As always, I broke my albums down to tiers, as this is the best way to order albums in my eyes. There’s a much bigger difference between my #1 album and #2 album of the year than #2 and #7.
Group Q: "Don't Make Solo Albums, and also, Make Better Music With Your Origiinal Band"
73b. Julian Casablancas: Phrazes For The Young
73a. Julian Plenti: Julian Plenti is Skyscraper
It’s nice when I can combine two of these into one write-up. Really, I never thought of it before, but there are some astonishing similarities between these two. Besides going by the same first name for their names and both being the same age (Julian Plenti is the stage name Paul Banks has decided to use for his solo personality, Julian being his middle name) Both these guys are in bands that made two of the best albums of the past decade, and both of those were their respective debut albums that came out in the early part of the decade (2001, 2002), and both used NYC as a major influence. (Whenever I get to my decade list, you’ll be sure to see both the Strokes and Interpol album in the top 15 at least). They each released two more albums, and each release was worse than the previous. Now they have decided to both make solo albums that did not need to be done. It’s slightly depressing to see that both are in their 30s now, and struggling to make good music. It’s amazing to see the regression though, and makes you wonder how these two can make one of the biggest albums of the decade and now be almost irrelevant. Each album contains about 2-3 good songs and the rest are useless. I do have hopes that the Julians make an album that pulls me back in though, I haven’t given up on that yet. It's natural to see someone you used to love succeed again right?
Group P: "Weezer Effect"
72. Weezer: Raditude
I have to be honest. I didn’t make it through the entire album. I’m going to have to rename this group next year if only because I can’t really call it the Weezer Effect if I’ve given up totally on listening to new Weezer albums right? It may soon be called the Ryan Adams effect.
71. Andrew Bird: Noble Beast
Andrew Bird is slowly losing me. The thing is, had I only recently discovered him, I think I would really like him and enjoy his past two albums (this one included) but I seem to slowly be growing out of him. Maybe he’s not changing his music enough?
70. M Ward: Hold Time
See Andrew Bird.
69. Jay Z: The Blueprint 3
My take is that people were overly excited the Jay Z produced above average work. It's the feeling Vikings fans get when Tavaris Jackson comes in and goes 5-10 without an INT. There’s nothing outstanding about this and it’s not total crap. That being said, what’s the deal with rappers using their classic albums as sequels or trilogies? Raekwon, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne. For as much as they put out albums full of rhymes, they sure do seem to lack creative ability when thinking of album names. I’m not even sure this upsets me, I would love to have Radiohead put out an album, Ok Computer 2, or Second child.
68. Wilco: Wilco (The Album)
Yaaawwwwn.. This is boring. The band is now boring. They may reach the status in which I don’t really even give them a click in iTunes with new releases anymore. That probably would have happened for this release if not for Feist’s appearance on this one.
Group O: "I Feel Like I'm Taking Crazy Pills"
67. Big Pink : A Brief Love of History
Welcome to this years MGMT, only a little less popular. I am not impressed. Except, give me a year, and I’ll probably end up loving this because it’s really hard for me not to enjoy Brit Pop.
66. Cymbals Eat Guitars: Why There Are Mountains
The late 90s and early 2000s called, they want their music back. If I were Isaac Brock or Stephen Malkmus, I’d want to punch these guys in the nads for giving their music a bad name with all those comparisons.
65. Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
This album has been getting tons of love, and I guess I don’t get it. They seem like a more pretentious Fiery Furnaces, but FF have a sense of humor to their music. It’s odd because you’d think I really would like this album is it’s kind of quirky, has some nice female vocals, but it seems to stretch just a little too much into self indulgence. The most straightforward song “Two Doves” a simple song with a simple acoustic guitar accompanied by strings and sung by Angel Deradoorian, is one I really love. With that, I could see myself really liking a future Dirty Projectors album, one that tries less hard. Maybe I’m missing something, so feel free to fill me in, I’m open to it.
Group N: "If you were to enter the NBA Draft, I'd Say You Have 'Upside'"
64. Amanda Blank: I Love You
She needs the same advice as Annie (I’ll explain below) does. It should be all about the producers for her. She needs to find the producers who give her some hot beats and utilize her rhyming abilities, which I do believe are than any other female. As I stated last year, her verse on Diplo’s mixtape of Santigold songs is insanely good. She does not sing well and should probably not sing anymore, the same advice I’d give to Kanye. If she sticks to songs more like “Lemme Get Some” in which she’s given a simplistic beat, and just rhymes over it showcasing her skills, then she could have a great album within her.
63. Discovery: LP
This group is comprised of two guys from Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot. I like this better than some and despise it more than others. It’s stupid music that I take it as nothing more than a little entertaining at times. However, I’m not fooled into thinking that this is some classic or groundbreaking indie R&B album either. Essentially, this is the music version of Entourage.
62. The Dead Weather: Horehound
If this band consisted of any other musicians, I still don’t know if I liked it more or less. Do I expect more because it’s Jack White and Allison Mossheart so it’s not as good, or is it not that good but it has Jack White and Allison Mossheart? My brain hurts.
61. Kid Cudi: Man on The Moon: the End of Day
I guess this is like hipster rap and not in the way Mos Def and Talib Kweli are, but hipster rap in the way the same way as Spank Rock, they actually may be hipsters. He’s got more mass appeal as he’s able to get Kanye and Common on his album along with Ratatat.
60. Cryptacize: Mythomania
This is band founded by Nedelle Torrisi and Chris Cohen. The band makes music that have some very unique song structures in which they take multiple paths and you never know how it’ll end. This works for them in some certain songs and meanders in others. History says they’ll eventually make it fairly big for this reason alone. Nedelle Torrisi has toured with and been part of Sufjan Stevens’ band when he tours. Other females musicians with this past include My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Wordon and Annie Clarka (aka. St. Vincent), and both these ladies exploded a year or two later. Maybe Sufjan Stevens is some sort of genius who's talent rubs off on those around him. They’ve also got the Rilo Kiley effect in which Torrisi’s vocals are hands down better than Cohen’s. It may not be their style or they may not go the way of making more straightforward music, but if they do, I think it could be amazing.
Group M: "I Need To Be In Your Mood"
59. Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue
Bibio makes music that will never be my favorite in life but I will always need to listen to every now and then. He combines the song structures of folk music but adds in a layer of beats that remind you of Prefuse 73. Ultimately it’s interesting but won’t ever be life changing. To be fair to Wilkenson though, I think he’s trying to make music that fills those moments in the day where your bored with everything you’ve got and need a change of pace, and you don’t feel like dropping acid but want to hear things that make you think you did.
58. Dan Deacon: Bromst
I listen to this when I want to give myself a headache in a good way. Or when I wonder, “What would it be like to be a parent and have 5 children running around uncontrollably” and this album gives me that insight.
57. Prefuse 73: Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian
I know it won’t happen, but I keep waiting for Scott Herren to make something as good as One Word Extinguisher. He still makes strong melodic beats, albeit a little too short on this album. It’s not quite background music nor is it enough substance to be its own....it’s a lost child.
56. Tallest Man On Earth: Shallow Grave
A quirky little man who I’ve saw twice live this past year on purpose but never really listened often to the album.
