Yet Another Best of List

That's right it's that time of the year when everyone with a computer makes it known what their favorite things of the year are. Well I'm no different. The following is my list of my favorite 25 albums of the past year have been. You may notice there is no ranking, that's on purpose. I don't feel that a ranking is really helpful. I think all these albums are equally worth hearing, and also that none of them is necessarily better than the other. If that sounds like fence sitting to you I will have you know it's more do to a laziness/apathetic state of mind. Enjoy!

Miles Kurosky - The Desert of Shallow Effects
Do you remember that band Beulah? Operated from the late 90's until 2003, loosely connected to the Elephant 6 collective, and put out two fairly amazing albums (When Your Heartstrings Break & The Coast is Never Clear)? No? Well that's a shame. Not surprising, but a shame none the less. Anyway, Miles Kurosky was that bands lead singer/songwriter and this is his first solo album. It's kind of like a new Beulah album but somehow slightly better. If you haven't heard the song "An Apple for an Apple", rectify that mistake now and get to know the album better.

The Like - Release Me
The Like are a four piece throwback girl group, in the Ronettes, Shirelles, & Crystals sense of girl group. The album is highly catchy and does a great job of recreating the feel of said groups. Think of them as an U.S. version of The Pipettes if that helps. Highlights of the album include "Wishing He Was Dead", "He's Not a Boy", and "Catch Me if You Can".

MGMT - Congratulations
So you bought the first MGMT album, and thought it was an amazing work of electro-dance pop. Then you heard they had a new album coming out, and bought it off the strength of the first. Your expectations have officially been dashed. You and every other music critic who thought the group was joking when they said they were making a psychadellia infused record. If however like me you had no expectations for the album, you may have found yourself pleasantly surprised by the abrupt turn. The album is challenging, don't get me wrong, but it seems a lot of people wrote it off as too weird and difficult. Some great moments on the album include "Song for Dan Treacy", "Someone's Missing" and "Congratulations".

Robyn - Body Talk
Robyn came back this year with what I feel is the best pop album of the year, and possibly last few years. In order to get music out faster, she released three EPs over the past year, and then compiled, I assume, her favorite tracks from the three releases on to one album. If you listen to the track "Dancing on My Own" and aren't overwhelmed with a great desire, then you are truly lost. If there was a ranking to this list, this would be my number one pick. Other truly great moments include "Hang With Me", "Fembots", "You Should Know Better", and "Call Your Girlfriend".

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
If Fleet Foxes mated with a Grizzly Bear, the result might sound bit like this. They have the melodies, the harmonies, the mountain folk guitars, and mix in heavier and louder percussion section and slightly more straightforward hooks. It all combines to make a great sounding record perfect for long drives and days spent inside avoiding heavy rains. Highlights are "Airplanes", "Sun Hands", and "Stranger Thread".

Dr. Dog - Shame Shame
Every new album seems to find Dr. Dog with slicker sounding production, however on Shame Shame it they struck an even balance between their sounds. It suits them just fine allowing for some of their strongest song writing to date grow even stronger. Highlights include "Shadow People", "Later", and "Station".

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks
What's to say but that it's another great album by Ted Leo? It's a nice return after a three year silence. Hopefully it doesn't take another three years for another record. If it does, it will just give me more time to enjoy this one. Highlights are "Bottled in Cork", "Mourning in America", and "One Polaroid a Day".

Sleigh Bells - Treats
I don't know much about this group other than it's yet another boy/girl duo, and they sound amazing. There have been a lot of duos popping up lately and these two stick out more so than most. The music they make seems deceptively simple, which makes the music all the more interesting. For two people they make an awful lot of noise, thank science for that. Highlights are "Infinity Guitars", "Riot Rythm", "Rill Rill", and "Kids".

April Smith & the Great Picture Show - Songs for a Sinking Ship
The opening hand claps and foot stomps of this album can't prepare you for the amount of fun you are going to have over the course of 34 minutes. While there are a few slower numbers to help you catch your breath, don't let that stop you from having a good time. Part Connie Francis (the voice), a healthy dose of wit, some music hall and you have a pretty good idea of what lies in store for you. I can not recommend this enough. Highlights "Terrible Things", "I Can't Say No", "Colors", and "The One That got Away".

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Is it really a surprise to anyone that Arcade Fire released yet another great album? I think it will be a shock when they release a merely okay album. Soaring melodies? Check. Near universal subject matter? Check. Good sense not to over stay their welcome? Check. Highlights are "Ready to Start", "The Suburbs", and "Sprawl II".

Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
If someone had told me that surf rock would ever make a comeback, I would have called them a liar, an idiot, and an asshole. I mean why? Everything there was to do with surf rock had been done long ago. Then the past two years happened and suddenly it's back. True, it's not just straight surf rock. It's surf rock fused with many different elements, depending on which band you are talking about. In Surfer Bloods case, it's fused with a health dose of distortion and reverb. It might be my new favorite summer time record of all time, if only because it has a song about Twin Peaks. Highlights are "Swim", "Harmonix", "Fast Jabroni", and "Twin Peaks".

Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
Up until about September, I had never heard of Janell Monae. I saw her on some morning "news" show (the Today Show I think), and I admit slightly confused. Here was this tiny girl in a tux, with a horn of hair, and singing her heart out. After the performance was done I was kind of blown away. I then came across this album, and fell in love. Crafting a scfi opera with as many different styles as she could comfortably fit into one album. She is a musical chameleon, changing to fit the song. This would be impressive for a music veteran, and for it to be her first album... it is simply mind blowing. Highlights are "Locked Inside", "Cold War", "Tight Rope", and "Faster".

Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love
Yes, it's another Belle and Sebastian album. Yes, they continue to polish up their sound. Yes, it's good. Any questions? Highlights are "I Want the World to Stop", "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John", and "I'm Not Living In the Real World".

Donwill - Don Cusack in High Fidelity
What goes together better than rap and a concept album based on a John Cusack Movie? Not much apparently. I'm not an expert on all things rap. In fact I think my collection is maybe 20 albums strong out of 1,000. That's not very good. I guess that's why when a rap album hits me, I fall in total love with it. I can't speak for Donwill, but the amount of nerdy love that comes out of this album is amazing. That he felt so compelled to build a concept album to the plot of High Fidelity, is just awesome. There may be some nerd transference going on here. Highlights are "Laura's Song", "Championship Vynil", and "December 27th".

Vampire Weekend - Contra
Avoiding the superstitious like "sophomore slump" is something a lot of bands struggle with. I can think of few cases where the second album betters the first. Vampire Weekend came back strong with this one. Upping the afrobeat rhythms and autotune quotients make for some pretty high dividends. I have no idea what that last sentence even means. It's pretty great. Highlights are "White Sky", "Holiday", "Cousins", "Giving Up the Gun", and "Run".

Living Sisters - Love to Live
What do you get when you combine three of the loveliest voices in independent music today with a penchant for classic melodies and harmonies? Well it could be a lot of different things I suppose, but when it's Eleni Mandell, Inra George (The Bird and the Bee), and Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond) you get the Living Sisters. Drawing influences from acts like the Andrew Sisters and 40's - 50's music, they created an album that sounds completely out of place with the times. As if it's the greatest undiscovered gem from a bygone era. Taking turns writing and singing lead, the three came together to create a beautiful album. Highlights are "Ferris Wheel", "Blue", "Double Knots", and "(You Don't Know) How Glad I am".

The Bird and the Bee - Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates
Speaking of The Bird and the Bee, they followed 2009 up with a tribute album to Hall & Oates. As someone who was never a big fan of Hall & Oates, I have to say The Bird and the Bee made a believer out of me. Hearing them do fairly faithful covers made me reevaluate how strong the 80's titans were. They also contribute a great original, "I Heard it on the Radio", that could easily be a lost Hall & Oates track. Highlights are "I Heard it on the Radio", "Rich Girl", "Kiss is on My List", and "Private Eyes".

Cee Lo - The Lady Killer
With a single as catchy and inescapable as "Fuck You", Cee Lo had an awful lot to live up to. By and large he succeeds. While I wish he was rapping a little more than he is, I am fine with soul Cee Lo. Highlights are "Fuck You", "Wildflower", "Love Gun", and "It's OK".

Morning Benders - Big Echo
Making an album as lush sounding as this, while still sounding effortless is an accomplishment in itself. A big improvement over their last release, it's an album that goes perfect with a Sunday afternoon. Highlights are "Excuses", "Cold War", and "Sleeping In".

Chromeo - Business Casual
I was just about to wonder what had happened to Chromeo when this album came out. I see they were busy polishing up a new set of Chromeo-esque songs. I see to many people write them off as taking a joke too far, and it bothers me because this is obviously not a joke to them. 80's influenced dance funk pop of the highest caliber. Highlights include "Night by Night", "Hot Mess", "Don't Turn the Lights On", and "Grow Up".

Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea
This was one of the bigger shocks to me this year, mainly because her first album was "secretary rock" (not my term, but you get the idea). I had kind of wrote her off, and then I heard it. This is parts soul, R&B, and funk focused through her very real pain. Highlights are "I'd Do it All Again", "The Blackest Lily", and "I Would Like to Call it Beauty".

Sarah Jaffee - Suburban Nature
The first thing that really struck me with Sarah Jaffee was her voice. It comes at you with a strange duplicity, strong and achingly fragile. The album is a strong collection of country and folk tinged songs with some very haunting vocals. Highlights are "Before You Go", "Better than Nothing", "Pretender", and "Clementine".

Owen Pallett - Heartland
While I may not understand what he's talking about some of the time, Owen Pallett certainly knows how to make very pretty music. While I'm sure he's not the only one making this style of music, it's not really like anything else I've heard. The strongest album of his I've heard to date.

School of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire
If there was an award for most progress made in a single album with very little change to the overall sound of a band, it would go to this album. Not that I dislike their first album, I happen to like it very much. This, to me, seems to be the band finding it's footing and focusing on making some very tight synth/ guitar rock. Highlights include "I L U", "Heart is Strange", and "Dial".

Scissor Sisters - Night Work
If you have heard any of their previous work and didn't like it, then just move on. Nothing here is going to change your mind. This is simply another good album full of disco ass shaking goodness. Not to say that the band didn't try out some new tricks this time around. They used the 80's as a much bigger influence this time around (definitely some early Gary Numan at work here). Also more synthesizer, a lot less piano. Highlights are "Night Work", "Running Out", and
"Night Life".