25. Weezer “All My Friends Are Insects” (part of bonus material from Hurley)
People are consistently disappointed by Weezer, so I was really hoping Hurley would be at least good enough to shut people up for awhile (myself included). It wasn’t, but I was happy to see it was at least better than the band’s worst album to date, the offensively bad Raditude. With that said, my favorite Weezer song of the year was not featured on Hurley, but was an outtake featured on the expanded edition. (more…)
Matador Records
25. The New Pornographers – Together
The New Porns have always brought some good things to the table, but it can be difficult for me to get through a whole album. Together has made that task a bit less difficult, as it may be the best album from this band yet. It’s definitely the most group-oriented of their efforts, as the title would suggest – four lead singers span the albums songs, and the contributions from Destroyer’s Dan Bejar are some of his best to date. (more…)
Spin Art 2001
2/18/10
Album of the Day: Jason Falkner Necessity: The 4-Track Years
This is one of those rare releases that could work either as an introduction to the artist or a compilation of unreleased goods for rabid fans. “Necessity” has this distinction because it contains some of the best previously released songs from Falkner (namely some of the standout tracks from his first album, “Presents Author Unknown”) as well as some notable outtakes and unused tracks. And even though all the songs here are in their 4-track, lo-fi versions, Falkner was already an engineering whiz by the time he recorded them, and he makes the best possible use of the equipment he had at his disposal. For instance, each recording has some pretty obvious tape hiss, but other than that, they are pretty immaculate for four-tracked goods. (more…)
Note: The original plan was to do a list of 100, but with how whirlwind this last month has been for me, there was just no way to write about that many records. Plus, no one wants to read that much, and in that regard, even 50 is pushing it. So without further adieu, here they are.
50. Brendan Benson—The Alternative to Love (2005)
This enigmatic power-pop songsmith has consistently put out great albums since 1996, and this third in the series is no exception. Though Benson hasn’t really broken through to huge mainstream success, I would bet money you have heard at least two of his songs and don’t even realize it. (more…)
