Two new tracks from Wolf Parade‘s upcoming third album, EXPO 86, made the internet rounds today. “Ghost Pressure”, a thumping piece of electro-rock, and “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)”, a typical Krug triumph, are seamlessly furthering the hype for EXPO 86, which should be one of this summer’s talked-about releases. Wolf Parade have never struggled to find an output for their music, and the immediate accessibility of these two tracks should solidify their status as staples of college radio. Wolf Parade serves as an expression of the most conventional material from Krug and Boeckner, who often tread breathtaking artistic territory with their primary efforts in Sunset Rubdown and Handsome Furs, respectively. This output, while classified as conventional, is imaginative and sprawling enough to remain constantly engaging, representing some of the most cohesive songwriting of their carers. EXPO 86, which will be released June 29th, looks to be continuing the stellar fashion of the band’s previous material. Nothing here sounds particularly surprising… it is just the same stellar songwriting we have come to expect from both Krug and Boeckner at this point.

EXPO 86 will play as followed:

01 “Cloud Shadow on the Mountain”
02 “Palm Road”
03 “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)”
04 “Little Golden Age”
05 “In the Direction of the Moon”
06 “Ghost Pressure”
07 “Pobody’s Nerfect”
08 “Two Men in New Tuxedos”
09 “Oh You, Old Thing”
10 “Yulia”
11 “Cave-o-Sapien”

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Wolf Parade – Ghost Pressure

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Wolf Parade – What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)

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Ambiguity and exposure have an interesting bond in the world of independent music. To associate one with the other immediately seems like a contradiction, but also consider that many deem the role of popularity and experimentation to be incompatible in association. For that though, we know it is not the case because true fans of music push aside both the pretentiousness or mainstream recognition components of an artist if they produce quality music. Justin Vernon, known prominently under his Bon Iver alias, may not be music’s hottest celebrity, but anyone who has read any type of music publication in the past two years is likely familiar with his material. Like a Panda Bear or Spencer Krug, he has acquired enough recent acclaim to boost any project into the spotlight with his mere presence. A brand name can sometimes bring a bigger ego than ideas, but in Vernon’s case this is clearly not the case. The sincerity, passion, and craftsmanship exhibited in his music shows that. In fact, in addition to his obvious skills being utilized, his popularity should result in the new discovery of collaborating musicians that are just as vital to this excellent new project. By listening to their excellent debut on its own, one can easily discover that Volcano Choir is more than a Justin Vernon side-project. It is the heart and soul of the six different musicians involved.

Despite what Volcano Choir’s recent emergence may suggest, the trio dates back to 2005. Years before Vernon became a household name, he and a bunch of top-notch musicians and friends formed a project that they regarded very aptly as a dedication to music itself. They throw around a variety of names like Steve Reich, Tom Waits, and other heroes of experimental music and pop as influences, but they go on to claim that “the group’s 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 beautiful melodies that almost seem to concisely display each of the member’s talents in one wholesomely satisfying package. Vernon’s quivering croon is wisely evident, but there are so many other things that make Unmap one of the most impressive debuts of the year. Volcano Choir encompasses a bunch of members from one of Wisconsin’s most adored bands, bands, Collections of Colonies of Bees. Jon Mueller, Chris Rosenau, Dan Spack, Jim Schoenecker, and Thomas Wincek all lend their talents in a majestic and equatable manner, from Mueller’s experimental-noise and percussive talents to Rosenau’s glittering guitar work. Wincek and Schoenecker both were in control of Collections of Colonies of Bees’ electronics and keys, and both prove vital on a release that blends high-tech experimental production with naturally blissful pop melodies that derive from the talents of each member.

As I mentioned earlier, Vernon’s popularity should bring light to the worthwhile material of Collections of Colonies of Bees, even if their name is a bit of a mouthful. And when listeners begin to investigate both that group and the solo material of each member, Volcano Choir’s sound becomes increasingly apparent. Whether they tackle 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 Mueller. Mueller, while notable for his percussive accomplishments, also has some worthwhile noise material to offer on his solo page. Structurally, “Seeplymouth” is even more reminiscent of Reich-like minimalism, using the driving pulse of voice echoes and guitar twinkles to slowly establish a building melody that eventually ceases for the emergence of Vernon’s vocals. Like on his Bon Iver material, they appear omniscient in the way his vocals cohesively adjust in accordance to the lush instrumentation. Listeners are used to this sort of the thing from Vernon by now, but hearing his vocal skills under the grandiose construction of sounds from his stellar collaborators are a whole new experience altogether.

For 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. The jazzy influence of “Mbira in the Morass” recalls Frank Zappa’s incomparable knack to turn the most avant-garde of styles of compositions into something utterly fulfilling, using sporadic hi-hat percussion, unconventionally tuned keys, and an incoherent vocal accompaniment to create something that sounds foreign in the most memorable way possible. Also, it would be foolish of me to end this feature without mentioning “Still”. Another track named perfectly, it evolves from a single synthesizer and vocal accompaniment to what sounds like a full-blown orchestral of beautiful noise-pop. What is most remarkable here is how the initial components remain strong throughout the entire duration, flowing in a majestic manner to complement the growing sense of audible relief. It is simply another example of mastery on an album any of the band’s members could call a glowing accomplishment. 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.

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Volcano Choir – Island, IS

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Volcano Choir – And Gather

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Volcano Choir – Mbira in the Morass

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Comparisons are futile for Spencer Krug. His rare capacity to manufacture several releases per year is impressive in itself, but Krug’s work ethic is not the direct cause of his esteemed status. His prolific tendencies naturally tend to result in additional opportunities that allow him to dabble in everything from subdued key-based electronica to fiercely empowering rock music; this stylistic multifariousness has enhanced his eclecticism and creativity, not to mention the avid work ethic that created these accommodating circumstances for him in the first place. Consequently, his approach is presented with new variations that have been both subtle and prominent. His main projects – Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade, and Swan Lake – all represent differing styles and approaches in some manner, but even the different albums within each project encompass a separate style of instrumentation or thematic focus upon each release. Krug’s renown has derived in some part from his eclecticism, but it is his ability to simultaneously remain eclectic and thematically focused that has made his name synonymous with the quality indie-rock of this decade.

To hear Krug’s constant brand of eclecticism in action, Sunset Rubdown’s discography offers chronological progression at its finest. Each of his albums under the moniker have played cohesively despite their ambitious tendencies, and each album seems to explore new trends while not entirely dismissing the past. Sunset Rubdown’s second full-length, Shut Up I Am Dreaming, emphasized a minimalistic disposition of drum machines and synthesizers, while the subsequent Random Spirit Lover beautifully juggled newly exposed art-rock intricacies with the minimalistic trends displayed previously on Shut Up I Am Dreaming. With each passing album, Krug explores new stylistic territory without neglecting his past successes. Some artists remain stuck in the past, while others are too ambitious for their own good (and the audience’s). Krug is one of the rare few that have found the middle-ground, making nothing certain about the distinctions of his future works. The only thing we can be certain of is his incomparable nature, as using comparative practices to identify an artist that ceaselessly and successfully alters their output is useless and potentially insulting.

2008 was the first year without a Sunset Rubdown album since their formation, but the absence can be attributed to an arduous work ethic as usual as Krug continued to tour with his various groups and work on the acclaimed sophomore albums for Wolf Parade and Swan Lake. How he managed to find the time to tour and create these three albums should impress even the most active musicians, but what is even more impressive is how all three albums are remarkable in their own right. The album designed for Sunset Rubdown, with the interesting title of Dragonslayer, may take the cake as the most accomplished though. Wolf Parade has long been regarded as Krug’s most accessible and commercially successful project to date, while Swan Lake is most notable for its collaborative emphasis on both ambitious experimentation and conciseness. Neither Wolf Parade nor Swan Lake have explored seven-minute epics or altered their stylistic approach significantly like Sunset Rubdown, leaving little doubt as to what Krug’s most adventurous project is. Ambitiousness does not always result in success, but Krug has meticulously crafted an album that surpasses all of his previous releases in terms of creativity, focus, and even accessibility. Before Dragonslayer, I rarely heard tracks exceeding six minutes that were completely effortless to enjoy and appreciate. Such focus in an extended period of time is a trademark of Krug’s songwriting and Dragonslayer is a near-flawless example of his astute ability.

Shut Up I Am Dreaming toyed with minimalistic electronica and rock, while Random Spirit Loverwas a showcase of multi-layered art-rock expansiveness. Both albums had their stylistic exceptions that did not serve as stylistic disruptions due to their cohesiveness, but the difference in songs between the two albums was clear. For Dragonslayer, Krug resorts to his hardest-rocking repertoire yet and it results in eight very infectious tracks that maintain their flexibility and separable qualities throughout. Contrary to the abundant use of varying effects throughout Random Spirit Lover, Dragonslayer utilizes little in terms of studio additives. In regard to the instrumentation and content, this is one of Krug’s rawest albums yet. However, instead of coming across as sloppy or uncoordinated it feels the most alive out of all his releases. The instrumental flexibility has allowed for a higher capacity of expression, and it results in some of Krug’s most ardently successful tracks to date.

“Idiot Heart” evolves from the rhythmic strum of muted guitars to an anthemic sort of disposition with roaring guitars, chanting xylophones, and a build-up that rivals the likes of “The Men Are Called Horsemen There” (which Krug reminds listeners of before heading into the chorus of “Idiot Heart”). The lyrical-musical juxtaposition is excellent as usual, especially when Krug proclaims the following: “Now I was never much of a dancer, but I know enough to know you gotta move your idiot body around.” Immediately after speaking of an inability to dance, percussion appears for the first time and the track reclaims the rhythmic infectiousness that the introduction did not initially emphasize. The line seems ironic at the time since the progression that follows is irresistibly danceable like few Krug efforts before it, just going to show how thought-out and thematically effective the tracks on Dragonslayer really are. Excluding the concise ode to “The Men Are Called Horsemen There” after the first section, “Idiot Heart” has three sections that differ dramatically from one another. Krug’s songwriting shines though, as the contrasts find subtle similarities that allow for the cohesive management of each segment. Instead of a song with three or four highly contrastable sections, “Idiot Heart” is an outstanding effort that shows Krug’s ability to combine unconventional intricacy with surprising accessibility, resulting in a track that rings with the excitement and ardency that fans of Krug have come to expect.

