Album of the Week (5/15/2012)

Beach House
Bloom
Genre: Dream pop

Two years ago, Teen Dream was such an amazing album that it made you worry a little bit as to where Beach House could possibly go from there. This, the Baltimore duo's fourth album, is far better than anything they've done, and that's saying something. the songwriting is tighter, the lyrics are more straightforward, and Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally's experience makes all 10 songs even dreamier. This band is, by a wide margin, the best one at making you forget you're in Baltimore.

Album of the Week (4/17/2012)

Bear in Heaven
I Love You, It's Cool
Genre: Neo-Psychedelia

Continuing the journey down Synth-Loop trail through the forests of Heavy Drumming, John Philpot and the rest of Bear in Heaven make a dazzling return to the world of indie pop after three long years of waiting. This new album is less dark, more upbeat, and faster paced than Beast Rest Forth Mouth, but equally as engrossing and well written. The sound texture is more trance-inducing, and the beats are more danceable than ever. Considering I didn't find out about this album until two days ago, this may be the best surprise release of the year.

Movie of the Week (4/13/2012)

The Cabin in the Woods
Director: Drew Goddard

I'm not usually one to recommend a horror movie, but every once in a while, they're just too good to pass up. It helps that the script was co-written by Joss Whedon, creator of Firefly and Dollhouse, but really, it's because of the twist. It's not really a twist per se, because, like Dream House before it, the secret is given up in the trailer, but it is at least a newer, more interesting take on the "lost in a dark forest with hill people" horror movie premise we have all come to despise. It makes fun of itself and genre cliches like Scream did, but ten times better, and it gets the viewer asking all the right questions, like, "why is this so much fun to watch?"

Album of the Week (4/11/2012)

Chromatics
Kill for Love
Genre: Electronica/Italo Disco

There's a reason Chromatics main writer and producer Johnny Jewel was on the short-list of composers considered to score last year's best film, Drive. It's partly because his band's sound was exactly what director Nicolas Winding Refn was looking for, but really it's because the music is just so damn good. It's dark without being depressing, poppy without selling out, minimalist without being Peaches, noisy without being A Place to Bury Strangers. So what if Johnny Jewel didn't get to score Drive? His band and two others he produces still made it onto the soundtrack, and with good reason...this stuff is plain good.

The Best Albums of 2011

Now that we're well into April of 2012, I figured it was finally time to make this list. As always, it takes forever just deciding who to let in and who to leave out. This year was a little easier than others, but I always have those second thoughts when I hear music months after everyone else has and then think, "man, this could have made it on the list." Twin Shadow's Forget from 2010 comes to mind.  This year, I think I got it.

Runners Up


M83
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

Washed Out

Within and Without

And now for the actual list.  I'm in the middle of writing a term paper, so forgive me if my explanations/descriptions are short and repetitive.

The Top Ten

10. Neon Indian

Era Extraña

The master of chill-wave, or glo-fi, or whatever Neon Indian is, Alan Palomo knows what he's doing. Two albums in a row now have taken lo-fi recording techniques, crazy beats, and heartbreaking songwriting and combined them into total coolness.

9. Panda Bear

Tomboy

If there's something Panda Bear, the solo name for the Baltimore-based Animal Collective frontman, can't do with samples, tape decks, and hundreds of overlaps of his own voice, I don't know what it would be, and I don't think I want to know. "Last Night at the Jetty" alone has the power to end world hunger, stop genocide, and spin the planet backwards like Superman in that one movie.

8. Amy LaVere

Stranger Me

There's just something about a smoky voice backing up some of the best Americana/western music out there. Amy LaVere has the talent to give Adele a run for her money, but she decided to go after Sea change-era Beck instead...and she just might beat him.

