top 10 records of the year
2008 comes to an end. Lots of great records came out. A few were left off my top 10, but hey who cares? Do your own or read someone else's.
So here we go.
1. vampire weekend-vampire weekend-This is on a lot of people's lists. It's also on a lot of people's shit list. Not sure why. Maybe the whole hipster "I can't like anything that lots of people like". VW where this years underground darlings that at times flirted with the mainstream (MTV, Saturday Night Live, ETC), but lets talk about this amazing record. Amazing pop sensibilities amongst a minimalist approach that somehow sounds completely full and layered. At times sounding like The Police's precision rhythms mixed with the quirky sounds of the Talking Heads, Vampire Weekend took some of these early art punk sounds and blended it in their own extremely original sound. It helps that this record is absolutely chocked full of hooks! The vocal cadences and melodies don't hurt either.
2.sigur ros-Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust -Sigur Ros have gotten better with each record. Ever since that album with the alien baby on the cover (don't know the name, can't pronounce it,get off my back I'm not from Iceland), they have taken it up a notch with each record. This follow up to Takk takes the layered atmospheric sounds, great crescendo build ups, haunting vocals, and places them in almost conventional song structures. They still specialize in the long epic song building from quiet sparse melodies, exploding into a swirl of atmospheric melody, but have added those elements into a few short verse chorus type pieces. There is also an acoustic song featuring voice and guitar only. This is a definite progression that still satisfied fans of the previous records. It took me about 2 months to stop listening to the song "Við Spilum Endalaust". I dare you to do the same.
3.the cure-4:13 dream- Yeah I know what you're thinking here. "Oh how weird a Cure record on his list". But you're also probably thinking "Why isn't it #1?". Come on I'm not that predictable. This is a great record though. I know, leave me alone. Following up the guitar driven sounds of the self titled record, 4:13 Dream picks up where that left off. Not a lot of keyboards on this one. You will hear the unmistakeable Cure formula guitar lines and melodies, and at times Bob and the boys rock out a little. Some darker tunes on this one that pleased this diehard as well as the single that bring to mind "High" and "Pictures of You" type songs make this a can't miss for me. You knew it would.
4.mountain goats-heretic pride- this is the Mountain Goats 973rd release. O.K. maybe I'm exaggerating a little here, but they have put out a ton of records. This one sounds like the best songs on all the records since John Darnielle got himself a band and a recording budget minus the ones that while still having amazing, and sometime confusing, lyrical content are melodically boring. Every one on this one musically lives up to his insane profound storytelling that often leaves you wondering how many lives this guy has lived. It's his best full band record yet.
5.black kids-partie traumatic- In this current fever of early 80's Brooklyn fashion and music nostalgia, a lot of people are getting annoyed by all the neon cloths, disco punk beats, newfound interest in graffiti culture, and the bands that seem to be diving into that cultural phenomenon. Chances are those same people will be annoyed in five years when people start wearing flannel, thermal layers and doc martins. I won't. That being said, culture wars aside, this is a great fucking record. It feels like a soundtrack to party that I wouldn't want to leave even if i threw up in the bathroom. I'd just do a shot of peppermint schnapps and dance with someone to this record. It has that 80's nostalgia all over it as listed above, with keyboards, Cure esque vocals and dancy art punk beats, but the songwriting is what sets it apart. At times the pop is almost Motown, in that 80's Style Council way without making you cringe. All in all, you can feel the fun on this record and I can't stop listening to it!
6.hold steady-stay positive- These guys continue to write a Springsteen-esque punk narrative to my life. So much that I think they're spying on me. Seriously. What the fuck?!?!?! Constructive Summer feels like they've been hanging out with us all summer. More of what you expect from these guys. Epic "Born To Run" infused punk with Craig Finn's half sung half spoken narratives of the scene, booze, festivals, bars, broken hearts, friends, and good times. Are you guys standing behind me?
