#6
Air
Pocket Symphony
It’s been three years since the release of Talkie Walkie, Air’s last studio recording. That album established a sort of compromise between the edgy electronic rock of 10,000 Hz Legend and the lush, space-lounge sound of Moon Safari. So the question was would the duo of Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin follow up with the same middle-ground approach, fall back to an earlier sound or blaze off in an entirely new direction? Well, even after listening to the newest Air release Pocket Symphony numerous times, I still don’t have a clear answer, but the one thing I can tell you is this: It’s damned good.
For one thing, Pocket Symphony relies less on the novelty of Jean-Michel Jarre-esque synth washes and vocoder-filtered vocals than earlier efforts. In its place are gently strummed acoustic guitar, cello and even Japanese koto. Sure, the electronics are still there—they just don’t steal the show. And far more than on previous efforts, the overall mood here is deeply melancholy, introspective—chilly, even (surely those ice sculptures of Godin and Dunckel on the cover were put there for a reason). There’s nary a moment of fizzy electro-pop or space-age bachelor pad music to be found.
Instead, we’re treated to slow, spare, atmospheric dirges. And while that may sound like a buzz-kill to fans of Air’s earlier sound, the truth is that the duo make it work brilliantly. Stripped bare of their usual electronic veneer, we learn the truth—that these two are truly masterful songwriters. Take “Left Bank,” for example, with an unshakably beautiful and mournful melody, framed by only the sparest of accompaniments. Or the more rhythmically snappy “Once Upon a Time,” which uses piano, drums and tasteful synths to conjure a memorable meditation on life and love.
Granted, there are fleeting glimpses of the Air of old: The opening track “Space Maker” could almost be an outtake from the Premiers Symptomes EP, and “Mer du Japon” vaguely recalls the more propulsive moments from Moon Safari (albeit with a distinctly Asian flavor). But for the most part, Pocket Symphony seems to chart a promising new course for the band, one that’s simpler, wiser and far more haunting.
#7
The Besnard Lakes
The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse
It’s been quite a banner musical year for our neighbors to the north. Yet despite all the highly anticipated Canadian albums to come out in 2007, it was The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse from heretofore unknown Montreal collective The Besnard Lakes that raced in from out of nowhere to claim one of the year’s finest releases (a dark horse, indeed).
The group, apparently named after a body of water in northern Saskatchewan, has crafted a sound that owes an immense debt to the dreamy, drony psych-rock and heavy guitar riffery of the early 1970s. Yet, at the same time, it sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard before. Hats off to principal songwriters (and husband and wife team) Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, who have concocted this mesmerizing blend of Beach Boys-esque harmonies, electric guitar heroics and swirling orchestral strings that add extra layers of atmosphere to the beautifully murky mix.
But most impressive of all is The Besnard Lakes’s expert use of dynamics, lulling you at first, then building up to impossibly intense crescendos. Nowhere is this more evident than in the album’s riveting opener, “Disaster,” which starts off with sweet Brian Wilson-style falsetto vocals, accompanied by delicately strummed guitar, gentle violins and horns—and which, by the end, has rocketed into an all-out wall-of-sound stomp.
There are plenty of other examples, but listening to The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse, you quickly realize that the individual songs matter far less than the overall flow of the album. You don’t so much listen to The Besnard Lakes as immerse yourself in their distinctive sound-world—like dunking your head under the shimmering surface and taking in all the different colors, patterns and shapes that swim by. Hey, maybe they were on to something with their band name after all.
#8
Feist
The Reminder
Thanks largely to a recent Apple iPod commercial featuring the music video for her song “1234,” Canadian chanteuse Leslie Feist is no longer a hidden talent. But one listen to the aptly titled The Reminder will remind everyone that her emergence as a bona fide star is something that was bound to happen sooner or later.
All it takes to grasp why is one listen to her distinctive voice, a honeyed blend of rasp and smooth, comfort and cool—complete with an articulate, soul-searching quality reminiscent of Joni Mitchell in her prime, a hint of Rickie Lee Jones street smarts and a misty detachment that would do Astrud Gilberto proud.
And despite her impressive work with Toronto indie-rock collective Broken Social Scene, Feist is clearly at her best in a solo setting. She first proved this on 2004’s excellent Let It Die, but with The Reminder, she has reined in her wide-ranging tendencies and delivered a much more focused and deliberate musical statement. At the same time, Feist has done an effective job of exploring many appealing nuances—from the mid-tempo sing-song chorus of the aforementioned “1234” to the darker and more urgent “My Moon My Man” and the sparse and heartbreakingly lonesome “The Water.” It all adds up to a truly exceptional and beautiful listening experience, one that certainly ranks The Reminder as one of the finest singer-songwriter albums of the new millennium.
Naturally, some may bemoan Feist’s inevitable rise to mainstream acceptance. Yet, no can deny that hers is a voice that demands to be heard.
#9
The Fiery Furnaces
Widow City
Another year, another noteworthy release from precocious indie-rock iconoclasts, siblings Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger. As with 2006’s Bitter Tea, Widow City further explores the unpredictable, highly distinctive and just plain weird musical palette The Fiery Furnaces introduced with their brilliant sophomore release, Blueberry Boat.
All the expected ingredients are here, from the picaresque song structures and enigmatic lyrics, riddled with obscure historical and geographic references, obsession with minutiae and numerous spoken asides, to the heavy use of murky vintage keyboards.
