Favorite Albums/Songs of 2009

Happy New Year Everyone!

Every year I compile my favorite albums of the year. 2009 was a great year for new music and while there were many more albums that were released in 2009 that I enjoyed, this is a list of my personal favorites, in no particular order. I’ve also included some of my favorite songs of 2009, following the list of albums.

I’m sure I will think of many more after I post this, but these are the ones that came to mind as I looked back on 2009. Please let me know what you think. Also, check out all of the artist’s MySpace sites if you haven’t heard of them, and if there are some that you would like to suggest, please leave a comment and let me know!

I hope you have a blessed 2010, full of many of your dreams come true.

-t

Thad Cockrell – To Be Loved

Thad Cockrell’s Myspace

Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

Mumford & Sons’ Myspace

Alva Leigh – S/T

Alva Leigh’s Myspace

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Phoenix’s Myspace

Barcelona – Absolutes

Barcelona’s Myspace

David Bazan – Curse Your Branches

David Bazan’s Myspace

The Gabe Dixon Band – S/T

David Bazan’s Myspace

A Camp – Colonia

A Camp’s Myspace

Coconut Records – Davy

Coconut Records’ Myspace

Derek Webb – Stockholm Syndrome

Derek Webb’s Myspace

The Kicks – The Rise Of King Richie

The Kicks’ Myspace

Monsters Of Folk – S/T

Monster Of Folk’s Myspace

Miike Snow – S/T

Miike Snow’s Myspace

Andrew Bird – Noble Beast

Andrew Bird’s Myspace

Imogen Heap – Ellipse

Imogen Heap’s Myspace

Bleu – A Watched Pot

Bleu’s Myspace

Keith Urban – Defying Gravity

Keith Urban’s Myspace

Gary Go – S/T

Gary Go’s Myspace

Lorien – Esque

Lorien’s Myspace

John Mayer – Battle Studies

John Mayer’s Myspace

Rob Thomas – Cradlesong

Rob Thomas’ Myspace

Matt Redman – We Shall Not Be Shaken

Matt Redman’s Myspace

Mindy Smith – Stupid Love

Mindy Smith’s Myspace

Weezer – Raditude

Weezer’s Myspace

Sondre Lerche – Heartbreak Radio

Sondre Lerche’s Myspace

St. Vincent – Actor

St. Vincent’s Myspace

Wilco – Wilco (the album)

Wilco’s Myspace

Other Lives – S/T

Other Live’s Myspace

Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3

Jay-Z’s Myspace

Butterfly Boucher – Scary Fragile

Butterfly Boucher’s Myspace

Miranda Lambert – Revolution

Miranda Lambert’s Myspace


These are some of my FAVORITE SONGS of 2009 . While many of the albums above have some of my favorite songs, here are a few tracks that really stood out to me on a few other records as well as a few from the albums above.

I’ve Got Friends – Manchester Orchestra
Little Lion Heart – Mumford & Sons
Wonderful – Gary Go
First Train Home – Imogen Heap
Speaking A Dead Language – Joy Williams
Dear God – Monsters of Folk
The Girl Got Hot – Weezer
Dreams – Brandi Carlile
Ain’t No Rest for The Wicked – Cage The Elephant
Treat Me Like Your Mother – Dead Weather
Blow Away- A Fine Frenzy
All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye – John Mayer
Sedated – Mikky Ekko
Backfire – Mutemath
Save Me From What I Want – St. Vincent
Bad Romance – Lady GaGa
Chasing Pirates – Norah Jones
Song Up In Her Head – Sara Jarosz
Falling Stars – Sarah Siskind
No Line on the Horizon – U2
Blame It On The Girls – Mika