Dragonslayer’s opener, “Silver Moons”, does not have the roaring guitars of “Idiot Heart” or the distorted exuberance of “Black Swan”, but it stands triumphantly as a masterful opener that combines Krug’s soft-spoken balladry with his rock-based enthusiasm. The verse begins with a lush piano and an echoing guitar, with Krug’s familiar yelps and quivers topping off a fantastic chorus where Krug and Camilla Wynne Ingr lament over days lost and forgotten. Since the album contains no true ballads to speak of, “Silver Moons” establishes itself as a sentimental favorite from the get-go with romanticized metaphors and piano-centric melodies. In addition to her role in “Silver Moons”, Ingr appears more prominently on Dragonslayer than any of Sunset Rubdown’s other albums. Her poppy vocals in the fantastic “Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!” supplement the power of the second chorus, though the song’s western-y twang and Krug’s outstanding vocal work reach greatness on their own. Calling this track one of Sunset Rubdown’s best efforts would not be an understatement, whether one looks to the irresistible chorus or the outro where Krug and Ingr present a series of slick guitar progressions and catchy chants. Like most Krug efforts, the song is fun to analyze and the ambiguity simply adds to the allure. It exemplifies his ability to write accessible gems without resorting to generic simplicity, as “Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!” succeeds tremendously despite its prevalent hooks and conventional structure.

The length of Dragonslayer is a respectable 49 minutes, but Krug’s endless output will likely cause listeners to crave for more once the album’s epic “Dragon’s Lair” concludes. One could consider this a counterpoint to “Kissing the Beehive”, though “Dragon’s Lair” is more diverse in its overall structure and thematic touch. The growls of Krug are powerful as he sings “so you can take me to the dragonslayer, or you can take me to Rapunzel’s windowsill”, preparing the way for an energized guitar solo and a series of high-pitched synths. The “woah”s and “ah-hu”s over the guitar solos are sincerely effective, as is the medieval-feel of the overall track in the primary melody and key accompaniments. “You Go on Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)” and “Nightingale / December Song” are both successful in their interesting rhythmic build-ups (muted chords and electro loops), and the latter takes on a brooding Decemberists-like folk feel that has Krug singing of yearning for the Nashville skyline over music that feels like 1700s pirate music. As odd as that comparison sounds, Krug’s enthralling vocals and songwriting ability creates imaginative material like this that is both stylistically alive and contemporarily relevant. Krug shows he can create vivid folk on “Nightingale / December Song”, nostalgic arena-rock on “Idiot Heart” and “Dragon’s Lair”, and fist-pumping anthems in “Black Swan”, but stylistic multifariousness is not the sole reason for Dragonslayer’s apparent success. It is the consistency, thematic focus, and sheer ability throughout the album that makes this one a potential classic. If anything, Dragonslayer will eventually serve as a reminder of Sunset Rubdown’s dominance after their days are over. After all, this decade deserves quality representatives. 9.0/10

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Sunset Rubdown – Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!

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Sunset Rubdown – Silver Moons

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Richard Swift’s scraggly beard, endearing voice, and piano-based delivery can all be indicative of the past in some way, but such superficial elements cannot even touch upon what makes Swift one of the most chronologically misplaced songwriters around. Instead, it is the methodology that surrounds Swift’s material that makes him look somewhat out of place in the midst of glitzy songwriters who release an album once every few years and use their appearance to define their music. This ostentatious nature is an unfortunate plague to the modern music industry, but it also allows us to focus more on songwriters like Swift who never appear to be satisfied with their material, always working towards the next release in an effort for continuous improvement. His appearance is never desperately synonymous with his sound, and his work ethic implies a constant yearning for stylistic experimentation in an effort to acquire experience and apply that to his future releases. Like contemporaries in the vein of Spencer Krug or Noah Lennox, he is a songwriter who can be held accountable for one release or more per year that exhibits an ability to cultivate innovation from pre-existing ideas that are accessible enough to attract a significant audience. Unlike many songwriters, Swift has the ability to remain seemingly unsatisfied with frequently excellent work, adjusting it ever so slightly without ever emitting a slight tinge of desperation.

These examples of work ethic, concisely engineered degrees of success, and stylistic experimentation can all be derived from Swift’s impressive discography, a collection bursting with different styles and approaches. The California native hardly adorns his material with bells and whistles, instead resorting to a generally straightforward production that shows off his raw skills quite unintentionally. You will find few artists today that continue to utilize a four-track, citing a lack of polish and flexibility. In Swift’s case, though, he has shown that the method applies considerably well to his music. After first finding his love for performing music by singing in Quaker churches in his early teens, Swift spent the remainder of his teenage years working on his songcraft with a four-track by his side. He moved to Southern California at the age of 23 and recorded Walking Without Effort that same year. Already beyond his years in terms of artistic management, he chose to shelve the release because of his dissatisfaction with it. Consider this: You are a starving artist without a release to your name. You complete a couple of songs and they are polished enough for an average to positive response. Most bands or artists in this position would rush to put it out, probably in an effort to say that they “have an album out.” This is what separates Swift from the rest. His ideology is so mature and selfless that it ends up positively overlapping into his music.

Since his sixth great uncle is the 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 by Secretly Canadian. 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. Simultaneously embracing all naturalistic aspects outside the realm of technology and toying with the idea of the overly romanticized artist, The Novelist was the first release that brought Swift some recognition. After that, the releases started to flow with Dressed Up for the Letdown in 2007, Richard Swift as Onasis in 2008, and now The Atlantic Ocean in 2009. He also released an album called Music from the Films of R/Swift under the alias of Instruments of Science and Technology, his ambient electronica side project, in 2008. While Walking Without Effort and The Novelist showed Swift’s blissful interpretation of Tin Pan Alley pop, each successive release had a tendency to explore new territory without sounding like an overbearing stylistic transition. Much of Swift’s material has been rooted in melodically rich pianos and rewarding hooks and these are the traits that have always remained constant.

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” one 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,” over a rollicking southern rock flair. The guitar progressions are later accentuated by a beautiful horn section, sounding 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’s only beginning.

Although he may be classified as such, Swift is not a throwback ideas. His ideas are much too original to be grouped into such a category. The sheer consistency of The Atlantic Ocean makes it an excellent album in itself, but one truly has to applaud Swift for refining an already-accomplishable style into something with a bit more kick. Even on stylistically differing tracks like the consummate synth-pop of “Hallelujah, Goodnight!”, the intentionally distinctive image of ‘60s pop on “Lady Luck”, and the steady folk-rock of “Bat Coma Motown”, Swift succeeds on all fronts by providing diversity without sacrificing the heart of The Atlantic Ocean. Additional instrumentation like guitars, banjo, and horns make sporadic appearances throughout the album, and the various ways in which they are incorporated is highly impressive. Swift manages the gap between instantly receptive gems like “The Original Thought” and “A Song for Milton Feher” and invigorating displays of ardent triumph like “Ballad of Old What’s His Name” and “Already Gone” with remarkable precision, and it is an attribute that makes The Atlantic Ocean one of the most consistently satisfying releases of the year. 8.5/10

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Richard Swift – Ballad of Old What’s His Name

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Richard Swift – Already Gone

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Richard Swift – A Song for Milton Feher

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by Mike Mineo

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20. Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line

Losing a member of a band to death can be devastating. No matter how many arguments and fistfights were initiated in the past, it is a fact that many groups tend to form a family-like bond after years and even months of touring and working together. When Ra Ra Riot’s original drummer, John Pike, was found dead on June 3rd of 2007, his former band mates were stunned. “This has felt like the unraveling plot of a tragic piece of fiction,” they said in a press release. However, about a month after Pike’s death, the band announced that they would continue the group in Pike’s memory. A string of tour dates and the eponymous EP in 2007 brought the group increased recognition as they prepared their debut full-length album, The Rhumb Line. The album itself serves as a fine example of the group’s potential, with their flashy style of art-rock serving as both an accessible and contagious interpretation of contemporary indie-rock. The New York-based group works with tinges of post-punk and punk, implementing both cellos and violins over a zealous display of dazzling guitars and tenacious rhythm sections. Vocalist Wesley Miles emits a sharp, slightly high-pitched tone that is reminiscent of vocalists in the vein of Nick Stumpf (The French Kicks) or a more subdued Hamilton Leithauser (The Walkmen). All together, it creates a very convincing sound that proves memorable despite its common originations. In addition to his role as a co-songwriter on a handful of tracks, one notable posthumous contribution from Pike on The Rhumb Line comes in the form of lyrical content. With Miles, he wrote “Dying is Fine”, a gripping track that wholly capitalizes on the group’s stellar mixture of strings and guitars. With an E.E. Cummings quotation serving as the main hook, the topic is emotionally ironic and the melody is addictively consuming. The mournful “Ghost Under Rocks” also makes excellent use of strings, guiding yet another captivating chorus as Miles yelps in perhaps his most emotionally resounding vocal performance on the album. “Here you are, you are breathing like little ghosts under rocks,” he sings, speaking of romanticized suffocation in mildly poetic form. When compared to the regretful – though dynamically vigorous – yelps and moans of “Ghost Under Rocks” and “Dying is Fine”, Miles’ vocals in “Winter ‘05” are appropriately more somber as the strings increase in intricacy and the percussion subtly adds several shuffled components. Along with a cover of Kate Bush’s “Suspended in Gaffa” making the cut, it exemplifies how The Rhumb Line serves as an enjoyably eclectic album within a fused genre that desperately needs it these days.

Ra Ra Riot – Dying is Fine

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19. Gentleman Jesse – Introducing Gentleman Jesse and His Men

One of the most appealing aspects of power-pop is the ability it has to remain untainted in a world where stylistic alteration is often inevitable. While some may argue that the genre’s apparent lack of stylistic ambition is the cause for such sturdy pop ideologies, the crafters of such music never seem to be given enough credit for their reluctance to become submissive toward what is deemed as this week’s fad in the music industry. Gentleman Jesse and His Men, a talented four-piece based out of Atlanta, employ this highly accessible form of power-pop very well, but they are also quite unique when compared to other groups in the genre. Yes, they are comparably intent on hooking in the listener with exceptionally infectious choruses and stellar harmonizing, but Gentleman Jesse and His Men happen to be significantly more nostalgic in approach. Instead of employing a formula in which an overwhelming degree of varying styles clash within a comforting power-pop aroma, the four-piece instead opts to bring back what made the genre so great in the first place. Traditional punk and garage-rock are the main forces at work here, making comparisons to the early workings of power-pop greats Exploding Hearts somewhat unavoidable. Exploding Hearts certainly infused more elements of punk into their overall sound, but the approach and level of melodic alteration remains highly comparable in the sentiment that both groups rely on amiable simplicity to elicit a uniquely engaging charm in which the songwriting and consequential hooks sound freshly invigorating despite the minimal forces of instrumentation at work. On their debut, Introducing Gentleman Jesse and His Men, frontman Jesse Smith plays the role of accessible power-pop vocalist with apparent ease, extracting a youthful tone of amateur exuberance while simultaneously allowing his commendable melodic range to flow naturally with the brisk use of guitar-led instrumentation. This is perhaps best heard on “All I Need Tonight (Is You)”, a track that would likely have been considered a classic by now if it had been released 30 years ago. From the lyrics to the lead guitar progression, the approach is extraordinarily simple but the appeal arrives in the strong melodic form that Smith conveys with the utmost confidence. In conventional power-pop form, he utilizes a callback approach in the utterly irresistible chorus before embellishing the moment with an extremely concise guitar solo. “You Got Me Where You Want Me” and “Attention” also utilize this accustomed callback approach with surprising precision. Those who view most traditional power-pop as a one-trick pony will likely state the same about Gentleman Jesse and His Men’s debut album, but anyone who enjoys fantastic hooks guided by little more than a guitar and rhythm section simply needs to check it out. Intricate it may not be, but this album’s infectiousness is downright undeniable.

