Top Ten Albums of 2008

{Yes, yes - I realize it's March, 2009 and I'm just now posting best albums of the year that ended three months ago. Cut me some slack already...}



Number Ten
Artist: Vampire Weekend
Album: Vampire Weekend
Label: Xl Recordings
Release Date: January 29, 2008

Once the hype died down and the buzzing dimmed, what remained was a truly enjoyable pop album with real staying power (despite the unfortunate genre title of "Yacht Rock" that accompanied its success). Few albums, let alone debut albums, are as consistently solid from song to song as this. Brief though it may be, clocking in at just around 35 minutes, Vampire Weekend is timeless and immediate, accessible to the masses for now and of high enough quality that the rock snobs will come back around later.


Number Nine
Artist: Portishead
Album: Third
Label: Mercury
Release Date: April 29, 2008

With a full decade's gap between releases, Portishead had all sorts of expectations to live up to. Third did not disappoint. Ultimately gratifying because the band simultaneously sounds like the Portishead we remember and what we hoped the progression of their sound would result in, Third presents a mature collection building on the acid jazz, cabaret vocals, and spy movie synesthesia that defined their sound. Beth Gibbons and company have weathered the same past eight years (and era-defining administration) as us, despite being across the pond, and the tracks here reflect the subsequent scars of that maturity the way Dummy perfectly contained all the angst of youth.


Number Eight
Artist: Cut Copy
Album: In Ghost Colours
Label: Modular Interscope
Release Date: April 8, 2008

Without question the best indie dance music album of 2008, In Ghost Colours just wouldn't go away all year. The upbeat jams ("Lights and Music", "Hearts on Fire") that made so much sense in Spring and Summer gave way to the bittersweet pop ("So Haunted", "Unforgettable Season") that perfectly scored a blustery Autumn and Winter. In Ghost Colours lifts Cut Copy to the next level where that capital-A Artist label is justified.


Number Seven
Artist: M83
Album: Saturdays = Youth
Label: Mute U.S.
Release Date: April 1, 2008

Somewhere between Air, My Bloody Valentine (or at least Kevin Shields, circa Lost in Translation) and a John Hughes soundtrack falls M83. Deftly framing pop rock sentimentality within sprawling, sonic layers of electronic compositions, Saturdays = Youth is well-crafted and remarkable. "Kim & Jessie" and "Graveyard Girl" quite literally made us check to make sure M83 wasn't around during the Sixteen Candles and License to Drive days. And yet many of the digital beats and rhythms could just as easily have been laid down on Kanye's 808's and Heartbreaks (see: "Couleurs", "Up!"). As impressive an album as we heard all year.


Number Six
Artist: Dr. Dog
Album: Fate
Label: Park the Van
Release Date: July 22, 2008

No one's going to accuse Dr. Dog of being the most original band on the planet. On almost every song the influence of Paul McCartney or John Lennon or Jerry Garcia or Levon Helm is quite blatantly obvious. Like finding a bunch of lost b-sides: "From" could easily have been a Lennon throw-away; "100 Years" wouldn't sound out of place on a Dead album; "The Ark" may actually be a McCartney cover. To be honest, it borders on imitation. To be brutally honest, I don't give a shit if it is imitation - these songs are great and this album is wholly enjoyable.


Number Five
Artist: Santogold (aka, Santigold)
Album: Santogold
Label: Downtown
Release Date: April 29, 2008

Santogold released a bunch of tracks on her full-length debut that were almost too good. Snatched up by advertisers, it would have been easy to make the mistake of overlooking these tracks as just catchy jingles or dance club singles. But with the aid of Diplo, Mark Ronson, and Spank Rock, Santogold is complex and shrewd, some culmination of what those producers had been working towards. Like a less jarring MIA, Santogold satisfies the teeny-bopper, the stoner, and the yuppie all at the same time. No easy feat.


