” Also, “Every Part Of Me” is my favorite of the album, classic Earle songwriting.

20. “Divine Providence” Deer Tick

- A cut from the Dr. Dog/Delta Spirit cloth and the fact that they’re from Rhode Island just makes the album name that much better.

Rest of the Best (in no particular order)

• “The Whole Love” Wilco
• “All Eternals Deck” The Mountain Goats
•  “Dye It Blonde” Smith Westerns
•  “Paper Airplanes” Alison Krauss and Union Station
• “Wild Flag” Wild Flag
•  “The People’s Key” Bright Eyes
• “Codes and Keys” Death Cab For Cutie
• “Circuital” My Morning Jacket
• “For True” Trombone Shorty
•  “Celebration, Florida” Felice Brothers
• “Ashes & Fire” Ryan Adams
• “Dust Bowl” Joe Bonamassa
• “Salt” Hoots & Hellmouth
• “Anar” Marketa Irglova

 Looking Forward to 2012

These acts are scheduled to release albums in the coming year…

• Dr. Dog
• Delta Spirit
• Green Day
• Bruce Springsteen
• River City Extension
• Anthony Green
• Good Old War
• Craig Finn

things to come

To work in a social field like refugee resettlement, and specifically job development, is to hear the term “benefit” often.  Securing provisions for food, shelter, clothing, and health care is to assist clients in receiving real, tangible benefits so that they may survive and be better suited to thrive in this country.  Where are the intangible benefits of this field?  They are in the interaction, the phone calls, the conversations on the way to an interview.  They are the building of relationships so that when food stamps expire and government assistance runs out, the people are not forgotten.  We cannot hang our hats on such accomplishments as applying for housing assistance or extending food stamps; a machine could do this, or a properly organized assembly line.  The existence of, and the need for, human social workers is not to push a button when X is requested or to fax a form when Y is needed.  Instead, people are needed in this profession to assert and remind all parties that yes, we are dealing with people here!

I’ve counted the benefits of this job by the number of stories I’ve heard, the faces I can place with names on a sheet, the countries I’ve heard tell and wondered what it would be like to go there.  The benefits are not the number of clients who have gotten employment, and are certainly not food stamps or unemployment checks.  The benefits are being welcomed into a refugee’s home like it is a castle, an impregnable fortress of peace which no civil war or genocidal dictator can breach, and enjoy a cup of late-afternoon tea with a new American brother and speak of things to come.

the great northwest

Stepping off the plane in Tacoma, I could hear my skin hiss, that unique sound when cool, moist air hits white-hot skin, skin that has been baking and roasting in the desert heat for months now.  Summer hit Phoenix, oh, say, 3 months ago, and lately an above 110-degree day has been average.  So when the time finally came to visit some of my former Baltimore community members in Seattle/Tacoma, I packed my jacket and long pants and skedattled out of the frying pan into the finer.  Climate, that is.

There we were, members of Baltimore’s own Arrupe House, together again in the complete opposite corner of America than the one where we first met!  If you’re a fan of my previous work, Live From Guilford Ave., then you’ll recognize these names (if not, just pretend you know them).  Stacey now lives in Tacoma, working at a L’Arche home.  Rachel is living in Boston and is a housing advocate for homeless persons, and Kelly is currently a teacher/athletic director/admissions director at a Nativity middle school in San Diego, all the while attending SDSU for a Master’s in English.  And there we all were in Washington state for a wonderful reunion weekend.

I’ll just state it plainly: I think I’m in love.  With the Great Northwest.  I also think I forgot that weather happens in other places in this country that are not a desert, so I was enamored with the hard rain that fell on us in Tacoma on Friday afternoon, and the light, cool breeze that tossed our hair in the streets of Seattle on Saturday.  Even the sun felt different as it was broken up by chunky clouds.  Stacey told me that the weekend’s weather was perfect, and not that common for the region.  I didn’t care.  It was under 100 degrees and I got to feel rain again.  That’s enough for me.

We did a lot of touristy things: Space Needle, Pike Place market, the place where they toss the fish, the first Starbuck’s.  I didn’t get to see the place where those people were so sleepless, but I did get to see boats raised and lowered in the Ballard Locks, and I got to see salmon swim up a ladder.  The trees were deep green, the sky a clear blue, and the water looked so appetizing I would’ve drunk it all.  But, I didn’t, because then how would the salmon get up the ladder?

The best part of the trip had nothing to do with the city, the weather, or the elevation-seeking fish.  It was seeing my former community members, those who were such a big part of the year I spent in Baltimore, and learning about their lives post-JVC.  They’re wonderful ladies, and I’m proud to be associated with them, and I’m glad we made the time to get together again.  After almost a year apart, we got to see each other for three days, and then we boarded our planes back to our own corners of the map.

I headed back to Phoenix, where I am now.  Back to the oppressive heat, back to one month left in working with an indomitable population, and back to my present community, the people who are giants on the highlight-reel of this year in Phoenix, just as Stacey, Rachel, Kelly, Amanda and Tom are for Baltimore.

And so though there is but one month left for Casa Bart, coming back has made me appreciate the previous eleven with Christine, Katie, Clare and Matt, and has me looking forward to our first post-JVC reunion.

arizona wildfires

 

Farmhouse and wildfire smoke outside Elgin, AZ.

