Best of 2009: Top 5 Pop Albums

There was a time in my life where I was consumed by the darker side of life. Now, when I did make an effort to stay away from razor blades and hair dye, I was really into music that spoke about the human condition and did so in a somewhat depressing manner. Bright Eyes…the older stuff….was like a gift from god to me. Recently though, I’ve been really into the brighter, more upbeat side of life. If it’s fun and I can sing along to it with a smile, I love it! 2009 was an okay pop music year. Not the best, but solid. With that in mind, I give you the list of the Top 5 Pop Albums of 2009.

#5. Tegan and Sara: Sainthood – The Quin sisters have been at it for years now, and despite approaching each of their new albums with a slight sense of trepidation, I always walk away pleased. It’s crazy really, because the last thing I would think I’d be into is really poppy girl rock, despite the fact that I always did have a soft spot for The Bangles. Sainthood is the Canadian duo’s latest record and it continues where their last left off – with infectious indie jams delicately paired with lighter, introspective gems. Sainthood may not be as instantly captivating as 2007’s The Con, but it surely pays off over time.

#4. Passion Pit: Manners – Why thank you iPhone. Back when I purchased my shiny new toy in July, I had never heard of Passion Pit. And then one day while coming home from work, listening to my Last.fm app, Passion Pit came on. The song was “Cuddle Fuddle” from last year’s Chunk of Change EP. I loved it. The rest is history. Manners is a surprisingly solid and unique album from such a young group of musicians; kind of like this year’s Vampire Weekend, though I don’t encourage you to make any further connections. The album has a few rough spots that are to be expected, but the good songs are wonderful. “Little Secrets” is the best song of 2009, “Sleepyhead” is bizarrely catchy, while “Let Your Love Grow Tall” is truly inspiring. This is one hell of a pop CD, and you’re stupid if you don’t at least give it a chance.

#3. The Bird and the Bee: Ray Guns are Not Just the Future – I feel bad. I had compiled this list several days ago and left this album out entirely. Then I had my iPod on random and on comes “Love Letter to Japan” and I came to the realization that I had not given this album the props it deserves. The Bird and the Bee is a very talented duo, and the music on this album is some of the finest they’ve done yet. It ranges from stadium pop anthems (“My Love”) to jazz pop (“Ray Guns”), humorous dance tracks (“Polite Dance Song”) to love confessions to 80s rock gods (“Diamond Dave”). It’s a very well-rounded, and well executed record. I wasn’t really a fan of much of their earlier stuff, but this one is very solid.

#2. Discovery: LP – What the hell is this album? A bedroom R&B, reggae, new wave pop album with members of Vampire Weekend, Ra Ra Riot and Dirty Projectors? So it’s a joke album, right? Wrong. Well, I guess that depends on who you ask. LP wasn’t exactly the strongest-received album of the year, and I can see why it would turn some off. There are times all across the album where it sounds like synth lines are improvised and vocal effects are thrown in to hide an apparent lack of direction. But for what it’s worth, I find LP to be a truly captivating pop record with strong hooks and rather inventive compositions. I can’t get enough out of it.

#1. Wallpaper.: Doodoo Face – On any other year, it would be hard for me to imagine an album called “Doodoo Face” to make it on my, let alone anyone’s, top ten list. But Wallpaper’s debut album is more than just the best pop album of the year, it’s one of the decade’s finest as well! Pop music too often gets bogged down in the songwriting process – oh, let’s put a ballad here, or make this song instantly relatable to the heartbroken. Wallpaper ignored all that mess and made Doodoo Face an incredibly fun album in the process. You won’t hear music this light-hearted, this funny, any other place in 2009! No, not even with The Boy Least Likely To (surprising, I know). The fact that it can be those things and still be one of the best records of the year is a testament to how awesome Doodoo Face really is. It’s a difficult acquisition, sure. You won’t find it at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and hell, even Amazon is low on copies. But it’s worth it! Trust me.

The Top 5 Albums Under the Influence of Death Cab for Cutie Members

Confusing title, no? Let me explain.

You see, one of my favorite things about the indie music scene is that everybody seems to know and interact with everybody else. The guys from Death Cab for Cutie are no exception, appearing on other albums and collaborations that have absolutely nothing to do with their duties for their “main” band. Ben Gibbard is almost everywhere nowadays, and the only person who’s threatening to take his “I’m Everywhere!” throne is bandmate, Chris Walla. Knowing this, I’ve decided to list the top 5 albums that these guys had something to do with.