Number Four
Artist: The Dutchess & The Duke
Album: She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke
Label: Hardly Art
Release Date: July 8, 2008

Sparse and simple, tragic and intimate, She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke could easily be Number One on this list. The brief but potent 31 minutes of vintage bluesy folk/gypsy rock recalls Leonard Cohen, The Animals, or early Rolling Stones, tunes with despair-riddled lyrics over a production full of crackles and pops that transport the listener to a wholly different time and place. The stomp and swagger of "Reservoir Park" remains one of the best tracks of the year, while the intimate pleas and apologies of sincere experience are almost too much to bear on "I Am Just a Ghost". With one of the best live performances of the year as well, The Dutchess & The Duke are a most promising duo.


Number Three
Artist: TV on the Radio
Album: Dear Science
Label: Interscope
Release Date: September 23, 2008

It's getting to the point where it's almost not even fair. TVOTR has become one of the most consistent bands on the planet, and they're just getting started. Hard to believe, as the Brooklynites seem like such industry vets now, but Dear Science is just their third official full-length. They have most definitely honed their craft, having built upon the ambitious experiments of Cookie Mountain, and Science is their most cohesive and focused album to date. Losing none of their lavish orchestrations or complex harmonies, though, TVOTR has more specifically learned how to work their sonic arrangements into structured and polished pop songs.


Number Two
Artist: The Walkmen
Album: You & Me
Label: Gigantic
Release Date: August 19, 2008

With You & Me, The Walkmen established themselves as a premiere Indie Rock outfit with the same sort of woozy, whiskey-soaked jangle and thump that The National perfected with last year's Boxer. You & Me meanders through sandy beaches and foreign towns like postcards from Hemingway, stumbling out of jazz clubs at 3am with the locals, keeping upright solely by leaning on the shoulders of new friends who happen to be singing at the tops of their lungs. With a most distinct voice, Hamilton Leithauser has hit his stride with this organic, wandering sound, punctuated by drummer Matt Barrick's masterful percussion. Wistful and rousing, You & Me is quite simply beautiful.


Number One
Artist: Fleet Foxes
Album: Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant (EP)
Label: Sub Pop
Release Date: June 3, 2008

Fleet Foxes truly set themselves apart in 2008, and their eponymous full-length debut followed by the simply-too-good-for-just-an-EP, Sun Giant, combine for the most lush and gorgeous music of the year. By no means the only indie rockers exploring the folk side of rock, the Seattle quintet distinguished themselves quickly with their pitch-perfect harmonizing, led by Robin Pecknold. The warmth and richness in the vocals stands in stark contrast to a vast majority of indie bands that get by on earnesty and sincerity alone. The voice - and more specifically here, the remarkably pleasing combination of voices - emerges as the most gratifying instrument to the human ear. As the opening and title track to Sun Giant begins, what we hear is a capella, but it isn't affectation, it's an expression of freedom as they do what comes so naturally. Both albums present a sophistication well beyond their years that commands attention. Hello world, we're the Fleet Foxes.


-j2

New TV on the Radio: Dear Science ("Golden Age" Video)

TV on the Radio is quickly becoming something greater than the sum of its parts. They have grown into an icon, or at least an entity, representing what happens when you make pop music that is also capital-A Art. Their latest effort, Dear Science, is further evidence that music doesn't need to be experimental in order to be artful.

The album will officially be released September 23rd (on Chicago's own Touch and Go Records), but the bonus track version is out now on iTunes. For those of you monetarily challenged in the wake of this economic nose-dive, last.fm is streaming the album with full tracks.

In order to fully prove just how impossible it is to categorize TVOTR, we present the video for "Golden Age". With graphics that play like original developments in green-screen technology and a "plot" that involves dancing police officers, Care Bear nostalgia, and spirit-animal totem action, we're simply at a loss for words. Here's one that my dad would use, though: weird.

Video: "Golden Age"


Don't forget that they'll be at The Riv in Chicago October 22nd.

-J2

Best of 2007, Part I

Lists!

This week, middleCoast will be providing you, the reader, with staff member picks for the Best (and/or Worst) Lists of 2007.

