Best Albums of the Year: 10-6

10. Animal Collective - Feels
What, seriously, makes a good Animal Collective song? Is it the part where they chant in unison or when they play songs without choruses? Sung Tongs was played so much last year in our apartment that it was almost impossible to know really where that album began and ended because I think some song from that album was always in the airwaves. And it was great. Why? No idea. So I worried that this wasn't going to be as cherished as that one, because, well, I still couldn't figure out why I liked the last one and given this monster, it sure wasn't going to be easy to know. Luckily the moment I knew that this album was going to be great was after about three plays Blake and I subconsciously added our sound effects, little "ohhss" and "ekkks". It happened unintentionally and we both looked at each other afterwards, and knew. That's it.

9. Spoon - Gimmie Fiction
Spoon are fine. They are okay. The lead singer has a decent voice. Yeah, "I Turn My Camera" is catchy. And I admire that the song "I Summon You" has a strange tie to someone that works at DePauw, but there is no way to prove that. It's cool that they strip their music down to the bare essentials. Actually, "Sister Jack" is kind of catchy, too. But it's a little too straightforward to be great. Good tambourine, though. There really isn't any filler, actually. It's a good album to have on. Every once in awhile. Occasionally. From time to time. When you're doing something else...like needing to kill time. Walking to class. Walking to work. Riding in the subway. Studying. Reading. Hanging out with friends. Dancing. Actually, is there a bad time to have this album? I mean I don't love it but it has been on my playlist for 10 months. And come to think about it, "I Turn My Camera On" is kind of perfect. So is "Sister Jack". And the first two songs. And some at the end...JESUS STOP!! Why can't I stop talking about this album?

8. Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask
For some reason this was the hardest album to write about. Do you talk about the great production? MF Doom's flow? Do you apologize for admitting that you actually just really like the skits? How do you say that after 8 hours at work this album always makes the ride home funny? I mean, nothing here approaches to oddball genius of Madvillany, but that's not really the point. It's just the way all three elements (production, rapping, skits) are seamlessly sewn together to create the tightest rap album of the year. Not the best, but there isn't a seam showing in this project.
P.S. I'm waiting for the Meatwad side project.

7. Ryan Adams - 29
This album ruined my list. I was going to cop out and have a Ryan Adams slot where I threw all of his albums in one spot and just said good job on not fucking up this year. But they were so different that even when I attempted to chop them up into "my greatest hits of ryan adams 2005" (because the man needs an editor) it didn't make sense. And then I listened to 29 on repeat for about four days. I don't know if this album is going to age well. His albums are notoriously hard to gauge. Love is Hell kind of did if you chopped off 6 of the tracks; Rock n' Roll definitely did not. But I had the most genuine musical moment with this record in the cold winds of 72nd Street where I broke into tears in the middle of a crosswalk because of his voice. I haven't experienced such emotion from any of my top 25 albums, nor with any album in many years. It was something in his voice, the well written lyrics, the way the piano comes in perfectly in "Strawberry Wine". Cold Roses was pleasant and Jacksonville City Nights was great fun, but this exists as something else entirely.
It's at 7 because like everything he's ever done it's padded with at least four average songs. And when there are only 9 songs that is kind of a problem. And I'm scared that my enthusiasm is going to wane because I just got this album a week ago. Hell, it isn't even officially released. But the first four songs achieve a greatness that he hasn't achieved since Heartbreaker.

6. Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock and Roll
"No more songs about sex and drugs and rock & roll it’s boring"
With the White Stripes making mediocre albums, the Strokes making bad ones, and my old favorite Billy Corgan making some truly horrible shit, my favorite music is made by Mid-west expats who play modern folk music. I live in New York.
"I’m considering a move to LA (he’s considering a move to LA)"
And so after years of playing electric guitar and swearing my undying love for ear-splitting distortion, I've starting spouting out comments about songs in the vain of "this contains the essence of American music" and "what this song really needs is more banjo".
"He no longer listens to A-sides/He made me a tape of bootlegs and B-sides"
And here Art Brut come playing very basic rock n roll with sarcastic lyrics that makes me laugh continuously, all the time, without fail.
"I’ve seen her naked twice, I’ve seen her naked twice!"
And I want to say that this is just hipster shit and that their rock skills are nothing compared to what I usually listen to. It's just pub rock with a guy sounding really English over it all talking about things he hates. But...
"Sweet Jesus, my heart/Is beating faster and faster"
...everytime I laugh. Sure the critiques on Modern Art and bands that sound like the Velvet Underground are clever, but really I just stick around to hear him say witty things at the ends of the songs. And I think Art Brut really say a lot about where I am right now in my life. I'm okay with my life as a sham, with having no discernible future career path, with eating grand meals with wine every night, and am enjoying it way too much. But it's just so hard to accurately say why...wait...oh yeah...I don't care.
"Stay off the crack"