10. Brand New
The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me
In an interview about this album, Jesse Lacey said that the hardest part of this record was declaring it finished. He noted that it always felt incomplete, and when it was released, some of the tracks still felt incomplete. This prevailing theme of imperfection and fallibility speaks heavily on behalf of the entire album. While past albums have allowed Brand New to delve into the external world of relationships and heartbreak, this album seeks to reveal the truths of Jesse’s inner world. Given his perfectionist attitude, his challenge of exploring philosophy and god has resulted in self loathing depressive tangents, obstinate hypocritical naivety, infinite sadness, and anxiety driven pessimism. Jesse is not the first person in recent years that has experienced such insanity. Song writers like Max Bemis (Say Anything), Connor Oberst (Bright Eyes), and Issac Brock (Modest Mouse) have also buried themselves in a similar pit of despair. When we seek to address such difficult and challenging questions, and we have a perfectionist attitude, it’s evident that this mental breakdown occurs. This was most likely why he declared this album incomplete: He could never really find the right answers and it drove him nuts. Consequently, the music is morose, angry, mournful, hateful, and often aggressive. Throughout the album, he vacillates between a state of defined angst and indecisive retreat. Although the best songs on the album were written by Jesse, it must also be noted that the entire band coordinated on several tracks. Unfortunately, these tracks draw away from some of the flow. It’s very clear when Jesse is writing versus Vin. The only other pitfall of the album is the last track. Whereas other Brand New albums have had a powerful Jesse Lacey ballad, this one is written by Vin and it is much weaker than “Soco Amereto Lime” and “Play Crack the Sky”. But much like the rest of this album, it’s difficult to draw comparisons from their past work because this record is a completely different beast.
09. The DFA
The DFA Remixes: Chapter One
The DFA Remixes: Chapter Two
Although the first chapter in this madness was much better, together they formed the best compilation of electronic of the year. If you were to look up “DFA” in the musical lexicon, words like “divine” and “virtuoso” will appear. The proficient musical gurus are back with another one of their earth-shattering remix compilations. The DFA commands the electronic scene with the catchiest beats, grooviest breakdowns, and craftiest styles. Although there are only nine songs in this chef d'oeuvre, each one rocks equally hard. It’s also nice to see a variety of remixes: there are popular bands like The Gorillaz and The Chemical Brothers, but also some smaller, less known indie slammers like Radio 4 and Soulwax. The second installment in the series of compilations by the galvanic lords over at DFA arrived later in the year, but it’s not quite as powerful and listenable as the first disc that was released earlier this year. They also didn’t choose the best songs to remix. When you’re starting with a weak track its kind of hard to work with it and make it into a masterpiece. For example, they chose the worst song on the Hot Chip album (“Colors”) to remix, and the result is an even slower more drawn out track. The highlight tracks include remixes of songs by Junior Senior, NERD, and Golpfrapp. The DFA have once again fomented the electronic remixes, but it seems like they put more of their effort into Chapter 1.
08. TV on the Radio
Return to
Bands like Modest Mouse and TV on the Radio are in somewhat of a similar genre. This genre uses raw, lo-fi production to create beautiful psychedelic rock. The results usually stir up a seemingly divided crowd, much like a Radiohead fan. Return to Cookie Mountain is experimental like Radiohead’s Kid A, but its catchy undertones mask such classification. The distorted Wilco-ish (A Ghost is Born era) guitar effects will turn off many, but others will agree that this is progression in its finest. For every manic-depressive tangent, there’s an equally optimistic earthquake of exhilaration and fruitfulness. This is not an album for the average music fan, but for the rest us, this is a triumphantly eerie masterpiece.
