Albums 20 –
11
 
===

20.
TV on the Radio: Young Liars EP (Touch & Go)
In an interview, the members
of TV on the Radio said that they plan to get even weirder on their full-length.
Well, let’s just say this: if by “weird” — which could also be
used to describe this EP –they mean “great” –which uniformly describes
this EP –we’re in for a hell of a ride. For an EP to make this list at all
means that it not only is solid itself, but that it shows remarkable promise
for a full-length. That TV on the Radio made it this high indicates exactly
how freakin’ good their EP is. They are enormously original, dark, and spare.
Their arrangements fill out hollowed space, surrounded by low synths and electronic
fuzz, and undercut with sinister percussion, with Tunde Adebimpe’s stunning
vocals and YYY’s Nick Zinner’s guitar stabs. The effect is remarkable, and
the band immediately seizes you, and holds you tight. A ton of potential is
evident here; let’s hope they fulfill it.

19.
My Morning Jacket: It Still Moves (ATO)
This band took a while to
bring me around to liking them; MMJ sounds like they are composed of oh, fifty
different musicians who recorded in an empty orchestra hall. Their sound is
so lush and huge that it initially seemed like pure over-bombastic self-indulgence.
But beneath the extremely bombastic veneer is beautiful songwriting, complex
instrumental interaction between bass and guitar and any number of extra embellishments,
and a bright, pounding heart. There is not a single really disappointing song;
it is almost uniformly solid. And while it doesn’t take your breath away as
many times as say, the top five, it’s got enough killer moments to make you
swoon and fall deep into its languorous orchestral alt-country arms, to fall
asleep to its reverbed vocals like a little babe.

18.
The Strokes: Room on Fire (RCA)
Before anyone starts bitching,
lemme say quickly that I know, I know, why is Room on Fire so high
up when it didn’t really improve significantly on the formula that made Is
This It? an unassuming piece of great rock? Well, I don’t have too much
of a legitimate answer because, put simply, the Strokes don’t really have
to change up their formula. Theirs is such a universally great garage sound,
their rock so purely enjoyable in its rawness and guitar interplay, that really,
as long as their songs changed just a wee bit over the course of their new
releases, I would still be listening. Plus, it would be unfair to pin these
NYC cooler-than-thou kids with being uninspired. The new use of fighting guitars,
with one strumming and the other following single-note guitar lines, is not
only reminiscent of Television circa Marqee Moon, it’s executed perfectly.
The changes might not be flooring, but then again they don’t have to be. Not
quite as good as Is This It?, but it would be a crime not to own it.

17.
The Rapture: Echoes (Universal)
It’s been difficult to deny
that over time the appeal of The Rapture has lessened; ultimately, despite
outbursts of skill in many of their songs, there is, at places, an overtaking
of songwriting effort by pure zeal. But then again, that’s what keeps them
as such an important band in the emerging, evolving dancepunk scene; they’re
less involved with the trappings of being a Big Thing than in simple flailing
around with the kind of livewire enthusiasm that hipsters and indies tend
to forget ought to be part of the equation. Do they need to develop more in
the future? Absolutely, but, for now, the enormous contribution that they’ve
supplied to their scene, and killer songs like “House of Jealous Lovers,”
and “Sister Savior” ought to be enough.

16.
Outkast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (La
Face)
These guys fucking rule.
There is so much hip-hop brilliance between the twin gods of funk on this
double set that it threatens to stretch your ass out from all the hip shaking
it induces. My (and apparently everyone else’s) sole complaint is that while
the boys were extremely tight before, it seems that when they’re each given
their own full disc, a little bit of focus gets lost; in particular, Andre
3000, while he has claim to nearly all of the highest moments on the collection,
also has some of the lowest moments, where his songwriting isn’t as developed.
Big Boi, on the other hand, has a bunch of killer tracks, but the feeling
that I can’t help getting is this: if they each wanted to do their own thing,
they should’ve just split two sides of the same CD and saved us some of the
trouble of their inter-song skits and intros/outros. Nonetheless, by a long
shot once of the best hip-hop albums all year, the genius of it far outweighs
its occasional lack of restraint.

