Farm Aid 2013 Review & Setlists

Farm Aid celebrated its 28th year on Saturday, bringing the message of the Good Food Movement to Saratoga Performing Arts Center.  I attended last year's festival in Hershey, so the nestled-in-the-woods amphitheater was a picturesque departure from the concrete stadium in Pennsylvania.  The narrow sloped section of the lawn was filled by the time I entered the venue around 12:45.  The terrain plateaus after that, so fans whose sightlines weren't already blocked by the long ramps leading up to the imposing balcony, had to rely completely on the large video screens.  My advice is to arrive at SPAC early if you have a lawn ticket because it's clear the sacrifice has been made for the one-of-a-kind pavilion.

After checking in at the press tent, I made my way over to the Homegrown Village, where I caught a couple songs by Will Dailey, who I'd seen at Bowery Electric a few days prior.  He closed his set with "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)," a fitting choice considering New York is losing one farm every 3.5 days to suburban sprawl.  The Village itself had considerably improved from last year.  In addition to organic food options and a local beer/wine/cider tent, the exhibits were also more interesting, like an infographic  made of an actual apple sliced up into smaller and smaller pieces to finally represent the tiny bit of the earth's topsoil that's viable for farming.  I got one of the porkchop sandwiches I'd wanted to try last year (which turned out to be disappointingly dry), and sat down to watch a panel consisting of Amos Lee, the director of King Corn, and a 17-year-old Future Farmer of America member.  While it was a nice talk, I was there because I'd hoped to get a podcast interview with Amos, and the briefings were required for those looking to do so.  Missing Bahamas' set in the process, I was especially bummed to learn that no reporter (at least the ones I talked to) acquired an artist interview.

I returned to the pavilion for Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.  They kicked off their set with "Four Letter Word" like they did last year, but Lukas was a notably stronger performer this go-round.  With more muscle in his voice to match his accomplished fretwork, it was apparent that he's been working hard to live up to his title of "the future of Farm Aid."  He also logged the most total stagetime as he sat in on sets throughout the concert.  Originally composed for the father-daughter dance at a friend's wedding, Lukas dedicated the sweet "I'm Giving You Away" to Neil Young's recently-wed daughter, and topped off "Don't Take Me Back" by gnashing at his guitar strings with his teeth.  Before he departed, Nelson iterated Farm Aid's mission to support family farms, but also suggested, "Grow your own food.  If you have a backyard, put some food in it."

Toad the Wet Sprocket kicked off their short, just-the-hits set with "All I Want."  They followed it with "New Constellation," the title track off their first album in 16 years.  "We didn't get quite enough of Lukas Nelson in that last set," announced Glen Phillips, inviting Lukas out to assist on a cover of his father's "Shotgun Willie."  Lukas' sister, Amy, and Willie's harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, joined the band for the closer, "Walk on the Ocean."  (If that wasn't enough TTWS for you, try to become Phillips' friend.  At a talk later in the day in the Homegrown Village, Glen revealed that at his potluck dinners, not only must all the food be homemade and sustainably grown, but a no pre-recorded music rule often results in some tasty jam sessions.)

Mickey Raphael returned to accompany Amos Lee on "El Camino," though Willie remained conspicuously absent, despite his cameo on Lee's Mission Bell LP.  Perhaps even more shocking, however, was the lack of new tunes from Amos' upcoming album, Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song.  "I'm just gonna sing whatever, alright?  So this is a song called 'Skipping Stone,'" he said.  With his red Farm Aid cap cocked to the side, Amos went solo for rest of his soulful set.  Though his powerful voice usually eclipsed it, a loud hum from the speakers was unfortunately noticeable during the quiet moments of the performance.  And while I never mind it when an artist covers Sam Cooke, must it always be "A Change is Gonna Come?"  At just twenty minutes, it was an all-too-brief slot for one of my most anticipated acts of the day.

