I don't want to change you

Damien Rice's new album is being released on Tuesday.

For someone, or anyone, who has been a fan of his since O, that phrase should seem pretty surreal. Nobody supposes that their favorite singer (which he was, for me, eight years ago) will take another eight years to release his or her next record. But that was a reality Damien Rice fans had to live with. And I bemoaned his absence, constantly asking, "What happened to Damien Rice? When is he going to put another album out? What's he doing with his time? Why can't he at least go on tour? WHAT IS HE DOING? WHY WON'T HE PUT ANOTHER ALBUM OUT!?" Eventually it just became a joke, something I would just say because well, why not? I did miss him. I barely listened to his music over the last five years or so, just because I was tired of it but yeah, I would've welcomed a new album wholeheartedly. Or so I imagined.Wanting a new Damien Rice was just something I was supposed to do, and I said I wanted it more the more it seemed like weren't going to get it. Damien Rice was just some dude from Ireland who used to make music, whom I used to see in concert, whom I used to enjoy a lot, and whose music meant a lot to me but it all seemed like a different lifetime. And that part of my life was over and it was time to say good-bye to Damien Rice and wanting his third album.

But then a third album was announced! I was pleased but not ecstatic. The announcement had the misfortune of coming a few days after I bought tickets to see Owl John, and I was pretty freaking excited about that. The joy I felt about that is best described by a word the English language has not created yet. And yes, I suppose it's silly to be that excited for someone you'd be seeing for the fourth time in eighteen months, for someone who has had a release every year for the last three years. One of the problems was I was pretty indifferent to the singles Damien had released (yes, indifference is exactly how I feel about "I Don't Want to Change You.") To make matters worse, Damien then announced some tours dates in NYC and they were...the exact same week I was going to see Owl John. I would've been thrilled about that show (erm, maybe...) had it been any other week. I knew Scott Hutchison was going to blow me away before I even went to the show (and I was right), and it was going to be really tough for anyone to top that show.

Damien didn't. Look, it was wonderful to see him again, in an "intimate" space (I guess, whatever, Warsaw is a craphole) but other than making me feel nostalgic, the show didn't do anything for me (until Glen Hansard stepped on stage but you know, he's a legend in my book). Damien sounded great, he looked great, and everything was technically great but I just didn't feel anything. Yes, it's great to have him back but it's making me feel nothing. It probably had to do with the concert I went to earlier in the week, sure, but maybe I am right: Damien Rice's music belonged to another part of my life.

I am still trying to get excited about the third album. I've listened to it three or four times in its entirety and it did not grab me right away. But hey, sometimes that happens. It usually happens to albums I end up really, really liking. And look, I didn't press play the first time with intentions of disliking but nothing grabbed me, I was especially taken aback by how dreadful the lyrics are. I've always liked Damien as a lyricist; some of his lyrics on O are truly amazing. The lyrics on My Favorite Faded Fantasy are plodding and I can his rhymes coming a mile away. There's no sharpness to them. And the whole damn album just feels so unnecessarily long (it's only eight songs but runs about fifty minutes). Nothing is exciting or compelling. It all feels like it's been done before. It's not something worth waiting eight years for. It feels like he's been stunted, creatively. It's nothing new for him at all. It seems he hasn't grown at all musically. Does everyone have to reinvent their sound with every album? No. Just look at Spoon or Beach House or The National. They've perfected their sound and do it all really well. But they do it well. Compare it to Fiona Apple's last record; that album was incredible and worth waiting seven years for. Damien's is just such a disappointment.

But I refuse to give up. Mostly because I feel like Charlie Brown at Christmastime about it. Everyone else is excited but I just don't get it. I'm not a party pooper. I want to reiterate that I am really, really glad Damien is back. I hope he does a bigger tour next year because I'm going to pay to see him. I'm even going to buy his record on Tuesday on vinyl. But I think it's just for nostalgia reasons. Because I waited too long for this all to happen, and I've earned my right to be a part of it.

Know whose new album is really, really fantastic? The Twilight Sad's. I mention them simply because I saw them live between Owl John and Damien Rice. Also because Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave is a great example of records growing on you, records that are really rewarding after being a challenge, records that take some time to reveal how great they truly are.