mumford & sons

My good friend Nate Yetton and his lovely wife Joy told me about a band earlier this year called “Mumford & Sons.” Nate has probably the largest knowledge of up-and-coming bands and is like a walking dictionary of all things cool. So, I decided that I needed to check them out ASAP if I wanted to continue my pursuits in being as cool as Nate one day. I’m not going to lie, I rarely get excited about new bands and Nate has thrown a lot of band names at me over the past few years, but this band was different. This band has proven to me once again that the best songs come from REAL emotions, as I stated in a previous blog when I referred Corinne Bailey Rae. I love it when a band sings a lyric and you get that gut wrenching feeling that can’t be shaken or that emotional knot in your throat that doesn’t go away. I want THAT kind of music, art, poetry, etc. all of the time. Mumford & Sons are the epitome of what I just described and more. I recommend reading their biography and getting to know more about them rather than just reading this blog and listening to one song. Check out their biography HERE. They are beyond intriguing. True, raw artists. Coming off a big year of great reviews and jaw dropping live shows in the UK, I expect big things from them in the US in 2010 and I already am a huge fan of their record, which comes out in the US early 2010.

Below is the video/song that made me an instant fan of Mumford & Sons. The song is called “Little Lion Man” and it is inspiring. You will be moved. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

-t

Tiger in the Woods

This week’s big headline has been Tiger Woods and his many mistresses. It seems like every day another woman is coming forward and admitting to a long affair with the golf superstar. While this story may mean nothing to a lot of you, it has been fairly upsetting and disappointing to me. It’s not that I’m really surprised, but I have been a golfer since I was 6 and Tiger Woods has been “Lord Golf” for pretty much my whole life. Some of my strongest memories of childhood and into my teenage years are coming home from Church on Sunday morning and watching countless wins by Tiger Woods, alongside my Dad in our family room. It is still something to this day that I look forward to on Sunday afternoons. But after this week of excessive headlines bringing down Mr. Woods and his immoral happenings, I started thinking a bit deeper.

Tiger Woods is a man. While he may appear to be a “super man” on the golf course, he still makes mistakes and still has “transgressions,” as he stated in his press release. I have often thought about his wealth and life of getting everything he’s ever wanted, and thought “I want that.” But while he has had all of the money in the world, hundreds of trophies, a model wife, two kids and so on, he has still wanted more. In a way this can be summed up by a blog I wrote a few days ago about the state of “discontent” that we often find ourselves trapped in. While it may sound shocking, this whole week of Tiger Woods scandals has shown me that it would seem Tiger hasn’t been grateful for the amazing life he has been given. While he has had all of the bling and gold in the world, his true colors finally were revealed. And at what cost? He is now the brunt of every talk show joke, and will probably lose the most valuable things in life that no amount of money will ever be able to afford – his wife, and many of his friendships and relationships that he has built throughout his whole life. And on top of it all, he has shattered the iconic image that millions of kids have looked up to as a role model in this life all across the world. I wonder if he thinks it was worth it?

I have found that there is a tremendous truth in the Bible that I think can speak to anyone, Christian or not. It says in Luke 12:48 “…to whom much is given, much is required…”. Tiger has achieved all that you can achieve in the sport of golf. He has every company endorsement known to man, a beautiful wife and kids, a bank account that is roughly 750 million dollars, and the list goes on and on forever. But there is a great responsibility that comes with all of the trophies in his life, and it is now being revealed that we have all made him to be more than he is capable of being. He is still a man. And will always make mistakes. I’m not writing this blog to point to Tiger and talk about how he is a horrible person. He is just a good example for the point I am trying to make. I am writing this to say to you, strive for something greater than money or power. We become so consumed by the lives of celebrities and athlete’s and their extravagant lifestyles, that we forget that they are still people at the end of the day. A person full of needs and bound for mistakes. Don’t look to them as an example of what you want in life. BE the example that you want in life. Challenge yourself to do something for someone else at least once a day. Be the change that you want to see in this world. That is more valuable than any trophy or any amount of money in life.

