Central Village

My 20 Favorite Albums of 5765 (Part VII)

#8 Kings of Leon - Ah Ha Shake Heartbreak
I first heard all these songs at the Oxegen Festival in Ireland last Summer.  Hated their first album, but thought every song I heard them play that I didn't recognize was killer.  It was weird to so greatly anticipate an album from a band I didn't really like, but when it was finally released many months later, it completely lived up to every unrealistic expectation I had somehow made for it.  Just hearing these songs once got them stuck in my head for good.  While nearly unintelligible at times, I actually think the lyrics are really smart too.  It's hard to remember, after all this time, how much I wanted this album.  I downloaded a bit torrent of it the day it was released in England.  Haven't stopped listening to it since.  This track below is #1 on my iTunes play count.  It's one of the prettiest songs I've ever heard.

MP3: Kings of Leon - Milk

7# Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
The most common reaction I hear to this album is "I didn't want to buy into the hype, but this album is really that good."  It's true.  Even the greatest skeptics, the ones who inexplicably dislike the Arcade Fire or Clap Your Hands are won over.  I actually had this album on my computer for a while before I really got my head around it.  It took a mind-blowing live performance at CMJ and repeat listens of their first EP to set myself for this.  Once I really got into it, however, there was no other album in the world that could divert my attention.  It's one of those discs where it seems like every day a different song is your favorite.  I've gone through Grounds for Divorce, Shine a Light, This Heart's on Fire, Same Ghosts, Fancy Claps, I'll Believe in Anything, Dear Sons and Daughters...to the point where I don't think I can no longer just pick one.  All the songs complement each other so well, it's like they lose something when heard on their own.  I would have never guessed that the also-ran at the secret Modest Mouse show last year could one day surpass their mentors, but it appears these guys are on the right track.

MP3: Wolf Parade - I'll Believe in Anything

Day On

I had pegged today as a vacation day to recover from the wedding, but due to some unavoidable work stuff I ended up at the office all afternoon.  No fun.

So the song of the day, of course, is Mr. Blue Sky by ELO, Scott and Eliza's exit music back up the isle as husband and wife.  It was perfect.

Also worth mentioning that it was the first time I've ever heard the Father of the Groom name-drop Death Cab during his toast...

Anyway, I've got pictures up on Flickr.  So does Jen.  Best wedding I've ever been to by far.  Congratulations guys!!

Here's the song:
ELO - Mr. Blue Sky

My 20 Favorite Albums of 5765 (Part V & VI)

#12 The Fiery Furnaces - EP
I've realized this list has seemed a bit generic so far, but it should branch out a bit from here.  I've really enjoyed the other Fiery Furnaces albums, but what really excites me about them is their live show.  This album, labeled as an EP even though it's a full length, best captures the experience of seeing them live through studio recordings.  The songs are more accessible than most of their albums, and each track blends seamlessly into the next.  The change from Here Comes the Summer to Evergreen manages to send chills down my spine.  It best showcases the franticness and energy of their music, which regularly tops anything else out there today.

MP3: The Fiery Furnaces - Here Comes the Summer

#11 The Joggers - With a Cape and a Cane
I wrote once before that this album is so close to being the worst music I've ever heard, but somehow it's turns out so perfect.  It's sloppy and all over the place and doesn't seem like it's ever gonna work.  But it does.  Constantly and so well.  Every time the songs sound like they're about to fall apart, some giant hook comes in and swoops it back to safety.  It's truly amazing.  That sense of danger keeps me entranced, scared to look away for fear the whole thing will collapse.

MP3: The Joggers - White Madam

 

#10 The Go Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike
I haven't heard the domestic release yet, but I'll take Pitchfork's word for it that it stands up to the original.  This album is pure fun.  It feels like the soundtrack to a 70's cop show.  I can't help but think of polyester and mustaches.  Shtick aside, these songs are electronic masterpieces.  There's not a track on here that lags or disappoints.  I've been listening to this album for a long time now, and it still ranks up there as one of the finest musical accomplishments of the year.

MP3: The Go Team - Junior Kickstart

#9 The National - Alligator
Such a beautiful, tortured album.  Up there with The Walkmen's Bows and Arrows as the best in urban emo (if I may invent a term)  These songs all came from somewhere very real and very dark.  It's pretty music, but there's this layer of grime over it that makes it seem so earnest and important.  This is music for 5 o'clock on a cold January morning in NYC, walking home in the snow trying to make sense of the night before.  Some of the lyrics come out almost as a stream of conscious, sidetracking and jumping in intensity with no warning or explanation.  It's truly heartbreaking, brilliant stuff.

MP3: The National - Baby, We'll be Fine

My 20 Favorite Albums of 5765 (Part IV)

#14 - Stellastarr* - Harmonies for the Haunted

Not everyone agrees, but I love the direction these guys took.  Smarter songs, deeper, more emotional.  The first album was great and had some real lasting value, but I think this is much better.  I've said it before, but this is what a sophomore album should be.  The band passed up on the easy followup with a clone of their older songs and actually took it in a more worthwhile direction.  Who knows where they'll go from here, but I wouldn't be surprised if people are calling this Stellastarr's Pinkerton in 10 years. 

Stream: Stellastarr* - The Diver

#13 - Interpol - Antics

Any album that still gets me excited every time I hear a track off it after nearly 16 months belongs on this list.  It's not as good as their debut, but there are few albums that have this type of lasting value on me.  I don't anticipate getting sick of it anytime soon.

