mitchfork

2014, musicially speaking

2014-12-31T18:32:00.002-05:00

Hello one final time, loyal reader(s)!

First things first: after several years of diligently documenting the highs and lows of a small subset of pop music commonly referred to as “indie,” Mitchfork is hanging up our collective blogging shoes. While we reserve the right to come out of retirement, GUNS BLAZING, we felt the time was right to ride off into a digitally rendered sunset.

We began humbly back in 2008, with an adorable post from our intern Ezra promoting his new band Vampire Weekend. Not sure whatever happened to him or them, but he was let go soon after for never shutting up about how amazing Graceland is. Seriously dude, everyone knows Garfunkel was the talent. Simon was and is an overrated hack.

Now, almost seven years later, a lot has changed. Some staff members have gotten married (Shout out to Kathleen!), others have served time (Free Squires!), and one even split off to start his own misguided attempt at music blogging. Jake, stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to. Throughout it all, we’ve patiently been waiting for new albums from Modest Mouse and the Wrens (both confirmed for 2015, although The Wrens are notoriously cagey). We’d like you all to know that, even as our passion waxed and waned, we’re grateful for each and every one of your 37 page views (looking at you, Dmitri from the Ukraine!).

Ok, that’s enough nostalgia; there’s still one more year of music still to dissect!

SEVENTH (AND FINAL) MITCHFORK YEAR IN REVIEW

GOODBYE TO AN OLD FRIEND:

Stephen Malkmus, Wig Out At Jagbags

Pavement’s former frontman is a source of much inspiration (see Jake Grindal’s wet dreams), casting a long and distinctly shaped shadow over indie rock (for recent evidence, see Parquet Courts). His solo career with The Jicks has mined some rich creative depths (Stephen Malkmus is at least the equal of Pavement’s last two albums), but he has also taken his fair share of wrong turns. Pig Lib, for example, was mostly misfires, and Real Emotional Trash was overly jammy garbage that had us poised to jump ship. Steve recaptured some of his previous playful spirit with Mirror Traffic, but this album, his sixth on his own, is the end of the line for us. There’s a reason Pavement called it quits when they did (great reunion tour though guys!); there’s a point where a band reaches the end of its creative road. Malkmus might still have some interesting ideas up his sleeve as he meanders through middle age, but we won’t be along for the ride. All that said, his will always and forever be the face (and voice, and attitude) of 90s indie rock. Never stop chasing those gold soundz, Steve!

BEST MUSIC VIDEO:

Taylor Swift, “Shake it Off”

What, you got a problem? Have you seen this video? It’s a goddamned joy to behold. Just a blast of pop sugar seamlessly blended with dancing hijinks. Perfect complement to the song, which is already addictive enough as is. You keep shaking off the haters, Taylor.

SPELLBINDING PERFORMANCE #1:

Future Islands performing “Seasons (Waiting on You)” on Letterman

About time one of the best live bands on planet earth (coming to Boston’s Royale on January 6 and 7) got their due. Letterman gets it (“I’ll take all of that you got!”). We always wondered if the other members of the band are actually that bland, or if lead singer Samuel T. Herring had them lobotomized to provide an ideal contrast for his insane voice/dance moves.

SPELLBINDING PERFORMANCE #2:

FKA twigs performing “Two Weeks” on Fallon

Forget the song, which is great. More important than that is this: does FKA twigs know magic? She appears, based on her control of her scarves, to have some supernatural abilities. There’s some eerie shit taking place on that stage.

12 STELLAR SONGS FROM THE PAST 12 MONTHS:

Cymbals Eat Guitars, “Child Bride”
(Shout-out to friend of Mitchfork Jeff for this devastating power ballad from these guys, whose third album rewards repeated listens.)
The Twilight Sad, “Last January”
(More contagious Scottish sadness from these gloomy Guses. If that’s your speed, we recommend labelmates We Were Promised Jetpacks.)
The Drums, “I Can’t Pretend”
(We honestly don’t know what is making these guys so sad. It’s not like they’re from Scotland after all.)
Angel Olsen, “Windows”
(Stirring closer to an uneven album, delicate and heartbreaking with a killer crescendo.)
Mac Demarco, "Passing Out Pieces”
(Never has a smile been able to so accurately describe a sound, but Mac’s gap-toothed grin sums up his mischievous music well.)
Broken Bells, “Perfect World”
(Songs like this show just how far The Shins are in James Mercer’s rearview mirror. We salute his continued evolution, as well as his partnership with Danger Mouse.)
Kevin Drew, “Good Sex”
(Former Broken Social Scene frontman continues to craft BSS-sounding (that's a good thing) tunes that seem, more often than not, to reference the carnal.)
Generationals, “Reading Signs”
(More catchy Aussie pop from these guys, prolific purveyors of consistently catchy Aussie pop)
TV On The Radio, “Happy Idiot”
(Their last two albums suggest they may have lost their fastball, but this Seeds standout throws some high heat your way)
Tokyo Police Club, “Feel the Effect”
(Disappointing album overall, but this track captured some of the punchy pop-punk magic from their earlier releases)
Strand of Oaks, “Shut In”
(Low-key folk act busted out of obscurity with their new album, which features bombastic tracks like this rousing anthem)
Tom Vek, “Sherman (Animals in the Jungle)”
(Shout-out, per usual, to KEXP’s John Richards for this earworm that effectively served as our song of the summer.)

NOW, THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2014:

HONORABLE MENTION/POSSIBLE BAND OF THE FUTURE:

Alex G, DSU

Here at Mitchfork, we don’t pretend to have a good grasp of the future (We lost big money betting on Ross Perot making a comeback in the 2012 presidential races). That said, we’re buying stock in the potential of one Alex G. This young man, over the course of his debut full-length album, manages to encompass the entirety of 90s indie rock and beyond. You’ll hear Pavement (“After Ur Gone”), Built to Spill (“Skipper”), Modest Mouse (“Axesteel”) and Elliott Smith (“Sorry”), and that’s just scratching the surface. Kid’s got influences to spare, but they’ll all great sources of inspiration and he does them fitting homage. We’d like to think that in 2024, when Mitchfork triumphantly comes out of retirement, young Alex will be in the middle of a prolific career in which he explores new creative ground free from the shadows of his predecessors. Also, maybe hover boards will finally be a thing.

#10
Spoon, They Want My Soul

We’re starting our top 10 the way we’ll finish it, with a veteran act that originated in the 1990s proving they’re still at the top of their game. Spoon is known for being the band that everyone likes but no one loves, but after almost two decades of delivering the goods, we’re giving them their due. They’ve never sounded fresher, all while maintaining (and further developing) their signature brand of rollicking rock. Our ears immediately perked up when we heard standout “New York Kiss,” but it needs to be said that, front to back, there’s no filler here. Just a band in completely mastery of their powers, doing their thing and continuing to deny the law of diminishing returns. And if you think that’s easy, check in on the other bands (how’s life, Phantom Planet? And what about you, The Dandy Warhols?) that were featured on the first soundtrack to “The O.C.” and see how they’re doing a decade later.

#9
Future Islands, Singles

For us here at Mitchfork, 2012 was the year of Future Islands. Sadly, we were unable to acknowledge our obsession via blog (the only way to truly validate one’s obsessions), as the two albums we were sinking our teeth into, In Evening Air and On the Water, were released in 2010 and 2011, respectively. We’re very strict about the rules here, so we kept our mouths shut, only letting them hang open when we stood, transfixed, during this band’s otherworldly live show. Anyways, 2014 is when one of our favorite bands of the decade deservedly broke out (due in part to the Letterman performance of “Seasons (Waiting On You)” highlighted above), and we couldn’t be happier for them. We’re not sure the more polished Singles stands up to their previous two LPs, but it’s an engaging listen that ends on a high note with “A Dream of Youand Me.” Throughout, you get lead singer Samuel T. Herring’s unhinged, soaring voice on a backdrop of swelling synths, and really, what more could a fan ask for?

#8
Owl John, Owl John

Fresh off Frightened Rabbit’s best album to date, lead singer Scott Hutchinson set off on his own, at the suggestion of Atlantic Records (drinks on them!), to take a long-desired stab at recording some solo material. Lo and behold; even without the band, Owl John doesn’t sound dissimilar to Frightened Rabbit. That said, Hutchinson’s debut does a great job of shrinking the scope of FR’s sound, creating a more intimate atmosphere that puts the focus more on his major strength: his words. The music on standout songs like the bittersweet “Los Angeles, Be Kind” and menacing “Red Hand” will have you humming, but it’s the piercing lyrics on stripped down, politically charged tracks like “Songs About Roses” that stick with you:

Chloroform the singer who has nothing to say
Stare in wonder as the masses sing along anyway.
Pull apart the actors pretending to grieve
They never went to the funeral, and they never believed.
Shack your burning placard in the government lawns
Have faith that there is consequence in protest songs.

You have to wonder if Hutchinson had Scottish secession on his mind when he wrote those lyrics (Frightened Rabbit were visible supporters of the movement for independence). Regardless, the man has a way with words, and Owl John reaffirms that there’s some real substance under that charming Scottish brogue.

#7
Phantogram, Voices

A pet peeve of the Mitchfork staff is when an EP is released that includes almost all of the best songs of the upcoming album it’s meant to tease. It’s like a movie trailer that gives away pretty much the entire plot in two minutes; leave a little something in reserve! Haim did it in 2012/2013, ensuring their debut LP was always fated to be a bit of a let-down, and Phantogram did in last year on their self-titled, four-track EP, featuring such winners as “Black Out Days,” “The Day You Died” and “Celebrating Nothing.” Fantastic EP (Their 2011 Nightlife EP is even better though), but the shine was off by the time Voices rolled around this year… showcasing those three songs as the main draw. Frustrating stuff. Anyway, Voices is every bit the equal of their debut, Eyelid Movies, albeit with more of an edge. Where there was a delicate, more subdued balance at play before, now there’s lots of bombast. This was especially apparent in concert, where wave after wave of sound washed over the crowd Mitchfork was a part of. Cool at first, then a bit much. Like with the EP/LP dynamic, a little restraint goes a long way.

#6
Haerts, Haerts

Speaking of extended plays that include all the upcoming album’s best songs, Haerts’ 2013 EP Hemiplegia, while not exactly reinventing the wheel of 80s synth pop, regularly found itself in our rotation throughout the year, with “Wings” even being called out as one of 2013’s top songs. Fast forward to this past fall, and guess which song reappeared on their debut full-length, alongside “Hemiplegia” and “All the Days,” two other highlights from their first foray? Suffice to say, we were again left shaking our heads, but who can stay mad for long when listening to songs like these? Sure, tracks like “Call My Name” (our personal favorite), have about ten layers of studio polish and feel like a millennial’s take on a cheesy 80s ballad, sounding somewhere between CHVRCHES and Haim without possessing the heart (pun intended) of either, but that’s no dealbreaker.

That said, as long as you don’t dwell on the boilerplate lyrics, or the nagging feeling that you’ve heard all these songs in varying forms at some point during the last three decades, you’ll have a grand old time. Man, we just realized how bitchy this review is coming off. Look, this album is number six, which means it’s obviously doing some things right, so just enjoy it for what it is. However, if you want to hear this kind of 80s pastiche done even better, we suggest Ladyhawke’s 2008 debut Ladyhawke. Ok, we’ll just stop; we’re only digging our hole deeper.

#5
Caribou, Our Love

The instant we first heard Our Love's lead single “Can’t Do Without You” on John in the Morning (KEXP 90.3 FM. WHERE THE MUSIC MATTERS), we knew Caribou (aka Dan Snaith) had done it again; he’d taken yet another sonic step forward. The progression since 2005’s The Milk of Human Kindness has been remarkable; each new album features a further evolution of his unique brand of “bedroom electronica.” Why did we throw that term in there? Because there’s no denying the pulsing beat of his songs, but they’re perfect fodder for your headphones as you sprawl out on your mattress, spaced out, staring at the ceiling. Also, they’re sexy. No, really, listen to songs like “Second Chance” and tell us that “sexy” isn’t one of first adjectives that comes to mind. Real sexy, not Nicki Minaj “twerkin on Drake” sexy.

Not saying it’s all slinky, seductive sounds, though; tracks like “Back Home” show Caribou is perfectly capable of constructing songs with rousing crescendos that’ll get your pulse racing. Really, looking at Snaith’s trajectory over Caribou’s past few albums, one thing he’s clearly capable of is leading a long, fruitful career where he adds even more layers to his already distinctive musical palette.

#4
Fear of Men, Loom

One reason we at Mitchfork are closing up shop is that it seems like every year we’re relying more and more on old favorites to deliver the goods. Considering how unreasonable it is to expect consistent dividends from any aging creative venture, this is a strategy that has increasingly left us feeling disappointed at the stale state of indie rock. We’re lucky in that this year has provided us not only with known players throwing their weight around, but the arrival fresh faces like Fear of Men.

Loom immediately appealed to us, which is no surprise considering it’s a nice balancing of gorgeous dream pop melodies (ethereal atmosphere, fragile female vocals, gleaming guitars) with a bit of an attitude. On album highlights “Luna,” “Inside” and “Waterfall” there’s plenty of melancholy beauty, but underneath those layers is a scorned lover who has “tried my best to destroy you.” The subtle, barely contained fury at the heart of these songs gives them some added weight when they otherwise might just drift away. There’s real sorrow here, and the fact that it’s wrapped up with such pretty packaging only gives it more legitimacy.

There’s nothing necessarily groundbreaking about what Fear of Men are doing here on this, their debut LP, but they’ve skillfully added some new wrinkles that invite repeated listens. As we made this list, we realized that, throughout 2014, we kept coming back to Loom, and it kept rewarding us when we did. This is no small thing, and bodes well for this British band moving forward.

#3
Cloud Nothings, Here and Nowhere Else

Mitchfork used to have a bit of an aggressive side, and our music tastes reflected that adolescent anger at play. However, the past decade has mellowed us out, diminishing the appeal of the testosterone-laced tunes we used to watch other people mosh out to (we once pushed a guy, but immediately regretted it.) Just listen to the soundtrack to our first book and you’ll hear some distinctive notes of angst, along with the occasional hint of rage. Not saying we’ve lost all of our righteous fury; it’s just harder to tap into.

Which brings us to Cloud Nothings. With 2012’s Attack on Memory, Dylan Baldi and company took a giant step forward, assuming the role of resident “angry band” that we can turn to when we had the urge to RUN THROUGH A FUCKING WALL. In fact, songs like “Wasted Days” reminded us we even had that urge. The sort of epic ferocity reappears on “Pattern Walks,” the nearly eight-minute centerpiece of Here and Nowhere Else, and we’re grateful for it. Really, it was a relief to see success hadn’t smoothed away any of the band’s edges; this is a fact that’s made immediately clear with “Now Hear In,” the charging, take-no-prisoners opening track. The guitars are raw, the drums rampage, frontman Baldi’s voice is as ragged as ever, and none of these things relent over the remaining seven songs, especially on standard bearer “Pyschic Trama.” In conclusion, while we may not possess the same angst we once did, it’s a relief to know that younger folks continue to channel their aggression in compelling yet surprisingly catchy ways.

#2
Real Estate, Atlas

You won’t find any of Cloud Nothings’ edge here, just wistful musings about fading youth and years long lost. Nostalgia infuses every note on Real Estate’s third album, with Martin Courtney IV (The IV? We’ll just leave that there) crooning over lazily strummed guitars on songs like “Past Lives” about how he “Cannot go back to this neighborhood without feeling his old age.” Despite our sincere doubts that Courtney himself is past 30, we’ll refrain from the eye rolls, if only because Real Estate effortlessly capture the feeling of that endless summer day. You know, that day where, even if you’re only 25, you can acutely feel the weight of every year you’ve left behind as the remaining sunlight slowly slips away from you.

There’s no denying it; this is music for the privileged, by the privileged (to be fair, we're assuming this, but Ridgewood, NJ, where the band was formed, has a median household income of more than $100,000). Without taking away from the craftsmanship on display here, or the remarkable progress Real Estate has made over three albums in developing a distinctive sound, this is ear candy for well-educated white people. On one end of the spectrum is the volatile subject matter addressed on the other Fork’s number one album of 2014, Run the Jewels 2; on the other is Atlas, which describes a carefree suburban universe where the main concern is… growing up? Why worry yourself with income inequality, race relations and police brutality when you can drive aimlessly by well-maintained lawns yearning for a time when your only care in the world was how to score booze?

All that said, man, are these songs endlessly listenable. We’d especially like to call out the final two tracks, “Horizon” and “Navigator,” both of which immerse the listener in a dreamy landscape that you never want to depart. Long after the last shimmering guitar note fades away, you’re left with a melancholy residue, a vague feeling that there’s something you’ve left behind that you can never reclaim. It’s no easy feat, conjuring up that longing, but the boys of Real Estate are getting better at it with each successive effort.

#1
Sun Kil Moon, Benji

We were almost ready to give up on Mark Kozelek. The man who possesses, in our humble opinion, the best voice in all of music, seemed to not have much left to say. This was 2010, when the Spanish guitar of Admiral Fell Promises was paired with an increasingly weary, if still compelling, croon. It was a perfectly acceptable entry in a distinguished career that, with both Red House Painters in the 1990s and Sun Kil Moon in the 2000s, had resulted in the development of a signature rock sound that started out heavier but grew increasingly delicate as Kozelek entered middle age. Admiral Fell Promises, while pleasant enough, felt like the work of a man who was resting on his laurels, content to indulge himself as he toured the world in his forties, a shadow of his former creative self.

