#01: Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
- Perfection. This album is an absolute dream. Definitely Deerhunter's most accessible release yet, and hopefully it will earn them many new fans
- I haven't decided yet if Halcyon Digest trumps Microcastle, which had been my favorite release from Deerhunter up until this point, and stands tall as one of my all-time favorite albums. Honestly, it may take years to sort that out
- Bradford Cox continues his streak as one of the most compelling and prolific musicians of our time. Guitarist Lockett Pundt really comes into his own though, taking lead vocals on standout track "Desire Lines" and "Fountain Stairs"
- This album soothes my soul. I will turn to it for celebration in good times, and comfort in bad times, for a long time to come
- I had already been a huge fan of Wavves before, but Nathan Williams took huge strides with this album, and I'd say he delivered a record greater than anyone really expected
- With King of the Beach, Wavves ditch much of the lo-fi aesthetic that had been their trademark and focus on crafting a super solid pop punk record
- This album embodies summer and is a lot of fun, but it's far from disposable. As we move into the winter months, I'm still loving the hell out of these tunes
#03: Yeasayer - Odd Blood
- Yeasayer's sophomore record Odd Blood is gloriously weird. Their first record All Hour Cymbals had a 'mystic ancient tribes' vibe to it. Some of that vibe remains, but now we're in the future instead of the past. There's robotic voices and strange electronics
- Any list of the best songs of the year that doesn't include "Ampling Alp", "Madder Red" and "O.N.E.", all selections for this album, is just wrong, I"m sorry
- This album is immensely pleasurable to listen to, and I am so excited to hear what this band does next
#04: MGMT - Congratulations
- Lots of people were disappointed by this album. On one level I get it, but on another level...what the fuck are you talking about? This is awesome!
- Yes, MGMT made their 'difficult second album', and it has none of the pop hits that drew a lot of people to their debut Oracular Spectacular. But the brand of psych rock the band harvests here is wonderful, people. This album makes me giddy
- I do hope that MGMT are able to unite the best aspects of Oracular and Congratulations for their third album, to create something that has pop pleasures and broadens horizons. In the meantime though, I'll be spinning this album for the hundredth time...and fuck y'all, haters
#05: Caribou - Swim
- This record was my first exposure to Caribou and...goddamn. Album opener "Odessa" and album closer "Jamelia" are monster dancefloor bangers. I mean, this is some dark shit here, not typical dancefloor material, but the beats are incredible
- Electro-pop is obviously a favorite indie rock subgenre of mine - see Yeasayer and MGMT above. And I'd fit this under the elctro-pop umbrella, and yet...it has a different edge to it entirely. And I love it
- Swim is a meticulously well-crafted album that blows my socks off
#6: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
- Welcome back, Arcade Fire. I was a bigger fan of their sophomore record Neon Bible than most, but in years to come, I expect I will be reaching for this album more. Their debut record Funeral remains difficult to top, but honestly, they don't need to top it
- Arcade Fire make grand statements and 'concept albums' of sorts. This time they cover (no shit) the suburbs. At 28, their lyrics about 'wanting to have a daughter while I'm still young' resonate with me pretty deeply. I'm somewhere in between the kid that wanted to escape the suburbs and the man who wants to raise his family there
- I can't get enough of the title track and "City With no Children". In similar AF fashion, this record is 'epic', and is arguably too long, but that just means it's jam packed with tunes. There are definitely highlights, but not much 'filler'
#7: LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
- YES. I fucking love this album. Opener "Dance Yrself Clean" is unparalleled greatness
- "I Can Change" and "You Wanted a Hit" are also fantastic
- Ultimately, Sound of Silver remains LCD's greatest album, but this is a worthy follow-up and then some
#8: Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
- Great debut record. Surfer Blood hit similar pleasure centers as Weezer for me - awesome power pop
- Next time you're in the car, put on "Swim". Roll the windows down (well, I did in this in the summer. I know it's freezing cold out right now) and crank the volume way up. If done correctly, you should feel an incredible surge of energy and should be ready to kick the world's ass. You're welcome. One helluva song
#9: Owen Pallett - Heartland
- I never listened to this guy before, when he called himself Final Fantasy. I knew he did string arrangements for Arcade Fire, so that gave him some 'cred', but I didn't really know what to expect
- Heartland is an electro symphony - strings combine with beats and electronics. The kind of music I'm generally only familiar with in film scores comes alive and becomes modern pop music. Owen sings about a farmer who gets fed up and murders people...something cool like that