55. Jemina Pearl: Break It Up
This is basically a Be Your Own Pet album, except a little more grown up, which would make sense since Pearl is now at the wise age of 22. It’s filled with songs that’ll make you rock or dance or both. You have to love that a person of her stature can duet with Iggy Pop on the strongest track “I Hate People.” Less punk than you may expect, and a little more melody than you would have thought.
54. John Vanderslice: Romanian Names
In the words of Dennis Green, “He is who we thought he was”, except this time in a good way. One of the underrated singer/songwriters out there today who puts out consistently good quality albums with great frequency. They’re never life changing, but they’re always something to keep your interest. He is vanilla ice cream.
Group L: "iPod Albums"
53. Tegan And Sara: Sainthood
I don’t even know. For some reason I listened to this album a lot more than I thought I would. It has some catchy songs and some songs that go absolutely nowhere. If you had told me 5 years ago when talking to them in the basement of a dirty bar in Madison, that they’d sell out theaters and be able to charge $35-40, I would have slapped you in the face for mocking them. Who would have thought they’re more popular than Ryan Adams now who they opened for once upon a time.
52. The Dodos: Time To Die
The perfect example of a band that is better live because the production takes away from their songs. The Dodos hooked up with Shin’s producer and end up sounding too much like the Shins, thus losing their rawness that made Visiter so appealing. The answer to this is to see them live and watch Meric Long tear it up on an acoustic guitar.
51. Dead Man’s Bones: Dead Man’s Bones
It kind of sucks that most people know I’ve got a man-crush on Ryan Gosling. They will think I’m anything completely bias with this review. Truthfully, it’s a pretty good album and at the very least, really odd in a good way. It could have been so much worse but the fact is, I’ve gotten a few friends into this album before telling them it was Gosling’s band and his singing. Even with a kids choir, it doesn’t become too cheesey. With kids singing songs about death, it doesn’t become too ironic and that’s a compliment to the actual song writing on the albums. “My Body’s a Zombie For You” is a real love song, if the person singing was a dead at one point but back to walking now. “Pa Pa Power” could hold its own against any other pop song that’s come out this year. So yeah, Ryan Gosling, I kind of like the guy and now I like the music he makes too…..this is only going to end up poorly for me I feel.
Group K: "You've Had Your Moments"
50. Mew: No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away
There’s no other band that sounds like Mew, and Mew has yet to make an average album. They’re becoming one of last decade’s most underrated consistently good bands. They are the Mark Ruffalo of the 2000s. There are moments on this album that seem happier than I’d expect Mew to write but it’s a welcomed change of pace considering they could still fill a stadium with their sound.
49. Kid606: Shout At the Door
I’m not really sure how to describe Kid606’s music, maybe techno on steroids or extreme dance club music that requires glowsticks? This album is divided into 4 “movements.” It’s messy at times and it seems like it could soundtrack and end of the world type movie, but at the same time it’s so very easy to listen to, even if it is 80 minutes long. Check out track “Samhain California”, and you’ll maybe visualize some dancing vampires.
48. Wolves in the Throne: Black Cascade
Hell, I’m surprised I listen to this album. This metal band comes from Southern Lord, home to Sunn O))) and Boris amongst others. If you had Sufjan Stevens article on one end which represented lets say, a beautiful angel’s voice, Nathan Weaver’s would be on the exact opposite representing the devil. This album contains 4 songs, each over 10 minutes and all very unsettling. This is definitely black metal, but it’s concerned with the atmospheric sound more than anything. There are layers and layers of guitars and synths on these songs. Reportedly a hundred guitar layers were used on “Ahrimanic Trance” which is most likely a huge exaggeration. This isn’t your Baroness or Mastadon type metal, this would be Sunn O))) if they Sunn O))) forgot to take their ADD medicine.
47. Mastodon: Crack the Skye
This is definitely a different Mastodon than ones that you may have listened to growing up. It also almost seems like they’re making a mockery to the public at this point with their insane album concepts. I guess they believe music is imaginary. From what I’ve heard from my friends who’ve caught them live recently, they’re entering a very weird stage of their career and it seems to have crossed into their albums. This is a little more “proggy” for lack of a better word than other albums. The riffs still kick ass, and there is enough chaos to be familiar with, but at times it’s just too much of a mess. The vocals remind me a little too much of stuff that came out when I was in high school on 93x.
46. Major Lazer: Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do
Diplo and Switch creating dancehall Jamaican music? Yeah, I’m definitely interested. Though, I didn’t know if it’d be enjoyable or a train wreck. I’m happy to report that it’s not terrible and even good and intriguing. Every song contains at least one Jamaican musician, and it’s all pleasant enough giving me some reggae that I don’t really listen to. This album does get slightly redundant, but then the jam, if not MTV Jam, “Keep It Goin’ Louder” comes in towards the end of the album and it gives the album some new light. This is more just a straight up club hit that’s near perfection.
45. Various Artists: Dark was the Night
The only compilation disc that will make it this high on a year end list for years to come I’m willing to bet. What makes this a great album as opposed to a compilation is that it is all original songs and compiled by a member of the National. This also would be could be called “Pitchfork’s favorite bands” compilation list since it includes bands like Grizzly Bear, The National, Feist, Dirty Projectors, Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, Spoon, Yeasayer to name just a few. Again, it’s the fact that many of these musicians wrote new songs just for this or at the very least, gave a song that most people have never heard before. Yeasayer’s “Tight Rope” is better than any song of their new album, Feist and Grizzly Bear’s track is 2 minutes of haunting, and Sufjan Stevens cover of “You Are the Blood” changes a minimalistic song to keyboard craziness.
Group J: "Consistently Above Average"
44. Brother Ali: Us
Overall this album gets a pretty big boost due to the production. It's got a little club like swagger that despite Ali's usual angry lyrics. I think Ali's always going to be someone that I'll need to listen to however, but not someone I'll truly ever love. He's a great story teller and I'm always interested in the characters he writes about, but it's obviously not something I can relate to. Though, I can't really relate to most rap lyrics but I think the difference is, I feel like I should relate with Brother Ali's.
44. Taken By Trees: East of Eden
This is the solo project of Victoria Bergsman aka former lead of the Concretes aka that one girl who sings on “Young Folks” with Peter Bjorn and John. This album is a pretty big departure from her previous work as she went to Pakistan and was influenced a lot by that culture. You’ve got Panda Bear singing the background on beautiful “Anna” and there is the cover of Animal Collective’s “My Girls” entitled “My Boys.” The choice of that song makes perfect sense as this album sounds like a mixture of the percussion heavy Animal Collective and Pakistan music.
43. God Help the Girl: God Help the Girl
You’d actually think this would rank higher than it actually does. Stuart Murdoch’s written songs sung by a girl Scottish next-door type vocalist in Catherine Ireton. I would have penciled this for a sure top 5, but it’ll have to settle for just being a really good listen. I do love the takes on Belle and Sebastian songs such as “Funny Little Frog” and “Act of Apostle” sung by Ireton. It adds a new dimension to songs I’ve heard countless times. The thing is that Murdoch himself has such a soft and delicate voice for a man, that a female is not too different. The album closes with two of the strongest tracks that are newly written and truly sound like B&S songs with a guest female vocalist. This album is supposed to be part of a film-musical written by Murdoch and apparently still hasn’t even begun to be shot yet. Judging by this album, it’ll have a pretty interesting story but will surely be beautiful.
