CHRIS MINCHER
1. The Thrills, Teenager (15)
"The Midnight Choir" by The Thrills
- Christopher Bahn
- Andy Battaglia
- Aaron Burgess
- Andrew Earles
- Scott Gordon
- Marc Hawthorne
- Jason Heller
- Steven Hyden
- Trevor Kelley
- Genevieve Koski
- Gregg Lagambina
- Michaelangelo Matos
- Chris Mincher
- Josh Modell
- Noel Murray
- Sean O'Neal
- Keith Phipps
- Nathan Rabin
- Kyle Ryan
Great albums have two basic parts: a general idea that sticks with you and coaxes out sentiments you don't readily exhibit, and fantastically catchy and memorable songs of the sing-along variety. The Thrills accomplish both with Teenager, which harps to a theme that every person on the planet can relate to: the sad nostalgia of recollecting lost youth. Who doesn't think back to (and wish to recapture) the bizarre freedom of adolescence, when responsibility was at a minimum and life was fueled by optimistic idealism? The Thrills aren't the first to use that as inspiration, of course, but the sentiment comes through clearly with briskly upbeat tracks mixed with yearning, melancholy ballads, given a piercingly frail sheen by Conor Deasy's vocals. Teenager isn't depressing or moody, but it will have you solemnly lost in your own fond memories even while humming along to its brightest pop songs.
2. Vusi Mahlasela, Guiding Star (14)
"Pata Pata" by Vusi Mahlasela
Indie-rock snobs hear the phrase "world music" and immediately tune out. How miserable for them, then, that they'll never be touched by the magic of South Africa's most celebrated songwriter, Vusi Mahlasela, or Guiding Star, a sadly shimmering masterpiece that speaks to humanity rather than nationality. Guiding Star rigidly adheres to this global vision, reaching into the homes and rural farms—in which all the songs were recorded—of South Africa and around the world to find a common expression that rings with fierce honesty and infuses with a warming sense of community. On that level, trying to place the songs in one category or another embarrassingly misses the point; yes, there are tinges of Afro-pop and world folk, but whether the songs are sung in English or Zulu doesn't matter in the place that Mahlasela's grippingly expressive voice takes you. Don't let a Dave Matthews cameo be enough to turn you off to music that really matters.
3. Radiohead, In Rainbows (13)
Radiohead has already established itself as one of the most important bands of the past 15 years, a legacy drawn from their heroic shattering and rebuilding of their identity for each new album. But, by 2003's Hail To The Thief, it seemed unlikely the group had enough raw material left to create something totally new—at some point, they'd have to step on their own toes. How fantastically unexpected, then, is In Rainbows, which finds uncharted territory for the band not so much in instrumentation or song structure, but in sheer attitude. In Rainbows is a romantic Radiohead, an accessible Radiohead, a Radiohead that sounds like a full band. It's a personal Radiohead, a soul-baring Radiohead, a clear and straightforward Radiohead. It's a collection of songs rather than some big, sweeping, conceptual vision, a big-hearted expression of emotion that is instantly more human than any of the group's previous records. Which makes it, stunningly, a bigger achievement than anything the band has done to date.
4. LCD Soundsystem, Sound Of Silver (12)
James Murphy's Sound Of Silver is an unquestioned masterpiece of such magnitude, it's been hard for music reviewers this year to explain it. Instead, we've gotten Bowie comparisons (both made cohesive, genre-fusing dance-music albums) and Velvet Underground comparisons (always a go-to if anything is simultaneously groundbreaking and amusing) and God knows what else, but it's all easily summed up quite plainly: Murphy is an extraordinary songwriter who can make you laugh, cry, dance, swoon, and feel whatever else people listen to music to feel. Sound Of Silver, at some point or another, does all of those things, making classification worthless; it's almost this living and breathing entity you'll want to hang out with time and time again.
