AWmusic

Numbers 1 through 25:
#1 Ready For The Floor by Hot Chip (myspace/video)
Best dance song of the year? Best song too.
#2 Crimewave – Crystal Castles vs Health (Crystal Castles’ myspace/Health’s Myspace/video)
This version is miles better then the original.
#3 Little Bit by Lykke Li (myspace/live)
I’m not only a little bit in love with this.
#4 L.E.S. Artists by Santogold (myspace/video)
Santogold’s least creative but most accessible track.
#5 Hearts On Fire by Cut Copy (myspace/video)
Cut Copy has a ton of great tracks.
#6 Head Rolls Off by Frightened Rabbit (myspace/video)
“Jesus is just a Spanish boy’s name”
#7 White Winter Hymnal by The Fleet Foxes (myspace/video)
#26 on my top songs of 2007 list.
#8 M79 by Vampire Weekend(myspace/live)
The better of the two new songs.
#9 Graveyard Girl by M83 (myspace/video)
Without the poem, this could very well be #1.
#10 Unforgettable Season by Cut Copy (live)
Not the most danceable but my favorite.
#11 You Me Dancing by Los Campesinos! (myspace/video -ep version)
It takes long to get started but worth the wait.
#12 Magic Spells by Crystal Castles
This song is their most artistic/creative venture.
#13 Kim & Jessie by M83 (video)
Another great track off Saturdays=Youth.
#14 Skeng by The Bug ft. Killa P and Flowdan(myspace/video)
Best track off the amazing London Zoo.
#15 Machine Gun by Portishead (homepage/video)
Even if the song is simple, Beth Gibbons does wonders.
#16 Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend (video)
Number 4 of my 2007 list.
#17 These Few Presidents by Why? (myspace/live)
“Even if I haven’t seen you in years, yours is a funeral I’d fly to from anywhere” – had to break my rule for that line.
#18 Time To Pretend by MGMT (myspace/video)
It’ll be ironic if they have a coke habit.
#19 Kids by MGMT (video)
They do know how to make a decent pop song.
#20 The Twist by Frightened Rabbit (live)
Emotions of a simple dance, captured perfectly.
#21 Everyone I Know Is Listening To Crunk by Lightspeed Champion (myspace/live)
Everybody I know IS listening to crunk.
#22 Teenagers by Department of Eagles (myspace)
My favorite song off In Ear Park.
#23 Furr by Blitzen Trapper (myspace/live)
One of the better folk songs of the year.
#24 Lost Coastlines by Okkervil River (myspace/video)
Jonathan Meiburg vocals puts on the perfect touch.
#25 Street Flash by Animal Collective (myspace)
Anyone excited for Merriweather Post Pavilion? (We’ve heard the leaks)

#9 Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line
Original Rating: 5 out of 5
This album is a tribute to drummer John Pike who died tragically and has left his mark all over this album having helped pen songs (perhaps even hautingly) like Dying Is Fine and Ghost Under Rocks. While Ra Ra Riot takes a much different approach to death, unlike Arcade Fire whom is all about being gloomy and sad, Ra Ra Riot celebrates the life of John Pike. This may bother people but even without looking at this album on a emotional album, it’s still one of the better musical albums. Everything is classically influenced and Ra Ra Riot is able to pull off the big band aspect to perfection. I have no qualms about giving this album a perfect score because in some aspects from top to bottom it’s a great album. I guess it’s not higher on this list because it’s not too far of what’s already been done and it’s a tad little bit repetitive.
Too Too Too Fast by Ra Ra Riot
Dying Is Fine by Ra Ra Riot
#8 Los Campesinos! Hold On Now, Younster…
Original Rating: 5 out of 5 Another top 10 spot to a big band, I feel as if I like too many of these big bands, however nobody quite does it like Los Campesinos! While Gareth has unique but rough vocals that many point to being annoying, Aleks balances it perfectly with her soothing female touch. The best part of this record is the song writing but it doesn’t hurt to have a wide variety of instruments being used such as the violin,glockenspiel and a variety of others on this septet. I think why I and others rate this album so highly is the uniqueness, no band is like Los Campesinos! They can make a record fun, thought provoking, while capping it off with great music. I understand that this album is a bit hit or miss though so not everyone is going to like it.
You! Me! Dancing! by Los Campesinos!
My Year In Lists by Los Campesinos!

