albums. 2008. yo.
1. The Dodos : Visiter
I go to certain albums for certain moods... If I'm sad, I'll listen to # 2 on this list. If I'm driving in the sunshine with Mandy, we'll listen to # 8. If I want to fall asleep, it's # 5. If I'm making out with my boyfriend, # 4 will do it. If I need to feel really happy, I'll listen to # 9. The thing about Visiter, and the reason it is numero uno here, is that it is perfect for every single one of those times and so much more. In fact, I'm never not in the mood for this album. This album is so diverse that it encompasses all feelings, and yet it's also, magically, incredibly cohesive and recognizable as The Dodo's very own spectacular, special sound. This album spread like wildfire among my friends. Someone would hear 30 seconds of a song in someone else's car and immediately beg to know who it was. I hope you feel the same way when you hear them for the first time. And remember: two people are making these sounds. Holy crap. My favorite tracks, although I love the entire thing, are "Fools" (car singalong / fist pump along epic masterpiece), "Red and Purple" (it sounds like having a crush on someone), "Winter" (the saddest song in the world in a catchy disguise), and "Undeclared" (the sweetest little love folk song this side of Herman Dune).
2. Bon Iver : For Emma, Forever Ago
Some people I know have said to me that they don't understand the buzz surrounding this album and that they found it underwhelming. I can understand that. While Visiter knocked me over the head with it's brilliance the first time I listened, this album took me weeks -- months? -- to sink my teeth into. I was originally drawn in by the song "Skinny Love". My fondness for heartbroken, sleepy-voiced boys knows no bounds and I would literally listen to the song on repeat for hours after Craig put it on his first mix-project CD (as, who would have guessed, the song that always makes him sad). It took me awhile to even want to listen to anything else on the record but paying close attention and spending long nights holding these tunes close to my heart has paid off immensely. This album is the auditory equivalent of digging out a sweater you haven't worn since last year and discovering that it still smells like campfire smoke and your ex-boyfriend's laundry detergent.
3. Okkervil River : The Stand-Ins
This is probably my least favorite Okkervil album, but if you know me you may realize how much that is, uh, praising by faint damnation? Anyway, it's a beautiful album, full of all of Will Sheff's astounding insight and perfect articulation, in this case primarily on the topic of the pitfalls of fame and fortune. The tunes are incredibly catchy, which almost seems like an intentional irony when you read the lyrics booklet, particularly on a song like "Pop Lie." My favorite song on the album by far is "Lost Coastlines" (creepy video above). Whenever I hear Jonathan Meiberg's voice come in on that track I get actual goosebumps all over my arms.
4. The Walkmen : You & Me
The Walkmen and I have had a tumultuous few years as they have gone from being one of my favorite bands to disappointing me a little with A Hundred Miles Off and a lot more with Pussy Cats (yikes). Then I saw them play earlier this year and my heart exploded a lot. In a good way, mind you. And now there is You & Me. Which is beautiful. Don't misread me, I'm not claiming that it is as much of a masterpiece as Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone. There's some kind of raw, ridiculous newness and vitality that the Walkmen had then and have since lost, maybe forever. But they've also gained horns! And a sense of sensuality and romance I never heard before. This album is the perfect soundtrack for throwing rocks at the window of your lover after drinking too much whiskey at a New Year's party as you think about how the last year really wasn't as bad as it felt while you were living it.
5. Fleet Foxes : Fleet Foxes
What can I say about this band that hasn't already been said? John Hodgman dubbed them 'Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Devendra Banhart', which is hilarious and also I think the CSNY comparison is a hella more apt than the MMJ thing they're always gettin' stuck with. Anyway, they're really very good and you should listen to this album because it's made for wintertime and love.
6. Micah Hinson : And The Red Empire Orchestra
This album has technically not yet been released in the US but I'm counting it because it exists and I can't not tell you about Micah. If you didn't already know, Micah P. Hinson is this tiny brave little kid from Abilene who sings like an 80 year old man whose life is flashing before his eyes. His songs are deceptively simple -- usually a few lines are repeated over and over again over a pretty finger-picked melody. The Red Empire Orchestra provides a new twist this time around with stunning, giant arrangements featuring strings and horns. But at their core, his songs have the same heart every time: the heart of someone who has lived a lot in a short span of time and come out to see the other side. Beautiful.