Favorite Albums of 2013

2013 was a pretty disappointing year for me, musically. I did not like a lot of the overhyped records or a lot of the ones that people raved about. I didn't even like a lot of records by artists I've loved for years. I can't quite figure out why; was it me or the music? I didn't even binge on too many artists (which is something I tend to do).

Well, anyway, onto the music...

1. Frightened Rabbit-Pedestrian Verse
Sigh. What more can I say? This was a complete surprise but let me tell you, from the first listen to "Acts of Man," I was hooked. It was really fun coming home after work on those February nights and popping this record on. It is just a really well-written, well-produced record, and it shows just how much and how well the band has grown musically. It's a real shame this record went virtually unrecognized by everyone, and it's an even bigger shame that Frightened Rabbit is generally unrecognized and underrated.

Favorite Tracks: Acts of Man, The Woodpile, State Hospital.

2. Frightened Rabbit-The Midnight Organ Fight
Yes, I'm being controversial by putting a five year old record on this list but I always believe that you won't realize how great a piece of music is until you're still listening to it years later or you can still listen to it years after its release. Of course this doesn't apply fully to The Midnight Organ Fight but I really can't get over how brilliant this record is. Every song is just fantastic, and it blows my mind that a band could release something so good and still be unknown. Anyway, I stuck this on my list because it truly was my second favorite record of the year. When I think back on 2013 and the music I listened to, I think about Frightened Rabbit and listening to "The Modern Leper" and "Good Arms Vs. Bad Arms" and "Old Old Fashioned" (and "The Loneliness and the Scream" but don't worry, The Winter of Mixed Drinks will not be on this list).

Favorite Tracks: Good Arms Vs. Bad Arms, The Modern Leper, Keep Yourself Warm 

3. Phosphorescent-Muchacho
What a beautiful record. It's subtle but intricate and has an addicting quality to it. Matthew Houck's vocals on it remind of a Southern Glen Hansard. Probably the most beautiful record released in 2013.

Favorite Tracks: Song For Zula, The Quotidian Beasts, Sun, Arise!

4. Neko Case-The Worst Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
2013 was the year Neko Case became one of my favorite artists. I've always really liked her and her music but this record was just all-around fantastic. Her vocals are incredible (duh), her lyrics are amazing (another duh) and I think this is definitely her best album. After Pedestrian Verse, I think this record was the one I listened to the most this year.

Favorite Tracks: Man, Calling Cards, Ragtime

5. Volcano Choir-Repave
Shouty Justin Vernon! I think that's why I love this record so much. Look, I miss Bon Iver just as much as the next person but if he's going to put out records like this, he never has to perform/record as Bon Iver again as far as I'm concerned.

Favorite Tracks: Acetate, Comrade, Dancepack

6. Haim-Days Are Gone
At first I was very dismissive of Haim because of all the hype. I didn't quite get why they were getting so much attention. Do I think they're truly something spectacular? No. Are they fun and catchy and very well-written pop music? Sure they are. I just enjoy listening to their music, plain and simple.

Favorite Tracks: Forever, My Song 5, Don't Save Me

7. Laura Marling-Once I Was An Eagle
Laura Marling has always sounded beyond her years. She's always been such a mature song-writer. However, I think Once I Was An Eagle is her best record; her music is still mature, still well-written but this collection of songs was dark and elegant and just plain beautiful.

Favorite Tracks: I Was an Eagle, You Know, Breathe

8. Baths-Obsidian 
This record is a dark one too. But dark in an unsettling way; Baths isn't someone with whom I'd want to be alone in a room after listening to this album. It's still a perfect mix of electronics and emotions (something I feel is missing in electronic-oriented music).

Favorite Tracks: No Eyes, Incompatible, Worsening

9. Austra-Olympia
I described this record as a "dancier" Beach House. (I suppose "dancier" isn't a word but you get my drift.)

Favorite Tracks: Home, Fire, Forgive Me

10. Tegan and Sara-Heartthrob
A return to form for a duo that means a whole lot to me. I love their poppier sound, and I hope they expand on it.