Gentleman Jesse – All I Need Tonight (Is You)

Gentleman Jesse – You Got Me Where You Want Me

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18. Håkan Hellström – För sent för Edelweiss

Swedish listeners first caught a glimpse of Hellström in 2000 with his hit single “Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg”, with Hellström also releasing his debut album of that same name in November. Prior to the release, Hellström was only recognized as fans of the Swedish indie-pop band Broder Daniel as their drummer, a position he vacated between 1988 and 1994. He then rejoined the band in 1997 with a new role as the bassist, leaving in 2003 to focus solely on his solo career. By that time, Hellström had also released a second album, Det är så jag säger det, in 2002 and was in the midst of writing Ett kolikbarns bekännelser, his third album that released in 2005. Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått, a compilation of b-sides, was also released the same year. After announcing that he had become a father and planned to take a short break, he emerged with his fourth album, För sent för Edelweiss, three years later in 2008. Though his first three albums exhibited a form of potential that only arrives once every so often in Swedish pop music, Hellström’s style sounded awkward with occasionally out-of-key vocals and repetitive arrangements. However, with För sent för Edelweiss, it looks as if the skilled songwriter has finally lived up to his wholesome potential. When an artist names an album after one of their own songs in particular, the conceptual intentions of the self-titled track take on lofty expectations. When it comes to “För sent för Edelweiss”, it serves as arguably the most pleasing track on both the album and throughout Hellström’s blossoming career thus far. It features the type of melody that will cause anyone – regardless of whether they understand the Swedish lyrics or not – to grin in pure delight, with the hauntingly beautiful instrumentation contrasting impressively with Hellström’s ardent vocals. The light plucking of an acoustic guitar initially finds itself underlying a graceful piano melody as Hellström’s voice quivers over the corresponding melody. When the twinkle of a new piano melody takes charge and establishes the chorus, Hellström’s voice takes on a melodic shift and crafts a devastating hook in the process. When the track concludes with a Sigur Rós-like instrumental recap over the crooning of Hellström, it simply reminds the listener just how elegantly stunning the overall result actually is. Since the title track will generally be recognized as one of the more instrumentally subdued songs on För sent för Edelweiss, first-time listeners of the track will likely be curious as to what Hellström sounds like when accompanied by increasingly noticeable instrumental fervor. As both “Kärlek är ett Brev Skickat Tusen Gånger” and “Jag Vet Inte Vem Jag är Men jag Vet Att Jag är Din” prove, the result is actually just as satisfying. Both songs implement guitar within a style of pop that is most reminiscent of accessible indie-rock, with “Jag Vet Inte Vem Jag är Men jag Vet Att Jag är Din” especially being resounding of the sentiment with a fury of electric guitars and reflective keys. They each remain insanely catchy in their own unique ways though, with “Kärlek är ett Brev Skickat Tusen Gånger” benefiting most from the vocal correspondence between a bluesy guitar, effervescent keys, and Hellström’s impressive vocal performance. With so many great Swedish releases each year, it is quite an indicator that För sent för Edelweiss is one of this year’s best from Sweden.

Håkan Hellström – För sent för Edelweiss

Håkan Hellström – Kärlek är ett Brev Skickat Tusen Gånger

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17. Thomas Function – Celebration

It would be premature for me to judge the chemistry in Thomas Function based on their music and online photos alone, right?. It could all just be a classic attempt to sell records. Well, considering that all pictures I have found of the members together depicts them having insane amounts of fun while at parties, playing shows, and in the studio, superficial corporate achievement seems to be the last things on their mind. In fact, It leads you to believe that these guys might even be having fun while making music together. And apart from the putting the “fun” in “function”, their music plays off just as naturally. Providing heavy doses of southern-rock and folk within a consistent showing of punk, the fact that Thomas Function are able to simultaneously provide odes to energized punk greats in the vein of Television and The Buzzcocks while delivering an array of styles related to folk and contemporary rock contributes prevalently to a style that is wholesomely unique and energetically engaging. The track that brought the four-piece arguably their biggest buzz in 2007 was “Relentless Machine”, a 7″ single that now once again has appeared on their excellent debut album, Celebration. Despite offering 13 tracks that are contained within a similar delivery, the boastful amount of hooks and instrumental variations provide for a form of excitement that most debuts only dream of. “2012 Blues” was a standout immediately for me from the first listen, as its acoustical folk origins are in stark contrast to vigorous punk-oriented gems like “Snake in the Grass” and “Conspiracy of Praise”, a style that reigns over most of the album. In a track like “Can’t Say No”, where a Pixies-like bass line is adjusted accordingly over an organ-led guitar progression that provides visions of classic Television and Velvet Underground, it almost makes for a colossal fusion of great indie-rock and punk bands who have made a significant mark in the past 30 years. The infectious “Can’t Say No” may be too hectic to make such past comparisons entirely spot-on, but the melodically charged energy that Josh Macero’s vocals convey makes the mixture of modernistic enthusiasm with past forms of punk and garage-rock a very satisfying blend. As for fans of The Buzzcocks or even Wire, one listen of “Snake in the Grass” should be convincing enough. Alongside “Conspiracy of Praise” and “A Long Walk”, it employs a concisely familiar form of catchy punk without being overly aggressive or manipulative in the process. With the rhythm section constantly impressing me with its tight coordination, the excellent guitar work making the comparisons to Television even possible, and Macero’s vocals being a constant source of hooks and youthful vibrancy, Celebration packs a very powerful punch that results in it being one of this year’s most satisfying debuts.

Thomas Function – Can’t Say No

Thomas Function – 2012 Blues

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16. Beach House – Devotion

Like many of those who immediately latched onto Beach House’s fantastic self-titled debut in 2006, I kept my admiration for the release no secret. It was an atmospherically beauteous album, flawlessly transcribing humane emotions as diverse as regret, embrace, and heartbreak into a sound that was as much accessible as it was ravishing. Beach House, a two-piece based out of Baltimore consisting of guitarist/keyboardist Alex Scally and vocalist/organist Victoria Legrand, were certainly the center of attention in 2006, as their well-received debut was an album that seemed to find its way onto everyone’s year-end list (it took a respectable #37 on mine). This year, they have reclaimed that same spotlight, with an excellent second album in Devotion that proves even more fulfilling than their debut. Though it may be subtle, Beach House’s own namesake provides for a cleverly suitable effect. Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand craft a sound that ushers the listener away from the hectic rush of complex urbanity, with their style being ceaselessly relaxing without any stylistic mundaneness. Like the location depicted in their namesake, the lushly written songs provide for an escape from petty demands and harsh realities; think of Devotion as a $15, 44-minute vacation. The exquisite “D.A.R.L.I.N.G.” is reminiscent of a lost love ballad from the ’50s or ’60s. Legrand’s vocals and Scally’s guitar progressions are seemingly able to put listeners into an entrancing state, this time being aided by a guitar soaked in reverb and a set of subdued keys. As per usual, Legrand’s vocals are beautifully chilling, being airily husky but giving off a frail sense of imagery in regard to the alluring backing instrumentation. The percussive involvement is always minute, but the lack of involvement makes the delicate nature even more suitably presented in the process. Another aspect that is revived from Beach House’s debut is Legrand’s ability to create a hook using her vocal range alone. Like “D.A.R.L.I.N.G.” and the majority of Devotion, “Gila” is aided by a guitar supplemented by a mixture of keys and organs. Though the bare instrumentation is enough to solicit immediate enjoyment, the moment when Legrand shifts her vocals into a deeper, more sympathetic range by stating, “Don’t you waste your time, no-oh-oh,” it provides for an instant realization in regard to the sheer beauty that the songwriting of Beach House conveys. With songs like these, Beach House’s Devotion is an elegantly beautiful release that sees this talented duo somehow improve upon the excellence of their self-titled debut.

Beach House – D.A.R.L.I.N.G.

Beach House – Gila

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15. Department of Eagles – In Ear Park

A good majority of people have, at one point in their lives, been forced to live with someone who does not exactly coincide with their standards of life. Roommate horror stories can be as amusing as they are appalling, but everyone recognizes that it is a part of life that most unspoiled individuals have to go through in order to live without a larger financial burden. When Fred Nicolaus and Daniel Rossen were assigned by NYU as roommates in their freshman year of college in 2000, they likely went through the usual semi-awkward introductions. The first few weeks may have passed by without much chemistry, but eventually when they found a common bonding point in music, they knew that luck was on their side. After putting out three EPs and two LPs under the name of The Whitey on the Moon UK, the roommates changed their name to Department of Eagles. Their first two full-lengths, The Whitey on the Moon UK LP and The Cold Nose, saw some moderate success with a stylistic array of electronic pop and sample-based instrumentals, but critics often felt that the releases were too disjointed and cluttered to truly capture a consistent audience. Shortly after the release of The Whitey on the Moon UK LP in 2003, Rossen joined the up-and-coming Grizzly Bear as an additional songwriter and guitarist. However, the two returned to working together shortly, recruiting drummer Chris Bear and bassist Nat Baldwin earlier this year to focus on In Ear Park, the duo’s second album under Department of Eagles. While I was personally impressed with some material that Rossen and Nicolaus have collaborated on prior to In Ear Park, this album is a major stepping stone in both of their developments as songwriters. The album itself was written partly as an ode to childhood, with Rossen making it a tribute of sorts to his recently deceased father. The actual “Ear Park” is a park in Los Angeles in which Rossen and his father used to visit, a touching point of significance when the song is being played. A lo-fi charmer, the duo shuffles through a series of intricately composed guitar arpeggios as Rossen relays his tender voice through a midst of backing strings and twinkling keys. The melody and instrumental capacity is astoundingly beautiful, especially when the subject is in consideration. The following track, “No One Does It Like You”, captures the essence of ‘60s pop in extravagant form. Backing vocals are exceptional here, simultaneously adding to both the rhythm section and enthralling melody in the deep and heightened tones, respectively. “Teenagers” is another key-led spectacle that later bursts into a consuming array of subtle horns and strings, highly indicative of the duo’s impeccably placed value on songwriting and production.