42. Fiery Furnaces: I’m Going Away
This is the band that should be getting the praise that the Dirty Projectors are getting. They’re just as weird, unique and talented. The only difference between them is the Fiery Furnaces don’t take themselves as seriously. I’d like to see the Dirty Projectors write a song about their dog being losr. While this album is more straightforward their previous, they’re still one of the weirdest bands out there. If anything, it’s great to see that they can compose a song like “Charmaine Champagne” and “Take Me Round Again” on the same album, showcasing the new and the old styles a few tracks apart. Ask any Fiery Furnaces fan that’s followed them and they’ll say this is maybe their most accessible album since they’re debut but by no means have they made any concessions to become mainstream.
41. Drake: So Far Gone EP
This dude could be bigger than Kanye in a few years. I’m going with the Kanye comparison even though you’d think Lil Wayne would be a better comparison since he comes from Young Money. Drake’s as cocky and confident as Kanye and has the potential to make those singles that people who listen to all sorts of music respect. He’s already got a Sprite commercial without a full album. I feel as conflicted about him as I do Kanye. He seems like an arrogant asshole but he does make some annoyingly impressive songs. “Best I Ever Had” is the song that every person has heard multiple times this year, unless you’ve purposely ignored it.
I think he can also sing? You never can really tell on rap albums can you? Either way, he does not sound horrible on the tracks that he does sing over. I have to like him a little bit for choosing some of the indie artists to rap over. He rhymes over a Peter, Bjorn and John song but not the obvious “Young Folks” instead he chose “Let’s Call It Off” and seemingly duets with Lykee Li on “Little Bit”. This is all interesting but really, he’s at his best when he makes those singles that are crying to be played on the radio and in clubs. He hasn’t released his first album yet, but I’m sure when he does, it’ll be something you can’t get away from.
40. Mos Def: The Esctatic
Comeback album of the year! Can you really comeback when your debut is stellar and was only two albums ago? Maybe that speaks to how infrequently Mos puts an album out along with how much a failure New Danger was. Mos is probably too focused on making average movies to ever make another amazing album, but it’s nice to know that he can still make a good album.
39. Neko Case: Middle Cyclone
Every Neko Case album will always be at the very least intriguing due to her ever so famous voice. In a sense this album is not much different than others, even though musically it sounds different. Every Neko Case album has hints of perfection but then it meanders and doesn’t fully take off. It’s what makes her so frustrating yet fascinating. She has total control over all her music and it truly seems does not take into fact that she could be the biggest singer on the planet, school kids and grandmothers could know her Neko Case is. For every song that gives you chills like “This Tornado Loves You”, there’s a “Fever” that does not seem to go anywhere despite that phenomenal voice. Overall this album is a great collection of songs that resemble some dark night country with a few fillers. I cannot wait for Neko Case to put it all together and make a classic album that she’s capable of. Not just a great album, but also one that goes down as one of the best of a decade because that is her potential.
38. Neon Indian: Psychic Charms
I want to like this album more I do but there’s something holding me back from considering this one of the elite albums of the year. I think it’s the instrumental breakdowns that really do nothing for me. On the other hand, they’ve mastered the sound of making music that could soundtrack Nintendo 64 games.
37. Bear in Heaven: Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Psychedelic epic space rock at times, and quietly understated at others. This album tries to find a balance between the two and for the most part succeeds. There’s quite a few strong pop songs that could fill an arena if this were the 80s like “Lovesick Teenagers” and “Deafening Love.” I’ve got a feeling these guys could easily write some songs that would get them mainstream airplay if they dumb down their music a little, such as MGMT. I see them going the opposite route though and becoming a Flaming Lips as their progress.
36. El Perro Del Mar: Love is Not Pop
Sarah Assbring, aka El Perro del Mar is someone who always intrigued me by being someone who could seduce you with those fragile girlish lyrics, only she’s also very depressing in her lyrics. She’s like the girl you know you should stay away from but never can actually be clear of. I’m not sure what changed in her life but this album seems almost happy? She teamed up with one half of the duo Studio for this, and she’s got a groove now. Granted, the songs still are seeping with sadness about heartbreak but the melodies are stronger than ever. This album is a play between moments where it’s trying to serenade you to sleep but then brings in a disco beat to get you going. Her cover of Lou Reed’s is fairly subdued until it progresses towards the end into a disco like breakdown. It’s a major step forward for Assbring.
Group I: "Jersey Shore Group"
This group essentially means, I know this is nothing groundbreaking, nothing even too critically great, but I have fun listening to it. I maybe should feel a little dirty for liking it, except I really don’t at all. It’s not a guilty pleasure if you have no shame in saying you like it.
35. Art Brut: Art Brut vs Satan
Who would have thought they would have lasted 3 albums? Certainly not me, but they did. They sure haven’t lasted by changing their sound though. It’s still the silly lyrics with loud punkish guitar riffs. It’s really all you can ask for with this group. Something loud, fun, and slightly ridiculous. If there’s any band that would have a Jersey Shore reference it’s probably these guys. They gotta work in lyrics about Snookie getting punched right?
34. Metric: Fantasies
I feel like this album should maybe not be something I listened to as frequently as I did when it came out. My friend made a great point in that, it starts out pretty well, and there are no real terrible songs and before you know it, the album is over. Emily Haines sounds fantastic on this and I’m surprised that I like this as much as I do. Oddly enough, I found out that Emily Haines secluded herself in Buenos Aires for awhile to write half this album. Incidentally, I got into this album right after getting back from Buenos Aires but I had no idea she used the city as inspiration until much later. I’ll end this one with my take on the Situation describing Metric: “I like this music, it’s awesome, it makes me pumped. Its got awesome guitar stuff, and Emily Haines is awesome hot. I like to listen when I’m at the gym cause I take that serious yo….uhhh, and that’s the Situation”
33. YACHT: See Mystery Lights
I’m slightly surprised I haven’t seen as much praise or acclaim for these guys. I always get confused when one band seems to crossover and another doesn’t. For instance, Cut Copy is played at the gym I work out. Yet, I feel like YACHT would also be one that somehow made it into the mainstream, but hasn’t. I don’t know how “Psychic City” hasn’t made it into an Apple commercial or the music played during a house party hipster scene in a movie yet. Although, I’m guilty of forgetting about these guys as everybody else because every time I do listen to it, I have the thought “damn, this album is good, why don’t I listen to it more often?”
32. Passion Pit: Manners
These guys seem to be getting a lot of hype and it’s slightly confusing to me. These guys make good and fun music but nothing really more than that. It’s not too groundbreaking and yet no other album this year sounds like it (so maybe that is why). The one factor that nobody seems to talk about is that they can’t sing at all. It sounds like I’m hating, but I’m really not. I enjoyed this album a lot and it’s fun and that’s all I need. “Sleepyhead” is the standout track that took longer than I thought to crossover to the general public.
