Top 20 of the Year

I had this great idea to count down my top twenty albums of the year. I did the first two, then sucuumed to final papers/exams, touring Washington DC, and holiday festivities. Sorry!

Here is my list. Tell me your thoughts. (That's an order, if you didn't notice).

Top 20 Albums of the Year:

1. Stars “Set Yourself on Fire”
2. Rogue Wave “Descended Like Vultures”
3. Sufjan Stevens “Illinois”
4. Tapes ‘N Tapes “The Loon”
5. Nada Surf “The Weight Is A Gift”
6. The Decemberists "Picaresque"
7. John Vanderslice “Pixel Revolt”
8. John Doe “Forever Hasn’t Happened Yet”
9. Brendan Benson "The Alternative To Love"
10. Tom Vek “We Have Sound”
11. The Happy Bullets "The Vice and Virtue Ministry"
12. Andrew Bird "…& The Mysterious Production of Eggs"
13. Minus The Bear “Menos El Oso”
14. The Joggers "With a Cape and a Cane"
15. Eisley "Room Noises"
16. The 88 "Over and Over"
17. Wolf Parade "Apologies to the Queen Mary"
18. World Leader Pretend “Punches”
19. The Go! Team “Thunder, Lightning, Strike”
20. Elkland "Golden"


Honorable Mention:

Coldplay "X&Y”
Billy Corgan "The Future Embrace"
The Magic Numbers “The Magic Numbers”
The New Pornographers “Twin Cinema”
The Perishers “Let There Be Morning”
Johnathan Rice 'Trouble is Real"
Robbers On High Street “Tree City”
Spoon “Gimme Fiction”
Super Furry Animals “Love Kraft”

Number 19: The Go! Team "Thunder, Lightening, Strike"

The Go! Team is a six-person, genre-bending group that burst onto the UK scene a couple years ago with a series of wildly popular EPs. Blending elements of the absurd with infectiously catchy hooks and add a pinch of drama (a legal battle that delayed the release of their full length debut in the US), it should come as no surprise that bloggers took to the band in the way they did.

But the hype is well worth it. Thunder, Lightning, Strike is a joyous celebration of music that mixes genres like it isn't a thing. 70s soul/funk, underground hip-hop, sonic indie rock, cheerleading chants, dancey electronica, sunny Americana, and even European chamber music all blend together seemlessly into a cohesive sound that is interesting, challenging, and fun all at the same time.

How is that possible? "We Just Won't Be Defeated," a new addition to the US release, features cheerleaders chanting over a deep soul groove accentuated by the punchiest brass hook written since Stevie Wonder's heyday. Another track, "Get It Together," has a recorder, xylophone, electronic drums, and scratching... not to mention "boring stuff" like guitars that I won't even mention. As odd as it sounds, it somehow all works together magically.

Thunder, Lightning, Strike is like Where's Waldo: clever, a little tongue in cheek, incredibly addictive, and it'll remind you of your childhood. Unlike Where's Waldo, it'll make you dance for days.

Check out: "We Just Can't Be Defeated"

Go to: http://thegoteam.co.uk/

Tom Vek Interview

By the way, check out my interview with Tom Vek.

I met up with him at a posh hotel in Washington, DC, to talk about his new album, his first major American tour, and the derivation of his last name.

It ran a few days ago over at Exitfare, a really great music blog that specializes in all things indie rock, grime, and Degrassi.

Tom Vek Interview

Exitfare (for your bookmarking pleasure!)

Number 20: Elkland "Golden"

I had a hard time deciding whether Elkland's full length debut, Golden, really deserved a place on my year end Top 20. I have to admit that Golden is not a "great" album in the traditional sense of the word. It doesn't break any new musical boundaries. It isn't serious. In fact, the album is so syruppy that it's almost sickening.

To be honest, I think that's what I like about it.

Melding together bouncy vocals, heavy synthesizers, and dancefloor beats, Elkland is the kid brother of Yaz, Erasure, and Joy Division. With unabashedly sappy lyrics and upbeat tempos, the album is best described as the exurberent feeling you get after kissing someone you really, really like for the first time. Light headed, jump for joy type music.

Put on the record, you'll instantly be transported to 1984. The time of perms, leggings, and "16 Candles." If you close your eyes, you can probably imagine Long Duck Dong dancing to "Everybody's Leaving" at the high school dance or Samantha kissing Jake as "Talking On The Phone" plays in the background. For this, Elkland is the most authentic of the new wave revival bands on the scene right now hands down.

Golden is an infectious, shake your hips type album and it will put a smile on your face.

Check out: "Without You"