2017 Favorite Albums (Numbers 20-11)

Continuing my countdown, and getting close to the top:

20.  Cymbals - Light In Your Mind

Downsizing from a quartet to now a duo, Cymbals' third record Light In Your Mind is a record that dwells on breakups, betrayals, grief, and decay.  Needless to say, it is much more muted affair than the dance-floor ready tracks on their last LP The Age of Fracture.  While these songs won't readily make you grab your dancing shoes, they will certainly linger long in gorgeous contemplation.





19.  Bjork - Utopia

Bjork self-described this album as her "Tinder record," and while the thought of her on a dating app is rather hysterical, it does lend some insight into what to expect.  Far removed from the dark, introspection of Vulnicura, Utopia finds Bjork, if not necessarily in love, in love with the idea of love.  And this translates into some amazingly intricate, hopeful love songs.





18.  Tove Lo - BLUE LIPS (lady wood phase II)

Tove Lo is the undisputed queen of debaucherous pop songs.  This collection finds her deep in the throes of excess and self-gratification, and making no apology for it.







17.  Everything Everything - A Fever Dream

The world gets crazier and crazier, and Manchester quartet Everything Everything's albums follow suit, with their latest A Fever Dream no exception.  Hyper-manic, paranoid, surreal songscapes punctuate this album, putting one at edge, but never to the point of collapse.  I want to say there is a bright light at the end of this album, that there is hope, but in these times, that might be a luxury we are not privy to.




16.  The Horrors - V

Hard to believe this band started out as an almost schlocky retro-60s garage rock act that has since transformed into a post-rock, krautrock, shoegazing powerhouse.   V, their fifth record, doesn't leap out at you at first, as The Horrors' days of constant reinvention has slowed down.  instead, it is like the perfect distillation of their past strengths into something unifying and brilliant.





15.  Spoon - Hot Thoughts

Spoon is at that stage in their career where they don't really have anything left to prove.  They could continue to release versions of Kill the Moonlight or Gimme Fiction, and no one would mind.  Of course, the band minds, and they continue to stray outside the lines of what makes them "Spoon."  Hot Thoughts finds the band funkier and groovier, with lots of chugging riffs and slinky bass lines.  There is also more reliance on electronics, which add to the allure of these songs rather than detract.




14.  Run the Jewels - Run The Jewels 3

I will never make a claim that I get or understand hip-hop and what makes someone's flow better than another's.  I just like to be engaged and usually form my opinion off of the beats themselves.  The beats here are impressively dense and mind-blowing.  And Killer Mike and El-P effortless flow over them, feeling more focused, energetic, and pissed off than ever before.





13.  Sylvan Esso - What Now

If it's not broken don't fix it.  Sylvan Esso heed that warning on their fun, sparkling sophomore album.  More catchy, folktronica tracks that engage the mind and shake the booty.








12.  Drake - More Love

Drake's "playlist" More Life shows more guts and talent than anything off his last commercial release VIEWS, which was a tone-deaf, glutted mess.  The various songs on this release are loose, engaging, and teeming with creativity.    "Passionfruit" is so off the cuff, it sounds like he just started singing over some Garageband presets; and it sounds fantastic.   More of this please, Drake!





11.  SZA - ctrl

2017 was the year for amazing R&B albums from female artists.  But even saying just R&B is too limiting with the artists who appear on my list this year.  SZA certainly makes some lovely R&B tracks, but that neglects her forays into confessional singer-songwriter territory, hip-hop, alt-rock, pop, and electronica.  And throughout it all, ctrl never sounds like a mish-mash.  Her vision is singular, and awe inspiring.

Jam of the Day: Spoon - "Can I Sit Next to You?"

I am loving this new, funkier sound that Spoon is going for on their latest singles. This new one hits a minimal groove early, but the song quietly morphs into something more complex. This makes me super excited for their upcoming record.

Jam of the Day: Spoon - "Hot Thoughts"

Delightfully quirky track from Spoon's upcoming new record. Orchestral flourishes punctuate this swaggering dance-rock track.