Group H: "Just Plain Solid"
31. Flaming Lips: Embryonic
I remember back when Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots came out, I was a freshman in college and being blown away for several reasons. Besides how great that album was, it was also the fact that these guys are really old and had a lot of albums and that I had listened to none of them. Consider it my version of Art Brut's "The Replacements." Somewhere out there, there are other college freshman who probably just discovered Embryonic and will have the same thoughts I did. Congratulations to them as they're in for a treat as they go through their discography. In the mean time, they’re listening to the most outrageous and over-the-top rock album of the year.
30. Doom: Born Like This
After having an excess of Doom 5 years ago, he returns with a strong album. At least I think it is, but that’s because his live shows have really almost turned me against him. I’m not sure I’ve even really seen him. Since 2007 he’s apparently put out imposters for various shows, as he’s a “villain” and doesn’t care if people get upset. I’m not sure if that’s really him or it’s part of a shtick. Regardless, this album brings back the Doom you’re familiar with: silly (in his way) lyrics, precise beats, and Dumile’s direct delivery. The album is only 40 minutes and some songs only consist of one verse, but what he lacks in length he makes up for by efficiently cramming every meaningful line into each minute.
29. Girls: Album
This is an album I first thought I hated, then grew to like. I don’t love it as it seems most people do as I see it appearing on tons of top 10 lists, but it’s a strong album. Even if I don’t like a song, it’s still interesting. Kind of like a Woody Allen movie. It’s a little whiney and I still don’t know why I like this album. Probably due to the solid song structure which makes up for a self depreciating (though, rightfully if you look into frontman Christopher Owen’s history) voice. This would be a perfect example of a filler album. It occupied a couple weeks of my life and every now and then I’ll listen to a few songs when I’m looking for something different to listen to. I’m still confused how it’s made quite a few top 10 lists. It does have a sunny California feel to it, and if I got into it more during the summer maybe it would be ranked higher, it's all about the timing.
28. Camera Obscura: My Maudlin Career
Well, they’ve made an album that in turn has made me love them. You’d think I’d have loved these guys forever since they’ve got a Scottish female singer making indie pop songs. I think I was just waiting for an album I knew they had them, and this is it. This is perfect pop filled with wonderful string and horn arrangements that make your body slowly swagger left to right, or right to left. Campbell’s still writes her melodramatic and sad lyrics but they don’t seem as draining as they sometimes have before which can be attributed again to the music but also a huge improvement in her vocals. Her voice evokes power and emotions that weren’t there before. They’ve got to be careful though, Campbell seems on the verge of being able to write too catchy of melodies that I may not be able to ever get out of my head.
Group F: "You're One of the Best at What You Do and I can't Rank You"
27. Oneido: Rated O
A triple album from a band that’s like a psychedelic, post-punk Spoon, in that they rely a lot on repeated simplistic beats. Oneida is perhaps the most prolific band that nobody has really heard of. They’ve basically released an album every year for the past 10 years and now come with this triple album. Unlike Ryan Adams, these releases can hold up. This album is much like the band themselves. An insane amount of different styles combined to make a whole. For a band that could at times be described as punk-ish or guitar driven rock, it takes about 10 minutes until the first guitar notes are played. They're not one to be concerned with reputation.
26. Sun 0))): Monoliths & Dimensions
For a metal band, it would be weird that my mood to listen to this album isn’t “to get pumped up” or “energized” or “to rock out” or “to bust some heads!” Kidding, I’m a wuss. Rather, it’s an album I found myself listening to a lot at work because it’s almost like electronica in the fact that it doesn’t really have vocals to distract me when I need to read things. In no way is this electronica music, but it’s pretty minimalistic heavy guitar tones. At 4 songs and around 55 minutes, the biggest complaint is, there is no song structure. I don’t really have a comeback for that. At least they’ve added a French horn, piano, and strings to some of their songs now? Last note is, if you can see them live, you must bring earplugs. They're the loudest show I’ve ever been to in my entire life, well maybe tied with Deerhunter.
25. Do Make Say Think: Other Truths
There’s a scene in one of my favorite movies, Before Sunset, in which Ethan Hawke’s character talks about an extremely abstract idea for his next book. He’s thinking about writing a novel that takes place within a song. Listening to this album, one that is instrumental and contains only four songs averaging around 10 minutes each, I could see how this would be actually possible. This Canadian instrumental band combines jazz like drums, along with guitars and add a touch of wind instruments when necessar. Each song comes out like a tragic greek play being told, each consisting of a quiet opening, a climatic battle, and the mournful aftermath. Close your eyes, listen to each song, and I guarantee you’ll envision your own story.
Group E: "I'm Not Sure If You Should Be Higher or Lower, It Depends on My Mood"
24. Bashy: Catch Me If You Can
I was first introduced to London rapper, Bashy, from watching the movie Adulthood in which he was the music supervisor but also contributed the theme song for the movie. Side note is that Adulthood (Kidulthood) is a pretty good movie about a kid getting released prison after murder but there's still some people out to get him for revenge as he tries to leave that life behind him. Anyways, Bashy would be classified as a Grime artist (others include Dizzee Rascal, Roll Deep, and sometimes the Streets) which is a certain type of London music that is a combination of rap, dancehall, but with a gritty garage type quality. I was introduced to it while abroad in London and I had a love/hate with it. I loved it when done well, and hated it when it seemed like it relied too much on club hits. Bashy finds a good medium of all of this. Certain tracks scream to be played in the club ("She's a Gangsta", "Copy Cat"), and others that establish that's he's a sick MC ("Kidulthood", controversial "Black Boys") Oddly enough some of these songs remind me of Hot Chip if Hot Chip were to rap. Overall, it's tough not to admire him for the work he's put into this album and he never lacks ambition. Many tracks seems to be going at ultra high speed with their roaring beats but he doesn't forget the power or soul needed to make these songs lasting.24. Japandroids: Post-Nothing
Had I written this in October or November, this would have been in my top ten. However, now it already seems dated (and a reason why you shouldn't write year end reviews in December). I know, that’s a fairly odd statement considering this is an album that’s supposed to sound like revitalized 90s rock. It’s still a good album, albeit, a front loaded album. It’s a sincere and unpretentious rock record, mostly about girls, boys, their hometown, and leaving things behind with straightforward guitar riffs drowned in distortion and two guys usually screaming at the top of their lungs.23. Atlas Sound: Colors Battling
There’s not really much Bradford Cox could do at this point to turn me off. He returns with another Atlas Sound album that outshines the first. The two best tracks contain guest vocalists Noah Lennox (Panda Bear) on “Walkabout” and Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab) on “Quick Cana.”. We already knew Cox could write ambient punk songs, but now he showcases his talent for ambient pop songs. Instead of feeling frustrated as I do with other musicians, when he gets even more experimental “Kid Klimax” or “Logos” I’m fully along with the ride. I know that he needs those tracks to balance out the straightforwardness of the simplistic, yet standout “Sheila.”
