Before I praise the heck out of this album, let me just say one thing: you can really tell it's self-produced and I can confidently say that if Okkervil's normal producer Brian Beattie had produced this one, it would be a higher on the list, significantly perhaps. But with that said, the production isn't that bad, in fact it's quite good, just not up to the level of other albums. Will sheff's songwriting is, as always, spectacular and his growth from Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See is considerable, both as a lyricist and as a singer. Perhaps the singer part is the most important to this album, there's no awkward notes on this album, in fact there's some amazing ones. The band as a whole perform their songs perfectly, "Blanket and Crib" and "Seas Too Far to Reach" being the standouts musically (and lyrically) as the band blends many different instruments and weaves them together seamlessly. The album falls into an unusual place in Okkervil's catalog, not quite up to the level of the Black Sheep Boy sessions, but clearly superior to their other LPs.49. Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Letting Go
Will Oldham has never released a bad album. At least, not a bad one by anyone else's standards, but that's not the point. Anyways, though he's never released a bad album, he hadn't really released any new solo material between 2003 and 2006 (that may not seem like a long time, but for Oldham it's ages) but instead produced collaborations and cover albums, even a cover album of his own songs. But all that changed with the release of The Letting Go, Oldham's twelfth LP. The album is more less lighthearted then Ease Down the Road but much brighter than I See a Darkness or even Master and Anyone. It's still his signature alt-country folk, but with the addition of steady female vocals by Faun Fables and massive string parts courtesy of producer and frequent Björk collaborator Valgeir Sigurðsson. Combined the two of them give the album a big boast, separating it dramatically from Oldham's recent albums, which were growing more and more simplistic in approach.48. Subtle: For Hero: For Fool
The terms "concept album" and "hip-hop" don't seem to go together very well. Subtle's second album is definitely a concept album, but is so much more than simple hip-hop. It's abstract hip-hop mixed with strong electronic elements, some indie rock, and plenty of experimentation. Adam Drucker's bizarre lyrics follow the footsteps of an unnamed hero as he goes on a journey, but overall the "concept" doesn't amount to much more than a theme tying the songs together. The album's lyrics as a whole aren't that great, but individually they are perfect, with a theme loosely tying things together for cohesion. Drucker (or Doseone, as he's known) shuns normal delivery techniques in favor of strange multi-syllabic slurs and speedy polyrhythmic raps. Everything about the album is abstract though, so it fits in nicely with jagged beats and lyrics like "Hence the intergalactic presses have been halted accordingly. Their consummate plug – been kicked from the outer-space walland then and only then does the nightclub's only spotlight get to st-st-stuttering".
47. Múm: Finally We Are No One
"Green Grass of Tunnel", the first real song on Múm's second album, begins with a little ambient twittering and some very light keyboard. I wouldn't say it was boring, just slightly tedious, but all of a sudden the song swells with beats and a breathtaking synth melody. You instantly forget the tedium and are drawn into the song, but the love affair isn't comsumated until you hear Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, aka Kría Brekkan's divine vocals. They really are something special, almost childlike in their wonderment but with all the strength and range of a trained woman. Like most of Múm's work, the electronica never sounds very electronic on this album, it all sounds very natural and organic, though most of it actually electric. This is a pretty mellow album, and not one you can listen to any time but if you're in the mood for it, it's perfect.46. Angels of Light & Akron/Family: Akron/Family & the Angels of Light
Though the tracklist says that there are seven Akron/Family tracks and five Angels of Light tracks on this album, the reality there are twelve collaborative tracks by the two bands together. Whether it be Michael Gira producing the Akron/Family tracks or Akron/Family acting as backing band for Gira on the Angels of Light tracks the two are in actuality one. The Akron/Family side of the album is the strongest, however, and it contains the best work the band has ever done, as well as one of the greatest songs ever recorded "Raising the Sparks", and that's no hyperbole! The first Family song is like an electric version of something of their self-titled debut, it's quiet and simple, much like that album but after that "Moment" completely destroys that with its insane guitar shredding and the album really flies from there with hardly any slowups. The Angels of Light half isn't as good, but is still pretty outstanding. Gira's lyrics are as bizarre as ever and his amazing voice carries the songs perfectly. Together the two artists create a diverse album that still sounds like it could have been recorded by just one artist. In fact, if you mix the tracklist up, it does.45. Boris: Pink
