It’s near impossible to pick one top album with the massive amount of music I listened to this year but I thought I’d try to at least give you an idea of what you should grab this year before we start anew. Monday I debuted 20 thru 16; Yesterday my 15 thru 11.
10. The Morning Benders – Big Echo
This album was so damn good. The songs by Chris Chu, are some of the best songs written in this calendar year. ‘Excuses,’ is one of the sweetest pop-rock songs we heard this year. Put together with one of the best opening 4 tracks on an album, this was a huge contender for my attention this year.
Hear: Excuses
9. Suckers – Wild Smile
Suckers debut album Wild Smile was one of my favorites. I liked it so much, I saw these guys live 3 times this year. This Brooklyn troupe offer unpredictable music fare that ranges from shimmering guitar songs to erratic, wild gang-melody driven experiments. This album is just plain fun to listen to.
Hear: It Gets Your Body Movin’
8. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
Local Natives came out of nowhere with this gem. The ability to create beautiful harmonies, and wonderful visuals thru songwriting and music made this one of my absolute favorites to listen to. Seeing them live after SXSW was one of my favorite shows of the year.
Hear: Airplanes
7. Menomena – Mines
Mines feels like an album as schizophrenic as some of Menomena’s music appears to sound. But this is what makes this sound so special, so different from what you’re used to hearing. They can go from a raucous guitar tearing song to balladry to a darker melancholy feel. All was present on this great album.
Hear: Taos
6. Jukebox the Ghost – Everything Under the Sun
Its high spirited, fun loving, and a whole bunch of other positive 2 word descriptors. The lead single, Empire, is in my opinion the best pop song of the year. The whole album is filled with addictive pop tracks that will be stuck in your head after just one listen.
Hear: Empire
[…] 20 thru 16; 15 thru 11; 10 thru 6 […]