Department of Eagles – No One Does It Like You

Department of Eagles – In Ear Park

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14. British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?

The “sophomore slump” is a term that has been applied a countless number of times for musicians, with indie-rock artists arguably being in that recent undesirable majority. It often proves difficult to attempt to pinpoint the cause for such drop-offs in quality, though I believe much of it can be accredited to the amount of pressure an artist receives from their label, the press, and the masses of fans who follow in their every step. In regard to British Sea Power, I admit that they initially set my expectations at a nearly insurmountable high. I consider their fantastic 2003 debut, The Decline of British Sea Power, to be one of the best debuts of this decade and I continue to give it a listen every so often. After the group released their follow-up, Open Season, in 2005, I found that the result was not something I was too personally enamored with. It was not a bad follow-up by any means, just a step back in the direction that the prevalently ambitious British Sea Power intended to go. With their third album, Do You Like Rock Music?, the album’s title seems hypothetical in relation to the brilliant content it conveys. With it, I have once again regained hope that British Sea Power could indeed be one of the most inventive indie-rock bands of the decade. It all begins suitably with “All In It”, a brooding build-up where a choral vocal accompaniment sings reflectively over the steady beat of a snare drum. Once the song begins to subtly fade out and the murmur of a church organ is the only audible presence, a burst of percussion and high-pitched guitar effects collapse onto one another, creating a monumental hook that sets the tone for the rest of Do You Like Rock Music?. The brilliant “Waving Flags” is arguably the best song that British Sea Power have written since the classic “Carrion”, crafting their trademark sound of epic, guitar-oriented rock into a state of pure bliss. Once the ardently grandiose chorus kicks in, any skeptics of the Brighton-based four-piece will likely cower away. Though the structure remains more consistent and the instrumentation more simplistic, the glimmering “Canvey Island” once again finds its strength in a explosive chorus, fully cemented by a preceding verse and bridge where the murmur of strings are presented over the slight strumming of an electric guitar. Depicting the great North Sea flood of 1953, the suitably named British Sea Power carry the song in full force, touching on feelings on disastrous disbelief as Scott “Yan” Wilkinson resoundly croons, “Don’t you think its strange, you know, the way it all works out? Brace yourself for storms and summer drought.” the beautiful “No Need to Cry” rounds off the album very nicely. Being somewhat of a new approach for British Sea Power, they pull off the sympathetic throwback love ballad with ease. Wilkinson turns his vocal intensity down a notch but compensates it with a lush assortment of guitars, subdued percussion, and cooing backing vocals. Unlike the stadium-sized intensity of the choruses in excellent tracks like “Waving Flags” and “Canvey Island”, “No Need to Cry” uses a more subtle approach in being uplifted by a simplistic sprinkling of keys. Regardless, the result is stunningly beautiful when a violin cleverly emerges from the layers of delicately crafted sound during the song’s final few moments. Do You Like Rock Music? opens, continues, and concludes in the same way: with consistent quality. So, if for some reason, the question of “Do you like rock music?” remains etched in your head, it should be quite easy to answer. In regard to this specific album, the answer is an unhesitant “yes”.

British Sea Power – Waving Flags

British Sea Power – Canvey Island

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13. The Walkmen – You & Me

Whether or not The Walkmen regressed on You & Me is a topic with two sides to it. Yes, they returned to a style that was more indicative of their first two albums with a higher emphasis on heavily distorted guitars and angular vocal melodies, but there is still a glaring aspect of You & Me that separates itself from any of The Walkmen’s preceding four releases. While percussively aided keyboards were often at the forefront on Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone and distorted guitars and yelps comprised most of Bows + Arrows, You & Me serves as arguably the most stylistically multifarious album of their commendably consistent career. Their usual use of overpowering guitars, shimmering keys, and clashing percussion is predominant, but when looking at it by a track-by-track basis it becomes evident that efforts like “On the Water” and “Red Moon” contribute to an album whose stylistic scope remains unpredictably consuming. The swirling mixture of keys and horns in “Red Moon” creates some charmingly melodic circumstances for a topic as simple as romantic longing, while the beginnings of “On the Water” invokes the same sort of exotic imagery that songwriters in the vein of Tom Waits have been so known to generate. As the rumbling of bass underlies a glistening guitar progression, singer Hamilton Leithauser concocts a series of vividly appropriate lyrics. “All the years keep rolling, the decades flying by,” he sings as the guitars pick up pace and the track reverts from a mystical bass-led enigma into a hard-rocking fury. “But ahh, the days are long.” This lyrical realization is complemented superbly by Leithauser’s uniquely invigorating howl, an aspect that is aided by instrumentation that increases in intensity as the track progresses. “Red Moon” and “On the Water” are particularly excellent usages of the band’s tendencies to use natural imagery, an effect that supplements the occasional tranquility of both tracks superbly. In terms of each individual song, the songs are not the most structurally adventurous or melodically intimidating in the band’s catalog, but other gems like the anthemic “In the New Year” and the innovative use of percussion in “Postcards From Tony Islands” should convince listeners that the five-piece have clearly succeeded in crafting one of their most fascinatingly compelling releases to date.

The Walkmen – On the Water

The Walkmen – Red Moon

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12. Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer

Few bands manage to be as innovative and instantaneously accessible as Wolf Parade, the acclaimed joint project of Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner. The most impressive thing to me about the two collaborators, however, is not the infectious melodies they create or the constant critical acclaim that comes their way, but rather the stylistic transition that both are able to make seamlessly as they jump from project to project. Both have been renowned as a few of the busiest songwriters in indie-rock and their durability throughout the past several years can mainly attributed to the unique and melodically invigorating aspects that their songwriting triggers. At Mount Zoomer will hardly feel like a sophomore album to most listeners, as both Krug and Boeckner have been employing reminiscent styles in their respective projects of Sunset Rubdown and Handsome Furs ever since Wolf Parade originated. But it is also a common belief to state that Wolf Parade’s debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary, contains the most accessible material from either artist to date, an aspect that arguably derives from intentions to promote their material to a more diversified audience. Krug’s share of material on At Mount Zoomer appears most reminiscent to his work with Sunset Rubdown, with the eerily resounding flair of “Bang Your Drum” and “An Animal in Your Care” employing much of they key-oriented formula over the yelping vocals and consistently revolving song structures that made trademark Sunset Rubdown tracks so memorable. Keeping in mind that At Mount Zoomer comprises of a similar structure in that Krug and Boeckner contribute an even number of separate tracks, I am actually more impressed with Boeckner’s efforts this time around despite Krug’s showings also being expectedly strong. This can be primarily attributed to Boeckner’s increased instrumental virtuosity, as his use of keys and synths has noticeably become more prevalent. This is best evident on “Language City” and “The Grey Estates”, both tracks that utilize an array of sparkling keys in an infectious chorus that is also guided by guitars and rhythmic additives. Despite Boeckner providing for a more consistent offering of quality songwriting, Krug offers one of the best tracks in the excellent “California Dreamer”. Krug’s skills as both a songwriter and excellent keyboardist are in full display as he shifts a minimal introduction of singular keys and backing percussion into a chorus that is the most anthemic and memorable on the album. “I’ll be round, I’ll be round, I’ll be round,” he sings prior to the bridge. “Like a teenager in town where all the other young lovers are found.” It is a moment that is aided purely by the intensifying tempo of deepened keys, a technique that makes the exceptional chorus that follows even more satisfying. A few shrill chords on keys then follow as the fully bolstered rhythm section emerges for the first time. Boeckner’s “Fine Young Cannibals” also serves as a standout, mainly due to a catchy little guitar riff that manages to sound so seductively enthralling over a soulful blend of keys (à la “It’s a Curse”). As the steady delivery of a new wave-like guitar progression eases placidly over concise percussion, it takes over two minutes for the track’s greatest hook to appear. Signaled by the brisk entry of keys, a crescendo of chords flurry over the same guitar progression and intensifying quivers. Keeping in mind that a Krug-Boeckner release without some sort of epic would feel out of place, the concluding “Kissing the Beehive” makes use of both songwriter’s ability to craft alternating song structures within a familiar melody. Though the first several listen will treat nothing to the listener but a few unexpected melodic surprises, each new listen with a better comprehension of the structure provides more in terms of infectiousness and enjoyment. As that track ends, it is easy to note that Krug and Boeckner have once again collaborated for one of the most enjoyable indie-rock releases of the year.

Wolf Parade – Language City

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11. Portishead – Third

Unlike the majority of other groups during the mid ’90s in Britain, Portishead did not become legends by releasing a masterpiece or two alongside a dozen or so middling attempts at reviving glory. Instead, the trio’s status as one of the most mystifyingly ambiguous groups to have an undeniable influence on contemporary music was granted because of sheer quality, not because of an excess of tours or releases. Prior to this year’s release of Third, the group released two albums of new material in the span of 13 years. Both of them, Dummy and Portishead will forever be considered landmark achievements in the genres of trip-hop and atmospheric alternative-pop. Clearly, unless Portishead have something worth releasing, it is not going to see the light of day. This rare ideology continues with Third, an awe-inspiring release that ranks up there with the classic Dummy as being one of the most atmospherically brilliant releases of the past 20 years. Their arrangements are often initially sparse, such as in “The Rip” where only an acoustic guitar and haunting synth pad appears to back Beth Gibbons’ quivering vocals. Like many classic Portishead tracks though, the melodic and instrumental expansion of “The Rip” is what makes the group’s ingenious level of execution so irresistible. As a bassy synth arpeggio backs a lengthily stable croon from Gibbons, a simultaneous percussive ignition occurs as the track steadily fades to black. The vocally brooding nature of “Plastic” and the ethereal, guitar-based murmurs of “We Carry On” may provide indication that Third is Portishead’s least accessible album out of their three, but successive listens will reward even those who are reluctant of the trio’s atmospherically-based talents. Sure, there are less instantaneous hooks, but Third is a grower whose genius is slowly unveiled with careful audible precision. For immediate enjoyment though, a track like the appropriately titled “Machine Gun” (with its percussive bursts) and the melodically enchanting “Hunter”, the latter which proves to be one of Portishead’s most captivating efforts. Haunting is often a common word to describe Portishead’s atmospheric brilliance, and never has being haunted been so enjoyable. A sheer piece of atmospheric perfection, Third is an album to be treasured by fans of Portishead and newcomers alike.

