So I was really looking forward to new albums at the beginning of this year, but mostly from bands that I love already that were due to make new music. Interestingly, my favorite albums this year are debut albums from new bands that have become favorites of mine, and will probably continue to be for the rest of my life.
And I have a word about some of these that are popular, or gaining popularity. Good for them! How is that a bad thing? I'm tired....absolutely sick of people who don't like music just because it's "too popular" or isn't "indie" enough, or bs like that. Nonconformity is over-rated. Obviously the opposite is worse, but there MUST be a happy medium. You should like something because you like it. Art is good because it speaks to you and moves you; not because it speaks to your friends, or the masses, or a specific group of people, or a clique, or a critic. Because it speaks to YOU. I try to never base my taste on outside influences. Nobody should. It's like those people who don't like Radiohead because of their immense success. You don't have to like their music if you don't like it, but don't like it just because everybody does. At one point in their career I thought they were over-rated...but since Kid A I think they get the credit they deserve. They did change a lot in music production as well as their sound. I respect them and love their past 4 albums. Because I think their music is good. At the same time, I think Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood are pretty full of themselves. But if I based my musical taste on the people that made the music, I would hate the Sex Pistols and love Christian music. It just so happens that someone's love for art in no way has to be ruled by the person that created it, or what they are trying to say. That's why Talking Heads are so perfect. Stop Making Sense. Please.
So when I look at the success of Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weekend, I don't care if their fans are "trendy" or "hipsters" or wear their girlfriend's jeans, or whatever. I take the utmost joy in the fact that there is at least some fabulous music out there that is popular! I'd much rather turn on the radio and hear a band that is amazing that I love be over-played than all the crap that is usually on. It's refreshing to finally have music that reaches people with taste as well as the people without it. It means that the music is breaking down the barriers of the crap culture. It gives me hope that maybe at last people are going to expect more from mainstream music in the future.
Now, I'm just waiting for the same thing to happen with film, on a large scale.
Enough about that. Here are my favorite new albums 2008. A LOT of good, inspiring music was made. If you don't have them, please, PLEASE do yourself a favour, and get it.
10. For Emma, Forever Ago (Bon Iver)
It took me some time to really like this album. It grew on me. The first listen, I wasn't sure, but I knew that in the right context and with the right circumstances and mood, this album would really hit me. It did, and I think it will grow on me and with me throughout the years. It's simple, but deep. There's a lot of pain coming from this album, but good nostalgia.
9. Made in the Dark (Hot Chip)
Definitely not their best work, but still good. This band is one of my favorites. I love that such a creative and quirky dance band can be so mellow and anti-girl. These guys do amazing work. I particularly like "Wrestling" on this album.
8. Saturdays=Youth (M83)
Another album that needs to be played in the right context. When I first heard it, being such a huge fan of Dead Cities and Before the Dawn Heals us, and even their self-titled, I was disappointed because I didn't really like the direction they were going. I wanted more, if I can quote Ike, "Zombie-killing music", like Teen Angst, and Run Into Flowers. But I gave it time, and once I realized where this album was coming from, I started to really love it. It's not for everyone; this album is about the nostalgia of the weird, awkward, romantic part of the 80's...John Hughes kinda stuff. And it's not in an ironic way; this french guy is legit about his love for John Hughes movies. So if you can give in to that, it's sadly beautiful. There's still that weird girl talking all emo and stuff, bits like that, but if you can get past that...it's an incredibly beautiful album, and has amazing moments.
7. Devotion (Beach House)
A friend I met skiing showed me this band, as well as my number one album of this year. It's odd how that happened. This was my introduction to Beach House, then I got their self-titled. This album is beautiful, mellow, soothing. Again, it's so simple and so deep at the same time. The guitar work is gorgeous, perfectly complimenting the organ/key pads and hauntingly angelic voice of the lead singer. Who needs a bedtime story when you have Beach House?
6. Rabbit Habits (Man Man)
Wow. What can I possibly say about this band that hasn't been said?
