Top Albums of 2013: #6 thru #10

January 16, 2014

#10) Daft Punk – Random Access Memories [Columbia; released 5/21/2013]

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“We’re up all night to get lucky.”

“Get Lucky”

Daft Punk’s first studio album in 8 years (let’s just ignore the Tron: Legacy Soundtrack), is a group of addictive dance songs inspired by the last four decades, particularly the sounds of the 70’s and 80’s making Random Access Memories a retro listen paying tribute to pretty much anyone the duo wanted to. The songs are impeccably produced, yet remain loose making this album one that could be used as a party mix just as easily as a headphone listen, especially since the songs are so melodically rich but still provide value for a deeper listening experience. It’s a modern record with a nostalgic appreciation for the past, which succeeds in using those influences to make something indelibly Daft Punk.

[“Get Lucky” – Random Access Memories]

#9) Lorde – Pure Heroine [Republic; released 9/30/2013]

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“I’m kinda over being told to throw my hands up in the air.”

“Team”

As with any musician discovered at a young age only to be molded by a record label (as is the story of Lorde), there’s concern of a manufactured pop star quality that appears once the artist is released into the wild, if you will. This ultimately doomed Lana Del Rey’s coming out party, someone who New Zealand teenager Ella Yelich-O’Connor has often been compared. However, with Pure Heroine, O’Connor’s debut as Lorde, we have as bold a statement from a young artist that we’ve seen in quite some time. Forget the monster hit “Royals” (well, don’t, it’s an amazing song), the other 9 songs here are just as exquisite pop gems with a staggering amount of depth coming from a 16 year old. (Yes, O’Connor writes her own lyrics and co-writes her songs.) Musically, the minimalism of these tracks gives a restrained quality much like The XX, allowing enough blank space for the listener to become fully enveloped. There is such a unique charm to Lorde, thanks to O’Connor’s confidence and attitude that makes Pure Heroine is as vital as anything released in 2013.

[“Tennis Court” – Pure Heroine]

#8) Youth Lagoon – Wondrous Bughouse [Fat Possum; released 3/5/2013]

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“You’ll never die.”

“Dropla”

The sophomore effort from Youth Lagoon is a weird listen, certainly not for everyone, but has enough melodic achievement to intrigue and perhaps entrap those that might otherwise be turned off to a more experimental version of avant-garde pop. However, for those fully on board with the quirky sound of the Idaho native, this is one of the most affecting and beautiful albums of the year. Trevor Powers has followed up his well received debut with a stirring collection of lush and haunting dream-pop that immediately reminds me of The Antlers’ magnificent album Hospice (my #2 album of 2009) thanks to Powers’ tender and vulnerable vocals paired with dark and eerie tunes. Wondrous Bughouse is a masterful album, an intimate record, uplifting at times and devastating at others, displaying the gravitas required of such a listen.

[“Mute” – Wondrous Bughouse]

#7) Chvrches – The Bones of What You Believe [Glassnote; released 9/24/2013]

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“I’ll be a thorn in your side until you die.”

“We Sink”

The Bones of What You Believe is the highly anticipated debut from the Glasgow trio and does not disappoint, introducing an arresting new voice in stunning fashion. Coming from a Scottish music scene dominated by male lead groups (Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Twilight Sad) it’s refreshing to hear a female voice emerge, and even moreso when the tunes still pack the emotional punch of her regional peers. Lauren Mayberry is that voice, and her backing band members have certainly hitched their wagon to the right star, although their input should not be overlooked. Ian Cook and Martin Doherty (Doherty is a former touring member of the aforementioned The Twilight Sad) are creating some shimmering electro-pop behind Mayberry’s voice that contains enough sweeping melodrama to fit seamlessly alongside M83’s best work. (For real, just listen to the synthesizer explosion that closes out “Tether”.) But Chvrches will only go as far as Mayberry’s voice allows, and her voice is a revelation, not only pitch perfect but also able to evoke a multitude of feelings effortlessly – vengeance seems to be her go-to – to create emotionally resonant songs all contained in a pristine crystalline package. This is catchy, intelligent synth-pop with just the right hint of darkness to set Chvrches up for a very long shelf life.