7.alkaline trio-agony & irony-Dark pop punkers the Alkaline Trio follow up Crimson, the record that moved away from girls and booze into blood and all things spooky, with more of that and a little of the old. While most fans of this band weren't up for the change, I've still hung around. And I think I've been rewarded. Remnants of the old days of pop punk that hang on are still there on this record. Love, Love, Kiss, Kiss is an amazing tune. Great old school Alkaline Trio lyrics and Dan's silly voice. The songs that embody the newer sounds are great also. There's even some new wave dare I say Cure sensibilities on this one. Sensing a pattern here?
8.friendly foes-get radical-Local rockers Friendly Foes did more in one year as a band than most do in a few years. They played about 200 shows, (exaggeration again?), gained many new fans, recorded some demos, and made a record. These guys are one of my favorite live bands to see right now. Since they play every other day it's pretty easy. Awesome power pop! Joe Jackson (or Ted Leo if you're younger) mixed with the Jam, along with great pop vocals and backups. Not too mention that even in the confines of these simple power pop songs, these guys are surgeons with their musical chops. I love power trios, and these guys are poised to take over the world. The record is great, but the live show is even better.
9.lightning love-november birthday-Another great local band that made their way playing out almost constantly. We'd all been waiting for this record to happen for quite some time. A sparse trio of keyboards, vocals, guitar, and a very minimal drummer, the hooks are unremovable from your head. Lightning Leah's (can I call her that?) lyrics are clever and fun. So is her vocal melody. There's something so sweet and innocent about it, all the while knowing she probably could end up puking in the middle of the street or pissing in an elevator shaft while her friends watch as chronicled in "Friends". The songs where the vocals trade between her and guitar player Ben Collins are quite amazing as well. Sugary sweet simple pop songs that are crafted to infest your head for weeks after hearing them. The next record breaks these kids.
10.dillinger four-Civil War- Some say these guys are the last real punk rock band left. They break up a lot. Get drunk, talk shit, get back together, party hard, inspire droves of spiked bracelet wearing dudes and babes to get fucked up, fuck shit up, and have a good time doing it. This sounds like pretty much every Dillinger Four record, but a little more polished. It's not overdone or anything, but their instruments don't sound broken on this record. There's even a song with a somewhat mellow tuneful beginning. Sellouts? Only in a small club.
So here we go.
1. vampire weekend-vampire weekend-This is on a lot of people's lists. It's also on a lot of people's shit list. Not sure why. Maybe the whole hipster "I can't like anything that lots of people like". VW where this years underground darlings that at times flirted with the mainstream (MTV, Saturday Night Live, ETC), but lets talk about this amazing record. Amazing pop sensibilities amongst a minimalist approach that somehow sounds completely full and layered. At times sounding like The Police's precision rhythms mixed with the quirky sounds of the Talking Heads, Vampire Weekend took some of these early art punk sounds and blended it in their own extremely original sound. It helps that this record is absolutely chocked full of hooks! The vocal cadences and melodies don't hurt either.
2.sigur ros-Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust -Sigur Ros have gotten better with each record. Ever since that album with the alien baby on the cover (don't know the name, can't pronounce it,get off my back I'm not from Iceland), they have taken it up a notch with each record. This follow up to Takk takes the layered atmospheric sounds, great crescendo build ups, haunting vocals, and places them in almost conventional song structures. They still specialize in the long epic song building from quiet sparse melodies, exploding into a swirl of atmospheric melody, but have added those elements into a few short verse chorus type pieces. There is also an acoustic song featuring voice and guitar only. This is a definite progression that still satisfied fans of the previous records. It took me about 2 months to stop listening to the song "Við Spilum Endalaust". I dare you to do the same.
3.the cure-4:13 dream- Yeah I know what you're thinking here. "Oh how weird a Cure record on his list". But you're also probably thinking "Why isn't it #1?". Come on I'm not that predictable. This is a great record though. I know, leave me alone. Following up the guitar driven sounds of the self titled record, 4:13 Dream picks up where that left off. Not a lot of keyboards on this one. You will hear the unmistakeable Cure formula guitar lines and melodies, and at times Bob and the boys rock out a little. Some darker tunes on this one that pleased this diehard as well as the single that bring to mind "High" and "Pictures of You" type songs make this a can't miss for me. You knew it would.
