No Order
Teen Dream - Beach House
A complete surprise to me. Utterly calming and soulful. So much sounds comes out of the members of Beach House. Recommended tracks: Zebra, Silver Soul, Used to Be
The Monitor - Titus Andronicus
One of my favorite bands tackles the metaphor of civil war as mental divergence. The intensity is still present, but its brought to an epic level. Lyrics are sharp and the music is diverse, but the general themes sweep over the entire album. Recommended Tracks: Theme from Cheers, A More Perfect Union, Four Score and Seven
Memphis- Magic Kids
Unbelievably catchy. The energy on the album is as infectious as its nostalgic melodies. The singer croons over call-and-response background shouts and whispers. A great album for the summer and for parties. Recommended Tracks: Hey Boy, Summer, Candy
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
If i had to choose which album was truly the album of the year, it would be Kanye's masterpiece. This album redefines the genre with its track lengths, virtuoso production, and the leading man's pure intensity. The videos and live performances associated with the album have been amazing and breathtaking. The most important aspect of this record is that it was made by someone who is truly on top of both pop and artistic realms. Boldness is a rare quality of a platinum artist. Recommended Tracks: Monster, So Appalled, Runaway
Hippies - Harlem
The lack of polish is what reveals this album's true character, the kid in the leather jacket smoking in the bathroom during class. The song structures are simple, but their ability to drill themselves in your brain like earwigs is only enhanced by the accessible melodies. The lyrics are sharp, instant sing-a-longs that have a mean streak. This band shows chops at handling sounds from blue-eyed soul to punk. Recommended Tracks: Someday Soon, Pissed, Friendly Ghost
Contra - Vampire Weekend
The best pop album of the year in my mind. The band continues to expand its sound, but it still retains the sweetness and the infectious jangle of the first album. This album is darker in tone, so it plays the best in winter. Recommended Tracks: I think Ur a Contra, Cousins, Run
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
Of all the albums on this list, I believe The Suburbs will be the one whose impact will last the longest. The album surveys the battleground of accepting adulthood. It's a tug-of-war between polaroid nostalgia and a cold digital future. It's so refreshing to hear an album equally adept at subtlety and mansion-sized dynamics. Recommended Tracks: Month of May, The Suburbs, Sprawl II
Sports - Weekend
It's a wall of noise with coils of easy-bake melodies wrapped around it. Its very punk in form, but the massive reverbs leave it sounding hollow, but wrenching. Definitely a headbanger. Recommended Tracks: End Times, Coma Summer, Age Class
Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday
It's hard to imagine a sound that combines snarling and tender tones, but Happy Birthday is able to blend them well. All of the songs have a classic feel, but they are loosely structured. They sometimes wind down a street, stepping on glam for a verse and then strutting through corner doo-wop on the chorus. Having both a male and a female singer is a plus as the songs stay interesting throughout the album. Recommended Tracks: Girls FM, Perverted Girl, 2 Shy
Number #1
Astro Coast - Surfer Blood
One of the trends that I have been following in recent rock music is the rejection of irony. In the indie camp, there seems to be a split between bands that openly endorse irony and a smaller portion of bands that have listened to Pinkerton until it got old. Without irony, Astro Coast offers a youthful look at the mild splendor of modern 20's life. From the first strike of Floating Vibes, the listener is taken to a sonic equilibrium of familiar sounds and fresh, inviting ones. Many of the melodies have a permanent suntan, the flourishes of Dick Dale and Brian Wilson. It seems to evoke the longing of living inland on a peninsula, like Florida, the band's home state.
Like the idealized surf, the night falls and turns into a bonfire on the beach. Think drunken dudes sitting around the fire with liquor bottles poking their heads out of brown paper bags. It's definitely not a beach party with Annette Funicello. Hints of the 90s radio rock they surely must have grown up filter through smoothly, but their grunge touches aren't nihilistic, mainly just lazy. Slow Jabroni and Anchorage exhibit these qualities, but unlike the songs from the 90s, both songs erupt into a quiet confidence from their life-in-quicksand beginnings.
Perhaps the confidence and resolve to be better (see Catholic Pagan) is what made this the soundtrack of my year. Whether it was the hope of new romance to be gentle and sweet (see Take it Easy), or the pure Rocky-esque anthemic inspiration that Swim (To Reach the End) offers. Connecting with musicians and their work on such elements as age, gender, and culture is so rare, and when that Big Bang of music happens for you, it's hard not to hear the reverb in your mind all year long.