7. Conor Oberst : Conor Oberst
On this actually-less-solo-than-before-if-you-ask-me solo debut, Conor manages to balance his trademark vulnerability with a mature, accessible sound. Much better than his last Bright Eyes album and featuring one of my favorite songs he's ever written, Milk Thistle, as well as a bunch of poppy gems and a couple other pretty ballads. I'm really happy to be able to call myself a fan again, without a bunch of disclaimers.
8. She and Him : Volume One
Yes, it's cute. No, it's not going to change your life. Yes, it sounds like it could have been a lost country-pop hit record from the 1970s. No, it's not like M. Ward's records, nor is it trying to be. Yes, Zooey Deschanel is much more beautiful than Katy Perry and she got to it first. No, I didn't write the song featured above, although I feel like I could have. Anyway, this album is imminently 'listenable' and it makes me want to put on fancy clothes and drink peppermint cocktails.
9. Her Space Holiday : XOXO, Panda And The New Kid Revival
If you would smile if someone called you 'twee', get this album immediately and get ready to dance around your living room in your bunny ears and vintage aprons because this is your freakin' theme song times a dozen, kiddo. If the word 'twee' makes you wrinkle your nose, stay as far away from this cheesy pop bullshit as you possibly can.
10. Shearwater : Rook
This band has such a personal affect on me and my heartparts that I usually have a hard time judging what their impact on the rest of the world will be, but I was really surprised this album didn't make more of a splash. To me, this band is exploring sound with innovation and precision that is basically unmatched. It's one part opera, one part Radiohead, and one part something else entirely, with feathers. Heart.
Bonus 11-15:
11. The Breeders : Mountain Battles
12. Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks : Real Emotional Trash
13. Herman Dune : Next Year In Zion
14. The Silver Jews : Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
15. Brothers and Sisters : Fortunately
I go to certain albums for certain moods... If I'm sad, I'll listen to # 2 on this list. If I'm driving in the sunshine with Mandy, we'll listen to # 8. If I want to fall asleep, it's # 5. If I'm making out with my boyfriend, # 4 will do it. If I need to feel really happy, I'll listen to # 9. The thing about Visiter, and the reason it is numero uno here, is that it is perfect for every single one of those times and so much more. In fact, I'm never not in the mood for this album. This album is so diverse that it encompasses all feelings, and yet it's also, magically, incredibly cohesive and recognizable as The Dodo's very own spectacular, special sound. This album spread like wildfire among my friends. Someone would hear 30 seconds of a song in someone else's car and immediately beg to know who it was. I hope you feel the same way when you hear them for the first time. And remember: two people are making these sounds. Holy crap. My favorite tracks, although I love the entire thing, are "Fools" (car singalong / fist pump along epic masterpiece), "Red and Purple" (it sounds like having a crush on someone), "Winter" (the saddest song in the world in a catchy disguise), and "Undeclared" (the sweetest little love folk song this side of Herman Dune).
2. Bon Iver : For Emma, Forever Ago
Some people I know have said to me that they don't understand the buzz surrounding this album and that they found it underwhelming. I can understand that. While Visiter knocked me over the head with it's brilliance the first time I listened, this album took me weeks -- months? -- to sink my teeth into. I was originally drawn in by the song "Skinny Love". My fondness for heartbroken, sleepy-voiced boys knows no bounds and I would literally listen to the song on repeat for hours after Craig put it on his first mix-project CD (as, who would have guessed, the song that always makes him sad). It took me awhile to even want to listen to anything else on the record but paying close attention and spending long nights holding these tunes close to my heart has paid off immensely. This album is the auditory equivalent of digging out a sweater you haven't worn since last year and discovering that it still smells like campfire smoke and your ex-boyfriend's laundry detergent.
