Ken's cool "Best albums of the year" thread

[Dr. Drum]

1. Junior Boys – So This is Goodbye
2. Final Fantasy – He Poos Clouds
3. Matmos – The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast
4. Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies
5. Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
6. The Diableros – You Can’t Break the Strings in Our Olympic Hearts
7. The Dears – Gang of Losers
8. Pet Shop Boys – Fundamental
9. Lambchop – Damaged
10. Tragically Hip – World Container

11. TV On the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
12. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
13. The Loud Family and Anton Barbeau – What If It Works?
14. The Pipettes – We Are the Pipettes
15. Chad VanGaalen – Skelliconnection
16. Jon-Rae and the River – Knows What You Need
17. Hot Chip – The Warning
18. Paul Simon – Surprise
19. Emily Haines – Knives Don’t Have Your Back
20. T Bone Burnett – The True False Identity

21. Sparks – Hello Young Lovers
22. Scott Walker – The Drift
23. Morrissey – Ringleader of the Tormentors
24. Ron Sexsmith – Time Being
25. Bruce Cockburn – Life Short Call Now
26. Graham Coxon – Love Travels at Illegal Speeds
27. Jarvis Cocker – Jarvis
28. Muse – Black Holes and Revelations
29. Emm Gryner – The Summer of High Hopes
30. Elvis Costello / Allen Toussaint – The River in Reverse

31. Cat Power – The Greatest
32. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
33. Young and Sexy – Panic When You Find It
34. Raising the Fawn – The Maginot Line
35. Tim Finn – Imaginary Kingdom
36. Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I Am Dreaming
37. Pere Ubu – Why I Hate Women
38. Emm Gryner – PVT
39. Sandro Perri – Sandro Perri Plays Polmo Polpo
40. Lloyd Cole – Antidepressant

41. Glissandro 70
42. Sloan – Never Hear the End of It
43. Bob Dylan – Modern Times
44. Grandaddy – Just Like the Fambly Cat
45. Cracker – Greenland
46. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat
47. Eric Chenaux – Dull Lights
48. Wilderness – Vessel States
49. Fond of Tigers – A Thing to Live With
50. Natsumen – Never Wear Out Your Summer XXX !!!

Honourable mentions, disappointments and reissues hopefully to follow in a later post...

[kmc]

Ryo, I just picked up the Natsumen album based on your recommendation. That's some quality stuff there, man. They've earned themselves a new fan.

[riley]

Great list Doc. You really like World Container that much eh? Maybe I should dig that one out for the drive to work. Don't recall it being that noteworthy.

[Dr. Drum]

Riley – maybe it was the hint of reverence in that "Great Canadian Album" line of Bob Rock's but yeah, defying expectations somewhat, I think the Tragically Hip/Bob Rock pairing worked. Gord Downie you expect to show up ready to play and he does once again, but for my money it's the rest of the band that's stepped up its game on this one. As much as I liked their last few records, this one is much better. More of a willingness to try stuff; much less of the Hip-by-numbers thing. Rob Baker, for example, is much better on this album. That tendency he has sometimes to want to chug along innocuously – pretty much gone on this record...

Not a perfect record by any means but a very good set of songs, a fully engaged band and a producer who (mostly) avoids his worst tendencies. I'd put it around halfway between 'solid' and 'inspired'...

[Ryosuke]

kmc said:

Ryo, I just picked up the Natsumen album based on your recommendation. That's some quality stuff there, man. They've earned themselves a new fan.

That's awesome, kenny. Man I never thought I'd ever be able to turn so many people on to a band that I like. A bit chuffed, to be honest.

Now if only the Evil One would give his opinion on them so that we can all stone him to death for calling it wanky!