Sound It Out Records

This was a relatively uninspiring year for music that I like. Maybe it’s because I keep hoping every year will be as good as 2007, or perhaps I simply didn’t listen to enough new records. Maybe my favored brand of pop/rock/alternative music is dying along with the record industry, or maybe I’m just jealous that Aaron’s list is full of solid albums. Still, my best educated guess is that Spoon did not release a full length album this year. That must be it.

Seriously though: very few new ’09 releases gave me as much satisfaction as a couple of Lady Gaga songs (I did consider giving my Lady Gaga mix the #1 spot on this list – seriously). Also, I should mention that I don’t like including live albums of compilations on “Top 10″ lists. Nirvana – Live at Reading was easily one of the best things I heard all year, and the Dark Was The Night compilation wasn’t too shabby either. Disclaimers aside, here’s the list:

10. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Sleek, infectious and car-commercial-ready, this is the definitive indie-pop album of the year (I know that’s a lame pseudo-genre, but luckily that doesn’t detract from the quality of this release). If Side B was as good as Side A, this would have been a more serious contender. [Apparently, I need to keep writing to make sure the editing of this post doesn't fail, so I will add that this album almost missed its Top Ten slot to Neko Case - Middle Cyclone]

9. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

Crazy up-its-own-ass concept album with guest vocalists and heavy metal undertones by a particularly wordy band. At this point I can admit The Crane Wife should have a better shelf-life, but few albums this year have provided a listening experience as fascinating as this one. [I was rather bummed that the cold Chicago rain ruined my experience of seeing this record played live in its entirety, but still think it was worth it for me to stick around until "Repaid/The Wanting Comes in Waves"]

8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz

I wasn’t sold on this album until I heard many of these songs live. Then again, another Fever to Tell would have been redundant (and another Show Your Bones, for all of the original’s goodness, would’ve been no less than cringe-worthy). The YYY’s third full-length is yet another inevitable progression for this proudly artsy band, an album split half and half between bangers and ballads.

7. The Raveonettes – In and Out of Control

Just a (60s)pop-(80s)rock album with a Scandinavian twist; sometimes that’s all you need. Sadly, the cover is rather stupid, reinforcing my jealousy toward Aaron’s list. [Since I have already written a review's worth of ruminations on this album, I'll go ahead and sneak in another memorable mention: Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs, a great album that probably would have made this list if it wasn't for its eccentric track list]

6. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)

In the year of ambitious albums (I suppose 2009 was also a big lo-fi year, which doesn’t quite float my boat), this is as down-to-earth as Wilco has been in a long time; they may just be punching-in, but few major label bands do their job as well as Jeff Tweedy & cia. [At this point I'd like to include my third and final honorable mention, Stuart Murdoch's odd God Help The Girl project. In this case, the reason forthe exclusion from the Top Ten is probably bitterness: while this LP was definitely a treat, I could really use another actual Belle & Sebastian album]

5. jj – jj #2

This album is concise, dreamy, and (despite the weed leaf on the cover and a song called “Ecstasy”) can be enjoyed in any state of mind. When it’s over, play it again. I have been listening to this for the past couple of months trying to find flaw in its design, but other than a random shouting voice that taints a couple of seconds of its penultimate track, this is a very sharp record.

4. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion

Tempting as it may be to forget an album that came out in early January, MPP is a timely masterpiece within its own terms. “My Girls” and “Summertime Clothes” realy are that good. Even quirkier tunes (“Brothersport” and “Lion in a Coma”) featuring classic Animal Collective elements I’ve disliked in the past now simply shine. Part of me doesn’t want to rank it so high, but this is a crucial listen – the Kid A of 2009.

3. The xx – xx

2009′s best 3 a.m. album, whether you’re by yourself or have company, at a party or at home. With a delicate balance of originality and novelty, this is one tough band to pin down, making it harder to diss this them as “this year’s Vampire Weekend” (or Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah, or whatever other up-and-coming 2000s indie band-of-the-moment that generates intense online love and hate). Worthy of the hype, though I do hope we are through with these letter-letter band names.

