Two Canadian supergroups, one brit rockers, one female who kick out the jams and some band geeks from the Northwest. Here's your Google Image Search result for "Album of the Year".
5. Picaresque, The Decemberists -- The one thing that binds these five albums is that each work is a complete, consistent album. I'm still a big believer in the album concept -- that the artist put the tunes in a certain order for a reason. In our downloading society, that is lost. In any event...
I don't know much of the background of these people, but I have a feeling they were all in concert or marching band in high school. Leafing through the album art, you realize that the band is steeped in literary tradition and vaudevillian-style performance. Colin Meloy, more than that fraud Conor Oberst, is the voice of a generation of intelligent outcasts. As I've said before, the music is definitely a product of Portland with it's dreary weather, mish-mash of cultures and seafaring imagery. You can hear the southern Gothic and Appalachian influences in their work.
4. Twin Cinema, The New Pornographers -- Yeah, I'm a little biased, but the crew managed to switch up their sound on the third album and make it their best effort to date. Just when you think a song is a ballad, a tune like "The Bleeding Heart Show" becomes an affirmation anthem. There are still bouncy, poppy ditties like "Use It" and the title track along side the more artistic tracks. Twin Cinema is also the best use of Neko Case's vocals.
3. Arular, M.I.A. This might be the fourth or fifth time I've praised this album, so let me tell you my favorite lines:
What can I get for ten dolla? Any ting you want...
Need a visa? got wth a geezer
Need some money?
Paid him with her knees up
Year later, started to ease up
Got her own way, shouted out 'see ya'
He got Colgate on his teeth
And Reebok classics on his feet
At a factory he does Nike
And then he helps the family
Blaze a blaze Galang a lang a lang lang
Purple Haze Galang a lang a lang lang
Blaze a blaze Galang a lang a lang lang
Purple Haze Galang a lang a lang lang
Got my own flow get you to the dance floor
Little mamma doin the booty rolls
2. Broken Social Scene, Broken Social Scene -- Wow! By the time the second track, "Ibi Dreams of Pavement," was done, I was ready to hail this the best album of the year. There's a lot craftsmanship and energy in each song. Like twenty people got together all with the same feelings and energy and decided to wage war on your emotions. Check the percussions -- they have a military essence to them. Nothing is done subtly, even the quiet moments have several musical styles mixed in. After listening, you want to tell the world that you want to live!
1. Silent Alarm, Bloc Party -- This was the year of the post-punk, new wave Brit Rockers. It was overwhelming with the Kaiser Chiefs, Maximo Park, Hard-Fi, Editors, Futureheads, Rakes and, the leader of the pack, Franz Ferdinand, all on the scene. All these bands took influences from Joy Division, Gang of Four, The Clash and The Jam. What sets Bloc Party out from the packs is Kele Okereke's staccato vocals that can easy hit high notes and low, soulful singing. Silent Alarm feels like a call to arms against mediocrity and corruption on a political and personal level. And the best -- you can dance to it! I made this the best album of the year because I wanted to listen to the album repeatedly the most.
Honorable mentions: No. 6 on a list would have been Feist's Let It Die -- it's the perfect singer-songwriter style album of the year. It's feels like a long hug assuring you that things will be better. Other top albums of the year in no order:
Get Behind Me Satan, The White Stripes; Thunder! Lightening! Strike!, The Go! Team; The Woods, Sleater-Kinney; Feels, Animal Collective; We Have Sound, Tom Vek; Employment, Kaiser Chiefs; LCD Soundsystem, LCD Soundsystem: Before the Dawn Heals Us, M83; Demon Days, Gorillaz; Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah; The Mouse and The Mask, Danger Doom.
Boy... Have you lost your damn mind!?! You forgot our boy Beck in the honorable mentions for both album and gig.... Happy New Year.. GO BIRDS!!
Posted by: dUb- | December 30, 2005 at 06:02 PM