#4) Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix [Glassnote; released 5/26/2009]
“Do you remember when 21 years was old?”
“Countdown”
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the 4th album from the French pop-rockers is one of, if not, the most easy to listen to, and enjoyable albums of 2009. That’s not to say there isn’t depth in the music, but trying to delve into what makes the album such a success is completely unnecessary and a waste of time, especially when there’s an album this good to be enjoyed. Whether it’s the ambient electronics that create an almost nostalgic feel, or just the abundance of danceable hooks that make up Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, one thing’s for sure, it’s masterpiece of sophisticated pop that takes Phoenix to a whole new level. It’s 10 songs and 36 minutes of tightly constructed synth driven pop-rock songs that don’t try to be more than what they are, but still display a craftsmanship of detail so fine that not a second is wasted. Oftentimes the joy of listening to an album can be lost in trying to over-analyze all it’s intricacies that make it what it is. But for an album as fun as Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, sometimes it’s best just to sit back and enjoy the ride…preferably in a Cadillac.
[“1901” – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix]
#3) Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion [Domino; released 1/20/2009]
“I don’t mean to seem like I care about material things, like our social stats. I just want four walls and adobe slats for my girls.”
“My Girls”
The hype for Animal Collective’s 9th full-length album was built up long before all the glowing reviews started rolling in upon its release in mid-January. For all intents and purposes, the critical consensus for album of the year was already set in stone not even one month in. And when all was said and done for 2009, Merriweather Post Pavilion reigned as the best reviewed studio album of the year according to Metacritic. So 9 albums in, what is it that sets this AC release apart from any of their others? Well, it’s pretty simple; MPP is the most accessible and therefore easiest listen of the Brooklyn/Baltimore band’s career. However, the originality and weirdness still remain in these psychedelic tunes making it invariably an Animal Collective album that would be impossible to mistake for anyone else. Melodies abound in MPP in ways they never have on an Animal Collective release and while tagged as their “pop” album, there’s no shortage of the textured electronica and experimental songs that have characterized the group to this point. Merriweather Post Pavilion can be seen as an Animal Collective re-boot in a sense; one that by no means will alienate longtime fans, but will do wonders in garnering a brand new appreciation for those willing to open their minds to one of the most inventive and important American bands of this era.
#6) Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca [Domino; released 6/9/2009]
“When the child was just a child, it did not know what it was. Like a child, it had no habits, no opinion about anything.”
“Stillness Is The Move”
All those first time Dirty Projectors listeners who picked up Bitte Orca after hearing of it’s “accessibility” from the reviews had to be scratching their heads after one spin of the disc. Make no mistake about it; this is a weird album. However, by DP’s standards, the strangeness is scaled back to an enormous degree, even to the point where some first time listeners would be immediately drawn in. Notice I said some, because Bitte Orca is a definitely a polarizing listen, but those that accept the eccentricities are rewarded with an exhilarating listen and certainly one of the year’s best. Frontman Dave Longstreth loves the human voice as an instrument and for Bitte Orca he gives his girls the chance to shine on these 9 songs, none more prevalent than album centerpieces “Stillness Is The Move” and “Two Doves”, the former being one of the best tracks of 2009 with it’s R&B grooves and Amber Coffman led vocals. Bitte Orca is a refreshing release from the Brooklyn-based art rockers that while more accessible than previous efforts, still contains the complex arrangements and quirkiness to satisfy even the most avant-garde hipsters.
[“Stillness Is The Move” – Bitte Orca]
#5) St. Vincent – Actor [4AD; released 5/5/2009]
“Desperate don’t look good on you, neither does your virtue.”
“The Strangers”
In an interview this past summer Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, was approached with the thought that she could “skate by” with her talent, voice, and looks to write “really easy stuff” and be just as successful. While flattered, Clark didn’t agree and thankfully for all of us, she has chosen to use her talent to become one of the most creative musicians going today and her sophomore album Actor has vaulted her to the top of my list of favorite female artists. A former Sufjan Stevens tour cheerleader and member of Polyphonic Spree, the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Texas musician composes smart and abstract pop-rock songs that are sweet but come with a hint of dementia. Clark’s tunes are complex but melodic and with her voice, I dare say even beautiful at times. Possibly no song encapsulates what Actor does so well better than “Marrow”, with its initial woodwinds before evolving in some sort of sinister wordplay and then exploding into a chorus that no one should be able to pull off; but Clark does so as second nature. The song employs the distorted instrumentation that St. Vincent is becoming know for and takes the song to a completely unexpected level. It’s brilliant. There’s a bit of everything on Actor, from the straightforward rock of “Actor Out of Work” to the glorious harmonies that close out “The Party”, but when it all comes together, there’s no doubt that it’s a defining release for the art-pop genre.
