by Mike Mineo

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20. Volcano Choir – Unmap

When describing their influences, Volcano Choir throw around a variety of names like Steve Reich, Tom Waits, and other heroes of experimental music and pop. They also claim though that their most prominent influence “is music itself.” Such a statement may sound overbearing or pretentious, but one listen to Unmap, the sextet’s debut, should reveal complex layers of beauty that almost seem to concisely display each of the member’s talents in one wholesomely satisfying package. Comprising Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and an assortment of Wisconsin-based musicians, Volcano Choir’s Unmap is one of the more naturally ethereal albums of the year in its collaborative, layer-based approach. Whether the group tackles Sigur Rós-like Gregorian chants in the sprawling noise-pop of “Dote” or turn in one of the year’s most satisfying singles in the choppily brilliant “Island, IS”, each maneuver is a success that slowly but steadily constructs Unmap as a stunning debut. “Island, IS” uses several chopped-up samples of guitars and assorted string instruments over the reverbed echo of Vernon’s somber croon. The clash between minimalism and folk is extraordinary done, with the repetition of melodic fragments colliding beautifully with Vernon’s voice and the building percussion of Jon Mueller. As one of the album’s more barren numbers, “And Gather” is appropriately titled for a style that comes across as joyous and inviting. The soft strumming of an acoustic guitar is hidden behind steady handclaps and gleeful whimpers that seem to vocally involve all six members in some way. It seems to be sitting comfortably in a campfire setting, perturbed by nothing apart from any unnatural force intent on interrupting this spontaneous creation of music. Unmap concocts a lot of imagery without even emitting distinguishable words, a sign of brilliant production and musicianship at the very least. Collaboration can be a complex maneuver in music, but Volcano Choir have crafted one of this year’s finest by involving all of its members in an equal and sophisticated manner.

Volcano Choir – Island, IS

Volcano Choir – And Gather

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19. Brazos – Phosphorescent Blues

Recorded in his reclusive South Austin home, Brazos frontman Martin Crane injects a series of classic naturalist themes in an intimate showing of folk and alternative-rock strongly indicative of both his poetic and melodic capabilities. The Austin-based trio are bound to attract enough attention with their constant wit displayed throughout Phosphorescent Blues, their first full-length after two EPs were released in 2007. While Walden showed Thoreau’s “life in the woods” as breakthrough personal meditation, Phosphorescent Blues represents Crane’s commentary on life’s most imminent and affecting tribulations in the perspective of external contemplation. Despite the chronological and reputable differences of the two works, this examination is their meeting point. Phosphorescent Blues is so easy to relate to that its exposition of intricate concepts come off in a way that is lighthearted without being offensive. You know how your best friend tends to complete your sentences? “My Buddy” covers that with wit and caressing layers of surprisingly melodic distortion. What about that person in your life who offers great sex but nothing else? “Day Glo” medicates it with humor, joined by a droning style of key-tinged folk that recalls Phoenix with its abrupt elegance. Specifically, the unique nature of each track brings out a resoundingly strong effort that should contend for one of the year’s best full-length debuts. One of the reasons for this is how the trio is able to transcribe life’s complexities into a humorous or witty vein. “I don’t mind dying when I make love to her,” Crane sings on “Day Glo” before an entry of trippy brass unexpectedly descends upon the acoustics and keys. “Close but not close, far but not too far away.” The keys that seem to dance and mingle under Crane’s quivering voice brings to mind a versatile folk artist like Andrew Bird, though Brazos do express more variation in tempo and style. Stylistic versatility, intelligent contemplation, and melodic captivation are all characteristics of Brazos, as any song on their memorable Phosphorescent Blues could tell you.

Brazos – Day Glo

Brazos – My Buddy

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18. Girls – Album

2009 has seen in much in terms of hazy, surf-rock inspired acts like Wavves and Washed Out. A movement classified by many as “chillwave” is emerging and looking good. Girls may have similar influences but they do not apply. Instead, they reclaim sunny ’70s pop and psychedelia that is crisp and coherent rather than contained in an ethereal reverbed bliss. The San Francisco-based quartet have really made a nice pop album with their debut, Album. It is so easy to got lost in the swirling guitars of centerpiece “Laura”, recalling both sunny ’70s California pop and twangy southern-rock. The result is also one inspired by the goofy but technically astute power-pop of Jonathan Richman, whose wit and simplistic ability to relate was influential in addition to his melodic prowess. The ambition on Girls’ part is blatantly apparent and the consistent throughout Album is shocking considering the band’s inexperience. It serves as one of the few debuts this year that touts quality from start to finish, serving as a true throwback in never focusing on one instrument or melodic lead. The playfully mopey vocals of Christopher Owens suggest a DIY, minimalistic feel, but prominent influences like the Beach Boys inspire rich multiple melodies. Still, a laudable effort like “God Damned” benefits heavily from its lo-fi production. One could easily envision a one-man band when listening to its raw intensity. You hear an extremely powerful melody being portrayed by Owens’ emotive vocals, backed by the shuffle of an acoustic guitar and various minor percussion elements. Its minimalistic, sure, but it packs a heavy emotional punch that is equal to more complex pop songs like “Laura” or the gorgeously epic “Hellhole Ratface”. The latter finds a fusion of acoustic and electric guitars combining with a loud bass drum, all leading up to an anticipated melodic burst that is reminiscent to Spiritualized’s better material. Such comparisons are admirable for any debut, and this is exactly the reason why Girls are receiving so much acclaim. This one may be looked back on as one of the better debuts of its decade, especially if Girls live up to their lofty potential.

Girls – God Damned

Girls – Lust For Life

Girls – Laura

Matador Records

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17. Manic Street Preachers – Journal for Plague Lovers

Manic Street Preachers had a surprisingly cohesive career after the disappearance of Richey Edwards, a talented lyricist who contributed well to the band’s sound on the classic The Holy Bible. Their ninth album, Journal for Plague Lovers, is a delayed successor of sorts, using lyrics left by Edwards and collected from his portfolio and also revitalizing a sound the heaviest and most unpredictable it has been since The Holy Bible. Lyrics by Edwards are certainly a nice novelty and contribute to the album’s sincerity as expected, but the band’s stellar performance is what prevents it from being simply a tribute album. The new material here is some of the best from the band in a decade, clearly showing that Edwards’ collection had inspired the band to great things. Oddly titled tracks like “Jackie Collins Existential Question Time”  with their fascinating . “Oh mommy, what’s a Sex Pistol?” repeats as a very jubillant series of guitar riffs present themselves. The shimmering quality of the song is bolstered by several hooks that James Dean Bradfield delivers with his usual power. Journal for Plague Lovers is not exactly a comeback since the Manic Street Preachers never embarrassed themselves, and it is pretty impressive how raw and powerful the band sounds after all these year. There is no sign of aging here, as boisterously anthemic tracks like “She Bathed Herself in a Bath of Bleach” proclaim with tumultuous guitar riffs and choppy solos. It contains the sort of unpredictable angst that made early Manic Street Preachers so satisfying and relevant. Their foray into readily accessible and radio-friendly pop songs provided some great enjoyment, as did their previous experimentation in genres of electro-pop and power-pop. Somehow though, the throwback approach done on Journal for Plague Lovers sounds the most appropriate for a band of the Manic Street Preachers’ stature.

Manic Street Preachers – This Joke Sport Severed

Manic Street Preachers – She Bathed Herself in a Bath of Bleach

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16. Richard Swift – The Atlantic Ocean

Since his sixth great uncle is famous satirist and writer Jonathan Swift, one could say that good storytelling runs in Richard Swift’s family. Naturally, his lyrical ability is wildly impressive and has been since the since the double-release of his first two albums, Walking Without Effort and The Novelist, in 2005. The primary theme of The Novelist was heavily indicative of Swift’s forte, a writer who often comes across the romanticized perspective of unheralded artists. Both albums also showed a blissful interpretation of Tin Pan Alley pop, stemming from a raw interest in pop music that developed within Swift as he sang in Quaker churches throughout his early teens. Swift’s new album, The Atlantic Ocean, appears to be his most stylistically decisive effort yet, opting for a highly enjoyable mixture of piano ballads and key-led pop, with an occasional guitar here and there providing for a touch of rock ‘n’ roll. The keys are often adorned with bouncy synths, a trait that makes tracks like “The Original Thought” and “A Song for Milton Feher” a few of the best on the album. Swift’s voice is endearing in a throwback sort of way, at times becoming startlingly reminiscent of the late Dennis Wilson and his brooding voice’s ability to sound remarkable over a piano. Swift’s material is a bit more excitable and upbeat, but a track like “Ballad of Old What’s His Name” succeeds tremendously with a spine-chilling chorus that has Swift repeating, “Please don’t you cry anymore,” he sings with a rollicking southern-rock flair. The guitar progressions are later accentuated by a beautiful horn section, which sounds stunning under Swift’s excellent chorus. The equally outstanding “Already Gone” capitalizes similarly on Swift’s ethereal vocals during the chorus, though this time it is preceded by a brooding piano as Swift takes on a nasally delivery that seems almost Elvis Costello-like. “You know I love you, so honey don’t go, too many secrets you’ll never knows,” he croons in a near-whisper over the wavering of synths and a forceful piano. “But it’s already gone.” For Swift, it is only beginning.

