Again, it’s been a little while since my last post. Now that finals and papers are all done I can finally devote my attention to what has been garnering a great deal of attention all around the blog-o-sphere, year end best of lists.
29. New Young Pony Club – Fantastic Playroom
Sales of ice cream in the U.K. were in record numbers this summer due to the sweet dance/pop of New Young Pony Club. OK, so maybe I have no idea about the sales of ice cream products in the U.K. but if the people over there are aware of New Young Pony Club, they should immediately buy the album, and then get a hot fudge sundae, a sure fire way to bliss. Wait, it gets better, imagine the hot fudge sundae in one hand, CD in the other and now click here to watch the video for “Ice Cream”. Dance bands with attractive female keyboardists, singers and drummers can do no wrong in my book. Especially those keyboards, yowza.
New Young Pony Club – Ice Cream
28. Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero
One of the best surprises of the year, Trent Reznor is finally comfortable with all of his influences and is pushing the boundaries of his own music. No more do we get empty angst and mindless E-string riffs, we get a fully thought out and programmed concept album. The arsenal of sounds that Reznor uses are hit and miss, but when they hit, you better be in a military bunker a mile underground.
27. Au Revoir Simone – The Bird of Music
This is the perfect album for a Sunday morning or sitting by the fireplace watching the snow come down. The three part harmonies, keyboard melodies and heartfelt lyrics combine for a rapturous effect that will lower your heart rate, in a good way. Like I said earlier, if a band has one female keyboardist, they can’t go wrong, if they have three, can world domination be far behind?
Au Revoir Simone – Night Majestic
26. !!! (Chk Chk Chk) – Myth Takes
This is a monster of a dance album, a little darker than their previous work, !!! offer up their hypnotic rhythms in a variety of songs. All the quirky dance songs are still here, but what shoots them into the stratosphere are song like “Must Be The Moon”, where they take all they learned from grooves, raps, and builds and put it together into one monster track. If people have hips that are able to move side to side and they have functioning eardrums the must dance when they hear this song.
!!! (Chk Chk Chk) – Must Be The Moon
25. Calvin Harris – I Created Disco
If “Myth Takes” is about dancing till you completely lose it, then Calvin Harris is about being the coy wallflower that the girls can’t get enough of. Calvin Harris exudes a seemingly effortless cool that echoes his surprisingly simple song structures that despite being repetitive, are always entertaining. Whether it’s reminiscing about an era that you barely remember or going to Vegas, listening to this album is almost as good as actually getting all the girls. Almost.
24. The Broken West – I Can’t Go On I’ll Go On
The title of the album is misleading, there’s never a doubt from the opening salvo of “On The Bubble” that the album will ever beak down or be subject to paralyzing melancholy. It shoots forth, full blast full of pure of indie rock songs that are as catchy as they are poignant. They’ll get you on the third and fourth listens. Especially the heartbreaking “You Can Build an Island”. My favorite track is “Big City” for it’s piano groove, the lines “We Think We’re going somewhere but we’re really spinning out of control”, and of course what I like to call the “Car Commercial” part around 2:31. Seriously, why hasn’t this been licensed yet?
23. Billy Harvey – Bearsick
I usually dislike acoustic rock by sensitive singer songwriter types just because their accessibility and vague lyrics results in a lot of bro doofs and stephanies mindlessly blaring Jack Johnson at a frat barbecue. Billy Harvey is not such frat fodder, his clever word play, unconventional production and honest voice make him stand above the rest. There’s such an earnest quality to his songs, even when you can tell what the next verse is going to be, it’s still endearing.
Billy Harvey – When I Say Go
22. The Minor Canon – No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
If there is a grower on my year end list it’s Minor Canon’s No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. I had the chance to get acquainted with this album on a few long drives at night over the summer. The rich instrumentation creates a soothing world somewhere between easy listening and damn good songwriting. Quiet enough so that it makes good background noise to keep you awake, but as you go on listening you find yourself enthralled with the masterfully constructed lyrics. I dare you to listen to the album and not come away feeling validated and a little inspired.
21. Greg Summerlin – All Done in Good Time
Greg Summerlin’s latest album has some shockingly bouncy and upbeat singles about being unfortunate in relationships. Now wait a minute, upbeat? Bouncy? Relationships gone bad? That’s a recipe for not only musical genius, but also for AZLTRON to absolutely love it! You get the sense that even if Greg Summerlin was trapped in one of those constricting rooms with spikes on the walls he would find some way to escape through pure optimism. I think his happy thoughts would melt down the gears and reshape the room into neon colored ballroom where you and your friends could have the ultimate dance party.
Greg Summerlin – Unlucky In Love
20. Maximo Park – Our Earthly Pleasures
Maximo Park’s second album shines with all of the class, intelligence and raw energy of their debut while still exploring a few new musical avenues. like the synth loop driven “Our Velocity”, but don’t worry there’s the same introspective anthems present that we’ve come to expect of Paul Smith and company. A shining example is the Marr influenced “Books From Boxes” that is at once hypnotizing and heartbreakingly beautiful. The song is truly cinematic. When Smith sings “The rain explodes at the moment the cab door closed” not only can you imagine it brilliantly but you feel the chill of that rainy day run down your spine.
