Best Albums of the Year (In Spencer's Opinion)

OH MY, ANOTHER TERRIFIC YEAR FOR MUSIC! IT'S SPENCER MACEACHERN'S TOP TWENTY LPS OF TWO-THOUSAND SEVEN!

(DISCLAIMER: This list does not include the sixth LP entitled Widow City by Chicago rock band The Fiery Furnaces, who are, as far as I'm concerned, the most interesting and inventive band currently making music.  I'm far too biased towards them and having listened to Widow City more times than all the records on this list combined.  Go buy it.)

20. Icky Thump by the White Stripes (Warner)
Following the mostly acoustic stomps of Get Behind Me Satan (and that other band Jack White plays in) comes a blissfully raw statement from a band celebrating their 10th birthday.  Some songs cover ground the Stripes've never trotted on, such as the title track or the epic 'Conquest', while some sound like a return to the days of their first record, like 'Little Cream Soda' or 'Bone Broke'.

19. National Anthem of Nowhere by Apostle of Hustle (Arts & Crafts)
If you can forget the lush, Latin sound of Andrew Whiteman's first effort, National Anthem of Nowhere, if you'll excuse the name, is a great pop record.  He's going for something different, something a little fresher this time around.  Even if I initially wanted a sequel to Folkloric Feel, he's successful in his endeavor, classics like 'The Naked & Alone' and 'Chances Are' rock with just the right amount of swagger.

18. LP by Holy Fuck (Young Turks)
This hometown band has really grown on me in the last year and a half since I first saw them live.  Their blend of electro-blip-pop is so insanely infectious that you can't help but tap your foot to it-- or full out start dancing.  So what if they're not really that improvisational anymore... what they're on about is far more intoxicating. Check out 'Lovely Allen' (featuring Owen Pallett!) and 'Royal Gregory'!!!

17. Sky Blue Sky by Wilco (Nonesuch)
Basically, Jeff Tweedy, a man the world came to knew for his bleak observations and profound statements on the much-lauded Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and it's follow-up A Ghost is Born, is now freshly rehabilitated. He hasn't had a cigarette in years, he's off his pain medication, the migraines are few to nil. His band's lineup is in top shape-- the music will be astounding. (Read the rest of the review here).

16. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone by Explosions in the Sky (Temporary Residence)
Austin's best slow-motion rock n' roll band follow their collection of 'love songs' (The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place) with a sadder, more apocalyptic record.  I find it difficult to describe post-rock records... but you should definitely hear it.
 

15. Liars by Liars (Mute)
A nice relief after last year's insanely jarring Drum's Not Dead, this is probably the first Liars album that one could argue is 'pop'.  Songs like 'Houseclouds' and the first track and single 'Plaster Casts of Everything' are really catchy!  Plus they have repeated phrases/chorus-like moments!  Wow!

14. Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon by Devendra Banhart (XL)
Yeah sure it isn't as brilliant as that last record he made, but isn't a guy allowed to settle down?  This is Banhart in full-on relaxing-in-Topeka-Canyon mode, complete with all the randomness that infers.  'Sea Horse' is the longest Devendra song to date and wanders from folk-ballad to rocking stomper, while 'Shabop Shalom' sounds like Roy Orbison!!  Maybe still a little long, but still good.

13. Let’s Stay Friends by Les Savy Fav (French Kiss)
Another band insanely influenced by Gang of Four and the post-punk bands of the early '80s, Les Savy Fav have all that catchiness plus a wealth of literate, witty lyrics.  Fucking every song on here could be a single-- 'Patty Lee', 'The Equestrian', 'Kiss Kiss is Getting Old'... wow.  If you're a fan of rock (almost to the point of hardcore, and a little emo) with catchy-ass hooks, get over here.

12. Loney, Noir by Loney, Dear (Sub Pop)
Studio wonder-boy Emil Svanängen creates addictive, warm, cutesy pop melodies for the masses.  The songs on Loney, Noir are simple enough that you know the lyrics after one listen, but smart enough that you will keep going back for more.  And his use of the woodwinds and brass remains on the subtle side, giving these songs somewhat of a timeless feel.  Good stuff!

