Albums 25 –
16
===
25.
Basement Jaxx: Kish Kash (XL; 80%)
While a couple of
the choices for special guests confuse me (JC Chasez? What the hell, guys?),
Kish Kash is a pleasingly consistent record, easily enjoyable from
beginning to end with little to no track skipping. Of course, if track skipping/cherry
picking is your “bag”, than allow me to make some recommendations:
“Good Luck”, “Lucky Star”, “Supersonic”, “Cish
Cash” and “Hot N Cold”. These seem like some of the strongest
tracks on the album and will get you moving, even if you are only moving in
your mind (the JC track, ‘Plug It In’, would have made the list if the lead
vocals had been handled by someone else). If you really liked Remedy
and/or Rooty or need an album that will work equally well at your next
homespun rave or chillout time, check out Kish Kash. –Andy Watkins
24.
Exploding Hearts: Guitar Romantic (Dirtnap; 81%)
It’s easy to dismiss
any album or band that is labeled as garage rock, pop-punk or neo-punk, and
for good reason. Like any passing fad, the rushed crap that is used to flood
the bandwagon can make even the most devoted fan sick of anything that even
resembles the watered down useless tripe that will constantly appear. The
Exploding Hearts, on the other hand, are able to succeed where most else fail:
the songs don’t suck.. Guitar Romantic removes any trace of “me, too!” from their sound and end up with ten tracks that are
fun as they are refreshing. –Scott Reid
23.
Explosions in the Sky: The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place (Temporary
Residence; 81%)
Though not the towering
accomplishment of Those Who Tell the Truth, its conscious focus on
intricate melody & restraint finds the band successfully developing and
growing into slightly new ground, even if the difference is mostly one of
volume and not style. It would have been nice to see the band explore significantly
new areas to secure a future unlike many of their peers that seem detrimentally
content in one particular style. Explosions are going to need to pull a few
more tricks out of their sleeves to stay as relevant and exciting in the future,
but for now it’s their impressive skill as songwriters and crafters of mood
that sets this album far apart from its predominantly exhausted brethren.
–Scott Reid
22.
Manitoba: Up in Flames (Domino; 81%)
There’s no elaborately
obvious complexity here. Really, Dan Snaith, the mastermind behind the entity
that is Manitoba, seems to have simply realized what makes pop moments brilliant,
found a hundred or so of these moments, and then packed them into one 39 minute
disc. It rides through, rocks your boat, and then leaves you dazzled and content.
–Amir Karim Nezar
21.
The Rapture: Echoes (Universal; 81%)
Word on the street
is these guys played in Ibiza and the whole crowd lost every ounce of shame
they had and absolutely fucking flipped. That’s evidence enough for me. If
you can inject some life into those jaded hipsters, then it’s proof enough
that these guys are doing the club-punk fusion damn well. Far and away one
of the best albums of the year, and without question the most fun. Seriously,
what the fuck else could you ask for? –Amir
Karim Nezar
20.
Blur: Think Tank (EMI; 82%)
Blur wasn’t consistent
because Coxon was wringing thunderstorms out of his guitar; it was because,
purely and simply, their songwriting was genius. Coxon was the super-tasty
icing on an already brilliant cake. People forgot about Alex James’ key basslines,
and Dave Rowntree’s drumming. So while idiots will immediately denounce this
album without listening to it purely because their fantasy-man, Coxon, is
gone, the true music-lover will look and say, “Holy shit. So who’s Graham
Coxon, again?” That’s right.aside, this is Blur’s best album to date
(Parklife and this album are different enough in sound to be almost
incomparable). Apparently a revelatory trip to Morocco helped. But whatever
the source, whether it be Albarn’s worldly music travels and soul-searching,
or no Coxon-influence, the album is drastically different from anything they’ve
done, and terribly beautiful to boot. –Amir
Karim Nezar
19.
Iran: The Moon Boys (Tumult; 82%)
The Moon Boys
is a kind of spontaneous, jagged melancholy that seems so unforced, so
beautifully natural, and so sonically edifying that you just can’t put the
mood to it. Sometimes it’s black, sometimes it’s hopeful, but all in all it
just tends to be fucking gorgeous. Fuzz and guitars and bass and serene, moon-struck
vocals never sounded so good mixed together. It’s messy, it’s sometimes incomprehensible,
it’s glorious. –Amir
Karim Nezar
18.
Menomena: I Am the Fun Blame Monster (Muuuhahaha; 82%)
Not since the Books
(or maybe TV on the Radio) has any band I’ve listened to (there are a lot
of them) blown up my critical biases like Menomena. I want to call this album
a revelation, but it seems too grandiose for a below-the-radar, nine-song
album from a band that almost no one’s ever heard of. Let’s just say it’s
startlingly original, uniformly beautiful, and heartbreakingly intimate. This
is not indie rock. It is just…capital-M, Music. The kind that gives you
something to say, for weeks on end, to those friends of yours who ask, “So
what exactly are your favorite bands?” or, “Have you heard anything
really amazing lately?” –Amir Karim Nezar
17.
The New Pornographers: Electric Version (Mint; 82%)
The bottom line:
Electric Version is a rare gem; a perfect summer record that won’t
start collecting dust come autumn. It’s a incredibly accessible and fun pop
record with considerable depth and variety (mostly thanks to the songwriting
talents of both Carl Newman, of Zumpano “fame” and Destroyer mastermind
Dan Bejar). Fused with more hooks in a single track than many entire albums,
the album constantly hits at least several times with each song. Relentless.
–Scott Reid
16.
Songs: Ohia: Magnolia Electric Co. (Secretly Canadian; 82%)
I would come to
listen to this album over and over again, but would have my hand readied on
the skip button as soon as “Almost Was Good Enough” was over. And
that’s a tragedy, on an 8-song album. That it goes from its peak to the most
glaring error imaginable just stung. It made the other small errors on the
record (the occasionally tame or too-slow melody supporting Molina’s unfailingly
excellent lyrics) stand out more. Where it doesn’t fail, it’s glorious. But
it does fail (hugely) at one point, and slightly in others, and the heartbreaking
feeling is that an album that could’ve made my top 10 is now struggling to
get into my top 20. Almost was good enough, but just barely. –Amir Karim
Nezar