2. Sunset Rubdown – Drangonslayer

The definitive art-rock album of the year. Each of the eight tracks is its own self-contained epic, humbly produced, reliant only on creative songwriting and emotional musicianship. Listening to this while reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was one of the highlights of my year. This is arguably a flawless record. Should have been an easy #1 if it wasn’t for…

1. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns

This record has triggered more emotional reactions than any other album I’ve heard through all of 2009. Although it’s not flawless, many of its songs get better, cozier, more welcoming each time around. “Daniel” is probably tied with another man-named song as my favorite tune of the year (the other one would be Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro”).

Bubbles anyone?

When it comes to this band, I used to be that one guy from the Tool song: “man, why can’t they just rock like they did on their first EP?”

No longer. This is the Raveonettes’ 4th full length; as was the case in the three albums that preceded it, the Danish duo’s sound on this record owes a great deal to early rock n’ roll and Jesus & Mary Chain (though I still swear that their first EP is actually a punk rock record), only this time they made the extra effort to infuse pop into the equation. Depending on how you feel about these influences, you may really like this album or perceive it as utterly unremarkable.

I think it fucking rocks. While the opener “Bang” is a bit shyer than the title may imply, it already shows that this is more of a feelgood album than 2007′s dark Lust Lust Lust… or at least as feelgood as a record featuring songs called “Boys Who Rape Should Be Destroyed”, “Suicide”, “D.R.U.G.S.” can be. It’s not a new gimmick: sugary music and gloomy subjects have been working great together even before The Cure did “Inbetween Days”. Yet it is precisely that trick that makes this album suitable to a wide range of the listener’s moods.

There is an abundance of great tracks here: the opener is followed by “Gone Forever”, a rocker that is arguably the best thing this band ever recorded. “Last Dance” is perhaps the album’s most shamelessly pop moment, so much it could have soundtracked an 80s teen movie (that’s a compliment). “Boys Who…”  is a much more pleasant listen than the title indicates; like most of the album, it features relatively simplistic lyrics that, while not to deep, can be quite witty at times.

Most impressively, the Raveonettes manage to keep the enjoyment level high all the way through, something they failed to accomplish throughout their first few LPs. They succeed here because of tracks like the riff-driven “Heart of Stone,” the awesomely bouncy “Breaking Into Cars”, and the one track that actually features feedback frenzy, “Break Up Girls!”.  Sure, there are a couple of quite good slower songs here and there, but this is mostly a classy, bubblegummy rock n’ roll affair.

FOR FANS OF: The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, John Hughes’ movies, 50s/60s rock n’ roll.

Best. Title. Ever.

Before you notice I have no idea what I’m talking about, let me tell you this: as much a record as a ride, Dragonslayer is a humble epic. That I have totally failed to find the right words to describe it should be beside the point: Spencer Krug – also of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs fame – has crafted the most imaginative set of songs I’ve heard in a long time (possibly my own fault) and given them the best album title, err… ever?

Dragonslayer‘s tracks make little sense on their own, or out or order. In this sequence, however, they make up a remarkably moving piece around a central metaphor (or so I perceive): an artist who sets out to “tell the kids” what the fuck is up by showing them the “ancient ways” of rock n’ roll. That said, the story is never clear, leaving you guessing what Icarus, dragon slayers, Nashville and eating butterflies all have to do with each other.

These carefully structured songs, often presented without (or with several) obvious choruses, are pestered with so many climaxes you’ll… nevermind, I’m not going there. Let’s just say that, three listens into this, you may still be wondering where these really badass parts are coming from. Spencer, what the fuck IS up?

This is definitely not Songwriting 101 territory. If you get over the titles and actually listen to “Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!” or  “You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II),” you may wonder what kind of lucky maniac would construct such bizarre yet beautiful tunes and have the right people to play them along with (think ridiculously creative guitar work at. the. right. time.). I thought last year’s Wolf Parade album was great, but this is the kind of “taking it to the next level” that would make Charles Barkley proud.