11. Andorra by Caribou (Merge)
Ah yes, the fourth album from Dundas, Ontario's Dan Snaith is the gorgeous, sunny pop-record that he's been hinting at for a while now.  This album has all the great things about The Milk of Human Kindness but leaves out all the wandering of that effort, songs like 'Sandy' and 'She's the One' are very immediate and stay on-course.  An excellent album from another excellent Merge artist!

                                                 

10. Night Falls Over Kortedala by Jens Lekman (Secretly Canadian)
It's okay that the Magnetic Fields don't make a shitload of records, because we always have this guy. Another beautiful, delicate record of chamber-pop from one of my favourite Swedish imports.  Having only listened to the Oh You're So Silent Jens compilation before purchasing this one, I was pleased to find that Jens had the balls to really bring his genius blend of orchestrated pop to the stage.  He's really bearing it all here-- from the awkward confessions of 'A Postcard to Nina' ( "Nina I can't be your boyfriend / So you can stay with your girlfriend" )  to his hilarious frustration in 'The Opposite of Hallelujah' ( "I picked up a sea-shell to illustrate my homelessness / but a crab crawled out of it making it useless" ), this is a great record for a warm, autumn day.  If you're a fan of melodramatic chamber music with confident male vocals, this is for you!

9. You, You’re a History in Rust by Do Make Say Think (Constellation)
It must be something else being a space rocker. Although your record cover is more likely to make it onto the cover of Rolling Stone than your face, you can sleep assured knowing that flocks of people—from punks to hippies—will come from every corner of the city to see your particular mix of sweeping instrumentals and melodic ambiance. They will absorb with a sacred appreciation scarcely seen in today’s independent music scene, standing mouth agape with eyes closed. They’ll get frustrated with your sparsely vague liner-notes and maybe even curse you, but will re-read them over and over with as much concentration as a Buddhist monk. They will treat you as though you are as wondrous as an alien... (Read the rest of the review here.)

8. Cease to Begin by Band of Horses (Sub Pop)
After the insanely huge success of Everything All the Time, our stable-mates toned-down things a few notches with Cease to Begin.  I mean, look at that fucking cover.  If you were a fan of their previous anthem-like tracks such as 'The Funeral' or 'The Great Salt Lake', don't expect to be very pleased with this one.  It might be the lack of Mat Brooke, but this time around the guys are way more countrified, and I'm not complaining.  Sure they still rock out in their ways, 'Ode to LRC' is a happy groover and 'Cigarettes, Wedding Bands' is a bonafide slow-motion rock song, but this album is mostly comprised of slow dirges such as 'No One's Gonna Love You' and 'Marry Song'.  For better or for worse, the band sound far more mature than before... and at just over a half-hour, this trip goes down easy.

7. The Stage Names by Okkervil River (Jagjaguwar)
After touring in support of 05's gorgeous Black Sheep Boy, Will Sheff realized that he didn't want Okkervil River to be some group that stuck to the melodramatic album formula.  From what The Stage Names shows, he's successfully shed that image-- and found some outlets to plug into, as well!  This is Austin's finest at their most rock n' roll, numbers like 'A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene' and 'Unless It Kicks' are so stomp-worthy you'd think you were listening to another band.  But lyrically, Sheff has brought the same consideration and thought he used on previous efforts to a whole new level.  The combination of rocking hooks and Novel-like lyrics makes it obvious that, without a doubt, Okkervil River are currently one of the world's most imaginative and interesting bands.

6. Person Pitch by Panda Bear (Paw Tracks)
It believe it is a steam engine roaring in the first few seconds of 'Comfy in Nautica', the first track on Panda Bear's Person Pitch, and I think that fits well.  This album is a wonderful, adolescent trip into a world somewhat like our own, somewhat not.  Either way, it's a journey.  Lush, Beach Boy-esque harmonies drenched in a waterfall of youth on the third day of a peyote trip.  Man I can't even talk about this record, I shoud've left this one blank.  Fuck the group effort, this is all I could ever want from the Animal Collective.


5. Neon Bible by the Arcade Fire (Merge)
Yeah yeah, it's really good.  Yeah yeah, they're one of the best bands ever right now... yes, they're my generation's Radiohead, I guess.  Anyway, the Arcade Fire successfully followed-up Funeral with a darker, slightly more anthemic record.  There isn't as much hope as their was in Funeral, which makes me wonder how the hell they'll follow this one up, as well.  I'm sure they'll do just fine.  (Are you noticing a decline in review quality?  I like these records too much.)

