top 15 of the year so far

yes! so i couldn’t just choose 10, because one way or another some great albums kept pushing their way into my very special list :p. so here goes, my top 15 albums of the year so far, in no particular order:- 

65daysofstatic – The Destruction Of Small Ideas
After being harbingers of electronic meets a post-hardcore form of post rock, 65daysofstatic seemed to cool down and instead make an album of solemn introspection; along with some noisier parts too ofcourse. Though initially i was a bit apprehensive because i missed the bombast of the heavy hitter The Fall Of Math it was upon a couple of further listens that the album grabbed me by the throat and made me take notice. Weaving imaginative guitar play within a myriad of instruments and a strong electronic backbone, 65daysofstatic have not only made a fantastic album with tonnes of originality, but they’ve also made one that sounds really good because of the dynamics of sound that they have not compromised upon.

Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
This album sees Bird treading more conventional music structures and a more contemporary sound, yet retaining a massive amount of his ’self’, so as not to fall into the many potholes that litter the intended career of a singer/songwriters. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the inclusion of the electric guitar as more than just another instrument, and the results are remarkable. With probably his strongest and most eclectic album to date, Bird incorporates his ‘whistles’ and brilliant wordplay to perfectly complement the varied musical arrangements.

Caspian – The Four Trees
For some, this may be a surprise inclusion; a post rock band that treats no new waters. Though I would find little to disagree with such a statement, I believe Caspian have mastered their craft magnificently. Luring a listener into a false sense of security before blasting their face right off with gargantuan waves of sound, only Caspian can do to such great effect. Are they boring? Hardly. Impressive dynamics litter the album and you’re never one step ahead of the music (as it with most instrumental post-rock acts). Its probably on my list because I love listening to it rather than for merit or originality.
 

Eluvium – Copia
Matthew Cooper = genius. After destroying us with beautiful cascading waves of electronic ambiance (with an album of first-take classical piano pieces also), he decides to merge the two together to create an album that is devastating in every sense of the word. Textures entwined with strings dipped in reverb to create an ethereal sound that gently pulls at ones heartstrings. Everything he touches turns to gold, and this is no different.

Do Make Say Think – You, You’re A History In Rust
I’m going to let the rather bland title slide by. 4 years since their last release, the wonderful yet at times infuriatingly annoying Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn, Do Make Say Think come up with some much needed epenephrin for the dying and now rightfully maligned post-rock genre. Recruiting Animal Collective (or Akron/Family, i’m afraid i can’t remember) to do vocals on one song and parts on others, they craft their normal pastoral post-rock but with much more abrasiveness (as witnessed on the noisy and beautiful The Universe), while channeling a distinct jam feel on others to bring the mood back down to Earth. Ultimately, this has to be one of the more imaginative post-rock albums i’ve heard in a while (oops, atleast till i laid my ears on the new 65daysofstic).

Feist – The Reminder
she’s hot, she’s got a fantastic voice that can tread sensuality and edginess at the same time and she’s a fantastic songwriter. Plus, she can make an awesome ‘danc-ey’ track.
 

Low – Drums and Guns
Before most people had heard the album, criticisms had already arisen regarding Low’s decision to maintain Dave Fridmann as a producer. How THEY were wrong. Drums and Guns is NOT the scattershot album that The Great Destroyerwas. This is an album of austerity as many Low fans would’ve wanted, but without Low slipping back into a sense of comfort. Though they’ve brought back the angelic dual vocal backbone of Sparkhawk and Parker, with Fridmann they’ve crafted an album that uses the guitar sparingly. Instead, reliance is on noise running through processors and beats and clicks, with the gorgeous vocals lying on top.
 

The Shins – Wincing The Night Away
Another band that’s decided to reign in and not go out trying to stick a foot into the arena rock puddle, and they’re better off for it. Though not as immediately accessible as their previous two albums, some of the songs on here are fantastic and warrant an album purchase (download), simply on the james mercer’s songwriting strengths.
 

Parts And Labour – Mapmaker
What is this!? Post-punk anthems drowned in noise and electronic noodling? What the fuck? Why does it sound so awesome? And what’s with the expansive drums? Wait, why are you beating the snare drum into oblivion? Why DOES this sound so fucking AWESOME?
 

The National – Boxer
Alligator was immensely underrated, a true gem that no one found. On Boxer, Matt Beninger and co decided to reign in the desire to go screaming out, crafting a laid back indie-rock masterpiece. Though the desire to hear a screamer like Mr. Novemberdoes initially arise, come the chorus of Slow Show where Benninger goes I wanna hurry home to you/Put on a slow dumb show for you/to crack you up you’ve forgotten that you feel the need for louder songs.
 

Blonde Redhead – 23
Shoegaze meets indie rock, nothing special right? But they’ve been doing it for a while! And they’ve managed to craft their own niche too! And look at the vocals, they’re so surreal and beautiful! You’d love to let her rip your insides out as long as she sings the chorus of 23. Seriously.
 

