6. THE DECEMBERISTS - THE KING IS DEAD
This album is short, but oh, is it sweet. It's relatively simple fare from The Decemberists, but what it lacks in complexity, it makes up in raw quality. The songs run the gamut of emotions, but center on the idea of hope for a better tomorrow. Instead of the their last couple themed albums, each song here is distinct and carries its own weight and concept. There's really something for every mood, but it walks you through the hallways of your heart methodically, so you never notice any jarring difference as you swing from elation to sorrow to whatever you feel as you gaze upon the radiant light of a beautiful tomorrow. Let the yoke fall from your shoulders; don't carry it all.
7. DARREN KORB - BASTION
Bastion is a video game, and a good one, but the greatest element of it is
by far the soundtrack. Described by its composer as "acoustic frontier trip-hop," it goes past eclectic and out the other side. But before you've even gotten a taste of the driving rhythms and country-style club music, you have to break yourself from the sonorous sway of the voice of the Narrator -- the
second-best part of the game. You will want to listen to this guy reminisce all the day long. My favorite tracks, which you should listen to even if you listen to nothing else in this awards show, are Build That Wall, Spike In a Rail, and Mother, I'm Here. Don't leave it undone.
8. PLUMTREE - BEST OF
Here's an album to make you feel bad about how little you've accomplished in life. Plumtree formed in 1993 when four girls, ages 14-16, met up through their music teachers and started a band in Halifax. They broke up in 2000, but their music continues to resonate with people to this day. The
Scott Pilgrim character (and series) was named after one of their songs (Scott Pilgrim). They're just...well, they're Canadian, which is not a unique fact for this list, but still worth nothing. Something about frozen north instills a certain lyrical
necessity in people, I suppose. Plumtree's music isn't perfect,
except when it is. That's what you'll come to realize as you listen; these are a couple 16-year-old girls writing better songs than anybody else could ever hope to write, as a 16-year-old girl. They reach into this perfect paroxysm of time, space, and heart, look those stupid boys in the eye and then kick them in the balls and write a song about it, and I really dig it! They have songs for anybody who ever thought anybody else was cute, and tried to work up the nerve to say it.
9. HIROYUKI SAWANO - KILL la KILL
Kill la Kill is an anime series that is simply one of the most inspiring things I've ever watched or heard. It turns genre conventions on their heads, obliterates your misconceptions about its nature, and relishes in its nature as this entirely unorthodox representation of reality. It does this while presenting a strong story about friendship, rebellion, and freedom. The animation is spectacular, and you're sure to find something to love about it. The soundtrack is no different. All sorts of music is on offer (many of them individual character themes), and it's just...
perfectly done. Because the songs were composed with the purpose of using them in separate places and times of the show, there's no real coherent structure to the album, but each song carries you on a journey of its own. How many times in your life have you heard a musical
character study? And yet, this album is full of them. My favorites: Before My Body is Dry, Blumenkranz, Light Your Heart Up. It just might take your breath away.
10. THE WEEPIES - BE MY THRILL
Call me crazy, but I never found The Weepies to be all that
sad. Their music, though often melancholy, strikes a chord with me so true and visceral that it makes me happy despite its sentiments. There's something unspeakably joyful about realizing that somebody else feels sadness in the same way you do. But they're not just sad; they rebound rapidly between excitement and maudlin, like they're happy in the moment, but just waiting for things to go all wrong. That see-saw effect gives the album an edge that its relatively simple pop-folk tunes could otherwise lack, but, because you never know where they're going next, The Weepies are always able to surprise. I listened to all of their albums this year, but Be My Thrill stuck with me the most. I can't tell you why. No one knows -- a red, red rose.
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