Local Spins Top 5 for 2020

 

5.  Destroyer, Have We Met

Dan Bejar and his ever changing crew of accomplices have been putting out literate, thoughtful, dense music for 20 years now.  You can't really call it rock, its multicolored textures add up to a tour through any number of unfashionable genres.  But, since he stopped contributing to the New Pornographers, he's keeping more memorable melodies for himself.  This is an uneasy, unsettling record, full of jump scares and murder, but utterly compelling.
"The Raven": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZaA_knRa8M

4. Nathaniel Rateliff, And It's Still Alright

In which the good time charlie gets the blues.  Remarkable, sepia tinged American roots sounds from the usually hollerin' Night Sweats frontman.  This record was a personal project, but its themes, of love and loss and finding a place to stand in this world, are universal. 

"And It's Still Alright": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw4MiegZxsU

3. The Crane Wives, Here I Am

The Grand Rapids indie rock institution hasn't put out an album since 2016, but they HAVE been busy, releasing a string of singles, playing shows, trying to survive in a Spotify world.  Now drawing some international attention thanks to some animation hobby kids on YouTube, this live document of their modern strengths was well timed to capitalize on this newfound love, and has a lot to offer the returning fan as well.  12 of these 20 songs are not on any other album (yet), and show an evolution into a tougher, leaner, but still eloquent and thoughtful band.  These songs are the sound of picking up the pieces of your life and moving on.  Anger is ok, but you have to USE it, not stew in it.

"The Wolf": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUEBb0ahtCU

2. Brian Koenigsknecht, Healing Bridges

The Kalamazoo balladeer lost his father recently, and coming to terms with his grief led to the rapid composition and recording of this deeply affecting song cycle.  There are songs of nostalgia, pain, struggle and joy, all parts of remembering our people and finding the strength within ourselves to keep going.  Far from a downer, this album is an affirmation of the ways we mean something to each other. 

"Happiness": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4johguqJTw

1. Earth Radio, Reanimate

Our Grand Rapids polyglots (whom I once described as "what if Mariah Carey joined King Crimson?") have knocked it out of the park on the third album in as many years.  We have the best melodies they've given us thus far, coupled with virtuosic playing, state of the art recording, and a sense of fun that may have been slightly missing from the previous disc.  Rock/jazz/prog/soul fans take note, and give a listen:  this has enough heart and soul in it to defy genre categorization.  Just call it a heavy rotator.

"M.L.M.B.": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ1hUB1o_Zw

Honorable mentions:  a pair of marvelous local EPs and a single out of Colorado

A. August, Chaos and Comfort

All killer, no filler on these five tracks of state of the art neosoul from Olivia Vargas and her enablers.  Most exciting young band in Grand Rapids, scratching a bit of that Vox Vidorra itch.

"Pretend": https://youtu.be/hk4GnQRBxKI

B. Patty PerShayla & the Mayhaps, Good With Words 'N Sh*t

One possible future of rock n roll is a former Miss Coopersville. Patty, with fab guitarist Lucas Powell and killer drummer Alec Klinefelter, raise a ruckus across these five tunes, but they never leave the melody behind.  Patty's own bass weakens knees and loosens feet for moving.

"Borders":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w_9n1daoFo

C. Foxfeather, "The Rules"

I feel like I might be the only person outside Colorado beating the drum for this song, but I won't stop.  I saw this Boulder quintet in the tiny Sandbox at Kal-Tone in Kalamazoo last year, and they blew my doors off with their witty, knotty songwriting and strong Americana sound.  And this  is a remarkably powerful anti-gaslighting anthem: the Chicks could only WISH for a song this affecting. Available from Bandcamp, I suspect because I kept asking them how to buy it, and look for a full album in the new year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UIVI9zwlS8

https://foxfeather.bandcamp.com/track/the-rules