However, Widow City does offer up some genuine surprises, like the heavily Led Zeppelin-influenced riffing of “Navy Nurse” and the slow and sweet minor blues of “Restorative Beer,” which hearkens back to the duo’s debut album, Gallowsbird’s Bark. And if “My Egyptian Grammar” comes dangerously close to sounding like a retread of “Evergreen” off the Furnaces’ 2005 EP, for the most part the group continues to push its sound in new, oftentimes shockingly original directions—displaying an admirable commitment to the unconventional and a complete lack of compromise.
Most importantly, with Widow City, The Fiery Furnaces have added yet another fascinating and strangely enjoyable album to their already impressive catalog. Here’s to more odd treats from the Friedbergers in 2008.
#10
Of Montreal
Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
No one would ever accuse Of Montreal principal songwriter/singer/bandleader Kevin Barnes of kowtowing to popular taste. After all, with cunningly conceived lyrics, cryptic song titles, stage shows that involve numerous costume changes and album covers that defy description, the creative force behind the Athens, Georgia collective has never been more unapologetically odd.
Yet, with Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, the group has taken a decisive step away from the absurdist indie psych-pop that characterized such earlier masterpieces as Satanic Panic in the Attic and Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse, and and trod further down the electro-glam-pop path hinted at by 2005’s The Sunlandic Twins. And while there’s an undeniable appeal to the wittily confessional lyrics and snappy drum machine programming of “Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse” and the equally brooding and propulsive “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal,” it’s more than a little disappointing to hear Barnes having created what is essentially a very good, but conventional (by Of Montreal standards, anyway) indie pop album.
As a result, Hissing Fauna comes across as deeply felt, artfully executed and highly listenable. But one can’t help but lament Of Montreal’s seeming abandonment of the brilliantly demented psychedelic pop that preceded it. As it stands, we hear only its faint whisper in one track—“Sink the Seine”—and, regrettably, that lasts all of one minute and change.
#11
Arcade Fire
Neon Bible
With three years having passed since the release of Funeral, Montreal-based collective Arcade Fire was faced with the unenviable task of attempting to match the intensity, grandiosity and sheer beauty of their nearly universally lauded debut. Did they succeed? Well, yes and no.
On the one hand, Neon Bible exhibits a newfound subtlety, with songs that whisper and sigh as often as they shout. This works brilliantly on such tracks as “Antichrist Television Blues” and “My Body Is a Cage,” where Win Butler's winsome croon seems to summon an ever-growing chorus of voices and instruments out of the ether, flooding the emptiness with a pure white light. Similarly, the more fully orchestrated numbers, such as the opener “Black Mirror” and the re-worked “No Cars Go,” which first appeared on their 2003 self-titled EP, channel an expansive vision that, at times, exceeds even the heights reached on Funeral.
However, there are too many moments where the shout sounds more like a mumble, and where Butler's distinctive delivery comes a bit too close to that of a Bruce Springsteen impersonator. That inconsistency is ultimately what brings Neon Bible back down to earth, rendering it a very good record rather than a brilliant one.
#12
Battles
Mirrored
Call it math rock. Call it post rock. Call it indie-prog. But the one thing you can’t call Mirrored, the first full-fledged album from New York City quartet Battles, is expected.
The group effectively bolts together disparate influences, ranging from Steve Reich-ian electric minimalism to King Crimson-esque virtuosic guitar-and-drum riffing and tricky time signature shifts reminiscent of Gentle Giant to create a sonic world entirely its own. Their weapons of choice are equally diverse, including everything from the expected guitars and drums to electronically-altered vocals and various sonic warpage of indeterminate origin (though I’m guessing a laptop was somehow involved).
From the playful call-and-response tapestry of the intro track, “Race: In” to the relentless juggernaut-like chug of “Atlas,” the album’s single, and the off-kilter gallop of “Tonto,” Battles displays a refreshing alternative to—well—“alternative.” After all, how amazing is it that something sounding so many light-years removed from the whiny garage-band/post-punk aesthetic once synonymous with indie rock can still be categorized as such?
Chalk up Mirrored as a bellwether, then, of broadening definitions, more open minds and, most importantly, exciting, unconventional, highly enjoyable music.
Presenting The Curiouser Music Review’s Top 12 of 2007I didn’t work it out this way on purpose, I swear: a dozen months of radio silence from The Curiouser Music Review, followed by a dozen reviews of the year’s top albums. No, it is not some cryptic inside joke or dodecagonal riddle—just the result of a year packed with unexpected distractions, procrastination, busyness and big life-change stuff.Nevertheless, it is time once more to gather together, dim the lights, pour a few drinks and dust off the venerable turntable, er, CD player (scratch that, hard drive). And this year, it was well worth the wait, as 2007 was overflowing with musical riches. Ear candy poured like so much sticky treacle as some perennial favorites unwrapped their long-awaited follow-up albums. Not to be outdone, an equally impressive number of unknowns served up some unexpected treats of their own. Bottom line: music fans were treated this year to a beautiful mouthful of cavities, minus the excruciating pain and spit cup.So, what were the best 12 albums of 2007? So glad you asked. As with last year, you’re invited to count down with me over the next several days to the year’s top album. Be sure to check the CMR daily for the latest updates, and don’t forget to leave a comment with your thoughts, huzzahs and/or insults. After all, there was such a great haul this year, I was bound to leave something out.