I had the privilege of seeing them live again this year, and they performed songs from this album, and all I can say is that they are still the most energetic and dynamic live show I have ever seen, out of the tons. I still went berserk and freaked out everyone around me, transmogrifying into the hyperactive fun-monster that this music turns me into. They really capture their chaos and energy in this album. It's no Six Demon Bag, but it's my second favorite. It does have a very dark, very sad and pessimistic view towards the end that leaves you feeling a bit hopeless; I'm not as into that, but I completely respect it's beauty, and it might be just right for some people. I think Poor Jackie is the saddest anthem I have ever seen. Man Man is only getting better and better.
5. Twenty-One (Mystery Jets)
This is catchy. It feels a lot more like a full album then their sort of compilation of songs "Making Dens", or "Zootime", which is pretty much the same release. Although my favorite Mystery Jets songs are from their previous release, this album, I feel, works the best as a full album. Young Love is particularly good. I love the girl who lends her perfect vocals to that song. I really like the tone of this whole album; it's fun, optimistic and even somewhat cute, oddly. It really feels like summer. Come to think of it, the front cover has the members of the band standing around a pool in swimsuits. Reminds me of the early Beach Boys covers. Hah.
This band is extremely talented. It can be over-played though...it's very catchy. Don't burn out on it.
4. In Ghost Colours (Cut Copy)
Okay, if you haven't heard Cut Copy's first album, Bright Like Neon Love, get it somehow NOW, or call me and I'll burn it for you. It's the catchiest and coolest dance music...look, I know people love Daft Punk (a huge influence for these guys)...but I have to say, I love these guys more. They're doing Daft Punk, but with a five-piece rock band, live. Scamtron may not have existed without them. Daft Punk loves them enough to take them on tour with them. These Australian guys are so good at dance music....it's like they've perfected the genre, as far as I'm concerned.
I liked Neon Love so much that this band joined the category in my mind where I'm deathly afraid that the next albums a favorite band of mine releases aren't going to be good. However, I couldn't have been more satisfied by this years "In Ghost Colours". And that's an understatement. I really believe with all my heart that this is like...the best dance album ever written...it's an epic! The whole album flows so perfectly, like Dark Side, only it's actually quite long! Which is perfect! A perfect dance-party for me would end with this album. It's like a nonstop party, but it's not shallow like most dance music thinks it needs to be...this album is so deep and multi-layered...the production is OUTSTANDING. They first allowed the album to be heard in it's entirety for free on myspace and I couldn't get enough of the first 3 songs!! Man. What an album. 10 stars.
3. You & Me (The Walkmen)
Wow. Finally, one of my favorite bands comes out with new material that I'm not disappointed with. Holy crap this album came out at a perfect time for me. I watched the video for it's single, "In the New Year" (which is great RIGHT NOW, btw) right about when I got back from Europe, and all I could do was hope that the rest of the album was just as good. When Hastings FINALLY got my order in, I was totally happy. I love it because it's so much more of the band's softer side. Most of my favorite Walkmen songs are the ones that are more laid-back. They are such a cold-weather band for me. I wanted it to snow the day I got the record...unfortunately it didn't for quite some months, but now that it's sort of cold (for whatever freaking reason) I am able to really enjoy this album. There's so many reasons I love this band; they capture the notalgia of the late 50's and early 60's in an awesome, modern, and unashamedly 'indie-rock' manner that I am completely and utterly attracted to. A lot of our writing for Torgo! is still influenced by these guys, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I want to take these guys back to 1961 and see what people think of them.
My favorites on this album are Canadian Girl, Red Moon, and Long Time Ahead of Us. The Walkmen are in just the right place right now.
2. Vampire Weekend (Vampire Weekend)
Okay. I don't care what ANYBODY says, no matter how "non-trendy" or "anti-conformist" and cool you want to be; this album is undoubtedly the best pop music that has come out in a long time. It's so simple and so good. I got this album right about when it came out, thanks to Bryan, with absolutely no predisposition to the band whatsoever. I couldn't have been more excited. I listened to this album at work starting at about 4:30pm in the break room at Channel 7 on a slow day, and by the time I was at home I had listened to it 3 times through without even noticing it.
