speed of dark

california rain (taken 01.04.08)

13. Everything I Am: Kanye West [buy]
everybody saying what's not for him/but everything I'm not made me everything I am
Although I felt that Kanye's latest effort was uneven, there are some really excellent songs on Graduation. You don't find much rap on our site, but my list would not be complete without this song, a lament on the fact that it's difficult to be yourself amongst those who speak out against you.

12. Magic Beans and Truth Machines: Say Hi [buy]
so please please someone come and take it away from me/please please it's all yours
On Say Hi's latest, The Wishes and the Glitch, Eric Elbogen's sound continues to grow and expand even as the band's name was shortened (from "Say Hi To Your Mom"). The addition of a female keyboardist and backup vocals does a little something to the short, sweet songs on this album and makes it one of my faves of the year.

11. You Are My Face: Wilco [buy]
happenstance has changed my plans so many times/my heart has been outgrown
It took me longer to get into Wilco's Sky Blue Sky than it did for me to get into Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but eventually I was able to appreciate these songs just as much. It seems that Wilco faced the same phenomenon as did Radiohead on their latest album; when a band is expected to out-weird and out-experiment their previous album, sometimes the weirdest thing to do is to create a more straight-forward album of excellent music.

10. Sandy: Caribou [buy]
sometimes in her eyes, I see forever/I can't believe what we've found
I listened to this album as a recommendation from Yellow Stereo but I didn't have huge expectations for it; I had listened to Caribou before and wasn't impressed. But after repeated listenings, I was hooked. Caribou sounds to me what the Beach Boys would have sounded like if they formed their band today. In this song, I love the swirling sound, the trilling flute, the dreamy, floating lyrics. The more you listen to this song, especially with headphones, the more you hear - layers upon layers of unique and interesting sounds.

9. Hand on Your Heart: Jose Gonzalez [buy]
look me in the eye/and tell me we are really through
Jose Gonzalez does it again - he takes a familiar song, or at least a song from a familiar artist, in this case Kylie Minogue, and turns it into an acoustic masterpiece. The personal, sad lyrics seem to fit in Gonzalez's version much better than in Kylie's disco wonderland version. I love what Gonzalez has done with similar songs, and his last album is good, but this song was the highlight for me.

8. Kids: MGMT [buy]
control yourself/take only what you need from it
I was lucky enough to see MGMT live, opening for Of Montreal, and in doing so discovered this great band. This song, about growing up and leaving childhood behind, is a fun dance song, and a great representative of the music that MGMT brings to the table.

7. Sideways: Let's Go Sailing [buy]
I have no problems dipping in my feet/but the trouble comes when I have to jump
This lovely song features strings and Shana Levy's beautiful voice on a track about falling in love with a friend. We attended Let's Go Sailing's album release earlier this year, and I have to say that this song live is even better than on the album.

6. Ocean of Noise: Arcade Fire [buy]
an ocean of noise/I first heard your voice/now who here among us/still believes in choice?/not I
This amazing song moves me every time I hear it, especially the full band sound that erupts toward the last minute of the song. The lyrics could be about a destructive relationship, but are just as likely a statement about the war in Iraq and that sad, sorry state of affairs. While the Neon Bible album was only half fulfilling for me, this song is reason enough to buy the disc.

5. Northern Whale: The Good, The Band & The Queen [buy]
in a tide end town/everyone hallucinating on you
This album, while focused on British life, still has elements universal to everyone. This song is about the end of a relationship and if you listen, you can hear the sound of the "northern whale" in the background. Awesome song, awesome album (although I keep substituting "in a Thailand town" whenever I sing along with Albarn!).

4. Cigarettes, Wedding Bands: Band of Horses [buy]
if my body goes, then to hell with my soul/we don't even know the difference
On first listen to Cease to Begin, I really wasn't impressed by Band of Horses' sophmore album. It took repeated listenings to appreciate the beauty of this album, and I considered "Detlef Schrempf" and "No One's Gonna Love You" as fave tracks. But this song soon soared above the rest and I constantly play this track at top volume in my car while driving.

3. Lake Michigan: Rogue Wave [buy]
sky is burning/but at least we know we're warm
Hand claps? Check! Non-sensical, barely understandable lyrics? Check! Great song? Check! Rogue Wave continues to impress me with their latest album, Asleep at Heaven's Gate, which I know isn't widely thought to be their best effort. While the songs themselves seem more studio-based, more polished, the album itself seems "thrown together" (and I mean that in the very best way), with odd noises and people talking before, after, and in between tracks. "Lake Michigan" is a great song, but only one of the great songs to be found on this album.

2. Mistaken for Strangers: The National [buy]
make up something to believe in your heart of hearts/so you have something to wear on your sleeve of sleeves
I was late to this album, since I mixed up The National with another band with "national" in the name which I wasn't as impressed with. And even with the inevitable comparisons with Interpol, The National held my attention and impressed me with their amazing sound. I was torn between this song and "Green Gloves", but this song about growing up and changing into an adult won out in the end. Absolutely magnificent, as is the rest of the album.

1. Jigsaw Falling into Place: Radiohead [buy]
regard each other as you pass/she looks back, you look back/not just once/not just twice
Just as Wilco released a seemingly more straight-forward album, Radiohead released the pay-what-you-want, do it yourself album of songs that debuted at concerts worldwide. By the time this album was released, I had heard many of these tracks live and from recordings that others had made and was already in love with them. But the studio recording and the live sound differed, and I had to listen over and over to this new album to come to terms with the differences. I have come to greatly appreciate them for what they are and not as what I was expecting them to be. It's my fault that I had a pre-conceived notion of what the songs were going to sound like on the album based on the live tracks - and I love them for what they are. This song, introduced live as "Open Pick", has been developed into a rollicking track with a clouded meaning (everybody has their own opinion) that I want to hear again as soon as it's over.

Next up: Indie.Mom's 10 Favorite Albums of 2007