Richard Swift – Ballad of Old What’s His Name

Richard Swift – Already Gone

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15. Cass McCombs – Catacombs

Cass McCombs is one of the few artists that managed to first get my attention via a b-side. A psychedelic gem on the single of “Sacred Heart”, “Twins” is an underrated gem that all should check out (MP3 below). It is generally indicative of ‘60s British psychedelia with a brooding introduction that features an instrumental whirlwind of both post-punk and psychedelic influences. I find the contemporary relevance of McCombs’ specific style to be very reminiscent of Pulp’s This Is Hardcore, adding yet another British comparison to McCombs despite the fact that he is a Californian. It simply speaks to his knowledge of his targeted genre, and in “Twins” he literally does no wrong. Alternating between a whimpering croon and series of self-induced backing harmonies, McCombs continuously comes back to a chorus in which he somberly repeats, “You lied to me, you lied to me.” Underneath a spectacle of melancholic keys and thickly reverberating guitars and bass, “Twins” speaks more to McCombs’ ability than any other song I have come across. Well, that was until he released Catacombs this year. McCombs abandons the heavy reverb and psychedelic-heavy sound of past releases and opts for a crisper version of pop. His folk influences also shine through on Catacombs, which despite its stylistic differences is the best cumulative effort of McCombs’ career so far. “Dreams Come True Girl” is sweet and tender with its pleading snippets of guitar, backed by a Motown-inspired bass line that moves with McCombs’ haunting croon. “Prima Donna” reaches similar heights with little more than a guitar and McCombs’ voice, his poetic lyrics and nasally croon portraying the same traditional alt-folk as Billy Bragg. Like Bragg, the lyrics are endlessly captivating and his musical accompaniments are sweet and tender. McCombs is continuing to grow nicely as a songwriter, although letting loose once awhile to produce another track like “Twins” would not hurt.

Cass McCombs – Dreams Come True Girl

Cass McCombs – Prima Donna

Cass McCombs – Twins

Domino Records

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14. Fever Ray – Fever Ray

By the time that Swedish brother-sister duo Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer released their third full-length album in 2006, The Knife had already achieved a status as one of the most reputable electronic groups in Sweden. Two Grammi (the Swedish equivalent of the Grammys) nominations in 2003 brought them their first glimpse at national recognition. Their 2006 release, Silent Shout, shot the duo to internatonal fame with their dark and chilly electronica. Five successful singles came from it as well, giving the siblings a bit of career flexibility. Karin Dreijer Andersson has certainly kept herself busy with the debut of her new solo project, Fever Ray. One of the debut’s standouts, “Now’s the Only Time I Know”, is an accessible example of how Andersson has carried over her engaging techniques from The Knife throughout Fever Ray’s ten new songs, many of which are equal to or even surpass several tracks on Silent Shout. It is also one of the best examples of the way her vocals evolve throughout a given song in accordance to its instrumental accompaniment. Her first few lines are barren, reflected by a similar vocal track that is delayed by a few seconds. However, when a synth pad emerges and the percussion intensifies with an extra kick, her intensity rises and an extra dose of reverb is found alongside a chorus that works wonders with a bubbly bass line and trickling synths. “When I Grow Up” sees a more minimalistic approach, with a more consistently ardent delivery reminiscent of The Knife’s “Like a Pen”, only without the driving pulse of techno. Using a synth arpeggio as its steady heartbeat, a twinkle here and there of chirpy keys adds to the irresistibility of “Triangle Walks” in a way that, like “Now’s the Only Time I Know”, should appeal to listeners who have little to no familiarity with The Knife. Those who enjoyed any of The Knife’s prior releases, though, will find Fever Ray’s self-titled debut to be more than capable of delivering the same thrills that one of the best albums of 2006 did so effectively.

Fever Ray – Now’s the Only Time I Know

Fever Ray – Triangle Walks

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13. Kinetic Stereokids – Kid Moves

Preparing a sophomore album is always a sensitive topic. It is the band’s first exposure to a world of expectations, regardless of whether your album went gold or sold ten copies. Criticism tends to be taken more prominently for the most mature artists, as these eventually come to be perceived as free constructive criticism rather than some blowhard lamenting his biased disdain for a style he personally does not enjoy. That Kinetic Stereokids have released an epic for their second album seems like a gesture of sorts, perhaps to the critics that found their 2007 debut, Basement Kids, too inconsistent for their tastes. Sometimes it was too flip-floppy, while other times it was consistent but too mundane. The impressive qualities certainly outweighed the bad ones, but it struggled like most debuts do in attempting to capture a cohesive feel throughout the album. This often relies on thematic and melodic consistencies, which are two qualities that Kinetic Stereokids’ new album, Kid Moves, accomplishes with relative ease. Its length spans over 70 minutes, but the consistent focus on recapturing youth results in some of the freshest and most inventive material you are bound to hear this year. The opener, “Free Money”, sounds like one of those summer jams from the ‘90s with its infusion of hip-hop percussion and chirpy vocals corresponding excellently with the near-improvised distortion of several electric guitars. As the band personally clarifies, fusing the sounds of Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys is not the worst idea in the world. “Twisted Thoughts” is not as intricately interwoven but it still packs a similar punch, contrasting an automated robot voice with naturally sweet acoustics and a natural croon that shows Kinetic Stereokids as supremely talented musicians with a great knack for melody. That it is followed by the psychedelic hip-hop of “Drugs Is a Drag” is no coincidence, as Kid Moves is an album that flows with surprising precision despite its daunting stylistic diversity. “Drugs Is a Drag” later flows into some Avalanches-like mash-up that leaves me thoroughly impressed; the incorporation of guitar solos over the samples of an operatic tenor, hazy percussion, and warbled vocals make this an effort of extreme innovation, just like Kid Moves itself.

Kinetic Stereokids – Planes with Teeth

Kinetic Stereokids – Twisted Thoughts

Kinetic Stereokids – Drugs Is a Drag

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12. Junior Boys – Begone Dull Care

For their third album, Begone Dull Care, Junior Boys have found somewhat of a middle point between both of their preceding releases. Their grasp of illustrious pop music remains strong, even as several aspects of their music have taken a more constricted approach. Ironically, this constraint proves to be beneficial on several tracks, most notably on efforts like “Sneak a Picture” and “Parallel Lines” where the use of percussion is extremely minimal compared to their previous, more hectically involved works like on “Birthday”. On “Parallel Lines”, the album’s opener, the percussion relies more on reverb and subdued flexibility than intensity. Combined with a bass arpeggio and a few percussively enabled samples, the introduction sounds surprisingly bare for Junior Boys’ standards. However, as the track later proves, its build-up is dependent on its success. When Greenspan’s vocals emerge nearly simultaneously with a brief electro-sax accompaniment and a whirring synth pad, the listener is reminded of the infectious tranquility of gems like “Teach Me How to Fight” and “Neon Rider”. While Greenspan does not turn into some gaudy diva on this album, his voice is more prevalently involved in the songs. On “Bits and Pieces”, one of the duo’s most infectiously concise efforts to date, he alternates between a falsetto and suave electro-pop flamboyance. The song’s structure is simple enough, but he brings the track to unforeseen heights during its bouncy chorus and seductively minimalistic verses. “Hazel” shows more of this vocal swagger, whether in the snappy verses or his disco-y “ooh, ooh, ooh” whimper during the club-like series of synthesized chords toward the track’s conclusion. These moments are surely excellent, but few can rival the brilliance of “Sneak a Picture”. Beautiful from its inception, both scratchy bass-like and fluttery synths collide in “Sneak a Picture” to establish an initially memorable melody that does nothing but get even better. When Greenspan’s vocals enter the picture, he is only accompanied by a squirmy synth at the end of each measure and a high-pitched arpeggio. The latter remains steady for most of the track, but the track’s brilliance derives primarily from a series of ingeniously constructed ideas that include a chorus that somehow finds the perfect meeting place between cohesiveness and precisely executed variety. Begone Dull Care was written as an ode to animator Norman McLaren, and like his genius work Junior Boys are able to create heaps of expression with minimalistic means.

