There Is No Enemy
Built To Spill
2009 taught me to never completely write bands off. Several of my favorite albums this year were released by acts that, this time a year ago, I was convinced had little redeeming value. Built To Spill were one of these groups and they showed me how wrong I was with There Is No Enemy. By paring down their sound to just the basics of jangling guitar, a strong rhythm section and ruthlessly catchy melodies, Built To Spill saved themselves from “overwrought guitar noodle-fest” land. “Aisle 13” and “Hindsight” provide the initial kick, before the album’s longer tracks take over. The subdued, mid-tempo sound of “Oh Yeah” and “Things Fall Apart” is something I could see myself becoming a huge fan of over time. Hopefully, Built To Spill will keep releasing music this well-crafted and steer clear of those monstrous guitar solos for a bit longer.
[original review]
#14
xx
The xx
I turned twenty-one this year. Conventional wisdom tells me I’m now entering the best years of my life. However, I also have to wonder what exactly I’m doing with my life. After all, this is also the year I saw a twenty-year-old pitcher beat my Seattle Mariners and the xx, a band of young English kids all younger than myself, release a beautiful, restrained and thoroughly complete debut album. While most people their (or, perhaps, “my?”) age record debuts full of raucous energy and angst, the xx shocked the world by recording mysterious, fragile songs, so totally at odds with what culture tells us “youth” is all about. The single “Crystalised” isn’t just their best song; it might as well be their mission statement. Stark, minimal and more than just a little romantic, the xx proved that English youth can do more with music than just rip off the Libertines.
[original review]
#13
The Eternal
Sonic Youth
Speaking of youth, how about Sonic Youth, who are, in fact, driven by a core of musicians who are now all in their fifties. Although their most volatile days are long behind them, Sonic Youth have been one of the few steady constants in music since the 1980s, mostly because they actually change their sound every few albums. After the relatively tepid Rather Ripped in 2006, the band turned things around for The Eternal, unleashing a cataclysmic wall of gritty guitar and shrieking noise, all carefully disguising some very sweet melodies. The exquisite “Antenna” may steal a chord progression or two from King Crimson, but it’s still one of the most beautiful and expressive songs the band has ever recorded. Plus, it’s nice to be reminded that Sonic Youth can still rock, as heard on “Anti-Orgasm”, “What We Know” and “No Way”. The band may be getting older, but you really can’t hear it at all in their music. They’re still more than willing to melt your face off with guitars.
[original review]
#12
Two Dancers
Wild Beasts
As British indie rock gets increasingly formulaic, predictable and just plain bad, bands like Wild Beasts should be treasured. Two Dancers, as an album, is essentially one huge creative risk, combining Hayden Thorpe’s effervescent falsetto with unorthodox percussion (bongos are a main instrument) and fey, wispy guitar melodies. Reinventing glam for our gentler, indie-oriented age, Wild Beasts’ music does so many things rock isn’t supposed to do. The band seems to play in some parallel musical universe, where the overt masculinity of most guitar music has been sucked away, leaving an elegant, stately, yet propulsive sound in its wake. There simply aren’t many bands that sound like this running around these days. However, based on the strength of Two Dancers, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few more start popping up in future years.
[original review]
#11
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
Unwieldy name or not, there’s no way around the fact that the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are absolutely adorable. Sunny, exuberant and virtually exploding with energy, it’s impossible not to get swept up in the waves of positive energy that radiate out from their songs. Then, once you’ve cracked through that joyous surface layer of their music, you’re rewarded with surprisingly detailed lyrics, tackling the usual themes of young love and romance from all kinds of entertaining angles (just check out the library-lust of “Young Adult Friction”). In many ways, the Pains are just the latest link in a chain of bands that can be traced back to Belle & Sebastian, the Smiths and beyond, but for at least one album, they’ve proven that they deserve a spot next to all those other great purveyors of geek-love anthems.
[original review]
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