Best Albums of the Yar So Far

So I was going to hold out on this until the first of July but a convergiance of events has lead me to move sooner. For one thing my brother posted his best of the year so far today. For another thing I've become enamorred with new and unreleased albums by Thom Yorke and TV on the Radio. As a result I would like to catologue what I've listened to thus far this year immediatly before it's a distant memory.


15. Mission of Burma The Obliterati: Quick heavy and not a bit dated. A finely tuned killing machine.


14. Tom Zé Estudando o Pagode: 60 something year old Brazilian makes hay of the opression of women, keeps it zany.


13. Liars Drums Not Dead: Like a fairy tail for highschoolers sick of Lord of the Rings and too smart Zepplin.


12. Herbert Scale: Smart Dance Cheese. Yum.


11. Cat Power The Greatest: Cat Power's NPR phase has been solidified and I don't mind at all.


10. Scott Walker The Drift: Dark, forboding, hard. But also sharp emotionally resonant and plain old great.


9. Fiery Furnaces Bitter Tea: The backwards vocals can get pretty trying. But in one two song sequence ("Teach Me Sweatheart" and "Waiting To Know You") this band reminds you of why it is always worth taking the bad trip with them. The rest of the album reveals itself slowly marinating in robotic vocals and retro psychedelia and it's all worth it and it's all the work of the most interesting band of their generation.


8. Bruce Springstein We Shall Overcome: The Seager Sessions: I love Springstein as a songwriter first and an entertainer second. Which makes his delivery of a bunch songs he didn't write an interesting best of inclusion. He finds in these songs much of the things he finds in his own words, and builds arangements that the tunes deserve.


7. T.I King: Big fat booty style rap has rarely sounded so good. The south has only delivered two superior rap albums and they're both by Outkast. T.I. is literally the king of rap right now delivering club anthems and enough smart rhymes to keep the shit talking limited.


6. Destroyer Destroyer's Rubies: Dan Bejar has a way with words. Things that read jumbled and aryhtmic on paper are salvaged by his crazy speak singing. But what really makes this record is how he brings the drama. The ever dwindling 8 minutes of "Rubies," the way the album ebbs and flows, the way he delivers a line like "THE FUCKING MANIAC!" Transcendance.


5. Belle and Sebastian The Life Pursuit: Pop music in all it's silly wimsical variety makes this the second most valuable thing that the best indie pop band in history ever recorded. There should be no questions asked. They are better than the Smiths and the Microphones and all the twee pop and shimmering guitar cry babies in between.


4. Danielson Ships: Danielson fine tuned himself and tightened up his arangements with much help from indie rock elites (Deerhoof, Sufjan, Sereena Maneesh). The result is the best folk pop album since Sung Tongs and the best christian rock album ever. Well, sort of.


3. Ghostface Killah Fishscale: Ever since Ghost dropped the opening rhyme on 36 Chambers he's been the Wu Tanger to beat. He still is only know their seems to be no one even taking shots. His finest album since the 5 mic classic Supreme Clientele, a classic in it's own right.


2. The Knife Silent Shout: Dark and synthy are some of my favorite musical adjectives. Catchy is my absolute favorite musical adjective. Basically this album is jam packed with these three things and it may well be the most well put together and singular pop album of the year. Also they're Swedish just like Jens Lekman.


1. Boris Pink: It's been a while since a metal album could occupy such an affectionate place in my life. Boris seemingly changed all that within the first two tracks of this monster-piece. I come for the riffs and speed and stay for the musical diversity and unique catchy-ness.