Favorite Tracks: Closer, Now I'm All Messed Up, How Come You Don't Want Me Now

Honorable Mentions:
James Blake-Retrograde
Jim James-Regions of Light and Sound of God
Majical Cloudz-Impersonator
Chvrches-The Bones of What You Believe

Two Artists Who Deserve to Be Mentioned in My Recap of 2013:

1. Frank Turner
The only artist I binged on in 2013, other than Frightened Rabbit, was Frank Turner. Yeah, I liked Tape Deck Heart alright but not enough to put it in my top ten, unfortunately. It doesn't matter because I grew to adore Frank and his music. He gets compared to Frabbits a lot (which is how I came to find him, I believe) and while I get it, I don't necessarily agree. He reminds me more of Flogging Molly/The Pogues/The Frames but it doesn't matter, he is awesome. A great songwriter and a great, great performer. I've never seen someone with such strong stage presence. Honestly, he makes you feel like you're in his living room.

2. Ellie Goulding
Am I supposed to consider her a guilty pleasure? Screw that. Ellie makes fun, catchy pop music that isn't dumb. She always makes me want to dance. Plus she seems completely likeable and can actually perform.

Records I Found Disappointing:
Josh Ritter-The Beast In Its Tracks (so boring!)
The National-Trouble Will Find Me (look, I liked enough of it but it's definitely their weakest record)
Bell x1-Chop Chop ("A Thousand Little Downers," or what the hell has become of Bell x1?)
Cloud Cult-Love (I liked this record but after Light Chasers, this is a complete disappointment)

I'm struggling, and I'm stumbling, I need you in my heart

I missed this one on my Favorite Songs of 2013 (because I only heard it for the first time on 12/30!) but I cannot stop listening to this. The Districts were the best opening act I saw in 2013 and I have a feeling they are going to be big.

Favorite Songs of 2013

1. Frightened Rabbit-Acts of Man

Look, okay, I'm not posting a lyric to this song. I'm not even going to talk about how amazing/special this song is or how much I love it. But I love it so very, very much. I think this song shaped my entire 2013.

2. Arcade Fire-Afterlife

 

Have I shocked you with this one? Look, I still maintain that Arcade Fire is greatly overrated, especially this last record but I can't deny how good "Afterlife" is. The horns! Regine's backing vocals! The fact it makes me want to dance every time I hear it! The fact I want to listen to it sixty times before I'm satisfied and can move to another song! 

(Confession: One of the first times I heard it, I broke down and cried. Not sure if I cried from how good this song is or because it was the morning after seeing Frightened Rabbit twice that week. I'd like to think it was a mix of both.)

I'm not posting a lyric from this one either because they're all pretty bad.

3. Volcano Choir-Acetate

Shout, say it louder now.
The apple on the oranges ground.
No longer feeling tepid now.
Shout, say it louder now

I love shouty vocals, I love Justin Vernon's vocals, I love shouty Justin Vernon.

4. Phosphorescent-Song for Zula

 

See, honey, I saw love,
You see it came to me
It puts its face up to my face so I could see
Yeah then I saw love disfigure me
Into something I am not recognizing

5. Laura Marling-I Was an Eagle

When we were in love
If we were
When we were in love
I was an eagle
And you were a dove

  

6. Frightened Rabbit-The Woodpile

 

Yes, another Frabbits song. I swear, this list won't be just FR songs. I promise. This song is ridiculously good, and the fact that it wasn't a bigger deal this year makes me sad. But dammit, it is great.

(This is an alternate version of the song, which I am not sure I've ever heard but the vocals are too good. Then again, I've never heard a bad version of this song.)

7. Tegan and Sara-Now I'm All Messed Up

My heart
You'll cut it out you never liked me anyway

I don't think a song has ever perfectly expressed heartbreak as much as this song does.


8. Jim James-Dear One

 

Daily, every minute your possession of my mind
Ticking synchronicity of time
Your life synced to mine, on a dime
Dear one 

9. Neko Case-Man

And if I'm dipshit drunk on pink perfume
Then I'm the man in the fucking moon
'Cause you didn''t know what a man was
Until I showed you 

10. The National-Pink Rabbits

 

You didn't see me I was falling apart
I was a white girl in a crowd of white girls in the park
You didn't see me I was falling apart
I was a television version of a person with a broken heart

11. Akron/Family-Until the Morning

I came to you an orphan, but I'm leaving here a thief
If I can only find the door I'll go tonight
My life, my identity, I lay them at your feet
In just the hope that you'll let me come inside
'till the morning

