[Note: This was extremely difficult, because there was not a wealth of great new music released this year - not that I got around to, at least. I missed a lot of albums I shouldn't have slept on - Mastodon, Them Crooked Vultures, Raekwon, Jay-Z...I also began working at a non-commercial AAA radio station, so I heard a lot of other stuff I didn't get around to reviewing - Norah Jones, St. Vincent, Sondre Lerche and tons more. Overall though, I found that the musical climate leaned largely toward bullshit, so I did a lot of time-warping back to the '60s and '70s to sate my musical palette - The Byrds, Steely Dan, CSNY...I honestly think the remastered Beatles catalog was the best thing that happened for music this year.]
TOP ALBUMS
1. Scale the Summit – Carving Desert Canyons
Unlikely Album of the Year, eh? Well, take into consideration that it rekindled my sordid love affair with the electric guitar, insanely technical fretwork and progressive metal in general. The perfect blend of aggression and musical proficiency.
Rating: 9/10
2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Remember all the critics that called this Album of the Year shortly after it came out (in January)? I hate how right they were. As traditionally catchy as it is forward-thinking and visionary.
Rating: 9/10
3. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Definitely the biggest grower. For French pop-rock, this is pretty hard-hitting and hook-laden stuff. I could stand to hear “1901″ a little less often in those Cadillac ads, though.
Rating: 9.5/10
4. Converge - Axe to Fall
Their best album since their magnum opus, Jane Doe – and that’s saying a lot. Uncharacteristically experimental, without sacrificing any of the face-shredding.
Rating: 9/10
5. The Appleseed Cast – Sagarmatha
From revisiting producer Ed Rose to the extended, instrumental post-rock pieces, this is the closest thing to a return to form anyone could have asked for.
Rating: 8.5/10
6. mewithoutYou - it’s all crazy! it’s all false! it’s all a dream! it’s alright
Though it could have worked better, I applaud mwY for not trying to top, recreate or reinvent their previous style. Still, surprisingly strong folk-rock songwriting with lyrical prowess unmatched.
Rating: 9/10
7. George Watsky - Watsky
Man, I go to school with some fucking talented people. The award-winning poet’s hip-hop album is undeniably funky – full of complex and witty lyricism. He doesn’t call himself “undisputed backtalk champion” for nothing though, and the snarky white-boy rapper bit gets old after a while. But when it’s good, it’s GREAT.
Rating: 8.5/10
This is where the Album of the Year list goes haywire, because this year was pretty bad for new music. If it weren’t for the five or six really good songs on this album, I’d be so over Grizzly Bear right now.
Rating: 7/10
9. Jónsi & Alex – Riceboy Sleeps
The closest thing to new Sigur Rós we got. The same sort of haunting, ethereal dreamscapes that punctuate the “Iceland sound,” but without that Sigur Rós songwriting that sticks to your brain and melts it with sheer beauty.
Rating: 7.5/10
10. Sunn O))) – Monoliths & Dimensions
The household name in doom metal looks at their trademark drone through a symphonic lens. Harmonically interesting and ambitious, but…still drone.
Rating: 7/10.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
As Tall As Lions - You Can’t Take It With You
The New York rockers follow up their almost-flawless, self-titled album with a more eclectic approach. Pro: sounds like they’re growing up. Con: awkward, developmental teenage phase.
Rating: 7/10
Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
Can you tell I work at a triple-A station yet?
Touché Amoré - …To The Beat of a Dead Horse
A hardcore album after my own heart, this record fuses punk rock with brutally honest mid-’90s emo – you know, before “emo” became a marketing catchphrase.
DISAPPOINTMENTS
Brand New – Daisy
The trajectory of Your Favorite Weapon-Deja Entendu-Devil & God had me hoping that Brand New would continue to improve with time, like a fine wine. Daisy is more like…well, something you’re not sure you should be drinking.
Two Tongues – Two Tongues
The premise is so good – two generations of scene icons collaborating – but the reality is that Max Bemis has worn out his welcome and Chris Conley has lost his touch. Not a good mix. Tragic.
The Mars Volta – Octahedron
When you acquire Thomas Pridgen as your drummer, you DON’T slow down and make a mellower, more accessible album. I’d file it under “rookie mistake,” but since this is their fifth album, they can’t justify it.
TOP SONGS
1. mewithoutYou – “The Fox, the Crow and the Cookie”
A thorough exercise in musical storytelling, every part of this song – especially the playful tuba and violin parts – compliments Aaron Weiss’s best lyrics yet.
2. Animal Collective – “Brother Sport”
In the future, the tools of the pop-rock band are no longer just bass, drums, guitars and optional-keyboard. This sample-delic masterpiece throws back to the Beach Boys but also bears the torch for pop innovation.
3. Grizzly Bear – “While You Wait for the Others”
Features all the things that make Veckatimest great and none of the things that make it suck. Michael McDonald can’t be wrong.
4. Thao with the Get Down Stay Down – “Know Better Learn Faster”
A frenetic indie-rock masterpiece. The strings are bubbly, the drums pounding and Thao Nguyen’s shaky voice captivates throughout.
5. Lady Gaga – “Bad Romance”
Easily the year’s best Top-40 pop anthem. Every part of this song not only flows into the next, but firmly embeds itself in your head. And that “Gaga ooh-la-la” line is deliciously self-referential.
6. Phoenix – “Lasso”
“1901″ and “Lisztomania” may have made a bigger impact, but make no mistake: “Lasso” is where it’s at. The first half of the chorus with no bass and kick drum, then it fucking busts in on the second half? Huge.
7. Roman Candle – “Eden Was a Garden”
There were a few months where I COULD NOT STOP SINGING THIS SONG. Something about the singer’s voice, the lyrics, the guitar sounds…do not sleep on this song any longer.
8. Monsters of Folk – “Dear God (Sincerely, MOF)”
Jim James opens the Monsters of Folk album with this dreamy track that has more harps, strings and hip-hop beats than any record under the name “Monsters of Folk” should have.
9. Wilco – “Wilco (the Song)”
I was pretty against Wilco for a while, but this song is the first time I’ve ever heard them sound like they’re having fun and rocking out, and not trying to be some revolutionary, “America’s-response-to-Radiohead” deal.
10. Weezer – “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You to) I Want You to”
Yeah, the lyrics are dumb (it is Weezer, after all), but this is just the kind of huge, anthemic chorus they need to counteract a slew of increasingly lame albums.