I love South African music and Doo Wop, and just good old "indie" rock, whatever that is. And this band perfectly combined all of these elements, plus some classical and somewhat complex but perfectly fitting string arrangements. What an unbelievably fun sound! I don't see how anybody could listen to it and not want to smile and dance with their friends. I know I did; night after night after fun-filled night in a little hostel in the mountains of Switzerland, with people of all nationalities. Those were the best moments of my entire year, and they were only enriched by this album. My South African friend Sidney loved this band; I actually didn't meet a single person in the month I was there that complained when I put this on in the game room. Everyone loves this band, and they should. If we base who we like on whether or not a band is getting "too popular", or their heads are getting big with fame, or they're getting cocky and self-indulgent, then we can't like The Police or Pink Floyd or even The Beatles anymore. Take the music for what it is; fun, upbeat, danceable, south-african influenced indie-pop kwassa kwassa!
1. Fleet Foxes (Fleet Foxes)
(Re-read all of the above about anti-conformity in music).
Wow. Wow. Wow. This music is so good I am only tainting it by stating my opinion. I really couldn't love a band of this genre more. I feel like they absolutely perfected everything that Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young started, and they took everything I love about Iron & Wine, the Band, Bon Iver, anything that's good and southern and folky, and formed it into a perfect combination of beautiful harmonies painted on a canvass of mountains and rivers and cabins and snow and deer and forests and fireplaces and flanel shirts and beards. I don't know about all the comparisons to my favorites the Beach Boys, or to Brian Wilson...other than amazing multi-part harmonies...but what I do know is that these guys have made something that I love. It's even better on vinyl.
Again, thanks to afore-mentioned girl I met skiing, I got the 5-song Sun Giant EP (which for me was only 4 songs thanks to aol instant messenger file-sharing...I lacked English Houses...now a favorite...wait they're all favorites) and one Sunday after Church I laid on my couch to take a nap, putting this EP on. I couldn't sleep. I just laid there, blown away by the utterly gorgeous sounds these 5 guys can make. So much of this music is already embedded in my memory. As soon as you hear it, you feel like you're hearing, for the first time, something from your childhood that you've always loved. That's the best way I can explain it. I was lucky enough to hear these guys long before the EP, or self-titled album even came out. Since then I've tried to share it with everyone I can. I was an open slate, and this music painted jaw-dropping masterpieces all over me. Check out everything...Sun Giant, Fleet Foxes, and even their very very first self-titled EP, Fleet Foxes EP from 2006. Even in their early awkward stages, this band was fantastic. I wish I knew more adjectives.
*Honorable Mentions:
Robotique Majestique (Ghostland Observatory)
This duo put out yet another awesome dance record. I feel like these guys could do an album a week if they wanted, and it would still be good. They're not doing anything new, but that's not the point of their genre. I really like a lot of the "fillers" on this record. I think there's a lot more instrumental songs on this one. I'll never get enough of that vintage synthpop sound. Good album.
In Rainbows (Radiohead)
Okay, shut up. It's good. It's no Kid A, Amnesiac, or even Hail to the Thief, but I think it was time for Radiohead to take a step back and try doing something minimal, simplistic. And it works! It grows on you, too. It's not like I listen to this album everyday, nor could I, but when it comes on I thoroughly enjoy it. It's kinda like a mixture of Hail to the Thief and Kid A, but with all the icing licked off the top. At least all those crappy cover bands out there can finally cover Radiohead material, right? Eww.
It's also funny that they came out with an album title that sounds like "In Ghost Colours"...or is it the other way around? Either way, what do these titles mean?! Damn Brits. And Aussies.