4. The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse by the Besnard Lakes (Jagjaguwar)
I bought this record without hearing it, which doesn't happen much nowadays.  I trust this label and their Secretly Canadian counterpart a lot.  What I was met with upon finally listening to it was a cave-singing, neo-psychedelic and densely-layered lonely set of songs which ultimately stole my heart.  These guys have a great sound that you'll likely want to explore, yourself: whether it's their vocals, both high & low on 'For Agent 13', or their meaty guitar riffs and solos on 'And You Lied To Me'.  There's a little something here for everybody.  Montreal rock plays strong!

3. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? by of Montreal (Polyvinyl)
These guys already made like, a bajillion records full of cute & quaint psych/twee-pop before they unleashed what many fans and critics are calling their best LP.  What makes this un-like any other of Montreal story?  Real stories and turmoil coming from Kevin Barnes, who was seriously depressed while writing this material.  That's the best part of this record-- the interplay between the funkadelic, happy melodies and the dark lyrical content.  Just look at the cover!  Songs like the catchy 'Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse' bounce up and down, while the drone of 'The Past is a Grotesque Animal' will have you too questioning your own sanity.  Killer.

2. Ash Wednesday by Elvis Perkins (XL)
In the wake of his parents' deaths, Perkins could've made one of the saddest records of 2007-- and he probably wouldn't have made it onto this list, had he.  Instead, the songs on Ash Wednesday are, while still melancholic, the smart and witty tales of a troubadour who calmly takes everything that's coming his way.  There's the bouncing 'May Day!' ("I don't care your camera caught me crying as I left your gates / Or that your maintenance men they caught our last embrace") and the beautiful 'Sleep Sandwich' ("Last night was the science fiction / Movie with you and me / You in your velvet space helmet / Me in my rainbow hat").  If there's one record to listen to this year for beautiful poetics and a little heartbreak, it's this one.

1. Mirrored by Battles (Warp)
And now if there's one record you should listen to for highly technical, skillfully played math rock, it's this one.  This record left me absolutely floored upon hearing it and seeing Battles live.  With the combined talents of each member, including Ian Williams (playing the keyboard while tapping his fretboard?) and John Stanier (robot built to drum?), these four guys are fucking onto something.  They are pushing the envelope on 'fusion' bands... their blend of music is so intense and intricate, you can't help but sweat with them.  Just go listen to 'Atlas', 'Tonto' or 'Rainbow', and fasten your seat-belts.  The most important record of 2007.

RUNNER-UPS
Myth Takes by !!! (Warp) ∙ Drums and Guns by Low (Sub Pop) ∙ Dressed Up for the Letdown by Richard Swift (Secretly Canadian) ∙ Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon (Merge) ∙ The Sheppard’s Dog by Iron & Wine (Sub Pop) ∙ 23 by Blonde Redhead (4AD) ∙ Spirit If… by Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew (Arts & Crafts) ∙ Wincing the Night Away by the Shins (Sub Pop) ∙ The Reminder by Feist (Arts & Crafts) ∙ Heart it Races by Architecture in Helsinki (Polyvinyl) ∙ Friend Opportunity by Deerhoof (Kill Rock Stars) ∙ The Flying Club Cup by Beirut (Ba Da Bing!) ∙ In Our Nature by José González (Mute) ∙ Sharp Teeth by David Karsten Daniels (Fat Cat)  ∙  In Rainbows by some band (self-released)

I LIKE YOU BUT BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME
Tio Bitar by Dungen (Kemado) ∙ Love is Simple by Akron/Family (Young God)  ∙ We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse (Epic)

OVER-RATED PIECES OF GARBAGE
Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective (Domino) ∙ Cassadaga by Bright Eyes (Saddle Creek) 

LIVE REVIEW: The Fiery Furnaces at the Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto ON 2007.06.25

This particular blog's favourite rock duo-- Chicago's Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger, better known as The Fiery Furnaces-- returned to Toronto last night to serve a cup of ridiculously bitter fucking tea to an eager audience. Having just spent a half-dozen months recording & finalizing their sixth LP Widow City, due out in October, the Furnaces rocked the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern as a part of their so-called Fourth of July tour. Are they playing on the Fourth of July, you may ask? Of course not.