#10: Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
- This record received an 'unheard of' perfect 10.0 score from reputable indie music site Pitchfork, and appears to be topping quite a few Top Album lists this year. I expect the backlash will be massive. But fuck, this is a good record
- This album 'transcends genres', however pretentious that might sound. People who ordinarily don't give a shit about hip hop will still want to listen to this
- Masterfully produced. That kinda goes without saying. Kanye comes into his own as an MC as well, and has plenty of top notch guests to provide the rhymes
- This is Kanye's year, and he's produced an amazing album. Hate if you want, but it won't do you much good
#11: Wolf Parade - Expo 86
- Quite possibly the last record we'll ever get from Wolf Parade, now that they're on 'indefinite hiatus'. Sadness
- I didn't love this record immediately, but it really is a grower. From Dan, we have "Ghost Presure", "Pobody's Nerfect" and "Yulia", all of which are amazing. Spencer does a great balls-to-the-wall rockin' opening track with "Cloud Shadow on the Mountain"
- Wolf Parade didn't reinvent themselves here, but they've tightened and refined their sound, and could continue to produce many great records for years to come. I hope they come to their senses
#12: Broken Bells - Broken Bells
- James Mercer, frontman for The Shins, teams up with producer Danger Mouse. What a nice surprise. Really injects new life in The Shins brand of indie rock, with Danger Mouse supplying sweet beats
- "The High Road" is easily one of the best songs of the year
#13: No Age - Everything In Between
- Some people didn't seem to think this album was as good as the band's previous effort, Nouns. It's certainly not as intense, but I think their songwriting is really progressing, and the band continues to get more and more interesting for me. I love Nouns, but I didn't need a sequel.
#14: Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
- Whoa. Apparently this bro Ariel Pink has been making music for many years, but I never listened to any of it before now. This record is hazy and weird and awesome
- "Round and Round" is truly a wonderful song. I sing along to it just about every time it comes on
- People seem to despise the term 'chillwave', but I kinda like it. The music that Neon Indian and Toro Y Moi make IS pretty fucking chill
- There are electronics and beats here that you might find in hip hop, but here used to create something dreamy and serene
- Toro Y Moi is a fantastic musician who will certainly continue to impress long after 'chillwave' is no longer a thing. See "Blessa", "Talamak", and "Low Shoulder" for some sweet tunes
#16: Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
- A stellar debut record from this Australian group, who combine Beatles-esque vocals with a psychedelic guitar crunch to great effect
#17: Spoon - Transference
- Spoon really won me over as a fan with their previous effort Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and that remains my favorite record of theirs. Their follow-up Transference is a little bit colder, not as inviting. But there's still an unparalleled groove these indie rock veterans put together
- "Written In Reverse" and "Who Makes Your Money" are great
#18: Beach House - Teen Dream
- Beautiful lullabies. Gorgeous female vocals. Perfect for lying in bed on a Sunday morning
#19: The National - High Violet
- This record should probably be higher on the list, but I've only JUST NOW become a fan of The National. I don't know how this matches up against their previous records, as I haven't listened to them yet. I'm sure that's heresy to some - sorry, I avoided these guys for a while, for whatever reason. But this is powerful and dynamic music. Having started to listen to it, I couldn't leave it off my list
#20: The New Pornographers - Together
- The New Pornos continue to churn out wonderful power pop. This record is stronger than their previous effort Challengers, though I'm not sure I'd put it on the same level as their first three albums. An excellent album, nonetheless, and one I believe has been unjustly overlooked this year
#21: Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
- "Fuck You". That's really all you need to know, but there are some other great songs on here as well. "Bright Lights Bigger City" comes to mind
#22: Sleigh Bells - Treats
- These guys are a lot like The Go! Team. Fun cheerleader theme song action music. Meant to be played LOUD.
#23: Twin Shadow - Forget
- An extremely promising debut. I can't get enough of "Castles in the Snow"
#24: Maximum Balloon - Maximum Balloon
- TV on the Radio guitarist/producer Dave Sitek teams up with numerous vocalists and makes the next best thing to a new TV on the Radio record that we're gonna get until the band returns (2011, pretty please?)
#25: Best Coast - Crazy for You
- This album has single minded lyrics, there's no question about that. But I like this chick's style, and her music is sunny and enjoyable
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