23. Vitalic: Flashmob
This album's just a vicious high octane beast of an electronic album. Songs like "Flashmob" or "See The Sea (Red)" seem like they should take place in the future with flying space cars in a high speed chase. At times it seems they have more song structure than Fuck Buttons, but that may also be because they utilize vocals on some songs. There's a disco influence here, seen by lead single "Your Disco Song" and the album keeps going with an upbeat pace. I suppose that's the only criticism here is that there' not a change of pace on the album, however, can you argue against it if you do one thing really really well? I would hope that at one point in my life I could be known for doing just one thing really really well. I dare someone to listen to "One From Above" and not have the female robotic voice stuck in their song for hours after. Finally, I'll say you have to listen to "See The Sea (Blue)" and just wait for the song until the 2:40 mark until it the song obtains a certain tension and then bursts out of it if it doesn't get your body moving, you in fact are one of the robots heard on the album.Group D: "The Real Deals of 09"
22. Baroness: Blue Record
One of the main reasons I don’t listen to metal would be the harsh vocals, though I think I may have already pointed out that that’s not totally true with my Wolves in the Throne review. Luckily Baroness don’t have to make me come out like a liar. Beginning with the vocals, Baroness’ John Baizley sounds like Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye while taking Henry Rollins’ steroids, only good things can come out of that. Baroness may be metal, but they’ve got an indie type sound to them too. The guitar work on some songs remind me of something At the Drive In could have written. While they contain two guitarists and lead singer Biazley would be considered the rhythm guitarist, it’s almost if they have two leads who play the same notes. A complaint from Baroness fans is that this does not have the shredding that they’re used to. That’s true, and it’s replaced mostly with duel harmonious guitar riffs on every track. I don’t think it takes away from any of the energy and power within the songs. “Jake’s Leg” is a menacing track full of power chords that never lose pace due to the constant drum pounding. There’s an abundance of little 15-30 second guitar breakdowns that would make any 80s metal band happy. In the same way I would describe Mastadon, this is never questioned as metal, but it’s metal I feel I could get the average listener into.
21. Fuck Buttons: Tarot Sport
Some albums are hard to write about. As someone who always scored poorly on the writing tests growing up, it’s especially difficult for me. Writing about an electronic album that essentially is a clusterfuck of noises makes me not even want to attempt to describe this with the written word. I’ll give it a shot though and start off with this tip: be patient. With several songs being over 8 minutes long, this is an album that rewards patience. There’s an overwhelming amount of sounds here, and somehow the noise adds up to something emotional. There are moments of clarity that come out of nowhere that truly hit you and beg for your attention. This album can control your body, telling you when to feel powerless or powerful, and leaving you with an experience to remember.
20. JJ: JJN2
It’s obvious that I’m going to like this album considering they cover Weezy. Founded by some of my favorite Swedes, Tough Alliance, this album basically sounds like an acoustic Tough Alliance with a female singer. It’s only 28 minutes long and that’s all that’s needed to fill my head with lasting melodies that could soundtrack a nice night camping in the woods while looking up at the stars….while tripping on something really strong. Again though, for me it’s all about “Ecstasy” which is their cover of “Lollipop” and it’s difficult to imagine which one is the original if you hadn’t heard either. There was a lot of mystery surrounding this album and this band, and it came out of nowhere to take over my iPod this year. As for a sneak peak to 2011, they’re already releasing a follow up album 8 months after JJN2 and it’s sadly about the same only worse as this. If this ends up being JJ’s only great album, I’ll take it.
19. A Sunny Day in Glasglow: Ashes Grammar
Plain and simple, this is a beautiful record. It brings a smile to my face every time I listen to. It’s difficult to write about because it’s an album that’s 21 tracks long but several of those are under one minute long. This is set up almost in away like a Girl Talk albm is that the songs all just blend together. I could describe ten different occasions where perfect dreamy-pop moments occur, only I couldn’t tell you which songs they were in. Still after listening to this album countless times, when I hear an insanely catchy melody, I need to look at my iPod and say “okay, the two minute mark of ‘Passionate Introverts’ is where this occurs, remember this for the next listen." This is not an album where you pick certain tracks to listen to, this is an album where you press play, lay down, stay at the ceiling and take it all in.
18. Annie: Don’t Stop
If you’ve ever been to a party or any gathering of mine where I controlled the iPod, then you’ve definitely heard an Annie song. Most likely it was “Heartbeat” which on a scale of 1-10, is a 73, and of course was produced by Royksopp.
I’m cheating a little with this album, as I believe most Annie fans have. Anniemal came out quite awhile ago, and we’ve been teased with a sophomore album for a couple years. Then a supposed album leaked a year ago which contained some great songs, and just as quickly it disappeared and Annie was said to be recording different songs. Well, Don’t Stop came out, and some of the best-leaked tracks ended up being left out from the album. Songs like perfect bubble gum pop hits like “I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me” and “Antonio” were left off. That left the power in the hands of the consumer like me to create our own Annie discs with a combination of the leaked tracks and this official release. That also means, this is one of my favorites of the year.
Annie is something special. I feel like I should be embarrassed when I listen to this Norweigen pop star, but I’m not at all. It’s like the opposite I feel when listening to Tegan and Sara now. Annie is really all about pairing up the right producer. She worked a lot with Richard X on her debut album, and those were by far the perfect pop songs. Sadly, she only works with him once on this album “Songs Remind Me Of You” where only she can make lyrics like “How does it feel to hear your songs on the radio/How does it hurt to hear your songs on the radio” emotional. It’s no coincidence that it’s easily the best song on the album and possibly year. She also seems to work well with Epworth, with “Hey Annie” bringing classic Annie with a solid beat and a catchy hook. The downside when she works with Xenomania, as most of those songs lack anything remotely lasting.
However, as I said, I created my own album with her songs and do feel it's truly a great representative of her work. Annie provides something unique in my collection that I don’t often get. It’s what Royksopp’s “Girl and the Robot” offers, and that’s unapologetic girl powerhouse girl vocals mixed with electro. I know every Annie release is good for 3-4 songs that’ll last on every playlist I ever make. With that, here is the order of my album:
1. Hey Annie
2. I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me
3. My Love is Better
4. Anthonio
5. Don’t Stop
6. I Don’t Like Your Band
7. Songs Remind Me Of You
8. Bad Times
9. All Night
10. Two Of Hearts
11. Take You Home
12. Marie Cherie
13. Heaven and Hell
17. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It’s Blitz
It blows my mind to see where these guys have gone. I remember the day after the Madison show while still attending college there, people were freaking out about how amazing the show was. When word of mouth on a college campus the size of Madison, you know that something's special.
However, they’ve reached a new level of popularity this year. Be it due to Guitar Hero including one of the top 20 songs of the decade, “Maps” or crossover lead single off this album “Zero”, the YYYs have become a name that even your parents may now know. It’s Blitz is an album that even the most conservative parents can enjoy, but so can you! I’m surprised at the softness of this record only because it comes off the Is Is (EP) which was about as raw as Fever To Tell. This album adds a new layer to their catalog which is now proving they can do it all.
