Top Albums #5 - Black Lips - Arabia Mountain

There are just some albums that make you feel cool while listening to them. The best way I can describe it, is by telling you about something I like to call “Airport Songs.” An Airport Song is basically your soundtrack while walking through the terminal. 

I came up with the expression after watching the movie Blow where Johnny Depp struts through an airport while Ram Jam’s “Black Betty” blares in the background. 

Ever since I first saw that movies, I have a habit of finding a great song to listen to while I make my way to my luggage. Arabia Mountain is an entire record of Airport Songs.

It sounds a hell of a lot like the Ramones, the Kinks, Sex Pistols, and at times a few hints of the Stones. Not in the kind of way where someone can accuse them of ripping off those bands. No, this is more of a love letter to dirty rock and roll – just the way it was supposed to sound. 

This record is also special to me because it was the final album I bought from my favourite store Criminal Records before it closed. I remember that hot afternoon in Toronto like it was yesterday. I walked in, looked around, and then asked what they were listening to lately. Arabia Mountain was the record that he put on. 

I’ve been blasting it ever since then.

Favourite Tracks: Raw Meat http://tinyurl.com/c5zurxs , Family Tree http://tinyurl.com/3crmkfq , Modern Art http://tinyurl.com/bwn65xb , Dumpster Dive http://tinyurl.com/cx46ekw

Top Albums #6 - Atlas Sound - Parallax

I don’t think anyone can debate the fact that Bradford Cox knows how to make amazing music. But on previous solo endeavors the music inside his head hasn’t translated as well to paper. In no way was it ever bad, it just didn’t feel as natural as his previous work.

Parallax doesn’t have that problem at all. 

It actually feels a lot more like Cox had the time to iron out the kinks. When you hear early releases of some songs on this album, they’re great. But when they appear on this record they feel more than just an idea.

In many ways this record actually feels a bit like a continuation from Deerhunter’s superb Halcyon Digest. The most noticeable difference is the tone between each album. This one seems a lot brighter than Cox’s last outing. That isn’t to say it’s light though – it just seems a little more out of the shadows.   

Favourite Tracks: Praying Man http://tinyurl.com/ceyee2v , Mona Lisa http://tinyurl.com/csevqre , Parallax http://tinyurl.com/caa5bjl

Top Albums #7 - Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin' On

There's one thing Timber Timbre knows how to do better than anyone else; create a sense of atmosphere. Each one of his albums seems improve that moody feeling better than the last. Even the title of this record ominously foreshadows what's to come.

Mysterious piano trills or gongs at the right moment really add to the spooky feeling. On others, guest Colin Stetson really punches up songs with the help of his baritone sax.   


This is a blues album that really enhances a chilly, grey day. If you wake up and can see the clouds rolling in, then it's best to throw this album on before you turn on the heat. It will help warm you up.

Even though there's a feeling that something could sneak up behind you at any moment, Taylor Kirk's vocals are still relaxing. Its deep drawl is perfect to sway and drift off with while gazing out at a cold drizzle.

While it has a very calm feeling, this album is anything but lethargic. Just when you think the record is going to come screeching to a halt - there are some very eerie transitions that completely change the tempo.

As far as a blues album goes, this is was the year's best. 

Favourite Tracks: Black Water http://tinyurl.com/3bak6pr , Bad Ritual, Woman http://tinyurl.com/5vborez , Too Old to Die Young http://tinyurl.com/7o6lb4v .

Top Albums #8 - Austra - Feel It Break



I’ll admit that when people are flocking in droves to a band that “you simply MUST listen to” I get a little put off. The initial buzz around Feel It Break had me curious about what Austra was all about. I really enjoyed their first couple of singles, but after being bombarded with so many critics telling me I absolutely HAD to love this album - I didn't want to bother anymore. 

After a while though, I found myself drawn to Austra once more. It was their live performances that really did it for me. As a band, they really know how to work a crowd. Going back and listening to the record, it's clear that all the credit they were getting was well deserved.  

What stands out the most is the vocals. Katie Stelmanis' power behind the mic offers each song a strength that make the subject matter relevant. I hope I'm not the only one that is reminded of Stevie Nicks on some of the more potent blasts. They both have that ability to fill a room with song, while at the same time hinting at some sort of inner vulnerability.

The balance of light and shade on Feel It Break also stands out. It really is a cool feeling when it sounds like a band is taking you some place bright and uplifting, when in reality it's actually quite dark. The electronic beats and airy back-up vocals really lend a hand to that illusion.  

Favourite Tracks: Darken Her Horse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScooPAeTtFU , Beat and the Pulse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emHAfLWqbnA , Spellwork, The Villain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgkeUDSDyI0





Top Albums #9 - The Strokes - Angles

When you take a five year break between records, you should know the expectations are going to be high. I’m sure the Strokes had a pretty good idea what was waiting for them when they finally released Angles. 

Stylistically this record seems to fit somewhere in between Room on Fire and First Impressions of Earth. It’s because they didn’t quite get back to their original, stripped-down sound that I think a lot of reviewers wrote off this album. NME actually called it one of the biggest let-downs of the year. I wonder if they actually listened to it more than once.

Angles has everything any other Strokes record has; rhythmic guitars, catchy lyrics, and a strangely familiar feel. Plus it has that ability to grow on you with every listen. But like the others, it also has a different attitude that sets it apart from the rest. 

I’ll admit that I may have been a little too eager to listen to this album. A co-worker and I actually watched a clock countdown the hours (and then minutes) before we could listen to Under Cover of Darkness this spring. Does that make me a little biased? Maybe. Even a little deranged? Perhaps. One thing’s for sure, had I not been working at a rock station – I would've been fired.

I just hope that this isn't the last record from the Strokes. And if it isn't, that we don't have to wait another five years for the next one.

Favourite Tracks: Machu Picchu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i8xhDleJ14 , Under Cover of Darkness, Taken for a Fool, Gratisfaction, Games, Life is Simple in the Moonlight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-m8I6di6R8&feature=related

Top Albums #10 - Tune-Yards - WhoKill

Right from the get-go, Merrill Garbus proves to you there really isn’t anything else out there quite like Tune-Yards. 

One of the year’s strongest albums, WhoKill is also one of the most difficult to describe. It’s melodic, tribal, mysterious, and chaotic. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on a song, it changes. On other songs you’re often taken to up to a thunderous crescendo just as the floor drops out from below you. While it's like a leopard constantly changing its spots, there's no denying the pleasure you get from how creative this record is.

Then there’s Merrill’s voice. In a year of seemingly endless droning on about Adele’s pipes, I actually found myself far more impressed with what I heard on this record.  

The first time I ever heard of Tune-Yards was when Merrill opened up for Think About Life in Toronto (at of all places a Polish Legion Hall). It only took one gig to hook me. Definitely unlike anything I had ever heard, never mind seen before. A woman wearing neon zinc like war paint, creating loops with a ukulele is just something you don’t see on stage all the time. 

It doesn’t seem quite so out of the ordinary anymore.

Favourite Tracks: My Country, Gangsta, es-so, Bizness

Long Overdue

Simply put, I’ve been gone far too long.

I originally started this blog for two reasons; to keep my mind sharp in between writing gigs, and to write about something I enjoy. The explanation for my absence is really as simply as this: I got a job that pays me to write for a living (which means I do less of it for pleasure) and that job was far-removed from a music hub like Toronto.

Needless to say if I had any fans on here before, I’ve clearly lost them. But at the same time, I still want to do my top ten albums of the year. No matter where you live, music is always available to everyone.

So without further ado…the Top Ten of the year.