I know, I know...I'm still sick of hearing the hits overplayed. On Every. Single. Station.
That being said, think back to when Discovery came out. One More Time was played over, and over...and over. Enough to be SO sick of it. But look in most people's record collections now. It's in there. Play it at any party, everyone will light up. I have a strong feeling the same thing will happen with R.A.M.
Overplays aside, this is just a great album. From the early teases of having Nile Rodgers on Get Lucky, to the eventual release of everything. R.A.M. is full of fun, disco tunes - but all with that Daft Punk feel. The robots really know how to draw on talented folk to big up a song. Pharell, Julian Casablancas, Panda Bear. No surprise either, if Daft Punk asked me for the sandwich I was eating, I would gladly fork it over.
The last album on this list is always just as difficult to decided on. Almost as much as figuring out the order of my top five. R.A.M. almost lost its spot to Austra's Olympia. An extremely enjoyable follow-up by the operatic group that always makes you dance. It actually came down to a final listen between the two, and in the end, as they often do, Daft Punk prevailed.
Top Tracks: Get Lucky, Instant Crush, Doin' It Right
9. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
The National have been on a roll for few albums now. Since Boxer began gaining momentum, they've really gone from being a well-kept secret, to international starts. After the huge success of High Violet, it would be so easy for them to sit back and coast, or even lay off for a while. Things are good at home, they have some neat side projects on the go, why keep it up? Probably because they love what they're doing.
At Bonnaroo this year, lead singer Matt Beringer did a Q&A before a screening of their doc "Mistaken for Strangers." Someone asked him if it was harder to write because things were so good. He shut down that notion by explaining how there's always something to draw on. That's why this record isn't a let-down. And, like others by the National, it has that tendency to grow on you over time. It also happens to have one of the best record covers of the year.
Top Tracks: Sea of Love, Don't Swallow the Cap
8. Phoenix - Bankrupt!
It's hard to believe it took this long for a new Phoenix record. It really shouldn't though, Wolfgang Amadeus was for many, the first appearance of the band. It's only because it was so good that you can forgive the Parisoners for milking it for so long. The other reason, is because Bankrupt! is a worthy follow-up.
Called by many a "natural-next-step" - Bankrupt! is a continuation from where they left off from Wolfgang Amadeus. The last four records by Phoenix really did shift in feel as they moved onto the next. This one really carries on with everything they were doing right. In a good way.
Infectious, dance-able, pop music is what Phoenix have made a name for themselves in performing. On this one however, you get a real sense that touring in Japan rubbed off on them. Where it could be a little hokey to have that eastern sound though, they again manage to pull it off.
Top Tracks: Trying to Be Cool, Chloroform
7. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
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Yeah, yeah...why isn't this number one? Whatever. It's a great record, but not the best of the year. Deal. Arcade Fire could have probably put out anything this year and gotten on someone's top ten. Luckily, they actually put the work into Reflektor.
James Murphy and Bowie's involvement always helps give it an extra push, but the talent of the band always shines through the most. I like that they decided to up the beat and let people dance around a bit. Ignore all the pomposity that they've been accused of lately and simply pop this record on. If you don't dance around or even nod your head, you have no soul.
Top Tracks: Reflektor, Porno
6. Still Corners - Strange Pleasures
This was my go-to day dreaming record of the year. With the absence of a good moody, synth-pop record to the tune of Purity Ring, Strange Pleasures filled a great void. I'll be brief with this record, simply because my mind is usually blank when it's on. I turn it on, gap out, and usually feel something around the general area of my heart.
Top Tracks: The Trip, Fireflies, Berlin Lovers
5. Deerhunter - Monomania
This is one of the most accessible Deerhunter albums in years, all while still keeping on with
Bradford Cox's bizarre, and genius mind. Case in point; the spine of the Monomania says "File under: Nocturnal Garage." What other band can get away with making up an obscure genre like that? And for their own band! The reason why Deerhunter gets away with it, is because it perfectly defines the sound of this record.
Monomania is rough, grungy, and moody. Even in its most chaotic moments, the band is as centred
as ever. Anchored by their strong bassist and drummer, who never let anything go off the rails.
Every track on Monomania gets better as the record progresses. It could have made "Nocturnal Garage" may be my new favourite type of music. At least when someone asks me what it is, I can smugly reply: "Deerhunter."
Top Tracks: The Missing, T.H.M
4. Arctic Monkeys - AM
If you were to tell me last year, that I would be listening to an Arctic Monkeys record on repeat, I would have laughed you out of the room. The band was always just so...juvenile, sophomoric, even predictable. I just didn't get what was the big deal. It didn't help that on their debut, people were heralding them as the next Beatles.
Finally, I think (some of) the praise is merited. Partly I think because the band finally grew up. Maybe it took some life experience, perhaps even a few shitty relationships. Maybe hanging out with Josh Homme has finally rubbed off on them. Or giving the band credit where it's due, maybe they just grew into themselves a lot more.
Whatever it is, they've created a hell of a record with lyrics you can actually relate to. I hope this reinvention is something they stick with. The fear I have is that praise they've received for straying from the original formula, will drive them back to it.
Top Tracks: Do I Wanna Know, I Wanna be Yours, Why'd you only call me when you get high?
3. Beach Fossils - Clash the Truth
The eight tracks on What a Pleasure was never enough. It hit all the buttons, made you dream, and think, and then it was gone. It was a record that made you miss it, while it was still playing. Luckily Clash the Truth sticks around for so much longer.
This was my go-to surf rock record of the year. While keeping the dreamy elements of their debut, this entry has a lot more energy and even more attitude. With a refrain on the title track where the band begins chanting "Dream, rebel, trust, youth, free, life, clash, truth" by the time they finish with "Charge, train, hate, proof, nothing real, nothing true" I already had an anthem for my summer.
Top Tracks: Taking Off, In Vertigo, Shallow
2. Grizzly Bear - Shields
Trying to top Veckatimest would be a pretty hard task. So Grizzly Bear went a step further than that. Shields is a near-perfect record, one which I found myself comparing to a Pink Floyd album quite a bit. Not because of siliarities in its sound, but because of its presence.
To start, this is a record that sounds very BIG. Multi-layered songs shift midway through, becoming something completely different, before tying it all together. Once again, they prove themselves to be quite the wordsmiths with lyrics full of imagery while remaining mysterious. One of my favourites of the year, is how they begin Speak in Rounds; "If I draw you upside down, I can't let go."
Shields is a record that pushes the listener to the point of almost being overwhelming, before it's gone. You're left almost exhausted by the end of it, but still yearning for more.
Top Tracks: Yet Again, Speak In Rounds, Sun In Your Eyes
1. Local Natives - Hummingbird
It's hardly irrational to cringe before a second album is released from a band riding high on success. Is this going to be the next step in an amazing career, or was the debut a fluke? In Local Natives' case, Gorilla Manor was no fluke. Within the first hum of a synth on Hummingbird, any fear of a let-down evaporates.
The magic of everything they did so well before with harmonies, is still there. Lyrics so vivid, drawn out in three, sometimes four parts at a time. "Stare down my nose, watching. Colour drained from my eyes" sounds almost haunting. And then there's the toms. So much TOMS!
If only more bands were as much of a sure thing as Local Natives. Record executives would sure breathe easier. And more importantly, fans wouldn't have to worry so much. But then again, that's part of the fun.
Top Tracks: You and I, Ceilings, Breakers, Black Balloons
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