15. Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog Sam Beam has really been on a roll recently, coming off of the two excellent EPs, In the Reins (with Calexico) and Woman King. The new LP builds on the magic of those two EPs, taking the intensity of Woman King and utilizing the musicianship of Reins. "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" tricks the listener at first into thinking that this will be another low-fi campfire affair with the bearded singer, but once the drums and piano kick in, it becomes abundantly clear that this is a fuller, more mature affair. The tracks that follow create a more diverse sound than anything Beam has put out before, from the trippy pagan-folk of "White Tooth Man" to the "I didn't know that wanted to do it to Iron and Wine" funk of "Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog." On "Innocent Bones," Beam even busts out the leis and limbo poles for a nice calypso jam, complete with enough ratchet to satisfy even the most stubborn land-lubber. The brilliant lines don't come as frequently as on a Will Oldham or John Darnielle affair, but it's nice to see that Iron and Wine has finally broken through to new musical territory. Perhaps one day Beam will even be able to put that whole Garden State thing behind him.
Key Tracks: "Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog)," "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car," "White Tooth Man," "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"
13. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
A Pitchfork whom I'm too lazy to cite once noted that once Silver Jews released American Water, they became no longer Stephen Malkmus's side project, but instead the ruler by which further Pavement releases would be measured. This is the same relationship which Spencer Krug experiences between Wolf Parade, his significantly more famous band, and Sunset Rubdown, his significantly better band. Shut Up I Am Dreaming proved that Krug was the driving force behind Wolf Parade's more experimental tendencies, but it did not separate itself from the pack in the same way that Random Spirit Lover does. Spirit is a dense, difficult, indulgent work, though it proves to be more and more rewarding with each listen. Song such as "The Mending of the Gown" display Krug's prowess on the keys, while still showing his impeccable sense of songcraft. Sunset Rubdown songs require a certain inquisitiveness of the listener, as he never has a clue as to what might come next. While unorthodox and completely modern, Rubdown creates the most epic and expansive pop music of anybody in the Canadian -- or, with the exception of Animal Collective, American -- music scene.
Key Tracks: "Trumpet, Trumpet, Toot! Toot!," For the Pier (And Dead Shimmering)," "The Taming of the Hands that Came Back to Life"
12. Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
Les Savy Fav hadn't come out with an album since 2001's hit-and-miss Go Forth, and then they dropped this bomb on the world. Let's Stay Friends shows no signs of weariness or slowing down, but also adds a reflectiveness not present in the band's younger days. "Pots and Pans," the opener, seems to be an autobiographical tale about a loud, obnoxious band who most people hate but some people think are awesome. Sounds pretty accurate. They've gotten rid of all the disco/synth elements which held Go Forth back so much, and replaced them with a newly energized rock sound which hasn't been matched since the Emor EP. First single, "The Equestrian," finds Tim Harrington shredding his vocal chords above agit-punk accompaniment, only to bring it all in for a terrific blast of a chorus. The following track, "The Year Before the Year 2000," shows that Harrington can do more that just scream, turning in the catchiest chorus of album and closing things out with a delightful fist-pumping chance. If "Pots and Pans" proves a newfound maturity, "Rage in the Plague Age" shows that the band still remembers what it was like to be young and to have a good time. The ode to youthful debauchery delivers the Les Savy Fav's life credo: "Pull up the drawbridge/Draw down the blinds/Everyone inside is getting high tonight/Waiting for the plague to move one/Nobody's getting sober til the liquor's all gone!" Drink accordingly.
Key Tracks: "Rage in the Plague Age," "Patty Lee," "Year Before the Year 2000," "Scotchguard the Credit Card"
11. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
Most comeback albums either feature a bunch of old farts trying to recreate "that old magic" and failing miserably, or trying something new to prove that they were doing something during all those lost years. Fortunately, Beyond demonstrates neither of these qualities, as there is absolutely nothing on this record that Dinosaur Jr. haven't already done, and it thus sounds like the logical successor to their classic 1989 Bug. Sure, J. Mascis may be a fat, white-haired casualty of years of smoking his brains out, but I'll be damned if he can't still wail on the guitar and deliver the most endearingly sincere vocals of any of his contemporaries. Lead singles, "Almost Ready," and "Been There all the Time," display in full form the freewheeling rock and roll of previous gems like "In a Jar" or "Tarpit." Lou Barlow and Murph still make up a fantastic rhythm section with Murph's tight -- if not predictable -- fills and Lou's "it may look like a bass but I'm gonna play this son of a bitch like a guitar" approach. The most exciting aspect of the album, though, is that, possibly as a result of that pot smoking, Mascis is still in the exact same emotional state as he was in 1989. "We're Not Alone" might be the band's most heart-wrenching song to date, but it still features the uplifting chorus line, "I wanted you to say that you'd be around, like you are now." With that simple line, Mascis seems to apologize completely for all those years of feuding with Barlow, and now that they're together again it's obvious how much of a shame it is that this didn't happen sooner.
Key Tracks: "We're Not Alone," "This is all I Came to Do," "Been There all the Time."