Tiger Woods has truly been a “king of the jungle,” so to speak. There have been other competitors along the way, and while some have been victorious at times, in the end he is still always at the top of the world rankings. But does that REALLY matter? Is that what is important in life and do you think that’s what he wants his children to remember about him when he passes on? Is money and fame really what we should strive for? You know the answers to these questions. While we would all love to be a “tiger” in our profession and in the lives we live, remember this; a tiger is still a tiger. And as amazing and powerful as they may be, they will get attacked and caught from time to time. While he may be one of the greatest athletes and competitors of all time, he is still a man capable of letting his friends and family down. Don’t set your eyes to him or any other iconic figure as the example of the life you want to live. Be the example that you want someone else to look up to.

-t

“Make yourself necessary to somebody”

I seem to be on a Ralph Waldo Emerson kick lately. I read this quote by him the other day and it has been haunting me day in, and day out. It reads, “Make yourself necessary to somebody.” There is something so powerful and so true about that quote that rings all the way through to the deepest core of my being. My personality type is very much so that of a people pleaser, and a mediator. The moment I feel like my personality rubs wrong with somebody, I will try to figure it out, and see to it that we will become friends. I don’t liked to be disliked. I’m sure none of you like to be disliked, but some people can take it as it is, and just go on with their lives. I am much different than this. It will bother me to the point of losing sleep. But I wish I lived more according to this quote. Notice it doesn’t say to “Make yourself necessary to EVERYBODY,” but rather, “Make yourself necessary to SOMEBODY.” Face it, you are not going to get along with everyone in your life. It is just impossible. But I really believe that the moment we feel a relationship or friendship of ours starts hitting a deeper point, we will want to make our every action and word necessary to them. And the true friendships will reciprocate in the same way.

Observe your relationships in the next few days. Who are the people in your life that you want to be by your side every step of the way? Who would you want to give your eulogy at your funeral? I know that is a somber thought, but it is something to think about. What relationships uplift you and encourage to be a better person and strive for greater things in life? There are a lot of fake people in the industry that I am in. There is a lot of brown nosing and fake promises. At the end of the day, those people aren’t going to be by my side. Their words and actions are like cheap perfume. It smells good at first, but it wears off quickly. Invest in the relationships that will get you through the hardest and ugliest points of your life. Your family, best friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, relatives, etc. Jobs will come and go. Bosses will love you, then hate you. But a true friendship is a foundation that can’t be shaken if it is built on honesty, trust, and great communication. Don’t worry about trying to get people to like you, but make yourself necessary to the people that are a necessity to your life.

-t

to control or not to control

When I think about why I enjoy blogging and writing my thoughts, one reason sticks out more to me than any other reason. Control. We spend most of our lives worrying, and the reason we worry is because we are afraid there won’t be a positive outcome based on a decision we have made or because we feel that we may be in situation out of our control. It is something that I deal with on a daily basis. And you do to probably, wether you want to admit it or not.

I think the reason we love Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, etc. is because it allows us for a moment to control what people see and know about us. At the end of the day, everyone wants people to like them. How do you get people to like you? Show them your best qualities and most interesting facts about your life and take pictures of yourself from the best angle so you look like a Megan Fox, or Johnny Depp. Now, you might be saying, “Well, Tofer, you are blogging because you want to make yourself look interesting or brag about your life and bla bla bla.” But truly, I see this as an exercise to get out the inner uglies of my life. I’ll just go ahead and get some stuff on the table for you…I wish I worked out more, or worked out for that matter. I wish I had a six pack that wasn’t just in my refrigerator. I’d love it if I was about 1-10 inches taller. I wish I had more money so I could not stress about bills month to month. And the list goes on and on and on. Through this blog, I am challenging myself to be vulnerable and allow myself to grow and learn more about my true inner workings. I highly recommend it. It really is therapeutic. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable, especially in your relationships. Friendships last because of honest emotions, not if you’ve been to every concert by (insert a popular band here). True, simple likes and dislikes may be a gateway towards starting a new friendship/relationship, but don’t stop at the gateway. I see so many shallow relationships that are based on trival things and things that will come and go in a heartbeat. Be honest and real in your relatinoships/friendships. If you are frightened by the thought of showing a dark secret to a friend or allowing yourself to open up with tears of regret, then they aren’t your real friend. Allow yourself to lose control from time to time and test your true friends by seeing who will help you regain it again.