“I can’t give it up to someone else’s touch, because I care too much”
“Infinity”
The sparse cover art for the debut album from The xx speaks volumes for the 11 songs contained within. It’s simple, to the point, and says no more than what is needed, which appropriately captures what this South London quartet have been able accomplish on this year’s best debut album. Released with loads of hype from the blogosphere as well as the British media, xx has captivated and intrigued listeners with its sexy melodies while employing minimal instrumentation to create an atmosphere so stunning it’s hard to believe this is a group made up of four 20 year olds. Alternating guy/girl vocals rise to forefront on these tunes which are essentially love songs, eerie as they may be, and while the lyrics aren’t as accomplished as the music and can come across as cheezy, the vocals somehow hide that and make it seem real. Riding on the strength of their own confidence, there’s no telling what comes next from this group considering most bands might take multiple releases trying to master the sound that The xx seems to do almost effortlessly.
[“Crystalised” – xx]
#7) Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career[4AD; released 4/20/2009]
“This maudlin career has come to an end, I don’t want to be sad again.”
“My Maudlin Career”
Overflowing with sentimentality and emotion, My Maudlin Career is perhaps the most appropriately titled album of the year. Tracyanne Campbell’s vocals are as melancholy as ever and pack a vulnerability to go along with her ballads of lost love. However, paired with some of the most lush songs the group has ever produced and complete with their usual sweet catchy melodies, My Maudlin Career is Camera Obscura’s most endearing work to date. Camera Obscura’s existence to this point has always been tied to fellow indie-pop Scotsmen Belle & Sebastian, but Camera Obscura’s 2006 masterpiece Let’s Get Out of the Country helped the group escape from B&S’s shadow and My Maudlin Career only further sets them apart. String arrangements absolutely dominate this album, and the songs are better for it. Openers “French Navy” and “The Sweetest Thing” each show off the strings in exploding choruses, while a song like “Careless Love” is complimented throughout by the orchestration before a final beautiful climax to close out the song. But when it comes down to it, My Maudlin Career succeeds by conveying sadness without being overly gloomy. It’s both a heartbreaking and uplifting listen and Camera Obscura pulls it off seamlessly.
#10) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart [Slumberland; released 2/3/2009]
“Don’t you try to shoot up the sky, tonight we’ll stay alive.”
“Stay Alive”
There were many fine debut releases in 2009 and one of the best comes from the Brooklyn quartet The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. This self titled album is a nostalgic throwback to the twee days of C86 and while TPOBPAH’s brand of fuzz-pop certainly isn’t breaking any new ground, it does possess the melodies and clever lyrics to help it stand out on its own. No song better exemplifies this than “Young Adult Friction”, one of the best songs of the year with its indie-pop brightness and lyrical wittiness of capturing some sort of love encounter in a library. (Young Adult Friction…get it now?) The album as a whole is a fusion of those indie-pop stylings and shoegaze to create a supremely confident album as infectious as any this year. The group released a follow up EP late in the 2009 which contained possibly their greatest song to date, and only shows that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart should have no problem meeting the increased expectations that inevitably comes from being one of the year’s breakout acts.
#9) Antony and the Johnsons – The Crying Light [Secretly Canadian; released 1/20/2009]
“I need another place, will there be peace? I need another world, this one is nearly gone.”
