The DodosNo order, ten favorites this year:
Smith Westerns - Smith Westerns
Wow. This album is solid from start to finish, and yet these guys didn't really do anything special with their music. It's noisy garage pop about girls and teendom, with inspirations that are less reference points than straight up copies, but damn did they do it right.
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There are Mountains
This album was almost tailor made for my musical tastes. Intense singer who sometimes reaches out further than his vocal talents allow? Check. Uncommon song progressions? Check. Distortion and talented instrumentation? Check. Catchy and Singable? Check. Tempo changes and variation between songs? Check. It may not be for everyone, hell it might not even be a good album, all I know is it has everything I look for in an album, in my mind it's nearly perfect.
White Denim - Fits
White Denim make such good music. They definitely matured a bit on their second disc, pumping up the craftsmanship and generally tightened up their act. Emotional Danceable distorted funk rock with wah wah pedals, double tracking and tons of reverb, all done very well.
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Eh, it's a great album, I don't care what the hell you think. As big of an AC fan as I am, this one still took me a while to get into. It's definitely missing Deacon's organic guitar, but avey and panda more than make up for it with their excellent songwriting.
The Rural Alberta Advantage - Home Towns
If In The Aeroplane Over The Sea was made in 2009, this is what it would sound like. Ok, the lyrics aren't nearly as affecting, or heart wrenching, but at times they try. (but really how can you top NMH?) I'm not comparing it to the greatness of ITAOTS, but it does sound like it. Also, the drummer is so high in the mix that it makes me love it even more. The drummer definitely leads this band, even though he doesn't sing.
Port O'Brien - Threadbare
Port O'Brien have managed to become one of my favorite bands with this album. Way more mature than their last one, and as a friend pointed out, the songs are less focused on the nautical aspect of their lives than the last, but it's still amazing. It's missing some of the charm of their previous albums, but it more than makes up for it in the polish they've added to the songwriting and instrumentation.
Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Ok, this album is awesome. Most of you guys know why I listen to Mastodon, and either love the hell out of them too, or couldn't care less. Here's the explanation of the plot of this album, straight from Brann's mouth. It's about the only description of this album that does it justice:
"There is a paraplegic and the only way that he can go anywhere is if he astral travels. He goes out of his body, into outer space and a bit like Icarus, he goes too close to the sun, burning off the golden umbilical cord that is attached to his solar plexus. So he is in outer space and he is lost, he gets sucked into a wormhole, he ends up in the spirit realm and he talks to spirits telling them that he is not really dead. So they send him to the Russian cult, they use him in a divination and they find out his problem. They decide they are going to help him. They put his soul inside Rasputin's body. Rasputin goes to usurp the czar and he is murdered. The two souls fly out of Rasputin's body through the crack in the sky(e) and Rasputin is the wise man that is trying to lead the child home to his body because his parents have discovered him by now and think that he is dead. Rasputin needs to get him back into his body before it's too late. But they end up running into the Devil along the way and the Devil tries to steal their souls and bring them down…there are some obstacles along the way."
Cursive - Mama I'm Swollen
Oh Cursive, I sometimes see you as a guilty pleasure, but your music keeps getting so much better that I feel less and less that way every time you release an album. Even though they used to be a bad emo/pop punk band, they've refined their sound to excellence. Stand out tracks are From The Hips, and I Couldn't Love You. Definitely gets a boost for it's self deprecating lyrical themes. Cursive does that whole "looking at the bigger picture" thing, without making it too deep or mysterious, or making it sound pretentious or silly, yet still allowing the listener to connect to it.
The Dutchess And The Duke - Sunset/Sunrise
Another band that wears its influences on its sleeve, yet still does a great job is The Dutchess and The Duke. Basically an early Stones rip off with a female singer. This album is definitely a step up for them though. They sound much more mature, yet their songs are still catchy as hell.
miRthkon - Vehicle
Math Rock and Jazz combination work so well. Lots of very technical guitar lines and tongue in cheek humor. This album definitely isn't for everyone, but I sure loved it.
All of these could easily be in the top ten as well:
The Mars Volta - Octahedron
Akron/Family - Set 'Em Wild Set 'Em Free
Baroness - Blue Record
Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
Various Artists - Dark Was The Night
Danger Mouse and Sparkle Horse - Dark Night Of The Soul
Dan Deacon - Bromst
The xx - XX
Woods - Songs Of Shame
Volcano Choir - Unmap
The Thermals - Now We Can See
Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
Stardeath and White Dwarfs - The Birth
St. Vincent - Actor
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World To Come
Bowerbirds - Upper Air
Clues - Clues
Crystal Antlers - Tentacles
Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - Up From Below
The Dodos - Time To Die
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Also, Fall Be Kind by Animal Collective was perfect, but it's an EP so I didn't include it.