4.mountain goats-heretic pride- this is the Mountain Goats 973rd release. O.K. maybe I'm exaggerating a little here, but they have put out a ton of records. This one sounds like the best songs on all the records since John Darnielle got himself a band and a recording budget minus the ones that while still having amazing, and sometime confusing, lyrical content are melodically boring. Every one on this one musically lives up to his insane profound storytelling that often leaves you wondering how many lives this guy has lived. It's his best full band record yet.
5.black kids-partie traumatic- In this current fever of early 80's Brooklyn fashion and music nostalgia, a lot of people are getting annoyed by all the neon cloths, disco punk beats, newfound interest in graffiti culture, and the bands that seem to be diving into that cultural phenomenon. Chances are those same people will be annoyed in five years when people start wearing flannel, thermal layers and doc martins. I won't. That being said, culture wars aside, this is a great fucking record. It feels like a soundtrack to party that I wouldn't want to leave even if i threw up in the bathroom. I'd just do a shot of peppermint schnapps and dance with someone to this record. It has that 80's nostalgia all over it as listed above, with keyboards, Cure esque vocals and dancy art punk beats, but the songwriting is what sets it apart. At times the pop is almost Motown, in that 80's Style Council way without making you cringe. All in all, you can feel the fun on this record and I can't stop listening to it!
6.hold steady-stay positive- These guys continue to write a Springsteen-esque punk narrative to my life. So much that I think they're spying on me. Seriously. What the fuck?!?!?! Constructive Summer feels like they've been hanging out with us all summer. More of what you expect from these guys. Epic "Born To Run" infused punk with Craig Finn's half sung half spoken narratives of the scene, booze, festivals, bars, broken hearts, friends, and good times. Are you guys standing behind me?
7.alkaline trio-agony & irony-Dark pop punkers the Alkaline Trio follow up Crimson, the record that moved away from girls and booze into blood and all things spooky, with more of that and a little of the old. While most fans of this band weren't up for the change, I've still hung around. And I think I've been rewarded. Remnants of the old days of pop punk that hang on are still there on this record. Love, Love, Kiss, Kiss is an amazing tune. Great old school Alkaline Trio lyrics and Dan's silly voice. The songs that embody the newer sounds are great also. There's even some new wave dare I say Cure sensibilities on this one. Sensing a pattern here?
8.friendly foes-get radical-Local rockers Friendly Foes did more in one year as a band than most do in a few years. They played about 200 shows, (exaggeration again?), gained many new fans, recorded some demos, and made a record. These guys are one of my favorite live bands to see right now. Since they play every other day it's pretty easy. Awesome power pop! Joe Jackson (or Ted Leo if you're younger) mixed with the Jam, along with great pop vocals and backups. Not too mention that even in the confines of these simple power pop songs, these guys are surgeons with their musical chops. I love power trios, and these guys are poised to take over the world. The record is great, but the live show is even better.
9.lightning love-november birthday-Another great local band that made their way playing out almost constantly. We'd all been waiting for this record to happen for quite some time. A sparse trio of keyboards, vocals, guitar, and a very minimal drummer, the hooks are unremovable from your head. Lightning Leah's (can I call her that?) lyrics are clever and fun. So is her vocal melody. There's something so sweet and innocent about it, all the while knowing she probably could end up puking in the middle of the street or pissing in an elevator shaft while her friends watch as chronicled in "Friends". The songs where the vocals trade between her and guitar player Ben Collins are quite amazing as well. Sugary sweet simple pop songs that are crafted to infest your head for weeks after hearing them. The next record breaks these kids.
10.dillinger four-Civil War- Some say these guys are the last real punk rock band left. They break up a lot. Get drunk, talk shit, get back together, party hard, inspire droves of spiked bracelet wearing dudes and babes to get fucked up, fuck shit up, and have a good time doing it. This sounds like pretty much every Dillinger Four record, but a little more polished. It's not overdone or anything, but their instruments don't sound broken on this record. There's even a song with a somewhat mellow tuneful beginning. Sellouts? Only in a small club.