Junior Boys – Sneak a Picture

Junior Boys – Bits and Pieces

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11. The Antlers –  Hospice

Rarely is an album as dense as Hospice so utterly captivating. Concept albums strive so hard to avoid pretentious themes that they often end up sounding overly hesitant as a result. Hospice is different though. This is a sincere, resoundingly dramatic album centered around a young home-care worker who falls in love with a patient. Frontman Peter Silberman is stunning as the haunting protagonist, his quivering vocals relay tales of anguished heartbreak that few albums this year could even compare to in sincerity alone. “I’d happily take all of those bullets inside you and put them inside of myself,” he sings in “Atrophy”. “I’m bound to your bedside, your eulogy singer.” Rarely do words and musical accompaniments go so well together. Hospice is like a great book in the sense that it strikes such an emotional chord that you want to share it with friends. It plays like one of the most heartfelt dramas you are likely to hear all year, backed by excellent performances that circulate from the piano-led balladry of “Atrophy” to the upbeat acoustics of “Two”. Silberman wrote this during a period of “social isolation” that must have also served as a period of rewarding contemplation. Like Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, he prevailed to release one of the greatest albums of the year that is propelled by a unique emotional interpretations of life’s virtues and risks. Occasionally complete with horns and extravagant arrangements, The Antlers are certainly more expansive pop music but that does not detract from the intricacies. Silberman’s amazing narrative abilities are enough to behold on their own, and it makes it so easy for the listener to get lost in the hazy ethereal gaze of “Shiva” or the exuberant burst of excitement during the chorus of “Bear”. This certain burst is part of an excellent narrative detailing a 21st birthday of self-discovery, one that is clearly tragic and very personal despite the upbeat acoustics. It is an example of how The Antler are able to mix stellar hooks with some very realistic and sensitive issues, most of them universal in being recognized as unfortunate plights. The result that Hospice produces is utterly brilliant and highly recommended. The Antlers clearly have what it takes to be one of 2010’s most talked-about acts.

The Antlers – Bear

The Antlers – Atrophy

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The post Best Albums of 2009: #20 to #11 appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

Superfluous guitar solos and shoddy production are things that any attentive music fans despises. As fans, we tend to magnify our roles in the whole listening experience to make it seem as if the artist owes us something. As a result, we become more aware and selective in regard to our qualitative standards. Studio albums are obtained for free nowadays with a single click, so this feeling of entitlement usually arises most during live performances. The New Paltz-based group Oryan is one of upstate New York’s most renowned recent acts for their understanding of this ideology. They recognize groups that opt for unnecessary ten-minute keyboard solos or instill production that sounds like “a soundtrack for a torture victim” as projects that take advantage of their attention-demanding status. A focus on the natural and raw seem to appeal to Oryan, but not because they have little resources or motivation. Instead, they view live performances at the most natural, spontaneous, and engaging outlet for listening to music. This also ends up attributing vastly to their sound.

Composed of three Ryans and one Adam, Oryan show some tremendous work on their debut EP, The Ride. Folk, country, and alternative are the main forces at play, with no specific one dominating; all remain consistently in the picture. Vocalist Ryan Megan has a gravelly howl that is one-part Craig Finn and other-part Elvis Costello, shown beautifully in the climactic self-titled track. A country twang is present in the guitars while a slowly evolving rhythm section invokes periodical alternative-rock, led by empowering vocals that could fit in either genre. How the piano, guitars, and rhythm section all eventually coincide toward the latter end of the track shows this four-piece’s strength in its best form. Megan croons his way to emotional heights, leaving no room for the type of filler that studio albums are often so guilty of. Unlike the ten-minute keyboard solos they hate with extraneous spite, this moment is entirely necessary and additive to the track’s flow and feel.

“Manuals” is particularly interesting for its brooding, string-tinged tone of halted and commenced emotive eruptions. Megan alternates from a whisper to a growl as vigorously bustling percussion builds under a coarse guitar tone. The tone established here is clearly of distraught and somber intentions, and how it remains consistent while keeping in mind the original structure and impressive performances makes it truly a remarkable effort. Check out the last two minutes or so when strings, acoustic guitars, and electric guitars combine for one last cry for help. Truly empowering. The same can be said for “Helvetica”, a more repressed effort that features twangy country-folk in a more subdued, loose on the cause of drunkenness sort of ordeal. The flexibility here is again fulfilling though, and it sits quite well between the intense “The Ride” and brooding “Manuals”, especially when it shifts to alt-rock territory during its conclusion. Oryan usually execute introductions that last one or two minutes on each one of their songs, but this again beckons back to their on-stage ideology. They prepare listeners for their works with delicate precision, in most cases being the ushering in of a certain tone or instrumental arrangement. It always works though, and The Ride comes out feeling like a genuinely fresh EP that certainly deserves a listen.

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Oryan – The Ride

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Oryan – Helvetica

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Oryan – Manuals

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Robert Bradley has strayed on both sides of the tracks. From singing on the streets of Detroit to appearing on major-label albums and in high-budget films, he is reflective of artists that maximize even the most humble of circumstances to acquire experience and eventually prevail. Street performers can live happily if funds never go awry and they genuinely enjoy playing music for a living, but there must be an apparent frustration within these artists. How can they not lament an inability to get their music heard beyond the street they are performing on? Many street performers have devoted their lives to music, so there must be some apparent desire for recognition. For many this desire is subtle, and happiness is simply derived from seeing a dozen or so people a day walk by and display some sort of enjoyment in response to their music. Bradley was never a stereotypical street performer since he became renowned for his singing at coffeehouses, Baptist churches, and Detroit’s Eastern Market for nearly three decades, a local legend of sorts whose soulful voice and enigmatic presence made hordes of passerbys stop and take notice. He is also blind, so one must feel sorrowful in the respect that he is not able to see the happiness that his music brings to people’s faces. He certainly heard their praise though, and two of those that took lauded him were Michael and Andrew Nehra, members of indie-rockers Second Self.

The Nehra brothers were immediately impressed by Bradley’s natural ability, ardent demeanor, and obvious commitment, prompting a discussion among musicians once they met him on the street. The story goes like this: the group was practicing for Second Self when they heard a distinctive voice coming from below their apartment. They followed the soulful croon until they came across Bradley, paving the way for a discussion regarding future collaboration. Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise was formed then and it proved to mark a fusion of two generations, one consumed by blues and the other by alternative-rock. Bradley had decades’ worth of experience and his aged features showed that, while the Nehra brothers and drummer Jeff Fowlkes represented a bunch of fresh-faced indie-rock kids that were looking to add a twist to the occasionally generic alt-rock of the early ‘90s. An odd pairing to say the least, but it worked nonetheless and a deal with RCA Records took place shortly prior to the group’s debut album, Blackwater Surprise. Bradley’s years of cumulative musical experience and the Nehra brothers’ background in production were essential to the debut’s success, an impressive release that saw the blending of blues, soul, and gospel into a guitar-based formula that was easily received by the early ‘90s alternative-rock crowd.

Blackwater Surprise featured plenty of bluesy improvisation from Bradley, but the group’s second album, Time to Discover, resulted in a more expansive type of sound that found Bradley and his young backing band in a more collaborative environment. Bradley’s raspy vocals and honest lyrics were still the most distinctive parts of the release, but Fowlkes and the Nehra brothers provided backing instrumentation that provided more diversity, ambition, and infectiousness than the debut. The critical acclaim was even more prominent for Time to Discover too, with Allmusic calling it “the first modern blues classic of the new millennium.” One of Bradley’s best friends, Kid Rock, also made an appearance on the album before he was even relatively notorious. The acclaim was still not enough to keep the group on RCA Records though, as the style appeared too frustrating for commercial benefits. Some fans of blues found it to be too restrained, while alt-rockers found fault in its fusion of the past and present. Most critics and eclectic music fans enjoyed it though, so the group kept chugging along and signed with Vanguard for the release of their third album, New Ground, in 2002. This marked the departure of the Nehra brothers, but Fowlkes stayed on board and Bradley brought in Matthew Ruffino, a songwriter and guitarist. Similar results were achieved as on their RCA releases, drawing acclaim but not much in regard to commercial success. Critics saw it as consistency, but not enough in terms of improvement needed in order to vaunt the group into national recognition.

The group’s fourth album, Still Lovin’ You, featured Bradley leading the album more than before, taking sole songwriting track on every track apart from a cover of Isaac Hayes’ “I Thank You”. There was an additional emphasis on Philly soul in order to supplement Bradley’s vocals more comfortably, and it succeeded for the most part in another success that saw the band straying in a consistently good category that was not exactly “great” yet. This album was released in 2003, signaling a five-year wait in between the release of Still Lovin’ You and their new album, Out of the Wilderness. Efforts like “Alabama”, an ode to Bradley’s home state, slides more into classic rock territory; the sound is more reflective of The Allman Brothers while the chorus’ hook shows shades of Harry Nilsson. “My heart still lives in Alaba-a-ma,” Bradley croons during the gripping chorus. His voice sounds better than ever, and the backing instrumentation contains more swagger and hooks than all of his past releases. The greatness of “Alabama” even prompted the state’s governor, Bob Riley, to award Bradley with a Certificate of Commendation. Such a display is indicative of Bradley’s sheer poetic prowess, using both his vocals and vivid storytelling abilities to create something powerful and captivating.

In addition to the excellent “Alabama”, Out of the Wilderness contains plenty of material to get excited about. The swanky “Americaland” recalls vintage Elvis Costello with Bradley’s nasally mumbling, the organ’s eventual prominence, and the funk of the scraggly guitars, while “Love You in the Daytime” is strongly reminiscent of singer/songwriter balladry in the vein of Randy Newman. One of the album’s more sensitive cuts, “Beautiful Girl”, touches on the topic of dealing with a child leaving home. It is one of Bradley’s most lighthearted affairs but still achieves success based on his prevalent ardency, an aspect that is presented most prominently during the up-tempo chorus. “Cryin’ My Eyes Out” and “Gotta Find a Woman” are more conventional of Bradley’s soulful relations of despair and detriments, and the difference in tonality between tracks like these and “Beautiful Girl” or “Love You in the Daytime” makes the flow of Out of the Wilderness extraordinary. There is plenty to like here, as Out of the Wilderness is the album that has finally pushed Bradley from good to great. Although his past success is still respectable, his experience has finally paid off with his biggest success yet. The album has already generated unusual commercial success, with “Love You in the Daytime,” “Cryin’ My Eyes Out,” and “Everybody Wanna Party” appearing in the movie Love n’ Dancing with Billy Zane and Amy Smart. As Bradley’s track history shows though, I doubt he cares much about Hollywood success. Out of the Wilderness is a clear success that will bring enjoyment to many people, and that is the most important thing to the Alabama native.

