It's that time of year, when I look back and wish I could've bought more albums. Here is how I rank the top 10 albums that I was lucky enough to purchase this year:
4. Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend
Come on music fans, admit it, you loved this album at first listen. I think some fans resent how fast this band came up. Seems they picked up guitars and the next day they were donning cardigans on the cover of Spin. I think I can safely say they came up so fast because the music was THAT GOOD. Like a good Paul Simon album, eclectic percussion and worldly rhythms carried this album, and made it sound completely fresh.
6. Paul Westerberg 49
Paul Westerberg seems to do his best work when he isn't trying too hard, or thinks no one is looking. This album, only available online, has the feeling of something you might steal out of Paul's personal tape recorder. Bits and clips of multiple songs, cutting out and overlapping, make you wonder... is this really an album? Whatver it is, I loved it.
7. Ryan Adams and The Cardinals | Cardinology
8. Santogold | Santogold
1. Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes
This album is beautiful from start to finish, you should probably just go buy it. Beautiful harmonies, beautiful lyrics, beautiful artwork. I'm excited for what is sure to be a great career for Fleet Foxes.
This album is beautiful from start to finish, you should probably just go buy it. Beautiful harmonies, beautiful lyrics, beautiful artwork. I'm excited for what is sure to be a great career for Fleet Foxes.
2. Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago
Like Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver makes me wish I lived in a simpler time. What's more, he recorded much of the album in a cabin in the woods of my motherland, Wisconsin. Winter has rolled around again, the perfect time of year for this haunting music.
Like Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver makes me wish I lived in a simpler time. What's more, he recorded much of the album in a cabin in the woods of my motherland, Wisconsin. Winter has rolled around again, the perfect time of year for this haunting music.
3. Blitzen Trapper | Furr
Blitzen Trapper is slowly becoming one of my favorites. Where their last album felt a little disjointed, Furr feels polished and thematic. Furr also feels soft and dangerous, like stroking a Lion's mane.4. Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend
Come on music fans, admit it, you loved this album at first listen. I think some fans resent how fast this band came up. Seems they picked up guitars and the next day they were donning cardigans on the cover of Spin. I think I can safely say they came up so fast because the music was THAT GOOD. Like a good Paul Simon album, eclectic percussion and worldly rhythms carried this album, and made it sound completely fresh.
5. TV On The Radio Dear Science
I was in ZZZ Records with Andy first time I listened to this album. I remember saying "Wow, they got funky on this album". Indeed they did, all the way to the bank.
Paul Westerberg seems to do his best work when he isn't trying too hard, or thinks no one is looking. This album, only available online, has the feeling of something you might steal out of Paul's personal tape recorder. Bits and clips of multiple songs, cutting out and overlapping, make you wonder... is this really an album? Whatver it is, I loved it.
7. Ryan Adams and The Cardinals | Cardinology
I saw the Cardinals live this year, so maybe that influenced the decision. It was fantastic. A rock concert, with an intermission. They couldn't fit all of that sound into one hour, they had to go for two. Ryan Adams is a song producing juggernaut. Are they all great? No, but this album is a goodin'.
8. Santogold | Santogold
Some blogs and mags can't give enough lip service to M.I.A. So I bought the album thinking "When have blogs and mags ever lead me astray?". Well I didn't like M.I.A. I thought it was dull and repetitive. Add in the mental image of white frat boys cocking and shooting their imaginary pistoleros in a Iowa dance club, and you'll know why I prefer my flashy pop/dance music to come from America.
9. Benji Hughes | A Love Extreme
A two disc set of simple songs about partying, rocking, loving, and generally being awkward. Sounds ok. Oh,they're sang by a husky ZZ top lookin' dude? Sold!
10. The Raconteurs | Consolers Of The lonely
Our top priority as a nation should be to figure out how to harvest Jack White's mojo. I'm not looking for some quick spray, like when Reggie White had a cologne (I assume it smelled like Reggie). Something more potent we can inject directly into America's infants. Every album he touches turns to gold.