Videos of the Week

Happy Friday everyone, here are my favorite videos this week:



Sinister and dark clip from Scottish band The Twilight Sad.



Ryn Weaver roams through Victorian mansions in this decadent clip.



The gorgeous Lianne La Havas dances alone in this simple, yet effective, clip.



Amazing, interactive video from genre boundary pushing artist Squarepusher.



Britt Daniel of Spoon plays the passive observer to these set pieces in this beautifully shot clip.



Cinematic clip for this sultry Röyksopp track.



Whimsical clip from Fur Voice that recalls the best work of Michel Gondry.

My Favorite 25 Albums of 2014: 5-1

And here are my Top 5 Albums of 2014. Here is hoping for an even better 2015.

5.

Spoon - They Want My Soul

If anyone had told me I would have a Spoon record in my top albums, let alone my Top 5, I would have called them crazy. Not that I have anything against the men in Spoon, I just never thought of them more than just above-average indie rock. Of course, before then, I hadn't heard They Want My Soul. When I heard the blisteringly catchy first single "Do You," I was instantly hooked. A summer jam to be end all summer jams, "Do You" had the right amount of sass, hookiness, and summer weariness to be on constant repeat. What I truly wasn't prepared for was the stylistic breadth of the tracks on They Want My Soul. Spoon moves effortlessly through silky future R&B ("Inside Out"), barn-burning alt-rock ("They Want My Soul"), sparkly new wave ("New York Kiss"), and barroom jams ("Rainy Taxi") without skipping a beat. Each track melts into the next, creating a beautiful collection of tracks that not only wants your soul, but feeds it.

4.

Tinashe - Aquarius

With the perfect mix of Beyonce's confidence, Rihanna's sass, and Aalyiah's sleek sexuality, Tinashe appeared on the scene with her wondrous record Aquarius which is hands down the best R&B record you will hear all year. Whether she is slinking around her hot single "2 On," going to head to toe with rapper A$AP Rocky on "Pretend," strutting around "All Hands On Deck," or showing her quiet side on the breathtaking ballad "Bated Breath," Tinashe shows that she has a vision and will stick to it on her terms. Of all the R&B records I listened to this year, Aquarius is the only one that consistently found itself on repeat. It is sure to beguile you as much as it did me.

3.

Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots

It's hard to believe that in his storied career, Blur frontman Damon Albarn has yet to put out an official solo release. Everyday Robots finds Albarn in a very melancholy mood, ruminating on his past as well as our society's current fixation with technology and the loneliness that it can perpetuate. Working with Richard Russell, the boss of XL Recordings who worked with Damon on Bobby Womack's album, The Bravest Man In The Universe, Albarn keeps a limited palate on these twelve tracks, mostly using glitchy drum machines, piano, strings, and subtle electronics. Every so often, there are glimpses of light and joy, but in his later years, Albarn is more in a reflective mood, casting greys and blacks through a foggy haze. Everyday Robots is that perfect rainy day record that you can sink into the couch and let its quiet power take over.

2.

Interpol - El Pintor

Although Interpol has pretty much been given short shrift since their sophomore record Antics, I have always had a soft spot for them, finding some great music in Our Love to Admire and Interpol, which was my top record of 2010. So when people mentioned that El Pintor was a comeback and major return to form, I was sitting back thinking, for me, they never really went anywhere. El Pintor is the first Interpol record without original bassist Carlos D, and it will be noted that his melodic bass lines are somewhat missed, however, you also notice that for the first time in awhile, Interpol sounds looser and freer than they have in a long time. El Pintor is an exceptionally strong record with a bevy of singles, each of which shines in its own right. We have your typical barn burners like "All the Rage Back Home," "Anywhere," and "Ancient Ways," alongside the brooding and swooning numbers like "Everything Is Wrong," "My Blue Supreme," and "My Desire." It all culminates in two sweeping tracks, the pounding "Tidal Wave," and epic "Twice as Hard." El Pintor is not a comeback, it is a statement of purpose.

