tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
The album with the highest percentage of vital tracks this year. If I had to pick a favorite, I’d pick five (at least). Merrill Garbus not only builds killer grooves, but always dares to go there lyrically, on what may be the most political record of the year.
St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
Another album full of great songs. One through six are impeccable, and it doesn’t fall off too much after that. St. Vincent’s career arc has followed a similar path to TV on the Radio’s: a promising, if uneven, first album; a second album on which their earlier success allowed them to really go for it, inching toward (relatively) broader popularity and gathering critical acclaim; and a third album where it all comes together, the best qualities of the first two synthesized into a masterpiece.
Skeletons - PEOPLE
As I mentioned in the notes to my favorite songs playlist, Skeletons are something of a sentimental favorite. There were maybe a few other albums that I enjoyed listening to more than this one, but I can’t help but recognize this as the greatest achievement in Skeletons’ catalog so far. Possibly the only rival to tUnE-yArDs for “most overtly political lyrics on an album,” Skeletons here marry weary tales of our always-in-crisis 21st century America with the forward thinking blend of rock, jazz, world music, and avant-garde composition they’ve spent their previous two albums honing. While the dour nature of the political tracks, particularly the bold opener “L’il Rich,” threaten to make the record kind of a drag, the album is sequenced to provide some lighter moments after the heavier ones (as when “More Than the One Thing,” probably the album’s catchiest and most accessible song, follows “L’il Rich”). Another highlight is “Wal-Mart and the Ghost of Jimmy Damour,” an anti-consumerist ode to the Wal-Mart employee trampled to death on Black Friday in 2008. My personal favorite, and the song I would call my #1 of the year, was “Barack Obama Blues,” whose title alone could serve as an accurate summation of the past two years of American politics, but which also packs one of the year’s best grooves into it’s 8+ minute running time. As most of this album was written a few years ago (founder & songwriter Matt Mehlan has stated it was originally intended as a companion to 2008’s Money), its commentary on police brutality, consumerism run amok, and the left’s disillusionment with Obama looks surprisingly prescient in light of Occupy Wall Street.
As I mentioned in the notes to my favorite songs playlist, Skeletons are something of a sentimental favorite. There were maybe a few other albums that I enjoyed listening to more than this one, but I can’t help but recognize this as the greatest achievement in Skeletons’ catalog so far. Possibly the only rival to tUnE-yArDs for “most overtly political lyrics on an album,” Skeletons here marry weary tales of our always-in-crisis 21st century America with the forward thinking blend of rock, jazz, world music, and avant-garde composition they’ve spent their previous two albums honing. While the dour nature of the political tracks, particularly the bold opener “L’il Rich,” threaten to make the record kind of a drag, the album is sequenced to provide some lighter moments after the heavier ones (as when “More Than the One Thing,” probably the album’s catchiest and most accessible song, follows “L’il Rich”). Another highlight is “Wal-Mart and the Ghost of Jimmy Damour,” an anti-consumerist ode to the Wal-Mart employee trampled to death on Black Friday in 2008. My personal favorite, and the song I would call my #1 of the year, was “Barack Obama Blues,” whose title alone could serve as an accurate summation of the past two years of American politics, but which also packs one of the year’s best grooves into it’s 8+ minute running time. As most of this album was written a few years ago (founder & songwriter Matt Mehlan has stated it was originally intended as a companion to 2008’s Money), its commentary on police brutality, consumerism run amok, and the left’s disillusionment with Obama looks surprisingly prescient in light of Occupy Wall Street.
WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
Those looking for a group of wild young European men upon whom to heap praise would do better to look to WU LYF than Iceage. Based purely on marketing and packaging, the preference some have for Iceage makes sense. Where Iceage’s sound and image are ramshackle, unruly, and stupid (they’ve been known to throw out straight-armed Nazi salutes), WU LYF’s every move seems slick and designed to sell. See the video for “Dirt,” which could be a riot-chic sneaker commercial, or the rumors that they’re managed by a former ad wizard for McDonald’s. If you’re able to get past that authenticity trap, Go Tell Fire to the Mountain hits an anthemic British sweet spot in a way I haven’t heard since The Decline of British Sea Power. Their sound and popularity (in the UK, at least) suggest that their future will likely be one of bloat and decline, but for now they’re young and vital, with the most apocalyptically huge rock record of the year.
(Runner Up, apocalyptically huge rock record category: Dreamers of the Ghetto, Enemy/Lover. Some midwestern weirdos dress like its Thunderdome and imagine the decline of civilization via Dick, Ballard, “Born to Run”, & Who’s Next (I think the comparisons to U2 are off the mark). You know how in the 80s movies would always have a scene where someone has to go into an “underground” rock club where some weird band is playing and it’s all supposed to look super dangerous but actually doesn’t? Dreamers of the Ghetto would be perfect for one of those scenes, and I mean that in the best possible way. Look for them in the movie version of Mockingjay or something.)
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