15.
Giddy Motors: Make It Pop (Fat
Cat)
Yeah, buddy. These guys made
it up pret-ty high on the list. And with enough face-smashing reason. This
is one of those albums that I mentioned in my intro as “making a significant
departure. The Giddy motors sound like nothing else you’ve heard all year
– flawless, magnificent percussion, jazz ethic, and searing guitar make them
a hell-out-of-the-gates act. The thing is, they are so brilliantly inventive,
so confident, that the sound, while abrasive destruction-on-wheels, is oddly
inviting, no matter what your biases against noise-rock/noise-punk whatever.
That a two man group could be so clever, so dangerous, is delightful. That
they do it with such skill and aplomb is what makes it great.

.
14.
Manitoba: Up in Flames (Domino)
Electro-pop at its best,
the sampling work of Dan Snaith and the plethora of sound arrangement that
he packs onto this 30-some minute disc of pure bliss make for pure hook-high
glory. Exceedingly original, full of life, and complex, Up in Flames is a soundtrack to joy. I knew it would be great from the moment I heard the
manipulated vocal samples of “I’ve Lived on a Dirt Road All My Life,” breathy and lovely. Over the course of a year of extended listening, it’s
not aged a day, and still remains the best electro-pop album I have in my
collection. Maybe not quite as diverse as the higher albums on this list,
but you will rarely tire of it, because it’s tight and sweet.

13.
Stars: Heart (Paper
Bag)
A streamlined, elegant masterpiece,
Stars have only improved upon the already beautiful formula they found with
Nightsongs, creating an album that’s warmer, more lush, more complex, and
which incorporates a ton of new elements and atmospheres. No longer content
to just break your heart in some cool way or another, one of the greatest
indie-pop bands continues to keep the dream alive with new, warmer ironies
and heartfelt lyrics. Disguising their world of hurt in a world of sonic sugar
and spice, electronic touches intermingling with organic instruments, they
envelop you, dig their beautiful hooks into your heart, and make you bleed
with them even as they elevate you. They’ve done no wrong in the past, and
it seems they’re unable to, period. With new directions in the future opened
up with the incorporation of M83 elements, their quality of music can’t seem
to help but improve every time. Without an ounce of posturing, they drive
home the excellence once more.

12.
Super Furry Animals: Phantom Power
(XL)
The Welsh pop-geniuses create
another great album. Departing from their previous efforts, it’s more mellow,
Brian Wilson-esque harmonizing and perfect melodies. If I have to explain
to you why they’re up here, then, well, you’re already hopeless. In fact,
there’s only one word that needs to be said concerning why these masters of
pop and melody are always at the top of the lists: Duh.
 

11.
The Unicorns: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?
(Alien8)
Like the horse at the back
of the pack that comes up out of nowhere to steal the show, the Unicorns hit
the indie scene late in the game, and to uniform praise, to which I’ll add
my own. But beware: while they write great hooks, unpredictable songs and
melodies, and play with an almost giddy earnestness, there is a lot here that’s
studied. Make no mistake, this is a careful effort gilded with a sheen of
spontaneity. How do I know? Well, the thing is, despite their obvious brilliance,
The Unicorns are in many ways obviously trying to make you think of them as
kids recording in a bedroom through their haphazard use of bells and whistles
that don’t need to be there. They’re the indie band that tries too hard even
though they don’t have to, because they’re obviously enormously skilled. Don’t
get me wrong; this is excellent pop in many, many ways, and by a good margin
one of the best of the year. But the guys need to get tighter, and a little
less twee before they really become the Next Indie Thing. This kind of charm
can wear itself out if repeated on a second album – just look at what’s happened
to Phil Elvrum.