My Favorite Music, Theatre, and Visual Art of 2009

By Josh Hornbeck

For various reasons – mainly to do with the limited amount of time in each day, the limited resources (financial and otherwise) available to me, and the limited access we in Seattle (as wonderful as the cultural landscape is here) have to artistic events – I don’t hear as much music, see as much theatre, or attend as many art exhibitions as I would like to. Even so, I’d like to briefly mention the music, theatre, and visual art that moved and inspired me over the last year.

The Music That Moved Me
The Hazards of Love, by The Decemberists – The last album from The Decemberists, The Crane Wife, has been one my favorite albums since I first heard it a few years ago. And while their follow-up, The Hazards of Love, may not have had as many instantly catchy songs, this folk-rock-opera is a monumental accomplishment. Filled with haunting refrains that circle back on each other throughout the album, it tells a tragic and beautiful story of star-crossed lovers.

The BQE, by Sufjan Stevens – Stevens has always been a gifted song-writer and his albums tend to function as a collection of musical short stories. But his latest album (originally commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music) is an instrumental symphony written to celebrate the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Without the aid of lyrics, Stevens is still able to convey the movement and energy of a freeway, the beauty of the sun hitting water, and the jangled confusion of rush-hour traffic. I love the fact that the project was packaged with a DVD, a comic book, and a ViewMaster Reel.

Glee, The Soundtracks – One of my favorite TV shows of the past year also released some of my favorite music of the past year. Sure, most of the tracks are just covers of contemporary hits, but the joy on these CD’s is just as infectious as the joy we see in the show from week-to-week. Two volumes of music and I still want more.

Strict Joy/An Evening at the Riverside Theatre, by The Swell Season – The stars of one of my favorite films, Once, are back together with a brand new album and some brand new music. Strict Joy is bit more somber than the Once soundtrack or The Swell Season’s self-titled debut, but the lyrical poetry and gorgeous harmonies have stayed with me from the very first moment I heard the album. The deluxe version of Strict Joy also included a live recording, An Evening at the Riverside Theatre. The live recording is fantastic, showing why The Swell Season are even better in concert than they are in the studio.

The Play’s the Thing
the break/s: a mixtape for the stage, written and performed by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Directed by Michael John Garces – Seattle’s ACT (A Contemporary Theatre), in conjunction with The Hansberry Project, brought this one-man show to the Northwest in the summer of 2009. A brilliant combination of theatre, spoken word poetry, hip-hop, video, and movement, the break/s is an insightful look at what it means to be an African American man, living in America today. Heartbreaking and poignant, the play is infectious in its energy and challenging in its questions.

Company, Book by George Furth, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Directed by John Doyle – This filmed version of the 2006 Broadway revival first appeared on PBS’ Great Performances back in 2008. The staging is simple and economic, and in a bold choice, the acting ensemble actually plays all of the instruments themselves. More than just a gimmick, the choice punctuates many of the jokes, is used in very tender and delicate ways, and becomes the central metaphor in this story of a bachelor who believes that he doesn’t need anyone else in his life.

Painting With Light and Shadow
Target Practice: Painting Under Attack 1949-1978 – The Seattle Art Museum recently presented one of the most intriguing art exhibitions I’ve seen in years. With Target Practice, curator Michael Darling gathered works that defy the traditional notions of painting, sculpture, and even art. From canvasses riddled with bullet holes, to paint left on the floor to dry and harden, the exhibit was challenging, beautiful, and breathtaking.

Introduction
My Favorite Movies of 2009
My Favorite Television of 2009
My Favorite Books of 2009

(Posted 01/24/2010)