I know I started this blog talking about control but it has quickly evolved into more an add on to my previous post about being real. But this time it was about being real in your relationships and not just about being real in your creative process. I am a big fan of of Ralph Waldo Emerson and will probably be quoting him a lot in my blogs. I think this quote sums up the foundation of a great relationship.

“Be Silly. Be honest. Be kind.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

-t

give me real.

What makes a great artist? Being a songwriter myself, I often think about this question. When I set out to write a song, most of the time it doesn’t happen the way I want it to happen. It feels forced and unauthentic. Trite and cliche. To me, the best songs that I have written have come out of nowhere and when I usually have no intentions of writing a song. They come from an honest and vulnerable spot inside of me and have no other way of coming out but through spontaneity. It is a moment of truth and revelation and you just have to let it out and not be afraid of what you might say, or who you might offend.

So, if you are a songwriter, artist, painter, or any other profession for that matter, be authentic. Don’t be gimmicky. The true artists of today will be timeless 20 years from now. Always aspire to create something timeless in what you do and don’t be afraid of the time that it takes to create something real and honest.

A great example of a true artist to me right now is Corinne Bailey Rae. You may remember her from the hit a couple of years back, “Put Your Records On” but if you heard any of the other songs off of her first record, you heard a voice singing lyrics that were true to her heart. You believed her words and were moved by every moving melody that she sang. Here is a new song, “I’d Do It All Again,” off of her forthcoming record “The Sea.” It is beautiful.

-t

What is your story?

I have been reading a lot lately. Remember books? It seems like in today’s society we have slowly started moving away from books and are diving deeper and deeper into more technologically crazed phenomenon’s. With books, the current obsession is the Kindle. It is essentially a computer that has a hard drive built for digital books, all packaged in a nice little silver rectangular frame. I’m not gonna lie, the technology geek inside of me thinks I NEED a Kindle at some point in my life, but then I start to think about my love for bookstores, libraries, etc. This might just be me, but I LOVE the smell of old books and looking at a used book from the 50’s and thinking about the life of that book and who’s read it and who has been touched by the story laid before their eyes. Again this is just my opinion, but I really feel like you can’t replace books with technology. To me it is one thing that I just don’t want to sacrifice with a digital replacement. It was hard enough for me to buy into Mp3’s and start purchasing records on iTunes, and honestly, I still don’t like it and don’t do it that often. I go to record stores regularly and love the feeling of holding a tangible CD or record in my hands and reading the liner notes, lyrics, etc.

I can think of numerous occasions where I have been out in public reading a book and a random person has come up to me and has started talking to me about the book I was reading. Stating their opinions about it. What they did or didn’t like about the story. And so on and so on. It is a conversation starter that creates a common bond between two strangers. That is awesome and amazing to me. But when I see a person reading a Kindle in public, I think “That is a really cool gadget. I want one.” And it’s not because of the rich content and literature that it can hold, but because it’s silver, shiny, and I know if I had one people would say, “That is a really cool gadget. I want one.”

I’m not saying that the Kindle is a bad invention, but rather, it is symbolism of the way we want to be seen by society. You all know the saying “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” but really it is the cover of a book that tells a story in itself. If you go to a used bookstore and see a book that is full of torn pages, coffee stains and has highlighted sentences throughout, you know you are investing in a great story. And essentially, our lives are like that of a used book in a lot of ways. While we all want to look like a Kindle, perfect and shiny to everyone who looks at us, we all have ripped pages and beat up bindings. However, it is through our troubled times and our flaws in life that a great story is being written. The story of your lives. And that is far more beautiful than any perfectly polished silver. While people may be mesmerized and enamored by your shiny exterior, they will stay for your story.

-tofer

Song of the Day – Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears

be silent.