I skipped out on the country singers to charge my phone and catch the aforementioned Toad panel, but I returned to my seat just in time for Jack Johnson.  After luring in the crowd with old favorites "Better Together" and "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing," Johnson used new single "Radiate" to unveil the most psychedelic jam I've heard from him, striking his electric guitar with his palm to create sonic shockwaves.  Zach Gill teetered on top of his piano stool to play melodica on "Bubble Toes," and then descended to throw a dash of accordion into the "Banana Pancakes" mix.  A little bit of Lebo must've rubbed off on Gill, who supplied some lap steel to "Shot Reverse Shot," while in the control room, an overzealous director cheesily switched between camera angles on the beat.  My personal highlight of the night came next, when Lukas Nelson checked in to weave some electric layers into "Flake."  Nelson stuck around to inject a few blues licks into "Staple It Together," which also featured a rap from Merlo.  "At or with Me" plunged headfirst into a boogie-woogie piano version of "Crosstown Traffic" and resurfaced to finish with a crowd-chant coda.

"I love this building.  It's nice to be here tonight," offered Dave Matthews, sitting down on a stool next to Tim Reynolds.  The acoustic twosome launched into an extended intro to "Save Me," which culminated in a series of falsetto yelps from Dave.  Reynolds was the star on "So Damn Lucky," using his slide to alternate between vicious squeaks and brittle cascades.  "I like the room.  I like this roof.  I like the seats.  I like those seats.  I get to play something that I love in a place that I love," said Dave before firing up a hot slice of "Corn Bread."  TR killed it on this one too, whether using his thumb to make percussive noises on the body, or shredding high notes with such intensity that his fingertips nearly met over the sound hole.  After sharing the tale of the tune's genesis on his front porch, Matthews eased into "If Only."  My favorite submission to the 46-minute set, the lovelorn anguish just leapt off of Dave's face during the tune.  "Thank you very much.  We've never played that song just the two of us," he said before adding in a silly gruff voice, "That don't matter! Just tryin' to make music."  The sky now dark enough to fully appreciate SPAC's excellent lighting design, the dynamic duo were bathed in green for "#41" before wrapping things up with fan-favorite "Two Step," Dave and Tim furiously strumming as they fed off the crowd.

"When Willie was creating the first Farm Aid, the first person he called was John Mellencamp," shared Matthews.  I guess I grew up in the wrong part of the country to fully appreciate Mellencamp's heartland rock because while the majority of the audience was lapping up "Authority Song," I found myself getting bored.  The gum-chewing Mellencamp followed it with "No One Cares About Me."  (Joke is too easy here.  I'll pass.)  John's band left him alone for an acoustic "Jack & Diane," although alone is a bit of an understatement, considering the entire pavilion was singing along, including the caterwauling drunk lady behind me.  The set reached its apex when Mellencamp tossed to the crowd completely for the "let it rock" section.  "Alright, you guys wanna hear a new song or an old one?" he questioned.  "Old!" demanded SPAC.  "I have a lot of old songs.  Let's do this one then," he said, beginning "Small Town."  "It's the same chords as the last one!" he laughed.  At least he knows.  Towards its end, he was joined by Miriam Sturm on fiddle and Troye Kinnett on squeezebox, with the musicians appending an instrumental take on "The Old Rugged Cross."  The remainder of the set played out exactly the same as last year, finishing with "Pink Houses."  After basking in two minutes of cheers and whistles, Mellencamp admitted that he copied Woody Guthrie for that song.  It was all a setup for the surprise introduction of 94-year-old Pete Seeger, who slowly shuffled to the center of the stage with his banjo.  Seeger literally led the crowd on a singalong of "The Hammer Song," prepping everyone by shouting out the first part of each impending line.  He welcomed the Farm Aid board members to help sing Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," which included the lost "private property" verse, as well as a new one tailored to New York, ending with the line: "New York was meant to be frack-free."  Aside from the glowing Seeger, Neil Young appeared to be having the most fun as he joyfully leaned into the microphone with a huge grin on his face.

