FIVE from 2009

As the year is nearly one-third of the way through, I’ve decided to recommend five albums released thus far. I’ve absented Animal Collective’s MPP because so much has already been said about it, and it’s placement in my top 100 of all-time list (first alphabetically if not comparatively) should tip everyone off to my thoughts on its quality. Also, I should note that I’m horrible at keeping up with (and evaluating) new music, as most of my listening habits are retrospective, so there’s no telling whether any of these choices will be anywhere near my top-whatever at year’s end—it all just seems too obvious and Pitchfork-y. I’ve liked some dubstep releases but still don’t know enough about the genre to be able to rate them (though look for a UK garage posting in the very near future, especially since I’ll be spending summer in the London fog). Anyway, I think some of you might enjoy some of these picks regardless of the countless caveats …

Antony & the Johnsons – The Crying Light

Androgyny has been cool even before the ‘Mats sang its praises on Let It Be. On this record—the follow-up to 2005’s nearly indistinguishable I Am a Bird Now—crooner Antony Hegarty dances with epilepsy and forces evocations of uneasy sadness. It’s better than it sounds.

Blank Dogs – Under and Under

Lo-fi synth punk is a shallow genre that’s too often much worse than it even sounds, but this record is one of its few standouts. Under and Under is a superior successor to last year’s hit-or-miss On Two Sides, as melody finally begins to reveal itself amidst the layers of noisy distortion. That said, nothing on here comes close to its predecessor’s “The Crystal Ladies,” which finished as one of 2008’s finest tracks.

Crocodiles – Summer of Hate

I’m not completely sold on this release. Part of me views it as another retro-New Wave effort in a genre that’s been almost entirely discredited by fraudulent acts like the Killers. (Quick aside: does anyone else find the doofy look on the Killers’ drummer completely fucking maddening? Eh, maybe not.) At least the Crocodiles didn’t take their name from a New Order music video and, to my knowledge, haven’t been touring across the globe covering Joy Division’s “Shadowplay” (we get it, you were influenced by the British post-punk movement). But it is a bit worrisome that this band name might have been inspired by the bridge scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. At least they’re lo-fi enough to keep MTV away, and “I Wanna Kill” is one of the best new songs I’ve heard this year, with a primary riff that sounds like it was lifted from Adventures in Babysitting.

Peaches – I Feel Cream

Before hearing this release, I’d mostly viewed this middle-aged erotic electrotrash artist as a novelty act (perhaps obvious from my wordy description) who could occasionally happen across an isolated success. I Feel Cream is a pretty great record, though, as it trades shock for quality in producing several fantastic pieces that are perfect regardless of whether you’re rolling in an Eastern European dance club or, like me, sitting in the law school library cuffed in a pair of oversized headphones.

Wavves – Wavvves

Wavves creates ultra-lo-fi surf punk that buries coherent songs beneath oceans of fuzz. If that sounds appealing, then Wavvves (with three “v”s) is worth a listen. It also has really cool cover art showing a little kid skateboarding in red-trimmed tube socks.

FINAL (MOSTLY UNRELATED) THOUGHT:

While watching the Real World/Road Rules Challenge last week I was told by MTV that Asher Roth was poised to drop one of the three most influential hip-hop records of all-time. I’ve heard “I Love College” and know that it’s a shitty middle-class Enimem rip, but, even supposing it were somehow less horrible, does MTV even bother to think before it promotes? I mean, the top three most influential hip-hop LPs of EVER??? I’ll start: Eric B. & Rakim – Paid in Full; NWA – Straight Outta Compton; Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique. According to Music Television, Asher Roth’s sophomore effort is not only more influential than EVERY OTHER HIP-HOP ALBUM EVERY RECORDED (including all of the Eminem releases that provided a blueprint for Roth's hopefully ill-fated career), but it also manages to surpass either, (1) the record that helped to jumpstart modern hip-hop, (2) the record that founded gangsta rap as a sub-genre, or (3) the record that revolutionized the ways in which the genre uses samples and approaches production. Fuck you, MTV, please stick to your specialty: scripted teenage dating farces.

Also, I've been listening to Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs for the first time, and I'll be damned if it doesn't sound exactly like late-era Flaming Lips.