The 10 Best Non Hip-Hop Albums of the Half Year
Image Via Natalie Dee
In case, you were wondering, I do have a pair of boombox pants and yes, they’re quite comfortable.
10. King Khan & The Shrines-The Supreme Genius Of…. (tie)
If my review of Khan’s Pitchfork Fest set didn’t convince you, this interview that ran today should seal the deal as to why Khan should be your new favorite person in the whole wide world (take that Brian Williams, you telegenic newsman, you.) The guy writes great songs, he wears a cape, a gold Josephine Baker cap and says that there is nothing wrong with having sex with a unspecified type of cheese, presumably swiss.
Download:
MP3: King Khan & The Shrines-”Welfare Bread”
10. Daptone Records 7″ Collection Vol. 2
New “old” funk collection from lights-out Daptone label sounds like it could’ve been made in the late 60s or early 70s. Do you like The J.B.’s, Aretha Franklin and Booker T & The MG’s? Of course you do. You’ll like this.
Buy Daptone 7 Inch Singles Collection Vol. 2
Download:
MP3: Sharon Jones-”Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In”
9. Vampire Weekend-Vampire Weekend
I understand and even empathize with the backlash. Vampire Weekend’s media image is annoying, but hey, it worked and more importantly, so did their debut which comes stacked with great pop song after great pop song. Are they the band of their generation? I sort of hope not. But this is a nice start.
Download:
MP3: Vampire Weekend-”I Stand Corrected”
8. Sic Alps-US E.Z.
Shabby, lo-fi psychedelic rock from San Francisco, Sic Alps scrape the bubblegum from under the counter and amplify it into a dirty, distorted, muddle of noise. 14 songs in 28 minutes, in that short span you feel like you’ve drank a half-dozen Jacks, talked some shit, got knocked down, popped back up, sat at the barstool and ordered one more round through a mouthful of broken teeth.
Download:
MP3: Sic Alps-”Gelly Roll Gum Grop”
7. Wolf Parade-At Mt. Zoomer
Best album from the best band that no one cares about because they’re “so 2005.” In many ways this builds on Apologies to the Queen Mary, with both Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug continuing to grow as songwriters and Dante DeCaro providing an added heft and depth to their sound.
Download:
MP3: Wolf Parade-”Call It a Ritual”
6. Hercules & Love Affair-Hercules & Love Affair
Did I just go with the trendy token art-disco pick from a trendy DFA band featuring Antony from Antony & The Johnsons to get picked first for the music writer’s pick-up basketball game (if only that existed)? Who knows? All I know is that this is the first disco CD I’ve actively wanted to listen to since a brief infatuation with the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack in the 8th Grade. That works for me.
Download:
MP3: Hercules & The Love Affair-”Hercules Theme”
5. The Kills-Midnight Boom
The Kills make blues played by a duo who confused Siouxsie Sioux for Robert Johnson. Music free of inhibition. Whiskey-warped, hair-pulling, dirty noise. Midnight Boom, their third record marks Allison “VV” Mosshart’s ascent to the title of rock’s best front-woman and more importantly, the only one who doesn’t look retarded in leopard.
Download:
MP3: The Kills-”The Tape Song”
4. Islands-Arms Way
In the course of Arm’s Way’s hour-plus run time, Islands hit everything from concert hall symphony to stoner-prog, rum cocktail calypso to hair-cut indie to dizzy Sondheim-esque rambles. Hell, they even sample “A Quick One While He’s Away,” from original pranksters of genre-swiping, The Who. Lyrically, Nick Diamonds’ songs continue a morbid fascination with death, violent ocean metaphors and considerations of evil. Songs include “Creeper,” “We Swim” “I Feel Evil Creeping In,” and “Vertigo (If It’s a Crime).” To his credit, they retain a sort of sonic levity that never feels tacky and a sly playfulness that would ostensibly leaden songs with a similarly grim subject matter.
Download:
MP3: Islands-”The Arm”
3. Why?-Alopecia
The best rock/rap album ever made. Somewhere, a Chocolate Covered Starfish Named Hot Dog is crying. Or something.
Download:
MP3: Why?-”Fatalist Palmistry”
2. Portishead-Third
Somehow, Portishead are so good that this is their worst album and I still consider it the second best non-rap record of the year. Maybe it has something to do with my allegiance to having heard them for the first time, sampled on “Kiss of the Black Widow” from Bobby Digital. Or maybe, I just smoke too much. Either way, Third is an ethereal, ice-cold nod.
Download:
MP3: Portishead-”Machine Gun”
1. Erykah Badu-New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
I kind of have no idea how this wound up in the top spot other than the fact that Erykah Badu is probably some sort of musical genius . I half explain it here. But really, this post from Floodwatch, detailing the battle between his ID and Ego on the subject of New Amerykah nails it perfectly.