After an endorsement from Mellencamp as the world's greatest songwriter, Neil Young chose to start his set with two Dylan songs, "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Early Morning Rain."  In fact, Neil performed very little of his own catalogue, just a pair of Harvest tracks, "Old Man" and "Heart of Gold."  Between songs, Neil spoke through the mic on his harmonica rack, turning the performance into a bizarre TED Talk as he paced the stage, railing against industrialized farming and big oil.  "All the carbon that's up in the sky used to be down here in the soil!" he exclaimed, blaming corrupt politicians and chemical manufacturers like Monsanto.  "I don't really know what I'm gonna do now," he said, punctuated with a sad harmonica exhale.  Young went to the piano for "Since I Met You Baby," turning to face the crowd once he'd finished.  "What the hell's he gonna say now?" he joked, playing the role of a ticketholder.  "There's a lot of things I could say," he said solemnly, and sat down at the pipe organ.  "Let me remember this song," said Neil as he began to plunk out the chords to Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe."  He aborted it quickly to go on another tirade: "Wouldn't you like to burn something clean instead of something dirty?"  He attacked Washington for their reluctance to enact biofuel legislation. "They would mandate it if they had the balls!  That's what Farm Aid's all about.  Some of it's not that much fun to hear about," he declared.  "I think I feel better now.  I'm gonna try again."  He returned to the organ to restart "Reason," which was especially heartbreaking in Neil's voice, having grown so accustomed to Rod Stewart's.  Young rose to his feet, strapped on his guitar, and began to tell another story before being interrupted by a spectator.  "Come on, let's go?  Did I hear 'Come on, let's go?' I'm on my way, buddy.  I work for me," Neil said defiantly.  He continued on with his account of Phil Ochs' tragic suicide.  "He wrote this song, which some of you have probably never heard of, and it's long as hell," he said, performing "Changes" in tribute to "one of the greatest songwriters who ever lived."  It was unclear as to whether it was just the show running over, or his irritation with the disrespectful members of the crowd, but Neil didn't stand around long to absorb the applause, wrapping up his time at a slim forty minutes.

Farm Aid always seems to run late, and in my opinion, the board member video introductions should be first on the chopping block.  It's exciting enough to see Neil Young introduce Nelson that I'd rather hear "On the Road Again" than spend three minutes watching the same montage as last year.  This year they tacked on another video in celebration of Willie's 80th birthday, which included wishes from Grace Potter, Band of Horses, and a bunch of family farmers.  The birthday piece itself could've done the trick.  It goes without saying that Willie & the Family began with "Whiskey River."  After "Still is Still Moving," Nelson brought out Lily Meola to join him on "Will You Remember Mine," the set's sole entry from his soon-to-be-released To All the Girls, an album of duets with female songbirds ranging from Mavis Staples to Norah Jones.  For both "Good Hearted Woman" and "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," Willie raised his hand behind his ear to roust the crowd to sing each chorus.  "Just Breathe" toned things down a little, and then Lukas took lead vocals on the bluesy "Texas Flood."  As the Nelsons sang of the flooding down in Texas, a deluge soaked the crowd on the lawn, leaving only the poncho-covered diehards and protected pavilion patrons behind.  Bobbie Nelson took the remaining fans on a ride "Down Yonder," while Willie removed his hat and tied on a red bandana.  After three more tunes, the day's musicians crowded the stage for an all-sing of "Roll Me Up" and "I Saw the Light," bringing Farm Aid 2013 to its soggy conclusion.  Hey, at least it's good for the crops.

(All photos are courtesy of Farm Aid/Paul Natkin.)

LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL - 09.21.13 - SPAC, FARM AID (25 minutes)

SET -
Four Letter Word / I'm Giving You Away / Set Me Down on a Cloud > Don't Take Me Back

TOAD THE WET SPROCKET - 09.21.13 - SPAC, FARM AID (19 minutes)

SET -
All I Want / New Constellation / Fall Down / Shotgun Willie (feat. Lukas Nelson) / Walk on the Ocean (feat. Lukas Nelson, Amy Nelson, & Mickey Raphael)

AMOS LEE - 09.21.13 - SPAC, FARM AID (20 minutes)

SET -
El Camino (feat. Mickey Raphael) / Skipping Stone / Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight / Violin / A Change is Gonna Come

JACK JOHNSON - 09.21.13 - SPAC, FARM AID (44 minutes)