“Another World”
Upon hearing Antony Hegarty’s Nina Simone-like vocals, you would be excused if you thought he was about to break into tears while recording his music. Hegarty’s voice contains a tremble that is one of the most unique in the business and creates and affecting listen that is sure to put a lump in your throat even if it’s missing from Hegarty’s. However, after watching numerous performances on Youtube of Hegarty’s performances with an accompanying symphony from this past summer, I think there’s little doubt that the emotion gets the best of him too. The Crying Light is Hegerty’s third release as Antony and the Johnsons and the follow up to 2005’s very well receivedI Am a Bird Now and is another hauntingly beautiful group of songs from Hegerty’s catalog. It’s a poetic and moving listen that hits you in the gut, attacks your heart, and sinks into your mind all at the same time.
[“Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground” – The Crying Light]
So now it’s time to get to the actual rankings. Today I’m unveiling the 15 albums that make up #11 through #25 in this year’s rankings. I’m only including a little blurb and a track for albums that I haven’t already blurbed about on the blog. For the others, click on the band name to link to its write up.
#23) Thao with The Get Down Stay Down – Know Better Learn Faster
Know Better Learn Fasteris a joy to listen to, full of 13 bubbly and infectious tunes from Thao Nguyen and her backing band. Thao’s lyrics are sweet but pack a sense of feminine empowerment with their straightforward approach with lines like “I disarm you in the morning” in the title track and “What am I, just a body in your bed?” from the handclapping and horn driven “Body”. The songwriting is exquisite and by the second track and my personal favorite “Cool Yourself” you’re instantly drawn in and before you know it 37 minutes has flown by with not a dull moment to be found.
If this album had been released 10 years ago, it very well could have been thrown in among the late 90’s emo/indie scene, but thankfully in 2009 it gets to stand on its own despite being picked up and re-issued by renowned “emo” label Saddle Creek (Cursive, Bright Eyes, The Faint). Hometowns is unapologetically raw album brimming with confidence from the Toronto based trio complete with emotional, yes emotional, vocals and personal lyrics. The musicianship is simple but inspired as the drums really carry the songs but not to be outdone by the subtle orchestration from strings and keyboards. Hometowns is a very refreshing and surprisingly fantastic debut that from a group overflowing with potential.
[“Don’t Haunt This Place” – Hometowns]
#19) The Mountain Goats – The Life of the World to Come
Just a quick glance at the tracklist of The Life of the World to Come can be quite a headscratcher with every song title named after a Bible verse. However, inspiration can come from anywhere for frontman John Darnielle. The Mountain Goats has never been, and never will be a Christian band, but John Darnielle, despite being a non-believer, is an avid reader and lover of the Bible, as he professed on his Colbert Report appearance. The Life of the World to Come is not a religious album by any means, as Darnielle takes the lessons from these 12 Bible verses and applies them to his usual 3 or 4 minute long epics. This album does nothing to change Darnielle’s reputation as one of the 100 greatest living songwriters; it probably only strengthens that belief.
[“Genesis 3:23” – The Life of the World to Come]
#18) Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy
A band like Built to Spill has to look at the current state of indie rock and glow with pride. Becoming one of the first indie rock bands to jump to a major label back when Warner Bros signed the band back in 1997, BTS returns with their 5th major label release and 7th overall with There is No Enemy, another excellent album for the Built to Spill catalog. As a follow up to 2006’s You in Reverse, There Is No Enemy is a more polished effort but recaptures some of the heart that You in Reverse was missing. Doug Martsch has to be considered a Godfather of current indie rock and he has hinted that this could be Built to Spill’s final release. If so, they have gone out in very fine fashion and left another album for up and comers to look up to.
Back with their second album since their reunion, Farm picks up right where 2007’s Beyond left off but manages to trump it in every facet. Farm is overflowing with the guitar drenched catchy tunes full of riffs and solos everyone would have expected Dinosaur Jr. to put out back prior to 1988, when the original lineup disbanded. While it’s predecessor was successful possibly because of the excitement of a reunion, Farm can truly stand on it’s own as one of Dinosaur Jr’s finest.
[“Pieces” – Farm]
#13) Califone – All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
The vastly under-appreciated Chicago group returns with another collection of their experimental folk-rock songs that is again going by relatively unnoticed. Califone consistently releases some of the most interesting albums and All My Friends Are Funeral Singers is no different. The album is the soundtrack to a companion film by the same name that band created and plans to present on their tour and submit to festivals in 2010. However, the album stands just fine on its own and might actually be some of the most tightly constructed songs of the band’s career. The meanings of the songs should become more clear upon viewing the film, but it’s not a necessary viewing to appreciate what an impressive release it is.