After spending some time talking to Matthew and ignoring a forgetful opening set by California's Dios, the band took the stage and erupted into a medley of last year's exceptional Bitter Tea. Identical to the arrangement they played on their last tour, which is completely different to the naked ear from their record, salsafied numbers like "I'm In No Mood" and "Black-Hearted Boy" pulsed quickly and urgently, Eleanor's voice sometimes rapping and sometimes soaring above. Filled out by Sebadoh's Jason Loewenstein on guitar and the rhythm section of Bob D'Amico and Michael Goodman, they were not only playing tighter but appeared much more comfortable with the material than last fall. The usually stoic Matthew looked to be having genuine fun, relaxed in his role as the band's conductor. This medley starts off strong with the killer funk of "In My Little Thatched Hut" and ends beautifully with the flying "Whistle Rhapsody" into "Teach Me Sweetheart", but some of the middle parts could use some more spunk in them. Maybe they don't-- by the end of this portion I was already quite exhausted.

A short intermission later and Eleanor was back on-stage with the band to kick off the second half of the set. They played three new songs from the upcoming record: "Wicker Park", "Japanese Slippers" and "Restorative Beer". "Tropical Iceland" had a lot of fat, dirty riffs in it, while "Here Comes the Summer" was slowed down, perhaps in an effort to make the song a little more melancholy. The highlight for me in this portion was the mashing of songs from the latter half of Blueberry Boat, "Spaniolated", "1917" and "Birdie Brain". The songs were played fairly similar to how they appear on the record, though Matthew didn't bother to sing his spots. These songs, along with "Quay Cur" and "Blueberry Boat", got a big rise out of the crowd as usual. After the end of this set, and a thirty-second encore plea from the audience, the band came back on and played "Widow City" before taking requests and playing the first verse of "Smelling Cigarettes" and "Police Sweater Blood Vow". The second they left again I bee-lined it for the washroom. I had to go at the beginning of their set too, but there was no way I was taking my eyes off these performers.

All in all, another great Fiery Furnaces show. Once again thank you to Matthew, Eleanor & the rest of the band for being so nice in person. As for the new album? From what I've heard of the new record, it's going to be amazing. Eleanor was kind enough to show me some advanced copies and... yeah. Get excited freaks.

SETLIST:
(I can't remember when they played "Beer" or "Slippers", but they did.)
The Bitter Tea Medley
Single Again
Wicker Park
Quay Cur
I'm Gonna Run
Here Comes the Summer
Blueberry Boat
Tropical Iceland
Spaniolated
Inca Rag/Name Game
Birdie Brain
1917

Widow City
Smelling Cigarettes
Police Sweater Blood Vow


(picture courtesy of PitchforkMedia)

Wilco's "Sky Blue Sky"

Sky Blue Sky
Wilco
Released May 15th, 2007 (Nonesuch)

I'm really not going to go on about this one. I'm limiting myself to 300 words. Basically, Jeff Tweedy, a man the world came to knew for his bleak observations and profound statements on the much-lauded Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and it's follow-up A Ghost is Born, is now freshly rehabiliated. He hasn't had a cigarette in years, he's off his pain medication, the migraines are few to nil. His band's lineup, as he has proclaimed himself, is in top shape-- the music will be astounding.

But Jeff doesn't want to write about distance making love understandable anymore, or whether Coca-Cola is satanic or not. His head once clouded with sadness and confusion, is now a Sky Blue Sky, and really, I don't care to hear for your complaints. For over ten years and across five LPs (including the live Kicking Television record), Wilco have been consistantly praised for their ground-breaking, genre-pushing efforts. Are they not allowed to take a breath and release music that they just generally enjoy playing? Haven't we already taken enough pleasure from Jeff Tweedy's pain? Close your eyes, forget about their earlier stuff, and just fucking listen.

Remember when Bob Dylan punched you three times in the face with his majestic Bringing Your Blondes All Back Home to Highway 61? Remember a few years later when he released Nashville Skyline? Well, that album has held up over the years, hasn't it? So don't give up on Wilco just because they're letting loose and shakin' off. Put your trust in the man you've come to love and you won't look back.