SET -
Better Together / Sitting, Waiting, Wishing / Radiate / Bubble Toes / Banana Pancakes / Shot Reverse Shot / Flake (feat. Lukas Nelson) / Whole Lotta Love (tease) > Staple It Together > Merlo Rap* > Staple It Together (feat. Lukas Nelson) / At or with Me > Crosstown Traffic > At or with Me

DAVE MATTHEWS & TIM REYNOLDS - 09.21.13 - SPAC, FARM AID (46 minutes)

SET -
Save Me / So Damn Lucky / Grace is Gone / Corn Bread / If Only / #41 / Two Step

JOHN MELLENCAMP - 09.21.13 - SPAC, FARM AID (48 minutes)

SET -
Authority Song / No One Cares About Me / Check It Out / Jack & Diane / Small Town > The Old Rugged Cross / Rain on the Scarecrow / Paper in Fire > Crumblin' Down / Pink Houses

PETE SEEGER - 09.21.13 - SPAC, FARM AID (10 minutes)

SET -
The Hammer Song / This Land is Your Land (feat. Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, & Dave Matthews)

NEIL YOUNG - 09.21.13 - SPAC, FARM AID (40 minutes)

SET -
Blowin' in the Wind / Early Morning Rain / Old Man / Heart of Gold / Since I Met You Baby / Reason to Believe (tease) / Reason to Believe / Changes

WILLIE NELSON - 09.21.13 - SPAC, FARM AID (56 minutes)

SET -
Whiskey River / Still is Still Moving to Me / Will You Remember Mine (feat. Lily Meola) / Good Hearted Woman / Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys / Just Breathe / Texas Flood / Funny How Time Slips Away > Crazy > Night Life / Down Yonder / Georgia on a Fast Train / Shoeshine Man > City of New Orleans / Roll Me Up > I Saw the Light (feat. Everyone)

Top 20 Live Songs of 2012

20. "Banana Boat (Day-O)" - Good Old War, 04.25, Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
"Do you wanna hear Tim do his best Harry Belafonte?" Keith asked the crowd. Tim sang the opening to "Day-O" perfectly, but no one expected the band to join in and play the whole song. Nice birthday present.

19. "Como Ves" - Ozomatli & the New York Pops, 06.12, Rumsey Playfield, New York, NY
Classic Ozo taken to new heights with the orchestra.

18. "Ashamed" - Deer Tick, 12.19, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY

Started off slow and built into a frenzy of horn solos and crowd chants.

17. "Spirit Bird" - Xavier Rudd, 12.03, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Offering the last part to the audience to sing, the fans succeeded with remarkable restraint and pitch control.

16. "Golden Train" - Penguin Prison, 06.24, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Hopping off the stage to perform while walking through the crowd during the first song surprised the shit out of me.

15. "Stars" - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, 06.14, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
You could see the pain on her face that she felt when she wrote this beautiful ballad.

14. "One Foot Before the Other" - Frank Turner, 09.30, Webster Hall, New York, NY

Frank Turner goes prog.  Lights and bass were amazing.

13. "Excuse Me Mr." - Ben Harper, 10.10, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
Hard to pick a favorite from the night, but the off-mic singing on this sounded incredible in the hallowed hall.

12. "Digest" - Ben Taylor, 05.17, City Winery, New York, NY
John Forté asked if he could sing it with Ben, and modified the lyrics to "Nothing's been the same since I've been gone," to reference his time in prison.

11. "Rat Race" - Antibalas, 08.18, Williamsburg Park, Brooklyn, NY
Likely the best Marley cover I've seen.

10. "Be Mine" - Alabama Shakes, 10.06, Merriweather Post Pavilion (Virgin Mobile Freefest), Columbia, MD

Brittany Howard just aced it on this one.

9. "We Are Young" - Fun, 06.22, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Crowd sang along triumphantly to the single of the year. Great acoustics.

8. "(718)" - 2 Skinnee J's, 08.24, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
In (718). Haven't jumped in the air at a concert in God knows how long.

7. "What Makes a Good Man?" - The Heavy, 08.30, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Backup singers sent this one to near heavenly proportions.

6. "Root Down" - Animal Liberation Orchestra, 05.09, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Just days after Adam Yauch's passing, ALO busted out this funky gem, which included "Maria" in its center.