7. John Maus

We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves

All I know about John Maus is that he basically only uses a drum machine and a 70s Casio keyboard to write all his music. I'm not sure if his singing voice is real or modulated. I don't know if he meant half of what his lyrics implied on this album (although even meaning a quarter of it would get you put on some classified list somewhere, I'm sure).  But somehow, songs like "Believer," "...And the Rain," "Quantum Leap," and "Hey Moon" make up for all of it. How can anyone be this minimalist and sarcastic and still make great music? John Maus knows.

6. Atlas Sound

Parallax

I don't think I really have to explain this one. Many of you know of my unsubstantiated love of all musics by Deerhunter and frontman Atlas Sound (real name Bradford Cox), but there is a reason for it. Despite the lulling and ambient river noises, there is some damn catchy folk rock back there. On Parallax, Atlas Sound ups his indie-cred even more than he did on Logos. With "Te Amo" he gives his best Bono impersonation, and very nearly hits it, opens like never before with "The Shakes," and ends strong as always with the complexity of "Lightsworks."  It may take you a few listens, but I promise it's worth it.

5. Feist

Metals

Is Leslie Feist immortal? Are her methods...supernatural?  Just listen to "Graveyard" already.  It might be her best song ever if I could just get "A Commotion" out of my head.

4. Iceage

New Brigade

In this world where people are down-and-out and mad at everything, it's about goddamn time we got some decent punk rock again.  If this doesn't make you want to put down your "save the whales" sign and just go beat the crap out of a politician, I don't know what can save you...you are a hippie.  Hippies do not rock. Iceage rocks.

3. The Joy Formidable

Big Roar

I don't know if there has ever been a more appropriately named album. If you like noise, hard rock, and kicking butt, then this is album for you. Way better female-led rock band than that Grace Potter or whoever those weird Celebration people are.  The Joy Formidable is the best new band out there, and Big Roar is one of the most amazing debuts I've heard in a very, very long time.

2. TV on the Radio

Nine Types of Light

Far and away one of the best bands to ever exist, TVOTR does it again, making prog-rock and experimental blues sound like the most amazing thing you've ever heard.  It's no Dear Science, but it's still better than anything almost anyone else has released in years. And with songs like "Caffeinated Consciousness," and "Repetition," you just can't help but think...is this the best band...ever?

1. St. Vincent

Strange Mercy

St. Vincent is the only musician I know of who keeps making albums better and better. She also is slowly moving out of the indie-folk singer genre and just ripping it in the electro-clash-rock category.  We've finally found a woman that can give Peaches a run for her money without making us feel dirty.  It doesn't hurt that the slower songs are some of the most well-written, beautifully sung anthems out there. Last year, when this release was announced I thought, "wow, whatever it is, it's going to be hard to beat," and St. Vincent proved that ten-fold.  Strange Mercy is, by a wide margin, album of the year...of 2011.

The Top 20 Songs of 2011

This list is hard to make every year, usually because there's only so much space. This year...not so much. I had a hard time finding enough good music to fill it. Fortunately a few last-minute listens and many spins around YouTube got me a couple more that rounded out the whole twenty.

Most of these songs won't be found on Top 100 radio (one of them is), but they are all great songs. So here it is, the end of 2011, and the best songs from it.

20. Gang Gang Dance
"Adult Goth"
(Listen)
Gang Gang Dance clearly has a sort-of hero worship of Bjork. That's not to say "Adult Goth" isn't original, it's just really obvious they listened to Homogenic while they recorded it. A cross between Mannheim Steamroller and The Big Pink with a female vocalist, "Adult Goth" is definitely one of the more interesting songs of the year.






19. PJ Harvey
"The Words That Maketh Murder"
(Listen)
I don't particularly care for PJ Harvey all that much, but when I heard her refrain, "What if I take my problem to the United Nations?" over and over, I couldn't resist. It helps that it's a great song, but the biting sarcasm in the lyrics moved it from "alright" territory into "best of the year" status. It's simple, it's smart, it's "The Words that Maketh Murder."

