At this time last year I felt overwhelmed making this list. This year not so much. These five albums are easily my favorite so far. I feel like a you can judge an album by how many times you can listen to it without getting tired of it. All of these are still on repeat.
- Conor Oberst: Upside Down Mountain - This is an easy pick for my number one record. Sure I'm biased, but Conor's at the top of his game with this one. He's back to personal song writing which is where he's at his best.
- Beck: Morning Phase - I'm not going to pretend that I'm a huge Beck fan. Until Morning Phase I hadn't listened to a full Beck album all the way through since Odelay. I hadn't listened to MP's older sibling Sea Change or anything else. Please don't judge me. All I have to say is that this album is damn good. It reminds me so much of Pink Floyd that I tried to turn down the volume on my TV so the album could accompany The Wizard of Oz.
- Angel Olsen: Burn Your Fire For No Witness - Angel Olsen has the best female voice in indie rock, you can quote me on that. This is lyrically my favorite album of the year. Adding a full band was a surprise and an upgrade from her last album.
- Jack White: Lazaretto - The dark lord is back with his second solo album, Lazaretto. I really liked Blunderbuss, but I felt that it lacked cohesiveness. It seemed all over the place. Lazaretto on the other hand flows from song to song without question of the songs place within the album. The title track rocks like no other song this year and "Would You Fight For My Love" makes me feel like I'm in a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western ready for a shootout. Jack White has taken the crown for America's best rock n' roller.
- Parquet Court: Sunbathing Animal - Brooklyn transplants Parquet Courts channeled their inner Lou Reed for Sunbathing Animal. The only comparison I could think of for this album is Transformer. It's that good. It also produced two of my favorite songs of the year, "Raw Milk" & "Dear Ramona".
Listen to Sea Change. I doubt you'll regret it. "Put your hands on the wheel/let the golden age begin" is a great line for a late-night summer drive. I know just the spot.
ReplyDeleteI hear some major Pavement coming through on those Parquet Courts songs. Without Malkmus's frantic (intelligent) stuff. Go read the Robert Christgau review (for Parquet Courts). You'll laugh when he calls it "drone rock." They make being in a band sound really easy. And fun. You down?