Portishead – Hunter

Portishead – The Rip

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The post Best Albums of 2008: #20 to #11 appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

I do hope to travel across a wide variety of locations one day, but as a middle-class college student I understand that my resources are somewhat limited. That being said, it is a common process for me to singularly identify certain cities based on the musicians who originate from there. You can call it the result of ignorance from a young inexperienced traveler or simply the product of someone who loves music to death, but I have to say that the result is almost always complementary. After all, how else would those not too keen on geography or history identify some of the world’s more bustling and artistically productive areas? Montreal is by no means an unidentifiable city as the second-largest city in Canada, but the prosperous amount of musical activity has certainly brought more attention to the area as a ceaseless hotspot for artists who defy all stylistic and cultural boundaries. From commonly identifiable contemporary acts like Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade to legendary artists like Leonard Cohen who your parents (and hopefully you as well) can identify with, the city has been producing worthwhile artists for decades. That being said, there is little to question in whether or not one of the latest Montreal-based groups, Winter Gloves, have enough of an audience to gain exposure, as they have captured the attention of a city who is used to nothing but the utmost quality in independent music.

Capitalizing on a commonly receptive form of integrated indie-rock and synth-pop that has seen local contemporaries like Stars and Chromeo, go on to national success, Winter Gloves refine their approach by being neither intimidating nor overly aggressive. With ambitiously modernistic minds like Spencer Krug also hailing from the same city, their songs are not even remotely the most complex or intricate pieces to hail from Montreal, but the four-piece are able to emit a form of convincing infectiousness that makes their success appear nearly imminent. In support of their recently released debut album, About a Girl, they are currently wrapping up a Canadian tour that has earned them both hot press and a budding fan base. Prior to this release, however, they put out an EP, Let Me Drive, that primarily consisted of frontman Charles F.’s solo musings. Winter Gloves itself was originally intended to be a solo side project for Charles, but he found the life of a solo musician to be too restrictive for his taste. “When you record everything yourself and then you listen back to the CD, everything is a bit boring,” he said in an interview. “It’s like a talent show for you.” Seeking both an outlet for constructive criticism and stylistic expansion, the search for the proper musicians proved easy for the native of Quebec City when he returned to his native roots.

After he had spent one year overseas in Britain and had gotten a bit bored of the straightforward art-rock infesting the likes of NME, Charles F. relocated back to Montreal in hopes of gathering some like-minded musicians to complete the process of finalizing Winter Groves. First, he looked toward Vincent Chalifour, a friend who had helped him mix the debut EP. After Chalifour’s quick agreement, the two then connected with collaborators Patrick Sayers and Jean-Michel Pigeon, completing the four-piece. First, he looked toward Vincent Chalifour, a friend who had helped him mix the debut EP. Off the heat of the EP alone, the group began touring with the likes of Tokyo Police Club and Jealous Girlfriends despite not being signed to a label at the time. The critical acclaim for both their EP and live shows sent labels a knocking though, and the Toronto-based Paper Bag Records swooped Winter Gloves in anticipation for the release of About a Girl. Now on the same label with the likes of The Acorn, Tokyo Police Club, Sally Shapiro, and Stars, they look to fit well among a group of excellent songwriters and performers that capitalize in a variety of original hooks and multifarious stylistic tendencies.

Although the longest track on About a Girl is no longer than four minutes, this works to the group’s advantage in regard to their stylistic preference. For most of the tracks, if they were any longer then they would overstay their welcome, mainly due to an instrumental focus on keyboards and synths that remains consistently accessible. “I Can’t Tell You” is a fine example of their key-driven sound, often backed by a revolving array of warbling synths and a very brisk rhythm section that can be surprisingly and efficiently complex in specified areas. This is found accordingly in the chorus of “I Can’t Tell You”, where a series of twinkling synths further supplement a repeated key progression as Charles’ vocals change pitch from a series of half-spoken verses to a falsetto-aided bridge. His dynamic range allows the arrangements to flourish abundantly, perhaps overshadowing any simplistic melodic aspects that may turn off some listeners. The opener, “Factories”, is more demonstrative of their enthusiastic nature. In contrast to “I Can’t Tell You”, the track is a constant whirlwind of energy that sees a guitar arpeggio complement an already engaged series of synth lines. The lyrics are generally nonexistent during this section, as Charles opts for a melodic croon that sees his vocals substitute for any extraneous instrumental accompaniments.

I suppose you could make comparisons to a handful of Wolf Parade’s more accessible tracks – “Fancy Claps” or “Modern World” – on a track like “Let Me Drive”, though the structure without being all too predictable. The implementation of handclaps over the building bass line adds to the songs immensely, adding a sense of anticipation that should find the listener in a state of appeasement when the track reaches its conclusion. Overall, About a Girl is not the most intricately resounding thing to come out of Montreal, but it is certainly some of the catchiest material from the city I have heard so far this year.

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Winter Gloves – I Can’t Tell You

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Winter Gloves – Factories

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Winter Gloves – Let Me Drive

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Few bands manage to be as innovative and instantaneously accessible as Wolf Parade, the acclaimed joint project of Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner. The most impressive thing to me about the two collaborators, however, is not the infectious melodies they create or the constant critical acclaim that comes their way, but rather the stylistic transition that both are able to make seamlessly as they jump from project to project. Both have been renowned as a few of the busiest songwriters in indie-rock and their durability throughout the past several years can mainly attributed to the unique and melodically invigorating aspects that their songwriting triggers. For the release of Wolf Parade’s second album, At Mount Zoomer, I knew that reviewing it also meant keeping mind of some pretty hefty expectations. Since 2005, some Krug-related project has peaked in my top 10 for the year. No other artist in the past few years has been as consistent with my personal appeal, though one of the main reasons for this is obviously that Krug releases material abundantly and often. Still though, within the boundaries of Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade, the fact that he seems to improve with each successive release leaves audiences constantly coming back for more.

At Mount Zoomer will hardly feel like a sophomore album to most listeners, as both Krug and Boeckner have been employing reminiscent styles in their respective projects of Sunset Rubdown and Handsome Furs ever since Wolf Parade originated. But it is also a common belief to state that Wolf Parade’s debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary, contains the most accessible material from either artist to date, an aspect that arguably derives from intentions to promote their material to a more diversified audience. This is not to say that they halt all signs of ambitiousness altogether though, as such a method would be impossible when applied to the likes of Krug and Boeckner. In fact, Krug’s share of material on At Mount Zoomer appears most reminiscent to his work with Sunset Rubdown, with the eerily resounding flair of “Bang Your Drum” and “An Animal in Your Care” employing much of they key-oriented formula over the yelping vocals and consistently revolving song structures that made trademark Sunset Rubdown tracks so memorable. In fact, out of Krug’s batch of 4 songs, the key-led thump of “Call It Ritual” is the only attempt that would feel out of place on a new Sunset Rubdown release. The bulk of the track is guided by a repeating piano progression and the occasional smattering of a guitar. The keys are prevalent throughout the entire duration, but the exceptionally unexpected bridge is signaled by a rush of newly attributed guitars and an increasingly intensified use of percussion. The rather straightforward direction of the track makes for an enjoyable effort, but it most certainly has the least staying power due to its comparative predictability.

Personally, when Apologies to the Queen Mary was released, I found myself to be more enamored with Krug’s half of the release. And while it would be a somewhat faulty method to singularly distinguish key-driven tracks as Krug’s work and guitar-driven tracks as Boeckner’s half of the pie, it remains noticeable on At Mount Zoomer that – despite the proficient multi-instrumental tendencies of both musicians – they appear to remain most comfortable in their respective instrumental tendencies. Keeping in mind that At Mount Zoomer comprises of a similar structure in that Krug and Boeckner contribute an even number of separate tracks, I am actually more impressed with Boeckner’s efforts this time around despite Krug’s showings also being expectedly strong. This can be primarily attributed to Boeckner’s increased instrumental virtuosity, as his use of keys and synths has noticeably become more prevalent. This is best evident on “Language City” and “The Grey Estates”, both tracks that utilize an array of sparkling keys in an infectious chorus that is also guided by guitars and rhythmic additives. The optimistically effervescent nature of “The Grey Estates” actually makes a cause for it in being the group’s next single, as the smorgisbord of fluttering keys combined with the accessibly minimal structure will likely be amiably enjoyed by those who have not even yet become acquainted with Wolf Parade. The accessibility reminds me somewhat of “Shine a Light”, another gem written by Boeckner that later proved to be one of the most recognizable efforts on Apologies to the Queen Mary.

Despite Boeckner providing for a more consistent offering of quality songwriting, Krug offers one of the best tracks in the excellent “California Dreamer”. Krug’s skills as both a songwriter and excellent keyboardist are in full display as he shifts a minimal introduction of singular keys and backing percussion into a chorus that is the most anthemic and memorable on the album. “I’ll be round, I’ll be round, I’ll be round,” he sings prior to the bridge. “Like a teenager in town where all the other young lovers are found.” It is a moment that is aided purely by the intensifying tempo of deepened keys, a technique that makes the exceptional chorus that follows even more satisfying. A few shrill chords on keys then follow as the fully bolstered rhythm section emerges for the first time. “And I think I might have heard you on the radio, but the radio waves are like snow,” he shrieks, revealing a line that repeats throughout the song that will undoubtedly be sung by fans over and over again at any randomly placed Wolf Parade show. The cohesive clashing of guitars and keys continue to carry out the remaining 5 minutes of the song, with the chorus being occasionally recalled in the midst of newly formulated bridges featuring both guitars and keys. On Krug’s part, “California Dreamer” comes to be arguably the album’s best song, while his “An Animal in Your Care” appears the most mundane. The best of both worlds, indeed, but Krug remains a vital part in the overall success of the album.

