The Top 50 Albums of the Decade

The past decade has been good to us, beginning with the question that prelude's every decade:  what music will define this decade?  For me, the 2000s were absolutely the decade for indie rock!  I'm not alone in this thought either.  The genre exploded into mainstream consciousness over the course of the last 10 years, thanks in large part to the internet, iPods, and digital music in general.  I probably consumed more music in a single year of this decade than I had in all my years prior to it!

But the list below isn't just a list of indie music.  It is simply a list of my favorite albums, and the memories that each one of them bring to mind.  I hope you find some enjoyment in my reflections on the greatest decade I've yet to live through, and I hope that this next 10 years is just as kind to us.

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The Top 31 Albums of 2008 (Pt. 2)

#20: Ladytron: Velocifiero - For all the praise poured on Ladytron over the years, it wasn’t until Velocifero that I really think I figured out what the band was all about. Does that mean I absolutely adore it and listen to it a few times a week? Hardly. But for once, I can say that Ladytron is enjoyable if you’re in the right mood. That mood doesn’t come around too often, but every now and then you just want some thick, wet....synths. What? What did you think I would say?

#19: Headlights: Some Racing, Some Stopping - Headlights’ debut album was a masterpiece of indie rock with some really catchy and meaningful songs. In 2006, it easily made it into my Top 10. This year, the band tried something different, which is always appreciated. They took off a bit of the polish, focused in more on a particular sound, and took Erin Fein off of lead vocals quite often. The result is a satisfying album that is just barely outdone by its predecessor.

#18: Dieter Schoon: Lablaza - If there’s one album in the Top 20 that absolutely no one has ever heard, it’s probably this one. Do yourself a favor and download “The Harbour’s Cold” or “Jethead” and find out what you’re missing. Lablaza is a inventive vision of electronic music that deserves to be heard outside of the artist’s native Sweden.

#17: Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles - I should make myself absolutely clear when I say that Alice Glass is an absolutely worthless piece of garbage. Well, her vocals at least. For as brilliant as Crystal Castles’ debut is, there are just moments when she comes in and ruins everything with her whiny screams. Fortunately, tracks are more than skippable, and if you do yourself the favor of not loading those songs on your iPod you’ll find that the rest of this album is absolutely amazing. This coming from a guy who up until about a year ago swore off of most types of electronic music.

#16: Sia: Some People Have Real Problems - Sia’s third LP is easily her best, and fortunately, her most commercially successful. Throwing away much of the melancholy from her past albums, Sia returned with a triumphant, exuberant record that displays the full talent of her voice and, in my book, clears her a spot right up towards the top of the greatest vocalists of all time. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, if only on the inside, and you’ll keep listening to it for months. Just an awesome album.

#15: My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges - Note to Jim James: lose the falsetto, it doesn’t work. Honestly, MMJ’s frontman’ s vocals were sketchy enough as it was, but the Prince impression is severely lacking. The best moment’s from Evil Urges were reserved for when the band was doing what they always do; play great, southern-tinged rock music.

#14: The Notwist: The Devil, You + Me - In my review for this album I stated that it doesn’t necessarily succeed expectations as much as it does defy them. I’ll stick to my guns on that one, for as much as The Devil falls short of the band’s 2002 masterpiece Neon Golden, it is still an amazing album that I think most were not expecting. The band’s addition of strings and prominent guitars make for an interesting if not entrancing listen.

#13: Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes - If there were one reason why you should read this list, it’s for this: Fleet Foxes is not #1. Take a deep breath. Get it all in there because you won’t see that often in 2008. Now I loves me some Fleet Foxes, that’s why they beat out some of my favorite bands to make it this far on the list, but their debut is not the perfect album that many are making it out to be. It is focused, moody, it makes you feel like taking a trip to Appalachia, but as far as bringing out emotion, action, thoughts out of the listener, there are others that just did it better this year. They are as follows....

#12: The Streets: Everything is Borrowed - Sometimes music critics just sort of blow my mind. For they most part, they had nothing but praise for Mike Skinner’s first two LPs and nothing but disdain for his last two. I’ll go ahead and advocate the opposite, because to me, the artist has finally come into his own. He’s finally making songs that are more universal, more catchy, could actually be considered hip hop. Everything is Borrowed is far from perfect, and it may not be as emotionally gripping as his past albums, but to call it a dud would just be an injustice.