07. Mylo
Destroy Rock & Roll
This is one of those albums that came out overseas last year, but didn’t make its way to the
06. Third Eye Blind
A Collection
Regardless of the radio fever, pop culture phenomena, and MTV mania, Third Eye Blind are one of the best popular rock groups of our time. This compilation of greatest hits, concert favorites, and unreleased bonus tracks casts a glimpse into this band’s ingenuity and raw talent, and it’s damn good. For the most part, the album chronologically leads you through their years (the songs don’t fall out of this order until Motorcycle Drive By). Starting with their first radio single “Semi Charmed Life” and closing with the finished and lyrical version of the Blue track “Slow Motion” (One of my personal favorites), A Collection allows you to rock-out just as much as it allows you to cry. Stephen Jenkins reminds us that the pop world isn’t just rainbows and butterflies: His lyrics are filled with edgy romantic break-ups, suicide, and fleeting drug addictions. My only complaint is that the album is missing one of my favorite 3EB songs, “I Want You”, but I think I can deal with it.
05. Hot Chip
The Warning
The Warning is an album that fades back and forth between levels of havoc and serenity. This ying and yang thematic structure prevails on each song as well as the album in its entirety. For example, a peaceful, harmonic, almost alien-like beat leads us into the first track, only to suddenly erupt into chaos. Likewise, the last track settles that mayhem with clock-like clatter and serenity. For every thoroughly developed lyrical song there’s a jamming dance song to maintain the waning balance. Although it’s mainly an electronic album, calling The Warning an electronic album would be too simple. Play the disc from start to finish and I guarantee that you won’t know that you are listening to the same band; each section of the album is a completely new experience. If you like The Postal Service, you will fall in love with Hot Chip.
04. Neko Case
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
So I decided to branch out a little bit, and I stumbled across the new Neko Case album. At first I was a little skeptical because it was an alternative country, and I’m normally not a huge country fanatic. But despite my skepticism, I was blown away. What we have is one of my favorite records of the year. She has a beautiful voice that flawlessly meshes with her brilliantly polished pop/rock guitar work. You will find ease in relating to these songs. Highlights include “Star Witness” and “That Teenage Feeling.”
03. Girl Talk
Night Ripper
A mash-up track is created when an artist takes a couple of hit songs and combines them into a single track. These tracks are normally played on the radio for a little change-up; an attempt to reinvent a classic hit. Last year, Green Day’s American Idiot was mashed-up with artists like Eminem and Oasis, and it was a huge success. Another great mash-up album was Danger Mouse’s (formally recognized now as the greater part of Gnarls Barkley) twist of Jay-Z’s Black Album and The Beatles White Album. Typically, mash-up albums are hit-or-miss. This album is definitely a hit: It combines over a 160 samples from some of the best songs of our time. The non-stop party pleaser features a range of artists, including (but not limited to) The Notorious B.I.G., Elton John, Phantom Planet, The Game, M.I.A., The Pixies, 50 Cent, Weezer, Oasis, Kanye West, The Beatles, No Doubt, Puff Daddy, The Clipse, Daft Punk, and The Smashing Pumpkins. This album will certainly be a hit at even the worst party. By far the best mash-up album I have ever heard. You must check out this beautiful masterpiece.
02. Destroyer
Destroyer’s Rubies
Although the songs vary in length, ranging from three to nine minutes, each and every one on the album is phenomenal and inspiring. The picaresque lyrics alone could be enough for you to fall in love with this album, but they are just the tip of the emotional iceberg. The production allows every instrument to soar across the musical canvas and strike your eardrum in a delicate and enchanting manner. In a nut shell, we have a great progressive rock album…but it’s so much more than that. The progressions are arranged in such an elegant fashion that when the breakdown finally comes, all you want to do is jump with joy. The piano and guitar are the highlights of this masterpiece, but they are by no means all of the fun. Tambourines and bells…you will find plenty of surprises. I honestly can’t say a single bad thing about this album.
01. The Junior Boys
So This Is Goodbye
The Junior Boys have created an electronic album that bridges the gap between the 80s disco rockers and the 2k kids. Minimalist techno beats are layered over catchy bridges and pinball bounces. The Canadian electronica band knows what it takes to produce a spacious pop record, and moreover, they understand the concept of clubbing. The frantic dance music is intense, but the emotional underscores are mellow and heartfelt. So This Is Goodbye is the best record of the year.
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