Mid-year Music Review
It's been nearly two months since my last post, and I can't blame activity for the lapse. And try as I might, I can't even blame Hardee's Philly Cheesesteak ThickBurger, though I'd love to. I've simply led the dullest of lives, oscillating between the lake and the couch, stopping once in a while to make a buck. I have, therefore, had some time to digest this year's crop of music, and on the heels of Justin Timberlake's excruciating disappointing single, Sufjan Stevens' adequate collection of B-Sides and Thom Yorke's shrug-your-shoulderish debut album, I've decided to compile a mid-year list of bests.
Albums of the first half:
Tier 1: Gems
"The Life Pursuit," Belle & Sebastian: the finest sing-along licks of the year.
"Powder Burns," The Twilight Singers: a thick cut of juicy tunes that constantly pulse forward.
"Everything All the Time," Band of Horses: straightforward, but gets surprisingly more relevent with each listen.
Tier 2: Right on the Nose
"Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Wives," Voxtrot: Only an EP, but solid throughout.
"Everything All the Time," Band of Horses: A collection of epics, carried by a unique voice and jingle-jangle guitars.
"Let's Get Out of This Country," Camera Obscura: The breakthrough album for B&S Scottish counterparts.
"Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," Neko Case: Best female vocal on the market.
Tier 3: Pleasant Discoveries
"Bang Bang Rock and Roll," Art Brut: A bitter Brit who talks you through his troubles.
"It's Never Been Like That," Phoenix: The next wave of catchy guitar action.
"Begin To Hope," Regina Spektor: Less-hyped than other female soloists (Case, Martha Wainwright, Fiona Apple), but nearly as clever and interesting.
Tier 4: One Album Away
"Destroyer's Rubies," Destroyer: Wade through the mess of decadence and you might find a song or two.
"Twelve Stops and Home," The Feeling: Prematurely anointed by me as the next Magic Numbers.
"The Warning," Hot Chip: For all your techno needs, look no further.
"Duper Sessions," Sondre Lerche: Get in touch with your acoustic self.
Tier 5: Slightly Askew Heavy Hitters
"At War With the Mystics," The Flaming Lips: A huge falloff from "Yoshimi..." but still worth the listen.
"St. Elsewhere," Gnarls Barkley: A great idea, a few great songs, but too many holes.
"3121," Prince: Return to his classic sound was fun, but he's lost a bit.
Tier 6: Too Early to Tell
"The Avalanche," Sufjan Stevens: Not a real album, per se, but a collection of B-Sides from "Illinois."
"The Eraser," Thom Yorke: This album may push my threshold for Yorke's "brilliance."
"Return To Cookie Mountain," TV On the Radio: From all indications, this could be solid (See: David Bowie cameo).
16 Songs to check out:
16. "Crazy," Gnarls Barkley: Only at 16 because, if you haven't heard it, stop hitting snooze. The song of the summer at this point.
15. "Fill My Little World," The Feeling: Another run-of-the-mill British pop-rock song with classic harmonies, power chords and dancing keyboards.
14. "European Oils," Destroyer: One of the more manageable tracks from the lengthy album.
13. "Paradise Here Abouts," Howe Gelb: A bluesy, gospelish jam sung in that sort of Edwin McCain speaking voice style, only not so terrible unlistenable.
12. "The Majestic Suffix," Danielson: Hard to imagine a voice this terrible can be making records, but the orchestration makes up for it.
11. "Boy From School," Hot Chip: A magical jumble of beeps, doots, and weeowwowws.
10. "On the Radio," Regina Spektor: You tell me, is this Fiona Apple singing?
9. "Lolita," Prince: A classic sexy Prince jam, but a PG one.
8. "Emily Kane," Art Brut: Frenetic, punky guitar accompanied by awkward, desperate-to-rhyme lyrics. Somehow, this works.
7. "Consolation Prizes," Phoenix: Probably not the best tune on this upbeat disc, but there's something to be said about a song that coats your brain.
6. "Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives," Voxtrot: Think Coldplay with an edge. That's the best I can do.
5. "The Great Salt Lake," Band of Horses: A monster song, strong beat.
4. "Hold On, Hold On," Neko Case: A beautifully sung alt-country song with terrific vocal lines.
3. "Goin' On," The Flaming Lips: A predictable chord progression surprises, and Wayne Coyne delivers his best vocal performance of the millennium.
2. "Sukie In the Graveyard," Belle & Sebastian: Much like the #1 song, multiple songs from the album could have been chosen, but this one grooves the smoothest.