Karen O is magnificent on this album, showcasing a softer side to her voice on songs such as “Soft Shock” and “Skeletons”. The latter is a song that I played out for most of the time last spring, and I’ll always associate it with falling asleep in Argentine hostels. Her sweet uncertain voice on this song leads the music, and you don’t know whether it’s going to erupt into something chaotic or stay smooth. “Heads Will Roll” is a ferocious song that begins with some MicroKorg synth keys, explodes into the patented YYY three distorted chords, and ends with Karen O yelling over only drums.
To sum up how I feel about this album; every time I listen to this album and “Hysteric” approaches, it feels like the end of the album. Then one more song appears after it, and I get a little bit excited that there’s one more song that I get to enjoy.
16. Tanya Morgan: Brooklynati
Reminds me of the early-mid 90s rap that was great. Aka A Tribe Called Quest. I know this contradicts basically what I said about Cymbals Eats Guitars, but that’s probably because the hip-hop that I know hasn’t really grown. It’s gotten more mainstream but there isn’t a lot of fresh stuff coming out of there. Not to say that there isn’t, but in my life this holds true. The fact that I do listen mostly to the indie rock stuff, hearing a band recycle the sounds of the 90s seems kind of boring but for hip hop, it brings back some good stuff. Also, any band that can reference my favorite fast food chain wins me over “I took her to In N Out for some 2 x 4s” not only do they reference In N Out, but they talk about a ‘secret menu’ item. Hell, even the skits are pretty good, which is almost impossible for a hip-hop album.
15. Royksopp: Junior
I have to give credit to my friend EA for this one. I wrote this off a little bit if only because I heard their first single was going to feature Robyn (who oddly enough, I very much like now). She burned me a disc and told me I needed to listen to it. After two listens, I was hooked and still am. “Girl and the Robot”, which features Robyn, was the jam of the summer of 09 for me. I listen to this song and I think, this is one of the poppiest songs I’ve ever heard, why is this not the #1 song in America? As Royksopp has exhibited in the past, they are strongest when paired with female vocalists. The Knife’s and Fever Ray’s Karin Dreijer Andersson (the most interesting female alive) makes an appearance on two high octane songs “This Must Be It” and “Tricky Tricky”, the later brings back the joke, only eerily since Dreijer is singing it, “6 afraid of 7 since 7,8,9.” Lykee Li contributes to the change of pace track “Miss It So Much” which just sounds like a Lykke Li paired with Royksopp song. Even when there are no vocalists, this album still shines. “Royksopp Forever” begins with a some calm synth until the bass and percussion comes in with a swagger, all leading to the climax of the catchiest stringed notes your ears will ever hear.
14. St Vincent: Actor
Oh Annie Clark, possibly the most perfect woman on earth. She names her debut after Arrested Development, writes lyrics that seem to hold inside secrets, and wants to be known as a woman who shreds on the guitar. Marry Me was a solid debut but seemed too packaged (granted in beauty) at times without having the ability to breathe. However, Actor, takes what made Marry Me a good album and expands into something a little more eerie and in the end showcases all of Clark’s talents.
On "Marrow", the pleas of “H-E-L-P / Help / Me / Help Me” are daunting when combined with the fuzzy guitar distortion and horns. This is the standout track on an album full of strong songs. This album is more consistent than Marry Me, and pushes the envelope more to almost make you feel uncomfortable at times. “Black Rainbow” starts with something that could soundtrack an animated Disney movie and progresses into something that could soundtrack Rob Zombie’s next Halloween movie. Actor shows that Annie Clark has more than one trick up her sleeve and really leaves it open for her to do anything in the future without any doubt that it has the potential to be great.
Group C: "One Ingrediant Away"
13. Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer
Call this a welcomed surprise for me. Wolf Parade is one of my favorite bands, Sunset Rubdown’s Shut Up I Am Dreaming was my first taste of a Spencer Krug’s solo work and I wore that out in the summer of 06. In fact, I thought Krug was the person who made Wolf Parade. Then the disappointing Random Spirit Lover came out and Wolf Parade’s second album was also released and Dan Boeckner became my favorite Wolf Parade guy. With the unexpected consistency and accessibility of Dragonslayer, it’s evened out again.
Krug has always relied on story telling, magical, and fantasy type lyrics and the music was usually just as odd. I felt like Krug knew he was in his own world and didn’t care if you could follow him into it. Dragonslayer is his most traditional rock/pop album while maintaining the complex lyrics that he’s been known for. The one thing Sunset Rubdown has been known for is being able to re-create their extravagant sound live and this album plays to that perfectly. It’s ferocious and even guitar based on a few of the songs (I believe it’s the first album where he’s played guitar instead of a keyboard) and is meant to be a rock album. Songs like “Idiot Heart” and “You Go on Ahead” highlight his newly discovered guitar rock. 10 minute album closer “Dragon’s Lair” perhaps best showcases Sunset Rubdown’s balance between the old and the new. Ambiguous lyrics about a I guess a dragon’s lair? (So you can take me to the dragon’s lair/ Or you can take me to Rapunzel’s windowsill/ Either way it is time for a bigger kind of kill…), and a calm quiet piano based opening which leads to a climatic bridge with guitar riffs that recall’s Wolf Parade. It was also great seeing them live when they said “we have one song left” I was disappointed to see their show come to and end. Then they began the 10 minute “Dragon’s Lair which is the length of other bands full encore.
Sunset Rubdown used to be a band where I would say that I really liked, but couldn’t really recommend their albums to a casual listener, Dragonslayer, changes that, and that’s not a bad thing. It still feels like Krug is stuck on a world that doesn’t exist on Earth, only he’s now slowly letting you in on it.
12. Bat for Lashes: Two Suns
Natasha Khan is weird. She lives on a different planet or at least a different world that’s separate from most people (except maybe the just mentioned Spencer Krug). I bet growing up she was the girl who mainly had imaginary friends that were also wizards. For the Harry Potter fans out there, I bet she was basically Luna Lovegood. There’s a lot of fantasy crap on this album that I can’t tell if it’s real or not, but it seems to be a world that Khan lives in. It doesn’t really matter to me as this album is filled with consistency that relies on the melodic vocals along with the percussion within the songs. The strongest songs on this album rely on the bordering point between depressing and romantic. Songs like “Daniel”, “Glass”, and “Sleep Alone” would seemingly drown in their own misery if you only read the lyrics but Khan’s powerful voice transforms those into something hopeful.
11. The Antlers: Hospice
The Antlers (Peter Silberman) made an album in a time where albums no longer exist (When is Nas gonna make an album titled “Albums are Dead”, that seems more relevant than Hip Hop is Dead). It’s not just a concept album, but it feels like it should be played from start to end. There are several parallels to Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago, in which it seems like the structure of an album was conscious is the writer’s mind. (Other similarities: Both are solo artist who go by a band name, both wrote their albums in social isolation (Silbermann took 2 years alone), both are depressing as shit except have that sense of beauty in which you forget it’s actually all very sad) and now they’re both critically acclaimed in a sort of unexpected way.
Hospice features a storyline of a person who essentially meets a dying cancer patient, falls in love, and then watches his loved one die. The difference is I think you could remove the context from any For Emma, Forever Ago song and play it on a playlist and people would get it. I think you need to listen to Hospice in its entirety to get most, not all, of the songs. “Two” seems like it’s the most upbeat hit with, only with ultra depressing lyrics “In the middle of the night I was sleeping sitting up, when a doctor came to tell me, “Enough is enough.”
