A Round of Sound

#10) The Antlers – Burst Apart [Frenchkiss; released 5/10/2011]

“I’m not gonna die alone…I don’t think so.”

“Putting The Dog To Sleep”

It’s impossible to discuss Burst Apart without first mentioning this album’s predecessor Hospice, my #2 Album of 2009. Perhaps that’s a bit unfair, but when you release an album as stunning as Hospice, there’s bound to be some call backs, and well, concerns as to if a follow up release can vindicate all the praise lavished upon this young group. With Burst Apart, The Antlers have proven their music can be just as emotionally resonant without the help of heavy subject matter in highly conceptual form. Part of that is due to Peter Silberman’s falsetto which is still as fragile as ever while remaining inviting. The songs on Burst Apart are more standard in their song structure making this disc an easier listen than Hospice, but it doesn’t give up the haunting atmospherics that makes their music so striking. Now a fully realized band, Burst Apart is their first album written as a whole, not just Silberman, and it’s easy to see how this group has gelled together to form a band that can now stand on their own merits as musicians and not just kings of sorrow.

[“I Don’t Want Love” – Burst Apart]

#9) Cults – Cults [Sony; released 6/7/2011]

“I think I want to live my life and you’re just in my way.”

“Go Outside”

The concern with bands who land a major label deal due to an internet hit in their infancy is pretty obvious. Does this band really have the songwriting chops to produce an entire album of this stuff? Or will they just be another one-hit internet wonder that’s all too common these days? (We’ll soon get that answer about Lana Del Rey.) It’s a question that unfairly sets a band up for failure, with seeming loads of criticism heading their way from the start due to all the skepticism. For Cults, they put any of those concerns to bed immediately on their debut album with opening track “Abducted”, one of the best songs of the year, and followed it up with an album full of potential singles that can all stand right up there with “Go Outside”, the song that catapulted them to the forefront of indie-pop. Cults is an album that displays all the catchiness and hooks of a band sure of themselves, and well, extremely good pop songwriters. Are the songs derivative? Sure. But the use of 60’s girl-pop influences do convey a sense of nostalgia on this record that makes it so charming and deeper than what you hear on the surface. There’s a bit of tragedy and heartbreak in the lyrics and a sense of vulnerability in Madeline Follin’s vocals, but she doesn’t beat you over the head with it like some of her genre peers can’t help but do. Cults is a mature and masterful album, the year’s best debut, from a band that still has a lot of room to go. They’re here to stay.

[“Abducted” – Cults]

#8) Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues [Sub Pop; released 5/3/2011]

“So now I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter. Now what does that say about me?”

“Montezuma”

The sophomore album from these woodsy harmonizers is one that overcame quite the obstacles to even see the light of day. After their highly successful debut album in 2008 (my #3 album that year), Fleet Foxes began work on their follow up, but a bout with writers block from lead man Robin Pecknold didn’t help things along. Neither did the scrapping of every song after the initial recording, which meant starting from scratch in the studio. This well-documented recording process for Helplessness Blues is a testament to the painstaking efforts put forth by Fleet Foxes in creating their art. But when released, the final product is an album full of lush folk songs that sonically expands on everything these guys were doing with their debut, creating a truly beautiful album. The songs on Helplessness Blues have been polished to perfection, while not sacrificing their intimacy and contain all the majesty that made these guys so endearing in the first place.

[“Grown Ocean” – Helplessness Blues]

#7) St. Vincent – Strange Mercy [4AD; released 9/13/2011]

“Best, finest surgeon, come cut me open.”

“Surgeon”

I’ve always wondered what it would be like if a successful but relatively non-mainstream artist showed up on American Idol in front of the audition panel.  It would kind of be a dream of mine to see the panel have no idea who the artist was, get on their high horse and criticize in their usual condescending way, unaware the whole time that the musician in front of them has already seen loads of success and contains more talent in his or her pinky finger than any of American Idol’s winners in its run. The thing is though, this isn’t what would happen with with Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent. Clark has a gorgeous face, a killer voice, and can absolutely whale on the guitar, all of which is pretty evident right away. That’s why it’s so refreshing to hear such complex yet accessible tunes coming from an artist like St. Vincent. Strange Mercy is her third full-length and contains all her usual sweet yet anxiety filled songs that make her one of the most sophisticated songwriters going today. The formula remains the same on most her songs here: a tender verse/chorus buildup into a freak-out of sorts all the while capturing the introspection of a songstress at the top of her lyrical game. With all due respect to Adele (and others), there isn’t a female artist creating more interesting music in the world today. And it’s getting time that we need to start thinking about dropping the female qualifier.

[“Surgeon” – Strange Mercy]

#6) tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l [4AD; released 4/19/2011]

“There’s a freedom in violence that I don’t understand, and like I’ve never felt before.”

“Riotriot”

Let’s get this out of the way: this is a weird album and Merril Garbus is a strange woman. But that’s what makes her tUnE-yArDs project so appealing and intriguing. This is the second album from Garbus following up her breakout debut BiRd-BrAiNs in 2009 which announced her presence as an experimental-pop artist, but limiting her to just a pop musician doesn’t do nearly enough justice to the type of music Garbus is creating here. What she’s done on w h o k i l l is create an “everything but the kitchen sink” album, blending so many genres that it’s really too many to even list. She has a clear knack for songwriting and despite all the bizarre tunes, they really are some damn good pop songs. Garbus carries a confidence on w h o k i l l that is evident throughout, but never once hints at self-indulgence, and dismissing Garbus as another freak-folk musician is to dismiss her talent in some of the simplest ways, most notably her voice. All you have to do is listen to a track like “Powa” with it’s lo-fi production and numerous musical techniques throughout which all leads to an fantastic vocal breakdown where Garbus hits a note that can only be described as Mariah Carey-esque. Weird yes, but when it’s this fascinating, it’s a welcome oddity.

[“Powa” – w h o k i l l]