One of the tragedies of modern indie rock is the loss of the great guitar rock album. There just aren't very many great massive riffs and lightning quick shredding to be found anymore, everything these days is tamed and all about melody. Of the few great guitar rock albums being released in this century Boris' tenth full length album Pink is the best. There's all kinds of craziness going on here, and lead guitarist Wata does something for me that no one since Ira Kaplan in the mid-90s could do: be a guitarist that's just a plain old pleasure to listen to. Her fretwork is outstanding but it's really her riffs that get me. Thankfully Boris' guitar work is never cliched and the don't fall into the trap of extended guitar solos or wankery. Instead they create wholly original riffs and effects, mainly because of the clear hardcore punk influence. They also tap into drone ("Afterburner") and shoegaze ("Farewell") and tackle them with ease.44. Antony and the Johnsons: I Am a Bird Now
There are some singers that just take your breath away, singers that could sing a song about picking your nose and make you love it. Antony Hegarty is one of those singers, but thankfully his lyrics are almost as good as his voice, so we never have to put it to the test. I Am a Bird Now is an interesting album musically, it's a little bluesy, a little baroque, a little indie but it doesn't really fall into any of those categories too well. Piano is the main instrument, and guitar makes an appearance briefly, and so do things like strings and horns, but nothing really sticks except Hegarty's spectacular voice, which is the album's only constant. I'm not the only one thinks he's one of the best singers in all time, Björk's a big fan, and Hegarty's got enough pull in the music scene to get Rufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhart, Boy George, and the great Lou Reed to guest on the album. Quite a supporting cast.43. Calexico: Garden Ruin
I know Calexico purists will hate me for this, but Garden Ruin truly is the bands most complete, mature, and accomplished record. Feast of Wire is a great album that narrowly missed this list, but it just doesn't quite have what Garden Ruin has; namely, no weak tracks. Maybe that's because it's shorter, but there's something to be said for knowing when to cut material. Unlike past albums, this one lacks as much of an obvious mariachi influence and instead goes for a more pop structured approach to their borderland folk-rock. "Cruel" opens the album with a horn and guitar driven song loaded up with pop hooks while "All Systems Red" closes it with an epic guitar shrieking track, that stand up as one of the greatest album closers of all time. In between the band shows it's prowess in many styles and instruments, but the root of the band has always been Joey Burn on guitar and vocals and John Convertino on drums. Together they combined hooks and innovative rhythms for the rest of the band to fill in around.42. Annie: Anniemal
Anniemal is the best straight electropop album of the 21st century; "Chewing Gum" and "Heartbeat" are in the ranks of the best electropop songs of all time, and Annie is one of the best singers in pop music. Ok, with all my massive-crush-wankery out of the way, we can get down to bare bones. You just don't hear pop albums like this, at least not from a single individual. Occasionally electro duo will creep into pop territory and have a couple of pop hits, but never a full albums worth like you have here. Annie vocals could carry many a song, but with the amazing production and beats provided to her (and in some cases produced by her) she doesn't need to. Take the bouncy beats contrasted with the string plucking of "Always Too Late", there's hardly any beef to the beat, it's the strings that do all the work, yet it sounds nothing at all like a chamber-pop song. This kind of innovative thinking is one of the things, along with Annie's vocals, that puts the album so far ahead of the rest.41. Kraftwerk: Minimum-Maximum
Where does one begin when talking about Kraftwerk? If it wasn't for them, all the electronic music we enjoy these days would be entirely different. Their innovations and ideas provided the spark and the fuel for the the conflagration of electronica we enjoy today. Minimum-Maximum is a live album, but it's almost like a re-imagining of the best Kraftwerk songs in a different setting and with even more advanced technology. Each song is given it's own lush arrangement that sometimes stays with the original and sometimes doesn't, but no matter what they do or don't do to the songs they turn out perfectly. Whether they're creating pounding beats that sound like cars, computer, and trains or spacey synth suits, the quartet keeps everything in place and perfect in the mix. Even weak studio tracks like the Tour de France Etapes sound great here. This is just another sign, as if we needed one, that Kraftwerk are just as proficient as they were nearly forty years ago.
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