Words of Wisdom

Everyone knows that I’m a huge fan of music, regardless of genres or amount of radio airplay (and sometimes in spite of). I’ve downloaded several albums (mostly from emusic) so far this year and there have been several that really caught my ear – here are just a few of them.

Honorable Mention:
Thao – We Brave Bee Stings and All
I first heard of this group from NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast and quickly became a fan. Thao Nguyen is a hugely talented singer, drawing comparisons with artists the caliber of Cat Power, whose country-tinged latest album is certainly worth listening to.
Download: Bag of Hammers, Swimming Pools

10. Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely
I like Jack White, a lot. His masterful guitar spontaneity with the White Stripes has placed him high in the great rock pantheon. The Raconteurs have moved somewhat away from the Zeppelin-tribute band sound of their first album, which is sometimes a welcome change and makes for a much more diversified group of recordings this time around, but many of these variations hurt the overall cohesiveness of the album. While this album is nowhere near the level of much of the Stripes’ catalog, it is still pretty strong overall and certainly worth checking out.
Download: Salute Your Solution, Carolina Drama

9. Nine Inch Nails – The Slip
Following in the footsteps of Radiohead, Trent Reznor released the latest album of his band (consisting of Reznor and anyone else he can scrape up) through their website for free. I had been a big Nails fan as a teen, but I lost track of them during the empty years following the mid-90’s classic, The Downward Spiral. And here, some 14 years later, their brand of hopeless nihilism has again blown me away.
Download: 1,000,000, Discipline

8. The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride
John Darnielle is an incredibly clever wordsmith and once again he shows his great gift for metaphor with this work, even though his nasally voice may understandably grate on some people’s ears. For me, though, this is one of the best releases of the year thus far, and I’m looking forward to owning more of this band’s catalog through emusic.
Download: San Bernadino, Autoclave

7. Mudcrutch – Mudcrutch
With bands like Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers achieving massive amounts of fame, the 1970’s was a pinnacle for the country-rock fusion of styles. Amid that, a little band called Mudcrutch was started, but broke up before releasing their debut album, opting instead to take the name Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and move in a slightly different direction. Earlier this year, Petty and his cohorts came together again to record that long-delayed debut and, with a mixture of bluegrass, country, and good old rock, it is a great listen.
Download: Shady Grove, Topanga Cowgirl

6. Portishead – Third
Ten years after their last album, Beth Gibbons and her band Portishead have finally emerged from the shadows, a response to the beckoning of their many fans around the world to deliver yet another great piece of dirge-like trip-hop, the music genre they popularized. While not as stellar as the 1994’s incredible Dummy, this strange mixture of acid-jazz and techno with cabaret-like singing will still send unsettling shivers up your spine.
Download: The Rip, Nylon Smile

5. Coldplay – Viva La Vida
If there is a band that epitomizes the music era of the early 21st century, it is most likely this group of Londoners, led by frontman Chris Martin, and their brand of introspective anthemic rock reminiscent of Radiohead and U2. Their last release, X&Y, was somewhat disappointing when compared to their two previous albums, which by most accounts are modern day classics, but their latest is a great improvement and much more satisfying.
Download: Lost!, Violet Hill

4. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
This debut album of literate pop songs shook the music world over the past year, as the sounds of Vampire Weekend spread across the internet like wildfire, further proving the mettle of this medium in the making of stars. I read a review sometime ago that compared their music to someone trying to turn a Wes Anderson movie into a song…and that’s a good thing.
Download: Mansard Roof, Oxford Comma

3. REM – Accelerate
I had pretty much lost track of Michael Stipe and the boys several years ago as they slid into a state of post-Bill Berry mediocrity, so it was with a bit of apprehension that I picked up their newest album. So, it was a pleasant surprise to find that perhaps this fixture of the late 80’s and 90’s wasn’t finished after all. By reaching back into the past and rediscovering the sound of their earlier recordings, REM came out a bit heavier and louder (a la Monster, only better), and blew away fans with their strongest album since Automatic for the People.
Download: Living Well is the Best Revenge, Supernatural Superserious

2. Drive-By Truckers – Brighter than Creation’s Dark
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of these southern rockers, but even I was a little disappointed by their last effort, A Blessing and a Curse. But, no need to fear, Patterson Hood and the band are back with their strongest effort since the modern classic Decoration Day. The Truckers’ dark tales of death and drugs and loneliness are some of the best tunes being written today.
Download: The Righteous Path, Lisa’s Birthday

1. My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
There are few albums I anticipated the release of more than Jacket’s latest and, once again, they have definitely not disappointed. The band’s sound has evolved a good bit over the course of their three albums into some strange, psychedelic cloud in which Neil Young and Prince participate in some trippy jam session. Yeah, it’s that good.
Download: Evil Urges, I’m Amazed