Best Albums of 2016 - Number 8

It's a strange phenomenon when I don't much like a band or artist, but absolutely love bands or artists who are clearly and obviously influenced by them. I find that happens to me quite a bit and most notably happens with The Smiths. I was just never into them (I should be in theory, I know), yet so many bands I love wouldn't exist without them. Prime example is Girl in a Coma. I fucking love this band, and I would be a fool not to hear Morrissey in Nina Diaz's delivery and their overall sound. And now, Nina released a solo album that brings forth, not just Morrissey and The Smiths, but a whole lot more. This album, The Beat is Dead, seems to rise from electronic 80s sounds and some very classic rock and new wave, but with a definitively current casing. Nina is not afraid of her influences because she doesn't have to be - her talent, as writer and singer give her wings and her confidence is what is ultimately on display.

And that confidence is even more impressive when you realize how personal this album is. Nina is a recovering addict, a fact she has been very open about on all her social media and press for this album. This music is all about her journey to (through?) recovery and, I get the sense, is a big part of that recovery as well. In less capable hands, that could wind up being an on the nose, bunch of journal entries set to music. But Nina has been doing this since she was 13 and even at that age she knew metaphor, poetry and raw emotion better than most. So the result is an album about a bad relationship, maybe even a break-up album, where the other person is addiction or even just the darkness within.

The journey starts when it all seems to be great, as "Trick Candle" is a euphoric rush. But it has a dark undertone to it, like some apocalyptic, spiraling dance. It's seductively unhinged and manic. Following this club raver, comes the Yaz evoking electro power ballad of "Queen Beats King," because that dance came with a bittersweet cost. When she sings "all he seems to care about is fame," I have to wonder if she means an actual person or the drugs themselves. I'm sure there's a full story in there, but this feels like a loaded album with levels of story to each song.

The mania continues in "Rebirth" which opens with a very theatrical intro and has a driving, stalking rhythm and a chorus of "I'm back from the dead like I told you friend, I will not love you until you are my enemy" continuing my feeling that the addiction is a character in this, very real, haunting tale. The thing about it is, even if that's not necessarily her intention, the fact that it's even remotely possible to interpret it this way means she has done her job as a writer - as a poet.

The up and down of this album maybe reaches a peak in "January 9th" which to me feels like the moment she really decides to try to do something about her addiction. Not that the rest of the album will be easy and everything resolved, but here she sings "I don't wanna be the bad one, I don't wanna be the sad one, that you find" and while the song is literally referring to memories and that she doesn't want to be the sad memory in the back of someone's mind, I can't help but think of a body being found after an overdose. I have to wonder if she wasn't, too. Could she be saying she doesn't want to be found that way? I don't know. Maybe that's too literal and I'm missing my own point (see previous paragraph), but then, maybe it's levels again. On the one hand, I'd love it if she made commentary tracks for each song on Spotify as some artist's are doing now. On the other, I wonder if maybe knowing the specifics would break the spell.

I could go on, but the fact is, this album is just moving in the way only Nina's vocals can achieve. The second to last song, "For You" is one of the most beautiful traditional ballads I've heard in a long time. In her recent NPR Tiny Desk, she said she hopes this becomes a song people lose their virginity to in back seats. It's a song of pure devotion, with no hint of cynicism to it - much like the rest of the album, in it's own way. As a whole, the album is devoted to honesty and poetry and raw emotion. It's devoted to exorcising demons through art for purposes both selfish and necessary to altruistic and commendable. And it's all in a package that's easy to listen to and even dance to if so inclined. I look forward to seeing her next steps.

2015 Week 52: The Last Playlist

And just like that, the year is over. I actually stuck to this weekly playlist thing the whole year, even though I honestly had a hard time coming up with anything resembling a theme most of the time. I will not be doing it next year, though. I want to try to listen to some audio books next year which is going to be an interesting experiment in time management. It's weird that I sometimes wish I had a longer commute. I might post playlists form time to time, when I think of a good theme, but it won't be steady. And I need to get back to the Tom Waits discog soon.

The year started out with me writing for FDRMX, but that quickly stopped for several reasons. They've since changed their name and my stuff is still there (they've actually republished a couple recently for some reason) but since I'm not actually paying bills with my writing, I'd rather find a better match or just try to somehow (impossibly) grow my own site. I don't know, I could use an editor, though. A good one. But it's not like I have all the time in the world for writing, either. The year is ending with this sort of becoming harder for me to find the mental energy for and I feel like it shows. So, while having some sort of consistency throughout the year was an accomplishment, I'm not sure I'm in a place where I can really force this.

Next year I'm anticipating several new albums. There's The Last Shadow Puppets and Lucius and possibly Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I'm hoping to see some good shows. Right now, my list of people I most want to see is, in no particular order:

Nina Diaz/Girl in a Coma: Nina's solo album is due out next year. I'd love to see her with Girl in a Coma or solo. Either way.

Rachel Fannan/Only You: One of my favorite songs this year was "The Pressure," but everything I hear from her and see on YouTube is right up my alley. A full album would be great too.

Ruby the Hatchet: My number 9 album this year was Valley of the Snakes. I want to see it live.

Royal Thunder: My number 1 album of the year was Crooked Doors. Been wanting this for some time. There's a slight chance.

The Fantastic Negrito: Also one on my top albums of the year. This guy is electric.

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Nightsweats: Number 2 album of the year was. . .

The Last Shadow Puppets: With a full orchestra, of course.

Anyway, for the last playlist I gathered some songs that I feel captured the year for me. It was a year with some struggles and some good stuff in there too. Which I guess is every year, really. It's kind of stupid to try to some up 365 days of the complexities of everyday life with one big generalization. Still, I think this comes pretty close. And it features some of of my favorite songs to come out this year. So, there it is.

Perfect (Cover) Songs - Si Una Vez

There are some other good ones on their cover album.

I remember back in the 90s, seeing and hearing Selena all the time in Miami, but didn't realize how big she really was until her death and then the fact that a movie was made nailed it. I always assumed she was just known to pockets of Hispanic communities, but maybe she was bigger than that. I was never really a fan, but there were a couple of songs that sort of wound their way into my ears. So a couple years ago, when I heard this song, I knew it sounded familiar but had to dig to find out why. Sure enough, it was Selena. But Girl in a Coma's version of "Si Una Vez" is way more to my liking. It's a perfect cover.

Taking this Tejano fuck-off ballad and amping it up in every way, they really put the anger in your face. Not that the original didn't already have some of that bite, I mean, it's in the lyrics, "If once I said I loved you, I regret it," but this version's energy is undeniable. From that western guitar intro that announces this as a final stand off and makes sure to keep us in Texas this is oozing with moody disdain for this former lover. Once that punky beat kicks in, this song takes comfort in that hate, completely dismissing that old flame as nothing but a mistake. It's infectious and hard for me to listen to less than 3 times in a row.

From the first time I heard Nina Diaz's vocals, I was mesmerized. She has an odd style and a very unique type of vibrato, some strange pronunciations, and it all comes together to make her one of my favorite singers. She can go from sweet to angry or otherwise devastatingly dramatic on dime, which makes her perfect for this song. Of course I always find her vocals interesting, so it's not just this song. But something about this particular song, maybe because it's an unexpected cover from a band named for a Smith's song, just stands out to me. It's surprising and yet makes perfect sense. It's a perfect cover.