Key Tracks: "Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog)," "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car," "White Tooth Man," "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"
14. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
When I was but a wee tot, my friend Thomas Jefferson told me that all men are created equal. I doubted this when I first saw Michael Jordan play basketball, and now that I've witnessed Andrew Bird, I know that ole' TJ was full of baloney. I will never be as smart, talented, or good looking as Andrew Bird. I will never be able to write an entire song which features palindromic lyrics. I will never be able to play the violin and xylophone at the same time. I will never be able to whistle into registers only audible by canines. Most importantly, though, I will never be capable of writing as perfect a chorus as "Plasticities." While in his previous work Andrew Bird made clear his prodigiousness and his sense of melody, never has he combined these two elements as much as on Apocrypha. Hell, I'll be honest, I don't know what half of the song titles mean on this album, but I'll be damned if Bird doesn't create beauty out of an unreasonable IQ. You know a great album when you can't think of a logical step forward for the artist, and that is the exact feeling the listener gets when listening to this work.
Key Tracks: "Plasticities," "Heretics," "Scythian Empires"
Key Tracks: "Plasticities," "Heretics," "Scythian Empires"
13. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit LoverA Pitchfork whom I'm too lazy to cite once noted that once Silver Jews released American Water, they became no longer Stephen Malkmus's side project, but instead the ruler by which further Pavement releases would be measured. This is the same relationship which Spencer Krug experiences between Wolf Parade, his significantly more famous band, and Sunset Rubdown, his significantly better band. Shut Up I Am Dreaming proved that Krug was the driving force behind Wolf Parade's more experimental tendencies, but it did not separate itself from the pack in the same way that Random Spirit Lover does. Spirit is a dense, difficult, indulgent work, though it proves to be more and more rewarding with each listen. Song such as "The Mending of the Gown" display Krug's prowess on the keys, while still showing his impeccable sense of songcraft. Sunset Rubdown songs require a certain inquisitiveness of the listener, as he never has a clue as to what might come next. While unorthodox and completely modern, Rubdown creates the most epic and expansive pop music of anybody in the Canadian -- or, with the exception of Animal Collective, American -- music scene.
Key Tracks: "Trumpet, Trumpet, Toot! Toot!," For the Pier (And Dead Shimmering)," "The Taming of the Hands that Came Back to Life"
12. Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay FriendsLes Savy Fav hadn't come out with an album since 2001's hit-and-miss Go Forth, and then they dropped this bomb on the world. Let's Stay Friends shows no signs of weariness or slowing down, but also adds a reflectiveness not present in the band's younger days. "Pots and Pans," the opener, seems to be an autobiographical tale about a loud, obnoxious band who most people hate but some people think are awesome. Sounds pretty accurate. They've gotten rid of all the disco/synth elements which held Go Forth back so much, and replaced them with a newly energized rock sound which hasn't been matched since the Emor EP. First single, "The Equestrian," finds Tim Harrington shredding his vocal chords above agit-punk accompaniment, only to bring it all in for a terrific blast of a chorus. The following track, "The Year Before the Year 2000," shows that Harrington can do more that just scream, turning in the catchiest chorus of album and closing things out with a delightful fist-pumping chance. If "Pots and Pans" proves a newfound maturity, "Rage in the Plague Age" shows that the band still remembers what it was like to be young and to have a good time. The ode to youthful debauchery delivers the Les Savy Fav's life credo: "Pull up the drawbridge/Draw down the blinds/Everyone inside is getting high tonight/Waiting for the plague to move one/Nobody's getting sober til the liquor's all gone!" Drink accordingly.
Key Tracks: "Rage in the Plague Age," "Patty Lee," "Year Before the Year 2000," "Scotchguard the Credit Card"
11. Dinosaur Jr. - BeyondMost comeback albums either feature a bunch of old farts trying to recreate "that old magic" and failing miserably, or trying something new to prove that they were doing something during all those lost years. Fortunately, Beyond demonstrates neither of these qualities, as there is absolutely nothing on this record that Dinosaur Jr. haven't already done, and it thus sounds like the logical successor to their classic 1989 Bug. Sure, J. Mascis may be a fat, white-haired casualty of years of smoking his brains out, but I'll be damned if he can't still wail on the guitar and deliver the most endearingly sincere vocals of any of his contemporaries. Lead singles, "Almost Ready," and "Been There all the Time," display in full form the freewheeling rock and roll of previous gems like "In a Jar" or "Tarpit." Lou Barlow and Murph still make up a fantastic rhythm section with Murph's tight -- if not predictable -- fills and Lou's "it may look like a bass but I'm gonna play this son of a bitch like a guitar" approach. The most exciting aspect of the album, though, is that, possibly as a result of that pot smoking, Mascis is still in the exact same emotional state as he was in 1989. "We're Not Alone" might be the band's most heart-wrenching song to date, but it still features the uplifting chorus line, "I wanted you to say that you'd be around, like you are now." With that simple line, Mascis seems to apologize completely for all those years of feuding with Barlow, and now that they're together again it's obvious how much of a shame it is that this didn't happen sooner.
Key Tracks: "We're Not Alone," "This is all I Came to Do," "Been There all the Time."
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