 

 

phoenix world refugee day

The Phoenix World Refugee Day was held this past Saturday, and the Phoenix JVs and I attended a very well put-together celebration of the occasion (one that Katie worked very hard on, I might add).  The one thing that has remained constant through my time working with refugees was apparent in the room that night; looking at the faces of these people, dressed in their colorful robes and carrying a feeling of such pride and confience, cheering at every mention of the “greatness of this country, called ‘America’,” gives me chills.  To think of the miles they have travelled, the people they have left behind, to be here, to sit down and take part in a dinner given in their honor, and to get on the dance floor of a banquet hall in Phoenix and dance to a song recorded in their home country, a lifetime away, and to sing it at the top of their lungs in a language I cannot understand but with a smile and a glint in their eyes that it so easy to decipher.  That they are here, in this country, and they are taking stake in it.

And I get to bear witness to all this? Incredible.

updates on burma and karen state

Here are two articles posted recently by irrawaddy.org, a website that covers southeast Asian news.  The articles have to do with the situations in Burma and with the Karen state, which makes up a large number of refugees that Catholic Charities serves here in Phoenix.

Thai Authorities to Investigate Refugee Camp Population 

Thai authorities are scheduled to investigate Burmese refugee camps along the Thailand-Burma border at the end of May to determine the exact population in the camps, according to official sources.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Thursday, the governor of Thailand’s Tak Province, Samart Loyfa, said that local authorities and security forces will investigate the Mae La, Nu Po and Umpiem Mai refugee camps on May 23.

“We are investigating the refugee camps because we really want to know the exact population of the camps. Some refugee are living and working outside the camp,” said Samart Loyfa.

He said that Thai authorities are also investigating the camps in order to counteract illegal migration and drug trafficking.

Saw Htun Htun, the chairman of the Mae La refugee camp, said Thai authorities informed him that only the refugees who are present in the camp will be registered and refugees who are not in the camp will be de-registered.

“Authorities from Tak Province are planning to collect information about the population in the refugee camp. They will investigate both registered and unregistered refugees. Thai authorities said that they want to determine the actual population of refugees in the camp,” said Saw Htun Htun, adding that this is the first time Thai authorities will investigate the refugee camps along the border.

He said that Thai authorities originally informed them that the investigation would start on May 11, but after negotiations with the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees, the date was postponed.

“My children are outside the camps but I can contact them. I cannot contact some of my friends who are outside the camp. For the time being I’m worried with them,” said Maung Ko, who has been living in the Mae La camps for five years.

Nang Paw Gay from The Karen Information Center (KIC), which is based on the Thailand-Burma border, said that the Thai authorities are investigating because of pressure from the Burmese government and the investigation concerns discussions between the Burmese and Thai governments.

There are nine refugee camps along the Thailand-Burma border. Mae La is the largest camp, with an estimated population of 52,000 (and 5,000 living outside the camp); Umpiem Mai has an estimated 16,000; Mae La Oon 16,280; Mae Rae Ma Luang 1,9151; Tham Hin 8,682; Ban Don Yang 4,130 and Nu Po 16,991.

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Food Shortages Hit Northern Karen State

While the armed conflict escalates nearby, serious food shortages threaten more than 8,000 villagers across Papun District in northern Karen State.

According to a recent Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) report, at least 8,885 villagers in 118 villages in Lu Thaw Township in Papun District, northern Karen State, have run out of food or will do so before the October 2011 harvest.

The shortfall in food supplies is due to mass displacement of villagers in the region compounded by damage to agriculture caused by unseasonal rains throughout March and April in eastern Burma.

The KHRG reported that the current food crisis in Lu Thaw Township is directly linked to attacks on villagers by Burmese government troops.

“Emergency assistance to villagers facing food shortages should be prioritized and pursued by any actor that wants to promote human rights in eastern Burma,” said KHRG Field Director Saw Albert, whose research team conducted interviews in the affected areas.

“Villagers have told us they want to remain near their homes and land, but many might have to become refugees or try to farm land where they are more vulnerable to attacks,” he said.

“This food crisis is challenging villagers’ ability to survive,” said Saw Albert.
Saw Steve, a team leader with the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP), said that this year’s food shortage is more serious than last year’s. The problem is compounded by skirmishes and fighting nearby, he said.

Htoo Klei, the secretary of the Karen Office of Relief and Development (KORD), said that some villagers venture deep into the jungle to hunt and look for food while others travel to other villages to seek work.

The KHRG report said that the impact of the food shortages on the civilian population is magnified by the budgetary constraints of local relief organizations. Because of limited donor support, organizations normally able to access affected areas of eastern Burma are currently unable to provide emergency assistance to all those in acute need, said the report.

Karen relief groups have reported that fighting between the rebel Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and Burmese government forces is continuing on a near-daily basis in northern Karen State close to Papun District.

Meanwhile, in Kawkareik Township in southern Karen State, fighting has escalated between government troops and a breakaway faction of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), Brigade 5, not only in frontier areas but also in towns and villages, according to Karen rebel sources.

the hometown boys

The Phillies were in town a few weeks ago for a three-game set against the Diamondbacks, so of course I gathered up all my loose change and went to all three games!  Here are some photos from the phestivities, they lost two of three but it was nice to be around so many Phillies fans!

There's me, at Game 3.

 

Nice, Victorino.