Looking back, it began with Among the Leaves, his 2012 follow-up. More stylistically varied than its predecessor, the real hint of what was to come was the shift in not just his lyrics, but in how he delivered them. Always introspective, Kozelek’s words now had an added bite, as well as a directness previously unseen. He wasn’t singing as much as talking at you, the listener. The rich timbre of his voice might convince you it was singing, but no, this was closer to beat poetry set to strings and guitars. He was telling you about death, about a venereal disease he picked up, about his life on tour. Here was a middle-aged man who had accumulated some insight in his time, and he was finally ready to share some unvarnished thoughts about his life.

Then came Benji. Those biting observations he had begun to explore in Among the Leaves? They’re weaponized here. There is no escaping that voice and, more importantly, what it has to say. About family he’s lost, in bizarre, horrifying and mundane ways (“Carissa,” “Truck Driver”), devastating tragedies that should never be forgotten (“Pray for Newtown”), and terrifying boogeymen who are all too real (“Richard Ramirez Died of Natural Causes"). Also, there’s a lifetime of sexual encounters recounted, alternatively humiliating, rewarding and educational (“Dogs”). Kozelek wants you to know he loves his parents, will always be hounded by melancholy, isn’t handling aging gracefully and is grateful, not just to be alive, but for all the people in his life who have made his journey worthwhile.

These 11 tracks are, all together, a heartbreaking, humorous, and humbling listen. Beyond the words being spoken is the music itself, which alternates between stripped down and layered, meandering at times and desperate at others. The gently picked guitar becomes something menacing one song later, and the breakdown at the end of “Richard Ramirez Died of Natural Causes” is straight out of The Lonesome Crowded West (that’s the highest compliment we can pay). More than anything though, the music serves as a sturdy and versatile platform for Kozelek’s relentless confessions.

Over 20 years into his musical career, Kozelek has created his magnum opus. We’re pretty sure that realization won’t give him any peace of mind, but it offers us hope that our best creative days are still ahead. Also, the War on Drugs are shit, and we don’t care who knows. Just kidding! What a silly “feud” that was.

That’s it for us. We hoped you enjoyed our sporadic posts over the years, and we’re glad you decided to take the fork less traveled. Enjoy 2015, wherever it may take you, musically or otherwise.

Sincerely,
The Staff of Mitchfork

2013: The Music.

2013-12-31T00:15:00.000-05:00

Why hello there. Quite the year, right? It certainly was for the Mitchfork staff! We finally hit the big time, only to lose it all when the music blog bubble burst. The resulting layoffs were hard to stomach, but we righted the ship and produced some of our best non-posts to date! If the past 12 months have taught us anything, it's that success on the internet isn't measured by what you produce, but by what you dream. And we at Mitchfork are big dreamers. Who needs "profits" when you have IDEAS?

At any rate, AOL's angel investment (no money like AOL money!) stipulated that we at least write one post, so here's our

SIXTH ANNUAL YEAR IN MUSIC, MITCHFORK-STYLE

Let's start with the less savory sounds of 2013.

Take them out to pasture! (albums that disappointed us to a large degree)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hysteria

A list of the post-punk "revival" bands from the first half of the 2000s whose fourth album effectively announced their end as creative forces to be reckoned with:

Bloc Party
Interpol
The Strokes
The Killers
Yeah Yeah Yeahs

A gospel choir kicks in at the end of opener "Sacrilege" -- what else do you need to know? Another darling of the early aughts bites the dust. We're not happy about it but, like the gray hairs we're finding on our head, we suppose it was inevitable.

The Knife, Shaking the Habitual

This Swedish brother-sister duo have always had an uneasy relationship with pop music, not to mention the world at large. That said, they managed to channel their weirdness into some downright catchy ("Heartbeats", anyone?) if unnerving songs. Well, whatever balance they correctly struck with their very good 2006 album Silent Shout has been thrown completely out of whack here. We get it, you want to rattle our cages, but remember that honey works better than vinegar. Vinegar being a 19-minute-long track of creepy noise.

And now, only the good things...

Best music videos of the year:

The songs are great; the videos are even better.

Rhye, "Open"

We're pretty sure it's about losing your virginity, but our first time was nothing like this. Right, Matt? ;)

More Rhye! This time, "The Fall"

Functions as a sort of sequel to "Open". Although we suppose it could be the other way around. Either way, it's nostalgia played out perfectly.

PAPA, "Put Me to Work"

If the Rhye videos are a bit too sappy for your tastes, PAPA deliver the fun with this ideal accompaniment to one of the best songs of the year. BEWARE FLAMING AXES.

Song of the Year:

Cloud Control, "Scar"

Shout-out to John in the Morning, aka John Richards of KEXP (the best radio station this side of the solar system) for this track, our favorite of the year. Straight out of Australia and into our hearts! Speaking of hearts, if this chorus doesn't get yours beating fast then consult your cardiologist.

And here are 10 other songs from 2013 you should listen to:

The National, "Don't Swallow the Cap"
Haerts, "Wings"
Local Natives, "Breakers"
Weekend, "Oubliette"
Washed Out, "It All Feels Right"
Vampire Weekend, "Step"
Sigur Ros, "Isjaki"
Majical Cloudz, "Childhood's End"
Foals, "My Number"
Chromatics, "Cherry"

Honorable mentions:

Phoenix, Bankrupt!

The band that brought us Mitchfork's #1 album of 2009 is back and... more proficient than ever. The word "proficient" is telling here -- these are 10 tracks, polished to perfection, with hooks to spare. But in place of the exuberant, dance-floor-ready "1901" and "Lisztomania" are more subdued songs that, while they went down easy, didn't draw us back as readily as those in Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Easy to listen to, easy to forget, but still worth your time.

HAIM, Days Are Gone

Days Are Gone would certainly have been much higher on this list were it not for the year of buzzworthy singles (one of which was our favorite song of 2012) leading up to its release. Between "Forever", "Go Slow" (also on 2012's Forever EP) and "Don't Save Me," we had already played the three best songs on these wonderful ladies' debut album into the ground. While the entire selection of tracks on Days Are Gone owes a great debt to those who went before them, "Falling" and "The Wire"(the two latest singles) just sounded too familiar to resonate with us. That said, Este, Alana and Danielle all seem swell and we expect there's still plenty of new sonic territory for the three sisters to explore.

And here's a top 10!

#10
Beach Fossils, Clash the Truth

Usually when we run, it's more about the pace/"fist-pump potential" of the music then the music itself. Running soundtrack albums can be some of our favorite albums, but we almost never "get into" an album if our first prolonged exposure occurs while we're struggling for breath on mile 4. Not so with Clash the Truth, Beach Fossils' follow-up to their perfectly pleasant if a little TOO laid back debut Beach Fossils. But, they, like fellow dream pop/chillwave/shoegazey (honestly, we have no idea what to call all the laid back, summertime-sounding music) bands Neon Indian, Real Estate, Wild Nothing and Washed Out, they used their second album to ramp up the intensity a bit. There's a welcome charge to these songs, showcased by album highlights "Careless" and "Crashed Out," that kept our legs moving during the summer of 2013.

#9
Small Black, Limits of Desire

Speaking of that chillwave scene and the evolution of some of the bands who inhabit it, Small Black released an underwhelming 2010 debut titled New Chain. Considering the other chillwave bands' debuts in the couple of years prior, there was nothing new about it. But they drew our notice via former Mitchfork contributor Jake Grindal, who emailed us the music video to "No Stranger", along with a message essentially saying "this is the kind of shit you like, right?" He knows us all too well. Limits of Desire, especially on the triumphant title track, has a grand scope to it that we never quite tire of, an epic, expansive sound that consists of swells of synth and ethereal vocals that speak to our adolescent id. It's the soundtrack for first kisses, triumphant and refusing to apologize for its dramatic flourishes.

#8
Volcano Choir, Repave

Those Bon Iver fans out there, including the entire staff here at Mitchfork (Bon Iver tied for first place in our 2011 top ten), might be a bit worried after their log cabin muse has indicated he may want to move on from the two french words that made him famous. They shouldn't be -- that same wintry, pastoral sound, rich and rustic, continues on in Justin Vernon's side project Volcano Choir. Plus, you know, there's his voice, quite the instrument in its own right. Volcano Choir's first album, Unmap, suffered from a lack of focus, but this time around what you hear is essentially a more rocking Bon Iver. "Dancepack" and "Acetate" are perfect examples, and the triumphant "Byegone" shows that the man from Wisconsin is perfectly capable of producing a stadium-ready anthem. The flannel remains, just under another name.

#7
Arcade Fire, Reflektor

In years past, we could safely assume that our number one album of the year would either from be Arcade Fire or The National. 2005? Alligator. 2007? Neon Bible. 2010? Close, but The Suburbs barely nudged High Violet for the top spot. Then, 2013 happened. It was inevitable, we suppose, that one or both would stumble, and we weren't shocked that The National was the first band to begin sounding like they were running out of ideas (it still depressed us immensely though, as you can tell by our soul-searching post earlier this year).

Arcade Fire, on the other hand, sits here at the #7 spot not because of a dearth of ambition, but because of an excess of ambition. With James Murphy at the producing helm, they clearly felt free at this point in their careers to just throw shit at a wall and see what stuck. Some did ("Afterlife", "Reflektor") and some did not. Interestingly enough, it was the straightforward rockers ("Normal Person", "Joan of Arc", "You Already Know") that worked less for us than the island/world beat sounding stuff influenced by their time in Haiti. With time, "Flashbulb Eyes" and "Here Comes The Night Time" kind of grew on us. Win, Regine and the gang are really just victims of the impossibly high standards they set with their first three albums, each better than the last, all of which made the misses on Reflektor more glaring. However, we at Mitchfork (and we know they care what we think) have the utmost faith there's still plenty of great stuff to come out of the biggest band in indie rock.

#6
Daft Punk, Random Access Memories

Up until this year, Mitchfork's relationship to Daft Punk was a relatively superficial one. We owned Discovery but rarely listened to it, but "One More Time" was a song we always went nuts to on the dance floor. Then "Get Lucky" leaked in April of this year (this was the perfect way for us to first hear it) and, well, the rest is history. But let's move past the fact that these two helmeted Frenchies created the song of the summer (No matter what Colbert says, Blurred Lines doesn't measure up), because they also created an impressive, if uneven, album. You're left with the impression that, whether it was Pharrell ("Lose Yourself to Dance" in addition to "Get Lucky"), Julian Casablancas ("Instant Crush") or Panda Bear ("Doin' It Right"), they made fantastic use of available resources to create a "capital A" album with a diverse array of equally engaging sounds. This is a collection of songs that can keep you entertained all night long, regardless of whether or not you see action. Honestly, do you think they keep those robot helmets on during sex? They must, if only for the novelty.

#5
The Mary Onettes, Hit the Waves

Over their first three albums, it's pretty clear The Mary Onettes have identified their wheelhouse, and on Hit the Waves they refine it further. Luckily for them, that wheelhouse is a combination of The Head on the Door-era Cure and Power, Corruption and Lies. We can't get enough of the soaring guitars and lead singer Philip Ekström's oh-so-pretty voice as he channels his sorrow and yearning into songs perfect for wide-eyed romantics who fancy themselves world-weary. "Unblessed", the title track and "Evil Coast" all deliver melancholic melodies in spades, big in scope and laced with synths. However, the moment in the album that always hits us in just the right spot is the beginning to "Years", where Ekström petulantly croons "in the end of the day, I'll never get what I want...". His voice is so wistful and resigned -- he wants it all and he just can't have it! We don't know what that's like, spending every night rolling around in a bed of AOL money, but it sure seems rough.

#4
Frightened Rabbit, Pedestrian Verse

We've always been suckers for a Scottish accent, but this is the first appearance of Frightened Rabbit on a Mitchfork top 10 (fellow Scots We Were Promised Jetpacks and The Twilight Sad have already gotten the "Mitchfork boost"). That's no fault of Scott Hutchinson and the boys, who have had a run of indie rock respectability over their last few albums. And, taking a closer look, it's clear they've been making strides from their debut as full band, The Midnight Organ Fight, to The Winter of Mixed Drinks and subsequently Pedestrian Verse, their most polished and consistent effort yet. Put it this way -- this was the first year we bought tics to see FR live (That's right, the entire staff of Mitchfork buys tickets to concerts together). And it was worth it just to see the best song they've ever done: "State Hospital". If you want to know everything this band is capable of (evocative lyrics, stadium-sized crescendos, the aforementioned Scottish brogue), give a listen.

#3
Lucius, Wildewoman

We came here not to praise Lucius, but to bury them. Just kidding -- if they're #3, they deserve praise, but first a little playful ribbing. For one, their brand of indie rock is very NPR-ready: it's folky and organic, but with just enough of a pulse to justify the "rock" part. When fiancee of Mitchfork Kathleen first heard us playing them, she asked "isn't this mom music?" Well, maybe for the COOLEST MOM OF ALL TIME. In all seriousness, it might be a familiar note they're hitting, but they hit it dead-on song after song ("Hey, Doreen!", "Tempest" and "Don't Just Sit There" to name a few), climaxing with the rousing "How Loud Your Heart Gets". It also helps that we just got into these guys in the late fall, which gives them an unfair advantage over early releases like those of Frightened Rabbit and The Mary Onettes. But hey, that's why the Oscar bait is sent out this time of year, so more power to them. Also -- cool, colorful and sort of phallic (maybe that's what makes it cool) album cover.

#2
Big Deal, June Gloom

We feel confident that we are one of a select few (or none) blogs/music publications placing June Gloom on an end-of-year "best of" list. The other fork didn't even deign to review it (gasp!). But John in the Morning of KEXP (We know, that guy again!) brought our attention to "Dream Machines" and we were hooked. If Small Black's Limits of Desire is the soundtrack to a first kiss, June Gloom (apt name) is the score to the ensuing heartbreak. "Grunge pop" was a phrase we saw somewhere in the blogosphere, and it's fitting -- restless and dreary, it still delivers catchy melodies you would imagine listening to in summertime.

The album starts super strong with "Golden Light", "Swapping Spit" and "In Your Car" before "Dream Machines" arrives, but it sags a little in the midsection ("Pristine" is pretty though). Then, boom, "Catch Up" hits, followed two songs later by "PG" -- two more highlights. Sometimes it's all about the sequencing. But more importantly, it's about nailing the elusive "atmosphere" we at Mitchfork continually reference. If you can capture it like Big Deal does, an agreeable listener will be kept hooked even when the tunes are a little lacking. And if there's one thing we have been described as, it's agreeable. No, you don't agree? Go jump in a lake.

#1
CHVRCHES, The Bones Of What You Believe

Synth pop! Big surprise, right? Well, we were anticipating this one all year thanks to advance single "Recover", but unlike HAIM, the gang from Glasgow (where are the accents?! WE LOVE SCOTTISH ACCENTS) lived up to the hype. It turns out Recover was just the tip of the iceberg -- there really isn't a weak song in the bunch (special shout-outs to "Gun", "Tether" and "Night Sky"). These are haunting, glittering songs which can be both cheesy -- our favorite track on the album, "By the Throat", starts off sounding remarkably similar to an 80s song of some reknown -- and enjoyable to very, very sophisticated music palates like our own.

A lot of the credit for this careful balance of big hooks and diverse electronic textures is due to the band (they self-produced) and Rich Costey, who did the final mix. It all effortlessly melds together and, more importantly, provides the perfect fodder for lead singer Lauren Mayberry's delicate but biting vocals. In the middle of this musical maelstrom, her voice soars above it all, and the tension between her crystalline exclamations and the computer-generated sounds surrounding them ensures each track is an engrossing listen. The lyrics themselves conjure up some surprisingly aggressive imagery -- whoever Mayberry is coming after sounds like they got their hands full -- but it just adds to the fun. Violence and pop music, that's what America was founded on.

Well that does it. We managed to make it through another year of life, and music continued to play a big part in it. Looking ahead to 2014, we see our impending nuptials, but that pales in comparison to the looming specter of the first Wrens album in 11 years or the first Modest Mouse release in 7. We kid, we kid, although we would love to walk down the aisle to "I've Made Enough Friends".

Happy New Year from the staff at Mitchfork. May your 2014s be filled with funky playlists and new musical discoveries.

From the Vault: Top 10 Albums of 2008 via yoontunes

2013-09-18T23:50:00.000-04:00

Before Mitchfork was Mitchfork, we still ranked albums on a yearly basis. We just used other blogs to do it. Blogs like the magnificent and now-defunct yoontunes.

Well, the tireless crew at Mitchfork decided to take undertake a mission to rescue a Top 10 yoontunes had posted for us back in the day. As you can see below, we were successful.

NOW, JOURNEY INTO THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT PAST FOR MITCHFORK'S BEST MUSIC OF 2008!

1. Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours
Album is like: Being Inside a Rainbow
Grower or Shower: Ron Jeremy Kind of Shower
Perfect Environment to Listen To: A Room Filled With Other Sweaty People Jumping Around Where Bright Lights Abound
Best Track: Unforgettable Season

2. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
Album is like: The Crackling of a Fireplace in the Dead of Winter
Grower or Shower: Grower. Immediately Inviting, but Not Immediately Apparent How Engrossing and Atmospheric It Really Is
Perfect Environment to Listen To: Log Cabin In the Woods
Best Track: For Emma

3. TV on the Radio, Dear Science
Album is like: The Hopes and Fears of Tomorrow; Potential Being Realized
Grower or Shower: Many Different Layers of Shower
Perfect Environment to Listen To: Gathering of Jaded Liberals Right On Election Night Before the Results Are Announced
Best Track: DLZ

4. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
Album is like: Pastoral Purgatory
Grower or Shower: Grower, Because It Takes Sometime To Extricate Yourself From Modernity
Perfect Environment to Listen To: An Open Field Nestled in the Vastness of the Blue Ridge Mountains in a Time Sometime Before the Now
Best Track: Your Protector

5. Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles
Album is like: Megaman on PCP
Grower or Shower: Shower, But It'll Take a Few Listens to Comprehend You're Being Shown the Rise of the Machines
Perfect Environment to Listen To: A Modern Car Assembly Line
Best Track: Vanished

6. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
Album is like: A Hot Air Balloon Ride On A Summer's Night With Fireworks Exploding all Around.
Grower or Shower: Shower. Barechested, With Glitter and Scarves
Perfect Environment to Listen To: A College Dorm Room, Intoxicated and Full of Blamless Hedonism
Best Track: Kids

7. Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer
Album is like: Equal Parts Schizophrenia and Sneer
Grower or Shower: Grower. It Lurks and Lurks, and Right When It Looks Like You're Safe You've Been Snared and Are Dangling Ten Feet in the Air Wondering if You Want to Get Down
Perfect Environment to Listen To: Somewhere Pitch Black, With One Hidden Speaker Blaring Out Spencer's Part of Kissing the Beehive and Another Blasting Out Dan's
Best Track: Solider's Grin

8. Passion Pit, Chunk of Change
Album is like: The Fireworks, Candy and Puppy Dog Store
Grower or Shower: Shows You How to Turn That Frown Upside Down
Perfect Environment to Listen To: A Ballpit Complete With 25 Giggling Kids With Birthdays
Best Track: Sleepyhead

9. Pete and the Pirates, Little Death
Album is like: The Unfathomable Chaos That is Love and Life in Your Twenties
Grower or Shower: Shower. The Non-Stop Energy is a Pathogen You Breath In With the First Jangly Guitar Noise
Perfect Environment to Listen To: Running Down The Street, Late to Work, After A One-Night Stand
Best Track: She Doesn't Belong To Me

10. Why, Alopecia
Album is like: Self-Loathing With A Killer Beat
Grower or Shower: Grower. The Enticing Melodies Set The Stage to Some Of the Best Lyrics This Side of David Berman (Silver Jews)
Perfect Environment to Listen To: Lying on Your Bed, Headphones on, Attention Undivided.
Best Track: The Hollows

Honorable Mentions:

Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
Bloc Party, Intimacy
Santogold, Santogold
The Dodos, Visiter
Shearwater, Rook

An Indie Rock Touchstone Turns 10: Celebrating The Meadowlands

2013-05-31T01:05:00.000-04:00

Hi there loyal reader(s). Two posts in a week from the Mitchfork gang -- impressive stuff after months of silence. Don't read too much into it though -- it's not a trend so much as we were randomly struck by inspiration a couple times in close succession. Per our last post, we're not even positive we'll produce an end-of-year "best of" list -- that's how much indie rock has exhausted us.

Speaking of exhausted, The Wrens are presumably so tired out by their non-music lives that they can't even muster a follow-up to one of the best albums of the 2000s (to see Mitchfork back up this statement, we will direct your attention to the #19 pick on our revised "The Top 20 Albums of the 2000s" list). Even for a band that took seven years from their second album (the perfectly swell if a little under-done Secaucus) to their third, a decade-long wait seems to bode ill for their chances of ever releasing any new material. If that is in fact the case, then The Meadowlands will also benefit from its legacy not being overshadowed by the subsequent work of a less-inspired band. Because, make no bones about it, this is an inspired album.

We mentioned in our last post that "indie rock" is used today as an umbrella term to encompass many different styles of music (everything from chill wave to freak folk to baroque pop), but this is an album we would proudly present, right alongside Slanted and Enchanted, Bee Thousand or Lonesome Crowded West, as a collection of songs that perfectly encapsulates what indie rock is supposed to be (in our humble opinion). It's rough and decidedly lo-fi at points (album stand-out "Everyone Choose Sides" comes at you with a mighty wall of staticy guitars that coalesce into a catchy anthem of a pop song) but there's no hiding the hooks, and even though it bubbles with a reckless energy, there's an air of resignation hanging over all of it.

It's the work of a bunch of 30-somethings, bruised by their lives, their loves and their failures, not of successful musicians who hit it big at 22 and never looked back. There's a line from Interpol's Paul Banks on the band's disappointing fourth album Interpol where he laments "I have succeeded/I won't compete for long." Not only does it sum up why Interpol as a band (and so many others) run out of steam, but it also an accurate summation of why The Meadowlands' harsh edges cut so deep: it's an album by a group of men who were not dulled by success and who, closing in on middle age, still had a lot to say and the musical chops to back it up.

"Because I'm caught/I can't type/I can't temp/I'm way past college/No ways out/No back doors, not anymore/But then once a while/We’ll play a show then that makes it worthwhile" Those are our favorite lines from our favorite song on the album, "This Boy Is Exhausted." No description of the Wren's lyrics would be complete without a mention of Charles Bissell's raw, straining and soaring vocals, and here in particular they add a desperate bite to these world-weary words. There's no posturing here, just a bruisingly personal confession about their struggles and minor triumphs. That's the thing -- everything about The Meadowlands feels refreshingly genuine, which is why we suspect these ramshackle pop songs will continue to deliver the goods even after our gray hairs outnumber our brown ones.

And now, we will again climb down from our soap box. We doubt we'll be getting back on it for some time. Enjoy the summer everyone and know we love you. Especially you, Bob Benson, resident "good guy" of Mad Men, a man who may very well be a serial killer. Only time will tell...

When a Disappointing Album Is More Than a Disappointing Album: A Review of The National's "Trouble Will Find Me"

2013-05-27T00:46:00.001-04:00

Hello loyal reader(s). In the past few years, the expectation (largely aided by the staff here at Mitchfork) has been that we only produce a single post a year, our "Year in Music." However, we're breaking form here, so let us explain.

A decade ago, back when Mitchfork was a freshman in college, we hadn't heard of the publication that would eventually rhyme with our name. In fact, we hadn't even listened to many of the bands that now define our music tastes and, to a certain extent, our cultural persona. That all changed over the next few years, when a series of bands (introduced to us by kind, knowledgeable friends) fundamentally altered the way we approached music. Rather than casually consuming catchy pop singles, we allowed songs and albums to sink deep into our marrow and leave enduring impressions. Our inner life, the place where we interpreted meaning, became increasingly influenced by the music we were obsessed with that month and, as time passed, the major events in our young life became indelibly intertwined with the bands and songs we were breathlessly listening to at that time. For example, we remember the exact moment the first notes of Interpol's "Untitled" hit our ears, the way our eyes widened and our pulse picked up. Music became a necessary complement to our existence, enriching many of our formative experiences and heightening our senses.

But, what does that indulgent paragraph have to do with why we're writing this post and addressing The National's latest album? First, let us expound a little further. What happened to that same boundless passion we felt for music, the profound role the act of discovery had in our emotional life? It has steadily diminished after those first few breakneck years, not noticeable at first, but more and more tangible as our ardent adolescence emerged clearly in our rear-view mirror. There used to be dozens of albums we wanted to gush about every year. Then there were several. Now there are, if we're lucky, a couple standouts we want to promote. Why is this? After some thoughts, we have decided there are several reasons, in no particular order of importance.

Reason #1: We've Exhausted the Genre of Indie Rock/It's Exhausted Us

When we say "music," we really mean the giant umbrella of indie rock and all the varied punk, folk, pop and electronica it encompasses. That said, there is only a finite amount of bands to choose from, and after a decade of voraciously devouring hundreds and hundreds of albums, it's safe to say that the available options aren't as plentiful or as impressive as they once were. There are only so many great bands, and it's perfectly possible that some of our fatigue is the result of lacking new music to replace that which we've already burnt out on.

Furthermore, it wouldn't be a stretch to posit the thesis that, over the past decade, the genre as a whole has stagnated to a certain extent. Some of this might have to do with its rise in popularity, encouraging less innovation and more imitation, but it does seem like fewer and fewer bands since the 1990's have been able to leverage their influences into something approaching a definitive sound. This may be an issue throughout pop music in the 21st century, but that's an argument for another time.

Reason #2: We're Older and Our Hearts Don't Beat So Fast Anymore

It's not blasphemous to say that a large part of our expansive passion for music as a young person was due to the fact that we were extremely fired up about everything in our life. The thrill of the new, combined with our juvenile hormones and our carefree, unstructured lives all conspired to make us particularly receptive to the articulate, angst-ridden musings of those who also happened to be particularly adept at constructing pop songs. Don't get us wrong, those same tracks still sound just as good now as they did then; they just don't move us in quite the same way. They're familiar, well-worn psalms, and there's nothing we can do to reignite our senses in regards to them.

Reason #3: The Best Days of Our Favorite Bands/Artists Are Behind Them

Just as our appreciation for music was picking up speed a decade ago, many of our favorite bands were just coming into their own and releasing their definitive albums. It would be unreasonable to expect their level of creativity/production to remain at an elite level over this extended amount of time, and the truth is that it largely hasn't.

Bloc Party, Death Cab for Cutie, Interpol, The Strokes, The Shins, Iron & Wine, The Killers and The Decemberists are examples of bands for whom each successive album has been more disappointing than the last -- reflecting either a creative exhaustion or a need to escape from the sound that once defined them.

Others like Wolf Parade and Broken Social Scene have quasi-disbanded as the members pursue side projects, effectively putting their future output in jeopardy. And while we still anticipate the next Sufjan album, we have no idea what to expect from that mad hatter. There are no more great B-sides to dig up from Elliott Smith's catalog, and it's been over six years since Modest Mouse has released a full-length album. Even Radiohead, with their sterling record of innovation and excellence, essentially mailed in The King of Limbs. Maybe rock music is just a young man's game after all, because it appears in many cases like the ambition just isn't there anymore.

Where does this leave us? Well, with The National, who, along with Arcade Fire, we considered to be our two favorite bands of the past several years. Arcade Fire are expected to release their fourth full-length later this year, and we've felt that the case could be made that each of their past three albums is just as good if not better than those before it. Fingers crossed this trend continues, especially because Trouble Will Find Me just hasn't delivered the goods.

It pains us to say this, but this disappointment is partly the result of the impossibly high expectations Matt Berninger and the boys have created for themselves thanks to their past successes. It's an especially acute dissatisfaction because, due to all the reasons listed above, we really were hoping The National's sixth album would maintain their signature sound while breaking new ground (a la Radiohead). They certainly did the former, but the result was an LP that feels exceptionally staid (even for The National) and a bit stale.

All the hallmarks of The National's previous work can be found on Trouble Will Find Me -- these are immaculately constructed, artfully subdued songs from masters of their craft. Berninger's voice sounds better than ever (he stopped smoking in 2011 and it shows), and his lyrics are tantalizing oblique as always. The issue though is that we feel like we've heard it all before, and it was a little more lively the first time. As they've aged, the restraint that usually worked for the band is starting to constrict their music -- many of these songs sound nuanced and layered, but the residue they leave behind is minimal.

The only standout track is "Don't Swallow the Cap," a tense and plaintive song whose highlights are Berninger's gorgeous chorus and Bryan Devendorf's always stellar drumming. If it reminds the listener of Boxer standout "Brainy," then the next song "Fireproof" echoes "Racing Like a Pro," another Mitchfork favorite. Beyond those two tracks though lies a series of songs without any real highs or lows. This is despite the best efforts of "Sea of Love" and "Graceless," both of which appear to have the potential to break out as anthems, but end up falling short in a way similar songs from the band would not have in the past.

Trouble Will Find Me, truth be told, brings to mind a band slowing fading into middle age, sanding off the rough corners and settling into a comfort zone. It's perfectly pleasant, with a few memorable peaks, but those moments only serve to remind us of previous albums (Alligator in particular), where they were more plentiful. Even as the band's embraced a measured sound, it always felt like they were exploring new ground. For the first time, we can't say that's the case.

Now, back to Mitchfork and putting Trouble Will Find Me in the larger context of how our music listening has evolved over the years. There are still plenty of good bands out there, and we don't suspect we'll be quitting music or indie rock anytime soon. However, this post does indicate an increasing acceptance of the inevitable end of Mitchfork in the near future. Although it's only been around for five years and Mitchfork is composed of just several sprawling posts, this blog is an online manifestation of the lingering passion we still feel when proselytizing the merits of truly great music. Perhaps it will be this year, or maybe next, but the writing is on the wall.

That said, while it is becoming more and more difficult to amass a year-end list of memorable music, the existence of songs like "Don't Swallow the Cap" continue to make the search worthwhile. Moreover, while our hearts might not flutter as they once did, the imprint the music has left on us will remain.

Music Was Made. The Best of 2012

2012-12-20T02:04:00.002-05:00

S'up guys! Yes, we know it's been a year (once again) since our last post, but we've been busy prepping for the Mayan apocalypse thingy that's happening in a couple of days. Thankfully, our basement is now full of smoked meats ranging from possum to skunk to raccoon. On a related note, we believe the sanitation departments of Somerville and Cambridge owe us a debt of gratitude. No more overturned trash cans and rabies shots!

But yes, in regards to the music. Below, you'll see some albums and songs from 2012 that our staff handpicked as exceptionally listenable... with a couple of notable exceptions.

Yes, the world as we know it will most likely end in the immediate future, but at least our cadre of loyal reader(s) will have some great new music to pass the time before everyone they know and love is lost to them forever. Enjoy!

Let's begin with the bad news...

The "MERCY KILLING" Awards

You know the scene in Last of the Mohicans where Daniel Day Lewis's character shoots the British officer nobody likes because he's being burned alive at the stake? Yeah, these bands deserve a similar kindness:

Band #1: The Shins
Album that broke the camel's back: Port of Morrow

Now, while it could be said that the Shins have always been James Mercer's creative vehicle to some degree, Port of Morrow signified the departure of the every original member outside of Mercer. The evolution of The Shins from loose and lo-fi to studio stateliness (or staleness, if you ask us) was completed with this album. No whimsical, infectious tracks like "New Slang" or "Kissing the Lipless" can be found here. Hell, we at least expected another "Phantom Limb" somewhere. The closest Mercer comes to revisiting the sound he's left behind is "September," and even that bores after the first minute or so. There used to be something ramshackle about The Shins that made each listen feel like a breath of fresh air. On Port of Morrow, it sounds like someone sucked the oxygen out of the studio.

Band #2: Band of Horses
Album that broke the camel's back: Mirage Rock

Much like Mercer with The Shins, lead singer Ben Bridwell has steered Band of Horses steadily away from the sound of their stellar debut album. Losing founding members and gaining a renewed sense of affection for Southern rock, all that remains of Band of Horses's formerly rich, layered sound on Mirage Rock, their fourth album, is Bridwell's voice (which is fantastic in concert by the way, or at least it used to be). But a nice set of pipes only gets you so far when your songs are rip-offs of 1970s Americana. There's nothing wrong with folksy tunes that owe a debt to previous generations (as proven by one of the albums on our Top 10 list below), but these tracks mostly sound like pale imitations of the real thing. Even the catchier songs like "Knock Knock" fail to immerse the listener in the way you feel like they could. There's no "The Funeral" on Mirage Rock, but it effectively heaps another pile of dirt onto the grave of Band of Horses.

Now, onto the accolades...

If you remember nothing else about 2012, let it be this song:

Haim: "Forever"

It doesn't hurt that the video for this track is an absolute blast and a perfect companion for the music. Or that we have crushes on all three of the sisters that comprise this band. Also, friend of Mitchfork Alex K. recently saw Haim in concert, and by all accounts they amazed.

How to sum up this song? It's a collage of sounds (Wikipedia calls it "nu-folk–meets–nineties-R&B") from the past few decades that will make you want to get up and dance around your apartment with your romantic partner in crime (shout out to the inimitable KK), and the breakdown about 2/3rds of the way through is a show-stopper. Plus, there are handclaps! WHO DOESN'T LIKE HANDCLAPS?

Honorable Mention Goes To:

Daughter, The Wild Youth EP
Top Track: "Youth"

Technically Daughter's second release may have arrived last year, but we all know "release dates" are increasingly an archaic thing. Anyways, this here is a fragile beauty of an EP. Showcased within its four tracks are ethereal female vocals (courtesy of Elena Tonra) paired with delicate arrangements that are occasionally shattered by bursts of melodic angst. It's sort of like The xx (whose disappointing sophomore effort didn't make the cut this year), but more folky and less muted. These are emotionally vulnerable songs that conjure up images of a lost little girl seeking some sort of protection in a threatening world. Won't someone protect her?!?!

Hey look, a Top 10:

#10:

Japandroids, Celebration Rock
Top Track: "The House That Heaven Built"

More of the same from Japandroids. It's been three years since their debut Post-Nothing, during which time we at Mitchfork have all felt the cruel passage of time. But while our hair goes grayer, these guys still sound like they're 18, always prepared to leave town and never look back. The songs on Celebration Rock charge ahead one after another, full of reckless swagger.