#11: Portishead: Third - The only album I rated with a 9 this year that fell out of the top 10, Portishead’s comeback album still deserves a hell of a lot of credit. Were I a depressed college kid, this album would have easily been closer to the top of my list. But 2008 was a good year for me, and I found myself happier than I’ve been in quite a few years. As such, it doesn’t seem right for me to move this album higher when I just couldn’t devote myself to the doom and gloom that it bleeds. Still, if you find yourself with black hair, black clothes, and a razor blade fantasy, check it out. At least you won’t be 100% stereotypical.

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The Top 31 Songs of 2008

In years' past, I have made it a point to post my songs and albums together in one long, tedious, and confusing list.  This year, I've simplified the process just a little bit.  Don't get cocky, I did it mostly for myself - but you can still be grateful.  Below you'll find my Top 31 Songs of 2008 in one glorious list.  I've even sprinkled it with some commentary because, well, this is a blog after all.  Enjoy the list and be sure to tell me what your #1 (or Top 5 or 31) are.

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#31: "Got Your Number" by Nadia Oh - It should be known that I fully understand that Nadia Oh is without an ounce of verifiable talent. It should also be known that I'm a sucker for good production and a catchy tune. And my standards have dropped significantly this year. Obviously.

#30: "The Score" by Chris Walla

#29: "Boracay" by The Little Ones

#28: "I'm Amazed" by My Morning Jacket

#27: "White Composition" by Darker My Love

#26: "Dark Leaves From a Thread" by Destroyer

#25: "Crisis 1 & 2" by The Dears

#24: "Walking" by The Dodos

#23: "Valerie Plame" by The Decemberists - Who would've thought that one of the most hilarious, catchy tunes of the year would be from a collection of mediocre songs brought to us by The Decemberists?

#22: "Triphallus, to Punctuate!" by Of Montreal - It's two songs in one, and both songs are equally enchanting, exciting, and lovable.

#21: "Souled Out!!!" by Conor Oberst

#20: "Jager Yoga" by CSS - The title doesn't sound fun at all. The song does.

#19: "Cath..." by Death Cab for Cutie

#18: "Get-Well Cards" by Conor Oberst

#17: "Kill the Director" by The Wombats

#16: "Courtship Date" by Crystal Castles - I've only just recently started listening to Crystal Castles, but I can confidently say that their debut album is one of the coolest things to happen to electronic music in a while. This song is my favorite from the record.

#15: "Txt Me Yr Love" by Wallpaper - If you listen to one song on this list, make it this one. But come on, just listen to 'em all!

#14: "Couleurs" by M83 - I don't care which country you're from, that's an incorrect way to spell "colors."

#13: "Id Engager" by Of Montreal

#12: "Grapevine Fires" by Death Cab for Cutie

#11: "Bye Bye Bye" by Plants and Animals - The best "Bye Bye Bye" since JT had Jheri Curls.

#10: "The Devil, You & Me" by The Notwist - One could make the argument that this is the greatest song The Notwist has ever written. I might be inclined to agree.

#9: "Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend - The first several times I listened to VW's debut, this one just didn't stand out among the afro-pop stylings of "Mansard Roof" or "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa." After a year or so of letting it sit, this one is the stand-out for sure!!

#8: "The Escapist" by The Streets - Mike Skinner's latest is a fun romp through the ususal, though it lacks a bit of the emotion that I enjoyed from his previous record. "The Escapist," however, is more than enough reason to pick up this album. The rest of the songs ain't bad either.

#7: "The Re-Arranger" by Mates of State - The "Biggest Disappointment of the Year" award may go to the Mates' newest record, but you simply can't deny the heart put into the title track.

#6: "Market Girl" by Headlights - It started the year as one of my favorite tracks and showed more resiliency than any other song on this list. Do yourself a favor and check out this catchy tune.

