Ben's End Of The Year (Part 3)

Well, I've been agonizing over this list much more than necessary. I've finally reached the conclusion that I'm not going to be able to do a top ten, and am switching it to a top five plus a boatload of honorable mentions. There were a ton of records I really enjoyed this year, but not many that really compelled me through and through. There's something a bit intangible that really gets me about these, more so than the rest of the contenders.

Anyhow, about my favorites:

1. Great Vengeance And Furious Fire
by The Heavy
Hands down, my favorite of the year -- despite the fact the release date is a bit of a grey area (as I understand things, it came out at the end of 2007 in the UK, and super early 2008 in the US). Nevertheless, I have listened to this album more than anything else this year, and I just do not tire of it. I started listening to it early in the year when we got the promo in at Ear Candy. I listened to it a ton this summer -- it became one of my default make-me-feel-good records. As the year closes out, I can still listen and still fall right into the fantastic dirty-garage-soul vibe.
Great Vengeance... is a goddamn sexy record. It sweats cool and swagger and sex without simply feeling exploitative. In part, I'm sure it's related to the way in borrows from 70's soul. It may talk a little coy and dirty to you, but it doesn't make you feel gross in the process -- which is a nice change of pace.
Part of the reason it has had such longevity throughout the year is that it doesn't just stick to one note. It'll go from head-bobbing tracks, thick with horn stabs and dirty guitars, and then drift into the slow and soulful. One could make the argument that The Heavy owe a little bit to Gnarls Barkley -- despite making very different records, there's a common ground in their production techniques, walking a fine line between retro and modern.
Bottom line, this record makes me feel good, and there's a hell of lot to be said for that.

2. Santogold
by Santogold
You may have noticed that a hell of lot of records that do not appear in my top five have cover art that does not feature anyone spewing glitter, whereas Santogold's self-titled debut does. Coincidence? Possibly. Don't rule it out as a factor, though.
I've spent a fair amount of time debating the spot of this album, and as a result of said consideration I've been spending a ton of time with the album again. Much like CSS' Donkey, the more I re-listen the more I love it -- enough so to bump it to the number 2 spot this year. I keep finding new things to latch on to. It's really a surprisingly diverse record. It seems to me that most of the hype she received was a result of the track "Creator" -- basically, because it's a track that screams "Hey, I can do M.I.A. at least as well, if not better than M.I.A. herself." That's true, and I even like the track, but frankly it's nowhere near the high point of the record. In fact, the B-side of the "Creator" single is album opener "L.E.S. Artistes" which plays like a New Young Pony Club track with a slower vibe. That's followed by "You'll Find A Way" which is sort of like a harmonious blend of The Police and Blonde Redhead. I initially tended to think of the album as a bit top-heavy, with the first half being stronger than the end, but that's not true. It's that I liked the vibe of those early songs so much, that I would sometimes forget about how good it it is when the tone switches to the flighty pop of "Lights Out" or the slow and dirty electro-fuzz of "Starstruck" or the Pixies-esque bassline that drives "I'm A Lady." There's just so much done exceptionally right on this record.

3. Microcastle
by Deerhunter
Cryptograms and the Flourescent Grey EP made my list last year -- perhaps, in retrospect, something that wasn't exactly deserved. It was on the strength of the EP, which was better than the full-length, as well as an awesome live show that really sold me. When I actually listen to Cryptograms, I like it a just a little less than I think I do when I'm not listening to it. However, Microcastle is solid start to finish, and really builds on the promise showed by Deerhunter. I often hate when this word is used, but it's definitely more accessible than past releases. I'm not sure that I have all that much to say about it, to be honest, other than "Yup, this is a fuckin' damn good record." Not so eloquent, but that's just going to have to be good enough.

4. Dear Science
by TV On The Radio
I know this is on most of our lists, and is probably a shoe-in for the vast majority of best-of lists that will appear in the press. As such, I don't feel I need to say too much about it. I'm still getting fully aquainted with the album, though I'm definitely comfortable enough to put it on this list. (It's not just peer pressure!)
I will say that as of late I've been just obscenely obsessed with the track "Love Dog" -- the delayed rhodes; the opening vocal "ooooooh" melodies; that moment where the horns first come in; the build into chaos... fuck... I love so many songs on this album, but there's something about "Love Dog" that catches my attention. It's lonely and beautiful and wintery and intense. Perhaps my affection for it does not say good things about my own mental state.

5. Donkey
by CSS
I was, I suppose, a little bit late to the party on CSS -- in part avoiding their 2006 debut because I couldn't dodge the huge amount of press it got. I know... it's snobby bullshit, but so it goes. When I finally gave it a real listen, I was drawn in. Even after I had fallen for it, I wasn't quite sure exactly why. Sure, "Alala" was a hot track, but CSS still felt like a guilty pleasure.
Nonetheless, I was excited when I heard they were doing another record.
I was surprised, though, when the first track that was leaked from the album was "Rat Is Dead (Rage)" -- loaded as it is with guitar hooks that seemed like they wouldn't be out of place on some girl-fronted alternative band from '97. Funnily enough, I actually quite dig the song now, but at the time I definitely was surprised, and fairly unsure of what to think. So, I put off giving Donkey serious listen when the album was released -- which was a mistake because, when I finally gave it a chance, it became clear that it was, in fact, immensely better than their debut. It just keeps growing on me more and more.


Alright, and now for the Honorable Mentions:

The Matador Singles '08
by Jay Reatard
This would have, no question, been in the top ten if I had decided to make a top ten. In fact, it was fighting pretty hard to be in the top five, but ultimately I had more to say about the other records. Please, Markley... still love me.

Volume One
by She & Him
Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward. Who knew it'd be so darn good? I don't even like M. Ward on his own, and I'm always skeptical of music projects by actors or actresses. Yet here comes this quirky and sweet throwback to the 60's. I'm surprisingly fond of this record.

Lightbulbs
by Fujiya & Miyagi
I continue to love Fujiya & Miyagi and that's that.

Antidotes
by Foals
Listened to it a lot. It cribs a bit from Q And Not U, but so what?

Third
by Portishead
Took ya long enough, but hot damn.

Made In The Dark
by Hot Chip
Might be rated higher if only it didn't take "Out At The Pictures" a minute forty-four to start to get good. But it does take that long, and I'm petty.

Worldwide
by The Death Set
"Motherfuckin' Death Set! Motherfuckin' Death Set!" Absurdity. I love this record far beyond what reason dictates.

Stainless Style
by Neon Neon
Tied with Dykehouse for the gayest thing I love this year -- which is funny on less-than-or-equal-to two levels.

Crystal Castles
by Crystal Castles
Oh, if only this record was edited down just a bit... When it's on point, it's one of my favorite records of the year, but when it misses -- which happens just a bit too often -- I get frustrated. If I was doing a list of best hooks and loops, this might be way up there in the running for the top spot.

Oracular Spectacular
by MGMT
I feel like we're all supposed to be molecules within the wave of hipster backlash, or maybe we were never supposed to even like this record in the first place. It's a record that emphasizes just how much the grey area between indie and mainstream (stylistically, at the very least) has grown. It also is a reminder that I have absolutely no need to spend time contemplating what that grey area means. Anyhow, I've listened to this record a hell of a lot this year, and, it's still damn good -- or at least, the first two thirds of it are. It definitely falls apart a bit towards the end. It's going to be interesting to see what they do in the future. Perhaps they've got more fuzzy keyboard hooks and psych-weirdness that'll be worth not being too cool for.