At some point you're like "Hey, we're going 110 in a 55 mph zone -- that's a criminal offense. Maybe we should lay off the gas a bit," and Japandroids are like "And if they try to slow you down/tell 'em all to go to hell". But then you're like "Hey guys, that's not nice, I'm just looking out for our safety. I mean, come on, you're not even wearing a seat belt! Let's be smart here."

But yeah, it's a good album.

#9:

Santigold, Master of My Make-Believe
Top Track: "Disparate Youth"

Santogold is no more! Long live Santigold! On both her self-titled debut and this, her second effort, there are two types of songs on display: pretty songs and aggressive songs. The pretty songs can be aggressive too, but you quickly know which type of Santigold song you're getting. "Look at These Hoes" is an aggressive song, for example, while "This Isn't Our Parade" is a pretty song. The pretty tracks are sleek New-Wavey pop gems primed for commercial licensing, while the others are in-your-face hip-hop that show off the influence of where the album was partially recorded (Jamaica).

As you might imagine by the other albums on this list, we tend to side more with the rock-oriented side of things, but that doesn't mean we don't identify with lines like "Tear it up, I'm so damn gold". In fact, every morning we look at ourselves in the mirror and say the same thing. More or less.

#8:

The Twilight Sad, No One Can Ever Know
Top Track: "Nil"

Man, Scotland really must be a bummer, right? Three albums into their discography, and we still aren't seeing a ray of sunshine peeking in through the overcast atmosphere that permeates every song these guys produce. That said, No One Can Ever Know definitely puts another layer of studio polish on. The Twilight Sad are still morose as fuck, but the edges of that depression have been further fine-tuned. Meaning it goes down easier, even though that heavily accented voice isn't describing good times.

In fact, in our humble opinion, the intro to "Sick" sounds like it could have been pulled off of Kid A or Amnesiac. You don't agree? Well, our opinion matters more because we have a blog and you don't. Oh, you have a blog too? And everyone has online platforms in which to express their very important thoughts? News to us!

In conclusion, The Twilight Sad continue to be sad. Just with more synth now. Sweet, sexy synth.

#7:

Stars, The North
Top Track: "Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It"

We'll be honest, we were worried for Stars after 2010's The Five Ghosts. Despite a few highlights, overall it was really uneven -- it seemed as though they had forgotten the winning formula best displayed on 2005's Set Yourself on Fire. Turns out our fears were as unnecessary as the silent "u", "i" and "l" in lead singer Torquil Campbell's name.

Over a decade into their career, Stars sounds reinvigorated. They know what works (sparkling synths, soaring guitars, the interplay of Amy Milan and Campbell's voices) and they make the fusion of all those elements sound effortless again. Whether it's the gorgeous title track or "Backlines," which recalls "Ageless Beauty" from Set Yourself on Fire, The North is consistently engaging throughout. We're not always in the mood for sappy electropop (that's a lie), but when we are, we're glad for Stars. Keep the romance coming!

#6:

First Aid Kit, The Lion's Roar
Top Track: "The Lion's Roar"

It threw us for a loop when, four years ago, we first heard folk-outfit First Aid Kit. A cover they had done of Fleet Foxes' "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" was making the rounds on YouTube, and the Swedish sisters' voices blew us away. They were both teenagers, but if you closed your eyes you could easily be convinced they had lived full lifetimes of heartache and loss.

Fast-forward to present day and those gorgeous, melancholic voices now have a rich musical canvas with which to work. Title track "The Lion's Roar" is a slice of alt-country goodness featuring an expansive sound worthy of their soaring vocals, and the tracks that follow maintain that epic scope.

Despite this talk of these ladies sounding wise beyond their years, what really makes these songs (especially closer "King of the World") work is their earnest vulnerability. They might be pulling their inspiration from the past, but First Aid Kit still sound like they're staring wide-eyed into whatever the future may bring.

#5:

Tanlines, Mixed Emotions
Top Track: "Real Life"

There used to be a time where we would have tan lines for a solid 4 months out of the year. One summer during college we worked as a landscaper, and the deep bronze we acquired was still around long into fall. Damn, we looked good.

Tanlines is here to bring a little of that summer sun into our lives, and their sound (new-wavey electropop by way of the Caribbean -- think Vampire Weekend meets Passion Pit meets "Red, Red Wine") is on full display with Mixed Emotions. There are rollicking jams ("Rain Delay," "All of Me") and more sedate tracks like "Nonesuch" that sound like they could be used during a climactic scene of a John Hughes movie.

The album's highlight though is "Real Life" (it also was the highlight of their debut, the 2010 EP Settings). This track serves up island beats which transition into a synth-laden chorus that makes you want to jump around and have a pina colada. If you like pina coladas, you'll like Tanlines. If you don't, then we don't know what else to say to you.

#4:

Cloud Nothings, Attack on Memory
Top Track: "Wasted Days"

There's a flip side to Japandroids' Celebration Rock, and it's Attack on Memory, Cloud Nothing's third album. What happens when you're all ready to peel out of town and hit the open road, but your transmission fails and you end up spending the next couple of years trying to save up money to get a new ride? Or when all the ambitiously laid plans for the future don't come to pass, and the bravado starts to fade? Lead singer Dylan Baldi knows the horrible truth!

A sense of fatalism percolates throughout these tracks as Baldi rages at the passage of time and the helplessness that stems from realizing you've squandered your potential. On the sprawling "Wasted Days," he spits out "well I know my life's not gonna change/and I live through all these wasted days... getting tired of living 'till I die". Heavy stuff, and Baldi's ragged delivery gives a sense of urgency to the words.

At Mitchfork, we have a complicated algorithm which has determined that a band/artist's third LP statistically is the most likely to be their breakthrough album. We won't share the specifics of our formula because, much like Google with internet marketers, we can't have musicians figuring out the secret to success. Well, Attack on Memory supports our findings, because it's a huge step forward for Cloud Nothings. They've managed to clean up their sound without losing any of their edge; in fact, some in Middle Earth might say their songs' hooks are as sharp as the Elvish blade Sting. See The Hobbit, in theaters now!

(editor's note: we saw The Hobbit soon after writing this, and we sincerely apologize to any readers who may have gone to see this film based on our recommendation.)

#3:

Wild Nothing, Nocturne
Top Track: "Shadow"

Where Attack on Memory reflects the dissatisfaction of frustrated youth, Jack Tatum, aka Wild Nothing, creates music that serves as a balm meant to envelop and soothe the young dreamers of the world. We at Mitchfork described Wild Nothing's debut, Gemini, as "perfect for that never-ending summer day" (yeah that's right, we just quoted ourselves), and that classification holds up for sophomore effort Nocturne. There is not a single song on this album that doesn't hold up to several listens, a fact that dawned on us during the exceptionally sunny summer of 2012. Perfect Wild Nothing weather.

When the first single "Shadow" came out, we were immediately reminded why Wild Nothing has been one of our favorite bands of the past few years. It sounds like there are 32 layers in this song, each serving a unique purpose in creating the dreamy post-punk/electropop soundscape. Meanwhile, you have Tatum's voice drifting in, surreal, crooning "I try to feel something for you, but that's all that I can do". He's doing all he can, but it's just too much for him too summon anything concrete. You wouldn't ask a summer breeze to care for you, would you? And that's all Wild Nothing is, a light musical caress meant to make you close your eyes before remembering romances long lost and a childhood never to be reclaimed.

So just sit back, relax and forget about the $20,000 in college loans you still owe. Or that the creepy looking dude who is walking across the subway car and sitting down next to you. And now he's tapping you on your shoulder with one hand while he holds out a Lyndon LaRouche pamphlet with the other. SUMMER BREEZE MAKES ME FEEL FINE (hands cover ears).

#2:

Beach House, Bloom
Top Track: "Wild"

Beach House really hit their stride with their Mitchfork-acclaimed 2010 release Teen Dream, beefing up their dream pop sound to make it a worthy companion to lead singer Victoria Legrand's soaring vocals. Bloom starts off even stronger than its predecessor, as lead tracks "Myth" and "Wild" are two of the best songs the band has ever produced. Initially, the staff here was mildly disappointed at how the album is a bit front-loaded, but we were steadily won over when play after play refused to diminish the listening enjoyment derived from these ten songs -- there's something to be said for an album that can hold its own over an extended period of exposure.

Let's use a candy analogy. "Call Me Maybe" is a bunch of pixie sticks, an immediate rush that will make you sick before long. An album like Bloom is like a big lollypop. Each lick is enjoyable, and unless you want to break a tooth there's no real way to speed up the process. It's a steady supply of auditory pleasure, and considering how little self-control we have when exposed to great songs, that's a good thing. Songs that grow on you often have a longer shelf life than immediately appealing tracks, and our basement filled with cured varmint meat and canned beans speaks to how much we value goods that will last far into the Mayan apocalypse thingy.

1. Chromatics, Kill for Love
Top Track: "The Page"

Here it is, your top album of 2012. And it wasn't even really close. If you know the sensibilities of Mitchfork, then you can understand why an album like Kill for Love would immediately appeal. Expertly executed post-punk synth pop? Check. Haunting female vocals? Check. Atmospheric and engrossing? Check.

The most impressive thing is that there are 17 songs on this album, Chromatics' second on the Italians Do It Better label, and less than half are actually structured pop songs. The others are better suited as fodder for movies in need of mood music. The huge chunks of filler take away from the album as a whole, but it's important to note that whenever Chromatics try to create a pop song, they knock it out of the park. The first five tracks of Kill for Love by themselves represent a stunning stretch of music that showcase a band with complete mastery over the medium.

Whether it's "Back from the Grave," "The Page" or "Lady", these songs effortlessly encapsulate the bleak allure of urban life. The city landscape soundtracked by Kill For Love is harsh, but it's also irresistible. Johnny Jewel, the group's leader, might be a sweet guy in real life, but it's hard not to see him as a dealer of some sort, peddling sounds that will intoxicate another generation and convince them that New York's insane rents are somehow worth the "sexy" 3 A.M. walks down the dark city streets. Note to the fathers out there -- if your daughter comes home with a boy named Johnny Jewel, it's already too late to save her innocence.

Anyways, that's our list for 2012. If we make it to 2013 (fingers crossed), we look forward to listening and sharing new music with y'all.

Oh, and one more thing -- "We Are Young," by Fun? It's straight-up unlistenable. We haven't heard a song in a very long time that bothers us as much as that piece of dog shit. We just needed to say that.

A Look Back at 2011 as It Related to Music

2012-01-02T21:11:00.039-05:00

Hello again from the staff at Mitchfork. I said, hello again from the staff at Mitchfork. Anyone there?

Well, I guess it makes sense. We followed up a hiatus of almost a year with a hiatus of more than a year. In that time, plenty happened. However, none of it mattered as much as what you're about to read:

Mitchfork's official BEST OF 2011!!.

First, a summation. 2011 was not a good year for music. It was easier coming up with the disappointments than the standouts. 2011 paled especially in comparison to 2010, which was an absolutely fantastic year in music that Mitchfork did justice to with... one post at the end of November that wrapped up the year in music.

This year, in hopes of discovering some final gem, we really waited until the last minute to close the voting on the best albums. The hope was that some overlooked releases might make the cut. They didn't (sorry Yuck). That said, there was still a bunch of solid LPs that deserved a mention, as well as one great EP that made us decide to write ANOTHER post (which will we backdate to June to make it look like we actually were more dedicated to this blog than we were) regarding our favorite EPs of all-time.

But before, we get to our top 10, we'd like to draw some attention to albums who didn't deliver the goods as promised. None of these albums were awful, but we fully expected them to be top 10s and they just didn't impress. A couple of these albums were critically lauded, but we could give a flying fuck what the critics think. We're Mitchfork, and our opinions fly in the face of those made by the hipster tastemakers out there. When we saw that famous Jet review from the other Fork that had a monkey peeing into its mouth, we all bought tickets to a Jet show and loved the ever-loving shit out of it.

Anyways, we forget ourselves. Here are the albums that annoyed us:

Expectations Nowhere Near Met:

TV on the Radio, Nine Types of Light

More like nine types of suck, am I right? Nah, it wasn't that bad, but after their 2008 effort, Dear Science, Mitchfork had the highest expectations for the follow-up. Each album following their debut had been a step above the previous, with the best tracks increasingly overshadowing the art-rock filler found elsewhere. Not so here; no standouts to be found.

Radiohead, The King of Limbs

Radiohead have earned their untouchable status thanks to amazing album after amazing album, but we at Mitchfork can't give them a free pass for this one. The advance word was that Thom and the boys were tired of traditional "albums," and that distaste shows here. It felt like a throwaway, more sound scape than coherent work. Diehards still defended it, but this could have been the album of the year and it wasn't even close.

M83, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming.

Saturdays = Youth was our favorite M83 album yet, so when a double album was announced we already had it penciled in as an album of the year contender. Then came the advance single "Midnight City," which was easily the best track on the album and one of the best songs of 2011. It all went downhill after that. Critics loved this album, Mitchfork's friends loved it, but Mitchfork didn't love it. It was listenable, with a few good tracks, but overall it was forgettable. Anthony Gonzalez's previous work had a rich depth to it, but this felt thin and overblown. Sound vague? Well, we know what we like, and this wasn't it.

Top Albums of 2011:

To be honest, we had a real rough time figuring out exactly how to order these 10 albums. There were only two that stood out as "complete," meaning they didn't have patches of songs that didn't do much for us. Also, these were the two albums we were able to listen to consistently in their entirety (not just a couple great songs) and not grow tired of. They're also very different albums, which just shows to you we appreciate the whole spectrum (of a sub-genre of music called indie rock, whatever the hell that is).

We're not going to say much about each album, because we have very busy lives and we've said enough already, so without further ado here are seven good LPs, one GREAT EP and two very good albums that crossed our radar in 2011:

The Antlers, Burst Apart
Top Track: "Corsicana"

Took some getting used to, but we ended up really liking the new direction they took. Still sporting haunting vocals and atmosphere, but the tunes had a more varied sound to them.

Generationals, Actor-Caster
Top Track: "Please Be It"

Bouncy summertime tunes done right. We've been hearing these guys in commercials and couldn't be happier. Auction off your sonic sunshine to the highest bidder and sell some VWs!

Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes
Top Track: "I Follow Rivers"

When we brought our car to the mechanic, this album was in our CD player. When he was done fixing it, he asked us what we were listening to. We said Lykke Li and he looked confused, shrugged and said "sounds like some creepy little girl." That may be, but that little lady can craft some catchy tunes.

Pete And The Pirates, One Thousand Pictures
Top Track: "Motorbike"

These Brits get NO love, and we can't understand why. There are some seriously tight tunes on this and their debut album that pack a punch while still having pop appeal. Well, if no one else will give them their due, then we'll be really over the top. Pete And The Pirates, with your help, can SAVE ROCK MUSIC.

Phantogram, Nightlife
Top Track: "16 Years"

Just a killer EP that's following up an already impressive debut last year. Think Stars if Stars weren't sappy pussies (no offense to Torquil and the crew) and could lay down some beats.

Cut Copy, Zonoscope
Top Track: "Blink And You'll Miss A Revolution"

These guys solved the post-punk/synth pop equation in 2008's In Ghost Colours, and here they expand their palate a bit to include some world beats. Overall it fell short of expectations, but was still dynamic enough to merit inclusion. We appreciate ambition at Mitchfork (we're full of it, with 95% currently unrealized), and this had it in spades.

The Drums, Portamento
Top Track: "Book of Revelations"

This one had us from the very start, and when it let us go four tracks later to stumble starry-eyed through a mediocre back 2/3rds we couldn't hold any grudges. These guys, while inconsistent, clearly comprehend what it takes to make a great pop song, which is more than we can say for most of the other fuzzed-out beach comber bands out there.

Washed Out, Within and Without
Top Track: "You and I"

"You and I" might be our favorite song of the year, but beyond that you'll still find enough chillwave (perfect name for a genre by the way) bliss to keep you coming back for more. There's a natural progression from Life of Leisure, their debut, to this album, and that progression hints at greater things yet to come.

and now...

Best Album of 2011 (It's a tie!)

Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Top Track: "Perth"
Mitchfork has a ladyfriend who we'll call KK. KK loves being cozy; it's her raison d'etre. We would describe For Emma, Forever Ago as a cozy album. It made you want to find the Wisconsin cabin where it was recorded, settle down in front of the fire and have some cocoa.

The self-titled follow-up had big shoes to fill, but the hardest thing to recreate from the debut would be its atmosphere. There was a melancholy yearning contained in Justin Vernon's voice, but also in the songs themselves. They oozed it.

Suffice to say, mission accomplished. Without sounding at all like a retread, Bon Iver manages to spirit us away away yet again to a world we never want to leave. Say what you will about the lyrics, but there's a richness to these songs that is compelling in a very distinctive way. Bon Iver's first two albums go a long way to creating a signature sound, and that's a rare thing in today's music world. There are only a few true auteurs out there, and Ke$ha needs some company.

Neon Indian, Era Extrana
Top Track: "Polish Girl"

Huge surprise here. Huge. Neon Indian's debut firmly fell in the chillwave camp for better and for worse. The tunes were laid back and hearkened back to 80's synth nostalgia, but they also felt underdeveloped and largely forgettable. However, like Washed Out, the follow-up was bigger and bolder, showcasing the full talents of one Alan Palomo.

