Johns Blog

10. She & Him – Volume One
Zooey Deschanel always struck me as an indie chick in the same vein as a Jenny Lewis. Her first album with band mate M. Ward was a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I love her voice. On the other hand, I’m not really into 1960’s female pop music. In the end tracks like “Sentimental Heart” and “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” edged this album in front of The Headlights’ Some Racing, Some Stopping for the last spot on my list.

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9. Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs
Chris Walla recently described Narrow Stairs as a “reactionary” album backlashing against the accessibility of Plans. I tend to agree. Songs like “Cath…” and “Long Division” are enough to keep the album on my end of the year list, but I can’t help being disappointed by this album. Please return to Transatlanticism your fan base is depending on it.

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8. Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Coldplay can do better than this. Its not that this is bad, its just not at the same level as their previous work. Where is this album’s “Fix You” or “Politik”? I really tried to give this album a number of chances throughout the year, and eventually it worked its way onto this list, but I’m not going to lie, I was expecting more. “Viva La Vida” and “42” are stand out tracks, but the rest of the album just runs together for me.

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7. Mates of State – Rearrange Us
I never listened to very much Mates of State. It wasn’t because I had anything against them, I just never took the time. Finally, this year I decided to check out Rearrange Us. The husband and wife combo of Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner are a little tamer on this album, with more piano and less synth, but it still works beautifully. Songs like “Get Better” and “Now” defined the soundtrack of my summer road trip to Colorado. Good times.

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6. The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride
Some albums need time to grow. Their stories need to find a place in your brain for a few months. Then, when the time is right, they all make sense. The album ties together and you wonder how you could have ignored all of this when the album first arrived. I never doubted that John Darnielle is one of the best songwriters of our generation (after all Craig Finn of The Hold Steady thinks so). Heretic Pride tells stories of broken lovers and failure in such a way that you still remain hopeful. Darnielle describes the emotions of his characters so realistically that you almost have to believe he’s been there. Maybe he has.

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5. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
Boys and Girls in America was perfect. It may very well find itself sitting in the top slot of next years’ “Albums of the Decade.” Knowing this, I prepared myself for a letdown. Unsurprisingly, Stay Positive could not up the ante on its predecessor. Luckily, it never tried to. The Hold Steady are getting older, and they are starting to feel it. Stay Positive is about aging gracefully. The characters are still there, pawing around to find their fulfillment in bars and dumpsters, but they have a new perspective. Prom night is over, and it is time to come to terms with what comes next. What do you do when the kids at your shows have kids of their own? You stay positive. Stay Positive finds The Hold Steady continuing to grow and evolve as they come to term with their growing age. The solo at the end of “Lord I’m Discouraged” might be my favorite solo Tad Kubler has ever played. Sure, its no Boys and Girls in America, but its definitely not a swan song. The Hold Steady are still going strong, and I’m excited to see what’s next.

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4. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes should have been born in a different time. Their music sounds old, as if it is hiding some ancient wisdom, gained through a lifetime of experience. Then I find out these men are my age. Are you kidding me? Many bands take several albums to find their voice, but Fleet Foxes already seem perfectly consistent on their first full length. Their harmonies and slow meandering music are beautiful. Like Joanna Newsom’s Ys, Fleet Foxes seems to shatter the idea of modern music more than anything else I listened to this year.

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3. No Age – Nouns
No Age hails from Los Angeles, and I guess that fits perfectly. If you asked me to describe their sound, it would be hard to avoid the word “noise.” Its not that Nouns isn’t beautiful, but there is really no other way to describe it. Like their city, the commotion on the album is constant. Layer upon layer of drums and guitars stack to create strangely poppy songs. Think The Postal Service meets My Bloody Valentine. Then, once you have listened to it, sit in amazement at the realization that only two people are responsible for all of that noise. It’s incredible. This album also holds the distinction for best packaging of any album I bought this year. I heartily enjoyed the photo book included with the liner notes.

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2. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Yes, this sound is gimmicky, I agree, but it is so infectious! Sure, it seems kind of ridiculous that a bunch of Ivy League graduates are borrowing African pop music to sing songs about being rich in New England. Yet the cast of Vampire Weekend pulls it off flawlessly. Songs like “Oxford Comma” plagued my brain for months at a time, in a good way. The driving drums during the bridge even worked great as motivation for my half marathon training. No album represented the soundtrack to my final semester more so than the self-titled album by indie’s most over-hyped newcomers. Will the sophomore album ever deliver? I don’t care. I’m still enjoying the first.

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1. The Gaslight Anthem - The ‘59 Sound
The Gaslight Anthem hit their stride with this summer’s The ‘59 Sound. In their sophomore album, the band boldly moves away from their straight punk roots and embraces influences ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Miles Davis. Brian Fallon cannot seem to shake his fascination with the way things used to be, but he does it with so much sincerity that it never seems contrived. For a band that took so many risks with their album, it seems amazing that only the bluesy “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues” falls short. Songs like “Miles Davis & The Cool” and “Here’s Looking At You, Kid” benefit from a slower pace, while other like “Great Expectations” and “Casanova Baby!” remind you that these boys from New Jersey came to dance.

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