#7 Why? – Alopecia
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Alopecia, the condition in where you are bald, in some cases without hair all over your body. In that sense being without hair is like being bare, and Yoni Wolf bares all on Alopecia. I actually had a problem listening to this album when writing this review. I found myself feeling depressed and that’s arguably what makes this album great. It passes on that emotion with ease and is my Rap album of the year (although I only check out a few records). Why? has moved onto more of a full band ensemble but at its core it’s a rap album with instrumental sections. No fancy beats or anything of that sort, just a high level of rap from start to finish and you’ll rarely find a rap record that is abstract and wide open as this. Yoni Wolf’s writing is downright brilliant and some of these songs are greater then words I could ever come up with. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the record check out these tracks:
Fatalist Palmistry by Why?
These Few Presidents by Why?
#6 Vampire Weekend – Self Titled
Original Rating: 5 out of 5
2008 was a crappy year in general but not for Vampire Weekend. They’ve gone from blogger favorites to superstars. I remember listening to their Blue CD-R and thinking what a great band they were where the production values were absolutely flawless. With success comes criticism though and while I find their success may far exceed expectations, overrated is not a term I use to describe this album. Yes, somewhat African influenced, it doesn’t overdo and VW stays within what makes a great pop song while including classical influences where Rostam Batmanglij’s work is by far the most significant. Anyway while the actual official album was mercifully released with just two new tracks (albeit great ones) after almost a full year with the CD-R, it was still an album that went through extended longevity and that’s ultimately why I chose to give it a high score. It’s basically a pop album that has paved the way (or has other bands mirroring) for bands to use more African influenced music. It’s still a great pop album and Vampire Weekend themselves has showed that this album is no fluke. If you’ve heard their covers and some new tracks (like Ottoman) you’ll find that they maintain the high level that got them to the top while expanding their sound. (You can’t say that for a band like MGMT who just has people remixing their stuff).
M79 by Vampire Weekend
Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend

#5 Fleet Foxes – Self Titled
Rating: 5 out of 5
I like to pat myself on the back as one of the first blogs to discover the Fleet Foxes outside of the Seattle area, who can honestly say they had White Winter Hymnal in their 2007 top songs list? Too bad it doesn’t mean anything when you have no readers. But I digress. The Fleet Foxes do have an folk/Americana style but their emphasis is on their tight vocals from all members. While at first I felt the #5 ranking was too high, going back to this album makes its undeniably difficult to do so. While this album is necessarily an album that fits together but song by song, each track seems to have countless effort in crafting the absolutely perfect vocals on each track.
White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes
Ragged Wood by Fleet Foxes

#4 The Bug – London Zoo
Rating: 5 out of 5
I was really happy to pick up this record by producer Kevin Martin. It completely goes outside of the music I normally like even though this album is more or less genre-defying. It’s an electronic album using influences from dubstep and and a large group Reggae and Grime vocalists. It’s hard to find weaknesses in this album as Kevin Martin’s beats are as daring and bring to light to the angst and anger without shoving it done your throat. A track like Jah War uses trip hop elements and reminds me a lot of the Machine Gun intro but of course being more significant in a track that clearly expresses the artist’s point of view on war. This has to be a lock for the Mercrury prize or at least it better me.
Jah War featuring Flow Dan by The Bug
Skeng featuring Killa P and Flowdan by The Bug
#3 M83 – Saturdays=Youth
Original Rating: 5 out of 5
The album starts slowly with You, Appearing but picks up with Kim & Jessie and doesn’t turn its back. It’s a dream pop album by nature using a variety of electronic elements that make you wish you were young again. It gives off a cool 80s feel without being overly cheesy (arguable on Graveyard Girl when the poem hits). However there are no mistakes or misses on this album, where can I ultimately fault it? It has some of the best songs of the year but the more I look into it, might as well just include the whole album (each song has an argument). Another level where this album works that many do not, it’s actually themed toward about being youthful, while that can be slightly annoying for some, it works with the song writing and actually feels like an album, a collection songs put together like a story and ultimately feeling like they belong together.
Highway of Endless Dreams by M83
Graveyard Girl by M83