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Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise – Alabama

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Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise – Love You in the Daytime

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Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise – Beautiful Girl

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In the life of Luke Temple, artistic transitioning nearly seems like a daily routine by now. In several career choices that are not particularly surprising from a multifarious talent, Temple has made a living out of being both a mural painter and a musician. Between painting murals in the grandiose houses of the New York City elite and singing his oddly infectious tunes in smoky barrooms, one could say that Temple likely has a good perception of what it means to struggle as someone who makes a living out of being an artist. Now, Temple appears to be doing just fine for himself, but his growing recognition did not come without any work at all. As he transitioned between considerably different jobs and states (from Boston to Seattle and California to New York), Temple gathered experience that proved beneficial to his talents as both a painter and musician. Perhaps most importantly of all, he learned what it took to alternate between various lifestyles and locales, all while maintaining a consistent focus on the reason why his renown is growing considerably: his art. While mural paintings supported him well enough, Temple’s true calling always seemed to be within the art of music. When he decided to prioritize his music-related pursuits above his respectable work as a mural painter, many wondered whether such a risky move would pay off in the end.

Considering that Temple pursued painting as a student at the School of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, it may strike many as surprising that he chose to pursue music over something that he was well-studied in. After all, why not just study music in school if it were your most ardent passion? The truth is that few people realize their true focused potential upon entering, and even exiting, college, leading onto lives of regret and contradiction. Well, it usually is not that bad, but Temple is a good example of how initial interests can stimulate a latent talent. There is no doubt that Temple is a talented painter, but it is also a skill that can be rendered unavoidably prevalent in childhood. After all, in grade school, a child drawing a picture is a more common and accessible occurrence than one who transcribes music or writes songs in crayon. This interest, along with an easily identifiable talent, likely led Temple to his choice of a career as a painter. This career choice, like many others though, led to something else that eventually resulted in more appropriate circumstances for a songwriter whose lyrical and melodic prowess transcends many of those who have been set on a musical career since their early childhood.

At this current decade’s beginning, as Temple was preparing to try out his hand at visual art, he began to develop an interest in music. He had enjoyed listening to music for the majority of his life, but it was not until then that he took a deep interest in songwriting, production, and the inner-workings of the art. An artist his entire life, the transitioning seemed nearly seamless as he released his debut, a four-track EP, in 2004. His full-length debut, Hold a Match for a Gasoline World, followed in 2005 and it was a fantastic display of the Massachusetts native’s songwriting ability. One thing that he kept the same was his commitment to striking visuals, an aspect that he accomplished through excellent lyrical imagery. For a former painter, I suppose it was not surprising. What was unexpected was Temple’s melodic virtuosity, a feat that was heavily accomplished despite the bare workings of finger-picked acoustics and folky ballads. The songs were not breathtakingly innovative or structurally unpredictable, but they were appealing and accessible enough for Temple’s words to flow with an emotional vigor that is essential in quality folk music. He found his first glimpse of mainstream success in 2006 after one of the album’s tracks, “Make Right with You”, appeared on Grey’s Anatomy, setting the stage for the release of his second album, Snowbeast, in 2007.

Snowbeast was a breakthrough for Temple on several levels. In addition to gathering the acclaim of both fans and musicians (Sufjan Stevens, Ben Gibbard) alike, it found Temple expanding upon his previous material without reverting to new styles of play or methods of production. Recorded in his Brooklyn apartment, the use of lo-fi folk was still prominent but the songs themselves benefitted from a more organized flow and a stylistic addition that saw some aspects of electronica being incorporated into Temple’s works. The structures were also noticeably more ambitious, with most of the tracks apart from the opening “Saturday People” taking unpredictable twists and turns that often resulted in an ingeniously engineered success. After the release of this, it was clear that Hold a Match for a Gasoline World was setting the stage for Snowbeast in showcasing Temple’s wildly impressive growth as a songwriter within only two years. And just like that evolution, Snowbeast has accomplished in preparing listeners for Temple’s newest release, a new project altogether that he entitles Here We Go Magic.

What Here We Go Magic’s self-titled debut does so well is that it takes the ambitiousness and electro-folk tinges of Snowbeast and combines them with unchartered territory that is not like anything Temple has done before. Half psychedelic-pop and half electro-folk, Here We Go Magic is yet another redeeming example of Temple’s growth as a songwriter. While a wide assortment of synthesizers, guitars, bass, percussion, and samples push him out of the lo-fi category, the songs here are more depictive of minimalistic experimentation than the structural ambitiousness found on Snowbeast. In fact, many of the tracks on Here We Go Magic like “I Just Want to See You Underwater” and “Tunnelvision” benefit from a repetitive riff or sample that remains somewhat consistent throughout the song. “Tunnelvision” sports an acoustic progression and a basic 4/4 drum beat that is not altered even once; the beauty of the track instead comes in the effectiveness of the warbling production and Temple’s high-pitched voice. The tone is ethereal and calming, a stark contrast from the synthesized arpeggios of “I Just Want to See You Underwater”. But this contrast is what makes Here We Go Magic so extraordinary. From the accessibly tropical pop sensibilities of “Fangela” and the use of Afro-pop in “Only Pieces” to the droning ambience of “Ghost List” and “Nat’s Alien”, this album is full of wonderful surprises. This especially applies to the concluding “Everything’s Big”, a track unlike anything else on the album with its naturalistic lo-fi sentiments involving acoustic guitars, keys, and a slight touch of strings. When this ends the album with its genuine flair of romance, it is difficult to even envision Temple pursuing a different art form. This is clearly his true calling.

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Here We Go Magic – Fangela

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Here We Go Magic – Everything’s Big*

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Here We Go Magic – Tunnelvision

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*”Everything’s Big” removed at the request of Western Vinyl

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Unless their family’s name is worth a few cool million, most young musicians are forced to get creative when attempting to generate some sort of substantial income. Like many artistic professions, the line between raking in millions per year and barely scraping by in the music industry is very thin. A most desirable situation for individuals who view music as a full-time occupation in the future would be to hold a job that allows them to devise their own schedules, opening up more opportunities for any gigs or recording sessions on the path toward a musical career that will hopefully break out one day. So, as the 4 members of Down Home Southernaires would likely tell you, a logical solution would be to find a side-career within the realm of art as well. Jose Castello, the group’s pianist, finds time to be a painter and a poet, while drummer Jorge Rubiera is a filmmaker and occasional fashion photographer. The other two members also serve in some unique side professions; guitarist Kristopher Pabon is an amateur anthropologist and bassist Jarrett Hann is on his way to becoming a professional in the culinary arts. And while all four of these childhood friends clearly have different interests based on their preferred occupations, there is a common bond that keeps these guys as the best of friends. For that, we can thank the power of music.

The occupational eclecticism of Down Home Southernaires proves to be appropriate when applied to their intended style, as the four-piece’s masterful blend of punk, R&B, ska, funk, and soul provides for one of the most unpredictably enjoyable releases of the year thus far. Packed with such stylistic fervor, the ambitious propensities tend to carry on over to the group’s actual songcraft. If you are someone who gets quickly tired of conventional song structures in pop music, Down Home Southernaires may be a great find for you. The 8 tracks on Negro En Bicicleta, the group’s newest release, all remain extensively cohesive in that one is able to identify Down Home Southernaires’ distinctive sense of individuality, but the subtle weaving of various genres within the intricate structures creates an enjoyably unique listening experience that marks the album as something of a rare entity. In an age where many artists are reluctant to mix and math a variety of styles in fear of critical backlash, Down Home Southernaires have emerged practically out of nowhere (or Miami) with a release that should hopefully encourage other new artists to promote their ambitious nature as candidly as possible. The impressive Negro En Bicicleta succeeds in such aspects for the most part, granting listeners with something that they can both relax and dance to.

I suppose that if one were forced to compare Deep Home Southernaires to a familiar face, Elvis Costello would be inescapable. Listening to the first minute or so of the curiously titled “Israelis on the Beach”, I imagine that many will scratch their heads at the comparison, but it becomes increasingly prevalent as the song evolves. Initially guided by the repetition of an electric guitar over the smattering of funk-tinged keys, the vocals of Jose Castello emerge shortly thereafter. While they initially sound somewhat out of place in contrast to the instrumental touches of funk and R&B, Castello’s vocals follow the footsteps of the song’s structure in transforming from a somewhat hesitant attempt into a full-fledged demonstration of stylistically eclectic success. The rhythm section halts briefly at around 37 seconds in as a swift piano chord establishes the entry point for the real meat of the song, featuring a variety of piano progressions over the constant urging of underlying guitars, bass, percussion. Purely as a keyboardist, Castello also remains extremely impressive, as tracks like “Israelis on the Beach” and the exotic rush of “Otro Sur (Sagan Samba)” demonstrate. And as for the Costello reference, once Castello belts out “At first I get patient at my last resort” during the bridge in “Israelis on the Beach”, it should be quite obvious that some influences show regardless of opposing intentions. In this case, it just contributes to the success even more.