#5: "To Pluto's Moon" by My Brightest Diamond - Shara Worden is a genius - we all knew that. But "To Pluto's Moon" is not only her crowning achievement of 2008, but perhaps her entire (brief) career. It's hard to imagine her being able to being able to top such an honestly heartbreaking song.

#4: "Dita Dimone" by Pop Levi - If 2008 has done anything for me, it has reaffirmed my love for pop music. This list, and others to come, are filled with great pop music. This just happens to be one of the best songs of the year, not to mention one of the best pop tracks.

#3: "Ill Willed Person" by Jaymay - Early on, "Sea Green, See Blue" was my favorite. Nowadays, I simply can't get enough of Jamie Seerman's "other" track. "Ill Willed Person" is such an emotional and truthful song that you simply can't hate it.

#2: "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" by Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes has been this year's IT band, and I feel that a lot of that hype is undeserved. While putting together a solid album, the band has also revealed a lot of flaws and gaps in creativity. This song, however, is one thing that they did right; very, very right.

#1: "Kim & Jessie" by M83 - It was my favorite song of 2008 when it released. It is my favorite song of 2008 now. It will probably be my favorite song of 2008 in 2009, 2010, and pretty much every moment until the world ends in 2012 (the ancient Mayans' call - not mine). The simple truth is that Anthony Gonzalez has a masterpiece on his hands. I simply could not get enough this year.

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Now the big question is "When will that albums list be up?"  The good news is that it's compiled and ready to be go.  That bad news is that I'm not telling.  :)

Go ahead and enjoy that tense anticipation.  

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Moods - Introspective

Hey, what is this feature?  Oh, it's Moods, the feature where I pick a specific mood and then build a playlist off of that.  Nice!  I almost forgot it existed.

Ever get in one of those moods where you just have to sit back and self-evaluate; where you sit back and ask yourself those really deep questions that you try to avoid most of the time?  That, friends, is called "introspection" or "the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional process."  It can be quite helpful in determining who you are, who you want to become, and what you want out of life.  

But introspection has it's drawbacks too.  For example, I don't think a person is capable of being introspective when an *Nsync song is playing in the background.  You'll either a.) start dancing and singing along (guilty), or b.) jump up to turn that shite down!  Either way, you're getting out of the zone.  To stay in the zone, I usually require a song with no words - an instrumental.  That way,  I'm not distracted by catchy hooks or someone else's introspective thoughts.

So with that in mind - you guessed it - here's a playlist of instrumental songs that should keep you in that introspective mood long enough to figure out why exactly you're still dating that rather annoying, though inexplicably hot girl that you just can't stand, or why you constantly feel the need to be the center of attention.  Deep stuff, people. Don't screw it up!

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Perfect Summer Soundtrack - Week 4

Well, I'm back from vacation and things are getting back to normal around here. That means that it's time for another post for our Perfect Summer Soundtrack series. This week's post is monsterous!

The 4th of July Party Playlist

America celebrates its independence this Friday, and there will be plenty of festivities to celebrate this occasion. Personally, I'll probably be laying low. But for those of you out there who are throwing - or attending - a bitchin' house party, I've assembled my largest playlist to date!

88 songs. That's how long this one is. How that translates into minutes, I have no idea. Though considering how imeem is prone to shorten some songs down to 30-second clips, I'd have to imagine that it would be a bit shorter than some would like. Like any good party mix, it's filled with upbeat songs (though nothing too overwhelming), conversation-starters (oh, who is this?), and even a few quiet songs that stay out of the way to let you actually have that conversation.

If you happen to be throwing a party this Friday with a bunch of hipsters, plug this one into the stereo system and let me know how it goes. I'm interested in finding out just how amazing this playlist is. Oh, and set it to "shuffle."