We begin at the beginning:


JenniferToo's Top 10 Live Shows of 2007

10. Satellite Party :: August 3rd :: Lollapalooza / Grant Park, Chicago
Satellite Party, a.k.a. Jane's Addiction. So what if I happened to be standing within five feet of a hundred or so port-a-potties when I heard "Jane Says" live for the first time. It was still freakin' awesome. Just like Perry in his white suit. Out of this world.


09. Yeah Yeah Yeahs :: August 4th :: Lollapalooza / Grant Park, Chicago
Now it is entirely possible that Karen O did, in fact, eat her glove, but I'm not so sure. Regardless, this show was intense. How you could have so much energy in 95 degree heat wearing leather is beyond me. But these guys didn't show any signs of slowing down. And Karen O's voice was piercing. And I love the chicks that rock. We need more of 'em.


08. Silversun Pickups :: August 3rd :: Lollapalooza / Grant Park, Chicago
This was such an unassuming show. It was mid-afternoon on Day 1 at Lollapalooza. I was a big fan of their album, but knew nothing of the band. In fact, I was under the impression that the lead singer was a girl. The stage was one of the puny side stages that were brutally hot. AND we were looking right into the sun while standing on pavement. Not my ideal concert setting. But I was blown away nevertheless.

07. LCD Soundsystem :: September 28th :: Starlight Theater, Kansas City

So technically LCD Soundsystem and The Arcade Fire was one show. But they were so different and so amazing that they each deserve a mention. I had seen LCD Soundsystem just a few months prior at Lollapalooza. I remember the show being really upbeat and highly entertaining, but I don't remember much more. Okay, actually I remember thinking "that's the guy singing?" But I might have been a tad overwhelmed with good music. Regardless, I was excited when I heard they were opening for The Arcade Fire. The show ROCKED. I saw them at Starlight here in KC and I was a bit leery of seeing the show outdoors (granted, I know nothing about acoustics, but it seemed like the sound might dissipate as it traveled through...okay, whatever). But LCD Soundsystem had no trouble at all being heard clearly. And loudly.

06. Pearl Jam :: August 5th :: Lollapalooza / Grant Park, Chicago

Let me take you back a little: the year, 1992; the place, Lollapalooza, St. Louis, MO. I was 17 and in love with Eddie Vedder (even though he's about 6 inches shorter than me). They were just on the brink of becoming the huge success that they are today. Eddie was still performing acrobatic feats as they performed and I knew every single word to every single song. Jump to August 2007, once again Lollapalooza. Fifteen years later and these boys are still as hardcore as ever. Granted, the venue and the crowd size was a bit less ideal (seriously, claustrophobia was tapping me on the shoulder). But the show rocked just as hard. I sort of fell off the Pearl Jam bandwagon somewhere after Vitalogy, but it didn't take much to convert me. Then you add some fireworks and Dennis Rodman to the mix...

05. Daft Punk :: August 3rd :: Lollapalooza / Grant Park, Chicago
Do I really need to say anything here? I didn't think so.












04. The Flaming Lips :: September 12th :: Uptown Theater, Kansas City

This was my first indoor, small-venue Lips show. The show was at the Uptown Theater in KC. With its intricate carvings and surreal paintings it was a perfect setting. The show was an experience - it was uplifting, exhausting, exhilarating and dreamlike. And, come on: Wayne + Lasers + Mirrors + Balloons = Magic.

03. TV on the Radio :: March 17th :: VooDoo Lounge, Kansas City
I'm fairly certain I was the most excited person upstairs at the VooDoo Lounge. These guys are one of my favorite bands - I haven't heard a song I don't like. And their live show was fantastic. Their voices are honestly some of the most beautiful instruments I've ever heard. And, no lie, the guitarist's hand was blurry he was strumming so fast.