Apart from good ol’ Elvis Costello, Down Home Southernaires remind me of the previously featured White Rabbits with their implementation of punk and R&b within classic forms of ska. Considering that White Rabbits’ Fort Nightly was one of the most talked-about debuts last year, I certainly believe that Down Home Southernaires have a similar degree of appeal that should open them up to a plethora of new fans. Negro En Bicicleta‘s opening track, “High Effect”, takes more dues from funk and soul. Backed by a faint organ and a vigorous bass line, the funky twang of a guitar leads the budding verse. The chorus sees the re-emergence of the twinkling keys found during the track’s first few seconds, creating an instantly memorable hook as Castello laments about. “High Effect” also serves as a great example of Down Home Southernaires’ structural tendencies. You could actually say that a few tracks on the album almost seem like two or three songs in one, as the arrangements that alternate consecutively in tracks like “High Effect” and “Fishing Wire of Feeling” differ so dramatically from one another that the variation – while occasionally overbearing – is generally rewarding. “I Hate the Nightlife”, for instance, relies on a sparkling rendition of folk-pop before transitioning to an anthemic burst of key-led effervescence, sounding nearly patriotic in tone. It is surprising how well they are able to mix their preferred genres together, even if they are occasionally separate structural entities altogether. If you can deal with the constant sense of variation, Down Home Southernaire’s Negro En Bicicleta is a very gratifying listen.

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Down Home Southernaires – Israelis on the Beach

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Down Home Southernaires – High Effect

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Down Home Southernaires – I Hate the Nightlife

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Looking back on when they were kids, many adults have a rather amiable image of the ice cream man. You know, the smiling dude who drove around in a white truck and played traditionally annoying tunes like “Pop Goes the Weasel” while making a profit from distributing cavities, all done in a literally tasteful manner. It may sound grim when looking back but the only thing of relevance at the time was that the ice cream was pretty damn good (especially on a summer day). So, imagine if your memories instead recalled a bearded man who substituted “Pop Goes the Weasel” with Earth, Wind & Fire’s greatest hits, drove around with a handful of scantily clad young women in tow, and treated kids with a smile and a falsetto… all whilst in the outfit of a traditional Good Humor salesman. Yeah, that’s right – it would be like a dream come true (or an acid trip gone terribly wrong). This is the amusing image that Quinn Luke has coaxed up and, as the ladies reportedly claim, he is the most desirable ice cream man on the east coast. Working his other job as a songwriter based out of NYC, Luke is better known under his alias of Bing Ji Ling, a clever fixture that translates to “ice cream” in Mandarin. Professing a love for ’70s funk, ’80s R&B, and any other style that encourages ceaseless thrusting, Luke is just the type of guy you would expect to show up in an episode of Yacht Rock. After all, he’s got the image of a ’70s soft-rocker down to commendable preciseness.

Though his style alone will always provide room for ample entertainment, Luke’s following has mainly been built off of his ability to produce a sound that is both enjoyably nostalgic and instantaneously accessible. Taking note of the melodic prowess of eclectically groundbreaking acts like Prince and Stevie Wonder while touching on the elements of funk that pushed the genre into the mainstream during the early ’70s, the infectious result originates from Luke’s genuine affection for funk and soul; both Earth, Wind & Fire and Sly & the Family Stone are heavily prevalent influences for good reason. Like his stylistic preference and alias may indicate, he is also quite a worldly musician. In addition to living in Shanghai for a year (he is fluent in Mandarin), Luke has played in prominent venues all over the world; the Bowery Ballroom (NYC), Viper Room (LA), and Liquid Room (Tokyo) are just a few examples. At several shows, Luke apparently had “ice cream ladies” hand out sweet treats while Luke and his backing band were dressed in Good Humor uniforms. As odd as it sounds, I would have killed to be there for something like that. This is especially in consideration toward Luke’s musical output, as he delivers a form of catchy soul-pop that remains difficult to rival in contemporary music.

In early 2007, Luke made the move from San Francisco to New York. The change of scenery also brought upon a slight change of style, with his inherent influences of soul and R&B now fusing more prominently with elements of pop. Luke’s new EP, June Degrees in December, sees him tackle a more flexible version of his past influences, now incorporating a sound that likens itself more to breezy, summer-esque pop. The opening track, “Kathalina”, is a prime example of such a transition. It utilizes a form of exuberant Latin pop that excels with steadfast acoustic progressions and an exuberant rhythm section, with Luke’s seductively engaging vocals being expectedly remarkable. Though many would have previously considered it absurd to compare Bing Li Jing to acts like Maroon 5 and Michael McDonald when looking at his earlier, more traditional material, “Kathalina” is certainly one of Luke’s most accessible attempts yet. Like past releases Doodle Loot Doot Doodle A Doo and Fire and Ice Cream, the production is sharp and “Kathalina” in particular appears primed for the radio airwaves. Its radio-friendly appeal comes in the simplistic melodic progression and Luke’s smooth vocals, both the result of his willingness to become more stylistically flexible. If you want an equally satisfying and more recognizable example of Luke’s soaring falsetto, check out his cover of AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” on his MySpace (if you have not heard it on Ubiquity Record’s Rewind 3 compilation already). In all honesty, his swanky version of the classic track may be one of the most original classic rock covers I have ever heard. Who knew that organ solos, falsettos, classy R&B, and AC/DC would go so well together?

June Degrees in December is a short effort, including 5 tracks that stretch just over 18 minutes. Still, it serves as more of a stylistic experiment for Luke if anything. As he slowly but steadily involves more stylistic elements into his original compositional display of soul, R&B, and pop, there is little doubt that he will grow into a songwriter whose melodic variation will be impossible to overlook. He already has the seductiveness required of a soul artist too, as tracks like “June Degrees in December” provide supreme relaxation over delicately interlaced keys and and a consuming bass line; it is somewhat reminiscent of Elvis Costello’s more subdued material. “Be Here With You” provides an alluring vocal performance that should make most girls weak at the knees, while “This Song Is For You” incorporates tropical keys over a repetitive melody in what is the one of the most consistent vocal spots on the EP. In fact, if I had to choose, Luke reminds me most of Paul Weller during his days with The Style Council. Like Weller, Luke has the opportunity to prove himself as a songwriter who can simultaneously juggle elements of pop, R&B, and soul without sounding too overbearing or desperate. With a quality EP like June Degrees in December making the rounds, I am looking forward to Luke’s ongoing progression as an eclectically engaging songwriter.

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Bing Ji Ling – Kathalina

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Bing Ji Ling – Be Here With You

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Bing Ji Ling – June Degrees in December

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Oh, here we are again. I hope you were looking forward to this as much as I was. 2007 was a great year in music and, just like last year, I have rediscovered a bunch of great artists from the earlier months of ’07 in the process of compiling Obscure Sound’s annual “Best Albums” list. As for the most recent — it would be extremely easy for me to say that 2007 was a great year in music. Since this list is compiled from merely the viewpoint of one individual, I remind you to keep in mind that there is no “master list” of sorts. If you have found that our music tastes have overlapped in the past, I believe we will mostly be in agreement. If not, I look forward to engaging in a few cleverly worded comments below. Either way, I recommend a listen to anything that interests you. The aspect that separated 2007 from its near predecessors is the stylistic diversity that quality artists have put out. From indie-rock and dance-pop to dubstep and funk-jazz, I was constantly embraced with a plethora of different genre-led approaches this year. Due to this, I never found myself tired of one genre throughout the entire year. This list is reflective of such ceaseless enjoyment. So, enough with the rambling. Let’s get to it…

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50. Tunng – Good Arrows

We kick it off with Tunng, a collective of experimental folkies from the UK. After early careers as softcore pornography composers, frontmen Mike Lindsay and Sam Genders have found success after three albums with Tunng, offering unconventional folk-pop that sparkles with acoustical instrumentation, backing melodic vocals, and smatterings of electronica. With Genders’ delicate vocals carrying itself swiftly over Lindsay’s proficient guitar work, the result on their third album, Good Arrows, is often of initial enjoyment. It marks their most mature effort yet too, with a newly acquired stylistic confidence resulting in an increase of electronic implementation. The album’s centerpiece, “Bullets”, sees an array of pop hooks uplifted by several vocal accompaniments in the infectious chorus, led by a pair of keys that increases and decreases tempo on a whim. The variety of shuffled sounds implemented, from the chirping sound of an insect to the slight twinge of an unidentifiable woodwind instrument, among the song’s impressively intricate structure provides for an unpredictable, yet enjoyable, listening experience. With each song’s intricacy being intertwined with Tunng’s trademark form of oddball folk, Good Arrows is Tunng’s best effort to date.