5. "No One's Gonna Love You" - Band of Horses, 09.18, House of Vans, Brooklyn, NY
One of my favorite songs ever in such an intimate venue.  Literally got chills.

4. "Walk Like a Giant" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse, 09.29, Central Park Great Lawn (Global Festival), New York, NY
Crashing footsteps of a giant at the end were so fucking ballsy.

3. "Shake Up the Place" - 10 Ft. Ganja Plant, 04.20, The Middle East, Cambridge, MA
Sublime harmonies.  The smile on Kevin Kinsella's face has been burned into my mind forever.

2. "Try" - Everyone Orchestra, 10.27, Sullivan Hall, New York, NY
Grand Ole Opry-style chorus combined with Zach Gill's hilarious musings on his attic.  Should always be performed this way.

1. "Down with Disease" - Phish, 12.30, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Sweetest jam of the whole NYE run.  Spaced through different movements until it came to a driving funk conclusion.  I'll be listening to this for years.

Top 15 Concerts of 2012

These were the top 15 concerts I attended in 2012.  Feel free to make your own list in the comments.

15. Diamond Rugs - 06.24, Rumsey Playfield, New York, NY
"Totally Lonely" was exponentially better live than recorded, with all the members joining producer Justin Collins on the final refrain. For the set-closing "Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant," the group thinned its ranks to a duo of McCauley and Los Lobos' Steve Berlin. The fact that it was merely days after the summer solstice only amplified the beautiful sadness of the song." (Read full review)

14. Deer Tick - 12.19, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY

"With a loud "Kick it!" they crunched into "Fight for Your Right." Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit now had the oft-traded Mustang, but his most memorable contribution to the song was throwing pitcher after pitcher of beer onto the crowd. This insane final display was the ultimate example of why we go to Deer Tick shows: Because anything can happen because it's a goddam party." (Read full review)

13. Alabama Shakes - 10.06, Merriweather Post Pavilion (Virgin Mobile Freefest), Columbia, MD

"While bassist Zac Cockrell still only moved slightly more than a well-timed bobblehead, Brittany Howard was absolutely magnetic.  She was wearing a blue dress with red dots and sporting a straightened hairdo, but you couldn't take your eyes off her face.  If you were a deaf person, you could've learned all the vowel sounds just by the way her mouth moved, soulful howls bursting out of the gaping hole." (Read full review)

12. Mayer Hawthorne - 04.16, Webster Hall, New York, NY
"This isn't a concert; it's a show," Hawthorne announced at the onset.  Backed by his band, the County, MH dazzled fans with a set of soulful originals from both of his albums, and even a few Hall & Oates covers.  For final song "Henny & Gingerale," Hawthorne played bartender and made drinks for those in the front row as he sang.

11. Matt Embree - 09.11, The Acheron, Brooklyn, NY

"The banter became downright ridiculous, Embree claiming he knew half the people in the room, even their "drunken-ass aliases, like when you get so drunk you're another person." While he may have seemed like another person between songs, his drunkenness had no effect on his musicianship. His guitar solo in "Taking Chase as the Serpent Slithers" was absolutely ferocious, and he proved his vocal prowess on a soulful cover of Hendrix's "Castles Made of Sand." (Read full review)

10. 10 Ft. Ganja Plant - 04.20, The Middle East, Cambridge, MA

This was the third ever live performance for the secretive reggae band.  The sweaty night of dub in the basement of the club was a night to remember... though due to obvious reasons, somewhat forgotten. 

9. Phish - 12.30, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

"Disarmed by the first set, we were all ready for Phish to drop the real jams on us.  Kicking things off with "Down with Disease," the boys made it through the main part, and then unearthed a subterranean monster toward its end.  Knowing glances around the room as we lapped up the amazingly funked-out puzzle where all the pieces fit properly." (Read full review)

8. Ben Harper - 10.10, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
"That was only the start of what would be the 54-minute encore, where Harper reached back into his catalog to revive old favorites like "Not Fire Not Ice," "Power of the Gospel," and "Welcome to the Cruel World."  The show could have bookended with the instrumental "Exhale," but surprisingly, Ben brought his chair downstage, even in front of the suspended stage mic, to play "Suzie Blue" on ukulele." (Read full review)

7. Kishi Bashi - 05.16, Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY

It's hard to upstage the Barr Brothers, but with a violin, a microphone, and some looping pedals, he did it.  Everyone stared silently in awe as he magically constructed his songs piece by piece.  Best of the three times I saw him.