Week 1 - Rooney's Self-Titled Debut (Beach Trip, Road Trip, Skateboarding)
Week 2 - The Picnic Playlist

Week 3 - Of Montreal: The Sunlandic Twins (Road Trip Sing-a-longs, House Parties, Frisbee Tossing)

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The Notwist: "The Devil, You + Me"

Evolution can be defined as "the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form." When taking into account The Notwist's expansive career, it becomes pretty simple to understand how this word applies to the band and their constantly diversifying sound. And to many, myself included, the pinnacle of this evolutionary process happened in 2002 with the release of the modern classic, Neon Golden. A flawless, masterful work of art, the album stands among an elite few that I would consider to be truly perfect. This kind of admiration is undoubtedly deserved, but can also lead to lofty, out of reach expectations. However, The Notwist are not a band that disappoints. They are a band that evolves. So while The Devil, You + Me, may initially seem like a disappointment to some, the end result is something that stands on its own. It is an album that doesn't necessarily exceed expectations, but does an amazing job of defying them.

This time out, The Notwist have created an album with a much lusher soundscape. The Devil, You + Me, features the guitar much more prominently than any of their albums released in the last decade. Where on Neon Golden, the band was content to hide it behind layers of electronics or mask it with countless effects, they now seem to welcome the sound, and often bring it to the front of their songs. The result is phenomenal, giving the album a much more natural, organic feel. This change also suits the lyrical content and mood of the album, as it is much darker than their past work has been. The band acknowledges this in recent interviews, saying that the darkness of the songs stems directly out of their personal struggles.

On "Gloomy Planets," one of the album's best songs, Markus seems to be questioning the reason why things happen, while simultaneously acknowledging that he'll probably never know ("Why is everything so locked up?" he ponders). The acoustic guitar is thick here, but it's blended perfectly with the band's signature electronic sound. The darkness arises once again on the album's title track, which also happens to be its best. Here Markus sings,"We know we're not the smartest/ in this place we don't have to be/ lights are out but anyhow/ this is what they see/ it's the devil/ its you and me." The sheer minimalism of the song is shocking at first, with only an acoustic guitar and vocals, but the band eventually adds in some stunning bells and simple, appropriate drums. Still, it never evolves (there's that word again), as one might expect, into a bombastic electronic track. And it's all the better because of it.

But The Devil, You + Me is far from all doom and gloom. Fans of Neon Golden will instantly fall in love with "Alphabet," a song that literally sounds like it could've been ripped right off of that album and placed here. Markus' simple lyrics and the breakbeat-esque drums are back in full force, and it all sounds quite fantastic. Album opener, "Good Lies" also has an upbeat, positive feel to it. A guitar-driven pop song, it has its ups and downs but ultimately satisfies with bouncy instrumentation and sing-along lyrics ("I remember good lies when/ we carried them home with us/ to our bedside tables and our coffee sets"). The band seems to be making a conscious effort to not do all the same things over again and to mix it up as much as possible. I can't really fault them for that, as The Notwist is all about introducing us to different experiences.

But as amazing as the experience is, there are still a few hiccups along the way. The album's first single, "Where In This World," for example, is quite a bore to listen to. Its sparse string instrumentation is more distracting than anything else, and Markus' vocal melody is about as uninteresting as it ever gets. Still worse, is the fact that the song lacks direction, and doesn't really seem to go anywhere. In much the same way, "Gravity," just sounds like an amalgam of poorly executed ideas. Whether it's the somewhat cheesy lyrics ("I see the planets spinning faster/ or is my body too slow?/ I don't know, I don't know") or the fact that the song gives of a "bad Radiohead" vibe, it just doesn't really work as well as you'd like it to. Markus' soft, raspy vocals seem entirely out of place with the dense, upbeat instrumentation, and I've found myself skipping this one far earlier than I thought I would.

In the end, however, The Devil, You + Me, is an incredibly moving and inspiring album. For as technically impressive as Neon Golden was, it's hard to deny the emptiness of many of its lyrics. The Devil, You + Me, focuses more on slowing the songs down and fleshing out the lyrical content, and as a result, the likelihood of a listener actually being affected by songs like "Sleep" or "Gone Gone Gone" is through the roof! Is it better than its predecessor? Of course not. But during its better moments, the album excels where Neon Golden could not - by combining deep, emotionally-driven songwriting with unparalleled musical technicality. It may not be their crowning achievement, but The Notwist has created an album that is able to stand on its own and continue the band's unfailing evolution. That works for me.