02. My Morning Jacket :: August 5th :: Lollapalooza / Grant Park, Chicago
I'd be okay if these guys were on the list every freakin' year. The purple suits were unexpected, but the jamming was not. I am constantly in awe of Jim James and his ability to be so raw and hard on one song, and then so beautiful and soft on another. And the Boys Choir? Come on.








01. Arcade Fire :: September 28th :: Starlight Theater, Kansas City
As I mentioned above, these guys played the outdoor venue along with LCD Soundsystem. When their set first started, I was a bit concerned. They didn't sound like much after LCD Soundsystem blasted us with "New York I Love You". But it didn't take long for them to impress me. The show was honestly hard for me to watch - I couldn't figure out who to focus on. Regine was beautiful, floating all over the stage playing every instrument while she sang like a lark (sorry, that's cheesy, but amazingly fitting). Win was so passionate and there is so much emotion in his voice. Then there's Will, who never stood still. He was playing the mic stand one minute and ripping a book to shreds the next. But the music was so so good. And with a closer like "Wake Up", these guys earned my number 1 spot.



When not blowing her children's college tuition on live shows, JenniferToo is entertaining us with the tales of Stinkerbell & Cindersmella.

-

I'm a Lollapaloozer, Again

Well, once again three days of Lollapalooza has rocked my socks off, melted my face, and left me dazed and confused. So before the brain cells burn out or fade away, the final lineup:

Friday -
Bang Bang Bang
The Polyphonic Spree
Electric Six
MIA
Silversun Pickups
Blonde Redhead
Satellite Party (aka Jane's Addiction, aka Porno for Pyros)
LCD Soundsystem
Daft Punk

Saturday -
Tapes 'n Tapes
Stephen Marley
The Roots
The Hold Steady
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Spoon
Muse

Sunday -
The Black Angels
Lupe Fiasco
Kings of Leon
Peter Bjorn & John (unfortunately the speakers blew after only three songs)
!!!
My Morning Jacket
TV on the Radio
Pearl Jam

Dang.

Will post more when brain recovers. Also have pictures...

Enjoy your rock bubble...

TV on the Radio at the Metro, March 13th

Last Tuesday night, TV on the Radio put on a show. How to describe the exhibition is something I've been failing miserably at for the past seven days. How to describe the sound of TVOTR - especially of their latest release, Return to Cookie Mountain - is something I've been failing at for the past seven months. So with that in mind, let's see if I can fail miserably one more time.

(Disclosure: I've been waiting a few days to write this in the hopes that the brain cells killed by the Jack & Cokes consumed the night of the show would have been resurrected by now. No such luck.)

(Disclosure #2: I don't really know names of songs. For that matter, I don't really pay attention to lyrics. It's a shame, really, especially since once I do get around to figuring out lyrics to songs I like, they happen to be rather brilliant. But I go strictly on tone; if I like the tone or feeling or vibe of the music - with the vocals strictly as another instrument - then I tend to like the band. Then, usually months later, I'll open my ears and eyes to the lyrics. Clearly I'm a professional rock critic.)

(Disclosure #3: In reference to Disclosure #2, this really only applies for rock music. For Hip Hop, lyrics always seem to come first. But that's a whole other blog...)

So I would tell people, "Hey, I'm going to see TV on the Radio tonight" and the standard response was "Who?" and then "What do they sound like?" Normally I tend to be talented at the Familiar-Artist-meets-Other-Familiar-Artist comparison game. For example, "the new Clap Your Hands Say Yeah album sounds like The Velvet Underground meets Talking Heads". Get it? Right, well that doesn't come so easily for me when referring to TVOTR for some reason. I don't even know what so-called genre they fit into. I've recently heard them called Art-Rock, whatever that means (as if denegrading all non- art-rock as non-artistic). And they don't seem to fit into the classic idea of what Indie Rock means - they sure as hell don't sound like The Shins.

Inherently, my inability to pigeonhole an artist automatically results in me holding said artist to a higher esteem. In other words, TV on the Radio is SO GOOD, that we don't even have a category to box them in. In a perfect world, we wouldn't have to categorize every damn thing we ever experience, but hey, we're humans. It's what we do.