Boeckner’s “Fine Young Cannibals” also serves as a standout, mainly due to a catchy little guitar riff that manages to sound so seductively enthralling over a soulful blend of keys (à la “It’s a Curse”). As the steady delivery of a new wave-like guitar progression eases placidly over concise percussion, it takes over two minutes for the track’s greatest hook to appear. Signaled by the brisk entry of keys, a crescendo of chords flurry over the same guitar progression and intensifying quivers. Consequently, “Fine Young Cannibals” creates a very worthwhile blend of nostalgic new wave and contemporary indie-rock. Keeping in mind that a Krug-Boeckner release without some sort of epic would feel out of place, the concluding “Kissing the Beehive” makes use of both songwriter’s ability to craft alternating song structures within a familiar melody. Though the first several listen will treat nothing to the listener but a few unexpected melodic surprises, each new listen with a better comprehension of the structure provides more in terms of infectiousness and enjoyment. “Put the ring back on and take your husband home,” Krug pleads at one point over a stunning blend of hectic keys and guitars. “Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!” It is a breathtaking closer that contributes substantially to the overall effectiveness of the album. On the masterful “Kissing the Beehive” and in the bulk of At Mount Zoomer, Krug and Boeckner have once again collaborated for one of the most enjoyable indie-rock releases of the year. 8/10

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Wolf Parade – California Dreamer

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Wolf Parade – Language City

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In appliance to collaborations in the realm of indie music, it is difficult to find a songwriter that is more sought-after than Dan Bejar. Whether one is most fond of his joint projects (Swan Lake, The New Pornographers, and Hello, Blue Roses to name a few) or his most dedicated effort, Destroyer, there is little doubting the fact that the Vancouver-based songwriter has spread enough songwriting lore over the past years to be classified as one of the most prolific songwriters of this recent decade. Though, out of all his projects, The New Pornographers have seen the most commercial success and Swan Lake (comprised of Bejar, Frog Eyes’ Carey Mercer, and Wolf Parade’s Spencer Krug) is considered by many to be the most defining “indie-rock supergroup” of the past several years, Bejar has shown the most consistency and dedication to Destroyer, a project that is widely considered to be the result of his own solo work. Though Bejar has always remained adamant in saying that Destroyer is simply comprised of an endless shuffle of varying musicians, few have come to doubt that Destroyer is truly the most effective way to explore Bejar’s talents as a singular songwriter. Though his collaborations have nearly always been commendable, I personally have come to prefer the work of Destroyer to both The New Pornographers and Swan Lake. Whether I can pinpoint the favoritism toward his poetic unrestraint, thematic consistency, or simply his melodic performance alone, I wholeheartedly believe that – if you want to tackle the many works of Dan Bejar – Destroyer is certainly the right place to start.

With this in mind, Destroyer’s Trouble in Dreams has been one of my most anticipated albums of 2008 ever since it was announced last year. Though it would be exaggerated to call any of Destroyer’s release a masterpiece, each one of Bejar’s 7 preceding full-length releases is of exceptional quality. He has yet to take a misstep in either style or conceptual direction, with my personal belief being that every single one of his releases is of equal (and exceptional) quality. I understand that such a statement may sound absurd in regard to an active musician, but I personally view Bejar’s form of quality as nearly the epitome of songwriting consistency, with the separation of quality between albums being nearly indistinguishable. Well, I thought so until now. Trouble in Dreams represents everything I could have hoped for from Bejar’s eighth effort; it is an achievement in both and songwriting that effortlessly manages to maintain the same style that Bejar exposed in his 1996 debut, the lovably lo-fi We’ll Build Them a Golden Bridge. Though I have learned that the ambitious nod to ’70s rock in his sixth album, Your Blues, appears to be arguably the most likable album among fans, there is no clear-cut choice for choosing his prime release. I personally find Trouble in Dreams to be his best effort yet, with Your Blues and Rubies following close behind (though the order, like the band themselves, is known to alternate). This is often the case for Destroyer albums; the consistence of quality makes the choice indeterminable and often useless to argue for. Whether you want to blame such indecisiveness on his constantly invigorating form of poetic lyricism (compared to Dylan on several occasions) or the hooks that he is seemingly able to create on a whim, there is no arguing against Bejar’s method of ingenious songwriting.

One of the many songwriting aspects that all three members of Swan Lake have in common is their ability to produce songs in which the duration is not restricted by conventional standards. They hold nothing back, with an apparent disregard for whether a song provides enough inital appeal. However, after a few steady listens, the beauty unfolds in magnificent form. Sure, they can churn out a 4-minute pop song when need be, but clearly neither Bejar, Krug, or Mercer are in this for a some quick cash and a radio hit. You would not have 7+ minute indie-rock epics like Krug’s “The Men Are Called Horsemen There” or Mercer’s “Caravan Breakers, They Prey on the Weak and the Old” otherwise. Bejar, of course, is no exception. As undoubtedly my favorite track of the year so far, the 8-minute “Shooting Rockets (From the Desk of Night’s Ape)” does not waste one moment throughout its entire duration. As the reworking of the final track on Swan Lake’s debuting Beast Moans, it proves to be a sprawling indie-rock epic that sees Bejar at his best, both lyrically and musically. The song is practically a beautiful form of instrumental layers building upon one another. The introductory keys are shortly supplemented by subtly brooding strings, as Bejar calls out in his trademark quiver, “A blind doe learns to work the rig, a once-thin man turns into a pig, the endless groves wherein my soul pukes the night away.” The lyrics are constantly ambiguous, though the appeal lies within Bejar’s emotional correspondence between the lyrical and instrumental content.

The finest moment arrives when the soaring tone of an electric guitar enters the song for the first time, establishing what is one of the finest hooks of Bejar’s career (The New Pornographers included!). After he sings, “You try to achieve a division that she has from the start, I’ve got street despair carved into my heart,” the heightened pitch of the strings in adjustment to the newly implemented guitar solo is absolutely stunning. The rest of the song continues in outstanding form as well, with Bejar gradually compiling various mel until the eruptious chorus hits at about the 5-and-a-half minute mark. “Shooting rockets,” he repetitively declares during the song’s distorted final few minutes, with an additional guitar solo eventually rounding out the final minute or so. From the arpeggio-based keys and the soaring guitars to Bejar’s lyrical prowess and vocalized ardency, “Shooting Rockets (From the Desk of Night’s Ape)” is a breathtaking achievement.

Though its preceding Rubies is ultimately more pop-friendly, Trouble in Dreams generally fares better because of its consistency. It will be released on March 18th, and the sheer quality it presents is certainly worth the purchase. The appealing opener, “Blue Flower/Blue Flame” is a very amiable track that focuses on a breezy acoustic melody. With snippets of electric guitars and sparkling keys underlying the initial melody, it proves vaguely reminiscent of his early material in quality form. Though enjoyment of Bejar’s vocals varies widely depending on personal tastes, his sharp quiver remains constantly appropriate for his ambitious form of songwriting. “My Favorite Year” should become a fan favorite quite easily, as it and “Shooting Rockets (From the Desk of Night’s Ape)” are epically empowering examples of Bejar’s intuitiveness, though “My Favorite Year” remains more accessible in nature. With the infectious progression serving as the backbone of the track throughout its entire duration, a variety of strings and various other guitar-led melodies pave the way for an eclectic listening experience. The halfway point introduces female backing vocals that are collaboratively reminiscent of Bejar’s pop-friendly work with The New Pornographers. All in all though, Trouble in Dreams is a sole landmark effort from Bejar that appears to capitalize on his strengths as a songwriter. Though still very early in the year, it is clearly one of the first great albums of 2008.

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Destroyer – Shooting Rockets (From the Desk of Night’s Ape)

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Destroyer – My Favorite Year

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10. B.C. Camplight – Blink of a Nihilist

Musicians who have struggled with past mental illness are often tagged with a very undeserving label. Foolish critics shout names like Brian Wilson and Syd Barrett without even regarding the new artist’s work or current state of mind. All I ask of new listeners to Brian Christinzio (alias: B.C. Camplight) is to pay attention to his musical output, not his past history. Though his conquering of a mental illness certainly makes for an interesting lyrical perspective, the only aspect that should be regarded is that his second album, Blink of a Nihilist, has emerged as a dark horse in being one of the catchiest albums of the year. By integrating synths and crisp vocal production with brass orchestral elements and piano-led melodies, Christinzio’s knack for classic pop hooks beckons back to the days of the Beach Boys and Beatles, relying on simplistic but effective melodic additives in the crafting of a very accessible sound. In contrast, his variation of styles shifts from contemporary guitar-based indie-pop in the vein of The New Pornographers (“Officer Down”) to suave brass-led chamber-pop like in the exceptional “Soy Tonto!”. The choruses are often substantially invigorating, with the bridges being subtly interwoven in the result of a structurally sound composition. Blink of a Nihilist is a fresh mixture of classic influences like The Beach Boys and The Beatles that overlap with more conventionally modernistic nods to The High Llamas, The New Pornographers, and The Shins. Do not be surprised to see Christinzio lauded for eventually landing in the upper ranks with the latter group. With an album like Blink of a Nihilist, he now certainly has the credentials.

B.C. Camplight – Soy Tonto!

B.C. Camplight – Officer Down

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09. World’s End Girlfriend – Hurtbreak Wonderland

Katsuhiko Maeda is truly a master of capturing human emotion through the art of music. His incorporation of classical music, avant-garde production, and tumultuously layered samples has created cause for acclaim in his solo project, the oddly titled World’s End Girlfriend. Still, “solo” does always seem quite a tiring word in appliance to Maeda; his usage of piano, strings, upright bass, and nearly every orchestral instrument imaginable creates an experience that is elaborately detailed, yet never overwhelming. One is usually shocked to find that the output of World’s End Girlfriend is done in majority by one individual, and one very talented one at that. Like his past releases, Hurtbreak Wonderland is dark and often chaotic in tone. Always keeping the listener on edge, Maeda has proven that, at any moment, he can transform an instrumentally tranquil setting into a scene of abrupt chaos. His typically expansive instrumentation is often found laced with sound effects in the feverish vein of a door quickly closing shut, the scream of a child, or the laughter of a deranged madman. These all are expertly implemented, providing an atmosphere that is too eerie to find a home in even the most chilling of horror movies. Apart from the maniacal laughter and screams found within the brilliantly chilling “Dance for Borderline Miscanthus”, Hurtbreak Wonderland is largely an instrumental record. Though Maeda still blends in the use of samples – like the creaking of a door in “Bless Yourself Bleed” or the sound of rainfall in “River Was Filled With Stories” – the use is much more subtle and less involved than in previous releases in the form of The Lie Lay Land. For a suitable example of Maeda’s raw emotional power, try listening to “Dance for Borderline Miscanthus” in a room that is entirely dark for its entire duration without flinching. If you do, your nerves are certainly stronger than mine. Thanks to Maeda, few albums can accomplish as much emotional depth as Hurtbreak Wonderland.

World’s End Girlfriend – 100 Years Of Choke

World’s End Girlfriend – Dance For Borderline Miscanthus

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08. The Tough Alliance – A New Chance

If one were to attempt to neatly fold the various styles within the bustling Swedish music scene into one package, the result would likely sound something like The Tough Alliance’s A New Chance. Their quality is reflectively expected too; the Swedish duo weave elements of irresistible pop seamlessly with electronica that, while occasionally complex, offers more than a handful of melodic swoons capable of instant memorability. Though the duo’s central focus remains within the somewhat conventional realm of electronic pop, the showmanship presented on their sophomore album, A New Chance, is stylistically remarkable. From the infectiously danceable leading synth line in the irresistible “First Class Riot” to the brilliant incorporation of reggae and electronica in “Looking for Gold”, it is difficult to strictly classify The Tough Alliance as either an electronic, pop, or even reggae artist. It truly depends on which song on A New Chance you are exposed to, as the album is spread all over the place in an enjoyable form. Though the core of many songs on the album is driven by a synth-laden pulse largely reminiscent of popular electro-pop dance, the variation of styles both old and new establishes a fresh listen that keeps listeners coming back for more. What perplexes me is that if Justice can literally become the “next big thing” with “D.A.N.C.E.”, why are The Tough Alliance not getting recognition for a stopper like “First Class Riot”? Regardless, though the import-only price is rather hefty, A New Chance is well worth the price of admission.