[“Funeral Singers” – All My Friends Are Funeral Singers]
#12) Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer
A year just wouldn’t be complete without multiple releases from Spencer Krug, one of the hardest working men in indie rock. After last year’s underwhelming Wolf Parade release, Krug released another Swan Lake album, announced another album from his Moonface project, and managed to slip in his best non-Wolf Parade release yet in Dragonslayer. The album still features Krug’s warbling vocals, but is more accessible than his previous efforts and the backing female vocals absolutely shine on this album like none before. It’s the easiest Sunset Rubdown album to listen to, but still contains all the quirks and ambitions that makes Krug such a brilliant musician.
So here we are. Today kicks off my look back at the music of 2009 featuring a countdown of my Top 10 Albums of the year which will span a few days and then be capped off by my annual Mixtape. This will be the first year I do the countdown on the blog so I’ve mixed things up a little bit, but it’s still pretty much the same thing I’ve always done. Over on the right you can see the schedule for the next few days as it relates to my Albums of 2009 postings. You’ll notice that this year, I am starting off with #11-#25 before heading into my top 10 countdown. Now, I always do a top 25, but usually I just post a link to my Amazon.com list after I’ve completed my top 10 countdown. I’ve never really thought enough of my complete top 25 to go into too much detail, but this year I had as much trouble figuring out my top 25 than I usually do with my top 10. That is clearly due to the amount of albums I got this year as compared with year’s past, but also can be attributed to the amount of very solid releases that I didn’t want to omit here on the blog. As you can see, today is when I offer a little introduction and also provide a list of all the albums I got in 2009. So…
As a whole, I thought 2009 was a very solid year. It maybe wasn’t as spectacular as I had hoped, but it was certainly better than 2008. Trying to summarize the year by coming up with a common theme between all the music released is an absurd task because there are so many different kinds of releases from so many genres. I guess if there’s something that sticks out to me, it’s the continuing infiltration of indie rock into the mainstream. I think 2009 has to be considered a landmark year for that movement, if you want to call it that. More and more indie songs are showing up in commercials, television promos, or just the general mainstream media. You had bands like Phoenix, Fleet Foxes, and TV on the Radio performing on SNL, not to mention all the late night talk shows that featured acts like Andrew Bird, Animal Collective, St Vincent, White Rabbits, Antony and the Johnsons, Dinosaur Jr, and Grizzly Bear just to name a few. Heck, Grizzly Bear’s album debuted at #8 on the Billboard charts! Accessibility was a major theme to many of the successful albums of ’09, so it’s probably no coincidence that we see those bands being accepted more in a mainstream fashion like they were in 2009. As the countdown goes on, you will see some of these themes come to light as well as the major impact the Brooklyn music scene had on the year in music. Like it or not, it was a banner year for the hipsters.
This year, I got a total of 94 albums, 86 of which are eligible to be included in my list. As usual, only full-length studio albums released in 2009 that I own are eligible. That means EPs, compilations/soundtracks, live albums, or b-side/rarities type releases can not be considered for the purposes of my list. Of course, there are a good bit of albums I never got around to getting, so I will most likely have a post-2009 album post like I did last year. For the complete list of all albums I got this year in order of their release date, you can click here or “Continue Reading” link below and the list will show after the jump. Tomorrow, I will start things off by unveiling my Honorable and Dis-Honorable mentions.
I haven’t had much time to post lately, and I don’t envision being able to get an album review up anytime soon, so I’m going to use this post as a summary of albums released from July through September that I haven’t already mentioned here on AROS. I did a first quarter wrap-up as well as my mid-year awards, so I guess it only makes sense that I take some time to mention the highlights of the third quarter of 2009. Hooray!
We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls
This is the debut album from the Scottish quartet whose sound is in the vain of fellow Scotts Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad (more on them later). Those three are actually on an American tour right now, I guess doing a sort of Scottish “emo” tour as people have been branding it. Anyway, this really is a solid and very enjoyable release with great energy, and I just love the thick Scottish accents.