6. The Heavy - 08.30, Irving Plaza, New York, NY

A live staple for years, "The Big Bad Wolf" followed it like Little Red Riding Hood, but this wasn't the sneaky trickster from the children's tale.  This was a fucking monster.  With the crowd howling and screaming, "What you say!" it was incredible to realize that I was in a room full of adults singing along, "I'm gonna huff and puff, and blow your house down!" (Read full review)

5. Ben Taylor - 05.17, City Winery, New York, NYBen and band unveiled several new songs from his upcoming album Listening in the sonically sweet space.  Audience member John Forté sat in for a few tunes, including the fan-suggested encore "Digest."

4. Animal Liberation Orchestra - 07.23, Rocks Off Boat Cruise, New York, NY
"You guys are yelling out some really old ones," noted Dan.  "Should we do 'Sexo y Drogas?'"  And they did.  For the first time in over a year.  It was like watching 2004-era ALO all over again.  Before launching into the singalong "Walls of Jericho," I heard Lebo tuning a little ghost of "They Love Each Other."  My ears didn't deceive me, the Garcia ditty exhuming itself from the remains of "Walls." (Read full review)

3. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - 06.14, Irving Plaza, New York, NY

"At 9:37, the band took the stage to the tribal drums of the title track off their newest  album, The Lion the Beast the Beat. Having released the LP on Tuesday, the set was heaped with fresh tunes, and Grace wasn't ashamed of it. "If you don't know it, just fucking pretend you do." (Read full review)

 

2. Band of Horses - 09.18, House of Vans, Brooklyn, NY

"What was evident was that these boys love playing music. Ben sang with such gusto, you could witness the veins bulging in his tattooed neck. Every member had a wide grin for the show's duration; even the typically stoic Ramsey sneaking out a smirk from somewhere in the center of his beard." (Read full review)

 

1. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - 09.29, Central Park Great Lawn (Global Festival), New York, NY

"Neil Young and Crazy Horse played a blistering mix of new songs from the upcoming Psychedelic Pill, and classics like the 15-minute opener "Love & Only Love." Young, Poncho, and Billy Talbot huddled together in the center of the stage, churning out waves of distortion into the crisp night air." (Read full review)

Top 10 Albums of 2012

The Top 10 Albums of 2012

10. Ben Taylor - Listening
If Another Run Around the Sun is his Sweet Baby James, Listening is his JT: still rootsy but more pop-oriented.  He has a similar honey voice to his father, but made by feistier bees.  The last track "Next Time Around" uses the same progression as James' "Bartender's Blues," which someone should've noticed, but overall, still a solid record.

9. ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra) - Sounds Like This
When a band meshes so well onstage, sometimes that energy doesn't translate into the studio, but ALO have done it... with the first six songs on this album.  "Cowboys & Chorus Girls" ends with a funky keyboard jam, but then the songs start to sound like different renditions of tunes they've already recorded.  "Bark of a Tree" recalls "The Champ."  "Combat Zone" is "Monday" with different lyrics, and "Room for Bloomin" is similar to "I Love Music."  Fortunately, aside from "Bloomin," they are better versions.

8. Bill Baird - Career
Sound Team's Movie Monster is one of my favorite indie records ever. Unfortunately, the band split, with Bill Baird going solo and Matt Oliver and Jordan Johns forming TV Torso. Fortunately, both are still making good music.  Baird took a more experimental route in crafting Career, a noisy grab bag of lo-fi ambition.

7. Gary Clark, Jr. - Blak & Blu
Some are dubbing GCJ a "legend in the making," and while his eclectic major label debut may not confirm that, it's a fun ride.  In fact, Clark had previously released all but 5 of the songs in some manner, but it's exactly these songs that show his experimentation, from the horn-accented opener "Ain't Messin' 'Round" to the Lenny Kravitz-esque "Glitter Ain't Gold."