Tracks like "Halogen [I Could Be a Shadow]" and "Fallout" strain at the seams, brimming with wide-eyed wonder that feels both familiar and fresh. The easiest comparison we could come up with was Saturdays=Youth, the M83 album we mentioned earlier as setting the bar too high for Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. We'll see where they go from here, but we'll have our eyes on them. Maybe we'll even have them around for one of our fireside chats. Well, once we settle the lawsuit with Malkmus.

Ok, that's it. Happy New Year from Mitchfork!

2010: Top Albums, Awards, Angst

2010-11-27T23:27:00.002-05:00

Folks, we're back. To make a long story short, the fireside chats got a little out of hand during the Stephen Malkmus installment. A spark landed on his plaid, which was shockingly flammable and, just like that, we had ourselves a bit of situation. Steve stormed out, and once word about his "episode" circulated throughout the indie rock ranks we couldn't get any more guests to stop by our fireside.

Fine by us. We were running out of books to burn to keep the blaze going.

However, a little setback like second degree burns won't discourage us; we'll still keep on posting occasionally with or without Malkmus, throwing the starving masses a few scraps of meat to satisfy their appetites.

This time around, it's our:

BEST OF 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My goodness, was 2010 a year for music. Our favorite year since 2005, filled with hidden gems and long-awaited follow-ups that didn't disappoint. However, we'd like to take a moment to hand out awards to a few bands that made us less than proud this past year.

First off is Interpol, winning our:

"RIP DEAR FRIEND" AWARD

This year, the RIP Dear Friend award goes to the boys in black, greatly admired by us folks at Mitchfork for Turn on the Bright Lights, slightly less for Antics, and then, yes, even less for Our Love to Admire.

Now, in 2010 they give us a self-titled album that was released shortly before bassist Carlos D (guy with the fine stache) left the band. Our guess is Carlos left because he realized what the rest of the world has learned since Interpol landed-- the band is creatively exhausted.

And will most likely break up anyway not long after they're done touring for this album. That, combined with how Interpol isn't a "bad" album, just one which shows they're further than ever from reclaiming their initial post-punk magic, means we won't rip on NYC's finest. They've earned their place in history with one of our favorite albums of all time, and their last show in Boston this year was really solid (despite lacking Carlos and his gun holster). Plus, lead singer Paul Banks told us we were their best crowd on the tour. He wouldn't lie, would he?

We will bid them a fond adieu though. Time to hang it up boys. You've done your part reviving post-punk, giving us at Mitchfork a chance to get into Joy Division and the rest. Take that vacation, and reunite when the world is again mired in a Limp Bizkit/Korn phase. We look forward to seeing you, sharply dressed as always.

Next comes The Wrens, recipients of our:

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST JUST RELEASE ANOTHER GODDAMN ALBUM ALREADY" AWARD

Hey look, it's a rare find! Two Wrens found in what should be their natural habitat, THE STUDIO. RECORDING NEW MUSIC. We get it, you guys have lives outside of the music, jobs and families, which is why it's been 7 years since The Meadowlands. But after a certain point, come on. We're not picky-- any 10 songs will do. Just give us something, because we're huge fans and we're not going to patiently sit by as your kids go to college and your hips get replaced but no new music emerges from Camp Wrens.

Look, if friend of Mitchfork Dave Mancinelli can clear time out of his busy schedule (typically filled with counting ceiling tiles and plotting the downfall of one Jake Grindal) to record an album, then you guys can get your shit together. Maybe in 2011? Or else you'll win this award again. And you don't want that. No, you certainly do not...

Finally, to Best Coast goes the:

"THE HYPE MACHINE STRIKES AGAIN" AWARD

See that pretty young lady up there holding the fluffy cat? That's Bethany, and she's Best Coast. Sadly, and maybe through no desire of her own (maybe she wanted to play largely uninspired lo-fi music in obscurity forever), she was snapped up by the hype machine in 2009-2010. Fueled by a few nice singles, including the really really good "Boyfriend", Bethany gained a lot of internet traction and, like many bands before her (Vampire Weekend, Voxtrot, Wavves, etc) she released her first LP after many months of accompanying build up. Thing is, that album really isn't too good. It took a few listens for us to realize it, but it's not. It's all same-sounding tunes with some honest to goodness dumb lyrics that aren't validated by anything she's doing musically. Nothing really offensive, but nothing stands out, outside of "Boyfriend", as worthy of any praise. And we're pretty sick and tired here of these surfer acts getting more love than they deserve just because they have a sunny atmosphere, bad production values and sound like they could have made their album in an afternoon. We can't help feel like Crazy For You is aspiring to be something like Weezer's Blue Album, but it's not even in the same ballpark.

Does this mean Bethany and her crew are crap? Nah. They're ok, but it's good to take a jab at internet hype every now and again. As opposed to non-internet hype, like the fliers we're seeing around town for that cat Bethany is holding. Jeez, sure hope Whiskers is ok. Also, if the hype machine wants to set its sights on Mitchfork-- please do. We've been waiting for our chance to have the slightest excuse to be insufferable douches. Give us that chance.

Ok, so now that the demons have been exorcised, let's get down to why 2010 was such a great start to the new decade.

Without FURTHER ADO, our top 10, plus an honorable mention. We'll try to keep the descriptions short and functional, just like Squires' s donger.

HONORABLE MENTION!

Sufjan Stevens, The Age of Adz
Best Track: "Vesuvius"

Back about this time last year, we predicted Sufjan was up to something. And gosh darnit, we were right. More right than we knew, because The Age of Adz is certainly something.

At times, it's something amazing. At others, it's something frustrating. Occasionally, it's just something that we can't quite describe but still want to listen to again.

It's Sufjan spreading his wings, shooting for the moon and almost making it. "Impossible Soul", the 25 minute closer, pretty much encapsulates the entire album's issues. It's a song that'll get you so fired up (and succeeded in fine fashion at his Boston show), but it'll also put you to sleep (no joke, we actually napped from roughly minute 7 to minute 10). It's too much, but you also have a hard time wanting it to be anything but, because the greatness is a byproduct of that same excess.

In conclusion, definitely an album worth listening to repeatedly, but let's just say we're already ready for another album where Sufjan streamlines his sonic journey a bit.

#10!

Phantogram, Eyelid Movies
Best Track: "Mouthful of Diamonds"

First, a shout-out to John Richards, aka John in the Morning, one of Mitchfork's musical idols. We don't hear John anymore at our new job because our computer has sound issues, but this was one of the last albums the pride of KEXP Seattle turned us on to. Thankfully, we know that friend of Mitchfork Von Hann will keep us in the loop regarding all the latest music being played by John from 9am-1pm every weekday if we would just ask, but we're shy.

Anyways, Phantogram. Frontloaded, but those first couple of songs ("Mouthful of Diamonds", "When I'm Small") especially are just so good. And while it might climax early, the electropop goodness remains throughout. Fragile vocals paired with beats that can work in the bedroom (not like that--like, chilling on your bed. Ok, that too) or the dance floor, Eyelid Movies is solid stuff. Even better-- it's only these guys' debut (and one of only two debut albums on this list), meaning there's plenty to look forward to in the future.

#9!

Tokyo Police Club, Champ
Best Track: "End of a Spark"

Tokyo Police Club was also swallowed up by the Hype Machine at a young age (they're still all under 25) during the build up to their 2008 debut Elephant Shell, but a lot of that hype was deserved. There were so many great things going on that album, it just got a little claustrophobic now and again. Now though, they're giving these songs a little more room to breathe, creating a more expansive sound that's still as propulsive as ever. Plus, a lot of their songs fixate on lost youth, and if you know Mitchfork you know we love that coming of age shit. It's our bread and butter, and our favorite album this year (you've probably already scrolled down by this point) fixates on just that.

#8!

Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record
Best Track: "Romance To The Grave"

There's something to be said for consistency, and BSS has been a steady source of great since You Forgot It in People, their 2002 breakthrough. Going to their concert this past fall, we knew exactly what we were going to get: fantastic energy and passion, combined with some superb slow jams and epic breakdowns. There's no "It's All Gonna Break" or "Cause=Time" on Forgiveness Rock Record, but it makes up for it with "Sweetest Kill" and "Romance to the Grave", two ballads that still sizzle with that sexy energy BSS delivers in spades. They're always a band that goes for the heart rather than the head, and once again Cupid's arrow has struck home.

#7!

Wild Nothing, Gemini
Best Track: "Chinatown"

"Cause our lips won't last forever, and that's exactly why I'd rather live in dreams and I'd rather die." Yes yes yes. There's the chorus of "Live in Dreams", the inviting opening track of Wild Nothing's debut Gemini. The music matches the lyrics-- it's fuzzy and ethereal, perfect for that never-ending summer day. Atmosphere is so essential for a great album, and the way Jack Tatum (Wild Nothing is Jack Tatum), effortlessly captures a unique mood and dynamically maintains it for twelve songs gives us big hopes for his future. You want to lose yourself in Gemini's depths, to fall into your own dreams and leave behind the everyday realities that threaten the whimsical youth you once treasured. Seems a little much right? Fine, it's just a catchy, fun album that you'll like playing in your ears as you fly kites in the park. On acid.

#6!

Foals, Total Life Forever
Best Track: "What Remains"

More of the same from Foals on their second album. Thankfully, we love overly dramatic post-punk that sounds like it was recorded on the moon. There's just something so big about the production here, making each instrument, including the vocals, sound like they are miles away from each other. "Spanish Sahara" and "Alabaster" both embody this sprawling vastness, but it's closer "What Remains" that reveals what makes Foals special--Yannis Philippakis's voice. It hits the same notes that Paul Bank's does-- powerful, keening notes that make the music resonate and all that drama seem justified. Maybe Yannis really has been to the "darkest place you know", and maybe he does have some wisdom to impart about it. Only Yannis knows the answers. Yannis. Greek names are funny.

#5!

Wolf Parade, Expo 86
Best Track: "Ghost Pressure"

Return to form! We love that phrase, and are glad to use it on such a deserving band. We cut At Mount Zoomer a lot of slack when we were first digging our teeth in, but the subsequent listens in these last couple of years have not been kind. It felt scattered and disjointed, like Spencer and Dan couldn't get on the same page. Well, they've found their balance again and it shows. Consistently superb throughout, with the four songs from "What Did My Lover Say (It Always Had to Go This Way)" through "Ghost Pressure" providing the best stretch of music this year. Fittingly, both Dan and Spence contribute a pair of songs to this section of the album, and when they combine forces at the end of "Ghost Pressure", it's a sight (or listen rather) to behold. Now, time for a couple more Handsome Furs and Sunset Rubdown albums before they team up again. Not that we're complaining.

#4!

Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles (II)
Best Track: "Empathy"

We're not exactly sure what kind of electronica sub-genre Crystal Castles inhabits, and we do suppose you could have some fun dancing to these tracks. But there's just something fundamentally introverted about their music, a kind of shattered beauty conveyed by Alice Glass's wounded, haunting voice and the frantic, aggressive beats Ethan Kath puts forth that demands we put on our headphones and immerse ourselves in it. The prime example of this is "Not in Love"-- it's a up-tempo, new wavy track that you could definitely cut a rug to, but there's something damaged about it that makes it something you want to engage with your mind as well as your feet. That was true on Crystal Castles, and it's especially true now. Back in 2008 we posted on Yoontunes (a much more well-updated music blog run by a better man) that Crystal Castles was a shower of an album, and Crystal Castles (II) is the same. But it's value lies not in the initial appeal, but in the subsequent layers you are enticed to peel away.

#3!

Beach House, Teen Dream
Best Track: "Norway"

Don't let the barely there album art fool you, this was a BIG album from Beach House. It was their third album, and everyone knows that your third album is the one where everything culminates into awesome. In our opinion, this was the case with Modest Mouse, The National, Radiohead, TV on the Radio, Silver Jews and more. So it is with Beach House, who delivered two solid albums up to Teen Dream; releases that seemed intent on perfecting their brand of dream pop. They had atmosphere, but not much in the way of experimentation. Then, BAM. The instant we heard "Norway", we knew these two had taken a quantum leap forward.

Teen Dream reeks of ambition. It expands their sound without losing that unique atmosphere, and catapults Beach House into the upper echelon of indie rock. A large part of this ascension is due to the increased emphasis on Victoria Legrand's voice, which is now a commanding presence in every song. Maybe the best female voice in indie rock, it conveys the emotional depth that anchors this album. "10 Mile Stereo" rivals "Norway" in its "epicness", but the song soars because of Legrand's vocals reaching up to the heavens. What's most impressive is, unlike the long months between Mitchfork posts, this album never drags. Man, we tell ourselves everyday how big Mitchfork would have been if we had just kept it up like our collegiate binge drinking. Alas, blogging is a much easier habit to break.

#2!

The National, High Violet
Best Track: "Terrible Love" (This is taking into account how spellbinding it is live)

Our favorite band of the last five years is at it again. They found their musical voice with Alligator and have spent the last two albums finessing it, albeit in more subdued ways. While we rather liked the moments of epic bombast in Alligator, we've accepted that, by in large, the National are not that kind of band. Arcade Fire (foreshadowing) are that kind of band, but The National make music for weary adults attempting to maintain love, friendships, jobs and a sense of self in a chaotic urban backdrop. Arcade Fire give you anthems to rage against the injustice of the world, songs to pump your fist to as you bemoan the youth you've lost, and that's fine. There's a time and a place for that angst, but Mitchfork isn't an 20 year old at the cusp of adulthood anymore. We're professionals in our beloved white shirts, and, because of that, the malaise of The National speaks powerfully to us. It's expressed profoundly through Matt Berniger's baritone as he moans cryptic yet evocative lyrics, and it's cathartic to hear those words uttered by someone whose personal insight is always tempered by an understanding of his place in the wider world. They're specific to his experience, yet they still feel universal, at least to the demographic he's speaking for.

Yet, High Violet, while dark, isn't a downer. Just because The National aren't as "epic" anymore, doesn't mean they aren't some truly inspired and soaring moments. "Terrible Love", "Lemonworld" and "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks" all come to mind as songs that build up to fantastic flourishes that always feel deserved. Then there's "Anyone's Ghost", which would be our favorite song on the album were in not that we saw "Terrible Love" live. The whole song gives us chills, especially the climax, where the words "I told my friends not to worry" vaguely menace in way that sticks with you long after the music ends.

So, as you uncertainly weave your way through adult life trying to balance your responsibilities and your idealism, listen to High Violet and know you're not alone.

#1!

Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Best Track: "Suburban War"

But you know what? After saying all that stuff about maturely "coming to terms" with the sacrifices we all have to make as we age, we also realize sometimes you need anthems that actively try to reclaim that passion we've lost. Sometimes, we get fucking sick and tired of adult life, of being worn down by a world that seems intent on stripping our remaining youth away from us. Sometimes, we want unbridled emotion that lashes out at the vague and sinister forces that seek to destroy the children. Won't someone think of the children?! The children we once were, and the children that we still treasure because they're not cynical and disillusioned like us.

That's where Arcade Fire comes in. They've been hard at work protecting the children for three albums, but neither Funeral or Neon Bible reached the heights found on The Suburbs. We're not afraid to already put this album in our ALL-TIME top 10, because this time their music and their message are completely in sync. This is the album this Canadian collective were born to make-- it's a triumphant "statement" LP that strikes a blow at...the inevitable?

A huge chunk of The Suburbs is spent looking back, on the beautiful boredom and the endless wait for an adulthood that would be spent yearning for what was lost in the transition. But where it succeeds is in its ability to capture that angst and render it relevant to the people we are now, the same folks who are still frantically trying to figure shit out but don't have the panacea of a looming adulthood to set their hearts at ease.

A substantial part of that success is predicated on Win Butler's voice, so vulnerable and raw, but still reflecting the charisma of a man who sincerely believes he's saying something worth hearing. The lyrics are deeply personal, reflecting on his youth in the suburbs of Houston, but when he yells out "oh my old friends, they don't know me now; oh my old friends are staring through me now" in "Suburban War" (this is the highlight of the entire album for us), you intuitively know exactly what he's saying.

There are so many other fantastic moments in this album ("Ready to Start", "Deep Blue" and "Rococo" come to mind), and none of them are subtle. Arcade Fire is not a band that deals in subtlety-- they want to get you out of your seat and screaming along with them, a community of disciples who are primed and ready for something nearing a religious experience. That's fine by us-- they've earned their spot as the face of indie rock with stadium anthems that are meant to have 50,000 people singing along. Sometimes you don't just want a band to yourself; sometimes you want to share them with all your friends, their friends, and those friends' mothers. And you're all the better for it.

Thanks, Arcade Fire, for headlining one amazing year of music.

And there you have it. 2010. We at Mitchfork hope you enjoyed it as much as we all did.

A Fireside Chat with... Julian Plenti (Paul Banks of Interpol)

2010-01-04T15:56:00.012-05:00

Hello all. Rudy (I'm the intern) here with Mitchfork. We at Mitchfork felt that, in these cold winter months, there's no better place to be than by a crackling fireplace. So we invited some of our musician friends to chat with us down by the hearth.

This week's guest? Julian Plenti. Some call him Paul Banks. Those people disgust us.

Jules my man, welcome to the fireside. Let's have a chat.