M. Ward's "Post-War"

Post-War
M. Ward
Released August 22nd, 2006 (Merge)

At the joint cottaging address of David Clarke, the binary Track Three entity had a wonderful opportunity laid at his feet on a summer's eve. The cigarette smoke illumined by a lunar blue, by a porchlight yellow. Weird records half of us hadn't heard of had been on rotation all day, though we couldn't have known the breakwater hadn't yet held forth. We had come across this advance copy of a Merge Records release - POST-WAR, M. Ward 2006. The fact that it was otherwise anonymous was enough to titillate. By the time the album's title track had made its appearance we had been completely and totally disarmed by the breadth, and (almost as important) the brevity.

Christ, what do want me to say? Fuckin' Matt Ward. That's about all I can manage. Since his acclaimed self-release Duet For Guitars #2, Ward has put out quality music each year following. Honestly, this guy is in bed with EVERYONE; from Beth Orton and Neko Case to Conor Oberst and Jim James - you know, just a few names. He's been with both Matador and Merge, currently. It's not surprising of a man so steeped in indie-country and next-wave folk types to have an authorial signature so reliable and so easily identifiable.

Ward’s latest is his shortest and his tightest. It's a succinct walk-through of memories that refuse to be thrown out; the old wooden chest of sepia photographs someone's great-grandkid found one day. His voice hovers somewhere in between the ghost of a long-lost FM radio crooner and starry-eyed nostalgia for the shared loneliness of bygone, dusty-lane Americana. This guy has some of the most assured stuff in this simple genre that some will say is pointless to write in anymore.

Within twenty minutes the album is past the side-two mark, but Ward has already ranged over such diverse sounds, from a Daniel Johnston cover musing on love and death, to an electrified country-rock number. This is to say nothing of the first song, 'Poison Cup', which marks M.Ward's premiere for vocals on an album opener. This is total Ward, a direct line to the acoustically-driven pathos for simpler times right at the outset

Not as though he tries to be some relentless innovator - his albums generally sound like one another. This is in no way a detriment to his discography, however, as his albums only get more concise and a little more polished production-wise with each successive release. There is an almost orchestral air added to the basic balladry purveyed on Ward's albums - the string-and-timpani sound on 'Poison Cup', the ocean-wide rockout on 'Neptune's Net', the quiet indifference of the title track - M. Ward evokes a wandering, broke-heart wisdom that all the king's horses and men are rushing around trying to bullshit and bury. Do yourself a favor and listen.

TRACK PICKS:
'Requiem', 'Afterward/Rag' -S.M.
'Post-War', 'Eyes on the Prize' -S.V.
IDEAL LISTENING SETTING:
Fuckin' whatever, it's Matt Ward.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT:
Devendra Banhart, Joseph Arthur, Wilco, John Fahey

Do Make Say Think's "You, You're a History in Rust"

You, You're a History in Rust
Do Make Say Think
Released February 12th, 2007 (Constellation)

It must be something else being a space rocker. Although your record cover is more likely to make it onto the cover of Rolling Stone than your face, you can sleep assured knowing that flocks of people—from punks to hippies—will come from every corner of the city to see your particular mix of sweeping instrumentals and melodic ambiance. They will absorb with a sacred appreciation scarcely seen in today’s independent music scene, standing mouth agape with eyes closed. They’ll get frustrated with your sparsely vague liner-notes and maybe even curse you, but will re-read them over and over with as much concentration as a Buddhist monk. They will treat you as though you are as wondrous as an alien.

Toronto’s acclaimed Do Make Say Think were probably coined ‘space rock’ after the first show they played. Maybe it was after the first time a friend of the band smoked a bowl and looked up at the sky while listening to ‘Goodbye Enemy Airship’. Or maybe it was when they got signed to Constellation Records. Either way, four years after their tremendous Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn, the Do Makes have returned from above with the eagerly-anticipated You, You’re a History in Rust, their most human record to date.

Although still at their textbook best, History is similar to Hymn in that the group is reaching out and attempting to be more diverse from song to song. The booming opener 'Bound to Be That Way' is more effective as the first chapter because it is complimented by the hesitant and sub-dued 'A With Living', a collaboration of sorts featuring the weary chants of Akron/Family. Although hardcore fans may be thrown askew by the vocals, they won't have long to lament before 'The Universe!', a balls-out rocker so fierce that it really does deserve the exclamation mark.

