Everyone's got lists. I get really sour when some of my choices aren't in there. A lot of the blogs seem to be into Joanna Newsom or Arctic Monkeys, which I personally don't get. A lot has been overlooked for the year like The Beautiful Newborn Children's debut, Portland shoegaze/dreampoppers The High Violets, and the Bay Area's Film School. They will be getting love from this blog for the year. My selections ranked 5 to 1 will be posted soon after this one.
10.
Film School - Film School- Buzzsaw guitars and that menacing baritone, along with Joy Division-like hypnotic beats, this album was an easy winner in my book as one of the best of the year. Oh, I'd also like to mention that they suffered from having their gear stolen last spring and were eventually helped out by Musicares to procure new equipment and carry on with their tour.
On and On - Film School+++
9.
Rabbit Fur Coat - Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins- Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis goes further into the world of roots rock with this effort and is helped out by The Watson Twins to deliver an album that recalls a time when upright bass and acoustic guitar were more dominant instruments in music. It's only direct competition in the same category would have been Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings The Flood.
Download Tracks From Rabbit Fur Coat here+++
8.
The Beautiful Newborn Children - The Beautiful Newborn Children- This self-titled debut is less than a half hour long and delivers short, sharp, and deliberate angular
puuuuuuunk! Think The Strokes after they've ingested copious amounts of speed and Red Bull, and that would be a rough approximation of their attitude and their music. Screw The Arctic Monkeys. These guys should've been the ones that made it big. If you need a soundtrack to your night of debauchery, this should fit the bill.
Do The Do - The Beautiful Newborn Children+++
7.
Five On The Floor - Sandwich- Deservedly so, this has been one of my favorites of the year. Raimund Marasigan and his crew have steadily been perfecting their craft at making songs that appeal to Filipinos that don't care much about mushy sentimentality, the bossa nova trend, or comedic novelty. A lot of people have also been playa hatin' on Myrene's bass playing skills and garnering a NU 107 Rock Award this year for her instrument category. I guess to the haters, they think that shredding on bass should be a prerequisite to winning. Whatever.
Sunburn - Sandwich+++
6.
To Where You Are - The High Violets- One of Portland's best right now. This gang of four know how to rock it 80's style by bringing back the ethereal in dreampop the way Lush or The Cocteau Twins brought it on back in the day--yeah, they're
that good. Seeing them live this year at The Comet Tavern was also quite the revelation. They achieve this massive sound by using the most basic stuff in terms of amps and pedals. They won me over all the more after that live set.
Love Is Blinding - The High Violets+++
Just missed it by a hair department:
Here are some albums that almost cracked my top 10.
Isang Ugat, Isang Dugo (One Root, One Blood) - Rivermaya
The Life Pursuit - Belle And Sebastian
The Greatest - Cat Power
Soul Up! - Juan Pablo Dream
Alright, Still - Lily Allen
Ringleader of The Tormentors - Morrissey