18. Fleet Foxes
"Grown Ocean"
(Listen)
Fleet Foxes is one of those bands that, I guess, I just don't get. Don't get me wrong, I hear the beauty of the arrangement, I hear the brilliance of the writing, I just don't enjoy listening to their albums. They're too much work. However, "Grown Ocean" is a song that anyone looking for a decent folk song can get into. Here, the guitars are cleaner and the message is lighter. "Grown Ocean" is a Fleet Foxes song that even I like.

17. Kurt Vile
"Jesus Fever"
(Listen)
This year, Kurt Vile did something nearly impossible...he made an acoustic album that I liked. I normally tend towards hard rock or even metal, but Smoke Ring for My Halo changed my mind about how slow and often boring acoustic music is. The highlight of the album was "Jesus Fever," cleverly written and very catchy, it could easily be the opening credit music for one of those indie-teen-coming-of-age-movies. You know the ones I mean.

16. Peter Murphy
"Seesaw Sway"
(Listen)
Is there anything that can stop Peter Murphy (except vampire-David Bowie, of course)? While his solo album was nothing special, this song was a standout. It's no "Endless Summer of the Damned," but it comes close.

15. Atlas Sound
"Te Amo"
(Listen)
Until a few days ago, I had no idea that Bradford Cox had made a new solo album. I heard this song as "Untitled" in a backstage practice video he shot for Pitchfork at some random festival last year. I thought it sounded amazing then, it is even more amazing now. The echo/pitch-shifting notes that open the song get stuck in my head for days whenever I hear them, and Cox's Bono-imitation vocal delivery a'int half-bad either.

14. Anna Calvi
"Blackout"
(Listen)
To tell the truth, this is the only Anna Calvi song I know, but it's well worth knowing. A dark, alto voice sings of how she loses and chooses her loves during, well, blackouts. The drum pattern makes the song, but the creepy howling that precedes each chorus makes her seem less the drunken skank and more the black widow. Really great stuff.

13. Neon Indian
"Blindside Kiss"
(Listen)
Neon Indian's new album presented slightly darker, much more put-together material, and the best of that set was tough to choose. The slight edge in what could be a three-way-tie went to "Blindside Kiss" because of its similarity to so many awesome Jesus and Mary Chain songs. This track showcases why Alan Palomo will be around for a while.

12. Adele
"Rolling in the Deep"
(You've heard this, but if you really have to, Listen)
Here it is, your obligatory pop hit song. The thing is, it's actually a really good song. Adele's voice is never in doubt, crooning like the divas of old. But, it's really the backing vocals and drum line that make this song, twisting the usual formula just enough to make the song sound unlike any other pop hit you've heard.

11. Little Dragon
"Nightlight"
(Listen)
One of the better dance-able songs to come out this year, Little Dragon took the lyrical structure of a Hercules & Love Affair song and mixed it with a Crystal Castles outtake. This song is moody, repetitive, and completely addicting. God knows how many times I listened to this and I'm still not sick of it. Look for this group to go places.

10. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
"Oraculum"
(Listen)
Within the three-hour opus that is Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo soundtrack, are a few gems. The song you hear most often in trailers is "An Itch," which is almost as good, or Trent and Karen O's cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," which is so obviously NIN that it almost sounds like they wrote the original. Since I don't include covers as new music, that didn't make the list, but "Oraculum" did. Why? Because it's the best instrumental song that Reznor's been involved with since 1999's "The Mark Has Been Made." The opening drum pattern alone makes you want to see the movie, even if you don't know what it's about. Now that's what I call advertising.

9. Panda Bear
"Last Night at the Jetty"
(Listen)
Panda Bear's Tomboy may be the album I looked forward to most this year. It's strange because of how experimental and progressive his music is; it's too much work for a lot of people, but the intriguing arrangements and Noah Benjamin's lyrical delivery--a seemingly infinite number of vocal layers--make any Panda Bear (or Animal Collective for that matter) song all the more interesting. Benjamin's repetition of "I know, I know, I know..." starting at 1:46 is one of the most beautifully harmonized deliveries I've ever heard, and more than enough to make this normally-average song one of the best of the year.

