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70. Fear of Men - Alta/Waterfall
Every album can't be a concept album. As many ideas as there are in the world - probably quite a few! - only so many can be appropriately translated into music. That said, even when a through-and-through concept album isn't a possibility, one of its basic tenets is still applicable in almost every case: mood setting. You want to get an idea of what you're about to listen to, even if you're spinning something new from an artist you've long loved. Fear of Men were new to me when I first heard of their album
Descent, and so the need for me to know what to expect was doubled when I first sat down to go through the album. In a way, this is cheating, because "Alta" and "Waterfall" are technically separate tracks; I put them together because they act as a cohesive introduction to the album to come, at once working in harmony and serving as foils for one another. "Alta" is a muted vocal introduction with minimal instrumentation, lasting under a minute, and "Waterfall" serves to immediately speed things up a bit, moving at a tempo that just sounds like the way Jess Weiss sways when playing these songs (good example of what I mean for about 6 seconds
here).
Descent never goes slower or faster than these two songs, perfectly framing what's to come.
69. Broods - Superstar
Electropop is a genre that lives to bring big moments to your ears. You can go to the extreme in either direction - consider Ed Zealous's "147," which will appear later in this list - but the sweet spot comes when an artist or group finds a way to sound big without getting too caught up in themselves. The chorus here, on the finale to Broods' really solid full-length debut, has a chorus that goes big in that concert sing-along way that's sure to wrap up shows as effectively as it's wrapped up this album. The lyrics tell of separated love: "I've been waiting for the sun to rise where you are / So I can tell you you're a superstar," Georgia Nott calls back to an alter ego within the chorus, a sentiment of pining that anyone who has been apart from loved ones for an extended period can relate to.
68. Tiny Victories - Systems
"Systems" is reminiscent of mid-era Interpol, if Paul Banks and Co. had decided to go outside themselves and into the electronic realm. "Stormy" is a pretty apt descriptor, as the bottom synth line seems to swirl in and out, with deep vocals that build upon themselves and eventually travel around into something that could be called a typhoon by the final trip through the chorus. It pounds and asserts itself, colorfully characterized by the vocals, even as their tone forebodes something much darker.
67. Jessie Ware - Say You Love Me
People who jumped aboard the Jessie Ware train in 2012 after the release of her debut,
Devotion, have been mildly miffed at the more commercial-sounding
Tough Love. For me, there's no fault to be found in trying to appeal to a wider audience, especially if the material holds up in the process. Sure, if you're expecting something that cloned the pulse-pounding drive of "Wildest Moments," "Say You Love Me" will come off soft. But Ware's singing ability is truly top-notch, rife with feeling and charisma in each line, spicing up even the most saccharine of lyrics. She's a terrific vocal artist who can command attention and transform music from simple words into artistic expression. Music is at its best and most immediate when you can relate or empathize, and Ware basically demands that you hear her out. Once you do, you might find a story of your own that parallels hers.
66. Stars - From the Night
This is probably far from intended and not something the artist is looking to hear, but this is a track that makes me picture disco in the hands of a leather jacket street gang out of an early 1980s Broadway musical. It's melodic, danceable and lyrically accessible, yet with enough of an edge to keep it on the cutting room floor of a modern "West Side Story" reboot. It pulses and deftly disguises its simplicity, choosing to layer complementary sounds instead of overcomplicating them. It's a head-bobber, to be sure.
65. Jeremy Messersmith - Tourniquet
A beautifully constructed pop song that, in another universe, probably became a huge hit, Jeremy Messersmith's metaphorical love oath sounds like it could be a shoo-in for the vast majority of high school crush mix tapes. Mix CDs. "Whatever they're called now," said the tragically old 20-something. The sentiment is pure, the sounds are clean and the chorus is excellent. Hey, get yourself a good chorus hook and chances are you'll find yourself somewhere in this list next year. Something to consider for your list of resolutions.
64. Future Islands - Sun in the Morning
Much like Jessie Ware's vocal charisma adds flavor to just about all of her tracks, so too does Samuel Herring's. The energetic - to put it lightly - Future Islands frontman sings each track with a brand of vim and vigor uniquely his own. Future Islands at their best let Herring take command of the ship, keeping things simple as he does his own thing and dominates. It might not be the most universally accessible style, but damn it, this dude's gonna sing his heart out in full-on damn the torpedoes style.
63. Torres - New Skin
Written and composed as part of a documentary-style series about the music recording process, singer/songwriter Mackenzie Scott has released her first new material as Torres since 2013's flooring self-titled debut. Scott's style on that album is subtler, heartbreaking in a minimalistic way. Here, she's enlisted the help of War on Drugs members and Sharon Van Etten to construct something a bit more in-your-face, but still filled with that aching emotion that's fast becoming a trademark in her music. The friendship between Scott and Van Etten is a complementary one, with both focused on making music that targets the emotional center of your brain. Scott is more aggressive and up front on this track than nearly anything released to date. It assuages my own personal fears about the music released under Torres would lose some luster if the minimalist approach was stripped away; she's just as successful here with a full-bodied sound. (Note: Not on Spotify)
62. Hamilton Leithauser - Alexandra
As frontman of the now-deceased Walkmen, Hamilton Leithauser's voice was couched in angrily somber rock instrumentals, always lending an air of sadness to whatever the topic of a given song was. Here, the script is flipped and Leithauser has taken a turn for the upbeat. All those years of somber rock don't seem to have dulled his sense for what could also make an alt-rock sound peppy and catchy. Stomp-clap rhythm and a chorus that's as simple as it gets play perfectly alongside a bridge that throws back an homage to some of the more ballad-y Walkmen tunes. It's clear this is Leithauser's own style, but he hasn't forgotten what got him here.
61. Interpol - All the Rage Back Home
Much like Weezer, my faith in Interpol was running low. My excitement for new music from the band in 2014 was tepid in the wake of the band's self-titled effort and Paul Banks's weird rap album thing. I had given up on hearing another
Turn On the Bright Lights, an album with a legend enhanced by the period in which it was released. Comparisons were unfair. This track, however, is a throwback to some theoretical point between
Antics and
Our Love to Admire, a driving track that would feel out of place on
TotBL but seems wonderfully suited for something of a reinvention, and that's appropriate for the band in the wake of bassist Carlos D's departure from the band in 2010. The greatness may never be full re-realized, but that could be more a result of a personal bar being set too high. With tracks like this, Interpol can absolutely still be relevant and better.
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