Whereas & Yet & Yet was hypnotic and compelling in a safe way, the variation in sound a mere three tracks into History in Rust shows the band focusing less on keeping the drone intact and more on changing it up. The kind-of title-track accentuates this point by initially catering to an urge for ambient feedback, only to laugh about it (literally) and shift to Ohad Benchetrit's back-yard plucking. The remainder of the album continues in this state of flux: the ironically-titled 'You, You're Awesome' grows from being a lonely electric guitar spitting out chords into a horn and slide-guitar drenched declaration of utter devotion, while 'Executioner Blues' wouldn't have been out-of-place alongside 'Fredericia' or 'Ontario Plates', as it just about does everything Do Make can do. The epilogue 'In Mind', with it's indecipherable lyrics and noisy climax is somewhat reminiscent of that other band that Charles Spearin and Benchetrit are 5% of, but hardly in a bad way. Hell I'm so done made said thought at this point it's easy to forget about everything else. What a terrific record.

TRACK PICKS:
'A With Living', 'You, You're Awesome' -S.M.
'The Universe', 'Executioner Blues' -S.V.
IDEAL LISTENING SETTING:
Wherever you are when the sun is setting.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT:
Tortoise, Explosions in the Sky, Broken Social Scene

The Shins' "Wincing the Night Away"

Wincing the Night Away
The Shins
Released January 23rd, 2007 (Sub Pop)
Written by S.M.

Before I come off as a ridiculous indie-snob, which I'll be the first to admit I am, let me just say this: I like the Shins, I really do. Despite their first two efforts lasting just over an hour combined, their lack of experimentation, their appearance on the SpongeBob movie, The O.C., and last but not least, Zach Braff's pet-movie Garden State-- which I actually enjoyed-- I've sucked up all my desire to write them off, to cast them and leave them behind for the teenyboppers and "New Slang" worshippers to chew on. Much more than I have for Death Cab for Cutie, I've held on. Firstly, front-man and songwriter James Mercer's lyrics are undeniably smart-- "One By One All Day" from Oh, Inverted World or "Young Pilgrims" off Chutes Too Narrow are so jam-packed with detailed and witty imagery that I'm appalled upon the realization that the songs are usually the same length as most early Beatles tunes. The band are bloody tight, too.

For me, it's always been the hinting that has kept their records on rotation. The closing tracks on their first two LPs leave me absolutely floored. They poke at something... greater? Bigger? I've always had the feeling that something was coming-- just look at the titles: Those to Come? The Past and the Pending?

Luckily, none of my holding on has been in vain, as with Wincing the Night Away, it is obvious that the Shins have started paying much more attention to detail. The first example being the album opener "Sleeping Lessons", which starts out with Marty Crandall's warbling synth and the foggiest vocals we've heard from Mercer thus far. It's tempting to get comfortable in this density, I know, but it isn't too long into the track before the drums come in with a fleeting crescendo and fucking BOOM! The loudest guitar in Shins history is strummed. This song somewhat acts a road map for the rest of the record: a hot potato constantly being tossed between bright, shiny guitar-based melodies and haunting, wandering synth lines-- though sometimes it'll just plop and stay in the middle.

The first half of the record is fairly straight-forward pop. On "Australia", the Shins sound like they've having a ball-- starting with the lyric, 'La la la la born to multiply/Or born to gaze into night skies'-- while the first single "Phantom Limb" bounces excitedly, much like classics "Know Your Onion!" or "So Says I." The tender and playful "Red Rabbits"-- featuring Chris Funk of the Decemberists on the lap steel guitar-- works as a calming interlude into the more confusing, darker side of the album. "Black Wave", with it's ghostly echos and references to cooked geese and tongue-tied streets, shows the band really experimenting with the depths of sound, while "Split Needles" sounds like a person slowly realizing the overwhelming truth of their own insanity. Mercer, in a recent interview with Billboard, stated that he wanted to address the human condition a little more on this reocrd, and it shows. There's much more to sink your teeth into this time around, mates: there's still a lot of light, but there's a hell of a lot more dark.