The Tough Alliance – First Class Riot

The Tough Alliance – Looking for Gold

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07. David Vandervelde – The Moonstation House Band

When I first heard David Vandervelde’s debut, The Moonstation House Band, way back in January, I knew that it would take something special to overtake it as the debut album of the year. Though 2007 saw plenty of excellent debuts in the following months, I sit here at the end with the unwavering confidence to say that The Moonstation House Band remains my favorite in that regard. It would be easy to relate the Chicago-based songwriter to a songwriter like Marc Bolan, the talented frontman of T.Rex, a group that can be credited as one of the most influential glam acts of the ’70s. In fact, “Feet of a Liar” sounds remarkably similar to Bolan’s “Ballrooms of Mars”, both haunting tracks that are aided by sparkling keys and heavy doses of reverb. Though glam-rock is one of Vandervelde’s most blatant influences, a variety of different classic rock idiosyncrasies are utilized throughout the album, including string-led compositions that are driven by alluring hooks and sweeping instrumentation. Beautiful strings performed in such tracks as the stunning “Corduroy Blues” and “Wisdom From a Tree” were done by the legendary Canadian composer David Campbell (Beck’s father). Much like Joanna Newsom and Van Dyke Parks, the duo of Vadervelde and Campbell work flawlessly together. “Corduroy Blues” serves as one of the year’s most ravishing tracks and, even if “Nothin’ No” and “Jacket” have enough initial charm to garner themselves as Vandervelde’s most radio-friendly tracks, his true potential is exposed in the extravagant “Corduroy Blues”. Thanks to the album’s consistent output of quality (and short, half-hour duration time to boot), there is not a dull moment to be found on The Moonstation House Band.

David Vandervelde – Nothin’ No

David Vandervelde – Jacket

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06. Sunset Rubdown – Random Spirit Lover

It takes quite a lot to finish in the “Top 10” two years in a row. But in appliance to Spencer Krug, I guess it is to be expected. After all, some consider calling him “the busiest man in indie-rock” to be an understatement. It is not the quantity of work he puts out (usually 2 or 3 albums per year under different bands), but the quality that each release conveys, always incorporating something fresh and exciting into a trademark style that fans have grown lovingly accustomed to. Wolf Parade and Swan Lake aside, I have found that Krug’s strongest material is often present under a group alias where he seemingly has the most control, Sunset Rubdown. Last year’s Shut Up I Am Dreaming scored high on my list at #4; this year’s Random Spirit Lover sees much of the same success. For fans of the prolific “The Men Are Called Horseman There” on Shut Up I Am Dreaming, the majority of Random Spirit Lover will come off as immediately satisfying. Not only is Krug once again focused on treating instruments like building blocks, throwing various melodies on top of one another through various works of instrumentation, but numerous tracks on the album are representative of Krug’s inherent ability to craft emotionally wounding build-ups. Like Krug also shows on “Winged/Wicked Things” with a slight strain of synth and “Stallion”with a trickle of keys, he works with an initial melody and then expands it into several modified arrangements until dozens of different layers are fluidly implemented into one. A similar approach is used in the awe-inspiring “The Taming of the Hands That Came Back to Life” as Krug utilizes guitars and synths as a compatible pair, resulting in arguably the most satisfying song on the album. His lyrical adeptness is also in full force, with the humorously titled “Magic Vs. Midas” being a contemporary societal comparison of sorts to Midas, a mythological Greek king who could turn anything he touched into gold. “Hey woman, with the gold that you keep or which keeps you in your place,” Krug quivers over piercing keys before cleverly remarking, “Do you recall that it’s just green and copper taste?” Well, there is no need for King Midas to touch Random Spirit Lover. It is already pure gold.

Sunset Rubdown – The Taming of the Hands That Came Back To Life

Sunset Rubdown – Winged/Wicked Things

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05. Frog Eyes – Tears of the Valedictorian

I can honestly say that I have not come across a band similar in approach to Frog Eyes. Leading man Carey Mercer, upon first impression, possesses the vocals of a madman. He whimpers, squeals, and trembles his way through hordes of unconventional instrumentation, somehow regaining enough emotional ardency to carry out a strong melody in the process. I suppose that you could group him in with his aforementioned roommate/collaborator Spencer Krug if you were desperate, but even Krug’s unique style seems nearly accessible compared to the sounds Mercer conveys. His lyrics are presented in a hectic daze, an aspect that seems to serve nearly exclusively as a melodic element, simply because the lyrical content is too ambiguous and muttered to even attempt interpretation. Like their previous three albums, Frog Eyes’ songs fly at a furious pace in Tears of the Valedictorian. Though their style remains similarly adjusted, the reason why Tears of the Valedictorian is Frog Eyes’ best album of their career is a simple one: every song is worthwhile. “”Stockades”” is one of the best songs Mercer has ever written, being a display his ability to craft pop hooks despite arrangements that are chaotic enough to send an early bird into a daze. Led by the ceaseless hammering of keys, Mercer transcends into a series of yelps and sighs; his tonal aggression provides as structural indication for a song that, to many, remains thoroughly unpredictable. In terms of epics, “Bushels” is also one of the most impressive songs Mercer has written. Stretching over 9 minutes, it begins rather barefaced with the strains of a single guitar. As expected though, Frog Eyes seems too impatient to rely on the same tempo and melodic pattern for the entire song. Less than a minute inwards, it explodes into a chorus of epic proportions with pulsating keys and rapid percussion. Mercer’s ability to toy around with such intricate songs remains perplexing but also equally impressive. On Tears of the Valedictorian, his impatience is simply a rewarding virtue.

Frog Eyes – “Stockades”

Frog Eyes – Idle Songs

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04. Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala

All Jens Lekman fans know that the tragedy of heartbreak is a concurring theme throughout the majority of his songs, whether it be in the twinkling “Rocky Dennis’ Farewell Song” or the humorous “Psychogirl”. So, when Lekman announced that he was retiring from music last year, fans suddenly became the embodiment of that certain captivating character in his lyrical tales of humor, wit, and anguish. What a pity it would have been if the Swedish native followed through on it too. The so-called “retirement” merely lasted a few months and the outstanding Night Falls Over Kortedala was released in September. What followed was merely validation that Lekman is one of the most talented pop songwriters of the decade. While such a tag may seem initially overwhelming to handle, Lekman’s soft-spoken nature leaves him unphased. After obtaining a massive fan base, both in and out of Sweden, through the releases of his debut album, When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog, and its proceeding compilation, Oh You’re So Silent Jens, the pressure placed on the budding songwriter seems nearly obsolete. Instead, Night Falls Over Kortedala offers the best work of Lekman’s career, with jazz-tinged gems like “Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo” mixing fluidly with string-induced dramatic in the vein of “If I Could Cry (It Would Feel Like This)”. But perhaps the album’s best moment comes in the exhilarating “Kanske Är Jag Kär I Dig”, a humorously metaphorical lyrical tale about a little boy who was forced to have a pig for a pet because “his mom was once attacked by a dog”. Backed by a sample that sounds reminiscent of ’70s soul and doo-wop, the song’s eventual expansion into the chorus led by a brass-led accompaniment of swanky soul is brilliantly executed; it is moments like this throughout the album that truly makes it an outstanding accomplishment. There is little doubt in my mind that Jens Lekman has the potential to become one of the greatest pop songwriters of our generation. With another impeccable album like Night Falls Over Kortedala under his belt, he is certainly on his way.

Jens Lekman – Kanske Är Jag Kär I Dig

Jens Lekman – Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo

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03. Dr. Dog – We All Belong

Though a bunch of raving critics would state otherwise, I believe that there is nothing wrong with a band embraing ’60s pop music in their sound — as long as they pull it off, of course. The primary reason that Dr. Dog have not found similar success to the other nine artists in the “Top 10” simply derives from their strength (or weakness) to latch onto an influence and generally manipulate it into a contemporary style in prominent embodiment of throwback execution. The thing is, Dr. Dog are far from copycats. They simply are fans of legendary songwriters like Harry Nilsson and John Lennon, in turn using their ability to craft irresistible pop hooks that sound, well, timeless. Take “Ain’t it Strange” for example, widely considered a ballad in the world of Dr. Dog. Lead vocalist Scott McMicken relays a reverbed snarl over the pairing of melodic keys, synchronized to perfection. When the heavy twang of a newly added guitar is overlapped with an ardent change in vocal pitch, the hook is simply too powerful to refuse. The same can be said for “Alaska”, a swankily enjoyable tune that sounds like some gem taken out of the Harry Nilsson vault. Whether you are a fan of retro revivalism or not, We All Belong is justifiably one of the best pop albums of the year.

Dr. Dog – Alaska

Dr. Dog – Ain’t It Strange

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02. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

When I saw Spoon perform live at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC a few months ago, there was one thing that initally perplexed me. “This is the biggest event that we’ve ever headlined for,” frontman Britt Daniel quipped to the audience. Looking at Spoon’s wildly consistent discography, I suppose it can come as a shocker that the Austin-based four-piece are just beginning to break out in a big way. Sure, while Kill the Moonlight and Gimme Fiction were of fantastic quality, their sixth album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, is their first entry into the upper echelons of the music charts. Whether it can be attributed to the album’s immediate level of accessibility or the infectious pop that the four-piece conveys, it can be confidently traced back t0 the veteran musicianship that the band has acquired throughout their past 14 years together. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is largely a rhythmically led album, with domineering bass lines steering the rush of guitars and flurries of keys in sensational tracks like “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” and “My Little Japanese Cigarette Case”. Arguably the most infectious, however, comes in the exceptional “The Underdog”. Featuring a plethora of brass and halted acoustical patterns, Daniel’s whimsical array of vocal melodies makes the inevitable comparison to Billy Joel come true. Yes, I know you have heard that one before, but it truly fits the glove surprisingly well. Though their past releases are reputable for their scattering of bright spots, Spoon’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga serves as one singular accomplishment throughout its entire duration.

