Albums 40 –
31
===
40.
Pernice Brothers: Yours, Mine, and Ours (Ashmont)
There is absolutely nothing
fascinating or exciting about this album, but it is such solid pop rock, so
viscerally enjoyable, with such good melodies scattered throughout that it
more than makes up for its lack of inventiveness with pure enjoyment factor.
Often mellow, with great vocals, it’s atmospheric without being empty, and
emotional without being overly sentimental. “Baby in Two” and “Number
Two” are still two of the best tracks of the year. And that’s the heart
of this album – unchallenging, but lovely anyway.
39.
Cyann and Ben: Spring (Goooom)
Atmospheric, Sigur Ros-if-they-were-more-organic/folky-sounding
music, Cyann and Ben come from the same label that sponsors the geniuses behind
M83. From what I’ve seen so far, the label has damn good taste. Cyann and
Ben is no exception; “Spring,” is lonely, frosted prettiness, encased
in extended tracks that bleed mood and vague hurt, and whose lush sound is
often balanced out by its superb use of space. With some fairly simple elements
these guys construct phenomenal soundscapes, and while trying on the patience
if you’re not in the right mood, the album is downright devastatingly beautiful
when you’re in that wintry state of mind. Solid stuff.
38.
Explosions in the Sky: The World Is Not a Cold Dead Place (Temporary
Residence)
OK. You’ve already read the
“how EITS fits into the post-rock” intros that everyone and his
brother wrote in their reviews of this album. What I have to say is simply
this: I’m actually extremely surprised at just how well this album has held
up over repeated listens. On their previous albums, How Strange, Innocence
and Those Who Tell the Truth…, multiple listens usually led to
impatience with the slow builds that these post-rockers set up – however,
on The World EITS keep these build-ups interesting where they dragged before.
And while I doubt that in the future they’ll be getting as many spins as some
of the shorter and sweeter acts on this list, nonetheless, that they manage
to keep things interesting and hefty in an album with five long songs is a
remarkable feat. Ultimately, they’ve proved their relevance once again, even
as Mogwai and other fellow post-rockers start to miss the bar.
37.
The Decemberists: Her Majesty, the Decemberists (Kill
Rock Stars)
Well, I mentioned it before,
but this album is nothing new. As far as I’m concerned, The Decemberists nailed
their style with their debut LP, and it’s better than this album anyway. If
you really love these guys, buy this as well, but I didn’t go crazy over them
with Castaways and Cutouts, and having heard my friend’s copy of this
album several times, I don’t much care to buy it. Let me emphasize that it
is still an excellent album. But it just doesn’t do anything special for me,
and with bands more willing to stick their necks out, I’m willing to wait
until The Decemberists do something that really grabs my attention.
36.
Cat Power: You Are Free (Matador)
An excellent, excellent album
from a singer-songwriter, and the singer-songwriter is a self-limiting breed.
He or she must make the most out of just a voice, lyrics, and usually an acoustic
guitar. Unfortunately, it is consequently very difficult to succeed in this
venture, because there are only so many spare melodies that you can write,
and more often than not, these guys just suffer from being boring. Not so
with Cat Power – excellent melodies, fleshed out arrangements, beautiful themes,
and an overarching vulnerability make it a thoroughly impressive, if somewhat
inconsistent, affair.
35.
The Deadly Snakes: Ode To Joy (In
The Red)
We didn’t review it (like
a handful of other albums here), but it still deserves mention. In the throwback
manner of the Exploding Hearts, the Deadly Snakes are a combination of Dylan’s
voice with almost pure Rolling Stones (good days Rolling Stones). It’s bluesy,
it’s got handclaps, it’s derivative, but it’s extremely enjoyable. There’s
no gimmick here; these guys obviously loved their influences, but make their
own songs out of them; you’ll recognize the Deadly Snakes when you hear them.
The songwriting is solid, the execution is skilled, and while this might be
a one-trick pony, the trick is so far pretty damn neat, even if it sometimes
tires after a little while.
34.
Franz Ferdinand: Darts of Pleasure EP (Domino)
The first of three EP’s to
make this list, Franz Ferdinand have seemed to finally make the bridge that
we’ve all fantasized about between The Strokes and Interpol. With superb drumming,
great bass lines, and usually excellent guitar, this three-song tease can
only whet our appetites for a full-length. Yet, though criminally brief it
nonetheless shows what a variance of style the group has at its disposal.
If they keep things tight, if they don’t take themselves overly seriously,
we could have the new hipster love in rock. All signs seem to point to yes.
33.
Panthers : Let’s Get Serious EP
(Dim Mak)
It’s funny – the title of
the EP almost makes their first full-length seem like the joke that they realize
wasn’t funny. And it wasn’t. But this EP signals a hugely different direction.
Angular guitar interplay, great bass lines, and vicious percussion make the
renovated Panthers an enormously promising act to watch in the future. Blistering
your ears with a sound that threatens to fracture your speakers, Panthers
rip, roar, and careen through five tunes of unpredictable, savage guitar punk/rock.
Searing, dynamic, and unforgiving, it has consistently impressed me throughout
the year, and its tightness indicates not only that Panthers have found their
style, they’ve reined it in for an explosive, controlled anarchy of fantastic
rock. A full-length of this caliber will blow a hole in your chest.
32.
Pleasure Forever: Alter
(Sub Pop)
Ooh, these guys are nasty.
Their guitars are nasty, gymnastic, sludgy; their bass is slithering and seditious;
their piano line lascivious and lush; their vocals pure depravity and profligacy.
Rippling with dangerous energy and a ferocious guitar/rhythm ethic, Andrew
Rothbard and company come out with another kick in your face. This time though,
they’ve toned down the over-indulgence, and come at you with tight, bristling
rock punches and piano-ridden vicious hooks. Exceedingly sharp, and more original
than most, Pleasure Forever may have a ridiculous name, but their album is
almost entirely consistent, and wonderful in its own mean, nasty way.
31.
Ted Leo: Hearts of Oak (Lookout)
A straight-up, no-posturing,
fairly solidly consistent piece of rock. It doesn’t top The Tyranny of
Distance, but its sensibilities are still in the same vein. It’s not a
big departure, it’s not particularly groundbreaking, but it’s so honest and
earnest in its love of rock, Ted is so enthusiastic about every chord he jams
out in his solos, that it would be a crime to pass it over just because it’s
not amazingly innovative. Why care so much when it gives you so much listening
pleasure?
