10) Los Campesinos! - Romance is Boring
It absolutely pains me that more people weren't in attendance for Los Campesinos!' May gig at First Avenue to hear them rip through their latest collection of expertly crafted vulgarity. Despite containing song titles that make Panic at the Disco seem sensical, Romance is Boring is a giant leap forward for the [non-Welsh] Welsh residents, combining accessible hooks, infectious gang vocals and a hearty sense of togetherness. And if you're looking for someone new to follow on Twitter, check out frontman Gareth Campesinos!. You'll only understand 1 in every 25 tweets, but oh is that 4% sweet. (Label: Arts & Crafts)
Seems like this was a banner year for Russian-themed band names (see: Colder in Moscow, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin). The best of this non-related batch is Communist Daughter (although naming credit belongs to Neutral Milk Hotel). Despite a distinct lack of verve in their live performances, Communist Daughter put together one helluva record that's best suited for sunny outdoor listening. It's hard to believe that a guy who looks like a cross between Ebbot Lundberg & Snuffleupagus could have such a soothing, blissful voice, but frontman Johnny Solomon has just that. (Label: Grain Belt Records)8) Sleigh Bells - Treats
If you're listening to this on an iPod, you're doing it wrong. The most deliciously loud album of the year is best suited for the non-mp3 medium, whether it be your Bose speaker system or my factory component-rich Nissan Altima. Yeah, I'll admit that much of the record sounds similar, and usually that's an issue for me, but not this time around. I'm really hoping that Sleigh Bells won't fall into that one-and-done category, because Treats is just a sampling of what this noise-rock duo has to offer. (Label: Mom & Pop Records)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
It's pretty remarkable that after 7 albums with Andre 3000, Outkast's less-stylish half just finally released his solo debut this year. Somehow, it was worth the wait. Big Boi's unique management of the English language, together with cleverly paying tribute to the PM Dawns of the world on one of the top singles of the year (Shutterbugg) finally makes it official; He is now 78% forgiven for Who's Your Caddy? (Label: Def Jam Records)
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6) The National - High Violet
Every year, there's a couple-second clip in a song which totally makes the album for me. On High Violet, that distinction belongs to the 2:45 mark in Bloodbuzz Ohio. A perfectly executed, seemingly simplistic drum fill ties together the entire record for me; it creates a bridge between two distinctly different aspects of an overall cohesive album: Matt Berninger's melancholy baritone and an underlying sense of pop accessibility. And every well-thought out record needs to have a stellar closing; Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks is exactly that. It's easily the best closing track of the year. Justin Townes Earle would've taken this honor w/ Rogers Park, but he had to go ahead and throw in the unnecessary Harlem River Blues Reprise. (Label: 4AD)
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5) Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
Leading off with the epic World Sick, Forgiveness Rock Record really made me realize how much I've missed BSS the past five years. One of the things that's always intrigued me about these Canadians is their ability to compose an entire record in which you feel like you're listening to 7 different bands (that may have something to do with the revolving cast of 165 musicians that seem to contribute to each record). I'm pretty sure that if you played Six Degrees of Broken Social Scene, you could connect frontmen Kevin Drew & Brendan Canning to Greg Evigan & that Bobcat Goldthwait-voiced bunny from Unhappily Ever After. (Label: Arts & Crafts)
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4) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
We all know the history. We all know Kanye still can't take a joke. Frankly, though, none of that should matter to us anymore. Boasting a who's who list of hip [and/or hop] collaborators, Kanye gives us his best album since his groundbreaking debut, The College Dropout. There are so many things to love about this album; Nicki Minaj's furious minute-and-a-half rap in the middle of Monster, Kanye pushing the limits of modern production, Justin Vernon somehow fitting in. I still think the guy is a monster tool, but at this point, Taylor Swift needs to voluntarily give up her mic. (Label: Roc-A-Fella Records)
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3) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
There are very few words I hate more when describing an album than "ambitious," but that adjective is the only word that does Halcyon Digest justice. Coming off a killer opening set for Spoon at the mainroom this past April where they debuted some of their new material, Deerhunter released Halcyon Digest, a perfectly complete collection with a distinct beginning and end, something we don't hear enough of in modern music. Defying genre pigeonholes in a totally non-Kid Cudi kinda way, this album is flat out mesmerizing. And the cover art is freaking creepy. (Label: 4AD)
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2) Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
We can never get through a year without being introduced to a handful of bands who, no matter how popular with the listening public, seem to be loathed by critics (see Mumford & Sons). Local Natives fit into this same mold, making some local bloggers pass this off as Boring Yuppie Music (sorry Josh at Reviler). I'll admit, Local Natives is an awful band name...the album, though, not so much. I'm a sucker for untraditional percussion, and Gorilla Manor features some progressive and driving rhythms throughout. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for Boring Yuppie Music. (Label: Frenchkiss Records)
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1) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
In their fairly short existence, Arcade Fire have topped my year-end list twice, shattered my face in concert and [most recently] given us one of the coolest interactive music videos in years. Spanning 16 songs over more than an hour, their most recent effort has converted Arcade Fire from indie's next wave to bona-fide superstars. Hell, The Suburbs has even been nominated for an Album of the Year Grammy. Although considering Katy Perry is also nominated for the top prize in music, maybe I shouldn't get so excited quite yet. This may not be Arcade Fire's career masterpiece, but it foreshadows that these Canadian masters of thematic aural-imagery have a ton more in store for their fans. (Label: Merge Records)
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HONORABLE MENTIONS
Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love
Beach House - Teen Dream
Justin Townes Earler - Harlem River Blues
Jonsi - Go
Dan Mangan - Nice Nice Very Nice