6. Diamond Rugs - Diamond Rugs
John McCauley rounds up a different batch of friends, including Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, for a 14-song drunken romp.  "Call Girl Blues" is an easy contender for song of the year with its bouncy horns and catchy backup vocals.  I saw them perform it straight-through in June, and it holds up live too!

5. Kishi Bashi - 151a
At nine tracks, it's a breeze, but it's the only violin-based album I've been digging this year.  It's clear Kevin Barnes' influence has worn off during his touring with Of Montreal, and yet Mr. Ishibashi manages a sound all his own.  Beat-boxing, loops, and an impressive vocal range only add to its diverse beauty.

4. Jack White - Blunderbuss

First off, I've never liked the White Stripes, so this came as a shocker even to me.  After seeing White and the Peacocks play Virgin Freefest in October, I was intrigued enough to check out his solo debut.  "Sixteen Saltines" is a fucking rocker, the "I'm Shakin'" cover is fun and faithful, and oodles of piano move the album along nicely.  My brother said that Jack White would convert me, and he has.

3. Rayland Baxter - Feathers & Fishhooks

I had to specially order the vinyl from a record store in Texas, and it proved entirely worth it.  It's a beautifully textured country/folk album, with accomplished songwriting that belies Baxter's 28 years of age.

2. Fun - Some Nights

While not as stylistically variant as their debut Aim & Ignite, this collection of songs makes a nice addition to the Fun canon.  The singles were picked correctly, but "Stars" is the hero of the album, with its self-referential lyrics building to an Autotuned climax.  I listened to this album more than any other new release this year, and correctly predicted their Best New Artist Grammy nom.

1. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Psychedelic Pill

After seeing Neil Young & Crazy Horse play new songs at Farm Aid and Global Festival, this became my number one LP to pre-order.  Though the 27:35 opening track "Driftin' Back" makes this a daunting listen, those who make it through will be well-rewarded.  Fellow 16-minute+ epics "Ramada Inn" and closer "Walk Like a Giant," with its whistling and dinosauric instrumentation, are the best songs on the album.

Deer Tick Begin Brooklyn Bowl Residency

Deer Tick began their 3-part residency at Brooklyn Bowl last night by playing Born on Flag Day and More Fuel for the Fire EP in their entireties, along with six tracks from War Elephant for an encore. The venue was packed with Tickheads, so buy your tickets for 12/12 and 12/19 now if you're interested.

Ian O'Neil, Deer Tick's guitarist and occasional singer, opened the show, taking the stage a few minutes before the 9:00 start time. "Welcome to the first night of me opening for my band every night," he acknowledged. O'Neil played a short set of the Deer Tick songs he sings and a couple covers, including "Lookin' for a Love" by Neil Young. It was neat to hear his solo takes on the DT songs, but it makes me wonder what his set on 12/19 will be like, considering all but one of the songs are on the album and EP they are scheduled to play that evening. I didn't notice any bowling noises during his set, but it was confusing to hear the crowd talking over a guy from the band they came to see actually playing the band's songs.

Hollis Brown, a band in the similar folk-rock realm, took the middle spot. They looked like total hipsters except for the fact that they were physically into their music. Mike Montali has a good voice, and at times, the band recalled a tamer Crazy Horse. They also put their spin on a Neil Young song, the Charles Manson-inspired "Revolution Blues." They're not breaking any new ground, but they're not trying to. Their album drops in 2013, and you can download their EP here for free.

The five members of Deer Tick walked onto the stage in blazers and ties, and after a quick final soundcheck, they proceeded with "Easy," the opening track of Born on Flag Day. "It's gonna be a fun few weeks," suggested John McCauley with a gold-toothed grin. "Little White Lies," the second track on the album, came next. When "Smith Hill" followed, it was apparent that the album would be performed in order, unlike Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle concerts or Dave Matthews Band's recent Away from the World show. "I'm really looking forward to next week because we get to play 'Holy Shit, It's Christmas!' Who's gonna be there for that shit show?" McCauley admitted a little too prematurely to be thinking about the other shows. He remained onstage while the other members left, Chris Ryan returning with a double bass and a fiddler in tow for "Song About a Man." The band rejoined them for "Houston, TX," Ryan keeping the upright handy to rotate between tunes.