Tunng – Bullets

Tunng – Take

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49. Dogs – Tall Stories from Under the Table

The punk-oriented aggressiveness that the appropriately named Dogs convey has been tough to match this year. Led by the snarling vocals of Johnny Cooke, Dogs’ second album, Tall Stories from Under the Table, encompasses all the traits of a post-punk revivalist band that actually does things right. Though it would be easy to initially dismiss their guitar-oriented sound as sloppy or disconcerting, Tall Stories from Under the Table has proved to be a very enduring listen. With the rapidly presented tale of suicide, “On a Bridge, By a Pub”, being a prime example, the abundance of hooks eventually becomes an undeniable factor as the album progresses. Depicting lonely nights and self-infliction over a faultless rhythm section and guitars, the social malcontentedness conveyed comes off ardently genuine. You can thank the uniquely capable vocals of Johnny Cooke and the outstanding guitar duo of Rikki Mehta and Luc Vargas for that one. The melodically empowering riffs incorporated behind the snarls of Cookie provides for an exciting listen that could push Dogs to the forefront of post-punk revivalists. If I did not convince you, maybe Paul Weller (former frontman of Dogs’ most glaring influence, The Jam) will. He contributed vocals on a track, “Let It Lay”, on the album after becoming impressed with the group’s debut.

Dogs – On a Bridge, By a Pub

Dogs – Soldier On

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48. Deer Tick – Deer Tick

Age certainly does not hinder John McCauley. The sole performer and songwriter for Deer Tick just turned 21 and has already amassed an extremely dedicated fan following. Listening to his debut album, War Elephant, it is not hard to see why McCauley has been labeled a folk sensation ever since his teenage years. One of the few rising folk artists who actually focuses on both melodic and lyrical depth, McCauley’s War Elephant is an extremely impressive debut. Though the majority of the songs tend to be acoustic, various forms of strings, percussion, and guitars are abundant throughout. With twangy vocals somewhat reminiscent of Neil Young or Dan Boeckner, McCauley’s mixture of yelps and emotional quivers prove to be extremely effective. “Long Time” sounds like a lost country-folk classic from the ’60s or ’70s, while “These Old Shoes” takes a Chris Paddock acoustic original and turns it into an energetic romp featuring intertwined strings and rollicking guitar riffs. Despite being one or two tracks too long, War Elephant is an extremely enjoyable debut that serves as a grandiose display of McCauley’s rich potential.

Deer Tick – These Old Shoes

Deer Tick – Long Time

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47. Julius Airwave – The City the Forest

As they perform on stage with a custom-made (tubes, light bulbs, and LCD lights) robot by their side, attendees at a Julius Airwave show may find it initially difficult to take the band seriously. However, once they kick into one of the excellent songs on their sophomore album, The City the Forest, the number of skeptics in the audience should reduce dramatically. Playing a straightforward set of infectious indie-rock, The City the Forest is one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. Having never heard of the Florida-based five-piece before, I popped in their latest album and was hooked immediately. Apart from lighthearted breeziness of the fantastic “Glory Glory” and the deadly synth-guitar combo in “Shipwreck”, the brilliantly infectious “Appley” is one of my favorite songs of the year. Though it amounts to structural simplicity, the chorus erupts into a series of guitars and synths that provides for immediate excitement. Comparisons to The Strokes should be abound, as frontman Rick Colado encompasses vocals that are eerily similar to Julian Casablancas, especially in the impressive “Appley”. Give that song in particular a listen; it gives The Strokes a run for their money.

Julius Airwave – Appley

Julius Airwave – Glory Glory

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46. Testa Rosa – Testa Rosa

For some, it may prove somewhat difficult to pinpoint Testa Rosa. After all, the trio’s influences are spread anywhere from ’60s Motown to synth-infused post-punk. Such circumstances can either create an epic mess or an audible state of diverse bliss. On Testa Rosa’s excellent eponymous debut album, the latter fortunately applies. Testa Rosa seems to be most masterful when attempting an fusion of folk and pop, an eclectic mixture that proved to circulate throughout one of the year’s most addictive songs, “Ollie & Delilah”. Detailing a contemporary Bonnie and Clyde, lead vocalist Betty Blexrud-Strigens “Delilah softly holds his arm while Ollie smiles, swallows heart,” she sings before the stunning chorus, “And he says, ‘Don’t be scared, I am here, you’ll always have my heart.'” Blexrud-Strigens relays a slight tinge of country in addition to her excellent range, reminding me of Stevie Nicks and her classic mixture of folk and country. Though the album’s best two tracks are the first two in “Ollie & Delilah” and “Book About Clouds”, Testa Rosa closes gracefully with “I Want to Be Alone on Christmas (Here With You)”, a melodically beautiful tale of loneliness at a time when “it’s too cold to cry”. For a heart-tugging array of dynamically written songs, you cannot go wrong with Testa Rosa’s wildly impressive debut.

Testa Rosa – Ollie & Delilah

Testa Rosa – Book About Clouds

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45. Dungen – Tio Bitar

Dungen, primarily the work of vocalist/composer Gustav Ejstes, has the pleasure of being the first Swedish artist on this year’s list. Obviously, considering the number of quality artists the country is outputting, he will not be the last either. Regardless, Ejstes has become reputable for straying outside the norms. He does not craft sugar-coated indie-pop like many of his native contemporaries. Instead, he incorporates instances of post-rock and psychedelia, with sprinklings of a Swedish pop mindset occasionally entering the picture. With flutes, organs, and strings accompanying other more conventional instruments, Dungen’s fifth album, Tio Bitar (“Ten Pieces”),. With guitar-led anthems like “Du Ska Inte Tro Att Det Ordnar Sig” blending seamlessly on the same album with intricately layered 9-minute epics like “Mon Amour”, Ejstes is a pure master of unpredictability. The beautiful string arrangement in “Carolina Visar Vagen” over the rapid plucking of an acoustic guitar and the hushed momentum of an organ serves as a good summation of Ejstes’ talents. He is able to blend several instruments together seamlessly, always keeping his arrangements excitably dramatic. Tio Bitar serves that sentiment well, with all “ten pieces” being worth the time.

Dungen – Du Ska Inte Tro Att Det Ordnar Sig

Dungen – Caroline Visar Vagen

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44. Interpol – Our Love to Admire

When Turn on the Bright Lights was released in 2001, Interpol could do no wrong. It proved to be one of the best debuts of the decade, conveying an original sound of contemporary garage-rock while simultaneously channeling legends like Joy Division and The Chameleons UK in the process. Few would argue that Interpol was easily one of the most likable bands in the earliest stages of this decade. Though many fans will continue to beg Interpol to stick with their original sound, it is perhaps in their own reluctance to “give something new a try” that sees each release decrease slightly in quality. Though I say that, remember I do not think Our Love to Admire is not bad by any means. After all, it made the list. Though Interpol’s quality is slowly but steadily decreasing, the enjoyment on Our Love to Admire tends to be more sporadically discoverable than their previous two releases. There is no denying that songs like the energetic fervor of “Who Do You Think”, the progressive “Pace is the Trick”, or the brooding “No I in Threesome” are Interpol at their near-best, but to once again reach their absolute best (“The New”, “Hands Away” most of TOBTL), a newly discovered transitional period of structural diversity would be something to consider.

Interpol – Who Do You Think

Interpol – No I in Threesome

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43. Shiina Ringo – Heisei Fuzoku

I always hold a decent amount of respect for foreign artists who draw a worldwide following. As one of the greatest songwriters Japan has ever seen, Shiina Ringo can seemingly do it all. As she has proven time after time with her own solo career and self-formed collective Tokyo Jihen, her eclectic offering of styles allows for a presentation that incorporates a numerous variety of excitable genres. Rock, J-pop, jazz, and funk are just a few that are shown on her fifth solo album, Heisei Fuzoku, and – as usual – it is done so in In the spotlight since her teenage years, longtime fans will see Heisei Fuzoku as no surprise. Though it is not even considered her best solo album (check out Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana for that), Heisei Fuzoku should please admirers of grandiose, orchestra-laden pop music, with additional tracks like “Meisai” capitalizing on a desirable “big band” sound. Heisei Fuzoku follows a 4-year solo absence, after Ringo previously vowed to devote all her time to Tokyo Jihen. Fortunately for everyone, she has chosen to now juggle both at once. The result is just as appealing as when she left, with songs like the epic “Gamble”, in which the orchestrally domineering hook in the chorus is viable to easily send chills up one’s spine, being devastatingly powerful. Though she is only 29, it seems that Shiina Ringo has been around forever with her plethora of quality releases. She is doing anything but overstaying her welcome.