I don’t care about albums or even the debate if albums are worth it/not worth it anymore. It’s a new age and if people start only releasing songs, that’s fine with me, but when an album is done right such as this, it brings the level of appreciation to a new level. It’s not an easy album to listen to if you’re a person whose mood is greatly affected by music due to its powerfulness. If you are one of these people, it can be greatly therapeutic and definitely worth it. In my case, it came at a point where it seemed relevant and I haven’t been able to listen to it fully for a while now, until recently.
Group B: "Trancends This Year"
10. Real Estate: Real Estate
There is something new and yet familiar with these guys. It seems as if I’ve heard these harmonies or melodic guitar tones before but I can't quite put my finger on when. The album is simple, though complex at the same time. There is depth to the clean guitar picking on this album that recalls both Malkmus’ work on the Silver Jews and early Modest Mouse. Listening to this, you can really only picture white dudes in a suburban garage creating music....and most likely stoned too.
This debut from the quartet from New Jersey is one that seems unassuming at first, but I found myself coming back to it, and back many times more. The same way you'd see me at a cheap Chinese buffet. One song would lead into another and 50 minutes later I listened to the entire album without really knowing it. Every song has something distinct in it, whether it’s the muted vocals, prickly guitars, or jam like music breakdowns. Nothing is over-the-top or too in your face and yet, you can’t help but have these songs stuck in your head. The vocals and harmonies seem fairly simplistic until you realize it’s also an instrument to perfectly complement the music surrounding it. Further showcasing this is the fact that the songs without vocals are true songs and not just fillers (I'm looking at you Neon Indian). This is an album that makes you think of both the east and west coasts while listening to it. I realize that this sounds almost like all backhanded compliments but it’s not. This is one where the whole is far greater than the sum.
9. Fever Ray: Fever Ray
What can I say? Apparently I love Karin Dreijer Andersson, not just the Knife. With her tracks on Royksopp’s album and now her solo album, she’s officially reached the level of “I will listen to anything she lends her vocals to” even if this was a duet with Carrie Underwood. Other people in this category include: Sufjan Stevens, Feist, Panda Bear, Justin Vernon, and others I forget)
Fever Ray has the darkness that you would expect from Dreijer, but less of the techno-dance beats that filled much of the Knife’s music. Replacing that is controlled tension, so much so that it could soundtrack Quinten Taratino’s next film. I often wonder whether she’s truly human or not. I understand the vocals are put through some sort of evil electronic device to distort it but it still scares me….in a good way. The other thing that stands out is that these vocals are singing such minimal lyrics such as “If I had a heart I could love you/If I had a voice I would sing/ After the night when I wake up/ Ill see what tomorrow brings” on the standout “If I Had a Heart”. These lyrics sound like something Rivers Cuomo can only manage to write now, but on the album, they sound like words that’ll haunt your dreams.
This is the genius of the album. Simplistic, minimalistic, yet unsettling and honestly, completely messed up. It’s albums like this and people like her that make me question if we are all of the same species. How can a human being actually create music like this?
8. The Pains at Being Pure at Heart: The Pains at Being Pure at Heart
Worst name ever. In fact, I wish I didn’t like this album so that I would have to say “do you listen to the Pains of Being Pure at Heart? No? Well, you really have to listen to them. They write such great upbeat/lo-fi/poppy songs. What’s that? Oh, they’re called……the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, I know, just a horrible name, but they’re really good!” I’ve had that conversation about 10 times this year where that was about the exact dialogue.
On the albums here at the top of my list, this is the most conservative, least daring album. Nothing about it states, “bold”. What they do though, they perfect. Straightforward, pop rock, and upbeat songs are what you can expect from essentially every song on the album. I’m worried about the future and if they can do something different but if not, they have one really great album of pop melodies and they know when to use the female vocalist at the right time as a harmony or main singer. Best example of why I love them is the end of “Young Adult Fiction” during the “can’t check me out” repeating vocals part. Something does not need to be new to be great, and these guys prove it.
7. And So I Watch You From Afar: And So I Watch You From Afar
We’re into an area that I’m less familiar with. I’m not sure what you qualify this band as. I guess it would be instrumental metal/hardcore/post-rock. They’re four guys from Ireland who make intense guitar driven rock. They range from extremely heavy to airy and beautiful, and you have no idea when a song will change directions. This band has possibly the tightest rhythm section I’ve heard in a long time. Everybody in this band is an expert at their respective instruments, being able to play in odd time signatures, while switching up melodies.
Songs like “Set Guitars to Kill” and “Clench Fists, Grit Teeth…Go!” are filled with heaving and intense guitar riffs that I’m sure would get the approval of metalheads. The later recalls riffs of Mastodon. And the clean plucked notes of the “The Voiceless” which progress into an epic climax can make you feel like anything you’re doing at that moment is the most important thing in the world. Listening to this song while doing laundry made me feel like my folding of t-shirts was in fact changing the world and I never folded clothing that great ever again. Songs like these make it seem like these guys are Explosions in the Sky but on PEDs. Any band that can be compared to Mastodon and Explosions in the Sky is a good thing in my book.
I really thought I’d get sick of this album, but I haven’t and the reason is because it’s so diverse even if it lacks vocals. The standout track is the close to eight minute “Don’t Waste Time Doing Things You Hate” perfectly combines both of their elements into one. It starts out calm, then hits you over the head with precision chaos, and falls back into clean and delay driven notes until it slowly builds into an epic climax. This album takes the prize for “Surprise album that I had no idea I would like and kept getting better”. With each listen, you’ll notice small 30 second parts in songs that you had no idea existed, making you go back for more. Another similar thing is that every song has a 30 second or 2 minute part that I end up liking and that’s a rare thing. Not only do I enjoy every single song but each song has a certain part in it that I absolutely love or gives me chills.
6. Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest
I’ve gone back and forth on this album more than Brett Favre has on retirement (which this is less funny now that he’s a Viking and putting us through this waiting game). At one moment, I think it’s one of the best albums of the decade, and at one moment I think it’s only one of the best of the year. Not too shabby I guess. This album is one of the albums that has such strong singles that it almost takes away from of the other songs, but if you have the patience, you’ll discover the beauty in just about every song on here. The other thing that has influenced me is the fact that I believe Grizzly Bear is the band I’ve seen most in my life, so it’s difficult for me not to realize the power of each song. They can actually play all these songs and recreate these sounds live!
Everybody now knows the perfect single “Two Weeks” (it's finally hit a tv commercial), but the standout tracks are the ones that take more patience such as “Ready, Able”, “All We Ask”, and “Foreground”. These songs represent what I believe Grizzly Bear does best, and that is use their vocals as an extra instrument to add another layer to these songs. This album is rare in that it’s indie rock at its most pure and sincere, yet it’s unique and plainly weird to listen to. Despite this, it’s received mass acclaim from critics and the likes of even Jay-Z. From having seen them countless times in under three years, it couldn’t have happened to a harder working group of guys.