Lightbulbs (Fujiya & Miyagi)
So my first song I heard from these guys was on a compilation CD that came with a MoJo magazine which centered around the release of In Rainbows. I guess it was supposed to be music that either was similar to Radiohead, or music that Radiohead liked...I don't know. Either way, the song I heard was from Transparent Things, called "Ankle Injuries". (I don't remember if you're supposed to quote the album or the song title; I don't read a lot of critical reviews, obviously.) I really liked the song, feeling that it subscribed to the "less is more" theory of dance music, which works well too. It's so simple and stripped down. I liked the song a lot and remember saying "man, I hope all their other music is just like this". Sometimes that's good in a band; when they find something that works, do it over and over again, like Clinic, or The Locust or something. I mean with Fujiya & Miyagi, they get a sexy dance-groove and stick to it, barely changing key. The lead singer just chooses like 2 notes and whispers all his lyrics in a repetitive, danceable fashion, barely straying from those notes, and they do this on almost every song. It works! It's good to work-out to as well as dance. Check it out, if you like that sort of thing.
Donkey (CSS)
I still haven't really thoroughly listened to this album, but I like this band. It's good New Rave music. Their self-titled was good. Now the drummer and bassist have switched places and they're going for a more 80's feel. A lot of this reminds me of The Cars (one of my alltime favorite bands) and a lot of The Sounds (another modern dance based New Rave group). It's probably best listened to at a party. It's party music. Although their lead singer, what's-her-name...Starfoxxx or something...can get kind of annoying, it's fun if you're in the right mood.
Do You Like Rock Music? (British Sea Power)
Okay, this band is freaking awesome. None of their album so far have really felt like ALBUMS in the sense that they do a lot of songs that don't quite sound like what I consider to be their "signature" sound, but that's just how these guys are. If you listen to the first 2 songs from their first album, you'd think they were a completely post-punk fast-paced angsty band. But if you skipped ahead to my favorites, "Fear of Drowning" or "Carrion", you wouldn't know what to think. There's a lot of sides to this band, and although I think the title is silly, "Do You Like Rock Music" has some fabulous songs. You could take the 5 best songs from all 3 of their albums and make a fabulous record. This album has a lot of really good songs though, particularly "Down on the Ground", "Trip Out" (My favorite), and "Canvey Island". But if you don't know the band, start with "The Decline of British Sea Power", and listen to the whole thing, in order.
Lastly, I just wanted to point out a few albums from this year that really disappointed me from some of my favorite bands.
This Is Not The World (The Futureheads)
A disappointment from my favorite postpunk revival band of all time. Good, but I expect so much more. Their debut is still perfect.
Only By the Night (Kings of Leon)
It's so sad that a lot of people only know this album because this is the peak of this band's popularity. Aha Shake Heartbreak remains as one of my favorite albums EVER, and even Becaues of the Times had it's moments. This one is overall a disappointment....they're obviously going in a stupid direction, probably Caleb Followhill's ego/stupidity's fault. But there are some fabulous bass-lines, and some listenable songs. Maybe it's a good thing that they're breaking up, even if it's for stupid reasons. Oh no!! Watch out for 2012!!
Re-Arrange Us (Mates of State)
I really can't think of any Mates of State fan liking this album. It's so sad. Team Boo is PERFECT, Our Constant Concern is AMAZING, and Bring it Back, although not perfect, is really really good. But it looks like they've thrown in the towel. And I don't think it's just because she stopped using her freaking amazing organ and keyboard sounds (WHY?!?! ...what?!?!) but also because they just aren't writing very good songs anymore. I have to really try to like the songs from this album, I find. The first two albums are so good that it would be hard not to get goose-bumps when I listen to them. This album just doesn't hit me...at all. It's weak. Maybe they've turned into an old-married couple and their kids are ruining them. That's probably it. Oh well. I still have Team Boo.
Well that's it I guess. Man I ended up writing a lot. Took me about an hour. Maybe at some point I'll do one with the albums that I listened to most this year. I don't know. I'm tired from this one.
Check it all out though, if you have the time. If you don't have the time, make it.