But really, this review isn’t going to make any sense unless you listen to this album a few times. All I can do is ask that you do so because, all along its twisted ways (but specially toward the end), Dragonslayer rocks. This music is progressive but not “prog”, a feeling perhaps enhanced by a production that is simple, straightforward, and not the least bit flashy. The guitar – one of the single best aspects of this album – works not in front of, but side-by-side with Sunset Rubdown’s keyboards’ ensemble. The latter is not to shabby either; the main keyboard section of “Nightingale/December Song” is painfully pretty, in an early-1900s kind of way. And, to be truthful, Krug’s vocals are rather dramatic, to the point that some listeners may not be able to take seriously. That will be a shame, because in this context they work wonders in enhancing the overall epic feel of the album.
It really comes down to this: the feeling you get when you listen to the goddamn-awesome end of “Dragon’s Lair”, the album’s closing track, will prove that Dragonslayer is worthy of both your time and a fuckin’ repeat. If you make it through the whole thing and that doesn’t hit you, it’s because you are clearly not a champion.

LISTEN TO THIS IF YOU LIKE: Wolf Parade, The Decemberists, the idea of Arcade Fire playing Tool songs.

Gotta love the logo.

Wilco pulls off a miracle right off the bat by opening its seventh studio album (not counting the Mermaid Avenue records with Billy Bragg) with the infamously titled “Wilco (The Song)” which, miraculously, does NOT come out as conceded or even silly, but rather as a good ol’ fashioned romp (albeit with some non-traditional guitar work). Like many other songs on this record, it would have comfortably fit into Summerteeth or another one of the band’s earlier albums. The strong opener is followed by the psychedelic – if there was ever a good connotation for the term, it applies to this song – “Deeper Down”, and the epic, instant-classic “One Wing”, a tune that manages to bring together many of Wilco’s most notorious qualities (inventive drumming, clean and tuneful guitars, melancholy vocal lines, overall old school feel).

By the time the experimental, mildly disturbing “Bull Black Nova” and simple, efficient Feist duet “You and I” come around, you get the feeling that Jeff Tweedy has taken his band exactly where he wanted: if Sky Blue Sky was a laborious listen, it was a necessary step toward a direction Wilco (The Album) is closer to perfecting. The “dad rock” vibe is certainly there, and there is no indication it will be going away anytime soon; this is perhaps best exemplified when, halfway through the album, Tweedy’s “I don’t care anymore” is coupled with a droplet of realism: “but you never know.”

Wilco‘s second half is nearly as strong, featuring “Country Disappeared”, the kind of mandatory self-hating, heart-wrenching ballad Tweedy delivers better than most of his contemporaries; the perfect-pop with an alt-country feel “I’ll Fight”; and the oddly nostalgic closer “Everlasting.”  Don’t be surprised if, at that point, you feel compelled to start the whole thing over.

In a way, it’s inevitable that some critics will label this record as too safe; conversely, the great thing about this album is the fact that Tweedy seems remarkably comfortable with the group’s sound, to the point Wilco (The Album) sounds almost effortless. In this release, they are not a band trying to push their boundaries, but rather a veteran act preserving their territory with a solid set of songs – much like what Radiohead did with 2007′s In Rainbows. A great album.

FOR FANS OF: Neil Young, My Morning Jacket, Feist, The Band

No, she doesn't live in Grand Rapids.

At first glance, the Bat for Lashes’ sophomore album is a tough sell: what is up with THAT cover? If such silly art-school photography experiment is an indicator of how half-assed this record is going to sound, listeners must be in for a clunker. Luckily for those who choose to take that next step, when it comes to making music Natasha Khan (the real person behind Bat for Lashes) comes out less like a poseur and more like the real deal.

The primary reference point of Two Suns‘ sound has to be Kate Bush. Just as Bush was originally “discovered” by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Khan received the Radiohead seal of approval when she was picked to open for them during their last European trek. Like Bush, Khan’s vocals also feel at home regardless of the minimalism or grandiosity of her songs’ arrangements: whether it’s the bare piano of “Moon and Moon” and the superb “Travelling Woman” or Two Suns’ denser highlights such as “Daniel” or “Glass”, her vocals remain the music’s focal point.

