| 10. max richter - the blue notebooks |  |
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| a modern composer producing listenable music? unlikely, but here it is. apparently inspired by kafka, there's some monologue readings of his works that fill out the tracks, but mainly it's string quartets and pianos, tempered with some nice subtle electronic additions. a great album for a walk with headphones on a grey day or to play at night. | |
| 09. castanets - cathedral |  |
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| alt-country, meaning twangy without being crappy... and not cheery nashville twangy or sad nashville twangy ('i lost my dog, my truck, and my woman, and i miss them in that order'), but lonely midwest twangy ('i'm trapped in this sad town and i'm gonna die here'). the production is excellent: i find new sounds everytime i listen. | |
| 08. brian wilson - smile |  |
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| brian wilson started this album in the mid-60s as a response to the beatle's sgt. pepper's. unfortunately, he had a nervous breakdown in the middle and couldn't finish it. but this year he dug through all his old tapes, found a new group of performers to help record, and recreated the masterpiece. this is probably the greatest pop album of all time; wilson's harmony-creation skills are absolutely unsurpassed. | |
| 07. the tragically hip - in between evolution |  |
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i was probably spoiled for this album getting to hear it live at the whiskey here in calgary shortly before the release date. IBE was developed while playing small club gigs in whistler as 'the fighter fighters', and the live style carried over well into the studio, so getting to hear all the new songs live for the first time was a great primer. this album is more consistent and level than the hip's last few efforts as well; gord downie is singing with a bit of edge again, rather than the near-falsetto that he'd been restricting himself to on a number of their recent output. stand-out tracks: gus, new orleans is beat, mean streak. |
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| 06. mono - walking clouds and deep red sky, flag fluttered and the sun shined |  |
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| another band whose live show influenced my opinion of the album. this is japanese post-rock: majestic instrumental pieces that just happen to rock your socks off. the memory of their diminutive female bassist flip out and thrash mad bass guitar chords all over the place still makes me smile. the build-ups from gentle guitar melodies to heavy blasts (without being too scary) is fantastic. play this record loud. | |
| 05. modest mouse - good news for people who love bad news |  |
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modest mouse's worst record is still awfully good. isaac brock's manic-urgent vocal style admittedly is an acquired taste, but he can write some damn fine songs. i used to describe modest mouse's style to myself as 'urgency rock' because everything seems to be forced out: chopped shouty vocals, strident guitars, etc. it has an edge that's sorely missing from the majority of modern rock music. lacking the long jams of earlier releases, this record has a (slightly) more upbeat and poppier style (as one would expect from a major-label album), despite the generally dark subject matter. best tracks: bury me with it (the best rock song to have keyboards in it, ever), bukowski, black cadillacs. (all b-named songs; strange) |
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| 04. iron and wine - our endless numbered days |  |
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more alt-country, although from a subtler side. much more a solo album, sounding like it was recorded by a guy in a basement (and i think the songs at least were written that way -- the production is excellent though, which gives it the lie). a perfect example of music's recent return to a focus on songwriting and melody over show. best song: cinder and smoke. |
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| 03. !!! - louden up now |  |
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| dance-punk. every single one of my friends that i've played any dance-punk for (not just !!! -- pronounced 'chk chk chk') has /hated/ it. they usually can't get through a single song without turning it off. i love it; it makes me want to boogie; it's fresh and exciting but entirely familiar (think disco combined with alt-rock). a solid backbeat, inane lyrics, funky grooves. oh yeah. | |
| 02. the go! team - thunder, lightning, strike |  |
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| oh man. this album has completely supplanted all other albums as my start-off-a-ski-day album. it's hard to describe; it's like 80s tv movie action music, crossed with cheesy 80s hip-hop choruses sung by cheerleaders, and drums up really really high in the mix. and harmonica. the drums /make/ this album -- if ever a song lulls, i'll just listen to the drums for a bit and get pulled back in. and, reportedly, it was recorded almost entirely with live instrumentation; little sampling etc to break the mood. so much fun. | |
| 01. the arcade fire - funeral |  |
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funeral is the second-most-hyped indie album of the year, behind franz ferdinand's self-titled release. unlike the latter, however, this album exceeds the hype, by far. the arcade fire hail from montreal, and are a large collective in the studio (up to 15 participants) and a smaller band when touring (6 people as far as i know). as a result, the album is very dense at times, and very intense. it deals largely with death (the band experienced the passing of over 9 family members and friends during its recording), but rather than a message of depression it carries one of hope. i'll not do it justice describing it further; listen to it and see. it took me a few listens to get into this album. at first, i thought it was good but not brilliant, but with each repeated listen i grew to like it more and more. so please, give it some time. stand-outs: neighbourhood #2 (laika), neighbourhood #3 (power out), wake up. |
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