Download:
MP3: Erykah Badu-”The Healer”
#11-20
The Hold Steady-Stay Positive, Brightblack Morninglight-Motion to Rejoin, Lindstrom-Where You Go, I Go Too, The Black Keys-Attack N’ Release, Black Mountain-In the Future, Dodos, Visiter, Crystal Castles-Crystal Castles, Flying Lotus-Los Angeles, My Morning Jacket-Evil Urges, Times New Viking-Rip It Off
Others Recommended:
Health-Health/Disco, White Denim-Workout Holiday, Tobacco-Fucked Up Friends, No Age-Nouns, Crystal Antlers-Crystal Antlers, Beach House-Devotion, Beck-Modern Guilt, Le Switch-Hit the Sides and Work the Middle, Mezzanine Owls-Mezzanine Owls EP, The Raconteurs-Consolers of the Lonely, Sebastian Tellier-Sexuality, Lykke Li-Youth Novels, Santogold-Santogold, Karl Malcoun & The Hectors-Sahara Swing, Dosh-Wolves and Wishes
Stumble It!
August 5th, 2008 at 4:00 am
Ever have one of those embarrassing-for-critics moments where you realize that even your most off-the-wall-seemingly-dated picks are validated? That just happened to me.
I’ve really liked the new Wolf Parade (after not caring much for ‘Queen Mary’) and new Islands even though I didn’t bother listening to the last one. I think that I’d go with the Raveonettes instead of the Kills, but only to spare the embarrassment of having identical lists at the half-year mark.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:20 am
I just saw King Khan live for free on Sunday (couldn’t make it to Rock The Bells, unfortunately), and I’m not sure whether he or Seun Kuti hold the crown for best live performance I’ve ever seen. The slimy banana goo he kept throwing off stage found itself all over my friend’s hands. How gangsta is that?
August 5th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Berto-
I was at that same performance in Brooklyn. I give mad respect to any guy that performs in 90 degree weather in a gold sequined dress and a cape. It’s a rule I have.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:09 am
with the actual number of “rock stars” of the world dwindling in size, leave it to an indian guy who wears booty shorts onstage and sings about being on welfare to become the last of the great living rock stars. king khan pwns.
p.s. the pitchfork interview with him? EASILY one of the ten best interviews to have ever been transcribed.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:16 am
JT: Glad I’m not the only one to like those records, reading reviews made me wonder if I was listening to different albums or something. Raveonettes is a very good album too, definitely also should’ve been up here somewhere but I forgot.
I can’t believe I missed Seun Kuti when he came to LA. That’s just my bad there.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:53 am
weiss, i forgot to say “good call on the why? album.” yoni wolf is literally one of the best lyricists in the world right now, rap or not. that dude is bonkers.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Nice list. I simply can’t get behind Vampire Weekend, but The Kills, Portishead and King Khan discs are so damn good.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I also forgot Hot Chip.
August 5th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
I think Sunset Rubdown got all the remaining Wolf Parade love. As much as it is a giant hipster cliche, now that the spotlight is off them I appreciate them more and want to listen to “Apologies…” again after like two years ignoring it. Ah, the things hype does to the soul…
August 6th, 2008 at 5:35 am
Although we should, and do, mostly have similar taste in music, sometimes the albums and artists you choose to rave about just confuse me.
I’m not feeling this year’s hipster bands Vampire Weekend and Hercules at all. And maybe I’m lacking in some intellectual or emotional capacity but the new Erykah Badu just sounds like mundane noodling to me. I’ve yet to locate more than three good tunes on that disc. Maybe I should listen to it more, but I don’t much feel like doing so.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Oh damn, that “Why?” song is clutch. I might have to listen to something released on Anticon. Thanks for pointing that out, woulda never given it a chance.
King Khan is the first musician from my home town that I’m generally excited about. In fact I’m kind of embarassed that he had to become internet-famous for me to find out about him. I do recall going to a Spaceshits show 7 or so years ago but God knows how much beer was consumed that night.
As for Vampire Weekend and Herculese…can’t support. I guess there’s only room in my collection for ONE quasi-gay disco-dance band and that slot’s filled.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Yeah, between the Dosh, the Tobacco and the Why? record, Anticon has built up enough goodwill to get me past the “that’s not real hip-hop” skepticism they engendered in my youth. Hit me up if you need the record. It’s really great.
August 8th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
I’m just glad to see I got in your brain, brau. Although all I got is buckshot for those fags in VW.
December 25th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
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December 26th, 2008 at 3:01 am
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