Maps – We Can Create
Electrogaze. Or, how about Shoetronica? Well, anyway, James Chapman crafts beautiful bedroom pop where he takes shoegaze and adds a bit of electronica ala Four Tet/Boards Of Canada. On top of that are his very lazy vocals, which can be infuriating but in all honesty they’re what works best with what he’s trying to achieve.

Menomena – Friend and Foe
I have very little to say about this album except that its three guys who share vocal duties, play a myriad of instruments, are immensely talented and make some marginally crazy experimental indie that just sounds so fucking amazing i feel like building a temple for them.
 

Calla – Strength In Numbers
Texans stuck (voluntarily) in New York. Maybe that’s where the morose mood comes from. Though they are solid musicians and songwriters, i personally believe their forte is atmosphere and their ability to not write proper “hooks” but to still capture the listeners attention with some very depressive vocal melodies. A very good band that have released an album which dates back to the likes of Televise and brings back the Calla that first took everyone by storm.
 

Efterklang – Under The Giant Trees
The album starts of with chimes and what i think is a glockenspiel, backed by mellow violins. In come the vocals over a lonely piano later joined by a frail guitar. Up next? Mighty horns! Though the album clocks in at a mere 29 minutes, the lush instrumentation treads from IDM-esque craziness to calming things down and letting chamber music take the forefront. Equally beautiful and bringing to mind Scandinavia’s heavenly landscapes, this Danish band has come up trumps with an album of exquisite music.

maps – we can create

some gorgeous tracks from the electronic/shoegaze beauty that is We Can Create, the work of bedroom artist James Chapman (Maps). all power to the bedroom!

BACK + FORTH

 

DON’T FEAR

stuff i’ve seen lately

listening to: Parts and Labour – Mapmaker

so, films i’ve seen recently: the fountain, y tu mama tambien, all quiet on the western front, letters from iwo jima, elephant man.

all quiet on the western front was the 1930 version, black and white. saw it after an age and i was immediately surprised by the violence, which was as raw as it is today, inciting a very visceral reaction. compare that with lots of humour and injections of anti-war philosophy and it was quite an interesting watch.

lynch’s elephant man is another movie which though departs from his normal visual surrealism, is still in black and white (even though it was made in 1980) and contains lynch’s trademark sullen atmosphere. a strong performance from hopkins essentially carries the film, though john hurt as the much maligned and massively deformed joseph merrick comes to the forefront near the end and the middle. unfortunately, despite the nature of the story, there are occasions in the film where you see lynch trying to incorporate a sense of sympathy within the viewer, something that is not really needed considering merrick’s story. as a result it tends to seem like a ploy and that’s hardly enticing. regardless of its many documented historical errors, it is still a good watch and should entail a read of merrick’s phenomenal life.

y tu mama tambien is utterly fantastic. cuaron is definitely a genius. two horny boys travel to a beach far away with a woman whose just dumped her cheating husband. a stunning look into friendship, sex, lust and ultimately life. even though it can be explicit at times, this should definitely be watched.

letters from iwo jima is the eastwood directed ’second part’ of his asia-pacific ww2 story, this time told from a japanese perspective. though it’ll undoubtedly be labelled either anti-war or pro-japanese or both, the movie is above all about how we’re essentially the same, and puts war’s very impersonal objective to the forefront. how can an act as personal as that of killing someone face to face be impersonal? you tell me.

and finally, the fountain. fuck. me. even though i’m an aranofsky fanboy, seeing some of the flak he’s gotten for the fountain worried me, but those worries were put to bed 15 minutes into the movie. not only is it a visual masterpiece, but i believe he’s pulled off the highly ambitious nature of the film to just about perfection. contrasting yet entwining the lives of three characters, set in the spanish inquisition, modern day, and the distant future, he’s managed to elicit tremendous performances from hugh jackman and rachel weisz.

the fountain has a myriad of interpretations that one can go through, and at its heart that’s what makes it a great film; its ability to attain a personal nature. basically, its about jackman and how he tries to save his wife’s life, and spend eternity with her. interspersed with this basic plotline is absolutely gorgeous imagery (thanks to a lot of macro-photography) and music by the brilliant clint mansell using kronos quartet and mogwai. its beautiful, rarely gets melodramatic and has a backbone of mayan culture, ala xibalba. i don’t know how much to give away and all, but its been a while i had my socks blown off the way they were by this movie.

is it hard to follow? not really, if you prescribe to ’suspended disbelief’. it is at its core a beautiful movie about love and our notions or mortality and immortality, of love and life. the writing is spot on, the visuals, the music, the acting; EVERYTHING. is it pretentious? no.

i’m really not good at knowing what to give away about a movie and what not, so i’ll just shut up and say that EVERYONE needs to watch the fountain.

NOW.