TOP 20 YEAR END LIST-O-RAMA!!!

The other day while showering (where I do my best thinking...) I had a novel idea: Since the end of 2008 is almost here, why not recap the year in music with a 'Best Of' list? Now, I'm pretty sure this is a %100 original WRR idea, but I think it's so good that you can probably expect to see other music sites quickly copying us (possibly even preemptively).

Our brand new staff of five engaged in an intricate voting process to bring you the TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2008. This list is purely objective, authoritative and definitive. Without further ado...

20. Thao and The Get Down, Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings and All
Debut album is full of whimsical songs that recall carefree summer days. A unique voice, plucky guitar playing and a romping band have a playfulness that make this album pure fun.

19. She & Him - Vol. 1
Adorable movie star and veteran rocker combine to make folksy/country/motowny throwback songs. Actress Zooey Deschanel runs the gamet from Patsy Cline to Diana Ross (and never sounds forced) while M. Ward provides just the right backdrop.

18. Deerhunter - Microcastle
If My Bloody Valentine attempted to cover Brian Wilson songs, it might sound like the first third of Deerhunter's unique new release. It navigates itself into an ambient hole, only to emerge on the other side with more energy and intensity than the band has ever displayed.

17. Estelle – Shine
British songstress delivered the summer hit 'American Boy,' but this album goes much deeper than that. She's not the new Lauryn Hill, but with lyrical skills and a voice to kill shes about as close as anybody can get.

16. Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree
Ephemeral and restrained songs replace the big sounds of their earlier releases. So warm and blissful it can't but help evoke a dazzling sunset over a golden field in the countryside. This album is a joy despite what some doosh bags may say.

15. Bloc Party – Intimacy
Post-punk Brit rockers are back, and this time they brought the horns. Intimate lyrics, indeed, along with pounding rhythms that will make you want to find your dancing shoes and hope that they fit.

14. The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
The Portland, Oregon duo are hard to genre-fy, but let’s just say they fit in the Northwest sound many of us have come to know and love. The lyrical flow and layers of driving drums, guitar strums and keys to please will leave your eyes wide and wandering.

13. Q-Tip - The Renaissance
As a genre, rap artists have the shortest shelf life, but this old school rapper delivers a breath of fresh air. The Abstract kicks it with fresh lyrics and soulful production to make this the years best hip-hop album.

12. Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster
Debut from these Welsh youngsters is filled with even more energy than the ! at the end of their name. Full of instrumentation, but led by jangly guitars and shared male/female vocals, these guys and gals have more hooks than Dustin Hoffman.

11. Black Keys - Attack and Release
Garage bluester/rockers head into the studio with Danger Mouse. A slight departure from their typical sound, but the lusty atmospherics here will make your mind drift away to some hot and humid place with Spanish moss dangling from trees.

10. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
British electro-pop outfit return with their third and most fun album to date. Full of bouncy bassy beats and quirky computer chirps, this album will have you ready for the floor from start to finish.

9. Sigur Rós - Me_ su_ í eyrum vi_ spilum endalaust
Songs with English? Radio play? Underproduced? Acoustic Guitars!?! Don't fret long-time fans. Stripped down production and accessibility didn't compromise the typical haunting beauty, or the transcendence of your favorite Icelandic mood setters.

8. David Byrne and Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Talking Heads head and ambient genius reunite after a 27 year hiatus. It’s not surprising this dynamic duo made such a great record, but it is a shock to hear such optimism out of these chronicled old grumps.

7. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Third album veers slightly towards the center with smoky grooves and catchy licks, but it's the emergence of Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe's vocals that will make this album a fixture well into 2009.

6. Fleet Foxes - self titled
These youthful folksters have been compared to the Beach Boys for their multi-layered harmonies, but Crosby, Stills & Nash with a touch of Devandra Banhart would be a more apt description. Either way, these songs fly epic over sonic forests and fields, moors and mountains.

5. Vampire Weekend - self titled
Similar to Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon two decades ago, this foursome melded catchy rock with just enough African rhythms and melodies to avoid the "world music" label. The big question is did they catch lightening in a bottle or are they here to stay?

4. Lykke Li - Youth Novels
Aided by Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn and John, Lykki Li delivers the pop gem of the year. This album will make you want to do everything from Dance, Dance, Dance to hold your teddy bear while rocking back and forth.

3. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Second album from the Australian foursome is full of steely, glittery dance music, but it's not as superficial as that sounds. There's a depth of song writing here that is immediately evident and hints at more good music to come. You'll want to save your best dance moves for these guys.

2. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
In case you hadn't heard, Justin Vernon (stage name Bon Iver) moved into a remote cabin in Wisconsin after breaking up with his band and girlfriend, where he spent three months recording this beautiful, haunting album. The music reflects that setting so strongly that you can almost see the stark winter landscape. Since there's inexplicably no video for this song, that's what I recommend you do right now.

1. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Two young kids mix your parents (if they were hippies) psych, folk and prog with dance grooves and synths to create infectious hipster anthems. Just because it was released 11.5 months ago and you've heard it 800 times shouldn't diminish its greatness. Give it a few more months rest-- but don't deny that Oracular Spectacular occupied a good part of your '08.

There you have it. Disagree? Feel your favorite got snubbed? Well there's no accounting for poor taste... Kidding! Feel free to leave your accolades, snubs or own list in the comments section.

Also, be on the lookout next week for our Top 54 Songs of 2008 with some freebies!

Happy Holidays,

The folks at Weekly Record Review
(Sean, Andrew, Sarah, Gaurav & Jason)

Blogisode 5: The Blog Strikes Back

So it's been a while since I've done some serious writing, but its been a busy summer. I've got some great albums to write about and a couple of shows. But first, in honor of this unseasonable August weather, which serves as an alarm clock to the rapidly approaching autumn, here are some choice summeryish cuts free to you! Coming in at just under 2 hours, it's an eclectic mix that should be good for your next bbq/pool party/tickle fest. I hope you enjoy. Click here (pt. 1) and here (pt. 2). Now, on to bidness.

I had back-to-back shows last week, seeing Arlington's own Thao Nguyen & The Get Down Stay Down at The Black Cat, then G. Love at Wolftrap. Thao wins the coin toss and elects to go first.

After the opening band, who were from Richmond and sounded way too much like Ryan Adams, Thao & TGDSD took the stage. I was immediately struck that they were only a three piece; the album has such a full yet airy sound, I wasn't sure just three of them could carry the whole load. Thao seemed happy to be back home in DC (I think her mom was standing next to me), but the rigors of touring were starting to wear her down, shown in the cup of hot tea she was drinking. But still, she stomped and jumped around and banged on the guitar, once even employing a toothbrush to do said banging. She could benefit from a larger line up, which would leave her free to engage the audience instead of pulling double duty as the back bone and face of the band, but that's not to say they didn't do an admirable job. What really came through in the show were Thao's infectious charm and passion, engaging banter and stage antics and a voice as unique in person as it is on her album.

The G. Love show at Wolftrap was interesting. I've been a big fan for years, and I've seen him at a private show up to large venues, and all in between. But this time G. Love made a major faux pas by scheduling a better opening band, in the form of the Jon Butler Trio. Maybe "better" isn't the right word; more dynamic or energetic perhaps. I've attempted to get into the JBT a few times, but was never really struck. I have to say that their set blew me away. An eight minute solo jam showcased Butler's guitar mastery and the band had an intensity that really came across in a place like Wolftrap. Apparently, a fair number people were there just to see them, as people started leaving afterwards. G. Love, whose originality is hard to match, just doesn't bring the same type of high energy so, in that way, his set was anticlimactic. The sound mixing didn't help his cause either. The only songs I didn't like were 'Won't Go Back To Jersey' from his last album, Lemonade, and 'City Livin' off his newest, which are kind of corny. Highlights include 'Gimme Some Lovin' seguing into the Beatles 'Why Don't We Do It in the Road', he and JBT covering Blackbird (which wasn't great, but still cool) and the show ending, bring out the opening acts, 5 people on percussion-jamboree cover of Sympathy for the Devil (Woo Woo!). Hopefully, the next time G. comes to town he plays the 9:30.

Now onto the reviews. To date, a lot of the albums that I've been into this year, and therefore reviewing, have been on the soft or lighter sides. Well, it's high time that I crank up the ass kickin' so here it is. But before I start, I'd like to give a shout out and thanks to my friend Jess at Sony Records who hooked me up with a stack of promo cd's, one of which is below. Does this make me legit?

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

I'm new to The Hold Steady, but apparently this is their fourth album. Where the hell have I been? Stay Positive is the most rock n' roll album since Kings of Leon's 2007 Because of the Times. From the charged power chords that open Stay Positive, you know you're in for straight forward, smart but simple, high energy rock. The album calms down in the right spots ('Lord, I'm Discouraged' and 'Both Crosses') Occasionally, Tad Kubler engages in guitar heroics and the strings, synths, harpsichord and horns that pepper the album add depth and interest.