Julian Plenti: Is that fireplace electric?

Nah, it just sparks a lot. But let's continue! Congrats on your debut.

Julian: Seriously, that fireplace is freaking me out. Can we go to the kitchen or something?

Only if we run! Ha--get it?

Julian: Yeah, it's my opening track. (eye roll)

Dude, not cool. We'll completely record the eye roll part too. Look, we invited you to our fireside, least you can do is laugh at our jokes.

Julian: Well maybe if you put Skyscraper in your top albums of 2009.

Damn it man we agreed not to talk about this. Get over yourself.

Julian: Just saying, I think it was a pretty great debut. A departure from the signature sound of Interpol.

And by that you mean the signature sound of Joy Division?

Julian: Are you serious dude? We don't sound anything like Joy Division. And freaking embers are landing on me.

Oh I was just kidding. Come on man, don't take yourself so seriously. We'll just put the album in an article titled: "Top Albums by Front men from rapidly fading indie-rock bands". You'll beat out Julian Casablancas easy.

Julian: Can we go off the record?

Sure.

Paul Banks: Great. Now, off the record, this is complete horse shit. I could easily have done this interview with Spin; I'm only here because you're my cousin.

Yeah, and what would Uncle Bernard say if you bailed on me?

Paul: Oh come on. Don't tell Dad about this. He already thinks I'm on drugs.

Ok then, I won't. Let's just continue the interview. I promise it'll only be softball questions from now on. Come on cuz.

Paul: Fine. Whatever. Ask away.

Great! So Julian, do you believe "On the Esplanade" is a good example of you embracing the creative freedom of a solo effort? It's a real departure from anything Interpol has done.

Julian: Yeah I would say so. I've always wanted to do a hushed acoustic number, to showcase a quieter side.

Yeah, very eerie sounding. And how does it feel to realize all your best work is already behind you? I mean, there's no way you guys are coming close to matching Turn on the Bright Lights. Just isn't happening.

Julian: This interview is over.

See you at Thanksgiving! Gchat me sometime!

Fireside Chats will continue until all the snow melts. Next week's guest? Stephen Malkmus!

Sufjan Stevens Up to Something

2009-12-15T20:57:00.009-05:00

See that man up there? Yeah, he's plotting some chicanery. Recent interviews have Sufjan proclaiming an end to the fifty states project and questioning the value of sharing his music with the wider world. He has stated that he worries "there's a risk of becoming a cliche of myself". Setting aside the fact that becoming a cliche of one's self isn't a bad thing (Pitchfork becoming a cliche of itself gave birth to Mitchfork), we still don't buy it.

Just look in those eyes. Those big, beautiful eyes. Portals into the soul of a benevolent Christian man. Right? Wrong. This is a devious, deceptive individual, and that's why we love him. Jesus himself was a bit of a trickster, with his now legendary "water to wine", "rising from the dead", and "saying I am the son of God" bits, and Sufjan possesses the same masterful command of public perception.

Right now, that public perceives him as a troubled genius who is currently enduring a crisis of self. This belief stems from the angst-ridden interviews he has given and the increasing amount of time since his last LP "Illinois". But we're not buying it--he's manufacturing an image, lulling the indie populace into a false state of calm. Like MJ when he retired the first time from the NBA. Then, when they least expect it, BAM. Double album! "Lone Star Love Songs" (Texas) and "Garden State, But Not the Movie With Zach Braff and Natalie Portman, Which Was Uninspired and Didn't Do Justice to the Diversity and Majesty of the Third State in Our Union" (New Jersey).

Just like that, he's back on top of the world with both middle fingers raised. From that point on he releases an album a year until his 80th birthday when "Puerto Rico, It's About Time! An Ode to Our 51st" hits the charts and wins 12 Grammys. After this, Sufjan will climb into a spaceship and become one of the first colonists on the Moon, an experience that will lead him to compose "Songs From That Ball of Cheese In The Sky".

So yeah, he's just fine. That crafty sonuvabitch.

Top 10 Albums of 2009

2009-11-19T21:15:00.031-05:00

From the same fork who brought you the Top 20 Albums of the 2000s! (see below). If you did see below, you will see that there wasn't a single album from 2009 on the list. Mitchfork has received flack for this and, while we'll readily admit that time might treat some of this year's albums favorably, as of now you can count us unimpressed with the last year of the decade.

The biggest reason for this lack of praise is that Mitchfork does not bow to the altars of the following:
Animal Collective
Grizzly Bear
Dirty Projectors

We'll admit to liking Grizzly Bear, tolerating Animal Collective, and not giving Dirty Projectors much of a chance because of the vocals. But we didn't have to change underwear when these albums hit the scene in 2009. In fact, we never change underwear period.

Lacking these three lauded bands, 2009 doesn't seem quite as impressive. However, there were still 10 fine albums (and an honorable mention) worthy of attention. These are those 10(11), plus Mitchfork's Music Video of the Year.

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

Grizzly Bear, "Ready, Able"

Mitchfork's favorite track off of Veckatimest gets the royal treatment video-wise. Like, wow. Long a fan of claymation, we'd never seen it utilized in such a jaw dropping way. Works perfectly with the song too (sorry Jeff, who fails to comprehend MOOD and focused just on the connection to the lyrics). Don't believe us? Watch for yourself:

Onto the list!

Honorable Mention:
Dead Man's Bones, Dead Man's Bones

Every October from now on the debut from Zach Shields and FAMOUS ACTOR Ryan Gosling is Mitchfork's #1. The perfectly spooky album for Halloween lovers everywhere, it features traces of everything from doo-wop to 80's new wave. Despite its Halloween themed nature, it isn't the slightest bit kitschy (if anything, the backing choir of children really add a haunting, urgent quality to the music). These are songs about ghosts, death, zombies and werewolves done right.

#10:
The Twilight Sad, Forget The Night Ahead

This here is the second album from The Twilight Sad and, despite the accolades their debut received, Mitchfork thought it dragged a bit. A lot of the same. Not so with Forget The Night Ahead-- These songs sizzle, propelling forward leaner and meaner than anything previous. Mitchfork is convinced this album showcases a band honing their skills for even bigger things in the future. And we're not quite sure what it is about the Scottish accent that allows it to contain such angst, but it always makes us think of Ewan Mcgregor's "It's SHITE being Scottish!" speech from Trainspotting. Good Shite, that.

#9:
Ramona Falls, Intuit

Do like Menomena? Mitchfork does. Mitchfork also likes Ramona Falls (perhaps even more), and that's no coincidence. Definitely the same guy (Brent Knopf), as well as the same gorgeous soaring songs featuring a ton of different instruments blending together in a wonderous cacophony. "Diamond Shovel", the closer, is our favorite-- there is a beautiful resignation to it we find strangely arresting. If we ever get a chance to watch the famed lemming death march, we want this playing in the background.

#8:
The xx, xx

Surprise hit of 2009 brought to you by a bunch of British teenagers. It's a slow burn, a nuanced and mature effort that meshes together post-punk with some dancey grooves. And the dueling male/female vocals makes us think of Stars, which isn't a bad thing. Architecture in Helsinki in their quieter moments-- they remind Mitchfork of that too. Finally, they make Mitchfork think of sexy things, because (listen up all you players out there) this is a perfect record to get that special someone in the mood. Right before you fork the bejesus out of them.

#7:
Japandroids, Post-Nothing

Unlike our #8, there is nothing subdued about Japandroids. They make the music you'd expect teenagers to make, brazen lo-fi anthems about growing up, leaving home and not giving a shit what happens next. "You can keep tomorrow/after tonight gonna need it!" is hollered in "Young Hearts Spark Fire" (what a perfect name for this song), and it sums up the reckless passion pouring out of this album. We at Mitchfork are listening to this album at the moment, and it's making us want to leave home tonight and start driving. Just jump in a car and leave it all behind. But we have bills to pay and laundry to do, so we'll just turn it up a little louder (until the wife tells us to turn it down). Ahhhh, to be young.

#6:
Sunset Rubdown, Dragonslayer

Man, we never thought Wolf Parade could top Apologies to the Queen Mary. And they didn't. We also didn't think Spencer Krug's own band could best their previous opus, Random Spirit Lover. They also didn't. But Sunset Rubdown still delivers a healthy dose of the Krugian quirk, spinning wild tales matched by even wilder music. There is so much spastic awesome going on here, but it still manages to be catchy and relatively accessible. These songs jerk from left to right, shooting off in unpredictable directions that the listener can't help but find exhilarating. As exhilarating as dragonslaying? No, but that's why all the dragons are dead. It was too much fun.

#5:
Passion Pit, Manners

Unrelentingly chipper, the boys from Passion Pit followed up their breakthrough EP Chunk of Change with the equally sugary Manners. Sometimes it can get to be a little much, Michael Angelakos's delicate (and occasionally shrill) voice thrown in with all these happy go lucky beats. But then they break it down and you're bobbing your head, feeling carefree and thinking "hey summer isn't so far away". Plus, there's "Sleepyhead", the best track on Manners just as it was on Chunk of Change. Man, what a song-- they can put it on every album they ever release and Mitchfork won't hold it against them.

#4:
The Rural Alberta Advantage Hometowns

Mitchfork had never considered taking a trip to Alberta-- it just didn't seem to have much recommending it. Saskatchewan, now that's a different story. However, we had never had the advantages of living in Alberta framed in such a compelling way. In this band we see elements of Arcade Fire's debut, a raw yearning for lost innocence, but both musically and vocally there are moments that recall Neutral Milk Hotel. When these names are being tossed out you're doing something right and, while they're still rough around the edges, the RAA have crafted an album that leaves a powerful emotional imprint. Pack your bags honey, we're off to the prairies of western Canada to see what all the fuss is about.

#3:
Longwave, Secrets are Sinister

After a huge letdown of a third album, Longwave delivered on the promise of their major label debut five years later (it came out at the end of 2008 but we didn't get into it until 2009). This is a controversial pick, because Secrets are Sinister is not a groundbreaking album and we didn't expect it to earn high praise from the other fork. Regardless, it is right in Mitchfork's wheelhouse. From the lofty guitar work in "I Don't Dare", to the ferocious rocker "No Direction" (great song to jog to), this album delivers the stadium anthems and lush, layered atmospherics that make our spine tingle. Others have done it before, and done it better, but this doesn't make this album any less satisfying.

#2:
We Were Promised Jetpacks, These Four Walls

Mitchfork had been anticipating the debut from these Scots (tourmates of Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad) for quite some time, ever since we heard "Quiet Little Voices" repeatedly played by John in the Morning (DJ at 91.3 KEXP Seattle, pretty much the man) in 2008. The same Scottish torment exists here as in Forget The Night Ahead, but These Four Walls possesses a more distinct loud/soft dynamic (which, as diehard Modest Mouse fans, we just adore). There's a desperate energy that inhabits every song on the album, a tension always in danger of exploding forth like it does on the opener "It's Thunder and It's Lightning". It's infectious, containing the same kind of raw power that drew us to Japandroids, and Mitchfork is eager to see how these fellows can harness it in future efforts.

#1:
Phoenix,Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

There was no debate here-- Phoenix's breakthrough to the mainstream was a painless choice for album of the year. These Frenchies were everywhere in 2009-- late night shows, Cadillac commercials, you name it. Mitchfork listened to "1901" until our ears bled, and then after we cleaned up the mess we listened some more. And the fun doesn't stop there-- the whole album is tight, bouncy pop that breezes on by like that summer day you wished would never end. In a year filled with lo-fi acts that critics fell over themselves to praise, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix showed how gifted musicians, confident in their sound, could create a superior album free of unnecessary fuzz. Phoenix put their melodies out in front where they belong, and it resulted in the best music of 2009.

The Top 20 Albums of the 2000s

2009-10-19T01:42:00.109-04:00

Hello loyal reader (singular). Mitchfork tends to fade in and out- this is well documented by no one. But there is no better time for us to reemerge then right before the decade's finale. In doing so, we can do something that no one else on the internet dares attempt- compile a list of the best albums of the past decade. The odds, or whatever the last ten years are called.

This decade will go down as the decade that Mitchfork's musical tastes took shape, and it is very likely that the twenty best albums from 2010-2020 will be chosen out of the 21 albums Mitchfork has listened to. Because at that point Mitchfork will have a dozen squalling children in addition to a middle management position that will leave little time to find new music.

But it won't matter; this decade has provided all that Mitchfork will ever need. So many fantastic albums, so many sublime moments experiencing all the wonderful highlights of each. We won't gush at length about why each of the next twenty albums are amazing- our praise will be brief and dazzling. To forewarn our loyal reader (talking to you Dmitri in the Ukraine), there will be multiple albums from certain bands- we at Mitchfork have no need to showcase our diversity in taste. We don't listen to a lot of hip hop, metal, country, jazz, or whatever other bullshit genre will go unrepresented on this list. And because we only cater to Dmitri, we don't have to put OutKast at number 6 (although we do like OutKast, don't get us wrong).

Anyways, let's have at it.

#20:
Radiohead- Kid A (2000)

The countdown is bookended by two albums from the year 2000. If we just gave number one away, so be it. Number twenty is Kid A, which edged out In Rainbows, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief for the bottom spot. Yes, only one Radiohead on the countdown, but that isn't to slight Radiohead, which had an amazing decade of music. Mitchfork could just never fall head over heels in love with the icy beauty Thom and company export stateside. That said, Kid A is devastating, and we mean that in the best way possible. It flows effortlessly and contains Mitchfork's favorite track from the band. We would call "Idioteque" the highlight, but we've always thought of the album as one continuously excellent song.

#19:
The Wrens, The Meadowlands (2003)*

The asterisk you see is due to the fact that, more than 3 years later, we revisited this list and realized a grave error had been made on two accounts. First, we had allowed one of the greatest Indie Rock (capital "i" and "r" because The Meadowlands really is indie rock at its best) albums ever to be pushed aside just because we were feeling exceptionally defensive regarding Modest Mouse's diminishing returns. So We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank got this slot, even though we knew deep down that it didn't deserve it. A fine album, but it stood firmly in the shadow of Isaac and company's earlier work, and time has only further cemented that belief in our minds. Meanwhile, a decade after its release, The Wrens' third and possibly final LP remains as amazing as it was when we first listened to it back in the day. For a stirring defense of The Meadowlands, I would direct you to this post lauding it on its 10th anniversary. Now back to the countdown, filled with other albums we'll probably replace as well once we enter our "smooth jazz" stage in middle age. Cue Batman line about dying a hero or living long enough to see yourself turned into the villain.

#18:
The National, Boxer (2007)

Alligator is better. Let's just start with that. How much better, you can find out below. Boxer is the introverted sibling of Alligator, which means it still contains Matt Berninger's uniquely commanding baritone and some superb, albeit more restrained tracks. "Mistaken for Strangers" is the exception, and it also happens to be the best song on the album. But the softer stuff has a muted intensity that still compels the listener- see "Brainy", "Squalor Victoria" and "Guest Room" for striking examples. Berninger's lyrics are always strangely arresting, speaking of common subjects in oddly affecting ways. "Racing Like a Pro" best captures his way with words, causing a confused Mitchfork to get all choked up about some middle class girl who sometimes bakes a cake and sometimes stays in bed. Kudos to Matt, for making us care.

#17:
Stars, Set Yourself on Fire (2004)

Cheesy. Sappy. Beautiful? Yeah, that too. Set Yourself on Fire was a continuation of the synthy (made that word up), guy/girl singing dynamic visible in Stars' first two albums, but the third time was the charm. Stars albums always start strong, but up until this LP they always dragged in certain places. Set Yourself on Fire commences with the epic "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" and never looks back. Stars makes music about Love with a capital L, but that doesn't mean the verses always describe fairy tale romance. "One More Night", for all its gorgeous strings, has some vicious lyrics. This one in particular always stuck with Mitchfork: "He starts with her back cause that's what he sees; when she's breaking his heart she still fucks like a tease". There's no holding back with that line, and the same holds true for this album.

#16:
Bloc Party, A Weekend in the City (2007)

Rarely does Mitchfork acknowledge other online musical critics, but in this case we'll make an exception. After the accolades showered on Silent Alarm, A Weekend in the City was met, by in large, with a lack of enthusiasm. This is baffling, because the band really didn't significantly alter the winning formula of their first album. Sure, some of the edges were smoothed over and sure, overall it isn't as dazzling as their debut. But they still prove themselves capable of crafting propulsive songs with inspiring choruses and addictive hooks. "Kreuzberg", "On" and "Waiting for the 7:18" roped us in on the first listen and never let go. At the end of 2007 (fantastic year for music) Mitchfork looked back and arrived at the following conclusion. With the exception of one other album (to be named later), we hadn't listened to anything else nearly as much. So no talk of sophomore slumps- this was a sophomore plateau.

#15:
Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism (2003)

This was the turning point for Death Cab. After three lo-fi efforts, they brought out the big guns for Transatlanticism. Nothing subdued about the title track to this album, and the shimmery production throughout really set the band up for the mainstream breakthrough that followed. But they never would have exploded onto the scene if the songs couldn't hold their own, and boy do they ever. It's easily their most accomplished effort to date, marrying all the strengths of their previous albums with a grandeur previously lacking. "Tiny Vessels" will always be Mitchfork's favorite Death Cab track, and not just because it is so very very pretty. It's because the lyrics and the imagery inspired by them are riveting. We became convinced that we actually had a doomed fling with a beautiful girl underneath the California sun, and we'd never left Prince Edward Island before.