[“Recover” – The Bones of What You Believe]

#6) Arcade Fire – Reflektor [Merge; released 10/29/2013]

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“We know there’s a price to pay for love in a reflective age.”

“Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)”

Much was made of the marketing leading up to Reflektor, the 4th album from the Canadian rockers, what with a viral marketing campaign, an SNL special, papier-mâché masks, and requesting concert attendees to be in costume, but not enough attention has been focused toward the fact that this bizarre, ambitious and over the top album is the freakin’ follow up to a Grammy winning album of the year. Not that I expected Arcade Fire to rest on their laurels – they were as surprised as anyone with their Grammy win – but I don’t think anyone quite expected an epic double album with songs rarely under 5 minutes featuring Caribbean dance themes and schizophrenic songwriting styles. To be clear, this is a massively bloated and indulgent listen, but in fairness so has everything this group has done to this point in their career. The Suburbs was excellent of course (my #2 album of 2010), but despite being 20 minutes longer (if you include the have-to-search-for hidden track), Reflektor actual feels like a shorter listen. Part of that is thanks to the record’s two distinct sides, a welcome quality found on any double album released these days, which split the songs into a more rough around the edges first half and its textural grandiose counterpart. Producer James Murphy’s (LCD Soundsystem) fingerprints are all over Reflektor as the band employed the go-to guy for dance rock to create an album of spontaneously joyous tunes that’s a brilliant reflection of the Haitian Carnival atmosphere that inspired it into being.

[“Afterlife” – Reflektor]

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Posted by Hawkins

A Round of Sound: 2010 Mixtape

January 21, 2011

The final piece of my countdown puzzle is as always, my annual mixtape. Coming up with a songs of the year list is just too overhwhelming (hell, I have a hard enough time with the albums), so I like to put out a mix of the songs that defined the year in music for me. This year I managed to fit 18 songs into my 80 minute CD-R, but these are not necessarily my favorite 18 songs of the year. As a matter of fact, this was an especially tough year to figure out my mixtape because some of my favorite songs were just way too long and took up too much space. That’s the reason you won’t see any Titus Andronicus, Joanna Newsom, Sufjan, or LCD Soundsystem songs. There’s also some great songs I left off because the band had previously been on a mixtape and I wanted to get some new blood on to the mix this year.

Anyway, to the stats: As I already said, there’s 18 songs on this year’s mix. Only 5 of the songs come from albums that made my top 10, and 6 from 11 thru 25 albums. That means only 11 of the 18 songs come from albums in my top 25. That certainly has something to do with all the great tracks this year, but is also because, as I stated, I wanted to mix it up a little this year. (Pun intended? Yes.) The lowest ranked album with a song on the mix is “July Flame” from Laura Veirs’s album of the same name, which chimed in at #59 in my final rankings. I don’t have any songs from EPs, which is a rarity for my mixes.

So there you go. Below you can find the songs that will be spinning around my car’s cd player for the next few weeks, whenever I forget to bring my ipod with me. As I always remind people, this is not a ranking. The songs are listed in order of how they appeared on their respective albums. If you want to see my entire top 25 albums list in one easy place, head on over to my Amazon.com list and check it out (as well as all my lists for the past 10 years). Last, but not least, for the 3rd year in a row Amy Boyd has created my Mixtape album art for me. I’m taking care of her cat, so, it’s the least she could do. If you know her or ever happen to randomly meet her, tell her what an awesome job she did, once again.