5. Devon Sproule, Keep Your Silver Shined (11)
"Eloise And Alex" by Devon Sproule
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The impression of today's folk scene being dominated by aging, 60s-worshipping coffeehouse-circuit snoozers may or may not be accurate, but, either way, 24-year-old singer-songwriter Devon Sproule is pushing out the old guard and trying her damnedest to make the scene feel relevant again. And, thankfully, not in the politically charged hippie way: Keep Your Silver Shined lets the folk of yesteryear be and focuses on very real emotions and attitudes, creating something bold, energetic, articulate, and, ultimately, joyous. While generally sticking to the standard instrumentation of the genre, Sproule creates something completely independent of the atmospheric blah of her peers. Loose, likeable, and infectiously upbeat about life, Keep Your Silver Shined is a perky pick-me-up of rich songwriting.
6. Iron And Wine, The Shepherd's Dog (10)
If your style of music is hushed, melancholy, rhythmic finger-picking, you can often say more with less—the sparseness of the production creates an inescapable atmosphere unto itself. But it's kind of obvious and, well, easy. Which is what makes The Shepherd's Dog such an accomplishment: Using a wide array of instrumentation and an entire palette of sonic colors, Sam Beam paints that same mood in an infinitely more detailed (and, ultimately, powerful) way. It's a sharper vision, as the structured layering of his whispered vocals and majestic production ground the somber songs in a communal foundation; it is also, however, soaringly imaginative in its creepy, dreamlike abstraction. It's not too difficult to get breathy with a solo guitar before a one-track recorder in the basement and sound eerily solemn; the more you add, the more opportunity you have to mess it all up, but The Shepherd's Dog finds an intricately perfect balance.
7. Super Furry Animals, Hey Venus! (9)
Speaking of concept albums, the best thing the Super Furry Animals did during the making of Hey Venus! was to ditch the idea of making it one. The result: one of the best straight-up power-pop albums in years. (There's something to be said about a band that, after 15 years, manages to make their eighth album the one that provides the best introduction.) In the Super Furry Animals' distinctly weird universe, Hey Venus! is a dance circle of songs, in which each cheerfully bright tune shimmies to the center for a couple of minutes and does a little solo hoedown while the other songs smile and twirl around it.
8. Nine Inch Nails, Year Zero (7)
Discussion of the record's marketing strategy aside—we're judging music here, not promotional packages—Year Zero is a fantastic effort by Trent Reznor for one reason only: The songs rock. One can take or leave the concept of the record, portraying a dystopian America circa 2022 in which a totalitarian government runs every aspect of society, but one cannot deny the slinky seduction of the record's atmosphere and expert craftsmanship of its parts. That said, Year Zero is much better if one suspends their preconceptions and buys into the fictional-future deal, which cohesively bonds this pile of sonic fragments into fascinating hooks and creepily complicated anthems of paranoia. Unquestionably more involved and captivating than NIN's breakout The Downward Spiral, Year Zero is a mesmerizing, coolly calculated, descent into madness.
9. Paul McCartney, Memory Almost Full (5)
Aging rockers nearing career ends seem to think the only way to make a relevant record is to infuse it with gloomy, morose introspection, but Sir Paul's Memory Almost Full takes a different tack—looking back at his life and career with an amiable elegance that glosses over regrets. Shedding all pretension, Memory Almost Full doesn't try to sign on to any musical trend; it's an open-eyed collection of private thoughts about time passed. With catchy, melodic songs that achieve longevity through simplicity, Memory Almost Full is big-hearted and honest. Which makes McCartney, as a person, feel much more real: Just because your grandparents are old doesn't mean they're always sullenly moping about it, does it?
10. Richard Hawley, Lady's Bridge (4)
Have you ever wandered into an antiques store and seen a box of old photographs for sale? You don't know who those people are. You don't know what they're doing. You don't know how these pictures ended up in a small box being pawned off for $3 a pop. There's no reason why you might want an old photo of things you know nothing about—but yet, as you idly flip through the stack, you're increasingly engrossed by these tantalizing glimpses of everything about life, captured in faded moments quietly saddened by the knowledge that these people, too, are nearly forgotten in time. That, in a nutshell, is Richard Hawley's Lady's Bridge, a hypnotically enduring piece that's every bit a success as 2005's critically acclaimed Coles Corner.
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