Coincidentally, the album closer, "A Comet Appears", is ridiculously relaxed. Gone is the cliffhanger ending, in its place a beautifully assured track that sounds like the band giving a nice sigh of relief. Could it be that this is the album the band's been hinting at being capable of? Well done, boys. Now get some sleep!

TRACK PICKS:
"Australia"; "Turn On Me" -S.M.
IDEAL LISTENING SETTING:
Summer, just after getting off work for the weekend.
BE SURE TO CHECK:
The New Pornographers, The Apples in Stereo, The Beach Boys

2006 in retrospect...

WHAT A TERRIFIC YEAR FOR MUSIC!
(By S.M.)

(DISCLAIMER: If you know me at all, you'll know that my favourite band of 2+ years has been the Fiery Furnaces, the musical output of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger. I feel as though I am incredibly biased towards this band and that it is pointless to try and rank their albums. Therefore, this year-end review does not include their album BITTER TEA-- which I have blasted on my stereo much more than any record below-- nor have I included Matthew Friedberger's two solo records, WINTER WOMEN & HOLY GHOST LANGUAGE SCHOOL. Thank you for reading and happy holidays.)

1. DESTROYER'S RUBIES Destroyer (Merge)
   
2. POST-WAR M. Ward (Merge)
3. BOYS AND GIRLS IN AMERICA The Hold Steady (Vagrant)
4. VESSEL STATES Wilderness (Jagjaguwar)
5. THE CRANE WIFE The Decemberists (Capitol)
6. 1968 Pajo (Drag City)
7. THE GREATEST Cat Power (Matador)
8. YS Joanna Newsom (Drag City)
9. EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME Band of Horses (Sub Pop)
10. GET LONELY The Mountain Goats (4AD)
11. MR. BEAST Mogwai (Matador)
    
12. I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU… Yo La Tengo (Matador)
13. DREAMT FOR LIGHTYEARS… Sparklehorse (Capitol)
14. II Espers (Drag City)
15. AXIS OF EVOL Pink Mountaintops (Jagjaguwar)
16. THE LETTING GO Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (Drag City)
17. SIX DEMON BAG Man Man (Ace Fu)
18. BEACH HOUSE Beach House (Carpark)
19. YELLOW HOUSE Grizzly Bear (Warp)
20. SHOW YOUR BONES The Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Interscope)

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

GULAG ORKESTAR Beirut
SHIPS Danielson
MODERN TIMES Bob Dylan
LET ME GO LET ME GO LET ME GO Jason Molina
MALAJUBE Trompe-l’oeil
BRING ME THE WORKHORSE My Brightest Diamond
CLASSICS Ratatat
THE INFORMATION Beck
BORN AGAIN IN THE U.S.A. Loose Fur
HE POOS CLOUDS Final Fantasy
PUTTING THE DAYS TO BED The Long Winters
THIS HARNESS CAN’T RIDE ANYTHING Chin Up Chin Up
AT WAR WITH THE MYSTICS The Flaming Lips
TO FIND ME GONE Vetiver
LET ME INTRODUCE MY FRIENDS I’m From Barcelona
MEEK WARRIOR Akron/Family
THE WARNING Hot Chip
SCALE Herbert
SO THIS IS GOODBYE Junior Boys

STILL GOTTA GET AROUND TO...

THE DRIFT Scott Walker
BLOOD MOUNTAIN Mastodon
WRITER’S BLOCK Peter Bjorn & John
RETURN TO COOKIE MOUNTAIN TV on the Radio
FOX CONFESSOR BRINGS THE FLOOD Neko Case
THE BODY, THE BLOOD, THE MACHINE The Thermals
ROOTS & CROWNS Califone
SOMEONE TO DRIVE YOU HOME The Long Blondes
THE LIFE PURSUIT Belle & Sebastian
SILENT SHOUT The Knife
DAMAGED Lambchop
DRUM’S NOT DEAD The Liars
WE ARE THE PIPETTES The Pipettes
BRIGHTBACK MORNING LIGHT Brightback Morning Light
NIGHT RIPPER Girl Talk
BE YOUR OWN PET Be Your Own Pet
REMEMBER THE NIGHT PARTIES Oxford Collapse
FADING TRAILS Magnolia Electric Co.
WAITING FOR THE TIME TO BE RIGHT The Brother Kite