5. Raekwon: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx PT II
Sequels are usually never a good idea in any situation, let alone rap music; especially if the first one is a classic. However, Raekwon manages to overcome that by releasing the best rap album of 2010. This became my overplayed rap album of the year that I’m still not tired of. It starts off with a bang with lead single produced by the late Dilla, “House of Flying Daggars” vibrantly hitting you over the head with quick rhymes from all your Wu favorites including Method Man’s best verse in years. It’s also no coincidence that another one of the strongest tracks is “10 Bricks” was also produced Dilla and even more errie is that “Ason Jones” is produced by him while the song eulogizes ODB. Each guest lyricists brings their best work here and it seems like they understand that this album is something meant to expand the ideas they’ve had lately and that’s reverting back to the old school. This album is filled with the determination that is lacking from most music today.
4. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
It seems like 2009 will be the year that belonged to Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear in the indie-world. After a decade of making music, it seems AC finally have exploded with their “pop” record. The fact that this was released in January of 2009 and is still receiving so much praise exhibits the longevity that this album already has. There are the usual, and true, comments of this album having melodies that remind people of the Beach Boys. There’s not much more that can be said about the song that’s danceable and contains perfect harmonies and that’s been played everywhere. Except that I’ll add that “My Girls” should go into the book of “Best songs written by Americans”. It doesn’t get much more hyperbole than that now does it? I'll definitely regret that statement by this time next year.
At times I feel like this album is overhyped, but then I listen to “My Girls” which leads into “Also Frightened” which puts me in a trance and then that leads into uppity “Summertime Clothes” where that beat and those harmonies hypnotize me again. It’s like the music version of my favorite children’s book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”. Every song leads into another song that’s just as special or contains moments of pure genius. Before I know it, I’m being soothed by the calmness of “No More Running” before almost exploding towards the end of album closer, “Brothersport” and the repeated lyrics of “Until fully grown/ You got a real good shot/ Won’t help to hold inside/ Keep it real keep it real shout out”. And so there it is; an album that confirms with each listen that this really isn’t overhyped and proves me wrong every time I begin to think so.
3. Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
This album essentially sums up how I feel about 2009. It’s not overly artistic, it doesn’t have depth, and it won’t change my life; it will however, put me in a good mood and want me to have fun. I was actually pretty skeptical about this band mainly because the previous albums always were good, but seemed over-hyped. This album is pretty hyped and had I been in a different mindset I may have been turned off. However, I think I’ve stopped caring as much about if an album has depth, and in doing so, have realized this album is just damn good, no questions about it.
Every song is basically a hit, not just hit, but a fucking jam. Not like a club jam like Drake, but a white person jam, which consists of awkward dancing and singing along. You could put all these songs, minus shoegazer “Life Like a Sunset”, in a hat and pick any out to be the radio single. That may seem unappealing, but it’s really not the usual pop songs that make this album great. They do not always follow the general ABABCB format.
I read that they spent working over a year working on individual songs and it shows. You can tell that every single note of the album was carefully selected to make up a hit song. Nothing about this album actually feels organic, instead carefully manufactured. This is meant as a compliment. If you want 10 songs that could be all radio hits, this is for you.
2. Handsome Furs: Face Control
Often expectations can be completely wrong. I expected Brett Favre to throw 20 interceptions, I expected Obama to campaign in the middle of the road on stuff and then push policies he really wanted, and I expected Avatar to suck when I first heard about it . Favre turns out only threw 7 interceptions (though did end the season with a god-awful INT, Obama is actually really soft and definitely playing the usual game, and Avatar was mind-blowing. Lucky for me, Face Control does not fail to meet my ridiculously high expectations.
I have very few musicians who actually make me look at music in a different way. Kurt Cobain, Elliott Smith, Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, and I feel that Dan Boeckner is falling into that category. The combination of his Wolf Parade songs and now both Handsome Furs album songs are filling a spot in my life that I knew was lacking. Sometimes “indie’ rock lacks the actual ‘rock’ part. Not so with Dan Boeckner’s songs. His guitar lines may be simple at times, but he’ll always toss in something killer for 2 bars. Listen to the bridge on “Radio Kalingrad” or “I’m Confused” for examples of 15 seconds of guitar licks. His voice is commanding; imagine Beck’s voice but as the captain of a football team. There’s something powerful to each song he writes and this is exhibited on Face Control.
I’m thrilled this album doesn’t suck and I’m even more ecstatic that it fucking rocks. It gives me inspiration in what minimal music can do to sound great. There is some dancehall type bass and slightly dirty disco-like drums that pound; there are guitar riffs that would make Cobain smile and straightforward demanding lyrics. This is minimalism at its best.
At first listen, I wasn’t sure what to make at Face Control because I was still listening to Plague Park, the predecessor. My final thoughts are Face Control is overall a better, tighter, more consistent album, while Plague Park doesn’t pack the same consistent quality but it does have a few stronger individual songs. Really though, that’s not a bad position to be in, and combined, it makes for one hell of a catalog.
Group A: "Trancends this Decade"
1. The XX: XX
It’s one of those years where most of my top albums were ones that I had no idea they would be at the beginning of the year. The XX shoots to the close to the top of my list of debut albums that have come out during my music appreciations years (1998-present). Joining the ranks of Arcade Fire’s Funeral, Kanye West’s College Dropout, The Wrens' Meadowlands,The Strokes Is This It, YYY's Fever To Tell, are the few off the top of my head of albums that came out and I listened to it non-stop.
In fact for the XX, I had to make myself not listen to it because I thought I’d get sick of it (as usual, my self disciplined was not strong enough, but at least I haven’t tired of it yet either). This album also has the benefit of me obtaining it before spending a fantastic week in New York in which I had my own place and traveled and walked around a lot by myself until I met up with people. The XX, along with Raekwon, were the only two albums I listened to that entire week. They became the soundtrack to my walks in the city, multiple subway rides from Brooklyn back to the upper east side, and the strolls with a little dog I took care of at 4 am during the rain.
The XX fit perfectly with the rainy NYC late nights and early morning. Despite what you may think, things are pretty simple in NY during those times. There’s the random people who are walking dogs, people in the fairly calm drunk phase where they want to go home and pass out after grabbing a slice, and then of course people going home together to have sex. This is essentially the XX album. Simplistic boy/girl vocals, minimal guitar notes, an amateur sounding drum machine, and lyrics and sound just all about sex. Not dirty hate sex like Nine Inch Nails, but sensual sex between two people in the early stage of a relationship at 5 am after one of the first long nights out together.
Coming from the same music school as Burial and Hot Chip, one would maybe not expect such a minimal record. In fact, it’s so minimal that I question why these guys went to a music school to learn this. But there’s something to be said about the perfectly toned and simple sliding guitar notes that my personal favorite “Heart Skips a Beat” starts with before the back and forth lyrics between Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sam in which they take turns admitting “Sometimes I still need you” until the end where they come together and both sing “Heart skipped a beat/ And when I caught it you were out of reach/ But Im sure, I’m sure/ You’ve heard it before.” This is only one minor example of a song on an album that contains numerous of these moments on each of the eleven songs. It’s rare that an album so simplistic can have such an impact on me, but this is one that’s going to last for years to come.