Craig Finn’s poetic style could almost be a snarling Mark Knopfler reciting Bob Dylan. His earthy voice paints pictures of blue-collar America that come across as personal yet universal, likes he’s singing to everyone, no one and just you all at the same time. Also, he sings about drinking. A lot. Finn manages to tell captivating stories, but without disclosing everything that happened, as if he's thinking about these events to himself, not relating it in full to an audience. ‘Sequestered in Memphis’ is about a one-night stand with mysterious criminal endings and ‘One For the Cutters’ is another thriller where we have to fill in the pieces. There's so many lines that stand out on this album, but I'll just pick two: "In bar light she looked alright. In daylight she looked desperate," (Sequestered in Memphis) or “Me and my friends are like the drums on 'Lust for Life'” (Constructive Summer). Stay Positive is a blast of fresh air from the warm, stale frivolities that plague so much of today's indie music and is easily one of the best albums of the year.

Does it Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the name. It's kind of clunky and corny, and whatever happened to brevity? [Update: Apparently the name is a quote from the British version of The Office] What I am a fan of, though, is their music. It sort of sounds like Justice but with more of a live band feel. About two thirds of the songs prominently feature heavy and aggressive synths with the remaining focused on a more rock sound, some times more experimental and sometimes quite poppy. It's loud, it's in your face, and not always pleasant, but for art to reflect life it can't always be pleasant.

'Attack of the 60ft Lesbian Octopuss' sounds like the B-52's on speed. 'Dawn of the Dead' and 'Being Bad Feels Pretty Good,' are the most accessible songs combining elements of 80's post punk and new wave, which seems contradictory but isn't. DIOYY is opening up for Nine Inch Nails currently, which only gives partial idea as to what they sound like. FYI, they're having way too much fun to be caught up in Trent Reznor style self pity and loathing.

Albert Hammond, Jr. - Como Te Llama?

Back in ought-two, a fresh and raw band broke through with a collection of stripped down, garage rock songs that rocked the... um, rock world. Although they became the targets of derision flung from some critics for receiving too much credit for their revivalistic style, The Strokes were a needed change from much of the dead-but-still-whipped horse named "alternative rock." Well, The Strokes may have been a one trick pony, with two mediocre follow ups, but that hasn't stopped Albert Hammond, Jr., the band's rhythm guitarist, from releasing his second solo album.

The best songs on this album are 'GFC,' 'Rocket' and the lullabyish instrumental 'Spooky Couch.' You can certianly hear the Strokes sound on Hammond's offering, with the same double-time guitar riffs, metronome bass and drums, and washy vocals. AHJr's voice is adequate but its hard to replace Julian Casablancas. A quick look at the album cover, with it's mysterious cut out picture, seems to imply a questioning of The Strokes future. While he nor the Strokes may ever attain the level of Is This It?, Albert Hammond does offer a suitable, if not stellar, dose of that too cool for school New York rock sound.

No Bloooog this week

Due to an extremely hectic social schedule (and The Office marathon), there will be no blogging this week. Next week, I'll have G. Love and Thao shows to write about, as well as several kick ass albums.

Best of 2008 (First Half)

So this whole blog thing began when I sent out an email to some friends briefly reviewing what I thought were some of the best albums from the first half of '08. My friend Zach responded with "Blog it up, dude." So thanks go out to Zach for planting the seed of this blog in my mind, not to mention sharing music with me ever since middle school. If you're interested in hearing some of these songs, contact me and I'll see what I can do...

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings And All

Falls Church native Thao and her catchy (in name and sound) band have given us one of the finest albums this year. The banjo and guitar combine to give a folksy/bluesy sound, but Thao and the GDSD shouldn't be pigeonholed into those categories. The music and singing are often whimsical and upbeat, but lyrically, Thao evokes imagery ranging from youthful summer days spent outside to failed relationships. With the later, she creates a dichotomy between sound and message.

Listen To: Beat (Health, Life and Fire)

Jaymay - Autumn Fallin'

I had the pleasure of seeing the tremendously talented Jaymay recently as she toured in support of her debut album. She writes lyrics that let you into her world, which seemingly consists of New York, music and, most of all, her tender feelings. Forlorn and personal, she achieves a rarity in lyricism in that she manages to write such personal and specific lyrics, but in a way that broaches the gap to something that all people can relate to. The music is never dense, at most consisting of strings, piano and drums, acoustic guitar or a few random instruments, but usually less.

