In no particular order (except for when I think of them):
Sufjan Stevens -- All Delighted People EP
Until Friday, when my favorite project/genre/state-hopping singer/songwriter/storyteller/composer announced that he would be releasing a brand new full length album entitled The Age of Adz in October, I was confused as to why Stevens referred to this completely-out-of-nowhere album as an EP; it's 60 minutes long (most EPs are less than 30 minutes) and it's pretty dense (and excellent, I might add). Then, upon the aforementioned full-length announcement, I realized that this is more of a prelude to that full-length. Regardless, upon first excitedly listening to this album all the way through, sitting on my bed under the covers, laptop fulfilling its namesake (by sitting on my lap), Sennheiser headphones covering my ears... I was totally blown away. Fans of his hadn't had new recorded SONGS from him since 2006, when he released Illinois outtakes and a Christmas boxset. This was much-needed. Sufjan's voice is braver, but also more panicked. His orchestrations are more erratic and adventurous. His palette has expanded, now encompassing 70s prog, blues and psychedelia (although he had hinted at these colors previously, here they form the primary bases at several points). Of course, he also plays his old low-key-acoustic-whisper and haunting-piano-ballad cards, but this time around the cards are new and improved, breaking out in subtle but noticeable ways (whether using strange chord progressions, strange melodies, or even just drenching his vocals in reverb/delay). Throughout the entire "EP," powerful but ambiguous emotions take root and threaten to explode (at some times doing so with the energy of an atomic bomb, and with far more frequency than ever in his previous work), from the nails-on-chalkboard Psycho-esque ending of the title track to the several chanted climaxes of set-closer "Djohariah," which seems to be a heartfelt ode to his little sister and her troubles in life... in the form of an 18-minute Pink Floyd-inspired jam, choirs and brass invited. Perhaps my opinion of this album can be best represented by telling you what I did right after finishing listening to it for the first time: I went back to the beginning and listened to again, all the way through. Considering this is probably just a hint of what's to come, maybe even the leftovers to hold us over... I'm ecstatic for what's to come. Album of the year? I'm betting on it.
Okay, I can't talk that much about the rest of these albums...
The Knife -- Silent Shout
2006 was the year I started paying attention to indie music (ie, reading Pitchfork). At that point, evilly-catchy/catchily-evil electro-pop didn't sound appealing to me. Now it's my the perfect antiodte for summer boredom. So yes, I'm a little bit late to the game of realizing how awesome The Knife's 2006 LP is (especially this song; I cannot help but dance a little when I hear it). I don't really dance. When I do, it's more just bobbing around at the concerts of bands I really like, or bobbing around in front of my computer or while I'm driving or playing an instrument or something. I'm always really excited when I find dance music this inventive that actually makes me want to bob around unashamedly.
The Arcade Fire -- The Suburbs
My putting this album on this list might be a little bit misleading. Although I've been a pretty big fan of The Arcade Fire for several years... this is definitely my least favorite album by them. While most critics and fans have been adoring it, I find the great majority of it to be incredibly boring. Maybe it's the several songs that can be described as "moderate tempo, folky, major-key, four-chord shuffles," or the fact that the instrumentation this time around is profoundly unadventurous and low-key, or how Win Butler keeps repeating the same little slogans (ie, "the kids"), or just how incredibly PRETENTIOUS the whole thing is, from the album title to the tracklisting (ah yes, two-part songs (actually just two different songs that happen to have the same name). Regardless of my criticism for it, The Suburbs does have its high points. "The Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" is a fun song, and I thoroughly enjoy "Ready to Start," "Empty Room," and "Month of May." Beyond that... most of it is just pretty damn mediocre to my ears; not enough over-the-top bombast for my Arcade Fire taste. And while they've tended to take themselves a bit too seriously for awhile now, at least on Funeral they sounded like they had fun writing the songs.
Yeasayer -- Odd Blood
Okay, I've only really been listening to a handful of songs from this album ("Madder Red" is my current favorite)... but I have a feeling the rest of it is about to grow on me. And that handful of songs is really interesting. The production on it reminds me a bit of Paul Simon's Graceland without just doing the whole indie-hipster-world-music-crossover thing (*coughvampireweekendcough*). They write fun pop-rock songs, and then make them really cool. The whole thing is very 80s-esque somehow. It's hard to explain. Again, haven't listened too much, need to listen more. Just take my word for it and listen yourself.
Broken Social Scene -- Forgiveness Rock Record
Broken Social Scene has been one of those bands for me where I remember a couple of songs, and I know the rest are good... they just don't stick in my head. They're always pleasant to listen, but I don't go to them very often. They're like that guy/girl you're not really friends with, but you have friends that know them pretty well, and they're always fun to hang out with, but you know you just don't care enough to actually "become friends" with them (On second thought... I don't think I actually know anyone like that. Maybe I do. I don't know. I'm too sleepy to think about this.). With this album, Broken Social Scene got rid of the excess members and sonic space-hoarders, slimming down to the core members and streamlining their sound. The result speaks for itself. This was a triumph. I'm making a note here: huge success. It's hard to overstate my satisfaction. Aperture Scie--er, the album is really good. I remember more songs. The album is easier to listen to all the way through without forgetting that you're listening to an album. You're no longer wincing trying to figure what instruments are playing where/when in that mess of musicians fighting for breathing room in the mix. It's more song-based rather than sonic-journey-through-a-low-budget-museum based. Take a listen for yourself. "Forced to Love" is my favorite track.
~ * ~
Okay, I need to go to sleep. I woke up at 5:50 this morning about, and it was about 2:00am before I finally got to sleep before that I think. So I'm a bit sleep deprived. BUT I'M IN BELLINGHAM. Today is a good day, because I am no longer in the old-people-colony that is Sequim.
--Jon
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