So it turns out I like duos. Four of these next five groups are duos. There is less interference with duos. You get something close to the singular artistic vision with twice the musical talent. Also there is something nice about the idea of hanging out with your bud and creating something awesome.
I also like how diverse these next five musicians are. All over the map. Different attitudes. Different intents. Different sounds. All of them good in their own special (and sometimes disturbed) way.
Hey, a top ten is on the brink. And it's only March of the following year!
15) Cat Power - Sun
I don't know where Sun fits on Chan Marshall's career arc. Before this album her sound had evolved from moody alternative girl folk rock whateverness to bluesy loungy mellow goodness. And now we have this. Sun is still mellow, less croony, and bits of her old alternative rock self poke through. It would almost seem more of a musical regression rather than evolution, but she has delivered these new tunes upon a soft inviting bed of electronics. It is understated -- this isn't an electro album by any means -- but it adds a whole new dimension to Cat Power.
14) Crystal Castles - III
You basically know what you're going to get with Crystal Castles. It will be shrill and glitchy, a pulsating wall of calculated chaos. Each of their full-length albums have been better than the one before, not so much by leaps and bounds, but in the subtle way a craftsman steadily improves their craft. Through the screeching you can hear the growing maturity of their sound. Their songs are sounding less like hiccups and more like conversations. Granted, those conversations are taking place inside of a shattered disco ball asylum, but on III the connections between artist and listener are more realized than ever.
13) Beach House - Bloom
Like Crystal Castles, Beach House is a one-guy/one-girl duo. Like Crystal Castles, Beach House has steadily matured with each album while maintaining musical consistency. Unlike Crystal Castles, everything else. Beach House's music is so blissful and ethereal, every song is like a dream. With Bloom the dreams are more focused and clear, though no less beautiful. Rather than haunting us like in albums past, these songs take us by the hand and lead us to... I don't know, some place bright and far and catchy.
12) Exitmusic - Passage
As far as debut albums go this is tremendous. These songs soar and dip and leave you trembling. Another guy/girl duo (I love guy/girl duos), you might actually recognize Aleska Palladino from all those TV and movie appearances she's made. But here, teamed up with her husband and music buddy Devon Church to create music straight out of the exploding heavens, she is 100% brilliant songstress.
11) Xiu Xiu - Always
Jaime Stewart's music has always been visceral and personal, raw and sans filter. Listening to Xiu Xiu is like taking your personal demons on a carousel ride. These songs can be difficult, they can be unnerving, but there isn't anything else like it. Through the frantic vocals and unpredictable turns of music Stewart lays himself open and lets you inside his manic head. He's been doing this for years and Always shows just how good he's gotten at showcasing himself as the guy you're too afraid to befriend, too afraid because of what he will inevitably show you about yourself.
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