part two:The Top Ten (10-2):
#10: Deerhunter - Microcastle
I'm a little wary of the success of Deerhunter. The music's very good, but not great (I thought Cryptograms was fairly overrated) and Bradford Cox's (lead vocals/guitar) obvious physical deformities (he's got Marfan Syndrome) sort of makes Deerhunter a bit of a novelty, like it or not. Additionally, Bradford Cox's knowledge of music allows him to impart a lot of learned comparisons between his music and others', e.g.:
I know one song that I know is going to be on there is called "Twilight at Carbon Lake" and it's kind of a doo-wop, 50s/early 60s, Everly Brothers, but through this kind of schizophrenic lens.
That's all well and good, but, as I've stated time and time again - I don't care whether music is derivative of other stuff (or not), it's just about how good it is. That kind of high-brow talk only serves to make me more skeptical of the actual product.
Still, Microcastle is strong. It's a little challenging to separate it from the generally forgettable Weird Era Cont. which is perhaps why it's not a touch higher, but there are many good tracks. The one I linked might be one of my favorites of 2008. If I did a Top 100 tracks of 2008 I'd probably explode trying to get the list just right.
#9: Land of Talk - Some Are Lakes
Okay, so maybe this is more 90% personal enjoyment on this selection - I have a bona fide weakness for bands with female lead vocals. Excluding singer-songwriters, there's a pretty short list of viable bands that have this dynamic. I was off-the-cuffing with my buddy/co-worker Mike in the car in no particular order:
The Dresden Dolls
Garbage
No Doubt
The Breeders
Metric
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Rilo Kiley
(Anyone have anymore?)
I think Yeah Yeah Yeahs are probably a cut above the rest in terms of indie cred (I probably prefer them and Garbage), but there really aren't any world-beaters there. So, any occasion I get to hear quality rock bands with female vocals? Yes please. Also, Elizabeth Powell (lead vocals/guitar in Land of Talk) doubled as both Emily Haines and Leslie Feist when Broken Social Scene came to town, so some bonus points there too.
#8: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
On the original spreadsheet that was sent out to some Top Tenners, Vampire Weekend's album was tagged as:
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend, DBaggery Edition.
Google " 'Vampire Weekend' Backlash" and you'll see 21,000 results pop up. That's more than you'd get for Cut Copy, Blitzen Trapper, TVOTR, and H&LA combined. For those curious, Black Kids clocks in with ~13,000 hits. Actually, New York Magazine had a pretty spot on guess at Vampire Weekend's meteoric rise and then inevitable backlash. In fact, they even predicted the SNL appearance they'd make in "late 2008" (it was less than 2 months later). After the performance, most folks really zeroed in on the sweater. One commenter was fairly poignant in response to the performance:
As for the backlash, it was inevitable. A bunch of rich ivy league kids in cable-knit v-neck sweaters cannot coast into indie stardom without a collective cry of foul. Call it reverse classism or whatever. The fact that they play-up their affluence and pedigree only adds fuel to the fire. As a fan of music find this bands song boring and incidental, but as a person of modest means, I find their image outrageously annoying.
The music's the music though. If you don't find the VW album catchy and interesting, well, I don't get you.
#7: Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
I did my best to avoid peeping any ratings prior to doing my own. My one regret is having seen Mitch's #1 ranking for this album. I really killed this album when it first came out, but after awhile it mostly washes over me. The track I linked (So Haunted) at least features some dissonance while the rest is straight up bubblegummy electronic. I'm not hating on it, lord knows I've listened to my fair share of sunny/catchy electronic music, but there's just not enough emotional variability for me here I guess. In a way, I kind of liken this album to Justice's last year. Really freaking great the first 20 times you listen to it and then you've kind of had your fill. It's still at #6 though; I obviously enjoyed it a lot and will continue to like it.
#6: Air France - No Way Down EP
I love this EP. Love it. Unmitigated love. Like Roy Jones Jr., this album has probably, pound-for-pound, second-for-second, the best stuff on this list. What's troubling is that the EP is only 23 minutes long. If they produced an LP that was 35 minutes long, complimented by stuff that was 80-90% as good as the stuff on the EP, I probably would've deemed it Album Of The Year. To continue with the sports references, you could argue that David Ortiz finds himself in a similar position with respect to the Hall of Fame. Yeah, he put together a peak that's worthy of the HoF, but he just didn't have the staying power. Hopefully, though, Air France's forthcoming (forthcoming, dammit!) album will alleviate those concerns.
#5: Blitzen Trapper - Furr
For whatever reason, it took me until this year to really give Wild Mountain Nation a chance. That got me on BT's scent. They're certainly Americana (or alt-country, if you prefer), and the varied instrumentation really grabs me. The latter half of the album lags just a touch, which is probably what keeps it from ascending to the upper echelon.
#4: Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair
It's amazing how much different these guys sound in concert without Antony Hegarty. The vocals are a big part of this band and though they have strong tracks throughout, Hegarty is really key to the band's aesthetic. His androgynous absence at the concert I went to with Gnarls Barkley (where Gnarls sang Reckoner - really tremendous) was really a let-down, so much so that the Globe reviewer thought H&LA was utterly forgettable.
We're talking about the album, of course, and it would seem that the mastermind of DJ Andy Butler helped get this electro/dance gem off the ground and into the stratosphere. You can't help but listen to Raise Me Up, Blind, or Hercules Theme and not want to jump off the wall with glee and energy. In fact, I write this as I catch myself bobbing my knee up and down to "This Is My Love" :-)
#3: TV On the Radio - Dear Science
I like at least mildly interesting comments for each band, so here's my story:
Asked how TV On the Radio sounds, I responded, saying something to the effect of: "They've got a pretty varied indie rock sound. Lots of instruments, which is good. They've also got a tinge of something...hip hop, maybe." I thought about that comment for awhile because I wasn't sure why I thought they had any elements of hip hop other than just a visceral inclination to say so. I went back and listened to both Return to Cookie Mountain (another great disc) and Dear Science and after I found no overt reminders of hip hop, I was left with the plainly obvious. They look like they should be hip hop artists.
At least I'm cognizant of it now.
As with some of the other highly ranked albums here, the only knock is that the lesser songs are just a tick below in quality as compared with the best songs (Golden Age, Love Dog, Dancing Choose, DLZ, and Crying are probably the highlights).
#2: Elbow - Seldom Seen Kid
As I've described this album to many people, this is sort of what I feel like modern rock should sound like. The vocals, drums, and guitars are all clearly the focal points, but they don't eschew other instruments - piano, cello, trombone, violin, viola, and synths all appear on SSK. The album's very melodic and whether Elbow's speeding it up or slowing it down, the vocals are always very strong. Grounds for Divorce, track 4, is amongst the contenders for track of the year (it's linked up there, of course), and I'm not even quite sure if it's my favorite track on the album (The Bones of You). It's very pleasant, accessible, and should be recommended to anyone looking for some new tunes.
Bonus points for making music-sharing site http://elbo.ws/ feel especially relevant as a website title.
Extra bonus points for having a really classy jewelcase (font, centering, classic look) and for having a Rubik's Cube gracing its cover.
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