I haven’t blogged in well over a year. I have thought about starting it up from time to time, but haven’t wanted to force semi-deep thoughts or cheap wittiness on anyone.  But I now feel that it is time to start it up again.

This first blog was actually written late last night but I had to redesign my site so it would feel fresh and new again. Here it goes. Feel free to leave comments.Take care.
-t

Friday, December 4th, 2009.

As I sit here alone on a Friday night, I think about the silence that surrounds me. Quite frankly, it kind of scares me but at the same time it reminds me of how I don’t submerge myself into silence near enough. It is in these moments when you can truly tap into your subconscious and a spiritual realm that can’t be found amidst the chaos and distractions of your everyday life. I am too easily distracted. Too easily distracted to the point of A.D.D.D.D.D. I can’t help but wish that I could go back to the days of childhood when all of my worries and distractions consisted of, “What candy was my mom going to bring home to me from the store?” or “I hope that my parents let me have Caleb over for a sleepover so we can stay up late then get up early for Saturday morning cartoons.” But now that I think of it, when I was young all I wanted was to be older. A teenager. A 20’s something. The thought of being able to do whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it seemed so desirable. Yet, here I am wanting my youth back. Where does this discontent come from? I don’t think it necessarily is an issue of it coming from anywhere, but rather, it is a discontent with my human nature. The keyword being “human.”

We spend our lives always wanting something more. For much of my life I have dreamed of being a musician and a recording/touring artist. I used to make fake demo tapes of bands that would never come into fruition and think “I will play on the Rosie O’Donnell show someday.” Some of you may be reading this and saying to yourself, “Rosie O’Donnell had a show?” And the answer is, yes. She was Ellen before Ellen was Ellen. In more ways than one, really. Moving on. I am now entering into my 25th year of life with 3 records//CD’s/MP3 collection’s under my belt and many more to come I hope. No, I haven’t signed a record deal or been on MTV (when they used to have music on their network), but I have had accomplishments over the past few years that I am proud of. (I know. I know. It’s grammatically incorrect to end sentences in prepositions. Shoot me.) But while those accomplishments are proud points of my life, they are still somehow not enough. I want to do more. And when I finally do more, I have a feeling I will still want to do more and more and more and more. But what is the point of this? Will there ever be an end? Is life about setting up goals, fulfilling them to the best of your abilities, then setting another one, reaching it and repeat? The answer is, no. And it never will be. These are things that will not define you, but rather give you a sense of false accomplishment that will wisp away into nothingness someday.

Then what is life all about? While I love music to the point of sickness, it still leaves me unfulfilled. I haven’t written a song that has made me feel like my work is done as a songwriter and I can move onto some new profession. But as I look back on my life, I realize that the songs that I have written are much more than a melody or a catchy chorus. They are a reflection on the people that have shaped me through the times that have broken me to realize that there is a God that has made me. These are the things that make our lives truly matter.  Our relationships. Wether it be a best friend, parent, boyfriend, wife, or God. And it is in these silent times that I think of how grateful I am for the people that have come and gone in my life and the people that have always been and still remain there. And ultimately, my Creator for writing the song of my life in the key that is purely perfect, even when I can’t see the perfection.

Our lives, jobs and our relationships are merely a reflection of something much greater. Something we can’t fully comprehend but will always long to know. We will not find a perfect contentment in our own accomplishments. Just a congratulatory self-tap on our own shoulders. We won’t finish this life and see a trophy case at the end of the horizon. So what should you do? There isn’t a definite answer but I feel that a good starting point is to be silent. Pray. Meditate. Turn off your phone. Turn off your distractions. Be silent. It is in these silent times where you will find an overwhelming amount of gratitude for what you have, and continue to be blessed with, and not what you think you want or need. Don’t’ be afraid to be silent. Trust me, I know you might think you will be missing something, but what you will find by being silent is far greater than anything you will miss on the internet or on TV. You will realize how good your life truly has been and is. And you will find yourself wanting to be silent more and more and more and more.