12. Chvrches-Recover

 

I'll give you one more chance
To say we can change our old ways
And you take what you need
And you know you don't need me

 

13. Bell x1-Motorcades

 

Now before you start
I'm not making fun
People cry at the
Strangest things
Mine is the Venezuelan national anthem

14. Rhye-Open

 
I'm a fool for that shake in your thighs
I'm a fool for that sound in your sighs

15. Baths-No Eyes

And it is not a matter of
If you need it
But it is only a matter of
Come and fuck me
And it is not a matter of
If you love me
But it is only a matter of
My fix 

16. Frank Turner-The Way I Tend to Be

 

'Cause I've said I love you so many times that the words kinda die in my mouth.
And I meant it each time with each beautiful woman but somehow it never works out.
But you stood apart in my calloused heart, and you taught me and here's what I learned:
That love is about all the changes you make and not just three small words.

And then I catch myself
Catching your scent on someone else
In a crowded space
And it takes me somewhere I cannot quite place.

17. Editors-Nothing

Every conversation within you
Starts a celebration in me
Till I got nothing left
I got nothing left
 

18. Ellie Goulding-Burn

 

We can light it up, up, up
So they can't put it out, out, out

19. Haim-Forever

 

Forever I try to make it right,
Together we suck, end in sight,
I'm tired of fighting the good fight,
If you say the word then I'll say goodbye 

20. Okkervil River-Down Down the Deep River

I'll be your fighter and you'll be my mirror.
And you'll be all right because I'll be right here.
Oh kid, now I'm not going anywhere.
I swear I'll try to not be going anywhere

21. Oh Land-Renaissance Girls

 

I can be your darling cooking you dinner and soothing your heartache
Having three kids and still remain a virgin
It’s my version of a renaissance girl

22. Vampire Weekend-Ya Hey

 

Through the fire and through the flames
You won't even say your name
Only "I am that I am"
But who could ever live that way?

23. James Blake-Overgrown

 

I don't wanna be a star
But a stone on the shore
Long door, frame the wall
When everything's overgrown

24. The National-I Should Live in Salt

 

I should live in salt for leaving you behind

I swear, every time I hear Matt sing this, I get chills.

25. Frightened Rabbit and Manchester Orchestra-Architect

you shave bits of spine from a novelist to help you write

No, this is definitely not my twenty-fifth favorite song of 2013 (considering, you know, I got the lyric above tattooed on my body back in May) but I just wanted to end the list with it. Jesus Christ, the ache in the vocals in this song. The whole thing is perfection.

 

My Favorite Lyricists

1. Joanna Newsom

then the system of strings tugs on the tip of my wings
(cut from cardboard and old magazines)
makes me warble and rise like a sparrow
and in the place where I stood, there is a circle of wood
a cord or two, which you chop and you stack in your barrow

it is terribly good to carry water and chop wood
streaked with soot, heavy booted and wild-eyed
as I crash through the rafters
and the ropes and pulleys trail after
and the holiest belfry burns sky-high

then the slow lip of fire moves across the prairie with precision
while, somewhere, with your pliers and glue you make your first incision
and in a moment of almost-unbearable vision
doubled over with the hunger of lions
"hold me close," cooed the dove
who was stuffed now with sawdust and diamonds
-Sawdust and Diamonds

(Alright, really, how do I pick ONE verse from a Joanna Newsom song to showcase?)

2. Dan Bejar

You were on the side of good
I was inside of the sea's guts,
A crumbling beauty trapped in a river of ice
A crumbling beauty trapped in paradise,
Oh yes, it was Paradise 
-Bay of Pigs

(Each line in "Bay of Pigs" is better than the next.)