#2 Deerhunter – Microcastle
Rating: None, reviewed by Christian.
I was forced by writers to check this album out. I’ve always know how talented Bradford Cox was by the few tracks I did check out but I guess I should’ve taken it a bit more seriously. It’s a bit tough as I’m still familiarizing myself with this album but I definitely agree that it should be held up with high regard. The album starts with with Cover Me (Slowly) an instrumental and works itself in a simplistic track Agoraphobia. This album actually progresses with each song, slowly building up toward a climax. Some of these tracks are straight up pop songs but while it is actually simplistic, it just doesn’t feel that way when Lockett Pundt, is repeating “Come for me, comfort for me”. Their experimenting is obvious but subtle at the same time. This album is flawless and while calling an album a pop record may be taboo, it’s more or less brilliant pop. It shifts a little bit toward the end being less pop and more experimental. It does this at a perfect pace, not in a rush just to shift gears to a new style and sticking within it’s own sound.
Agoraphobia by Deerhunter
Never Stops by Deerhunter

And FINALLY….

#1 Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
Original Rating: 5 out of 5
I don’t know how serious I was when I said that Frightened Rabbit’s Midnight Organ Fight might be on the best albums of the year. Little did I know, many other people were thinking that too but it has been by far the most listened record of the year for me and that alone merits putting it in the first spot. Being a folk rock album, the key is the songwriting and Scott Hutchinson discusses things such as the absurdity in religion, sex for pleasure, death being overrated and loneliness. A lot of detractors say that it’s typical sad sappy indie rock boy banter but I don’t think it’s fair to dismiss this album as just that. In a way while at times where Hutchinson seems lonely and depressed, he surprises you a track with Head Rolls Off, shrugging off his death as no big deal in some sort of hopeful manner. At times he’s more angry like in Keep Yourself Warm, criticizing those who have one night stands while other times he’s just showing how vulnerable he is like on The Twist or admitting weakness like in The Modern Leper. It’s basically a complete album on human nature and encompasses all the feelings one can honestly have. It’s not one particular emotion but all of them battling each other (hence the midnight organ fight) once, where no particular thought prevails but it’s a mind where each thought is muddled with the other. Sometimes cute, sometimes just being fed up, it’s ultimately an album that will be a favorite of mine for years to come.
Head Rolls Off by Frightened Rabbit
The Twist by Frightened Rabbit

November 5

Polysics
Horseshoe/ 19+ / $11.50

The Japanese are famous for a few things: anime, technology, weird porn, and noise. Polysics was formed after a high school student decided to divert his interests from soccer to Devo. I think Polysics is a little more accessible than some of the other Japanoise bands out there. For the price of a movie ticket, you can’t lose – go go go!

November 7

Glass Candy
Wrongbar/ 19+ / $15.00

I’ve got to give a shoutout to shermstixx for introducing me to Glass Candy waaaay before they became as popular as they are now. Glass Candy as the innocence of Freezepop, Ladytron’s ubiquity, and the classiness of Nico. They also remind me of Fan Death (or vice versa). If you’re into electropop/nu rave/dance punk, this is a show you can’t miss.

Glass Candy – Candy Castle

In Flames
Sound Academy/ All Ages / $35.00

My days of thoroughly enjoying death metal are long behind me but for those of you still fightin’ the man (or whatever), I recommend checking this out. A Sense of Purpose received mixed reviews but with In Flames’ everchanging sound, that was to be expected.

In Flames – Eraser
In Flames – Abnegation

November 12

Girl Talk
Kool Haus/ 19+ / $21.50

I was decidedly a Girl Talk hater until Feed the Animals came out. Who but Girl Talk can put the Carpenters and Nine Inch Nails and Janet Jackson and Metallica on one track and make it seem it so natural? I have class that night so please, go to the show so I can live vicariously through you.

Girl Talk – No Pause
Girl Talk – Hands in the Air

November 13

Boris
Lee’s/ 19+ / $15.00

And they’re back! I went to the show in July on a whim and wow, let me tell you, Boris does not fuck around (pardon my French). You are guaranteed a rockin’ good time. But, word to the wise: if you feel like you can’t breathe and start seeing purple spots, go outside for some fresh air and water because you WILL pass out – Lee’s Palace is not that big.

Eagles of Death Metal
Mod Club/ 19+ / $24.00

I think Rolling Stone had it right with this comment: “There are more important rock groups than Eagles of Death Metal, but are any of them this much fun?” The answer is, of course, no. Heart On is a decent album, not as good Death by Sexy but still worth your $12.

Eagles of Death Metal – Cheap Thrills

Iron and Wine
Phoenix/ 19+ / $25.00

Your favourite indie folk star will soon be in town to wow you with his critically acclaimed 2007 album The Shepherd’s Dog. I’m actually not a fan of folk music at all so that’s all I have to say about that.