Listen To: Gray or Blue

Why? - Alopecia

This is probably not an easy album for most people to digest, but for those who can appreciate music on an intellectual level, this is an amazing album. The production is solid throughout, mixing elements of pop, hip hop (mostly in the drums), electro, indie rock and folk. Some of the songs approach the verge of epic. Frontman Yoni's (mostly) spoken lyrics, although weird, are vivid and full of abstract imagery. They're easy to imagine coming from a spoken word poetry session. But he really knows how to incorporate his voice into the songs.

Listen To: A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under

Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold

Nothing ground breaking for Atmosphere, but they make the list just on the strength of the album title. The production is diverse but, for the most part, strong. From the opener 'Like The Rest of Us' that's barely more than a piano, light snare beat and some background noises to the synth heaviness of 'Shoulda Know' and 'Can't Break,' beatmaker Ant provides some great sounds. Slug (worst rapper name ever?) touches on his typical themes of fame, drug use, and relationships with the same intellectualism and introspection that he has displayed on their previous releases.

Listen To: Puppets

The Magnetic Fields - Distortion

Add "...and Reverb" to this album title and it would tell you most of what you need to know... but not everything. It's hard to put this under anything other than the broad genre of 'indie rock,' a term that, unfortunately, seems to be more and more of a pejorative these days. The album has a totally cohesive sound, consisting of layered, dreamy distortion and the only major changes come in the forms of switches in tempo and singers. Distortion has received a lot of comparisions to The Jesus & Mary Chain's Psychocandy. Maybe not one of the years best, but its consistency and fun factor make it an honorable mention.

Listen to: Too Drunk To Dream

Neon Neon - Stainless Style

Made up of the lead singer from indie stalwarts Super Furry Animals and electro producer Boom Bip, these diverse forces combine to produce some of the best 80's revivalist music around. The wordless intro sounds like it was taken from the soundtrack of Tron. However, when the albums swings from dreamy pop/rock to a more modern electro-clash hip hop sound, it strays. This isn't an album you can throw on and play straight through, but when these guys find their stride the result is fun music.

Listen To: Raquel

The Roots - Rising Down

If The Roots have a new album out, you can bet they will make this list. With their 8 to 10th album (depending on how you count), the Legendary have been making albums for 15 years. Rising Down continues on the social themes of violence, inequity and politics that they explored on their previous release. While it does not make for the same music to chill to as some of their earlier releases, it's a breath of fresh air from most radio rap. But personally, I was hoping for a more dramatic change that would give us something more akin to 1999's 'Things Fall Apart.' The best explanation I've heard from the band on the negative themes explored is "We've been touring a lot and CNN is usually on in the hotel, so all the bad shit in the news found its way into our music." The lone standout from these types of songs is the closer to Rising Down....

Listen To: Rising Up (ft. DC native Wale and Chrisette Michelle)

Cut Copy - In Ghost Colors

On a casual listen, the electro pop of Cut Copy may sound like techno music, but a deeper listen reveals well crafted songs containing more than the basic elements of the dance genre. Although, like techno, the songs flow into each other, there is clearly a more traditional song writing process behind them. 'In Ghost Colors' gives a nod to 80's bands in the same vein as the Cure without overtly stealing their sound. The music is clearly at the forefront of most songs here, and the lyrics taking a back seat. My sole complaint is that Cut Copy seem to take it all a bit too serious, when the music completely lends itself to having fun.

Listen To: Out There On The Ice

Vampire Weekend - Self Titled

Hands down, one of the best albums so far. They've been compared to Paul Simon during his Graceland phase, Peter Gabriel (whom they name drop on one song) and even the latter day Talking heads, as they incorporate elements of African rhythm. It's never overdone though, and it makes for the perfect album to throw on during a summer day spent outside. They were the subject of minor interweb controversy, as some critics found their sound disingenuous and overpraised for a group of Columbia University students, but who gives a shit? The music speaks for itself, and it is undeniably good.

Listen To: Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Estelle – Shine

I'm not sure if the single 'American Boy' featuring Kanye has blown up yet, but it definitely has the potential to be ubiquitous this summer. It took a long time to just get past this song, but once I did, there was a whole album of songs just as good, if less dancy. Also featuring John Legend and Cee-lo (the singing half of Gnarls Barkley), Estelle really a great album here, combining elements of hip hop, r&b, pop and a few other spices. I'm sure she will face comparisons to Lauryn Hill, but she certainly stands out on her own here.

Listen To: Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)


Well thats all for now folkers, but hopefully I'll have lots more coming. The biggest challenge is finding the time to listen to all the wonderful (and crappy) music out there. But hey, better me than you, right? Happy long weekend!