3. Colin Meloy

In bathrooms and barrooms,
On dumpsters and heirlooms,
We bit our tongues.
Sucked our lips into our lungs
'Til we were falling.
Such was our calling.  
-On The Bus Mall

4. Josh Ritter

Galahad took off his boots and he watched the ground quite closely and the Angel smiled to himself again.
He said, "I can't believe I'm asking, but Sir Galahad please tell me - what is it that makes you want to go to Heaven?"
"In Heaven there's no lamb chops, Queen Guineveres for hand jobs, marijuana, Kenny Rogers or ecstasy."
"No pillaging, no rape, perhaps you've come by some mistake to me, this seems more error than knight errantry."  
-Galahad

5. Shane MacGowan

A curse on the judges, the coppers and screws
Who tortured the innocent, wrongly accused
For the price of promotion
And justice to sell
May the judged by their judges when they rot down in hell
May the whores of the empire lie awake in their beds
And sweat as they count out the sins on their heads
While over in Ireland eight more men lie dead
Kicked down and shot in the back of the head 
-Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six

6. Neko Case

Hey little girl, would you like to be the king's pet or the king?
I'd choose odorless and invisible, but otherwise, I would choose the king
Even though it sounds the loneliest
And my brother's hands would poison me
-Wild Creatures

7. Scott Hutchison

I have never wanted more, to be your man
And build a house around you
I am just like all the rest of them
Sorry, selfish, trying to improve

I'm here, I'm here, not heroic but I try
-Acts of Man

8. Matt Berninger

We'll take ourselves out in the street
And wear the blood in our cheeks
Like red roses
We'll go from car to sleeping car
And whisper in their sleeping ears
We were here, we were here
We'll set off the geese of Beverly Road
-The Geese of Beverly Road

9. St. Vincent

Do you have change or a button or cash?
Oh, my pockets hang out like two surrender flags
Oh, but I'd pay anything to keep my conscience clean
Keeping my eye on the exits, I'm steady now
-The Party

10. Ani DiFranco

When I say, "You sucked my brain out" the English translation is,
"I am in love with you." And it is no fun.
But I don't use words like love 'cause words like that don't matter.
But don't look so offended.
You know, you should be flattered. 
-Dilate

11. Fiona Apple

I could liken you to a werewolf the way you left me for dead
And I could liken you to a shark the way you bit off my head
But then again I was waving around a bleeding open wound

-Werewolf

12. Patrick Stickles

But I admit that I provided a full moon
Because these humans treat humans like humans treat hogs,
They get used up, carved up, and fried in a pan.
But I wasn't born to die like a dog, I was born to die just like a man.
I was born to die just like a man!

-Four Score and Seven

13. Paul Noonan

He said 'They're like headlights
In the rear view mirror
They're closer that they seem
And from this gutter we're still staring at the stars'
She said 'Would ya go away and shite
Last night all you did was curse those stars
You said they sang to you of hope'

He said 'The sun gives life, and it takes it away
But like all the greats, it'll burn out someday'
She said 'I don't mind, I don't want to get bored
I don't want to end up beached on this shore
I want to be that star'
-Rocky Took a Lover

14. Frank Turner

Justin is the last of the great romantic poets,
and he's the only one among us who is ever going to make it.
We planned a revolution from a cheap Southampton bistro.
I don't remember details but there were English boys with banjos.
Jay is our St George, and he's standing on a wooden chair,
and he sings songs and he slays dragons, and he's losing all his hair.
Adam is the resurrected spirit of Gram Parsons,
in plaid instead of rhinestone and living in South London.
And no one's really clear about Tommy's job description,
but it's pretty clear he's vital to the whole damn operation.
Dave Danger smiles at strangers, Tre's the safest girl I know,
Zo and Harps will skamper up to victory in the city we call home.
-I Knew Prufrock Before He was Famous

15. Conor Oberst

Now a mother takes loans out, sends her kids off to colleges
Her family's reduced to names on a shopping list
While a coroner kneels beneath a great wooden crucifix
He knows there's worse things than being alone
And so I've learned to retreat at the first sign of danger
I mean, why wait around, if it's just to surrender?
And ambition, I've found, can lead only to failure
I do not read the reviews
No, I am not singing for you
-Let's Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and To Be Loved)

16. Damien Rice

And what I am to you is not real
What I am to you, you do not need
What I am to you is not what you mean to me
You give me miles and miles of mountains
And I'll ask for the sea

-Volcano

17. Tori Amos

So you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts
What's so amazing about really deep thoughts?
Boy, you best pray that I bleed real soon
How's that thought for you?

-Silent All These Years

18. Sufjan Stevens

(I couldn't figure out what my favorite Sufjan Stevens' lyric is, or which one I would post to display how great he is. But he is great.)