1.

The Twilight Sad - Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave

After their phenomenal debut record, the shoegaze masterpiece Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters, The Twilight Sad couldn't quite figure out what to do with their sound. They stalled a bit with second record Forget The Night Ahead which, while a solid release, felt like they were a bit on cruise control. And left field change up No One Can Ever Know, eschewed guitars almost entirely for a robotic synth sheen that felt like a little kid trying on their older brother's clothes. With their latest record, Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave, The Twilight Sad live up to the promise of their debut. Mixing their shoegaze roar with just enough electronics, these ten tracks pulse and throb with energy and purpose, coming across as the perfect overview to their career to date. From the driving and potent single "Last January," to the roaring centerpiece "In Nowheres," the band takes full control of the journey, and when you get to the final, haunting track "Sometimes I Wished I Could Fall Asleep," you know you have been at the hands of masters. Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave is the year's best record.

Favorite Songs of 2014: Numbers 25-1

25.  Aphex Twin - "Minipops 67 (Source Field Mix)"

Not so much a return to form as a reminder that Aphex Twin was so far ahead of anyone else in the electronic music field that it took this long for people to catch up. And still, he pushes the envelope even farther.



24.  Warpaint - "Teese"

The one word that constantly came to mind when listening to Warpaint's sophomore record was liquid. Every song sounded like it moved underneath layers of calm waters. "Teese" is the aural equivalent of immersing oneself in a warm bath under the stars, with only the sounds of your heart and breath to keep you comfortable.



23.  Neneh Cherry - "Blank Project"

Roaring back after an absence of 18 years, Neneh Cherry came back as if no time had passed. "Blank Project" is one of the many standouts on the album of the same name, with the music growing from a steady buzz and pulse into something nearing anarchy, with Ms. Cherry standing in front of the chaos, always and sublimely in control.



22.  Dawn Golden - "All I Want (Nudist Remix)"

I usually don't pick remixes of songs on best of lists, preferring to choose the original version of a track to something that is essentially someone else's vision. With Dawn Golden, their single "All I Want" is a perfectly enjoyable Coldplay-esque track that I can see being used in 10,000 movie trailers and key movie moments. It just ever really jumps ahead into a "must hear" track for me. Nudist's remix, however, takes the song and gently tweaks it, making it more lonely and more longing, and has made it that "must hear" song for me. He really makes you hear the desperate longing that is missing from the original by merely warping the vocals, adding verse repetition, and the heart wrenching piano, creating a haunting classic.



21.  Capital Cities - "One Minute More"

This festival ready sing-a-long is one of those songs that makes you want to dance and not think about a damn thing.



20.  We Were Evergreen - "Daughters"

Melancholy electro-pop from the French trio We Were Evergreen. I love the wistful interplay between the dual vocalists.



19.  Hercules and Love Affair ft. John Grant - "Liberty"

I always like Hercules and Love Affair more when they are slamming you hard on the dance floor. With the urgent vocals of singer John Grant, "Liberty" leaves you gasping for breath.



18.  Róisín Murphy - "Ancora Tu"

From her EP of Ital-disco tracks Mi Senti, Róisín Murphy's track "Ancora Tu" is a gorgeous, minimalist song that focuses on her amazingly emotive voice. While I have no idea what she is singing about, you get every emotional cue from her impeccable delivery.



17.  Lykke Li - "Gunshot"

Lykke Li's "Gunshot" begins with Li's delicate voice and muted backing before erupting into a stunning anthem. I could have put almost any track from her impeccable album I Never Learn on this list, but I kept coming back to this one, its haunting melody a siren's call.



16.  Interpol - "All The Rage Back Home"

El Pintor had almost too many singles to consider in making my list, however, I have always had a soft spot for the opening track whose humble beginnings masks a prototypical Interpol barn burner.



15.  Klo. - "False Calls"

Where pop, R&B, electronica, and hip-hop all collide in this modern world, Aussie duo Klo. mesmerize with this dreamy track.