[“World Sick” – Broken Social Scene :: Forgiveness Rock Record]

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[“Floating Vibes” – Surfer Blood :: Astro Coast]

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[“Go do” – Jónsi :: Go]

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[“Excuses” – The Morning Benders :: Big Echo]

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[“July Flame” – Laura Veirs :: July Flame]

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[“Airplanes” – Local Natives :: Gorilla Manor]

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[“Crash Years” – The New Pornographers :: Together]

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[“Ambling Alp” – Yeasayer :: Odd Blood]

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[“Real Love” – Delorean :: Subiza]

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[“Daisy” – Fang Island :: Fang Island]

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[“Norway” – Beach House :: Teen Dream]

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[“The Ghost Inside” – Broken Bells :: Broken Bells]

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[“Round and Round” – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti :: Before Today]

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[“Lewis Takes Action” – Owen Pallett :: Heartland]

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[“Bloodbuzz Ohio” – The National :: High Violet]

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[“Rill Rill” – Sleigh Bells :: Treats]

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[“Helicopter” – Deerhunter :: Halcyon Digest]

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[“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” :: Arcade Fire :: The Suburbs]

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#2 Album of 2010

January 19, 2011

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs [Merge; released 8/3/2010]

“These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose. But late at night the feelings swim to the surface.”

“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”

I once heard Matthew Weiner state that when he was searching for a house to use as the Draper household on the set of his show Mad Men, one of the characteristics the house had to have was a red door. For some reason that comment stuck with me, because it just seemed like an example of the small details that make that show so incredible and one of the best shows on television the last few years. He never explained his reasoning, but I like to think having a red door on an otherwise perfect “American Dream” looking house symbolizes the tension within its walls. When I first popped in The Suburbs, and the title track opened the album, all I could think about was how simple a song it was, but how much tension lied beneath its straightforward exterior. That Weiner comment came to mind, because The Suburbs is the house of Mad Men and its red door all wrapped into one magnificent album.

Arcade Fire’s first album,  Funeral, was immensely personal and displayed the youthful exuberance, but veteran musicianship that instantly made the Canadian group a fan favorite. (And a perfect fit for their role in the movie Where the Wild Things Are.) Their follow up album, Neon Bible, wasn’t nearly as introspective, focusing its attention much more outward, attacking the usual worldly piñatas of religion and politics among other things. While it was still a great album, it was a much more exhausting listen, and became bogged down by it’s overblown themes. The Suburbs falls more in line with Funeral, actually returning to many of the ideas that made Funeral so stunning, only this time those ideas are from the perspective of people just a little bit older. No longer are they digging tunnels from one house to another; this time they’re choosing sides as part of their “Suburban War”. As a child, you want to get away from it all, but inevitably you return and become what you always hated. It’s a vicious cycle, and one that creates a hell of an album.

It’s hard to say if The Suburbs will have that standout track of anthemic proportions such as “Wake Up” or “No Cars Go” that have become sing-along staples at Arcade Fire shows. Perhaps, in time, “Ready to Start” will rise to that kind of level, or maybe “Rococo”, but it’s hard to imagine an arena full of hipsters singing their hearts out to a song that is criticizing their very lifestyle. The U2 and Coldplay-esque “We Used To Wait” is a candidate, but if there is any decency in this world, the song that will stand above all others on this album is the enchanting “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”, my song of the year. As important as they are to the core of Arcade Fire’s sound, Régine Chassangne vocals have never really done it for me. However, “Sprawl II” is easily her best performance and a moment that showcases her vulnerable yet sweetly confident talent. Hearing her defiantly state “They’re screaming at us ‘We don’t need your kind!'” just gets me every time…as does the chorus…and the key change. It’s just so glorious, all the while being infused with a driving pop music rhythm. It’s the most danceable song the band has ever created, and thus, easily one of their most fun. Every Arcade Fire album has been a masterpiece up to this point, and all for different reasons. The Suburbs stands on its own as an incredible work of art; ambitious yet accessible, but finely tuned with so many details that unpacking all it’s layers is nothing that can be done overnight. This is an album not only to enjoy in the moment but also to come back later on for further exploration, an impressive accomplishment indeed. Matthew Weiner would be proud.

[“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” – The Suburbs]

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2010 Third Quarter Review

December 3, 2010

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what you’re saying.  It’s December…the 3rd Quarter of 2010 ended like two months ago and it’s only a month or so before the year end lists get going, but as much as I’ve been lacking on posts, I figured the least I could do is another quarterly recap. So, better late than never!

