I WILL finish this thing.
Again and always, sorry about updation gaps. Life happens.
Just a reminder, we are counting down my 33 favorite albums (including long EPs and Internet-only releases) of 2011, despite the fact that we are now 1/6th of the way through 2012.
Let's go ahead and crack that top 10.
10: Dark Times Tape by Dark Times
Dark Times Tape could very well have been recorded on tape. Like, scotch tape or electrical tape. But what this lacks in quality Dark Times more than makes up for in sheer earnestness. It would be so easy for a Scandinavian female-fronted goth-punk band like this to self-parody or mail in some sort of schtick or gimmick. Instead we get raw rock delivered without irony or pretension.
I strongly recommend checking out the 5-song "Tape," especially since you can do so for free. Thanks, Bandcamp!
9: Soita Mulle by Regina
There are only two things I can tell you about Finland with any certainty. 1) It's located up there by Norway and Sweden. 2) I don't understand their Finny language. I was very quick to dismiss Regina due to point number two, but I decided to give Soita Mulle a proper listen before disregarding them for good. And (obviously) I'm glad I did. The more I listened the more I liked. Sit back and enjoy the breathy lady vocals, the mellow 60's-ish twee, and if you can't understand the lyrics the songs can be about anything you want, right?
"Unessa"
"Jos et sä soita"
8: Father, Son, Holy Ghost by Girls
Father, Son, Holy Ghost is heavy, heavy, heavy. But it's a sneaky weight you only realize you're carrying after it's too late, after you're smashed into the mud. The first few songs are innocuous enough as Girls groove about casually, dropping hints of rockabilly and surf and other 1960s goodness. The song "Die" even has a good deal of rock 'n' roll swagger. But midway through the album you'll find yourself laden with the singer's emotional baggage. And then a sweet little tune called "Vomit" swings by like a slow-motion wrecking ball and devastates your day. This is what happens when you use Biblical themes as metaphors for the complicated relationships between you, your ex-girlfriends, and your mother.
"Die"
7: Past Life Martyred Saints by EMA
Whatever expectations you had about this album based solely on promo photos and what you know about singer-songwriter chicks are wrong like a gunshot wound to the face is wrong. EMA (moniker of Erika M. Anderson) is gritty and noisy and raw and upset. Lyrically she toes the angst line, but the music itself compliments and accentuates the self-destruction. It's all very nice.
The music video for "Milkman," by the way, is a hypnotizing Geocities nightmare.
6: Marissa Nadler by Marissa Nadler
I always forget Nadler is American, a New Englander in fact. Her voice and music house that bittersweet cold warmth the Scandinavian Indie-Folk folks have pegged so well. And while I have a whole slew of songs recommended for the wee hours of the night, Nadler is one of the few who could provide the soft soundtrack to those headache-addled sun-risen mornings better spent dead. Additionally, this self-titled album is recommended for those who still jam to Mazzy Star or, more generally, to those whose soul needs a time-out.
Thanks to her Bandcamp site, you can stream the entire album.
