#20. Band Of Horses – Cease To Begin
A haunting album both literally (several songs mention ghosts) and figuratively (it boasts the best break-up song of the year, “No One’s Gonna Love You”), Cease To Begin benefits from Band of Horses recent line-up change that put South Carolina’s Ben Bridwell firmly in the driver’s seat and allowing him to temper the band’s swirling indie-rock with a little more Southern gothic twang.
Key Tracks: “Is There A Ghost” “No One’s Gonna Love You” “The General Specific”
#19. Shout Out Louds – Our Ill Wills
Lead singer Adam Olenius’ yelping vocals certainly sound very familiar, which leads most people to make a hasty comparison between S.O.L. and the Cure. Vocals aside, the Cure’s tired shtick can’t hold a candle to the percussive, driving sound of this album. The bright, pop-oriented production counterbalances the dark themes of the lyrics, creating the aural equivalent of drinking a black-and-tan.
Key Tracks: “Parents Livingroom” “You Are Dreaming” “Impossible”
#18. Jackpot – Moonbreath
Local favorites (Sacramento) make my list for the third album in a row. Sonically, Moonbreath genre-hops between deadpan, Bowie-esque swagger (“Chemical Reaction”), Belle & Sebastian style chamber pop (“Tongue Tied”), and the alt-country and blues pastiches that are their specialty. An entire disc’s worth of hidden “bonus” material, far from being throwaways that didn’t make the final cut, actually strengthen the album’s overall appeal, especially the acoustic lament “Womanly Slippers.”
Key Tracks: Noted above, along with the love-it-or-hate-it “Vital Signs” (I love it).
#17. Jason Isbell – Sirens Of The Ditch
A member of the Drive-By Truckers from 2001 to 2007, Isbell wrote some of the band’s strongest material of that era (check out “Outfits” or the title track from 2003’s Decoration Day). As a solo artist, Isbell tones down the Skynyrd-style raunch of his former band to craft a more intimate, singer-songwriter sound. Imagine if Paul Westerberg had been born in down in Dixie.
Key Tracks: “Down In A Hole” “Dress Blues” “The Devil Is My Running Mate”
#16 Kaiser Chiefs – Yours Truly, Angry Mob
The Chiefs avoid the sophomore slump by toning down the jangly pianos and dance-rock synths of their debut, and exchanging them for cranked-up guitars. They have kept the jittery, quadruple-espresso energy and pub singalong lyrics.
Key Tracks: “Ruby” “The Angry Mob” “Retirement”
#15 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Baby 81”
A band that began as a better-than-average Jesus And Mary Chain knock-off came close to permanently imploding before roaring back to life with 2005’s semi-acoustic, gospel & blues-tinged Howl, recorded as a duo. The follow-up has the band back at full capacity, and combines the roots-rock song structures of Howl with the electric, hornet’s nest buzz of their first two albums.
Key Tracks: “Berlin” “Cold Wind” “666 Conducer”
#14 Wilco – “Sky Blue Sky”
A solid return to form after the aggressivley anti-melodic A Ghost Is Born. Jeff Tweedy has remembered to write actual songs here, and treats recently-joined guitarist Nels Cline like a new toy, spraying his jazzy licks all over the tracks like a drunk with a garden hose. The songs sport a mature, confident sound, reminiscent of “Rolling Thunder”-era Dylan.
Key Tracks: “Impossible Germany” “You Are My Face” “What Light”
#13 Vietnam – “Vietnam”
Sounding like a tripped-out bar band through a haze of cough syrup, New York quartet Vietnam reel off their tales of losers and junkies to an audience they seem to believe is not really listening. Their loose, sometimes lazy, melodies are punched up with deft touches of brass and keyboard, but the guitars are the stars here.
Key Tracks: “Step On Inside” “Priest, Poet & The Pig” “Mr. Goldfinger”
#12 The Hives – “The Black And White Album”
As much as I like the Hives, I have to admit that their earlier albums tended to run out of gas before they were over. Not that they lacked energy (the Hives have no shortage of that), but the songs would begin to sound the same. Finally, with this album, they have crafted a batch of songs that are unique (and even experimental) from track to track without sacrificing their trademark sound.
Key Tracks: “Tick Tick Boom” “T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.” “Well Allright”
#11 Against Me! – “New Wave”
Normally I enjoy politics in my music about as much as heavy cream in my screwdriver, but activist-minded Against Me! have managed to slip in their messages about the state of the world with enough subtlety so that it doesn’t weigh the album down into a pedantic lecture course. Long-time fans (I am not one) have cried “sell-out” due to this album’s toned-down agenda and hi-fi production…but people who cry “sell-out” tend to be no goddam fun. Continue reading
Holy Bee of Ephesus 