-tofer

it’s been a while…

….and i just want to let you all know that i am alive and well.

i must apologize…i have not posted a blog since february 2. that is ridiculous. if i were to write a blog about all that has happened then, well, you wouldn’t be able to read it all because it would be a long boring book.

with that being said, i will sum up the past few months with a few brief notes (in no particular order) and i will promise to blog more regularly so i don’t have to give you the short story of what’s going on in my life.

-finished the tour with the band, Barcelona (myspace.com/barcelona) in March and i must say i miss them like you wouldn’t believe.
-have written a lot of new songs.
-tried to grow a goatee but it ended up looking like a “grody”. (note to self, just because you’re 23 doesn’t mean that you look good with facial hair)
-worked a lot in the studio working on new demo’s.
-co-wrote with one of my all-time favorite musical heroes, BLEU (myspace.com/bleutopia). i promise that you will hear the stuff we have created soon.
-shamefully watched almost all of the 18-hole playoff PGA Championship playoff between Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods on a Monday afternoon.
-tried many times to get a part-time job but failed even more times, somehow.
-went to New York City for about 4 days and fell even more in love with that city.
-watched my friends dog, Leroy, for 3-4 days. he’s the cutest ever. it made me want a dog, but at the end of the day i realized that i don’t want to buy a responsibility.
-after many years of not being that impressed by the phenomenon of ice cream, i started to rather enjoy it and oddly started to crave it…for real.
-played some super rad shows in nashville.
-excited that a bunch of friends recently got signed to record labels – erin mccarley (myspace.com/erinmccarly) – matt wertz (myspace.com/mattwertz) – paper route – (myspace.com/paperroute) HOORAY FOR YOU GUYS! GO GET’EM TIGER!
-pumped to tell you guys a bunch of things developing for TOFER BROWN MUSIC, INCORPORATED…more details coming soon:)

that is all for now. again, sorry for disappearing for a while.

i love you all, loads.

love,
tofer

and so the tour begins….

Hello everyone,

I am safely in Seattle now with the Barcelona guys and they rule the free world. Such a cool hang, indeed!

We had our first show tonight….it was amazing…we played in bellingham, washington at western washington university and the people that came out ruled…all of those college kids were the best listeners ever and they bought a bunch of my CD’s, which is always nice…barcelona ruled an acoustic set and i am just so honored to be on the road with them…we are totally already BFF and i love every second of being with them…

So…my first flight was easy as cheese. It was an hour long flight from Nashville to Cincinnati. But man…the 2nd flight was LONGGGGGG..cincinnati to seattle…it took about 4 1/2 hours – 5 hours…and like an idiot, i forgot my iPod…so, i had no tunes to listen to…to my surprise they said to us passengers, shortly after we boarded, that they would be viewing a movie. I was stoked…thinking, it probably won’t be the best movie ever, it still can’t be that bad….but was i really expecting to watch “THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB” ?….wow…all of the 40+ year old women got so excited and quickly bought the $2 headphone sets they were selling…I actually had my iPod headphones…looking around only to see that i was surrounded by all guys…i shrugged, but plugged in my headphones and watched the whole movie…tapped into my “feminine” side…it was actually pretty good..i loved it…some…not a lot..but there was some love for it…it actually had a great soundtrack to go along with it…scouts honor!

but how come food is not free on planes anymore?…i had to settle for an overabundance of free cheese and crackers and peanuts…the kind where there are 3 peanuts per packet….there was a really overweight guy to my right across the aisle…he didn’t move the whole time and his eyes were opened the whole time…i was wondering if he was one of those people that sleeps with their eyes open…that always creeps me out…

so…YOU MUST COME TO SHOWS…view our current schedule on my myspace (http://www.myspace.com/toferbrown)…and we are adding about 3-5 more east coast dates as we speak…so excited to be out and playing across the U.S….i love you guys and i hope to see you all very soon!

love,
tofer