8. Feist
"A Commotion"
(Listen)
Before Adele, before Amy LaVere, even before Amy Winehouse, there was Feist. The mold of the independent, crooning, heart-broken, rebellious diva was cast when Feist started singing "Mushaboom" all those years ago. Metals may only be her third album, but what other semi-folk singer do you know who's brave enough to put her own career on hold to tour with Peaches? Here, Feist shows what made her famous: big sound, beautiful singing, and a snap-you-awake chorus. As Carly Simon once said, nobody does it better. Hey, speaking of Amy LaVere...

7. Amy LaVere
"Stranger Me"
(Listen)
What Amy LaVere has done by making Stranger Me, and its titular single, is create perhaps one of the most beautiful and breathtaking break-up albums ever, even rivaling Beck's Sea Change.  Americana isn't a genre most people identify with, but they should. "Stranger Me" has something everyone can love, a little country, a little emo, a little folk-rock, a little blues, a little rock-and-roll. Beware, however, as this may be the saddest of this year's best songs, but uplifting as well. I've never done a listening double-take like I did when I heard "Stranger Me" the first time.

6. John Maus
"Believer"
(Listen)
"Jackie Chan choppin' all across the world," is definitely one of the more...interesting (read: confusing) lines I've heard in a song this year. I can understand why a lot of people don't get John Maus. He's eccentric, he only seems to use one extremely high-pitched setting on his synthesizer, and his vocals are so distorted he sounds like he's calling to demand ransom, more likely to be confused with Al Jourgensen than Michael Buble. But that's part of what makes "Believer" so awesome. Why do they call him the believer? No one knows for sure, but this song is so catchy even the most doubting will believe that crazy can indeed be cool.

5. Iceage
"White Rune"
(Listen)
By far the heaviest and fastest song on the list, "White Rune" proves that a punk-revival band from Denmark really can make Joy Division proud. Combining the structure and lyrics of Brit-punk with the sheer volume of shoegaze, Iceage have revitalized small-club, mosh-pit rock. I really can't say enough about this band. Their album is a step back into a time when Iggy Pop and Joe Strummer were fighting with their audiences...you know, the golden years of punk...and "White Rune" makes you want to jump in and start punching. Rock on, brothers!

4. St. Vincent
"Cruel"
(Listen)
I said earlier that there was only one song on this list that was played on radio. That's unfortunate, because if there's one song that really should be played on radio, it's "Cruel." While the dark, sardonic lyrics of St. Vincent's most recent single are juxtaposed by the playful guitar lilts and upbeat melody, it's actually the video for this song that really makes it just that much better. A woman kidnapped by a family to be forced into the "mom" position, is then killed while showcasing the most ennui that is humanly possible. It's a perfect song to reflect the times we live in, and it's just damned good songwriting.

3. M83
"Midnight City"
(Listen)
While I liked M83's Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, I can easily say that I can't handle two discs worth of electro-pop at a time. That said, I love "Midnight City." It very much reminds me of last years #1 best song, Robyn's "Dancing On My Own." The high-pitched hook and distorted lyrics could put it in the Drive soundtrack without any problems, especially with the chorus about "waiting in the car." This is another one that just begs to be played over and over again. It's beat isn't particularly original, but M83 certainly has a way of making sound like it is. Club-friendly, long-city-drive-friendly...dancing-on-your-own-friendly.

2. The Joy Formidable
"Whirring"
(Listen)
There's nothing I like more than a good noise-rock band. And when they actually write radio-friendly, bouncing songs like "Whirring," all the better. This song has something for every rock-radio listener: the fast, upbeat song at the opening; the length of the average Pink Floyd song; and the crashing, destructive, totally awesome ending. The drummer has to be given credit here for being able to keep up with the pace, and the noise, the glorious noise. The Joy Formidable will make your ears bleed, and you will love them for it.