#5: The Decemberists: Picarasque (Chris Walla: Producer, Mixer, Electric Guitar) – Picaresque is probably the worst album that The Decemberists have ever made. It’s not that it was bad, but it pales in comparison to their other efforts. Chris Walla’s influence is really felt when listening to the album. The songs have a lot of polish, more energy, and more focus than their previous two records. “16 Military Wives” is the song that immediately pops out at me as something that probably could’ve only happened under Walla’s wing. Not in the songwriting, of course, but in the quality of the song, the depth of the instrumentation, and the overall zing, Chris Walla left his mark.

#4: Tegan and Sara: The Con (Chris Walla: Producer, Guitars, Keyboards, Organ, Shakers, Cymbals, Tiny Guitars, Bass – Jason McGerr: Drums) – For what it’s worth, I’ve pretty much liked Tegan and Sara since the first time I heard them at a Virgin Megastore in Dallas (R.I.P.). So Jealous was an amazing album that featured enough great songs to get it regular plays for years. But as strong as that album was, it was swept aside as soon as Chris Walla took over the production reigns on The Con. The immediate result is obvious; it’s a more solid album without a single dud. But as is usually the case with a Walla-produced record, it has this inhuman quality about it – like everything about it is perfect and without fault. That puts it far ahead of its sometimes-flawed predecessor, and most of the other music that released in 2007.

#3: Dntel: Life Is Full of Possibilities (Ben Gibbard: Vocals on “(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan”) – Jimmy Tamborello’s first notable solo-release as Dntel still is one of my favorite electronic albums of all time. Perfecting glitch, downtemp electro, the record was the first time that I ever heard electronic music that was able to affect my mood without an abundance of vocals. Undoubtedly, the most notable track on this album would be Tamborello’s collaboration with Death Cab for Cutie vocalist, Ben Gibbard. Their work on “(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan” was the catalyst that led to the creation of one of my favorite albums of all time: The Postal Service’s Give Up.

#2: The Decemberists: The Crane Wife (Chris Walla: Keyboards, Background Vocals, Producer, Mixer) – What Chris Walla started on Picaresque, he undoubtedly perfected by the time he re-joined with the band to create what is easily their best record to date. The Crane Wife was the band’s major-label debut, and Walla was able to smooth out some of the band’s less-accessible quirks without sacrificing their signature sound or style. Track for track, The Crane Wife is an amazing album, and Chris Walla should definitely share some of the credit for that.

#1: The Postal Service: Give Up (Ben Gibbard: Vocals – Chris Walla: Co-Producer) – I suppose that if you’ve been reading this blog for any significant amount of time that this decision is no big surprise. Plus, I totally gave it away on #3! The simple truth is that Give Up is one of the finest albums I will probably ever hear in my life, and probably the single, most influential album in my lifetime so far. Why is that? Well, it single-handedly introduced me to this thing called “indie music. Until I heard The Postal Service, I literally thought that the only music that was out there was the stuff I saw on MTV and heard on the radio. Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello’s epic collaboration really opened my eyes (or ears, I suppose) to a whole other world of music. For that, I can’t help but place this album as number one. Can you really blame me?

The Top 31 of 2007 – #4

Cale’s Pick

Loney, Dear: Loney, Noir

Released: February 6, 2007

If there was ever an album that caught me entirely by surprise this year, it was Loney, Noir. Yet another one of those crazy Swedes who assault us with brilliant music, Emil Svanängen, or “Loney, Dear,” has created an album that is endlessly endearing. I have no recollection of how I first came to hear about Loney, Dear, or what drove me to download his debut album here in the states. But I did, and I was immediately blown away by what I heard. Emil’s voice is peculiar. At times it can sound confident, yet frail. His lyrics lead you to believe that the overriding characteristic is frailty. The album is unquestionably honest as well, filled with his self-doubt, feelings of insecurity, and declarations of love. You get the feeling that you’re reading his diary, or that he’s telling you his secrets through his music. How could you not fall in love with that? Quite simply, I couldn’t help but do so. I still slip in this album every now and then when I’m driving to work at 5:30am or on a long road trip and I realize that it has not worn on me at all. If anything, it’s gotten better. It has been passed over by a lot of folks this year, and for that I’d like to plead with you to give Loney, Noir a shot. It is one of the most beautiful albums to release in 2007, and one I’ll continue to listen to and enjoy for years.

