Spotify
Previously:
100-91
90. MS MR - Painted
It's like something out of a late 90s/early 00s dance party, those slight disco influences bouncing behind a looped vocal sample and rah-rah keyboard lick as the track barges in. Then, interesting, the speed gets dialed back to half for a breath, with Lizzy Plapinger's voice given the moment to stretch and flex a little. Hers has always been distinctive to me, not for being weird or unusual, but for just having a tone all its own. The track is its strongest in its final act, when we realize that maybe this one is something of a "slow" burner after all.
89. Joan Shelley - Jenny Come In
It's a cool, clear night. You sit on a porch in the countryside, with no cars or bright lights to distract you from the view provided by the night sky. From somewhere in the distance, this song carries across the expanse, gently reaching your ears and soundtracking your stargazing. It's a song bred to thrive in open spaces, to conjure visions of the more pure things still outside city limits. Guitars and voices are the only instruments, so even the composition of the song is in keeping with its ideal environment. (This track is not on the Spotify list)
88. The Decemberists - Make You Better
Lots of talk about this era of Decemberists music can feel focused instead on the Picaresque era. Or, I guess more accurately, how this isn't the Picaresque era anymore. I mean, I get it. Music evolves, and this wouldn't even be confused for a B-side off the group's indie-folk classic from a decade ago. But, to be sure, after a couple releases that left me feeling like Colin Meloy wasn't giving us all his best anymore,
What A Terrible World... comes out and restores some faith. Here, on the album's standout and lead single, chorus harmonies reach for those old high heights with lyrics more direct than we're typically used to from Mr. Meloy. They can still crank out hits, to be sure.
87. Sharon Van Etten - I Don't Want to Let You Down
In the wake of last year's tremendous
Are We There, Van Etten released a five-song EP of cutting room floor material and a live track, and the collection's title track stands above the rest. In terms of quality, it stands up to a lot of
Are We There, even if the feel doesn't fit with the rest, thematically; at least, not with the way it's mixed and produced for this EP. It feels a step or two behind "finished," vocal tracks with touches of rawness and an acoustic guitar rhythm that was maybe meant to eventually be replaced by electric. It's in strange limbo between "demo" and "final product," but given that Van Etten's aesthetic has always worked better when the flaws are still visible, it's a track that works just fine without that last coat of varnish.
86. Autre Ne Veut - Age of Transparency
You don't even start to hear Arthur Ashin's voice here until the song is more than 1:30 old, a falsetto floating in as if it meant to arrive exactly then and no earlier. Soon after, the song shifts gears and Ashin's strange, hybrid soul vibe takes over. He's never made a point of restraining his emotion when he sings, and it comes through about as plainly as any artist recording today, but this track offers some relative vocal restraint, and it serves the rest of the track well. Of course, "relative" is important there, because the chorus is still pretty bombastic.
85. Young Galaxy - Ready to Shine
One of my favorite subtle touches in any track this year is a soft, four-note piano cascade that happens behind Catherine McCandless during this track's chorus, a happy little glimmer supplementing hopeful lyrics and upbeat guitars that give off a tropical feel. It's full of warmth, an absolute summer song that can still force the sun to peak out from behind the clouds of fall and winter.
84. Julia Holter - Sea Calls Me Home
You don't really hear harpsichords much anymore, but Julia Holter's music isn't exactly something you'd ever consider labeling run-of-the-mill. So, hell, let's add a whistle break and saxophone solo too! Holter's lyrics feel liberated, as if this were written standing on a beach someplace, eyes cast out on an ocean bluer than one you're likely to find here in the Northeast U.S. Parts of it almost feel pastoral, like this is a reimagining of some shepherd's lullaby. It is, in fact, a reworking of a song Holter first released years ago, and given the proper polish, it feels easy to imagine yourself floating on your back over gentle waves as it plays.
83. Health - Stonefist
In an abrupt change of pace from the prior songs, here's Health with a track bound to jolt Spotify playlist listeners awake in an instant. It's aggressive, industrial, foreboding and pounding. It isn't relentless by any stretch, as its verses offer a bit of respite from the hyperfuzzed guitars and amped-up death march drums, but the song never stops feeling intimidating. It's a bold way to start an album after a softer lead-in, but it certainly doesn't lack ways of grabbing and holding your attention. Just make sure you check your volume before it starts.
82. Fort Lean - Cut to the Chase
Good title to start an album with, in my opinion. Cut to the chase! Get to the good stuff! And we're obliged. Ringo-style drum rhythms set the pace for your toe taps as airy verses traipse along into choruses that slip on their leather jackets, toughening up ever so slightly, at least on the outside. It's amazing what a little bass guitar distortion can add, really. The track is a little two-faced, luring you in with the sweeter verses before going a bit more rah-rah, planting a memorable hook in your ears along the way.
81. Beach Slang - Throwaways
In this post-
Celebration Rock world, it's been tough to find those quick-hitting, direct injections of high-voltage
rock, where the vocals are a little snotty, the cymbal crashes are generous and the power chords are plentiful. Why beat around the bush when starting an album, anyway? It starts with a sharp intake of breath and immediately surges forward, sparing no energy. It feels, at times, like a celebration of the gutter, an anthem for those who wear their hoods up and proudly sport a motor oil stain or three on their jeans, but is still welcoming to all who want to jump in and mosh along with them.