Bat for Lashes brings to mind other notorious female performers, notably PJ Harvey and Tori Amos, yet she rarely sounds like a copycat/rip-off of her predecessors (though I swear there’s a tune that sounds like “Siren Song” on Little Earthquakes). Aided both by the variety of its arrangements and the technological competence with which they are recorded, Two Suns sounds sharp, interesting, and unique: it’s not exactly an electronic album, nor is it easily qualifiable as pop, rock, or even “indie” (for the sake of making up a genre, how about “fantasy goth pop”?). Instead, it falls into the thankfully blurry “good music” category.

With plenty of idyosincratic moments, Two Suns surely won’t please everybody – if “Daniel” doesn’t do it for you, I’m not sure what will. Conversely, this is a difficult album to dismiss as “total crap”: despite its questionable outer appearance, this is at the very least a well-crafted and -executed record. Personally, this is the best thing I’ve heard so far in 2009.

FOR FANS OF: Bjork, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, PJ Harvey, The Knife / Fever Ray.

Metal-folk or medieval prog?

It doesn’t take much digging to realize that, even in the midst of the digital revolution, the concept of a “concept-album” is alive and well. Green Day likes the idea so much that they’re aiming for a repeat this summer with American Idiot‘s follow-up. Coheed & Cambria is apparently putting out boxsets. Neil Young has written a whole record about electric cars from the ’50s.

With all this in mind, the fact that the new Decemberists (whose leader, Colin Meloy, has always been prone to epic storytelling) is essentially a single prog-rock song broken into 17-tracks is not all that surprising. The real clincher is that this 52-plus minute song actually ROCKS and, at certain precious times, calls for some (almost) serious headbanging. The album has ’70s Rush stamped all over (not that 2112 and Hemispheres ever sounded this graceful). “A Bower Scene” and “The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing” wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Black Sabbath and Deep Purple; “Won’t Want for Love” made me fondly recall Therion and The Gathering (I know, right, who the fuck is that); the highlight ” The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid” brings down the house under the weight of guest singer Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) belting out like a female Freddie Mercury.

At this point I must admit I have no clue what the record’s storyline is about. I haven’t paid much attention to the lyrics, but apparently it has to do with baby-killing queens or something like that. It really doesn’t matter: if it sounds epic then it’s epic, and while I’m sure at some point I’ll sit down with the booklet and follow the plot, but until then I expect to be fully entertained by Hazards soft-then-heavy progressions, excellent guest vocalists, and overall grandiose demeanor. The record even pulls the dirty trick of recurring musical themes (the title track appears several times, and other bits and pieces come back around as well) that incidentally saves it from sagging in the middle like so many other ambitious prog records (think Mars Volta’s Frances The Mute), adding a whole new meaning to the term “replay value.”

By muscle alone, The Hazards of Love overpowers other Decemberists albums; it also happens to be superior in songcraft and ambition. Half-brilliant, half-mediocre works such as Picaresque and Castaways and Cutouts did yield better singles (there is nothing here that beats “Leslie Ann Levine” or “We Both Go Down Together”), but as full record, Hazards stands out as the Decemberists’ best.

LISTEN TO THIS IF YOU LIKE: old Rush, Queen, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, …and late-90s Gothic Metal?

Optical illusion included.

I know I start half of my reviews this way, but here it is: I didn’t care much for Animal Collective prior to this release. Yes, I did enjoy Panda Bear’s solo outing, 2007′s Person Pitch; and no, I have not heard every single A.C.  album (I tried their last two, Feels and Strawberry Jam; they left me bored and annoyed, respectively).

All in all, there was no indication I would be able to enjoy Merriweather Post Pavilion. That the album was already being hailed as a masterpiece weeks prior to its street date certainly didn’t help. But hell, I gave it a try, and while it would take me a few listens to get into several of the tracks, MPP did provide a good deal of instant pleasures: “My Girls” and  “Summertime Clothes” are catchy from the get-go, smartly positioned early into the album.