For being Swedish, yet really really cool, Loney, Dear makes it to #4 on my list.

The Top 31 Songs of 2007 – #4

“In Our Bedroom After the War” by Stars, from the album, In Our Bedroom After the War.

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Jill’s Pick

Tegan and Sara: The Con

Released: July 24, 2007

Up until now, I’d only liked parts of Tegan and Sara albums. In fact, “I Know, I Know, I Know” is in my top 10 list of my favorite songs of all times. Don’t even get me started on the simple brilliance that is “My Number”. But this is the first time I’ve listened to one of their albums and just liked it more and more the further into I got. They remind me of how Ani diFranco albums are, all so different from album to album, unafraid to try something…new. I spend so much time with this album in my ears I find something new to admire with every listen.

I’m just going to leave it with this: “Soil, Soil” makes me so happy I can’t express it. It’s me. I love when lyrics do that.

The best track: “Soil, Soil”

My favorite tracks:

–“The Con”

–“Soil, Soil”

–“Burn Your Life Down”

–“Back in Your Head”

–“Nineteen”

–“Like O, Like H”

Last Day to Vote for the 4th Annual Cale Awards!!

It’s the home stretch. Today is the final day to vote for your favorite and least favorite music of 2007 in the 4th Annual Cale Awards. For this final day, I’ve decided to bring all the polls here to the main page. Voting will only takes a 1-2 minutes, and seriously, is there anything better for you to be doing right now? I didn’t think so.

Below are the categories in which you may vote. I’ve ordered the categories by vote count, so those that have less votes overall will come first. You know, just to get a larger sample of things. That means the larger categories like Album of the Year or Band of the Year, are towards the bottom. Please vote if you have not yet done so.

Winners will be announced Monday, December 24th.

The Polls are closed. Thanks for voting. Come back Monday, December 24th to see who wins!

The Top 31 of 2007 – #14

Cale’s Pick

Tegan and Sara: The Con

Released: July 24, 2007

Being the exquisite portrait of masculinity that I am, Tegan and Sara are not what you’d expect to hear on my iPod. But they’re there. And they play a lot. At work, I plug in my iPod to the PA system so that no matter where I go in the building, my music is always with me (one of the benefits of working in a gym, I suppose). But not all my music is appropriate for work, and it just so happens that Tegan and Sara is. So everytime the sisters come on, I always get the weirdest looks from people who know that the music playing is my own. The sort of, “You listen to this?” look. Yeah, I listen to this. And I’m proud of it. Not to sound sexist, though I’m sure many will interpret it as such, but I can’t really think of too many great female songwriters. Maybe one or two dozen at best, whereas I could list off great male songwriters for hours. The Quin sisters are great songwriters, even if they rarely deviate from the standard “relationship” theme. Even then, it’s usually a different take than most others would offer up. And then when they decide to deviate, well…you’re just in for a treat. Because Tegan and Sara may be mediocre, if not interesting, vocalists and musicians. But when it comes to songwriting skills, you’d be hard pressed to find many who are as earnest and talented as Tegan and Sara Quin. Word.

For reassuring me of my masculinity (in some medieval, roundabout way), Tegan and Sara girl-rock their way to the #14 spot.

The Top 31 Songs of 2007 – #14

“If Silence Means That Much to You” by Emma Pollock, from the album, Watch the Fireworks.

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Jill’s Pick

Jill Scott: Collaborations

Released: January 30, 2007

I told you a few reviews back that I really like Jill Scott. She is fantastic alone, but when she lends her voice to someone else’s track, there’s some magic there that can’t be passed up.

I figured it out, what I couldn’t describe about why I like Jill Scott in my last review: I like being in her world when she sings. There’s something magical about it. There’s something soothing and there’s this overall idea that she conveys that everything is going to be okay and sometimes I need a reminder of that.

“Kingdom Come” is a nice Gospel inspired bit. There’s a nice mix of Jazz and Rap. It’s the track “Daydreamin'” though that just…wow. Lupe Fiasco comes up with this track that just…every time I hear it, I feel like I’m in a Rap version of Tim Burton’s Willy Wonka. (You know, the one with Johnny Depp.) It’s one of the few songs I actually see in my head, for as odd as it sounds. I just see over-saturated color and huge flowers and I really probably should keep that to myself so that one doesn’t think I’m on some kind drug. It’s just a track that is made a million times better with Jill Scott’s voice in and out of it.