Spoon – The Underdog

Spoon – You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb

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01. Radiohead – In Rainbows

Just over ten days prior to the release of In Rainbows, most fans assumed that Radiohead was still in the midst of writing new material, roughing out the edges for the imminent production of an album that would, in best case scenario, be released by the end of 2008. On the first day of October, when the group left an ambiguous message on their blog stating that In Rainbows would be released a mere 10 days, I did not know what to think. I had a fairly good idea of what my favorite albums of the year were at the time, and I had no intention of reserving a vacant spot on the list for a new Radiohead album. After all, after waiting 4 years for the newly coined “LP7”, impatience had literally grown to a state of numbness. I admit that I paid literally nothing for the album’s first release (in download form), yet I figured that paying $80 for a box set would somewhat compensate for my general appreciation of the group’s efforts. This “pick-your-price” distribution sparked a prominent interest within the music industry. There were thousands of rants regarding how it would effect the music industry, with many considering the “death” of the record label as we know it. For the most part, I considered such assumptions to be narrow-minded. People should realize that Radiohead is only one of the handful of bands in the world who could pull this off and actually make a difference. They have earned it too, with a body of work that has earned them the title of arguably the most accomplished band of the past 20 years.

Apart from all of this industrial mumbo-jumbo that journalists seem to focus on a bit too much, let us turn to the musical side of things: In Rainbows is what I consider to be the best album of the year. I admit that I was initially hesitant, as I considered their previous album, Hail to the Thief, a mixed bag of sorts. It reflected a period of stylistic hesitation and, though I also consider it an accomplished album, there were moments on Hail to the Thief where the album’s cohesiveness seemed skeptical at best. Compared to the likes of Kid A or OK Computer, its inconsistency raised slight concern. Still, comparing an album to such giants is never a lawful approach to take. In Rainbows appears to be the group’s most stylistically confident album since Kid A, showing a level of maturity that is more than well-deserved at this point in their careers. Apart from the energetic “Bodysnatchers”, it serves as some of their most subdued work to date. They appear tired of experimentation in attempts to transcend a singular style, resulting in an album where their genuine intrepidity is parallel to sheer greatness. One of my favorite tracks, “Nude”, contains some of the best songwriting I have heard from the group in some time. Initially built on soft percussion and rumbling bass, Yorke’s voice appears frail but also on the verge of emotional insatiability. Throughout the track, a swelling of strings build up in contrast to Yorke’s quivering tone. When the song takes a slight halt and the strings become reflective of Yorke’s soft, heartbreaking hum, it is a spine-chilling induction that serves as one of the finest moments on the album.

Yorke’s vocal techniques are as equally impressive on the album’s debut single, “Jigsaw Falling into Place”. Like several gems in the vein of “Nude”, “All I Need”, and “Faust Arp”, the use of strings is expertly implemented, causing a sound that resonates in a devastatingly tragic manner. “Reckoner” has already become a fan favorite for good season, fusing together various orchestral and pop techniques to create a haunting flow. Though I still am one of the many that prefers the more energized live version of “Videotape”, there is little to fault In Rainbows for. Even their decision to change “Arpeggi” from an orchestrally laden ballad into a guitar-based build-up works well in contrast to the rest of the delightfully interwoven In Rainbows. In fact, such blatant stylistic confidence remains the primary reason for it being one of Radiohead’s best albums of their career. A landmark achievement in both industrial distribution and musicianship, In Rainbows is the definitive album of 2007.

Radiohead – Nude

Radiohead – Jigsaw Falling into Place

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The consistency of Spencer Krug, one of the indie-rock’s most consistent songwriters, continues to prove true in Random Spirit Lover, Sunset Rubdown’s second album and an epic release that proves to be the most ambitiously satisfying of his career.

Sunset Rubdown
Random Spirit Lover
(Jagjaguwar)
US release date: 9 October 2007
My Review on PopMatters

by Mike Mineo

There will always be an inconclusive argument standing in favor of the ‘60s and ‘70s being the best musical decades of all-time. While verbal jousting with a bias for personal preference will always leave the argument without a winner, one aspect that remains indisputable was the tendency for notorious songwriters of the ‘60s and ‘70s to release albums very frequently, in several cases more than one album per year. Not only that, but influential artists like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin released albums that are now deemed as classics in near six-month successions of one another. It remains ironic that, though music technology has undoubtedly increased, new artists typically release one album every two or three years.

When I come across a contemporary artist like Spencer Krug who releases something musically-related nearly as often as he brushes his teeth, two things come to my mind. One is how (or if) he manages to find times of leisure. The other is why other modern singular songwriters can’t be more like Krug, releasing quality albums without a flinch or long delay. Considering that his extremely innovative style is so original that it would be labeled as oddball pop regardless of the reflective decade, it almost seems like Krug got stuck in the wrong era.

Whether your own discovery of Krug was caused by his being one of the founding members of Frog Eyes, half of the widely acclaimed Wolf Parade, his inclusion in the indie supergroup Swan Lake, or by randomly clicking on this review, Krug’s reputation has spread like wildfire since Wolf Parade’s debut in 2005. Though his meritorious musicianship and wry, darkly humorous lyrical output was already known among veteran fans of Frog Eyes, Wolf Parade’s Apologies to the Queen Mary shined new light on Krug’s previously uncovered solo outlet in Sunset Rubdown. With an LP already under his belt prior to the release of Apologies, Krug found himself in a new position with his solo project surrounded with much anticipation. When he released his second album, Shut Up I Am Dreaming, just ten months after his debut, it was greeted with a similar amount of acclaim to that of Wolf Parade. In a seemingly tireless fashion, Krug had supplied vital songwriting contributions to Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Frog Eyes, and Swan Lake in less than two years, casually becoming one of the most consistent and revered figures in indie-rock.

With such a wildly successful track record, it would make little sense for Spencer Krug to change his stylistic delivery for Sunset Rubdown’s third album, Random Spirit Lover. While Random Spirit Lover is a continuation of Krug’s ardent delivery with howling vocals, melodically echoing keys, flexible guitar progressions, and multifarious synths, it is also the most ambitious album Krug has contributed to in his entire career. And yes, that includes his work with the capricious Carey Mercer. With most of the songs on the album exceeding over five minutes in length, there is no room on Random Spirit Lover for even one song of a fairly conventional nature.

While Krug was never one to conform to predictable ideals, he previously displayed use of traditional structures on tracks like “They Took a Vote and Said No” and Wolf Parade’s “Fancy Claps”. While such fun, accessible tracks served as valuable assets to Krug’s eventual exposure, it occasionally weighed him down in relation to his artistic consistency. In Random Spirit Lover, it appears that he has finally reached a point in his career where full-on experimentation is not as risky in regard to his effecting his reputation. Without a leading, immediately engaging single, Krug’s goal appears to be fixated on crafting an album that is held together strongly by pure innovation, regardless of the epically sprawling nature of the included tracks. Perhaps that’s the reason why the shrewdly crafted Random Spirit Lover is the most satisfying batch of songs Krug has ever released.

For fans of the prolific “The Men Are Called Horseman There” on Shut Up I Am Dreaming, the majority of Random Spirit Lover will come off as immediately satisfying. Not only is Krug once again focused on treating instruments like building blocks, throwing various melodies on top of one another through various works of instrumentation, but numerous tracks on the album are representative of Krug’s inherent ability to craft emotionally wounding build-ups. As the bustling opener, “The Mending of the Gown”, displays with frequent changes in tempo over agile guitar progressions and pounding keys, the song sounds as if it is about to erupt chaotically at any moment throughout the entire duration. As he hollers, screeches, and even somewhat yodels into a heavily reverbed microphone, his vocals play off like an instrument of their own, impeccably reflecting the corresponding tempo and pitch of the backing melodies. It’s remarkable how these complex melodies are introduced so subtly, often in the beginning of each song with a sole instrument.

Like Krug also shows on “Winged/Wicked Things” with a slight strain of synth and “Stallion” with a trickle of keys, he works with an initial melody and then expands it into several modified arrangements until dozens of different layers are fluidly implemented into one. While such an expansive sound has been previously criticized due to Krug’s lo-fi methods of production, Random Spirit Lover remains quite polished despite the dexterous use of various effects and instruments. At the very least, it is a large step up from the production of Sunset Rubdown’s debut, Snake’s Got a Leg, where Krug used nothing but a standard computer and one default microphone.

Considering that “Winged/Wicked Things” has been a live favorite for months, fans will be pleased to know that Krug has merely perfected the crowd-pleaser. Though it eventually begins with minimal accompaniments of keys and synths, a stampede of percussion over the shrill progression of an electric guitar signifies the beginning of a lengthily rewarding chorus. The song simply refuses to lose intensity from that point on, and, in what seems to be Krug trademark, he continues to use treble synth lines as bridges of sorts, connecting the various melodies through several sudden percussive halts. A similar approach is used in the awe-inspiring “The Taming of the Hands That Came Back to Life” as Krug utilizes guitars and synths as a compatible pair, resulting in arguably the most satisfying song on the album.

Krug’s incorporation of synths and guitars take a bizarrely entertaining turn in “Colt Stands Up, Grows Horns”, a song that at times sounds like an hallucinogenic merry-go-round, with its dizzying keys and psychedelic guitar-like synths. In terms of rash unpredictability, “Colt Stands Up, Grows Horns” is yet another example of Krug’s looser tendency to take musical risks. Nearly entirely instrumental apart from the introductory vocals of Camilla Wynne Ingr, it adds a sense of atmospheric diversity; one of the only qualities that Shut Up I Am Dreaming was lacking in some aspects.

One remarkable feature of Random Spirit Lover that I have yet to mention is Krug’s lyrical adeptness. A subtle cultural observer, Krug’s lyrics remain somewhat cryptic and thought-provoking, always highly interpretive. The stab made toward superficiality in “Magic Vs. Midas” is just as the title describes: a contemporary societal comparison of sorts to Midas, a mythological Greek king who could turn anything he touched into gold. “Hey woman, with the gold that you keep or which keeps you in your place”, Krug quivers over piercing keys before cleverly remarking, “Do you recall that it’s just green and copper taste?” Though the majority of Krug’s songs are satirical in nature, his words are often shrouded in amusing and invigorating forms of philosophical wisdom.

Whether it is Krug’s portrayal of religious fanaticism in “Winged/Wicked Things” or his jab at domestication in “Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days”, there is rarely a dull moment to be heard on Random Spirit Lover. With Sunset Rubdown’s sprawling third album, Spencer Krug has once again validated his status as one of today’s best indie-rock songwriters. Whether he is writing songs with a supergroup or on his own, it seems that, like King Midas, whatever Spencer Krug touches turns into gold. 9/10

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Sunset Rubdown – The Taming of the Hands That Came Back To Life

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Sunset Rubdown – Winged/Wicked Things

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Sunset Rubdown – Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of your Feral Days

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The post REVIEW: Sunset Rubdown – Random Spirit Lover appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.