Ten Best Musical Moments of 2012

(My Morning Jacket show:  Rizzo, Rip, J, The D Man, Stark the Vinyl Shark)

Before the world ends in a few weeks, The D Man would like to reminisce about the best musical moments from the past year.  The Mayans would have enjoyed Japandroids.

• 10.  Catching bits of live performances from this absurd trifecta during our trip to New Orleans: KISS, Avett Brothers, and Jimmy Buffett.
• 9.  Streaming the Wild Nothing and New Order stations on Pandora during countless runs and workouts.
• 8.  Letting Brandon Flowers soundtrack our entire stay in Southern California.
• 7.  Enjoying Snow Patrol and Switchfoot live, two of the best feel-good bands on earth.
• 6.  Rocking with The Black Keys and believing in their arena bona fides.
• 5.  Shimmering under Victoria Legrand's spell during a splendid summer concert.
• 4.  Bouncing to "Mahgeeta" with My Morning Jacket and then having the band thank me on their Twitter and Facebook feeds for choosing the epic song for their set list.
• 3.  Hitting Mimi's in the Marigny on Saturday night and catching DJ Soul Sister spin obscure underground disco and old-school funk records.
• 2.  Hearing Bon Iver in concert and witnessing an artist transfigured in the zeitgeist at the summit of his powers.
• 1.  Listening to "The House That Heaven Built" while racing from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.  The bayou flashing by in the car.  The D Man, my brothers, and my Dad, ready to set Final Four weekend on fire.  After almost forty years of coaching basketball, and winning more than 700 games, the old ball coach was hanging the whistle up for good.  So our anthem for the week, our sendoff to decades of battling in the arena with our Dad, was this parting message: If they try to slow you down, tell them all to go to hell.  Though my Dad may not have agreed with the music being cranked up so loud, it was fitting.  It was catharsis.

Five Things

(Sufjan Stevens may be singing carols in your neck of the woods)

Thanksgiving was excellent.  But now it is officially time for some Christmas music.  Too bad Sufjan Stevens' Friendship Sleigh Ride is not coming through my town because the tour looks totally awesome.  Oh, well.  Burl Ives will have to do.

• Check out the videos for two excellent tracks from The Sea and Cake's Runner:  "Harps" and "On and On."
• Chromatics have released a new song and video called "Cherry."  It would sound right at home on this year's Kill for Love.
• William Basinski just reissued the experimental music classic, The Disintegration Loops.  For an excellent primer, check out this article.
• This song streamed through Pandora while I was working out the other day.  Thanks, The Mary Onettes.
• Making out, we got the radio on.  Amen, Brandon Flowers.  Amen.

Five Things: Roadtrip Edition

(The Killers)

The D Man recently enjoyed a trip to the Magic Kingdom with his entire clan.  So it feels appropriate to share another roadtrip musiclogue.  We made it there and back, and always with the right tunes.

• Among the Leaves by Sun Kil Moon.  Mrs. D Man said this song was depressing.  I disagreed, calling it contemplative or mood-inducing.  Regardless, it was perfect listening for considering the wide expanse.
• Celebration Rock by Japandroids.  Needing a palette cleanser, we hit this hard through Cedar City.  Mrs. D Man could barely handle a three-song set, so I gave her the best the record could offer:  "Adrenaline Nightshift," "Younger Us," and "The House That Heaven Built."
• Nocturne by Wild Nothing.  The November sun was slanting.  The canyons were rising.  Slipped this record in at just the right time.
• Demolition by Ryan Adams.  Going nuclear was maybe too appropriate while driving through the downwinder desert of southern Nevada.
• High Violet by The National.  I let Mrs. D Man pick this one.  I think we both just wanted to sing to "Bloodbuzz, Ohio."  I still owe money to the money I owe.  Yeah, we know what you mean, guys.
• Declaration of Dependence by Kings of Convenience.  With the time change, we left Las Vegas the next day much earlier than expected.  The rising sun was masking everything in a yellowish hue.  We needed a record to appreciate the isolation and vast beauty, yet music that would not snap us out of our early-morning reverence too quickly.
• Gossamer by Passion Pit.  These songs made the empty spaces bounce.
• Heaven by The Walkmen.  Not surprised by how well this record sounded on the open road.  Coming out of Barstow, everything seemed to click.  How many times can you say that?
• Bloom by Beach House.  The exquisite accompaniment for descending into California's coastal valley.
• Battle Born by The Killers.  Our Orange County soundtrack.  We listened to this album non-stop for five days, and we will likely forever associate Disneyland and Huntington Beach with Flowers' vocals and the band's earnest romance and nostalgic anthems.  And guess what?  We loved every minute of it.
• Bloom again.
• Zonoscope by Cut Copy.  The trip home is always difficult.  The music can lose that sense of anticipation.  Striking the right tone is important and delicate work.  I figured some savvy, bright-eyed pop could carry us through the first stretch of California desert.
• Confess by Twin Shadow.  The clouds gathered and the rain started to fall.  So Twin Shadow's nocturnal beats were not premature.
• Era Extrana by Neon Indian.  The icy future-gloom from this record was a nice change of pace, and it still managed to accentuate the foreboding change in weather.
• Songs for a Blue Guitar by Red House Painters.  At the first sign of snowflakes somewhere in central Utah, we fully embraced the need for something pensive, quiet, and striking.
• In a Safe Place by The Album Leaf.  Mrs. D Man laughed when I put this record on, astutely observing my need to always create the perfect mood or the right memory.  When the traffic slows and the snow piles up, few records could serenely take in the surrounding whiteout.  This was absolutely one of them.

Song of the Week

I woke up stronger than ever!  Possibly the best refrain from the past year in music.  It makes me feel good--no, alive--every time I hear it.  Check out the magical new video for M83's "Steve McQueen."  Anthony Gonzalez drills into the wonders of youth, something he has recently mined more than anyone on the planet, to undoubtedly sparkling results.