Ramblings from The Salty Sea, a southern folk pop duo who's goal is to tickle your ears with crafty stories and catchy melodies
Cash’s top albums of 2011. Starting at the top left corner and working around clockwise (although they are ranked in no particular order). What a great year for music!
St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
This very well could have been album of the year for me with as much as I listened to it. I love an artist that you can’t pin to a particular style, and with Annie Clark of St. Vincent, she does just that. Spooky vocals, fuzz guitars, mellow beats, and haunting synth parts make up a fantastic combination. Also, she put on one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen in terms of execution. Bravo Annie, I can’t wait for the next record already.
Head and the Heart - Self Titled
This record came as a recommendation and totally caught me off guard. At first listen it seemed like another folk-pop record, but after digging into it, it provided a wonderful journey through the appropriately named record, the head and the heart.
Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
Although this might not be Coldplay’s magnum opus, it seems to still have the right formula from the successful british band. Lyrically they don’t dig as deep, but the melodies, the hooks, and their ever evolving style has taken a refreshing new step.
Middle Brother - Self Titled
If you’d have asked me halfway through the year what the album of the year would be, I would have hands down said Middle Brother. Since then, there’s been some competition from other artists, but this record is as solid as it gets. Comprised as a “supergroup” from the frontmen of the bands Delta Spirit, Dawes, and Deer Tick (the triple D’s), each individual singer/songwriter brings just enough to the table. In this case, the sum may be greater than the parts… and I may vote for this band to stay together full time.
Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest
After an 8 year hiatus, Gillan Welch and David Rawlings (sidekick but integral part to this duo) are back. This album doesn’t vary much at all from what made this duo so endearing. Folk/Americana songs about hard times in the south that will take you back in time to a century ago. Simplicity is key here, and it works so well. This is the only other artist I got to see live this year. I’ve waited almost a decade to see the two and I couldn’t have asked for a better show.
M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
On first listen I was floored. French musician Anthony Gonzalez has branched off on his own and found a formula for success. You’ll probably recognize “Midnight City” as a tune from a car commercial, but don’t let that fool you. This album is as eclectic as it gets and paints a beautiful tapestry of electronica music that is so moving.
Bon Iver - Self Titled
I could say a lot about this record, but it seems like everyone else is as well, so I’ll keep it short. To simplify it goes like this… Justin Vernon holed up in his parents deer camp in Wisconsin to make his first album, “For Emma, Forever Ago”. It blew minds. He’s now teamed up with his live band from his past tour to make this new record “Bon Iver”. From a solo to a group effort with the same continuity and beautiful melodies that made “For Emma” so endearing. Minds were blown once more, including mine.
Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong
Taylor Goldsmith and crew have made a simple straightforward rock record that sounds like it came out in the 1970’s. In fact, you could easily mistaken him for Jackson Browne. His voice is the same and songwriting is just as strong. ”Time Spent in Los Angeles” might have been my most played song of the year.
Wilco - The Whole Love
Dad rock? I don’t think so. From the previous couple of albums, Wilco has settled down from their experimental days and have been questioned for losing the spark they once had. ”The Whole Love” proves that wrong… It brings a fantastic set of songs to the table with one of their best opening tracks they’ve had on an album, “Art of Almost”. Its like they set out to show everyone they could make whatever music they wanted. And in my opinion they proved it to be true.
My Morning Jacket - Circuital
MMJ can be all over the place, and for some people its unsettling. Either you love them or don’t love them. For me, I love everything they do. There’s something about the band that satisfies me instrumentally… Their songs are so orchestrated. And their style is so versatile. The complexity of “Circuital” rallies the complexity of any album they’ve done to date.
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Although I’m partial to their self titled debut which put them on the map faster than any band I’ve ever seen, Helplessness Blues was a fantastic follow up. Lyrically, I can’t get over the title track to the album. ”I was raised up believing I was somehow unique/Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see/And now after some thinking, I’d say I’d rather be/A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me”
Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
No, Its no “Heartbreaker” or “Gold”… It seems the days of the old Ryan Adams, the sorrow, the despair, the depression, the temper tantrums… those are all gone. But one thing that remains that sets this albums apart from much of his prolifically written catalog is the amount of heart that he puts into this record. He’s in a good place now. Happy in his marriage, off of drugs, and still channeling much of himself into his music. The old Ryan Adams would have died before the age of 40 on the path he was on. I’m glad for the change if he keeps making albums like this one for years to come.
Death Cab for Cutie - Codes & Keys
I was a fan of “Narrow Stairs”, their previous record, but with “Codes & Keys” DCFC seems to bring an album together that has much more continuity. Its said that they put the guitars down for much of the writing/recording of this record, which helped them to creatively spin out another strong record.
Feist - Metals
Stylistically, this album is much more mellow than “The Reminder” of 2007. Yet still, she pours so much beauty and complexity into her music, its hard not to love even her sleeper albums. ”Metals” is an album that I will hear 10 years from now and remember specific details about 2011. I love how music holds memories, and this album crackling on vinyl will forever remind me of the comfort and love that I shared with my wonderful wife this year.
Sept. 17th The Salty Sea will play WUSM’s Tailgate Concert Series with Afterlife Parade on the Centennial Green of USM’s campus.
From the archives of the Mayor’s Mansion studio footage: Check out this tasty little nugget!
Hot off the press! Our new self-titled cd just released yesterday. Order them online at http:www.saltyseamusic.com. OR… if you know either of us, we’ll probably both have a box of these cds under our arm for a long time to come.
behind the design
I wanted to take a little time and give a huge shout out to the two artists who have made us look much better than we really are. Much cooler, much prettier, much more swanky and hip. Without them, our music wouldn’t be the same… there is something powerful about visual art, photos & illustrations, branding & design, that really seems to give music an overall completion. If our band was a person, the artwork would definitely be the face. The part that everyone sees… the part that everyone forms opinions of before ever even hearing a note or lyric. For this I applaud those artists because they have helped shape the image of what has become “The Salty Sea”. Please take some time to visit their websites and let them know what you think about their work, for they deserve an abundance of applause and praise.
Kyle Hilton, Freelance Illustrator & Designer
Kyle was in charge of the direction of the overall design of this project. He was 100% responsible for the album concept and bringing it to life. We knew from day 1 working with Kyle that his passion for music and art would drive him to come up with something that defined our music. Job well done Kyle. We couldn’t be happier…
http://flannelanimal.tumblr.com/
Natalie Wester, FatKat Photography
Natalie was the photographer that spent a rainy afternoon with us in a local design studio and took the pictures that would be become the window into our band. Her vision and attention to detail would capture up to 800 pictures of us in a several hour session that will be used for a long time to come.
