As 2010 begins, I’ve taken this opportunity to revisit some of the albums from 2009 that moved me, intrigued me, inspired me, or at least exhausted my iPod batteries and took up semi-permanent residence in

my car stereo throughout the year. I don’t claim these are the best albums of 2009, nor do I claim that they are the most musically important or the most representative of the year in music. These are merely the three

that I was moved to write about, in no particular order.



Andrew Bird:

Noble Beast

With a unique gift for melody and a fascination with polysyllabic lyrical word games, violinist-guitarist Andrew Bird constructs gorgeously orchestrated songs that call upon eclectic influences to produce a

sense of cinematic grandeur entirely free from the arrogance or self-indulgence of other artists. Retaining a sense of wonderstruck whimsy even within the context of songs dense with layered vocals and intricate

arrangements, Bird muses about “proto-Sanskrit Minoans” and “porto-centric Lisboans” in Tenuousness and laments the cost of macramé in Nomenclature with a childlike playfulness that manages not to detract from his careful musicality or lyrical sincerity. In Effigy, a lilting, wistful waltz about

romantic pessimism that was stuck in my head all spring, Bird transforms a dreamy collage of violin-loops into a sublimely simple arrangement that highlights the earnest simplicity of his melody while subtly

building to a quiet intensity in which Bird’s intimate voice soars. Oh No similarly grows from a dreamy beginning to a powerful arrangement that finds Bird whistling whimsically and singing of “calcified arithmetists” as his intricate orchestration swirls around him. The stealthy sophistication of Andrew

Bird’s carefully constructed songs is hidden by the gentle catchiness of his intriguing melodies and the mischievous playfulness of his ironically esoteric lyrics, but the artistry and eclecticism with which each song is presented makes Noble Beast an incredible musical achievement and a record that cannot be listened to casually, so intriguing are the subtleties of Bird’s musical constructions.



Bill Frisell:

Disfarmer

In this release, idiosyncratic jazz guitarist Bill Frisell lends his sparse, atmospheric style to an aural collage of understated Americana that incorporates elements of John Fahey-esque acoustic guitar, bluegrass fiddle, and the effects-saturated subtlety characteristic of Frisell’s playing. Originally meant to accompany an exhibit of American photographer Mike Disfarmer, the short melodic vignettes of Disfarmer evoke a nostalgic Americana filled not with the blissful simplicity of Laura Ingalls Wilder but rather

the tragic dignity of the Joad family, a proud desperation that Mike Disfarmer sought to depict in his simple portraits of farmers and laborers in early-20th-century Arkansas. As has been pointed out in other appraisals of Frisell’s album, the archaic equipment with which Disfarmer took his photographs

required the photographer to venture under a black canvas sheet, hiding himself from his subjects so he might look through a lens that revealed only a mirror image of what was being seen, upside-down and reversed. A deliberate distortion of his subjects was required to capture the poignant images his

photographs reveal, and the honesty with which the rough skin, tired eyes, and reluctant smiles of his downtrodden subjects are captured gives each photo an intensely personal intimacy. Similarly, only through

distorting the American rural idiom he seeks to recreate can Frisell honestly represent the paradoxical combination of joy and sorrow he discovered in his research trips through the rural south, combining his own sophisticated artistry with the primitive and guttural sounds of rural Americana. By combining

the atmospheric sounds of his electric guitar with the earnest simplicity of American roots music, Frisell creates a moving collage of evocative soundscapes that evoke the same dignified stoicism as Disfarmer’s

photographs.



Akron/Family:

Set ’Em Wild, Set ’Em Free

This album defined 2009 for me. (And, incidentally, Akron/Family’s September performance at Williamsport venue SITE:B was the most sublime musical experience of my life thus far.)

Akron/Family, two-thirds of which is comprised of Williamsport natives Seth Olinsky and Dana Jannsen, creates crushingly transformative music, made cleansingly beautiful and transcendentally evocative

not only by the musical sophistication of the band’s songwriting, but also by the band’s genuine interest in connecting with each member of their audience in an honest, human way. The band’s interest in honest

communication and shared connection is felt almost overwhelmingly in their live performances, and miraculously this belief in the power of music to connect and inspire is captured on Set ’Em Wild, Set ’Em Free, and the redeeming power of the band’s music enhanced by the intricacy and care of their

complex studio arrangements. The delicate intricacy of the strings and horns used on the record does not detract from the power of the songs, which combine elements as diverse as Ornette Colemanesque

jazz dialogue and tribal drumming with antique acoustic folk and contemporary rock music, but manage to each remain a cohesive statement from a band confident in its vision. From the opening stutter-step groove and rallying-call vocals of Everyone Is Guilty to the simple redeeming mantra of Last Year, Akron/Family celebrates the power of music through the unique brilliance of their inspired songwriting. The remarkable

River and The Alps and Their Orange Evergreen exude a powerful romanticism and prayerful intensity that transcends mere music and lyric, and songs like the achingly inspiring Sun Will Shine (Warmth of the Sunship Version) and Last Year are performed with a devastating earnestness that would be

disconcerting were it not so sincere. Despite almost a year of repeated listens, this album still

moves me each time I revisit it, and the beautiful humanity and careful musicality of each

song makes absorbing Set ’Em Wild, Set ’Em Free a singularly transformative experience.