#14:
Sufjan Stevens, Seven Swans (2004)

Yes, there have been way too many songs written about Jesus. Sure, he was, in all likelihood, a swell guy. We get that. But enough singing his accolades already. Mitchfork is sure even he's pretty sick of them by now. That said, we would wager he was still impressed by this offering from Sufjan- we sure were. These songs are beautifully composed and Sufjan's voice seems the ideal vessel to pay homage to the Son of God, but it goes beyond that. When you hear tracks like "To Be Alone with You", you, theist or not, understand. You understand why it is people believe, why the idea of Christ dying on a cross for us still remains so powerful to people like Stevens. Sufjan doesn't hide the complexities involved in worshiping God- included in these songs are the fear, the love, the awe and the sacrifice. It's all there, said in a nakedly honest way that, even if you don't believe, would still feel blasphemous to question. The well that Sufjan is drawing from here is a deep and enduring one, and it makes for a inspiring listening experience.

#13:
Interpol, Antics (2004)

What A Weekend in the City was to Silent Alarm, so Antics is to Turn on the Bright Lights, Interpol's near-perfect debut. The problem with releasing an album like TOTBL, and it's a problem Mitchfork doubts crossed the band's mind while they were making it, is that you are setting yourself up for an inevitable decline the second time around. Thankfully, the decline wasn't a steep one. Antics does an admirable job of living up to its predecessor, sounding leaner but not losing the trademark post-punk sound Interpol revived best. "Evil", "Narc", "Slow Hands" and "C'mere" (to name a few) all kick serious butt, and none of the other songs are slouches either. They all have Paul Bank's eerie voice guiding them as he sings his typically abstract lyrics and, if Mitchfork thought we had exhausted our Interpol love after the million listens to TOTBL, Antics proved that we were ready for more.

#12:
Modest Mouse, Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004)

Like Death Cab, it took Modest Mouse four albums to breakthrough to the mainstream. And while Good News isn't MM's best album, Mitchfork is still very content that the world decided to buy so many copies of this particular distillation of their greatness. "Float On", no matter how many times it is played (so many) remains a song we want to hear again and again. Somehow, someway, these fellows managed to make this album much more accessible that any of their others and not lose one iota of what made them great to begin with. It was still weird, it was still profound and it still revealed an evolution in their sound. We will point our finger at "The View" when we discuss evolution, because this wonderful jam isn't quite like anything MM had done before, but if you were to imagine them creating a MM song you could dance to, this would be exactly it. Once again, Mitchfork would heap further praise on this band and what they did here, but we're not done yet with the pride of Issaquah, WA.

#11:
Arcade Fire, Funeral (2004)

Ok, everyone put down your Mitchforks. THE album for many indie rock lovers in the past decade doesn't make the top 10?! Nope, it doesn't. We liked Neon Bible better. We will explain why when Neon Bible gets its due. Funeral though, Funeral is awesome. Mitchfork still remembers breathlessly waiting to hear "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" again- thing was that we'd have to listen to "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" before we could even fathom giving #1 another earful. Arcade Fire tapped into something with their debut (and follow up), a kind of communal energy that made those listening feel young and powerful. This energy pushed them beyond their influences (Talking Heads, Springsteen, etc.) and into a realm all their own. If you want to call them the band of the decade, Mitchfork won't hold it against you- they've earned the right. Oh, and they are absolutely amazing in concert. A religious experience- we shit you not.

#10:
Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours (2008)

Cut Copy's entry on this list is the only album in the last two years to make it on. Mitchfork hasn't really been overly impressed with 2008 and 2009 music wise, which, unfairly or not, just makes this gem of an album stand out all the more. Also working in In Ghost Colours's favor is the fact that it's the only album on the countdown that occupies the genre of dance/electronica. Regardless, this album makes us so happy. Happier than any other album on the list. It is unabashedly joyful sounding, jump up and down and swing your arm around your head music. What it's saying is pretty straightforward, and can easily be summed up by the song titles. "Feel the Love", "Lights and Music", and "Hearts on Fire" aren't making deep statements on the human condition, but they are fulfilling a powerful human need- the desire to lose yourself completely in something outside of yourself (in this case, music) and follow it wherever it will lead you (the dance floor), consequences be damned. Think of Cut Copy as your Aussie gospel choir, and you're the parishioners swaying in the aisles. Yeah, it's like that, but with more synth.

#9:
Brand New, Deja Entendu (2003)

Like In Ghost Colours, Deja Entendu stands out a bit on this list because it is the only album that could have trouble dodging the feared tag of "emo". But there's nothing grievously wrong with the idea of emo, it's just that the execution of that idea, especially in this decade, is often a bit, how to put this... retarded. Mitchfork would like to think Brand New showed how the young bravado, the broken hearts and the passive-aggressive angst that typifies emo could age gracefully. It is no easy task to transform that juvenile aggression into complex adult pathos, but the band, matching Jesse Lacey's evocative lyrics with a more nuanced sound, accomplished just that. The result is powerful; it's the sound of disillusioned kids emerging from the pains of adolescence only to realize there is a lot more serious shit still to come ("Guernica" is a heart-breaking description of Lacey's grandfather's battle with lung cancer). If you, like Mitchfork, were 18 when this album was released, then in it you found a perfect shepherd to help the transition to the next stage of life, the one where you have real reasons to emote.

#8:
The Postal Service, Give Up (2003)

The same year his band Death Cab for Cutie released its best album, the already mentioned Transatlanticism, Ben Gibbard teamed up with Jimmy Tamborello to create The Postal Service. Based on the ranks of each album, you can guess which project Mitchfork wishes Gibbard had continued with. Not to slight Death Cab, but the marriage of Gibbard's plaintive vocal melodies to Tamborello's twinkling electro beats and sparkling synths was a match made in pop heaven. Add in Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis as a female foil and you have an album that's too pretty for its own good. Most folks know "Such Great Heights" as the oft covered standout track, but Mitchfork has always been partial to "Clark Gable"'s breezy sound/bitter lyrics and "This Place is a Prison"'s brooding intensity. But really, not a weak song on the LP. How about another?

#7:
Bloc Party, Silent Alarm (2005)

When Mitchfork thinks of the post-punk revival, its favorite revival of ALL TIME (at least until Tom Sawyer straw hats come back into style), it thinks of two albums above all others. The first is Turn on the Bright Lights (still to come) and the second is Silent Alarm. What Interpol was to Joy Division (atmospheric bands with morose, keening vocals), Bloc Party's debut was to Gang of Four. Subsequent albums might have diminished that punk edge, but with Silent Alarm the band captured the Leed's boys "hey, fuck you" persona two decades later. These songs lacked the abstract resignation of Interpol's- they were pointed and visceral, describing young men coming of age and raging against the warped modern world around them. There was no apathy here, just Kele Okerekes' distinctively English voice spitting lyrics against a backdrop of soaring guitars and a pulsing rhythm section. Despite this album being chock full of hits, it must be noted that "Banquet" stands above them all. One of Mitchfork's favorite songs ever, it's an absolute missile.

#6:
Arcade Fire, Neon Bible (2007)

Better than Funeral. Not by a lot. Pretty much just because the band transformed a great song ("No Cars Go") from their debut EP into the best song they've ever done. Subject-wise, Neon Bible focused more outward than inward, projecting Win's wounded voice at all the chaos and suffering existing in an America being gutted by a spiritually bankrupt mass media (cough MTV cough). There is a sense of dread permeating the album, but the fascinating thing is how uplifting it all still is. This is not a downer of an album, just as Funeral wasn't a downer for all its depressing subject matter. We mentioned in the Funeral review how going to an AF concert was like a religious experience, and we weren't joking. Never had Mitchfork been to a concert where we felt an actual kinship with the other concert goers, like we were all a part of something bigger, a movement of sorts. Most folks familiar with the album know if was recorded in a church, and that isn't a fact to be brushed aside. Any church worth its salt protects the meek and poor, those victimized by the casual cruelty of an uncaring world intent on seeking more power and money. With Neon Bible, Arcade Fire delivered a soundtrack for the oppressed, a powerful statement in troubled times that delivers just enough hope for the future.

#5:
Wolf Parade: Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005)

Now we're in the top 5. These are the real doozies. Mitchfork will allow you to not own the previous 15 albums- it's not cool but we'll allow it. But from here on in there are no excuses- get them and love them as you would your own children. Apologies to the Queen Mary was Wolf Parade's debut, and it only makes sense that it would be Isaac Brock who would both sign the band and produce this album, a unique and striking collaboration from two dynamic musical personalities (Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug). If you've heard Dan and Spencer's other groups, Handsome Furs and Sunset Rubdown, you can see how a mishmash of both styles could result in something like this, a spectacularly weird but somehow accessible album that takes turns being unnerving and uplifting. The subject matter is otherworldly and the music keeps pace, bouncing back and forth between Krug and Boeckner singing lead in equally compelling fashion. The lyrics aren't straightforward, but that doesn't make them any less gripping. For example, on "I'll Believe in Anything" the climatic centerpiece of the album, Krug yelps "If I could take the fire out from the wire, I'd share a life and you'd share a life". Mitchfork has no idea how these two things are connected, but goddamnit we want them to share a life so bad. And yes, it's crossed our minds that the reason we love Apologies so much has something to do with the fact that Isaac's fingerprints are all over it. It has a distinctly Modest Mouse flair, something that's lacking from 99.9% of all music. Why? It isn't because Isaac Brock isn't producing the other 99.9% (although that would be nice). It's because only a band like Wolf Parade could create a sound as monumentally distinctive as Modest Mouse's. And Isaac, realizing that, jumped on board for the ride. What a ride it was.

#4:
The National, Alligator (2005)

In order to understand the appeal of The National you first need to understand how potent Matt Berninger's baritone is. All the bands on this list have strong vocals ranging from angelic (Sufjan) to spastic (Isaac). And all are crucial reasons why each of the albums made the list. But The National's case is different. Berninger's voice is the fulcrum on which the band's sound pivots. "I think this place is full of spiders" seems like an unimpressive line, but the instant the first words of "Secret Meeting" hit Mitchfork's ears we came to full attention. Everything else done by the Devendorf and Dessner brothers (gorgeous piano parts, versatile guitar work and stellar drumming), as well as impressive strings from Padma Newsome, are fantastic and necessary for this album to amaze, but without the centerpiece of that voice to hold it all together The National wouldn't be The National and Alligator wouldn't be the fourth best album of the decade. And it's not just that Berninger has the pipes, it's how he uses those pipes to deliver equally riveting lyrics. What is impressive about his songwriting is how much he says without saying much at all, knowing the exact phrasing to convey volumes of emotion. One of Mitchfork's faves, "Baby We'll Be Fine", has Berninger repeatedly reciting "I'm so sorry for everything", in a resigned tone that communicates the weary sadness of anyone who's ever been in a doomed relationship's final stages. Contrast that with the desperate pride of "Mr. November"'s refrain "I won't fuck us over I'm Mr. November", screamed again and again. The scope of human feeling covered in Alligator is what makes it superior to Boxer and just about anything else out there. Excluding the next three albums of course.

#3:
Sufjan Stevens, Illinois (2005)

Perhaps you, loyal reader Dmitri, have noticed something with each successive album blurb. That's right, they're getting LONGER. Because Mitchfork doesn't want to waste a ton of its energy in the defense of Kid A at number twenty, but it will gladly spend a chunk of time valiantly persuading the reader that Alligator is one of those "must have" albums. In fact, we could spend ten pages arguing why Illinois is a seminal album, a epic success from a man with a grand vision. Sufjan Stevens is that man. Compared to the hushed hymns of Seven Swans, Illinois might seem brash and gaudy. But it wasn't about Jesus, it was about the great state of Illinois! Abe Lincoln! Barry Obama! Sears Tower! Stuff to really herald! With really long song titles and song lengths, not to mention choirs and horns and interludes! Sufjan covers a ton of ground in the course of the twenty-two tracks on his fifth album, but whether he is singing of serial killers, Superman, or cancer, all are somehow related to our 21st state. Thing is, what made Seven Swans such an engrossing listen was how Sufjan made a bland topic (re: any lame ass Christian rock band singing of how they were touched by the Lord) intensely and uniquely personal. He does the exact same thing here, managing to connect each song's subject with some part of himself. A haunting example is in the standout track "John Wayne Gacy Jr.", where Sufjan laments the fate of all those killed by the man before ending the song with this: "And in my best behavior I am really just like him. Look beneath the floorboards for the secrets I have hid." Mitchfork still gets chills listening to it. Or when, in "They Are Night Zombies", a perfectly spooky Halloween track with a sick bassline whose full title suggests anything but seriousness, he delivers the line "I know my time has passed. I'm not so young I'm not so fast. I tremble with the nervous thought of having been, at last, forgot." Maybe it's Sufjan's voice, so pure and so heartfelt, but pretty much anything he utters sounds like he's offering deep insight into the human spirit. Sufjan wouldn't lie to you. How could Sufjan lie to you when he can't even lie to himself? Finally, we would like to take this moment to beg Sufjan to make another proper album soon. Please dude. Seriously.

#2:
Interpol, Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)

It's blasphemous, but we'll say it anyway. Were it not for Isaac's lyrics, this album would be number one. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Turn on the Bright Lights; from start to finish it delivers everything Mitchfork could ever desire from an album. We have listened to this album an unconscionable amount and it still strikes a chord (pun intended) every time. The atmosphere, created by the perfect symbiosis between Paul Bank's piercing vocals and the other instruments ably wielded by the band, is otherworldly. Guitars, both clear and fuzzy, trickle down from the heavens around as an undercurrent of bass hums over a steady pitter-patter of drumbeats. At points in this album you seriously question whether it was composed by human beings- it's almost as if the gods decided to jam out one night on Olympus. We won't go into great depth regarding each individual song, we'll just do you the favor of mapping out how brilliantly laid out the album is as a whole. "Untitled" eases you in slowly with those eerie guitars; "Leif Erikson" escorts you out to the lingering sound of Bank's final impassioned cries. "Hands Away" is the perfect slow burn break from the action, all soaring synths. "PDA" and "Obstacle #1" are frenzied and menacing where "NYC" is weary and defeated. And "The New" (A Mitchfork fav) slowly builds to a wild guitar solo that expresses all the angst built up in a troubled relationship. The lyrics themselves? They revolve around love, young urban life and, like the music itself, are mysterious as to their exact meaning. On subsequent Interpol records, when the music wasn't so spellbinding, more focus was placed on Bank's lyrics and much was found lacking. However, in the context of TOTBL, they work perfectly, often inscrutable verses that sync up just right with the ethereal music flowing forth. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS ALBUM. Now, onto numero uno.

#1:
Modest Mouse, The Moon and Antarctica (2000)

There's been a lot of hyperbole thrown around on this list. Don't expect it to stop here. Although it would be really funny if it did. "The Moon and Antarctica- a satisfactory album created by competent musicians". However, we are going to resist the urge to expound at great length and force ourselves to keep it short and sweet. Because that's how Isaac would have wanted it. We've always seen The Moon and Antarctica as the moment where Isaac's worldview, defined by his searching lyrics and acute insights, found its perfect musical conduit (we give tons of credit to Isaac, but within these parentheses we'd also like to shout out to Eric Judy and Jeremiah Green. Specifically Judy's bassline in "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes", (so funky, so ominous) and Jeremiah's drumming in "What People Are Made Of", which works us into such a frenzy we are sure it could be used in our defense at trial). The melding of the two, buoyed by increased production capabilities resulting from the switch to a major label (Epic), resulted in a majestic statement about human existence. From the icy reaches of Antarctica and the dark center of the universe to tiny cities made of ashes and the depths of hell, the sixteen songs on this album traverse far and wide, but Mitchfork still feels the resonance to our own life. The credit for this goes to Isaac, whose abiding grasp of the profound is casually forwarded along to you, the listener. Even though the scope of this album and the lyrics being uttered seem beyond you, you still "get" it. Or think you get it. Which is pretty much the same thing. Simply put, it's a revelation that changed the way Mitchfork approached listening to music. Music could be a transcendent experience, not just a catchy tune.

There's so much more to say, but we'll leave it at that. The Moon and Antarctica is Mitchfork's favorite album of the decade, as well as our favorite album of all time. Yet, Toto is our favorite band. Can someone explain that?

Been a while...

2009-02-24T14:05:00.010-05:00

Long long delay between posts, but Mitchfork has been writing a book! Embedded below is the soundtrack to the sure to be bestselling novel The Valedictorians! Enjoy!

Soundtrack to The Valedictorians from mitchiemayhem on 8tracks Radio.

fight the power! yeah!

2008-07-06T22:32:00.002-04:00

it's actually a great kid's song. pigs, they wiggle when they walk

BREAKING NEWS: Devendra Banhart's Beard and Mustache are fakes!!!

2008-05-29T10:40:00.003-04:00

Indie favorite, Devendra Banhart, has let slip a long-time secret: his facial hair isn't his own. The singer/songwriter accidentally revealed his well-kept secret in a soon-to-be published interview for Rolling Stone magazine, when the interviewer saw part of his beard peeling on the side during a line of questions and tried to dig deeper.

"Devendra, can you close your eyes for minute?...What color is your beard and mustache?"

Stumbling around for a moment, Banhart answered:

"Blonde?"

