# 1 St Vincent
St Vincent
It should not have taken St. Vincent’s electrifying performance at Pitchfork to make me take a closer listen to this album, but it did. At Pitchfork, she subverted and parodied rock star poses and then shredded and rocked as hard as any one of those stars. This album takes all the strengths in evidence in St Vincent’s earlier albums--lyrical wit, innovative guitar sounds and gorgeous vocals--and balances them perfectly.
# 2 Lydia Loveless
Somewhere Else
The madness of love (like the trope of love as an addiction) is a cliche. But when someone takes that cliche, grabs it by the throat and sings and plays it the hell out of it, well, suddenly it seems like a revelation. Somewhere Else is a revelation--a shot of bourbon in a world of rosemary-infused fizzy cocktails.
# 3 Sharon Van Etten
Are We There
Her best yet--the same thing I’ve said about her last two albums. Although Van Etten hasn’t broadened the breadth of her subject matter, her songs continue to grow in nuance and power.
# 4 Protomartyr
Under the Color of Official Right
Angular, caustic, and droll postpunk from the Motor City that would make Iggy proud.
# 5 Spoon
They Want My Soul
#6 Jenny Lewis
#6 Jenny Lewis
The Voyager
The 70s LA rock production throws you at first. But it’s just sugar-coating lyrics sharp and cutting as glass shards.
#7 Ex Hex
Rips
Mary Timony (Helium, Wild Flag) brings back the 3-minute rock song--actually gives us a dozen terrific ones.
# 8 The New Pornographers
Brill Bruisers
A. C. Newman is happy; songs are happy; New Pornographers fans are happy.
#9 War on Drugs
Lost in the Dream
Secretly Canadian
I’ve always been a sucker for Dylanesque vocals and when you add stellar guitar atmospherics and solid songcraft to the mix, the results are transfixing.
# 10 The Men
Tomorrow’s Hits
Sacred Bones
Shambolic rockers reminiscent of the Replacements or pub rockers Brinsley Schwarz.
Many happy listens
Many happy listens
Beck
Morning Phase
Beck revisits the sound of 2002’s Sea Change, working with many of the same musicians and delivering many of same sonic delights.