3. Okkervil River : The Stand-Ins
This is probably my least favorite Okkervil album, but if you know me you may realize how much that is, uh, praising by faint damnation? Anyway, it's a beautiful album, full of all of Will Sheff's astounding insight and perfect articulation, in this case primarily on the topic of the pitfalls of fame and fortune. The tunes are incredibly catchy, which almost seems like an intentional irony when you read the lyrics booklet, particularly on a song like "Pop Lie." My favorite song on the album by far is "Lost Coastlines" (creepy video above). Whenever I hear Jonathan Meiberg's voice come in on that track I get actual goosebumps all over my arms.
4. The Walkmen : You & Me
The Walkmen and I have had a tumultuous few years as they have gone from being one of my favorite bands to disappointing me a little with A Hundred Miles Off and a lot more with Pussy Cats (yikes). Then I saw them play earlier this year and my heart exploded a lot. In a good way, mind you. And now there is You & Me. Which is beautiful. Don't misread me, I'm not claiming that it is as much of a masterpiece as Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone. There's some kind of raw, ridiculous newness and vitality that the Walkmen had then and have since lost, maybe forever. But they've also gained horns! And a sense of sensuality and romance I never heard before. This album is the perfect soundtrack for throwing rocks at the window of your lover after drinking too much whiskey at a New Year's party as you think about how the last year really wasn't as bad as it felt while you were living it.
5. Fleet Foxes : Fleet Foxes
What can I say about this band that hasn't already been said? John Hodgman dubbed them 'Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Devendra Banhart', which is hilarious and also I think the CSNY comparison is a hella more apt than the MMJ thing they're always gettin' stuck with. Anyway, they're really very good and you should listen to this album because it's made for wintertime and love.
6. Micah Hinson : And The Red Empire Orchestra
This album has technically not yet been released in the US but I'm counting it because it exists and I can't not tell you about Micah. If you didn't already know, Micah P. Hinson is this tiny brave little kid from Abilene who sings like an 80 year old man whose life is flashing before his eyes. His songs are deceptively simple -- usually a few lines are repeated over and over again over a pretty finger-picked melody. The Red Empire Orchestra provides a new twist this time around with stunning, giant arrangements featuring strings and horns. But at their core, his songs have the same heart every time: the heart of someone who has lived a lot in a short span of time and come out to see the other side. Beautiful.
7. Conor Oberst : Conor Oberst
On this actually-less-solo-than-before-if-you-ask-me solo debut, Conor manages to balance his trademark vulnerability with a mature, accessible sound. Much better than his last Bright Eyes album and featuring one of my favorite songs he's ever written, Milk Thistle, as well as a bunch of poppy gems and a couple other pretty ballads. I'm really happy to be able to call myself a fan again, without a bunch of disclaimers.
8. She and Him : Volume One
Yes, it's cute. No, it's not going to change your life. Yes, it sounds like it could have been a lost country-pop hit record from the 1970s. No, it's not like M. Ward's records, nor is it trying to be. Yes, Zooey Deschanel is much more beautiful than Katy Perry and she got to it first. No, I didn't write the song featured above, although I feel like I could have. Anyway, this album is imminently 'listenable' and it makes me want to put on fancy clothes and drink peppermint cocktails.
9. Her Space Holiday : XOXO, Panda And The New Kid Revival
If you would smile if someone called you 'twee', get this album immediately and get ready to dance around your living room in your bunny ears and vintage aprons because this is your freakin' theme song times a dozen, kiddo. If the word 'twee' makes you wrinkle your nose, stay as far away from this cheesy pop bullshit as you possibly can.
10. Shearwater : Rook
This band has such a personal affect on me and my heartparts that I usually have a hard time judging what their impact on the rest of the world will be, but I was really surprised this album didn't make more of a splash. To me, this band is exploring sound with innovation and precision that is basically unmatched. It's one part opera, one part Radiohead, and one part something else entirely, with feathers. Heart.
Bonus 11-15:
11. The Breeders : Mountain Battles
12. Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks : Real Emotional Trash
13. Herman Dune : Next Year In Zion
14. The Silver Jews : Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
15. Brothers and Sisters : Fortunately
posted by summer anne burton at
6:07 PM
2 Comments:
Nice list summer!! I love that Her Space Holiday song. all I need now are some bunny ears.
I turned in my list for work last week gotta memmer to post it here.
keep it real.
knucks,
esme
Cool list -- I'll have to check these out. And I blogged it.
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