The xx is a quartet out of London that have been a fairly hyped UK band consisting of four 20 year olds. xx is their debut album and is getting rave reviews from everywhere. I like it alright, although the hype may be a little much. There is something about it though…it’s a very intriguing listen.
[“Crystalised” – xx]
Choir of Young Believers – This Is For The White In Your Eyes
Yet another debut album from a European band, this one coming from Denmark’s Choir of Young Believers. This Is For The White In Your Eyes is full of some great orchestra pop tunes led by band frontman Jannis Makrigiannis. The music is super ambitious at times, which I guess is to be expected from an 8 piece band, but when they get it right, the songs can be breathtaking.
[“Hollow Talk” – This Is For The White In Your Eyes]
Wild Beasts – Two Dancers
I’m struggling finding a way to describe the tunes of UK’s Wild Beasts, but theatrical is certainly an adjective that has been used before and seems to fit. Two Dancers is the second album for the quartet and continues the ridiculously good year Domino Records is having.
[“All The King’s Men” – Two Dancers]
The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love
A Brief History of Love just might be my favorite album from the last 3 months. It’s the debut album from, you guessed it, the British duo. I’m in love with the electro-rock pop mix and industrial sound of the tunes. It’s a very strong album from start to finish and as the BBC predicted, it looks like The Big Pink is one of 2009’s breakout acts.
[“Dominos” – A Brief History of Love]
Volcano Choir – Unmap
Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) teams up with fellow Wisconsiners Collections of Colonies of Bees to release this weird little 9 song album full of eerie and at times beautiful songs. It’s an interesting release that may end up being an afterthought in the Justin Vernon catalog, but I do think it atleast validates what a great artist he is and ensures that For Emma, Forever Ago was no one hit wonder.
[“Island, IS” – Unmap]
The Twilight Sad – Forget The Night Ahead
This album was one of my most anticipated releases in the latter half of 2009 as The Twilight Sad released one of my favorite albums from 2007, Fourteen Autumns, Fifteen Winters, and led this recent Scottish invasion. The lyrics of this group have always been so dark and nothing really changes with this release. It’s probably not as good as their debut, but it’s still the thick emotional ballads that I came to expect.
In 1998, David Bazan released It’s Hard to Find a Friend, the 1st of four LP’s under the Pedro the Lion moniker. The album introduced Bazan’s songwriting which carried a strong Christian influence but also had a unique viewpoint on Christianity not seen from most “Christian” artists. One such song, “Secret of the Easy Yoke”, an almost 7 minute long critique on Christianity, is to this day is still an anthem for the “disenfranchised and alienated Christian”, as Dave puts it. Bazan is quick to point out that 11 or 12 years later, those same critiques remain, only this time, his perspective is from the other side of the fence as Dave’s highly publicized “breakup with God” is the inspiration behind the aptly titled Curse Your Branches, the first full-length album under David Bazan’s name.
The name Pedro the Lion was retired after the group’s final tour and album, Achilles Heel, in 2004, ending years of Bazan being the posterboy for crossover Christian/secular artists. For whatever reason, Pedro the Lion always took the lion’s share (no pun intended) of controversy from the evangelical public who just couldn’t quite wrap their head’s around such a genre. While never actually claiming to be a Christian band, Bazan did indeed wear his faith on his sleeve, while at the same time covering subjects ranging from his aforementioned critiques on the Church, to his stories of corrupt politicians, murderers, and other Bazan parables (See all of Winners Never Quit or Control, and tracks such as “Transcontinental” or “Discretion”) that held a different perspective on humanity than many wouldn’t expect from a Christian artist. At just about every one of Bazan’s Pedro shows, during one of his patented exchanges with the audience in between songs there would be that one guy who would without fail ask “So…are you really a Christian?”. With the subject matter that Bazan covered up to this point in his career, it was clear that he had questions and concerns and why it should really come as no surprise that his doubts finally led to a falling away from God.