Upon opening his eyes, Banhart realized the jig was up and fled the scene. Authorities indicated that Banhart hasn't been seen since the interview and has been missing for 3 days. If Mitchfork fans have any leads, we ask that you write to us immediately.

Upset with U.S. Involvement Overseas, Bono attacks America.

2008-05-22T10:11:00.003-04:00

May 22, 2008 – Associated Press.

Terror shook the tiny seaside town of Wellfleet Massachusetts as three aircraft carriers, believed to be owned by the singer Bono, opened fire on the area earlier this morning. While the situation appeared to be resolved within minutes, video footage taken by a local fisherman showed images of Bono swimming through the debris with a machete in his mouth. Upon reaching the shore, he could be seen attacking beachgoers, eating seaweed for nutrients, and making sand castles. Two horse-grade tranquilizers were used to temporarily sedate him.

In recent years, Bono’s specter had been increasingly felt at UN events - often to the dismay of its members.

“It sort of irked me when we’d be at a function, and I would see him over there eating those little hot dogs with Kofi Annan - the two of them giggling like little school girls” stated Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada. “Kofi’s always whining about how he wished he had more time to play on his guitar and Bono used that to get certain items attached to international regulations. Like when we passed the Dangerous Goods and Special Cargoes regulation, but we all had to go on the field trip to Dublin to visit Bono’s parents.”

“And another thing - everyone’s always wearing headsets, supposedly to translate the speaker, but I know that the Estonian representative, what’s his face, is listening to The Joshua Tree.”

“Then, I’m at home asleep, and I get a call at 2:30 in the morning from Boutros Boutros-Ghali, drunk and bragging about how great it was to be in the front row at that night’s U2 concert, and I’m like ‘come on Boutros, we’ve got that big genocide convention tomorrow, you can’t keep on calling me. But he just calls back 15 minutes later saying ‘but you should have heard With or Without You.’”

“Also, I don’t know if you’ve heard some of the B-sides of ‘How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb’ but it’s all very technical – uncompressing the plutonium core, altering the high explosive lenses…I think you can get it on itunes.”

“This should put an end to all that talk of changing our name to U2N…for at least a little while.”

Review: some classical cd i got for free

2008-05-21T17:04:00.007-04:00

it's rumored to start getting warmer, and summer approaches. mitchforkmedia decided to revisit a classic album appropriate for the season. whether it was a clerical error or a fundamental failure in english comprehension is irrelevant- rather than classic, we got classical.

though they failed to sign the prestigious deutsche grammophone label on this album, the performers collectively were okay to listen to. superstars sir neville marriner and andras schiff make notable contributions, but missteps by overly anxious i musici and helmut walca kept things from getting past penultimate. tighter on the sixteenth note runs, pepe!

bach is immensly challenging material to play and a dramatic interpretation most certainly leads to a disasterous resolution. the other way- straight interpretation is the master's approach, but imitator's tend to sound extremely boring. the sheer amount of repetition and chord progression duped early readers into thinking the music was merely warmup material, but some of the tracks on this cd make an honest effort towards revealing bach's surprising originality... none of this matters when youre at the barbeque trying to hit on that chick in the red tanktop. it probably will end in rejection, but the pseudo-sophistication of baroque music may mislead her into thinking that there's more to you than the beercan imprint on your forehead, woven tribal braclet on your wrist, and stupid thoughts in your head. nonetheless, from an exceedingly tacky series of alliteration-based classical cd's (vivaldi for valentines?), this one's sort of a keeper.

so when the playlist gets old and you're looking for something fresh, stand out from the crowd of sheep playing deathcab, m83, mmouse, and put on the father of fugue. doubt that the ladies will love it? bach had 20 children. fuguetaboudit!

3.9/10

actually, don't put on the bach. crappy electronic pop will do.

Radiohead fans left in the cold, wet, find refuge at local hippy festival.

2008-05-16T11:21:00.003-04:00

It wasn’t a pretty scene in rain-soaked Virginia on May 11th, at the Nissan Pavillion. Flooded roads and traffic kept many Radiohead fans from seeing their favorite band earlier this week, after a strong weather system moved through the area. Fans wrote to Mitchfork:

“… management of the situation was terrible, we were asked to just wait it out. I ended up driving around in circles for a bit, but it was clear we weren’t going to get in.”

Another irate fan added:

“This is a complete farce. Radiohead comes around once in a blue moon, and its absurd that they couldn’t get the road situation cleared for us. I’m going to demand a full refund.”

Other fans, however dismayed, were able to still make the best of the situation. One fan wrote:

“it sucked, I cant believe we had to turn back after driving all that way. My girlfriend and I were so psyched to see Jonny Greenwood and Thom, live, for the first time. It was a real disappointment and our spirits were quite low….but after about 15 minutes of driving back we passed a narrow dirt road and a sign for another concert, so we decided to stop and check it out. We figured we’d come all this way, we should at least get to see some live music. Turns out there was a Phish tribute concert going on, and there were already droves of people there. The great part is that parking wasn’t even an issue- you could park anywhere on this large field. We couldn’t believe our luck. I mean sure, we weren’t listening to ‘Bodysnatchers’ or ‘Paranoid Android,’ but the crowd was awesome! People were loving it out there, despite the rain and lightning- it was infectious.”

The fan continued:

“One girl was having such a good time, she didn’t even mind when she fell into a huge mud pile. She just got right back up and started doing the wet noodle again.”

When asked if he’d return to the show, the fan commented:

“Even though we’d never really listened to Phish until that festival, the atmosphere was just so welcoming and inclusive, it was hard not to have a great time. The best part was that it went on for several days! When’s the last time you heard of Radiohead playing for 3 days without a break? We’ll definitely be back next year.”

http://www.odeo.net/pix/2004pix/bonnaroo/29.jpg

LIVE MUSIC YAY

2008-05-13T22:37:00.004-04:00

Concert Date: May 12, 2008

Concert Bands: Cut Copy, Black Kids, Mobius Band

Concert Place: Paradise, Allston MA

Mitchfork attended a concert the other night with Von Hann, prized friend of all things Mitchfork. This is our running commentary on what transpired.

8:22 P.M. Eastern Standard Time- My butt really itches. But if I itch it someone behind me will see right? I itch it anyway and see that there's no one behind me except the bartender. I smile at her because she has big boobs. Mobius Band is playing Hallie in the background. It sounds sunny and joyful. I start bobbing my head.

8:35 P.M. - People are showing up! Mobius Band is almost done and me and Von have been doing a lot of head bobbing. These guys use some electronic noise machines and it sounds funny. I wonder if the other bands will use electronic noise machines too.

9:17 P.M. - Mobius Band is gone! Where did they go?! Doesn't matter, because Black Kids are playing! They're fun and young and hip. Not that black, but Von and I have never really been interested in black culture so that's fine. The girls wear funny clothes and sing like a pack of yelpy dogs but it works. We do more head bobbing and shuffle our feet a little.

9:41 P.M. - I am worried about the lead singer of the Black Kids. He seems to sing just fine and has big fro hair, but when he talks to the crowd he sounds like he might have asthma. He must be saving all of his breath for the singing! A noble man and a true Black Kid.

9:59 P.M. - I left Von Hann to hold his spot and am peeing. Thank goodness for all the people peeing around me. Some people are shy peeing in front of other people, but i pee best when near strangers. I say to the person next to me that I hope the asthmatic Black Kid is recovering well. He doesn't respond. Must be pee shy.

10:16 P.M. - Time for Cut Copy! They come out and things get catchy. Really catchy. There are also more lights now. We're all jumping around and singing the gibberish words that compose the language of the Australians. I'll never understand how their country has succeeded like it has.

10:28 P.M. - A group of kids lights up a marijuana cigarette in front of me. I signal security and they are escorted out. Don't thank me, just doing my job.

10:46 P.M.- Somehow, some way, Cut Copy have become even more catchy. Von Han is jerking about like my uncle Gerald's dog Jezebelle when she caught rabies. I hope I don't have to kill him.

11:01 P.M.- I can't stop jumping for joy. The music of Cut Copy is more beautiful then I could ever have imagined. My toes are twinkling and my eyes are sprinkling. They sing of hearts, fire, lights and music. The four elements.

11:14 P.M. - The final note is played and the lights dim. We wave goodbye to Cut Copy as they exit the stage, leaving the scene of a stunning display of auditory excellence. Afterwards, as I sit on the men's toilet relieving my bowels, I ponder the significance of music in life. Is a great concert just a passing thrill that sets our blood ablaze, or does it bring about a profound adjustment as to how we view the world around us? I'll say this: as me and Von Hann drove home that night, I saw everything In Ghost Colours.

Buy it. In Ghost Colours. From Cut Copy. It's fantastic and so are they.

Until the next time!

ask tang: harder, better, faster, stronger, more accurate pitch control

2008-05-10T11:24:00.010-04:00

dear tang,

i’m busy these days and haven’t been able to keep up with the music scene. i used to be into some u2, early coldplay, etc. and before that, the emo, grunge, world, etc…. anyway i’m looking to get back into it all and was wondering if you had any suggestions to get me started and getting some ‘street cred’ with the “indie” music. :D thanks!

-clueless dude

dear cd,

your music collection sounds awful. it might help to discuss who's coming up in the scene, talk about a few pre-subpop, pre-release studio bootleg tracks, but let’s not. the antiquity of your musical collection is like raving about how great guinness goes with vicodin- extremely 7^th grade. i suggest you raise your cred with the equipment. forget about the bands, what's the point with those passe white earbuds? quit your subscription to emusic and your dental plan and put that cash into a pair stax cans with bellari amp, preamp, and independent power supply. it's so obvious i don’t understand why everyone isnt doing it- can be displayed prominently, entirely impractical on several levels, tons of jargon and acronyms, and your commitment to hear music ‘as it was meant to be heard’ is beyond reproach. the hipster rolex. money to spend on hairplugs or a pair of mahogany grado headphones? once you put those enormous hand-crafted drivers on your ears and hear all the timbre and midrange of black flag’s damaged you'll be able to rave about how great your rig is and how everyone isn't even listening to the same music as you. plus the padded leather headband mod will cover the bald spot and accent the horseshoe hair pattern that terminates into a ponytail. whether or not your music is sub par, anyone listening to your tunes will be too distracted over the expansive soundstage and hearing the guitarist’s fingers sliding on the strings to call you out on your potentially extremely lame playlist. as long as you can hear every signal in balanced, detailed, crisp, warm, responsive clarity. beautiful.

very respectfully,
tang

questions? ask tang! asktang.mitchfork@gmail.com

REVIEW: Remastered Soundtrack for TRON

2008-05-08T12:08:00.001-04:00

It’s no secret that indie music is leaning more heavily on electronic instruments these days. In fact, it’s difficult to find any album these days that doesn’t have at least one song that highlights an electro-pop chorus, or looped synth-beat mixed into the track’s background.

That’s why we at Mitchfork were intrigued when we received an advanced copy of the remastered soundtrack to the 1982 movie TRON, the album that started it all. With improved track equalization and an amplified bass mixdown, the remastered version of TRON’s soundtrack manages to build a bolder soundscape and eliminates most of the distortions that plagued the original album. What isn’t lost on the remastered version, however, is the sense of suspense that infuses the soundtrack from beginning to end. The airy feel of the album still remains, along with eerie samples of virtual ‘light bikes’ whizzing by in the background. TRON’s remastered soundtrack holds its audience captive for the full 78 minutes and 39 seconds, running the full gamut with both adrenaline pumping highpoints and even a few slower sections that mostly serve as welcomed reprieve- a chance for listeners to catch their breath and reflect.

Truth be told, the most important feature of the remastered version isn’t the improved sound quality, it’s that the listener is made aware of how prophetic TRON was back in 1982. Its message of a world soon-to-be more integrated with virtual existence has come to fruition with startling accuracy. The internet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(Terminator)) , virtual flight simulators (http://pressthebuttons.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/pilotwings.png) , and fully functioning humanoid robots (http://www.pal-robotics.com/media.html) are now so commonplace in our lives that its hard not to recognize TRON’s creators as what they were- astounding visionaries.

Review: 7.7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3ODe9mqoDE

Exclusive Excerpt

2008-05-07T09:52:00.001-04:00

The following is an exclusive excerpt from Robert Nastanovich Sr.'s most recent work “The Kaiser's Musikorps of the Great War: 1914-1918”.

I was 22 and fighting those bastards in Germany. One day near Munich, I accidentally swallowed most of a cyanide pill, fell asleep in a puddle, and woke with a particularly egregious case of trench-foot. While I’d done my best to hide it, a misstep in an impromptu Infantry Hop-scotch game later in the day revealed the damage. Due to a shortage of funds, I was put in a run-down hospital in eastern Bavaria. One morning I overheard a most horrid noise in the air.

“Doctor,” I asked “are these sounds coming from the psych ward?”

He shook his head, “nein”

“Nine what?” I asked.

He didn’t say. And somehow I sensed I would never truly know what he meant by that.

Craning my neck, I peered out the window on the courtyard below. There I observed three gypsies; one with a lute, one using a small branch to tap on an empty milk carton, the other with the ribcage of some mighty beast. I wondered if the Spanish flu had jumped borders and found its way to these poor chaps, turning their brains to mush.

“Doctor,” I said “I feel a great pity for these men. Are they refugees? Prisoners of war? Circus folk?”

My mind wandered back to the swirling ankle-length dresses in the jazz halls and brothels I used to frequent in America; to the nights where it seemed like the jugs of giggle-water were bottomless...

Review: Local Hobo Performs on Tin Cans near Metro Station, Cambridge, MA

2008-05-07T09:48:00.001-04:00

It’s not everyday you come across something original. Let’s face it, most indie music out there today is just a rip off from something Pavement did many years back. Think about it: You’re sitting there at work listening to the most recent No Age album or (insert some other nascent indie band name that will be forgotten in 3 weeks time) mp3 to hit the interweb, you’re rocking out, and some L.L. Bean-clad doofus coworker walks by your cubicle and says “hey, isn’t that a Stephen Malkmus riff?” You’re pissed, you send him away, telling him flannel shirts are on sale on Bean’s website, but after a few minutes of contemplating his comment, you realize it’s true. 99.5% of all indie music is derivative from Pavement.

Well not anymore.

Walking home from my local tea shop today, macbook in hand, I heard a stunning performance by Larry, the neighborhood can-collector. His instruments were painfully rudimentary- discarded Campbell soup containers, old soda bottles, a used oil drum, and a mangled tire iron- but Larry proved his mastery of melody and rhythm with renditions of songs such as ‘I’ve been working on the railroad’ and “99 bottles of beer on the wall.” Hipsters abound might be unimpressed with Larry’s song selection, that is until they hear the following: Larry played these songs in 5/4…with his feet.

Blown away? I was.

After a jaw-dropping remake of Big Punisher’s “Still Not a Player,” Larry finally transitioned into a moving original piece: a kazoo-laden ballad about his pet squirrel getting the kibosh during a hobo-knife fight gone terribly wrong. With rambling lyrics, Larry’s vocals hit the highs, the lows, and everything in between during the 7 minute heart-wrenching song, and all the while, his attention to tempo and bass (which he manipulated with a tennis ball in the oil drum) was unfaltering. Larry had finally found that lo-fi sound that Pavement could never touch, not even on their utmost hits.

REVIEW: 9.2 (*please note that Pavement didn’t even score this high)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOEOn3fng9U

http://www.manchester.edu/Academics/Departments/physics/images/kazoo2.gif

Correction

2008-05-07T09:06:00.000-04:00

It has come to the attention of Mitchfork that the album (Narrow Stairs) featured in our latest installment of "Pre-Emptive Pounces" was lacking an exact number score.

We at Mitchfork believe that everything should be rated in exact number scores. It makes life easier. In fact, Mitchfork rated itself a 4.2 not too long ago. This was meant to be a scathing critique of an acid jazz review which refused to stay true to the spirit of acid jazz reviews. Safe to say, problem solved.

So it is with mild embarassment that we realized we had forgotten to numerically define our latest album of note. Apologies, and without further ado we bring you the grade for Narrow Stairs.

REVIEW: 5.8

(In explanation of any seeming discrepancies between this number grade and our rather overwhelmingly positive review, Mitchfork offers no clarification save for the acknowledgment that we were less that pleased with the next ten seconds of "I Will Possess Your Heart". Very. Fucking. Derivative.)

For Those Who Used to Rock

2008-05-07T08:33:00.000-04:00

You Might Be An Indie Rocker Douchebag If....

10. You pre-order Yeah Yeah Yeahs albums before they're written or recorded. Scratch that... You buy Yeah Yeah Yeahs albums.

9. You will no longer listen to whatever shitty song is on the new iPod commercial.

8. You listen to the indie rocker douchebags Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and you're a big douchebag.

7. Sometimes your iPod wire gets tangled in the tie you wear over your t-shirt.

6. You're any one of the douchebags I see walking around Allston.

5. You disguise all of your U2 mp3s by changing the artist name to The Dandy Warhols.

4. Your band is really excited that everyone can hear your four shitty songs on Myspace for free. Go F yourself.

3. You think that Van Halen is a European airline, you've never heard Eruption, and you're an asshole.

2. You just played a killer show at your school's literary frat, but you're bummed because you broke your noisemaker during the outro to your new single "Our Lives Are Hard But Let's Dance Anyway."

1. You stole my fake ID seven years ago. Fuck Vampire Weekend.