The more I came back for those two songs, the more chances the rest of the album had to develop. Scaringly enough, the whole thing started to sound really damn good. “Bluish” developed into a groovy, almost dance-y number; “Brothersport” became a carnival in the basement. From beginning to end, MPP presents itself as a densely layered album that hits you when you least expect – whether it’s the strange sounds, the slowly revealing melodies or the down-to-earth lyrics, there is enough material here to keep the listener coming back for a long time (at least until the summer!).

If you have never heard them and are expecting this review to provide you an idea of what A.C. sounds like, then you’re in a fucking rut. Thankfully, it’s not just random noise (though you wonder what the hell they are using to make those sounds). I can’t call them electronic music (which they partly are), much less pop music (though it is certainly catchy at times). It’s definitely not classic rock, but you can hear 1960s-influenced melodies in many of the tracks. Calling it experimental is equally silly, particularly because these guys have had 7 or 8 albums’ worth of material to try things out – at this point in their career, A.C. doesn’t sound like they’re experimenting anything, but rather consolidating what they’ve been building all along.

Based on my experience (listening to their last few albums) and research (reading about the handful of older ones), MPP is definitely Animal Collective’s most accessible work. Conversely, that in itself doesn’t make it an easy listen: this is pop music from the future, except the future is now and this will never be all that widely popular either. This is a remarkably unique group – something that often worked against them, in my opinion – and MPP is arguably their definitive statement; it’s too early to tell if this belongs up there with Kid A and Is This It? among the most iconic records of this decade, but they sure tried their best to make a case.

FOR FANS OF: hell do I know.

I don’t know how you feel about it, but for me this whole thing with indie bands borrowing a more classic rock sound is still far from getting old. I can only suppose this is a logic progression/regression considering how much early 2000s dance rock groups took from late 70s/early 80s new wave (see: Faint, Rapture, not to mention the Interpol/Joy Division love affair). Whether you believe today’s indie groups are as good as your construction worker friend’s favorite old band is of course a matter of opinion, but here’s a list to think about/disagree with:

• the Hold Steady OR Bruce Springsteen?
• Fleet Foxes OR Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young?
• Stephen Malkums circa 2008 OR the Allman Brothers?
• Black Mountain OR Black Sabbath?
• Of Montreal OR the Kinks?
• David Vandervelde OR T.Rex?
• Ryan Adams OR Neil Young?
• My Morning Jacket OR Pink Floyd… OR Lynyrd Skynyrd?
• The Raconteurs OR 98.1 FM The Bear?

In any case, plenty of moments throughout Wolf Parade’s At Mount Zoomer immediatly bring Roxy Music to mind. Granted, nothing quite sounds like Roxy Music because Bryan Ferry’s voice is (thankfully) quite uncommon, but instrumentally speaking this album sounds like Wolf Parade’s take on 70s art rock.The translation goes something like this: lots of keyboards, minimal yet efficient guitar work, and the one thing the Mars Volta is yet to learn: concise prog-rock songwriting.

Truthfully now, At Mount Zoomer would be a mess of an album if the interesting keyboard parts weren’t there to hold it together. With a number of songwriters and singers chipping in, Wolf Parade’s second full-length is not exactly a focused work. That said, this is the kind of album that begs for the listener’s attention: try playing it as background music and you will keep turning it back up for this or that part (another familiar Roxy Music situation).

As it turns out, At Mount Zoomer is full of highlights. “Language City”‘s ups and downs take the listener from a mean drive to the smoothest of keyboard sounds; “California Dreamer” goes from keyboard-ridden suspense to rock n’ roll explosion; the closing trio of “Fine Young Cannibals” (!!!), “An Animal In Your Care,” and the 10+ minutes of “Kissing the Beehive” is epic art rock at its best. Aside from the production and the timely indie rock vocals, At Mount Zoomer could have been released 30 years ago – which would have earned it the title of most unfashionable album of 1978.