So we’re calling it a space opera, despite the exclusion of arias and inclusion of accordions. The story is simple: a 1961 NASA test monkey named “Ham” reluctantly leaves his expecting chimpanzee wife to make his fortune in space. During a space walk to perform routine maintenance  on a heat plate, he becomes separated from his craft drifts through the vacuum, uncertain of his future. A passing meteor nudges him gently but at great speed toward an unknown corner of the universe that bustles with commerce and romance.

Ham trades his favors for rocket parts in a far-flung bazaar, sleeping on the couch of a lonely synthonium player while he builds a new craft. Hitching his contraption to a comet, he speeds back towards Earth, the bosom of his wife and the soft breathing of his infant daughter.

(mp3) Celestial Flagellation – Immortality

(zip) Celestial Flagellation – Of Uranus

A few weeks ago, I went into the mountains of Vermont with friends for skiing and visiting. Almost as an afterthought, we brought a collection of instruments including a keyboard, xylophone, accordion and guitar. As it turned out, we had such a great time playing together that we’ve done it again several times since we’ve been back. Each time the band is slightly different, so each time we rename ourselves. There’s been Ham on Houndstooth, Lovers and Dreamers and Widescreen Thumbs. Now, there’s Chymera Harbor.

Recorded in a studio far from the maddening crowd, the In Extremis EP is an organic storytelling of the whaling ship ZOROASTER that sailed from New Bedford on July 6, 1843. Master Joseph Seabury guided the vessel south and west around Cape Horn and across the South Pacific to the fecund whaling grounds of the Indian Ocean. Meditating on themes of freedom, depravity and loneliness, In Extremis articulates the introspective nature of a life spent at sea. It is heaving waves and rough whiskers. It is stale bread and red sunsets.

(MP3) Chymera Harbor – Three Dowries of Breadfruit

(ZIP) Chymera Harbor – In Extremis

It was a great year for me and a great year for music. That said, I’m not a music critic, nor am I particularly interested in rap, jazz or country music. Like all lists of this sort, mine is not definitive or comprehensive, it’s just what I like. I hope you like it, too.

1. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Experimenting with sound is a great way to get noticed in the indie space, and when the experiment works it’s star-making. Asshole/genius Dave Longstreth and angels Amber Coffman and, erm, Angel Deradoorian combine to make perhaps the most challenging and rewarding album of the year.
MP3 – Stillness Is The Move

2. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
When Grizzly Bear spent 20 minutes on stage getting their equipment just so during Bonnaroo, one meathead in the crowd mumbled that “this had better be fucking good.” Well, meathead, it was and is really fucking good.
MP3 – Ready, Able

3. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The French band that sings in English, Phoenix’s star is on the rise.
MP3 – 1901

4. Elvis Perkins in Dearland – Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Old soul Elvis Perkins crafts some wonderful folk with guitar, squeezebox and trombone.
MP3 – 123 Goodbye

5. Discovery – LP
The collaboration between Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot’s Wes Miles thankfully fills a bit of the void left behind by the Postal Service.
MP3 – So Insane

6. Dan Deacon – Bromst
An electronic freakout with chipmunk voices and at times jarring buzz saw like effects is punctuated by some beautiful melodic moments.
MP3 – Paddling Ghost

7. Islands – Vapours
More joyous than 2008’s Arm’s Way, the Canadian group’s latest effort is great on headphones and with the windows rolled down.
MP3 – Hearbeat

8. St. Vincent – Actor
Taking over Regina Spektor’s crown as the quirky indie world crush, St. Vincent (Annie Clark) delivers a quite stirring album.
MP3 – The Strangers

9. Passion Pit – Manners
I love the direction music is heading. First, a group couldn’t get widely heard until they were signed by a record company. Then influential MP3 bloggers could bring attention to unsigned artists. Now, anyone can make an album on their laptop and become popular if the music resonates with listeners. It’s an exciting time when music fans aren’t just consuming, but creating.
MP3 – Moth’s Wings

10. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
As Quentin Tarantino said about Elvis and the Beatles, people can like both but always like one more than the other. I believe this is also specifically true of Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective, but maybe it’s just me?
MP3 – Brother Sport

Honorable Mentions:
Phantogram – Eyelid Movies
MP3 – When I’m Small

Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You
MP3 – Not Fair

Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
MP3 – Anonanimal

The XX – XX
MP3 – Crystalised

Girls – Album
MP3 – Summertime

*Special thanks to Dan Russell of Sea Tea Improv for proofreading!

I took the beginning of Grizzly Bear’s “Boneless” remix, put it together with the original song and added some electronic embellishments. I think I like it this way.

The Notwist – Boneless (James Plankton Edit)

                      

I wrote, recorded, edited and designed the cover art for this entire EP in 3 hours. I can’t read music or play any instruments, except for “London Bridge” on my toy accordion. Please judge this work kindly.

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1. Black Cay Intro
2. Candycave
3. Ash
4. I Know
5. Black Cay Outro