Smith Westerns - Smith Westerns
Wow. This album is solid from start to finish, and yet these guys didn't really do anything special with their music. It's noisy garage pop about girls and teendom, with inspirations that are less reference points than straight up copies, but damn did they do it right.
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There are Mountains
This album was almost tailor made for my musical tastes. Intense singer who sometimes reaches out further than his vocal talents allow? Check. Uncommon song progressions? Check. Distortion and talented instrumentation? Check. Catchy and Singable? Check. Tempo changes and variation between songs? Check. It may not be for everyone, hell it might not even be a good album, all I know is it has everything I look for in an album, in my mind it's nearly perfect.
White Denim - Fits
White Denim make such good music. They definitely matured a bit on their second disc, pumping up the craftsmanship and generally tightened up their act. Emotional Danceable distorted funk rock with wah wah pedals, double tracking and tons of reverb, all done very well.
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Eh, it's a great album, I don't care what the hell you think. As big of an AC fan as I am, this one still took me a while to get into. It's definitely missing Deacon's organic guitar, but avey and panda more than make up for it with their excellent songwriting.
The Rural Alberta Advantage - Home Towns
If In The Aeroplane Over The Sea was made in 2009, this is what it would sound like. Ok, the lyrics aren't nearly as affecting, or heart wrenching, but at times they try. (but really how can you top NMH?) I'm not comparing it to the greatness of ITAOTS, but it does sound like it. Also, the drummer is so high in the mix that it makes me love it even more. The drummer definitely leads this band, even though he doesn't sing.
Port O'Brien - Threadbare
Port O'Brien have managed to become one of my favorite bands with this album. Way more mature than their last one, and as a friend pointed out, the songs are less focused on the nautical aspect of their lives than the last, but it's still amazing. It's missing some of the charm of their previous albums, but it more than makes up for it in the polish they've added to the songwriting and instrumentation.
Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Ok, this album is awesome. Most of you guys know why I listen to Mastodon, and either love the hell out of them too, or couldn't care less. Here's the explanation of the plot of this album, straight from Brann's mouth. It's about the only description of this album that does it justice:
"There is a paraplegic and the only way that he can go anywhere is if he astral travels. He goes out of his body, into outer space and a bit like Icarus, he goes too close to the sun, burning off the golden umbilical cord that is attached to his solar plexus. So he is in outer space and he is lost, he gets sucked into a wormhole, he ends up in the spirit realm and he talks to spirits telling them that he is not really dead. So they send him to the Russian cult, they use him in a divination and they find out his problem. They decide they are going to help him. They put his soul inside Rasputin's body. Rasputin goes to usurp the czar and he is murdered. The two souls fly out of Rasputin's body through the crack in the sky(e) and Rasputin is the wise man that is trying to lead the child home to his body because his parents have discovered him by now and think that he is dead. Rasputin needs to get him back into his body before it's too late. But they end up running into the Devil along the way and the Devil tries to steal their souls and bring them down…there are some obstacles along the way."
Cursive - Mama I'm Swollen
Oh Cursive, I sometimes see you as a guilty pleasure, but your music keeps getting so much better that I feel less and less that way every time you release an album. Even though they used to be a bad emo/pop punk band, they've refined their sound to excellence. Stand out tracks are From The Hips, and I Couldn't Love You. Definitely gets a boost for it's self deprecating lyrical themes. Cursive does that whole "looking at the bigger picture" thing, without making it too deep or mysterious, or making it sound pretentious or silly, yet still allowing the listener to connect to it.
The Dutchess And The Duke - Sunset/Sunrise
Another band that wears its influences on its sleeve, yet still does a great job is The Dutchess and The Duke. Basically an early Stones rip off with a female singer. This album is definitely a step up for them though. They sound much more mature, yet their songs are still catchy as hell.
miRthkon - Vehicle
Math Rock and Jazz combination work so well. Lots of very technical guitar lines and tongue in cheek humor. This album definitely isn't for everyone, but I sure loved it.
All of these could easily be in the top ten as well:
The Mars Volta - Octahedron
Akron/Family - Set 'Em Wild Set 'Em Free
Baroness - Blue Record
Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
Various Artists - Dark Was The Night
Danger Mouse and Sparkle Horse - Dark Night Of The Soul
Dan Deacon - Bromst
The xx - XX
Woods - Songs Of Shame
Volcano Choir - Unmap
The Thermals - Now We Can See
Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
Stardeath and White Dwarfs - The Birth
St. Vincent - Actor
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World To Come
Bowerbirds - Upper Air
Clues - Clues
Crystal Antlers - Tentacles
Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - Up From Below
The Dodos - Time To Die
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Also, Fall Be Kind by Animal Collective was perfect, but it's an EP so I didn't include it.