MP3: Interpol - C'mere

Stellastarr* is Pretty, Crash Mansion blows

Last night I saw both Stellastarr* and The Rapture.  Irving's not my favorite, but my god, Crash Mansion is the WORST.  No good shots from the latter, but Stellastarr* is, at the very least, always good for some pretty photos.  More after the jump.  My full review of both shows is up on Gothamist.

My 20 Favorite Albums of 5765 (Part III)

Busy day at work then a long night, so this is coming a bit late.  Sorry bout that.

#16 Spoon - Gimmie Fiction

One of the most listenable albums of the year.  There's a lot of music that I dig that can be a bit polarizing.  Not everyone can get in to eclectic bands like Wolf Parade or Clap Your Hands.  And that's just the way it is.  I don't think I've ever met anyone who can't get into Spoon.  They just make perfect pop music.  This album is, from start to finish, pretty flawless.  There are a few standout tracks Like Monsieur Valentine and I Summon You, but the whole album is frighteningly consistent.  It's music that fits any kind of mood or situation, and its versatility is one of it's greatest appeals.

MP3: Spoon - The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine

#15 The Decemberists - Picaresque
I was never a big Decemberists fan until I saw Colin play his solo shows at the Fez last January.  Hearing all these songs completely stripped down let me concentrate on the tune and the lyrics, rather than their whole carnival aesthetic.  From there I was hooked.  I went out and got all their albums and have seen them play I think 5 times since.  This album doesn't contain any of my absolute favorite Decemberist tracks, but, much like Spoon, the entire work is near flawless.  There aren't any songs I skip or skim over.  Every track demands your attention, and the whole is much much greater than the sum of it's parts.

MP3: The Decemberists - The Engine Driver

Previously:
#'s 19 and 20
#'s 18 and 17

Birthday Rapture

The Rapture are the VERY SPECIAL GUEST for the Fixed 1-year anniversary party at The Tribeca Grand next Saturday, October 15th.  They'll be playing a live set sometime around Midnight.  This also happens to be 2 days after my birthday.  I'll likely be there celebrating.

It's a free show.  RSVP here for complementary admission.

The State of Webster Hall

Webster Hall is really getting over on me.  The last three shows I've seen there have been excellent, and while the drinks are still way too expensive and it can get a bit warm on the floor, I have to give credit where it's due that they have continually made improvements on the space to accommodate these types of shows.  There are more exits, more bars, better sound, and there's plenty of space to mill around of even the most sold out shows.  Plus, there's the added bonus of being in walking distance from my apartment.  No, it's not perfect, but it is significantly better than it once was.  It's a good sign that management is willing make the investments to improve the concert quality, when they clearly could have gotten away with leaving it as is and letting the fans suffer. 

Anyway, Interpol on Sunday was the best show I've seen them put on.  By far.  Same with The Decemberists last night.  Both shows ran nearly 2 hours, and with neither was I ready to leave at the end.  I couldn't remember the last time I had stayed through the end of a Webster Show before that.  I guess the quality of the talent is mostly responsible for this, but it seems the venue finally getting it right.

Brooklyn Vegan's got a few shots of the Decemberist Whale Attack at last night's show.  I've got pics up from the Spin20 Party last week and Interpol/Child Ballads on Sunday.

My 20 Favorite Albums of 5765 (Part II)

#18 - Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
As is the case with most of the albums on this list, when I first heard this I was convinced it was the best record of the year.  Beautifully orchestrated songs, great lyrics, and a perfect voice.  It's by far the most cliche comparison in music, but this really sounds like a Beatles record.  I'm sorry for the lameness, but I can't get away from that.  Every time I listen to this, I wonder why I don't put it on more.  It's really one of the most unique and innovative albums of the year, and deserves the praise it has gotten.  While I refuse to let a band's live performance affect my judgment for this list, I must say that watching Bird recreate the sounds from the album in person and on the spot was quite unbelievable.  I just can't help but to picture him fidgeting around while looping sounds and switching instruments when I listen.  It was quite an impressive task, Making the album seem all the more real, rather than a product of studio magic. 

MP3: Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left

#17 - The Go Find - Miami
This is an old one, but I still listen to it somewhat regularly.  Really pretty Postal Service pop.  I don't know if there's a better way to describe the whole guitar-over-laptop sound anymore.  Intelligent Dance Music is so amazingly pretentious, but I think this is a step beyond that.  Gibbard and Tamborello may have become the standard, that's the formula has been improved on here.  There's not a bad track on this disc, and it still sounds as fresh as it did last fall.  Any album that I was able to play to death when it first came out, yet still be in love with it after all this time certainly earns itself a place on this list.

MP3: The Go Find - Over the Edge

16 and 15 tomorrow...

PREVIOUSLY:
#'s 19 and 20

Army Navy

I heard Army Navy first on KEXP a while back.  Unfortunately, like most of the bands I hear for the first time on that station (Pale Pacific, Silversun Pickups, Stars of Track and Field, etc...) they're from the west coast and don't come east all that often.  A shame.  CMJ was a great chance to see some of these guys.  I caught the tail end of their Fader Room set (the only show they played in NYC that trip), but didn't really see enough to form an opinion.  They also mentioned something about their keyboard player missing, which took a lot out of their sound.  Anyway, I did grab a copy of their EP and have listened to it a bunch.  It pretty good.  They remind me of Voxtrot a bit.  Kind of that same young, twee sound.  They seem pretty grounded out west, but if they ever make it back east, definitely worth checking out. 

This song is, I guess, their breakthrough hit, already making background appearances on two of my favorite TV shows, The OC and Weeds.  It's really good.

Army Navy - Snakes Of Hawaii