Shiina Ringo – Gamble

Shiina Ringo – Ishiki

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42. Girls Aloud – Tangled Up

Undoubtedly the best thing to ever originate from a music-related reality television show (though Kelly Clarkson ain’t half bad), Girls Aloud have produced one of the year’s catchiest dance-pop albums in Tangled Up, their fifth and most accomplished album to date. Though they will be one of the most recognizable names on this list, I believe that Girls Aloud deserve all the acclaim that they receive. Led by writer/producer Brian Higgins and the insanely talented songwriting team of Xenomania (writers of 16 consecutive “Top 10” singles in less than 4 years), the five gals in Girls Aloud should be grateful with their latest output; “Girl Overboard” and “Can’t Speak French” are a pair of the best songs Higgins and co. have written – and they have written some great ones before. While those who oppose high levels of flamboyancy will likely not be in favor of Girls Aloud’s club-friendly version of techno-pop in the fantastic “Girl Overboard” or “Call the Shots”, those more receptive to variety should embrace it. Though I was never keen on one group being controlled behind a curtain by a group of songwriters, the talented vocalists in Girls Aloud were certainly well-selected on 2002’s “Popstars: The Rivals”. With sparkling choruses, seductive vocals, and infectious melodies being the core in each and every song on Tangled Up, fans of dance and pop music should walk away extremely satisfied with Tangled Up.

Girls Aloud – Girl Overboard

Girls Aloud – Can’t Speak French

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41. Joe Henry – Civilians

I previously mentioned that 2007 has been a year abundant with stylistic diversity. With that in mind, Joe Henry’s career is has been an epitome of what I consider a blessing in regard to this year. Stretching more than 21 years, the veteran songwriter/producer has consistently churned out quality album after album, whether he was writing his own solo material, scoring movies (most recently, the Knocked Up soundtrack with Loudon Wainwright III), or producing albums for the likes of Ani DiFranco, Solomon Burke, Elvis Costello, or Allen Toussaint. Henry’s solo career has encompassed a countless number of genres, from audacious country-rock and somber acoustical folk to rhythmic jazz and gritty blues. On his eleventh solo album, Civilians, Henry primarily chooses to dwell in an area of expansive folk, with collaborations from the legendary Van Dyke Parks (he supplies the tragic piano on the barefaced beauty of “I Will Write My Book” and the haunting “Civil War”) contrasting beautifully with Henry’s lyrical tales involving politics and nostalgia. “Our Song” is particularly gripping, where Henry uses an anecdote concerning a run-in with Willie Mays as a device to share his thoughts on the shameful state that modern baseball is in due to illegal substance and greed (Barry Bonds, anyone?). One of my favorite tracks on the album is “You Can’t Fail Me Now”, a romantically gripping track that sees Henry at his genuine best, both melodically and lyrically. “I lost the thread among the vines and hung myself in storylines that tell the tales I never would allow,” he declares during the rapturous hook, full of expressive honesty and raw emotional power, “God knows the name of every bird that fills my mind like angry words.” One thing is for certain – Joe Henry is one of the most consistent artists of the past two decades. With the powerful Civilians, it merely proves as more solidification to Henry’s prolific status as a highly skilled musician and producer.

Joe Henry – You Can’t Fail Me Now

Joe Henry – Civil War

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The post Best Albums of 2007: #50 to #41 appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

We all hear that “sensitive singer/songwriter” babble all the time. Often employed as a propaganda tactic by corporate minds who hold a fraudulent regard for the actual music, it is becoming rare to find an artist who actually sounds genuine; one that does not reach for pop stardom or a financial cushion, but rather strives for a composition in music that sounds as if it came from the heart. Sappy and melodramatic it may occasionally be, it is not an excruciatingly arduous task to differentiate the artificial cash machines from the artists who actually give a damn about the symbolic nature of their released material. David Ford has the voice of a destined pop star. Based on the power of his vocal intensity alone, he could have easily found a home in the hearts of adolescents who regard the Top 40 as the only source for “quality” music. However, the factor that clashes with this avaricious ideology is simple: David Ford is a uniquely talented songwriter in his own right. Would he have had the chance to write music in his own preferred style if he signed with a company like Walt Disney Records? Of course not. I doubt Disney would favor lines in songs like “Requiem”, where Ford sings nearly aggressively, “Let us be kissed on the cheek, let us be fucked from behind.” It’s almost funny how the beautifully accompanied orchestral arrangements makes such a lyric seem almost endearing. With his overwhelming amount of talent in mind, such a bold career decision to branch off and stick with his own preferred style comes off as nothing but admirable.

Ford’s musical beginnings are traced back to Easyworld, a UK-based indie-rock trio from Eastbourne that released two albums, eight singles, and an EP from 1997 until they disbanded in 2004. Ford was the instrumental core of the band, lending his powerful vocals and illustrious piano skills in addition to some admirable guitar work. The band did fairly well during their time together, signing to Jive Records in 2002 and releasing five singles that cracked the UK Top 50. Nearly immediately after Easyworld’s disbandment, Ford began playing several lo-fi solo gigs to warm applause. His debut album, I Sincerely Apologise for All the Trouble I’ve Caused, was released a few months later in September of 2005 by Independiente and spawned the hit single, “State of the Union“. Being both a display of Ford’s multi-instrumental dexterity (he played all 12 instruments in the song) and his lyrical ambitiousness, the political-oriented single drew worthy attention from the British press. While opening for the likes of Elvis Costello, Richard Ashcroft, and KT Tunstall, his debut album was released Stateside in May 2006 under Columbia Records. Though the USA was not as quick to jump on it, Ford’s fan base continued to grow substantially.

David Ford’s newest and second album, Songs for the Road, was distributed in quite a modern fashion. Initially released as an internet exclusive download in August of this year, a hard copy will once again by distributed by Independiente come this October. Led by a single in the charmingly titled “Go to Hell”, Ford has an odd knack for making the most gruesome statements come out as something beautiful. “I can hear you say, ‘the day I fall down at your feet, go to hell,'” he sings dramatically over a plethora of strings before the rhythm section kicks in, half-mockingly stating, “I thank you for your understanding, I won’t be long.” This factor of bittersweet romanticism can be largely accredited to the sweeping instrumentation, an aspect that is consistent throughout all nine songs on Songs for the Road. While Ford does not encompass the stereotypical husky, deeply layered voice that is expected among most standards of orchestral pop, his whimsical yelps of pure, highly emphasized emotion is beneficial in regard to his own unique style. Perhaps I was caught a bit off-guard. After all, it is not everyday that I find an artist like Ford; one that has the whole package. Poetically inspiring lyrics, elegant arrangements, and impulsively fervent vocals… such an eclectic mixture makes Songs for the Road an album hard to forget.

As “Go to Hell” displays with its initially minimal string accompaniment, Ford seems content on building upon several layers of instrumentation. When the second verse is revealed after the first chorus, several newly introduced strings incorporate themselves over a freshly spurred section of percussion. Such moments, where shades of minimalism are instantaneously forced upon by larger arrangements, prove to be highly awarding from a structural standpoint. The absolutely stunning “St. Peter” utilizes this form just as exceptionally, patiently waiting until the final moments of the song to reveal an elusively hectic form of instrumentation that raises with intensity in full cooperation with Ford’s soaringly shifting vocals. The song is also an impressive lyrical piece, detailing Ford’s poetic nature as he confidently strides through brilliant progressions of guitars, harmonicas, and piano. Detailing the fear, reluctance, and avid zealousness of religious intricacy and fanaticism, Ford’s reflection on the subject is intriguing. “I throw rocks at the devil with my faith wearing thin,” he sings of his own self-doubt, “But I won’t scream down St. Peter when he don’t let me in.” It almost seems like a plea to St. Peter, the supposed keeper of heaven’s gates, to show some sympathy for guiltless skeptics who doubt religion’s validity, if it indeed turns out to be true at the end of the line. Both powerful and highly original, it is my favorite song on Songs for the Road.

I am also quite enamored by the lighter “Nobody Tells Me What to Do”, an immediately enjoyable pop song that reaps from a ravishingly infectious chorus. Though it lacks the usual lyrical and instrumental depth that the rest of Songs of the Road displays, it proves to be a nice break on an album that is scattered with outstanding songs of intricately crafted, poetically defiant ballads. “Nobody Tells Me What to Do” would be an glaringly obvious choice for a second single though, knowing Ford’s ambitious nature, it will probably end up being in the vein of the exceptional “St. Peter”. Whether it ends up being a simplistically enjoyable piano-led pop song or a deeply elaborate take on religious confidence, David Ford’s Songs of the Road will leave a lasting mark of memorability for those who give it a listen. Certainly one of the most uniquely rewarding listening experiences of the year.

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David Ford – Nobody Tells Me What to Do

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David Ford – St. Peter

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David Ford – Go to Hell

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After posting about a few new artists who were fresh on the scene with inexperience with nothing but hefty ambitions in their pockets, I figured a change of pace would do us all some good. This leads us to Joe Henry – the type of musician that young hopefuls look to in awe, aspiring to one day having at least half the impressive body of work that Henry has accomplished in his illustrious 21-year career. While he is far from being a household name, Henry has been one of the most actively consistent artists of the past several decades with his extensive stylistic grasp ranging from country-rock and acoustical folk to soul and jazz. While occasional stylistic experimentation is to be expected from an artist who has been around as long as Henry, he is one of the few who have actually written exceptionally strong albums in each musical approach. Whether it be the audacious country-rock found on Short Man’s Room, the tenderly somber acoustical folk of Shuffletown, or the tinge of rhythmic jazz on Scar, Henry has jumped from genre to genre seamlessly. However, despite such frequent changes in style, Henry has always maintained a strong focus on his lyrical content; always brilliant, provokingly astute, and poetically touching. Even from his debut in 1986, Talk of Heaven, Henry has held a strong reputation in being a poet at heart, frequently involving contemporary events in his content for an engaging experience. While it is pointless to argue whether Henry’s lyrical, melodic, or instrumental prowess is the most effectively employed, one thing is for certain: Henry is a multi-talented artist who is definitively one of the most underrated artists of the past 20 years. Now with ten solo albums under his belt after the upcoming release of Civilians on September 11th, For a closer look at Henry’s expansive discography, take a look at this excellent post.