Key Tracks:
1. "Gloomy Planets"
2. "The Devil, You + Me"
3. "Sleep"
4. "On Planet Off"
5. "Gone Gone Gone"

8 out of 10 Stars
Buy from Amazon | Buy from Insound | Buy from iTunes

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Video of the Week - Week 66

It's been 6 years since The Notwists released Neon Golden, one of the best electronic albums of all time. Since then, they've been keeping busy with side projects and other things that don't matter. But they're finally back, with a new album due out in June! The following is a video of the first song released from that album. Enjoy!

The Notwist - "Where In the World" from the upcoming album, The Devil, You + Me.

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Top 5 Songs to Fall Asleep To

Right now it's 6:50am and I've been up since 4:30am. All I want to do is go back to sleep (and I'm about halfway there right now), but work beckons, so sleeping is out of the question. If I were planning on falling asleep though, here are the Top 5 Songs that would do me in; not because they're bad, just because they're calm and soothing. Put them on your iPod ladies and gentlemen, and start them up right before you hit the bed tonight. You can thank me tomorrow.

#5: The American Analog Set - "Born On the Cusp" - Generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of this Austin band. Although, the only thing I've ever listened to was their 2005 album, Set Free. It was good, just not my style. That being said, if you need some sleepytime music, it just may be the perfect album. This track just so happens to be the most soothing among a whole bunch of soothing songs. Guitars are quiet, drums are soft, and singer Andrew Kenny never raises his voice above a few decibels. It's the perfect song to get you well on your way to nighttime bliss.

#4: Sun Kil Moon - "Gentle Moon" - Like The American Analog Set, Sun Kil Moon's Ghosts of the Great Highway is a really great album to put you to sleep. I know this because I used it for this exact purpose on more than one occasion while in college. "Gentle Moon" is the obvious choice for the most sleep-inducing song on the album if for it's title alone. First, it's gentle, which is exactly what you need. And then it's got "moon" right in there! It's a total bedtime song before it even starts playing. Once it does, it only gets better. Mark Kozelek's voice is smooth as all hell, and he never really enunciates as you think he should, slurring line after line. It may be a bit off-putting in the daytime, but after a few minutes of it while you rest, you'll be dreaming in no time!

#3: The Notwist - "Consequence" - This song off of The Notwist's brilliant 2002 album, Neon Golden, is perhaps the most chill. Markus Acher's soft crooning of "Fade with consequence, lose with eloquence and smile" is all the more effective as you're drifting off to dreamworld (or Imaginationland if you watch South Park). Though the band has a clear electronica influence, they never let their glitchy compositions be jolting or obscenely loud. It is a nice change of pace from the other songs on this list, and definitely worth putting on your nap time playlist (or, you know, buying).

#2: The Shins - "Those To Come" - I wasn't entirely sure if I should put this song on the list or not. Being a song by The Shins, I'm much more likely to sing along to it than fall asleep. But after giving "Those to Come" a few extra listens, I'm convinced that this would be a completely awesome song to fall asleep to. James Mercer's vocals are soft and constrained, and the guitar part is simple and hypnotizing. It's basically the same thing repeating for the length of the song, and it's beautiful. As it slowly fades out, you'll fade out with it. And just in case you don't, there's always song #1.

#1: Sigur Rós - "Untitled Song 3" - Holy crap, did you guys just see that totally awesome segue? Go ahead and chalk that one up as the greatest of all time! Back to the song though. This instrumental track from Sigur Rós' now legendary untitled album (aka "( )") is the absolute best song to fall asleep to. First of all, it's instrumental, so you don't have to worry about having lyrics stuck in your head while listening to it. Secondly, it's rather repetitive (or hypnotic) while remaining entirely beautiful. Lastly, it's Sigur Rós, perhaps the greatest sleepytime artist of all time! Of all the tracks on ( ), this one is the clear choice for this list. I guarantee it! I do, however, have a quick caution. Do not, under any circumstance, attempt to listen to all of ( ) while sleeping. I did so once during my college years and awoke halfway through through the album shaking and scared out of my mind. I have no idea why, but I remember feeling unsafe and paranoid. So take my advice and just listen to track 3 while falling asleep. It's a much better experience (though not nearly as memorable).

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