1. "There's Been An Accident," The Twilight Singers: A clinic in building a song through layering and anticipation. The pressure rises by the second before finally exploding in a moment of gut-wrenching power.
If you have any music recommendations, please give them to me. I'll be updating soon.
Albums of the first half:
Tier 1: Gems
"The Life Pursuit," Belle & Sebastian: the finest sing-along licks of the year.
"Powder Burns," The Twilight Singers: a thick cut of juicy tunes that constantly pulse forward.
"Everything All the Time," Band of Horses: straightforward, but gets surprisingly more relevent with each listen.
Tier 2: Right on the Nose
"Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Wives," Voxtrot: Only an EP, but solid throughout.
"Everything All the Time," Band of Horses: A collection of epics, carried by a unique voice and jingle-jangle guitars.
"Let's Get Out of This Country," Camera Obscura: The breakthrough album for B&S Scottish counterparts.
"Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," Neko Case: Best female vocal on the market.
Tier 3: Pleasant Discoveries
"Bang Bang Rock and Roll," Art Brut: A bitter Brit who talks you through his troubles.
"It's Never Been Like That," Phoenix: The next wave of catchy guitar action.
"Begin To Hope," Regina Spektor: Less-hyped than other female soloists (Case, Martha Wainwright, Fiona Apple), but nearly as clever and interesting.
Tier 4: One Album Away
"Destroyer's Rubies," Destroyer: Wade through the mess of decadence and you might find a song or two.
"Twelve Stops and Home," The Feeling: Prematurely anointed by me as the next Magic Numbers.
"The Warning," Hot Chip: For all your techno needs, look no further.
"Duper Sessions," Sondre Lerche: Get in touch with your acoustic self.
Tier 5: Slightly Askew Heavy Hitters
"At War With the Mystics," The Flaming Lips: A huge falloff from "Yoshimi..." but still worth the listen.
"St. Elsewhere," Gnarls Barkley: A great idea, a few great songs, but too many holes.
"3121," Prince: Return to his classic sound was fun, but he's lost a bit.
Tier 6: Too Early to Tell
"The Avalanche," Sufjan Stevens: Not a real album, per se, but a collection of B-Sides from "Illinois."
"The Eraser," Thom Yorke: This album may push my threshold for Yorke's "brilliance."
"Return To Cookie Mountain," TV On the Radio: From all indications, this could be solid (See: David Bowie cameo).
16 Songs to check out:
16. "Crazy," Gnarls Barkley: Only at 16 because, if you haven't heard it, stop hitting snooze. The song of the summer at this point.
15. "Fill My Little World," The Feeling: Another run-of-the-mill British pop-rock song with classic harmonies, power chords and dancing keyboards.
14. "European Oils," Destroyer: One of the more manageable tracks from the lengthy album.
13. "Paradise Here Abouts," Howe Gelb: A bluesy, gospelish jam sung in that sort of Edwin McCain speaking voice style, only not so terrible unlistenable.
12. "The Majestic Suffix," Danielson: Hard to imagine a voice this terrible can be making records, but the orchestration makes up for it.
11. "Boy From School," Hot Chip: A magical jumble of beeps, doots, and weeowwowws.
10. "On the Radio," Regina Spektor: You tell me, is this Fiona Apple singing?
9. "Lolita," Prince: A classic sexy Prince jam, but a PG one.
8. "Emily Kane," Art Brut: Frenetic, punky guitar accompanied by awkward, desperate-to-rhyme lyrics. Somehow, this works.
7. "Consolation Prizes," Phoenix: Probably not the best tune on this upbeat disc, but there's something to be said about a song that coats your brain.
6. "Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives," Voxtrot: Think Coldplay with an edge. That's the best I can do.
5. "The Great Salt Lake," Band of Horses: A monster song, strong beat.
4. "Hold On, Hold On," Neko Case: A beautifully sung alt-country song with terrific vocal lines.
3. "Goin' On," The Flaming Lips: A predictable chord progression surprises, and Wayne Coyne delivers his best vocal performance of the millennium.
2. "Sukie In the Graveyard," Belle & Sebastian: Much like the #1 song, multiple songs from the album could have been chosen, but this one grooves the smoothest.
1. "There's Been An Accident," The Twilight Singers: A clinic in building a song through layering and anticipation. The pressure rises by the second before finally exploding in a moment of gut-wrenching power.
If you have any music recommendations, please give them to me. I'll be updating soon.
posted by Kristie at 11:20 AM
0 comments