The only thing missing is a version of “You Got Me” by the Roots. It would have had to have been a live track and there are a few out there. Jill Scott wrote the hook for that song but they chose Erykah Badu to sing it on the album version. They do it in two different entirely different ways, but Jill Scott adds something more…personal…to it. It’s too bad it was left off because it’s really one of her finest endeavors. (After “Daydreamin'” which is just GOLD)

My favorite track: (of course) “Daydreamin'”

Songs you should give a listen to:

–“Daydreamin'” (Lupe Fiasco)

–“Said Enough” (Isley Brothers)

–“One Time” (Eric Roberson)

–“Kingdom Come” (Kirk Franklin)

–“Love Rain (Coffee Shop Mix) (Mos Def)

Top 10 Indie Songs Under 2 Minutes: Songs 10-6

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s hard to devote a lot of time to good music. Sometimes I turn on my iPod but only have about 2 minutes to listen to music before I’m off to do some meaningless task or job. Sure, that may be an entire fabrication for the sake of this list, but it could happen. It’s in times like this where you need a short burst of music to make you feel good, to lift your spirits, or to calm you down. That’s where I come in. This week I’ll kick off my Top 10 Indie Songs Under 2 Minutes list with songs 10-6. Tune in next Friday for the Top 5. Enjoy!

#10: The Boy Least Likely To – “Warm Panda Cola” – Let’s say you’re so busy that you can’t even spare one whole minute to listen to great music. In this case, I recommend quitting your job or putting your children up for adoption. However, in case those two things don’t appeal to you, you can always listen to “Warm Panda Cola” by The Boy Least Likely To. It clocks in at just under 1 minute but still manages to pack in guitars, sugary-sweet vocals, and even a harmonica! Hearing the boys sing “Warm panda cola butter melting in the sun…” has to make you smile. It’s entirely whimsical and heartwarming, and sometimes that’s all you really need.

#9: Of Montreal – “Go Call You Mine” – Whereas “Warm Panda Cola” only features a handful of instruments, “Go Call You Mine” from Of Montreal’s 2001 album Coquelicot Asleep In the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse features, oh, every single instrument imaginable! Well, maybe not really, but there are at least a dozen. The song features a minute-thirty long introduction with a different instrument coming in every measure. By the time Kevin Barnes sings, you will have heard so many instruments that your head might explode. Literally. No, seriously. As for the lyrics, they’re incredibly endearing (“Something compels me to say, ‘How often are you this way?’ If you’re this charming all the time I’ll be forced to tell you ‘Darling, here’s a dime, go call you mine.'” That’s it. Short and sweet.) A lot of Of Montreal fans have yet to go back and hear this song or this album. Do yourself a favor and check it out. It is brilliant!

#8: Field Music – “Kingston” – With all the upbeat pop greatness going down on Field Music’s 2007 album, Tones of Town, you may have overlooked a great song like “Kingston.” It is not as instantly appealing as the rest of the album’s tracks, but it is awesome in and of itself. The song’s lush instrumentation and smooth vocals are exceptionally well executed, and the melody itself is captivating. It’s brevity is part of it’s strength too. Blowing in and away like a cool breeze, it leaves you wanting to experience it again and again. Maybe not the first time you hear it, but definitely later on.

#7: Tegan and Sara – “Hop a Plane” – A lot of people may not have liked this song. Truth be told, it’s 2001-esque pop-punk execution might have turned a lot of people off. Personally, I found it to be my favorite track from The Con simply due to it’s resemblance to Tegan and Sara’s breakout album So Jealous. The song is quick and to the point, but features a wonderful vocal performance from the Quin sisters as well as some jam up drumming and bass guitaring. The guitar may be a bit too reminiscent of crappy punk music, but overall, the song works. So well, in fact, that it made it to #7 on some random list on some crappy blog. How cool is that?

#6: The Unicorns – “The Clap” – Quick! Name the #1 most heartbreaking band break up of the last decade (oh dang…new list idea)! If you named any other band besides The Unicorns, you’re wrong. The band may have only been around for one album, but they left a notable mark on the lo-fi indie rock scene; one that won’t be covered easily. “The Clap” is arguably the most rockin’ song on the entire album too, with intense guitars and vocals that are all over the place. If you’re feeling that mid-afternoon slump and you need a pick-me-up, put on this song and you’ll be air-guitaring in no time! And who doesn’t love air guitaring? Lucifer, the dark lord. That’s who!