Iron and Wine – Flightless Bird, American Mouth

Jack’s Mannequin
Opera House/ All Ages / $25.00

Jack’s Mannequin is touring in support of their recently released album The Glass Passenger which I thought successfully dodged the “sophomore slump” threat. Read a full review here.

Jack’s Mannequin – The Resolution

November 20

M83
Opera House/ 19+ / $15.00

In 2005, after electronic French duos became too trendy and mainstream, Nicolas Fromageau decided to leave M83, leaving Anthony Gonzalez as the sole member. No, I’m just kidding, that probably wasn’t the reason. Saturdays=Youth contains some of their (his?) best songs to date so buy your tickets for this show, it will probably sell out.

M83 – Graveyard Girl

November 27, 28

Broken Social Scene
Sound Academy/ All Ages / $25.00

I love BSS because whenever a Montrealer brags about all the awesome bands that are based in Montreal, I can bring up Broken Social Scene to still ultimately lose the argument but it’s still a pretty strong point.

The Pineapple Express soundtrack which can be found here, I found sort of disappointing. For one the trailer which featured MIA’s Paper Planes is seemingly left off from the soundtrack and is no where to be found in the movie. Generally the use of the songs from the movie are background fodder. It also doesn’t help that I know very few of the tracks myself and a lot of them seem to be for the older crowd as well.

Here’s my own playlist for the movie instead:

Paper Planes by MIA
How I Became Paranoid by CSS
Stress by Justice
Freak Out by Liars
Midnight Runner by Cut Copy
D is for Dangerous by The Arctic Monkeys
Start A War by The National
The Green King Sings by Blitzen Trapper
My Girl Is Calling Me (A Liar) by Chromeo
Highway of Endless Dreams by M83

As for the movie, it was funny but it definitely wasn’t on the same level of funniness as the other films we’ve been accustomed to. I would say not to have your expectations too high because you are probably bound to be disappointed. It’s a solid film that doesn’t get too ridiculous with the marijuana jokes. It plays a factor in the movie but the action is actually pretty solid and most of the time it’s funny. Some things are a little bit over the top and recounting of events is a bit unnecessary and seems like filler script at best.

An alright summer movie to enjoy with some friends. Potentially better to go under of influence of some “help”. 3.5 out of 5.

It was released on April 15th, so I’m very late on this album but late is better then never right? In this case M83 I probably missed one of the best albums of the year.

M83 have released albums before…I don’t have any history with their other albums like with most artists but I don’t find it necessary for me to look back as what they’ve/he’s done with this album is downright remarkable.

M83’s genre is boundless, it’s more of the shoegaze/ambient/dream pop/post-rock type (stretching it a bit) but that’s exactly what makes it so great.

The album starts slow with You, Appearing and just a simple piano intro that is looped a bit. It’s looped for about a minute before adding upon it with background elements and comes in with very high falsetto vocals that I mistook as a female’s voice. It’s still a lovely voice. I was at first critical of the album but it’s really just a table setter to slowly drift you away to the rest of the album.

The next song, Kim & Jessie feels like an intro to an 80s film. This is a wonderful dream pop song, with the lyrics fitting smoothly with the feel on the album. “Kim and Jessie they have a secret world in the twilight”. It literally makes me feel young and miss my youth.

Skin of the Night is a long track at 6 minutes and it’s a lot to digest with subtle guitar playing masked under the synth toms. I also love the progression, every M83 seems to build upon itself. There’s always something different in the next 30 seconds and you never quite know what to expect but I end up loving every second.

Graveyard Girl is my favorite song off the album. Partly because it’s easily the poppiest song on the album. I love my pop and if anything I remain consistent on that front when I review records. This song is a bit schizophrenic going back and forth between silent and pop.

My next favorite track is We Own The Sky (arguable, it might be my favorite). It also has that pop element to it that puts it over the top to me.

I don’t want to take away anything from the other tracks on this album because a lot of them are great in their own right. I just tend to like things more then others but lyrically and musically this album takes the cake.

An awesome album, whether or not you are into ambient/dream pop music, I’d have to recommend this one.

Rating: 5 out of 5
An album that works thematically and is just brilliant from all aspects.

We Own The Sky by M83

Graveyard Girl by M83

Kim & Jessie by M83

Buy this album from: Insound/CD Universe/Amazon