19. Laura Marling

I am from Salinas where the women go forever
And they never ever stop to ask why
My mother, she's a saviour of six foot of bad behaviour
With long, blond curly hair down to her thigh
-Salinas

20. Jeff Mangum

Your father made fetuses with flesh licking ladies
While you and your mother were asleep in the trailer park
Thunderous sparks from the dark of the stadiums
The music and medicine you needed for comforting
So make all your fat fleshy fingers to moving
And pluck all your silly strings and bend all your notes for me
Soft silly music is meaningful magical
The movements were beautiful all in your ovaries
All of them milking with green fleshy flowers
While powerful pistons were sugary sweet machines
Smelling of semen all under the garden was all you were needing
When you still believed in me
Say what you want to say and hang for your hollow ways
Moving your mouth to pull out all your miracle for me

-Oh, Comely  

I am a breathing time machine.

Are we not allowed to complain when bands we like change their sound and perhaps "sell out?"

I do. Constantly.

It's a slippery slope; I'm not saying I want every band/artist I like to keep putting out records that sound exactly the same. My problem is when it's clear that the change of sound is not an artistic choice but one made to pander to a larger, more mainstream audience. I'm talking specifically about The Avett Brothers.

Look, I totally buy the idea that they are growing up and maturing and won't be thrashing around with their banjos as they head into their forties. I get it. I'm not against growing up and maturing and I'm clearly not against being on a major label. What is a major label anyway? (I mean that rhetorically; Frightened Rabbit are on a major label and their music is still pretty great and they aren't obnoxious.) I really, really liked I and Love and You. And then they blew up (along with The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons and all of those other nu-folk bands), which was fine but something clearly started to change about them. In the beginning of their career, they just happened to be a band from the South who used southern musical traditions and fused them with rock. And it worked beautifully. They didn't need fancy production because they wrote such great songs that shined with just a few instruments and their glorious voices. But suddenly they really embraced this adult contemporary alt-country bullshit, and it would've been fine if the music was still good. Neko Case does it brilliantly, right? (God, her new record is amazing.) But I found The Carpenter completely unlistenable. I heard "February Seven" and could not believe how overproduced and phony it sounded. Wanna make money? That's fine. I have no problem with that. Wanna play arenas? Fine. I just won't go. (Really, why are The Avett Brothers playing the Barclays? How will that be enjoyable? Are they going to overinflate their sound even more?) But don't sacrifice the music. All of their songs are such overemotional sap, as though they're trying to be everybody's yearbook quote. They became indistinguishable from so many other bands, and that's the real pity.

Whenever I complain about The Avett Brothers, people tend to get really angry for some reason. But as a fan (of any band really), don't you have the right to criticize a band you once really, really liked? It's not about a lot of people suddenly liking them; I still love The National and they're playing arenas too. I saw both fun. and Mumford and Sons live this year (yeah, I did) and Tegan and Sara will always own a piece of my heart, no matter how many times they're played on the radio. And actually, they're a great example because they really changed their sound, and they've gradually become poppier since 2004's So Jealous, and yet...they're still fantastic. Heartthrob (a major label release) is not only one of my favorite records of the year but one of Tegan and Sara's best. For me, music is the most personal art form because it's very, very easy to develop an emotional connection to it. There is nothing better than a new record from your favorite band or going to see your favorite band live. So when one of them suddenly starts to disappoint you over and over again, it's only natural to feel almost betrayed. Like how can a band whose music you enjoyed so so much suddenly release such a load of crap? What's worse is when loads of people start enjoying it and telling you how amazing it is. All you want to do is say, "No! Haven't you ever heard their early records? Those were good!" Aren't we allowed to complain? Yes! Complain! But have good reason to! Don't say Bon Iver/Justin Vernon is crap because he suddenly won two Grammys. Justin Vernon has a boatload of talent. (Have you heard the new Volcano Choir record? Perfection.) I don't care if he sings with Kanye West or wins Grammys or sells out Radio City six times because the music is there. Patrick Wolf proved himself time and time again that he's kind of an asshole but I ignored it because the music was still good. Until it wasn't. I still adore Death Cab for Cutie, regardless of their Twilight association because I still enjoy their music.

