Spencer's Gifts

I'm going away this week for work, a long-scheduled training event that bleeds into the weekend in the heart of the country and the middle of nowhere, forcing me to miss Sunset Rubdown in Manhattan as part of the second (and final, presumably) leg of the Dragonslayer tour.  I saw them play a spectacular show in Philly during the summer and eagerly awaited their return, but alas, I cannot attend.  Yet instead of giving up, I've decided to fly to and from Baltimore (a 2 1/2 hour drive from my house) so I can get back just in time for their concert at the Sonar on Saturday in downtown Baltimore.  It's sort of a ridiculous thing to do, particularly when I've been so busy lately, to take a 5-hour round trip detour for a flight to Kansas City, just to see my favorite band play.  But I can't imagine them being on tour again any time soon, and that's their only Northeast date left, so... yeah, I'm there.  And I know it will be great.  Dragonslayer doesn't have any real competition for Vague Space album of the year in 2009, so Sunset Rubdown will have won the award 2 of the last 3 years, with Spencer Krug's "other" band, Wolf Parade, taking down the title in 2008.  So yeah, three years in a row of Spencer's gifts.  It doesn't stop there, though, since 2nd place this year is very likely to be Swan Lake's Enemy Mine, and that of course is Spencer's third band.   Throw in second places in 2005 and 2006 for Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown, respectively, and Spencer's bands have been in the top 2 for 5 years running, occupying fully 6 of the 10 slots available for best or second-best albums of the year.  And that's not even counting Spencer's Wolf Parade bandmate Dan Boeckner's "other" band, Handsome Furs, which had a second place album in 2007.  I've never in my life had a single musician (or a single musician and his bandmates) dominate my musical landscape in this way.  Not for five years running.  It's quite shocking, and amazing, and when I release my top 50 albums of the decade chart later this year (if I ever get some time to assemble it), Spencer will be all over the list.  But to tide you over, here's my list of my favorite songs written by Spencer, updated from the last time I tried this, a few genius Spencer albums ago.

1.  I'll Believe in Anything - Wolf Parade

• Apologies to the Queen Mary, 2005

2.  The Mending of the Gown - Sunset Rubdown

• Random Spirit Lover, 2007

• Download Sunset Rubdown - "The Mending of the Gown".mp3

3.  Up On Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days - Sunset Rubdown

• Random Spirit Lover, 2007

4.  Us Ones in Between - Sunset Rubdown

• Shut Up I Am Dreaming, 2006

5.  Silver Moons - Sunset Rubdown

• Dragonslayer, 2009

6.  Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts - Wolf Parade

• Apologies to the Queen Mary, 2005

7.  You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II) - Sunset Rubdown

• Dragonslayer, 2009

8.  Stadiums and Shrines II - Sunset Rubdown

• Shut Up I Am Dreaming, 2005

• Download Sunset Rubdown -  "Stadiums And Shrines II".mp3
  

9.  Dragon's Lair - Sunset Rubdown

• Dragonslayer, 2009

10.  Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings - Sunset Rubdown

• Shut Up I Am Dreaming, 2005

11.  Are You Swimming in Her Pools? - Swan Lake

• Beast Moans, 2006

• Download Swan Lake - "Are You Swimming in Her Pools".mp3

12.  Winged/Wicked Things - Sunset Rubdown

• Random Spirit Lover, 2007

• Download Sunset Rubdown - "Winged/Wicked Things".mp3

13.  Kissing the Beehive - Wolf Parade (co-writer)

• At Mount Zoomer, 2008

14.  Killing Armies - Wolf Parade

• S/T, 2005

• Download Wolf Parade - "Killing Armies".mp3

15.  Idiot Heart - Sunset Rubdown

• Dragonslayer, 2009

16.  Trumpet, Trumpet, Toot! Toot! - Sunset Rubdown

• Random Spirit Lover, 2007
• 
  

17.  The Men Are Called Horsemen There - Sunset Rubdown

• Shut Up I Am Dreaming, 2005

18.  All Fires - Swan Lake

• Beast Moans, 2006
• 
  

19.  For the Pier (and Dead Shimmering) - Sunset Rubdown

• Random Spirit Lover, 2007

20.  Nightingale/December Song - Sunset Rubdown

• Dragonslayer, 2009

21.  You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son - Wolf Parade

• Apologies to the Queen Mary, 2005

22.  The Empty Threats of Little Lord - Sunset Rubdown

• Shut Up I Am Dreaming, 2006

23.  Cathedral Bells - Wolf Parade

• Unreleased

• Download Wolf Parade - "Cathedral Bells".mp3
  

24.  Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh! - Sunset Rubdown

• Dragonslayer, 2009

25.  The Taming of the Hands That Came Back to Life - Sunset Rubdown

• Random Spirit Lover, 2007

26.  Settle on Your Skin - Swan Lake

• Enemy Mine, 2009

27.  Coming to at Dawn - Sunset Rubdown

• Introducing Moonface, 2009

28.  Snakes Got a Leg III - Sunset Rubdown

• Shut Up I Am Dreaming, 2006
• 
  

29.  An Animal in Your Care - Wolf Parade

• At Mount Zoomer, 2008

30.  Child-Heart Losers - Sunset Rubdown

• Random Spirit Lover, 2007

31.  Call it a Ritual - Wolf Parade

• At Mount Zoomer, 2008

32.  Paper Lace - Swan Lake

• Enemy Mine, 2009

33.  The Courtesan Has Sung - Sunset Rubdown

• Random Spirit Lover, 2007
• 
  

34.  Insane Love is Awakening - Sunset Rubdown

•     Introducing Moonface, 2009

35.  They Took a Vote and Said No - Sunset Rubdown

• Shut Up I Am Dreaming, 2006

Comments

[Guilherme.]

This list is amazing. But I think 'Things I Don't Know' and 'Fancy Claps' deserve to enter, too. Killing Armies was the greatest surprise from this list. Brilliant song. It doesn't to understand how the band didn't record it in "Apologies To Queen Mary'.

[Bill]

Hmmm... yes, Things I don't know is a great song, I probably should have included it, but I don't have a great live version of it, I don't think. Wished they'd record it.

Killing Armies really grew on me; at first I didn't love it compared to the songs on ATQM, but in later years, it became one of my Spencer favorites.

[Jordan Retro 11]

Hi, enormous idea.To remove a little, just join, and view the posts’ comments, there you'll have the option to alter or remove them.