Before playing "Friday XIII," McCauley annouced, "We've got some bad news. Liz Isenberg is sick, and couldn't make it tonight. Is there a lady here that knows all the words?" A cute girl named Caroline was chosen, and although her voice was a little nasal, she hit all the lyrics, minus a few once it struck her that she was actually onstage doing a duet with John.  "I was really doubtful, but it worked out," McCauley revealed with a laugh as she climbed off the stage. "It's because it's so close to Christmas. Miracles do happen." False starts happened for both "The Ghost" and "Hell on Earth," the latter with John flubbing the opening guitar part on his new sky blue Mustang with ruby slipper pickguard. The heartbreaking "Stung" was completed in one take, however, finishing the album in about forty minutes time.

"We have a few more ideas," offered McCauley, and they honky-tonked into "La La La" from More Fuel for the Fire. Former guitarist Andy Tobiassen left the band in 2010, but not before penning "Dance of Love." Would they play it? "It's on the EP that we said we're gonna play, so...," John obliged, and they nailed the jumpy little number that happens to be one of my favorite Deer Tick songs. "Axe is Forever" finished off the EP, and the boys slowed things down with set-closing folk standard "Goodnight, Irene," the hidden track at the end of Born on Flag Day.

The house music came back on, which seemed strange. At this point, they hadn't even played for an hour, and there was no mention of their debut LP War Elephant being played at the three shows. A minute and a half later, they returned to rock out "Standing at the Threshold." The War Elephant tracks that followed reinvigorated a crowd that didn't know what tunes to expect. Which turned out to be exactly the downfall of an album-structured Deer Tick show. Deer Tick is a party band. They defy curfews. They play as many as fifteen covers in a set. John McCauley has even been known to light his pubic hair on fire onstage. Tethered to an album's running order, that edge-of-your-seat spontaneity is absent, replaced with a formality reflected in the band's attire. (I saw McCauley's band Diamond Rugs perform their eponymous album this summer, but that loose vibe remained intact, likely because that group of musicians don't regularly play together.)  The most exciting moments were when things nearly fell apart halfway through "Straight Into a Storm," the duet with a stranger, attempting a song a past member wasn't there to sing, and one odd piece of headgear. You see, right after "Art Isn't Real," a bra was thrown onstage. Strapping the brassiere around his head, McCauley boasted, "I've got a cool, new hat for the winter," and kept it on for the rest of the encore. "What Kind of Fool Am I?" was a sweet solo affair, and the whole band, plus the fiddler, a harmonica player, and a very participatory crowd yelled along to "Ashamed." "Here's some top secret notes," McCauley joked, tossing out the setlist pages into the audience. I purchased the three-night pass, so here's hoping the encores get progressively longer and wilder. Either way, I'm going to see Deer Tick play all their songs, and that's pretty fucking cool.

IAN O’NEIL – 12.05.12 – BROOKLYN BOWL (21 minutes)

SET –

Passing Through > Now It’s Your Turn / Lookin’ for a Love / She’s Not Spanish / Walkin Out the Door / Hope is Big

HOLLIS BROWN – 12.05.12 – BROOKLYN BOWL (35 minutes)

SET –

Gypsy Black Cat / Ride on the Train / Faith & Love & Everything* / When the Weather’s Warm / Down on Your Luck / Walk on Water / Nightfall / Revolution Blues

DEER TICK – 12.05.12 – BROOKLYN BOWL (1 hour, 16 minutes)

SET –

Easy / Little White Lies / Smith Hill / Song About a Man / Houston, TX / Straight into a Storm / Friday XIII / The Ghost (false start) / The Ghost / Hell on Earth (false start) / Hell on Earth / Stung / La La La / Dance of Love / Axe is Forever / Goodnight, Irene

ENCORE –

Standing at the Threshold / Art Isn’t Real (City of Sin) / These Old Shoes / Spend the Night / What Kind of Fool Am I? / Ashamed