It was kind of a slow quarter musically (and really, things haven’t picked up much in quarter number four), but there were a few notable albums I came across in the July-August-September time frame, and I felt like they needed mentioning.  I still hope to get a review or two up that I was planning on before the end of the year, so keep a look out for those, but it’s also quite possible that my next post will be the beginning of my 2010 recap.

The Love Language – Libraries

The Love Language is the baby of Stuart McLamb, an incredibly talented songwriter, whose self-titled debut in 2009 was one of the under appreciated surprises of the year and immediately put the group on my radar.  Libraries trades in the lo-fi tendencies that made the group’s debut so raw and energetic, but really doesn’t sacrifice any of its charm.  It’s a more polished, and musically ambitious release that was also obviously given more studio time.  The Arcade Fire comparisons in the arrangements and vocals still remain (albeit only slightly), but to me McLamb has moved on to more of a polished pop sound, and has certainly cemented himself as an AC Newman type songwriter, overflowing with glorious melodies.

[“Heart to Tell” – Libraries]

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Menomena – Mines

What’s interesting about Menomena is how accessible their songs sound despite the fact that there is a great deal of experimentation going on. Granted Mines is their most straight forward release, but you could play it to any newbie and they would probably not dismiss it as anything out of the ordinary.  However there is much more going on underneath the surface and that’s something to be praised.  Mines is the follow up to the critically acclaimed Friend or Foe and while it does slightly fall below that one’s standards, it’s still a fine release that’s sure to please fans old and new.

[“Five Little Rooms” – Mines]

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Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Here’s the big one. Easily the biggest release from the third quarter is also one of the best releases of the year from one of, if not, the greatest bands in the world.  This is one of the albums I’ve been planning to do a review on so I won’t go into too much detail here, but just know that it is an absolutely beautiful take on suburban living that really can be taken in many contexts.  The sense of paranoia and underlying tension on this album is just stunning, and it’s themes come across lyrically and musically to form an album of such intelligence and majesty, that’s it’s no wonder we’re talking about yet another masterpiece from this group.

[“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains” – The Suburbs]

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The Thermals – Personal Life

As I’ve said before, if all pop-punk was like The Thermals, then maybe it’d be a genre worth a damn.  Personal Life is the 5th album from the Portland trio and their follow up last year’s fine Now We Can See, which managed an honorable mention in my albums of 2009.  Now this is the least punk of their albums, this time focusing more on a rock sound, which makes it less immediate, but it still features some of the great hooks and “whoa whoa whoas” (see “I Don’t Believe You” and its great video) that one comes to expect from a Thermals release.  And as always, their lyrics are second to none, although much more introspective than their past releases (duh, see the album title).  It’s maybe not seen as much in the music this time, but the passion is still there which is something other pop-punkers could learn from.

[“I Don’t Believe You” – Personal Life]

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Junip – Fields

You may think you don’t know who Junip is, but you actually do. Junip is the longtime band from Jose Gonzalez (and if you do know him, it’s probably from this…and if you don’t you should go watch that video, like now.)  Despite having formed about 10 years ago, Fields is actually the first full-length album from this trio of Swedes.  It’s basically a more musically expansive version of Gonzalez’s intimate folksiness, full of synths, afro-beat percussion, creating a bit of groove not seen in his previous work.  However, the heart of Junip is still Gonzalez and I’m pretty confident in saying that if you like his solo stuff, it won’t be too hard for you to enjoy this album as well.

[“Rope & Summit” – Fields]

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The Walkmen – Lisbon

These New York rockers return with Lisbon, the follow up to 2008’s fantastic You & Me (my #10 album of ’08), with another set of sorrowful, energetic and well, Walkmen-esque tracks.  The immediately recognizable songs do everything the Walkmen are known for, from the passionate vocals to the crescendo building tunes complete with their climactic crashes of emotion.  The Walkmen have established themselves as one of the most consistent bands out there, releasing record after record that never fails to impress.  It may not have quite the amount of memorable tracks as it’s predecessor, but in no way does it fall short in doing what they do best.

[“Angela Surf City” – Lisbon]

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Posted by Hawkins