1. TV on the Radio
"Caffeinated Consciousness"
(Listen)
What can be said about TV on the Radio that hasn't already been said? They're brilliant, and their music is innovative, mesmerizing, and just plain cool. Their newest album, Nine Types of Light was hit-or-miss with critics, but songs like "Caffeinated Consciousness" highlight just how truly great this band is. It starts with a groovy bass, then get ready to rock as Tunde Adebimpe begins yelling his message out over a skipping horn and guitar section that is unlike any other they've done in the past. With "Caffeinated Consciousness," TV on the Radio has truly outdone even themselves, and blown all the competition away.

Album of the Week (11/01/2011)

M83
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

On Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, Gonzalez has crafted an admirable eulogy to memories, melancholy, and nostalgia using true pop experimentation, imploring the listener to really immerse themselves in the stories and places that are showcased within its distilled sound. In its delivery, the record is nearly perfect, an amazing interpretation of the sounds of youth. Above all else, it's the best M83 record yet.

Album of the Week (10/26/2011)

Bjork
Biophilia
Genre: Electronic

This wins for Bjork's craziest outfit, in a million-way tie.

The challenging but rewarding Biophilia is, at its core, a deeply moving, highly intelligent display of Bjork's singing and songwriting. Educational and emotional in a strangely approachable way, these songs are an amazing part of a bigger picture. When Bjork's beautifully haunting voice soars in songs like "Thunderbolt" and "Craving miracles," her soul easily outshines the software.

See also: Bat for Lashes Fur and Gold, St. Vincent Actor

Album of the Week (10/11/2011)

Feist
Metals
Genre: Indie Pop

As always, Feist has made a beautiful album. Metals is less off-the-cuff than her earlier records, but it is a fragile, dramatic work that strives to evoke deep emotions from its listeners. The album borrows from blues and jazz, but Metals is arranged in such a way that it never loses its natural sound. The coolness of "How Come You Never Go There?," followed by the insistence of "A Commotion," immediately preceding the loneliness of "Bittersweet Melodies" alone makes for a thoroughly interesting ride. Feist is near-perfect here, delivering gorgeous songs that would make a decent soundtrack for long drives, parties, or empty sadness.

See also: Bat for Lashes Two Suns, St. Vincent Actor

Movie of the Week (10/08/2011)

The Ides of March
Director: George Clooney

The Ides of March is a taut, topically relevant film about the dark side of American politics. Clooney steps behind the camera here (as well as in front), to deliver a movie that is a Manchurian-like, western-style showdown between compromised election systems and hopeful, best-intentions naivete. The actors here, Gosling in particular, give the film its strength, playing characters that bring an insistence to the plot. The story that unfolds should give both the left- and right-wing something to agree on...there is no be a bright side to politics.

Album of the Week (10/04/2011)

Mastodon
The Hunter
Genre: Sludge Metal

A delicate, finger-picked intro gives way to massive sound that brings Mastodon's mastery of dynamics to the forefront before an awesome finale via a pair of colossal solos that are among the most intense Hinds has ever performed. The Hunter is the album that shows that, as long as this band stays true to itself, it has the creative wherewithal to not only endure the endless stream of pop-rock, but keep itself in the spotlight for years to come. This album isn't exactly a logical follow-up to Crack The Skye, but The Hunter triumphs in a less profound, more instantaneous way: it's the first truly fun Mastodon album.

See also: Tool Aenima, Baroness Blue Record, Converge Axe to Fall

Movie of the Week (9/30/2011)

50/50
Director: Jonathan Levine

Mostly, 50/50 is just terribly funny and sad and beautifully acted and terrifically feel-good for being, you know, a cancer comedy. Considering that any one of those elements could have scuttled its fragile mix of drama, comedy and life-and-death stakes, it beats the odds with modest, utterly winning ease. A movie handled with this kind of care is a rare gift. Refusing to hide from pain or bow to it, 50/50 makes its own rules.

