hearsay

10. rosebuds – birds make good neighbors
built around the sweet tragedy of love, birds make good neighbors shows ivan howard and kelly crisp developing their musical craft alongside their own marriage. “hold hands and fight” is a bold and honest opening framing an album that argues that love may be shaken, but not destroyed.

09. wolf parade – apologies to the queen mary
an early interview that is recounted on sub pop’s website claims that wolf parade was formed from apathy. if that is true, then it is surely a testament to isaac brock as a producer. the fruit of their recording sessions, apologies to the queen mary, shows a band full of energy exploring often untouched themes in a way that feels the result of a band more focused than ever.

08. goldspot – tally of the yes men
one could put off the inclusion of goldspot on my list as local bias, which i will not deny probably has some impact on it being here. nevertheless, tally of the yes men is an incredible construction of pop melodies that, unfortunately, flew under the radar. though i think that the way the album approaches the ‘office life’ subject matter is somewhat forced, and that the connections to traditional indian music are minor and subdued; every track on the album is an accomplishment of songwriting, and the result is a solid album that deserves attention.

07. the national – alligator
had it not been for a tour with media magnets, clap your hands say yeah, i think this album would have would have gone unnoticed. for me it was strange to find a band well into their carrer that have been holed up close to my own neighborhood in brooklyn only after moving away. backed by heavy, driving drums, and anchored by matt berninger’s deep vocals, alligator is an album that exhudes masculinity, while constructing something uniquely beautiful.

06. rogue wave – descended like vultures
for me, there were two big achievements for rogue wave in their second album. first, the quality of production has enhanced their sound in a way that has made it more engaging and enjoyable. but more significantly, the colaboration of the entire band had resulted in tighter, stronger songwriting. descended like vultures was a surprising listen coming from a band that had formerly been put off as a shins offshoot, but instead showed themselves coming into their own.

05. wilderness – wilderness
wilderness’ self-titled debut was one of the big surprises for me this year. with heavy, swarming guitars and drums throughout, the music simultaneously felt like it was culled from 80s new wave and some power-metal. but any sense of familiarity with the sound was lost as soon as james johnson’s vocals kick in, belting away like he was channeling spirits to conjure a spell in a way that would make peter jackson giddy. i have not yet grasped the depth of the lyrics, which seem to be politically minded, but that only gives me more to sink my teeth into as i continue to listen.

04. spoon – gimme fiction
one would have thought that spoon had peaked back in 2001 with girls can tell, but somehow with each successive release they refine and build on their sound in order to out-do themselves. so far, i have yet to meet a spoon fan who does not agree that this is their best release to date. this consensus stems from the fact that spoon has not only written some of their best songs on gimme fiction, but also have carefully constructed a cohesive and engaging album that flows from start to finish. and though the rock tracks of the album are immediately accessible, the songwriting is based around minimal, daring melodies such as “i turn my camera on,” which one-ups earlier tracks such as “paper tiger” in developing a full and distinct sound from an incredibly understated melody.

03. bloc party – silent alarm
perhaps the ultimate “buzz band” of the year, bloc party’s debut justified the steady flow of press that had followed the band from their years as the union. the album explodes from the start, but shows surprising musical and lyrical depth throughout, with subtle political commentaries such as “pioneers” and “plans” as well as off-kilter compositions like “compliments.” the songs have an approachable catchiness that draws you in to listen for more subtle touches. it was also impressive that the album showcased so much new material rather than simply repackaging material from 3 ep’s released last year. luckily for the american audience, one of their best tracks, “little thoughts,” was added for the u.s. release.

02. iron & wine + calexico – he lays in the reins
i had to think twice about including this on my list since it is technically an ep, but i just can’t think of anything that came out this year as impressive or exciting as this colaboration. hopefully as a result, each band has grown individually, but i also hope that this is only the first of many such colaborations.

01. clap your hands say yeah – s/t
a year after (or into) the arcade fire’s suprise success, music media and listeners are quick to argue over which band is “the next one,” following suit in a wave of hype-fueled musical shock and awe. while i find such conversations to be superflous, i do think that, much as the arcade fire changed the musical landscape last year, clap your hands say yeah have made a similarly strong and surprising impact on the music world this year by circumventing normal distribution processes through their now notorious self-released and word-of-internet marketed debut.

but behind the inspired ‘underdog’ story is an incredibly well written and performed album that has come out of the brilliant persona of alec ounsworth. in an album that is similultaneously catchy and awkward, that brings up countless correlations to the work of others while being a unique and individual piece of songwriting; there is something that is thoroughly enjoyable and affecting to be found.