Civilians is Henry’s first solo release since 2003’s Tiny Voices, an extremely admirable effort. While Civilians marks a four-year absence, Henry has certainly been keeping himself more than busy. Also a highly sought-after producer, he has produced albums by Ani DiFranco, Aimee Man, Solomon Burke, and Billy Preston among many others. He also produced the Elvis Costello-Allen Toussaint collaboration, The River in Reverse, in 2006. Just to show how proficient of a producer Henry is, Burke’s acclaimed album, Don’t Give Up on Me, won a Grammy in 2003. Speaking of respectable collaborations, Henry also teamed up with Loudon Wainwright III earlier this year to produce Strange Weirdos: Music from and Inspired by the Film Knocked Up; the original soundtrack album to Judd Apatow’s hilarious movie, Knocked Up. In addition to his production, Henry co-wrote both “You Can’t Fail Me Now” and “So Much to Do”. Legendary guitarist Richard Thompson and composer Van Dyke Parks were also involved in the production process, making it arguably the finest original soundtrack of the year. So, even though Henry’s solo career was on slight hiatus for four years, it was certainly for justifiable purposes as his status as a producer rose to new heights. “As a producer, you can see a project in a completely different way,” Henry said, “Working with other artists has given me an incredible freedom, so that when I come back to do work for myself, I plug into the music in a different way.” Just as he describes, Civilians is his most polished effort to date.

While I could write odd-but-true fun facts about Joe Henry all day (he’s married to Madonna’s sister, he went to school with Jeffrey Dahmer, etc.), the most interesting thing about Henry will always be his musical career. Whether it be as a producer or a musician in his own right, there are little artists who can reach the depth that he has. When I heard his newest album, Civilians, for the first time, I knew that the four-year wait was certainly worth it. Once again, just like in Tiny Voices, Henry has flawlessly associated all the styles that he previously explored throughout his prolific career. In doing so, it is also the most consistent album of his career. Instead of containing several memorable songs with an occasional hiccup of stylistic indulgence, Civilians is a cohesive gem in where the strengths lie in Henry’s ability to form emotionally inflicting songs revolved around lyrical adeptness and melodic aptitude. His coarse, all-American vocals are soaked in reverb, occasionally sounding like a more conventional version of Tom Waits. While that particular comparison may appear too desperately placed for some, Waits is the only other American folk artist that comes to my mind when I think of raw lyrical power relayed over swiftly effective instrumentation. Waits is also a diverse user of blues, jazz, rock, and traditional folk, making the comparison even easier on the mind. Henry’s idol and recent musical companion, Loudon Wainwright III, also could serve as a righteous comparison, though if only for his powerful, similarly story-focused lyrical delivery and folk upbringings.

Civilians also marks yet another collaboration between Van Dyke Parks and Henry. Parks supplies the heartrending piano lines on the barefaced beauty of “I Will Write My Book” and the haunting “Civil War”, the latter being a moving ballad that Henry describes as “more emotionally political than topically so.” As Van Dyke’s smooth piano glides under the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar, Henry relays his trademark tone of sympathetic wisdom and philosophical intuition. Rather than being a bitter swipe at America’s current political system, Henry takes an unconventionally enjoyable route that is more philosophically reflective in nature. “Every truth carries blame and every light reveals some shame,” he sings of shameful sociological standards, “Progress rides with the thieves and whores, the stowaways of civil war.” While songs portraying the grim effects of war are common, Henry’s attempt is unique in its own righteous intent of revealing those who wish to remain neutral in times of desperate contemplation. One of my favorite tracks on the album, “You Can’t Fail Me Now”; a romantically gripping track that sees Henry at his genuine best, both melodically and lyrically. “I lost the thread among the vines and hung myself in storylines that tell the tales I never would allow,” he declares during the rapturous hook, full of expressive honesty and raw emotional power, “God knows the name of every bird that fills my mind like angry words.”

Much of Civilians sees a similar format of soft acoustic strums, aided piano lines, and occasional dashes of strings, percussion, and other rhythmic elements. Henry’s lyrics remain the foremost of importance in several songs, including the epic six-minute centerpiece, “Our Song”. Recalling both the true dignities of patriotism and modern arrogance, he tells of an imaginary encounter that Henry witnessed in which he encounters Willie Mays at a Home Depot in Scottsdale, Arizona. “The factory keeps my , my children have both been paroled and we get by and the peace we made,” he tells of the imagined experience, acting as a trigger of cherished nostalgia and, using “the greatest centerfielder of all-time” as a metaphor for all things pure of the past; the simpler times where such American pastimes were not tainted. “It’s no accident that the song falls where it does in the middle of the record,” Henry said of the relation to the recent Barry Bonds escapade, “It’s sort of the hub of the wheel.” Steroids, politics, and romance… you could easily say that Henry’s lyrical content is as ambitious as his career-defining sound. Regardless of the topic at hand, more people should take notice of Joe Henry. As he continues to lurk behind the scenes with his binding skills, he is releasing album after album of outstandingly memorable music. Whether you admire Joseph Lee Henry as a producer or a songwriter, there is no denying his pure talent within the music industry.

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Joe Henry – You Can’t Fail Me Now

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Joe Henry – Civil War

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Joe Henry – Our Song

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The power of a voice can go a long way. And no, for once I am not referring to the “voice” of diction or figurative language, but actually quite literally in the sound and emotion of a voice itself. Though the history of his musical upbringing remains somewhat of a mystery, Christopher Denny may have ended up taking vocal lessons at one point in his life. Regardless, any individual who even listens to a few seconds of his powerful, twangy, and robust vocals could determine that even the most proficient of lessons would not have been able to shape a set of vocals like his without naturally born skill. At this point, he is merely a blip on the radar in retrospective to the national music scene. Though he is heavily regarded around his originated Little Rock, Arkansas, as an extremely promising artist, the word has yet to get out on this multi-talented singer/songwriter.

Whether he is accompanied on stage by a full-on band (Chris Atwood, Marcus Lowe, and Jesse Bates) or by no additional help at all, Denny’s stage presence is known to be admirable and gutsy. The twenty-two year old appears to be beyond his years in musical skill, both vocally and instrumentally, and plans to undergo the introductory process of an up-and-coming songwriter to release his debut album, Age Old Hunger, later this year. Originally found on the local Tomato House Records, Denny recently signed to a promising New York-based label in the oddly titled 00:02:59 for the national release of Age Old Hunger. Merely a local fixture at this point, it proved rather difficult to find additional information concerning the promising songwriter. Either way, we should all learn more soon as I doubt that Christopher Denny is going to be a secret for much longer.

“All Burned Up” offers an accurate perspective of Denny’s amiable approach. His integration of country, blues, and folk is highly reminiscent of legendary influences in the form of Neil Young or John Fogerty, while it is songs like the tender “Wake Up” that maintains a sullen aroma of slow-tempo gratification that remains to be reminded of Johnny Cash or James Taylor. With regard to the fact that Denny’s folk approach has been implemented for years and his vocals are vaguely reminiscent of several respectable folk artists of the past, one could sit and make artistic comparisons all day when asked how to describe Christopher Denny. “All Burned Up” offers the expected harmonica and “Wake Up” contains nothing but a sole acoustic guitar, but they both stabilize credibility with Denny’s occasional hooks, the majority of which are led by his lingering vocals. I suppose many would assume he depends mainly on his vocals to carry a strong song. That is hardly so, as the songwriting is just as impressive. Judging from the diversity of these three samples, Denny’s tendency to remain unpredictable both instrumentally and vocally makes it a difficult task for those who rely on comparisons for sound judgment (no pun intended).

Understandably, we have heard tracks like “All Burned Up” and “Wake Up” before from songwriters who were less capable vocally. “Lookin’ For You” is of no exception either. Presenting a throwback form of 50s rockabilly with a mindful ear for Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and Scotty Moore, Christopher Denny pulls it off so flawlessly that one cannot help but be impressed. Whenever an artist attempts this form of rockabilly revival, contemporary production or methods usually stand in the way of an accurate representation. However, in “Lookin’ For You”, Denny has successfully provided both an ode and means of nostalgia to the classic genre. Listening to songs like “Wake Up” and “Lookin’ For You” causes Denny’s approach to appear even more remarkable, as he makes stylistic trend transitions look easy. While his poise and structure is hardly consistent, Denny’s overall ethic and natural skill will most likely carry him to great heights on his debut album, Age Old Hunger. In addition, check out two more tracks on his MySpace. They are both just as exceptional.

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Christopher Denny – Lookin’ For You

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Christopher Denny – All Burned Up

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Christopher Denny – Wake Up

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