Mainstream attention doesn't factor into things, especially since there's really no such thing as the mainstream anymore. The internet makes everything available to everyone. I want people to listen to the bands I like (for nothing other than being able to talk about music with, not at, more people) and I want them to be successful. But don't sacrifice the music. And that's what really bothers me about the success of The Avett Brothers.

My Favorite Voices

1. Glen Hansard
 

I could never even consider putting anyone else above Hansard when it comes to my favorite voices. Other than the fact that it is just gorgeous, it is the soundtrack of so many of my favorite musical memories, and the soundtrack to a lot of happiness in my life. It's warm and masculine and he sings with such ache and emotion sometimes that it truly makes your knees weak.

2. Justin Vernon

 

You will come to realize that most of this list will include men with what I like to refer to as "husky" voices. Masculine, warm, emotional voices that hit you right in the gut and hurt in the best way possible. No, I do not like falsetto (yeah, I know, Justin Vernon, right) but when Vernon sings in his lower register, Jesus Christ. If you give a listen to the new Volcano Choir record Repave, you will actually think that Vernon sounds like the angels in heaven, I mean it. 

3. Robin Pecknold

 

When I saw Fleet Foxes for the first time back in 2008, Pecknold sang "Oliver James" completely acoustic without a microphone and blew the entire audience away. Stunning.

4. Damien Rice

 

It all begins with Damien Rice. (WHY WON'T YOU MAKE NEW MUSIC, DAMIEN!?) Such a beautiful voice with just a hint of brogue, and definitely the sound that shaped my high school years. I don't listen to him much anymore but whenever I do hear his voice these days, it still makes me melt.

5. Gary Lightbody

If cuddling had a voice, it would sound like Gary Lightbody. 

6. Jim James

 

7. Josh Tillman

 

Was I the only one who was shocked by Josh Tillman's voice? Who knew this voice existed? I had listened to his work as J. Tillman and I wasn't impressed with his vocals but then I heard Fear Fun and I was like, "whoa, this is amazing!" 

8. Marcus Mumford  

 

Look, whatever, judge all you want. No, I do not think he sounds like Dave Matthews (nothing against Dave Matthews, I've liked a good deal of his songs throughout the years) and maybe sometimes Mumford does seem to be putting it on at times but I just adore the grittiness of his voice.

9. Scott Avett

 

I don't listen to The Avett Brothers much anymore but Lord, Scott Avett's voice is stunning and powerful.

10. Patrick Wolf

  

I have no idea what is going on with Patrick Wolf anymore (I sort of lost track of him after The Bachelor) but it's undeniable that he is filled to the brim with talent. His voice is a bit different from the others on this list but it still has a warm yet pure quality to it. 

11. Hamilton Leithauser 

 

This fella can waillllllllll. Jesus, it is beautiful. If you don't go weak in the knees when he sings, "and I'm stranded and I'm starry-eyed," you are incredibly unfeeling.

12. Peter Silberman

I always think that Silberman has a jazzy sort of quality to his voice, filled to the brim with pain and ache.

13. David Longstreth

Really, is there a better frontman around right now? If anyone is going to take the torch from David Byrne, it's this man.

14. Paul Noonan

15. James Blake

He did this as his encore when I saw him back in 2011 and I was blown away. Spectacular voice.

16. Daniel Rossen 

Also, Ed Droste. But Rossen gets the slot because I think Rossen can sometimes get a bit whiny. I still love him, though.

17. Nick Urata

Hearing this voice live and in person will blow you away. It is a powerful, powerful instrument with a ton of nuance. 

18. Torquil Campbell

 

19. Jeff Buckley

Because really, REALLY. 

20. Scott Hutchison

 

I wasn't sure where to stick this guy on this list. I certainly love his voice a lot more than most of this list but it feels premature to stick him in my top five or top ten. His voice isn't necessarily as appealing as the other people on the list, and to tell you the truth, the first time I heard him sing I was like, "whoa, that is way too Scottish" and it took a bit of time to like it, much less love it. And boy, do I love it. I've read it described as "handsome" and "husky" with a "muscular ache" and all of those describe it perfectly. I think he's one of the most emotional singers in indie No, his voice isn't necessarily pretty, and no, he's not a great vocalist but the way he sings certain words and lines makes his songs. (I think the only reason I grew to like "The Wrestle" is the way he sings the word "man-eater.")