Album of the Week (9/27/2011)

Primus
Green Naugahyde
Genre: Whatever Primus is...funk-rock, maybe?

PRIMUS IS BACK! Here, Larry "Ler" LaLonde plays his complimentary role so well it's scary, Claypool has never sounded better, and Jay Lane jumps back onto the train before it takes off without him again. Overall, the writing is richer, peaking with the somber songcraft of "Last Salmon Man." Green Naugahyde is very much a return to their glory years, which makes it a great introduction for new ears and a satisfying addition to the catalogue for long-time fans.

Movie of the Week (9/23/2011)

Moneyball
Director: Bennett Miller

A smart, intense and moving film that isn't so much about sports as about the war between intuition and statistics. The movie is an absolute triumph of culturally relevant filmmaking--a film that will thrill and fascinate sports junkies and non-fans alike. If you like baseball, you will love this movie. If you hate baseball, you will still love this movie. Funny, furious, and full of front-office drama, Moneyball is the perfect sports movie for these cash-strapped times of efficiency maximization.

Album of the Week (9/19/2011)

Neon Indian
Era Extraña

Era Extrana's lavish electro-pop proves that Neon Indian can be more than just chillwave. It sports the admirable trait of being so much like many of the best psychedelic pop records in recent memory (Oracular Spectaular pops to mind rather often), while going a long way in forging Neon Indian's own, very distinct musical identity. By focusing more on originality and the aural progression of this album, Palomo is clearly honing his craft and proving that the musical trend he helped to create, won't be going out of style anytime soon.

Movie of the Week (9/17/2011)

Drive
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

As with any Refn film, you have to go into Drive knowing two things: (1) people don't talk very much, and (2) there will be blood...LOTS of blood. So no one dies for the first hour. Then everyone dies, horrifically, in the most stylistic and, dare I say, beautiful way imaginable. The entire film is really an exercise in style, but it's a dazzling and mythic testament to the appeal of fast cars, dangerous men, and high tension that can only be caused by slow-motion shotgunning. The entire movie, however, seems more real than any of the usual action-crime-chase flicks we've grown so tired of paying $10.50 to see. When I was watching it, it reminded me a lot of David Cronenberg's A History of Violence, in that it's fairly quiet at the start, but then ramps up until the very end, where it just cuts off. It is also similar in its stylistic approach to showcasing ultra-violence in a slower, neo-noir setting. It's cool, smart, and feels like some kind of masterpiece. Never before have I seen a movie that was both this beautiful, and this unnerving.

Album of the Week (9/12/2011)

St. Vincent

Strange Mercy

Genre: Art Rock

Like the best art, Strange Mercy lets you know that it means something--though what the point is is as much open to interpretation as it is a matter of its author's intentions--which is how it should be. The modulations and switches in pace remain as bold as ever, and Clark has a knack for memorable melody and a winning voice with shades of Kate Bush and Leslie Feist. Her approach is confident and challenging, but not the most important--several direct, haunting love songs are as delicate and affecting as any Adele tear-jerker. Yet, far from a liability, Clark's bare, sedate St. Vincent persona is the highlight of Strange Mercy, reflecting all the terror, beauty, and allure of her music more effectively than any other narrator could think of.

Album of the Week (9/07/2011)

The Field

Looping State of Mind

Genre: Ambient techno

The title of the Field's third album, Looping State of Mind, might have you thinking the Axel Willner is getting back to basics, returning to the sound that made his project a crossover favorite with rock kids a few years back. But in a few instances, the music on Looping is barely recognizable as "the Field" at all. The tracks may be still be built from loops, but Axel Willner has never organized or layered so many of them so beautifully. His dense-yet-listenable soundscapes put his contemporaries to shame.