14.  Sia - "Eye of the Needle"

One of the simpler tracks on her record 1000 Forms of Fear, Sia's "Eye of the Needle" is breathtaking in how she maintains such control over her voice, but that she lets flaws come through at the end. The beauty to me is always in the flaws.



13.  Blonde Redhead - "Penultimo"

Quirky art-pop from Blonde Redhead. I love how the awkward male and female vocals twist and turn around each other in slow dance, their perceptions of place changed by time and distance. An evocative tale of how music was once so dangerous and threatening and now has become something pale and timid.



12.  Tinashe - "The Leap"

Although I easily could have picked a number of tracks from her stunning debut Aquarius, I chose her track from the Mockingjay soundtrack. I love her expressive voice matched against the moody, textural background of the music.



11.  Cathedrals - "Unbound"

Achingly beautiful track from San Francisco duo Cathedrals which mixes delicate guitar work, impassioned vocals, and a buzzy electronic undercurrent.



10.  Lorde - "Yellow Flicker Beat"

Lorde's talent keeps growing with this track that is all about mood, and the build and release.



9.  Oyinda - "Rush of You"

London-based, Nigerian-born singer Oyinda singer's "Rush of You" is a fairly minimal alt-R&B track that hits all the right marks for me. Her subtle voice is the key to this track, as it equates love to a drug addiction, with the withdrawals giving her false hope that her lover will come back. The end of the track is simply the voices in her head clipped and chopped into another instrument as the feelings wash over her.



8.  Manatee Commune ft. Marina Price - "White Smoke"

Gorgeous chillwave from Seattle bedroom producer Grant Eadie, a.k.a. Manatee Commune, featuring luminous vocals from Marina Price. The track is deceptively simple, yet the layers and layers of sound he builds are intoxicating and transcendent.



7.  Kindness - "This Is Not About Us"

There is a ramshackle charm to this track that is infectious. I love how each element is so distinctive, as if created in a vacuum separate from the others, then by some found method are aligned to each other in harmony.



6.  FKA twigs - "Pendulum"

"Pendulum" is the haunting centerpiece to FKA twigs' astonishingly assured debut record LP1. How she can use her soft voice to create a hold over you without the music overtaking her is astounding. And who hasn't been in the situation where you love your partner more than they love you, and you feel helpless watching them slip away. She nails it with the lyrics "So lonely trying to be yours/When you're looking for so much more."



5.  Arca - "Held Apart"

Venezuelan producer Alejandro Ghersi, better known as Arca, is best known for his technical virtuosity, and his ability to twist machine sounds into completely new directions. His work with Kanye West, FKA twigs, and on his early EPs is staggeringly complex and ahead of its time. When selecting a track from his masterful debut Xen, I could have chosen a number of tracks that highlighted this side of this work. But Arca is more than everything but the kitchen sink showing off, there is talent, drive, and purpose with what he does. And never more does he shine brighter than on the heartbreaking treated piano track "Held Apart." This my friends, is looking into the eyes of god.



4.  Wild Beasts - "A Dog's Life"

As they move towards being almost the electronic version of later period Talk Talk, Wild Beasts allow their innate understanding of mood, texture, and emotion to dictate where their songs head. This gut-wrenching tale of a dog's death is the perfect example from their brilliant record Present Tense, reaching an apex of almost unbearable sadness that floods one with memory and regret.



3.  Spoon - "Do You"

I have never included an album or song from Spoon in any of my lists before. I am sure I never truly gave them the attention they deserve, and for that I apologize. Their hooky as hell single "Do You" just kept gnawing at me like a hunger all summer, never shaking it from my head. It is just one of those perfect pop songs.



2.  Damon Albarn - "Everyday Robots"

"Everyday Robots" is the lonely and haunting title track from Damon Albarn's first solo record. Albarn's voice is front and center over the lurching rhythm, African samples, strings, and plaintive piano, lamenting a world where personal interaction has been reduced to the sidelines.