That said, watching them perform live last week actually inspired - not a genre to neatly fit them in, necessarily - but at least an idea for the comparison game. Perhaps this will make sense to no one, but the thought that popped into my (aforementioned whiskey-soaked) brain, was: My Bloody Valentine meets Ray Charles. That's right - the only way I've figured out how to categorize TVOTR is to compare them to two other artists that no one has been able to categorize. While their sound reminded me vaguely of MBV, it was this comparison to Ray Charles that has stuck in my mind. There was something so uplifting, so elevating, so dynamic to the energy that I couldn't help feeling the emotions granted to believers in church, the stuff of Gospel music. (Disclosure #4: I realize that four-fifths of the band happens to be black dudes, but I promise that this isn't the reason I've associated them with Gospel.) But just like Ray Charles took Gospel and made it new - made it his own - so too does TVOTR create a new sound with what has come before. And really, that is all Art even is - take something old and make it new.

A good reason why TVOTR has the capabilities to do this is thanks to the amazing vocals. Vocalists Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone compliment each other like peanut butter and banana - maybe not what you were expecting, but damn that's tasty. Their vocals come at you with an element of surprise, both the first time you hear their albums, and even more so live, when they somehow manage to mesh the yelps with the falsetto screams just as splendidly as they capture them in the studio. And that jolt feels like a call to action, or at least a call to pay attention.

No problem there. I think I may even go look up their lyrics.

Best Albums of 2006

Well it's about the time of year for middleCoast to share with all its loyal readers our list of the Top 10 Best Albums of 2006. This would have led to a most heated debate between OtherJason and JasonToo, to be sure, but middleCoast is quite certain that an agreement would have been made on the following:


1. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Just a brilliant display of musical talent from the NYC art rockers. Reminiscent of Kid A, from our anti-rock critic's point of view.

2. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Pop music as pop music should be. Here's hoping that DangerMouse's ADD can subside long enough to put together 14 more jams with Cee Lo.

3. My Morning Jacket - Okonokos
We realize that live albums shouldn't technically make album-of-the-year lists, but live MMJ is the best thing ever. Enjoy your rock bubble.

4. The Roots - Game Theory
Rap music is a bland and jaded commercial enterprise. Hip Hop is an art form mastered by The Roots. Game Theory is one of their most creative and enjoyable pieces yet.

5. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
The soul of the New Pornographers gets to the heart of great singer/songwriter albums: that bittersweet ache actually feels good.

6. The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics
It's no Soft Bulletin, but who says it has to be? Wayne and the boys still make the best music for dying from a heroin overdose.

7. Wolfmother - Wolfmother
Stealing other bands' sounds has been the root of all rock music, so suspend your disbelief and rock your socks off.

8. The Black Angels - Passover
Texas psych-rockers make The Doors sound like The Beach Boys. Proof that drugs are way better today than they were when your parents were freakin out.

9. Band of Horses - Everything All of the Time
Shoegazers that power-pop with the best of them. Great melodies and great lyrics that can just as easily be great background music.

10. Silversun Pickups - Carnavas
From the quiet noise school invoking My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, and Smashing Pumpkins all at once, keeping it interesting upon every listen.


So we at middleCoast are well aware of the fact that we left off some albums that just as easily could've been ranked number one, or at least should all be number eleven: The Decemberists, Tokyo Police Club, The Changes, +/- (Plus/Minus), and Arctic Monkeys are all solid Honorable Mentions.

Also key to this list is the fact that, fortunately or unfortunately, mC is not a professional rock critic, and therefore does not receive every album ever released for free. We at mC have to actually purchase our music, so a number of potential Best of 2006 albums have not even been heard. Albums like the latest from Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Yo La Tengo may happen to be much better than the 10 listed above, but alas, we spent the money on beer instead.

That said, any artist or record company is more than welcome to supply middleCoast with free records for review. Most likely, they will immediately jump to the Number 1 album of the year.

-mC