With Curse Your Branches, Bazan has written his most personal album yet, one that delves deeply into the issues that led to Dave to question his faith and eventually leave the Church. He still speaks of God and The Bible, oftentimes speaking in a first person perspective, so it’s clear that he hasn’t necessarily cut all ties with the God he followed his entire life, but he now leans more toward agnosticism, but by no means is an atheist. Bazan’s lyrics have always been the focal point of his music, however, they have rarely, if ever, captured such deep insight into the demons that have plagued him throughout the years. Musically, Curse Your Branches does not offer anything new to the Bazan catalog. The songs still contain their acoustic and at times folky stylings, with a bit of his synth influences from his lone Headphones album thrown in, most evident in opening tracks “Hard to Be” and “Bless This Mess”. The songs are probably not as catchy or instantly memorable as in the past, but this is an album where it seems Bazan made sure the music takes a back seat to what he has to say. Many longtime (and Christian) fans of David Bazan will certainly feel betrayed by Dave’s change of heart, and will probably stay away from Curse Your Branches for fear of hearing the arguments Bazan is making. But those that give it a try will hear a very interesting album full of songs that examine the issues every person, Christian or not, should be asking themselves. One thing is for sure after listening to Curse Your Branches…there will be a whole new set of questions for Bazan to answer at his shows, but the “Christian or not?” question shouldn’t come up, he’s answered that in full.
A little bit of polish can oftentimes be a good thing, but it can also rob a band of the raw energy that allows it to stand out, sacrificing what made previous efforts so intriguing; such is the case with Time to Die. That’s not to say that Time to Die is a bad album, but after last year’s critically acclaimed release Visiter, it can only be considered a disappointment. With Visiter, The Dodos brought a unique sound to the table full of percussion based, complex acoustic guitar tracks probably best exemplified in album standout “Fools” (the folks at Miller took notice and featured the song in a Miller Chill commercial). The refreshing African inspired drum beats created an urgency to the music that really put a whole new spin on this whole indie-folk genre popping up all over the place. Unfortunately for Time to Die, the percussion seems to be an afterthought, never really being featured, and the songs suffer for it. The former duo has added a third member since Visiter, bringing in a full time vibraphone player who adds to the sound creating more lush tunes, but for the most part the songs on Time to Die just seem to lose their edge.
There is something to be said for maturation, which I do think Time to Die certainly can attest to. The first three songs, including lead single “Fables” indeed show how the group has grown as songwriters, but overproduction and a loss of enthusiasm just seems to plague the disc. The group brought on Phil Ek (The Shins, Fleet Foxes, Built to Spill) to produce Time to Die, but it just doesn’t seem to be the right fit for the San Francisco trio. The group had already perfected their sound to create a uniqueness that really could have been exploited, but Ek seems to have missed out on that and fired a rare miss. When it comes down to it, Time to Die is the results of a lo-fi band evolving into the next stage of their careers, which ultimately might be a fine thing. But after releasing one brilliant album in Visiter, I guess I was just hoping a little more gradual shift, if a shift at all.
It’s safe to say that mere seconds into Infinite Light, the second album from Lightning Dust, you can pretty much decide what side of the fence you sit on with the Vancouver duo. Amber Webber’s warbling yet affecting vocals make their appearance shortly after a few soft strums of an acoustic guitar on opening track “Antonia Jane” and the stage is set for the rest of the folky, yet synth laden tracks that follow. Lightning Dust is the side project of Black Mountain’s Amber Webber and Joshua Wells, but whereas Black Mountain is often described as having a harder more psych-rock sound, Lightning Dust is the avenue by which Webber and Wells can create more stripped down, melodic and softer tunes.
After “Antonia Jane” fades out, a machine driven drum beat leads into first single “I Knew”, a two-and-a-half minute jaunt which takes the album from the straight-forward approach of “Antonia Jane” to the eeriness of Webber’s vocals complimented by the synth based instrumentation that characterizes most of the album. Webber’s vocals are still the distinguishing feature throughout, but the music steps it up a notch from their self-titled debut album back in 2007 to create melodies that can better serve Webber’s unique style. Maybe this is best seen on album centerpiece “Never Seen” which features a glorious breakdown in the latter half of the track which for me is easily the highlight of the entire disc. At 10 songs and just shy of 35 minutes, Infinite Light flies by. But, with so much substance in the tracks included, it doesn’t feel like you’ve been cheated at all, unless you’re one of the few who decide against Lightning Dust after those first few seconds, in which case, maybe you should give it another try.
Posted by Hawkins 
A Round of Sound 