1.  Totemo - "Host"

I can't really provide a concrete reason for why this song has intrigued me so. It has basically been on repeat ad nauseum for months. The song is so textural, you can get lost for days in its many layers, finding new sounds and feelings with each listen. Thematically, "Host" is definitely up for multiple interpretations, for me though, it feels like a spirit taking possession of a person, feeling them fighting against them. The music plays along like a horror film, with eerie creeks and noises echoing all around, adding to a sense of haunted loss.

Videos of the Week

It has been a rough re-entry back into the real world after the wedding and Bear Week; these videos made it better:



Post-apocalyptic video from alt-rockers Spoon.



Post-apocalyptic appears to be a theme this week, with another setting taking place in this Lykke Li clip.



Moody clip from SZA which is slightly NSFW.



Segways and pogo sticks feature in this heist clip from UK pop-house producer Duke Dumont.



Stylish clip from buzz band Merchandise.



Sleek, digital animation highlights this clip for RL Grime's bass heavy track.



Watch a sinister dance rivalry unfold in this clip from Magic Hands.



Stunning and striking clip from Alt-J focuses on a man running through the forest with his body riddled with arrows.

Video: Spoon - "Do You"

Post-apocalyptic video from Spoon for their masterful new single.

Jam of the Day: Spoon - "Do You"

Who would have thought Spoon would be throwing down my Summer Jam? "Do You" is a hooky masterpiece of a single and gnaws on my bones like a starving dog. Instant classic. This song is so good, it may just end up at the top of my singles' list this year.

White Rabbits: Milk Famous - Album Review

White Rabbits
Milk Famous
Rating: Meh

White Rabbits, it seems, will always be in the shadow of Spoon. Britt Daniel handled production duties on 2009's It's Frightening, and led the band into almost sounding like a carbon copy. While I found that album to be a merely decent record anchored by one brilliant single ("Percussion Gun"), there were enough elements there for the band to forge their own unique musical statement. With their latest record Milk Famous, they are still haunted by the spectre of Spoon over the entire record. Of course, when you bring in Mike McCarthy (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Gimme Fiction) as producer, it is not so much inevitable, but most likely a pre-planned idea to sound like them. There are several songs on this record that come straight from the Spoon playbook, lots of barroom pianos, heavily multi-tracked vocals, and an over reliance on everything but the kitchen sink atmospheric excess. When White Rabbits adheres too closely to this template, they sound at best like a Spoon cover band, and at worst, like toadying also-rans. However, when they lean just a little but outside that shadow, their own sound begins to emerge and those tracks stand out so much more than the Spoon-influenced tracks.

Tracks like the new wave influenced "Temporary" and "Are You Free" with their nervous, pent-up guitars and driving rhythms form a tight centerpiece to the record, and is where the record actually takes off from the leaden platform that is the beginning of the album.



Lead track and single "Heavy Metal" is another exception, with its clattering, battering ram of guitars, slightly funky bass, and swirling electronics, Stephen Patterson's vocals a coiled whisper.



"Back For More" draws from the same pool, smearing the guitars with thick reverb, creating a atmosphere of loneliness and desperation.



But too often, the band fades into the background of their own tracks. While impeccably produced and performed, there doesn't seem to be much life in the songs. Honestly, there were several occasions it was very difficult to tell it was not Spoon. "I'm Not Me" even feels like a leftover track from the sessions of their last album.



Tracks like "Hold On To The Fire" and "It's Frightening" suffer from lack of momentum. And for a band with dual drummers, they should never be accused of such. And other songs, just rely on too many elements going on in the background and not focusing on melody or directness, which gets very frustrating while listening to the record. And unlike their last album, there is no one song like "Percussion Gun" that really stands out as a killer single and a "White Rabbits"' song. After many listens, Milk Famous becomes a record that is pleasant to listen to, but not overly memorable, the majority of tracks fading away. The disappointing thing about this record is that the band really has the chops to do what they do well; they just need to break free of their Spoon connections and forge something more distinctive. Honestly, there is really nothing wrong with this record, it just doesn't stand out in a very crowded field.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.