Ok...next 5
20. Chairlift – Something
There are not many bands out there these days that are willing (or able) to clearly grow from one album to the next. Chairlift has done exactly that. They have gone from the 80’s reverence of their debut Does You Inspire You to full on mastery of everything the 80’s did right on Something. While some could argue that such emulation signifies a lack of creativity, when it is done with such purpose and creativity it’s clear that this is simply the music they want to create. My ears find nothing wrong with that. From the full on new wave pop on “I Belong in Your Arms” and “Ghost Tonight” to the very convincing Cocteau Twins inspired “Turning”, this is a very entertaining album.
19. Com Truise – In Decay
After his debut EP Cyanide Sisters, I lost track of Com Truise. That’s a shame because that EP was really good. In Decay is my reintroduction. While electronic music has saturated the market for a while now, there are still a few breaths of fresh air. Com Truise is one of the breaths. Combining Boards of Canada atmospherics with a more danceable approach, this album will hold me over until the new BoC album comes out (if it ever does). Is it bad to say I like Com Truise because there isn’t a new BoC album out? Maybe…but this album is still very enjoyable nonetheless. Turns out this is an odds and sods collection, and its still way better than their previous full length Galactic Melt.
18. Jack White – Blunderbuss
As much as I'm sure Jack White wants to carve out a new image separate from the White Stripes, he'll never really get away from that music. So I'll go ahead and say this…Blunderbuss is what the follow-up to Elephant should have been. While I respected Jack White's attempt at progression and Get Behind Me Satan had its interesting moments, it wasn't interesting enough to keep me hooked. I almost completely lost interest after Icky Thump and his other bands never really did much for me. I listened to this because I was bored one day and was pleasantly surprised. Everything Jack White does best is on here…heavy rockers like “Sixteen Saltines” and “Freedom At 21” hold up with the best of his past work. Slower acoustic numbers like “Blunderbuss” mesh nicely with the faster numbers. It’s hard not to enjoy this album.
17. THEESatisfaction – awE natural
Something I’ve been really interested in recently are the few artists out there proudly holding down the R&B fort. The genre has so much room for innovation, but the lack of interest in it has created a very stagnant genre. Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, and a few others come to mind…but it was THEESatisfaction that most impressed me this year. While the artists I just mentioned have expanded the genre, they still sound like a nostalgia act. THEESatisfaction have transcended that and brought R&B squarely into the 21st century. The songs are generally short, much like the attention spans of most listeners these days but they are somehow fully realized. Now that takes skill. Just try not to enjoy “Existinct”.
16. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
As much as I love a smooth rap album (just give me some Tribe and I’m a happy guy), sometimes I like it to be really ghetto. Killer Mike provides that fix and then some. It’s not just aggressive, but really catchy and memorable. There aren’t many instances where I’m inspired to memorize the lyrics to a particular song, but there are few occasions here where I really want to rap along to it and pump my fist. Just try “Go!”. I’ve also noticed a lot of rappers these days going into stuff about Reagan…why is he so popular to talk about now? “Reagan” is the one low-point of the album (but it is still mildly entertaining to hear Reagan being compared to the devil). Aside from that misstep, this is a really great album.