Album of the Week Mix

by Treble Staff

07.14.2008





Boy, is 2008 turning out to be a hell of a year for music or what? In this segment of our Album of the Week mix, alone, we've got a couple contenders for album of the year, and a whole bunch of other albums that we'll be spinning for months to come. In typical fashion, though, we take just one tasty morsel from each to showcase as some of the best tracks we've heard all year. While it's a fun trainspotting exercise to figure out patterns within the year's movements, as of yet, all we're hearing is one amazing melodic free-for-all, with artists turning in albums of sludgy metal, noisy punk rock, experimental electronica, funky Southern rock, folky indie pop, shoegazer, prog hip-hop and anything else you could possibly imagine. This set begins with a selection from Nouns, and takes a thrilling ride toward Verbs, and then conjugates in Los Angeles.

The only recurring theme we seem to find (and it's an encouraging one) is an abundance of greatness from our home state. Feel the California (and Japan and Oregon and UK and Texas and Washington) love.


No Age
"Cappo"
from Nouns


"`Cappo' brings back the Doug Martsch-like vocals, but then evolves into an early Joy Division track, as if one of the two were about to start jerking their body around and dance-dance-dance to the radio."


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Boris
"Statement"
from Smile


"Then comes single `Statement,' with the band sounding its catchiest, hollering out `ooh-oohs' and offering an accessible chorus on top of furious riffs."


Video


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Subtle
"Unlikely Rock Shock"
from Exiting Arm


"`Unlikely Rock Shock' delivers exactly what it promises, that being a startling jolt of rock energy with a buzzing, wobbly bassline and shout along refrains..."


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Matmos
"Rainbow Flag"
from Supreme Balloon


"First track `Rainbow Flag' pulses and gallops along a playful bossa nova, over which old-school computer sounds and synthesized horns create a symphony of mischief."


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All the Saints
"Farmacia"
from Fire on Corridor X


"`Farmacia' carries the darkened, reverb-shuddering twang of The Gun Club on `roids, with Jim Crook's furious drums providing the bulk of the adrenaline surge."


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Ten City Nation
"TDK 90"
from Ten City Nation


"The infectious `TDK 90' could be clear radio fodder if trends facilitate."


MP3




Gregor Samsa
"Jeroen Van Aken"
from Rest


"Rest is far less `indie rock' and far more stretched out …this is evident in the glorious single `Jeroen Van Aken,' the eight-minute centerpiece of the album."


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Shearwater
"Rooks"
from Rook


"While it is certainly among the catchiest tracks, [Rooks] feels more like a drive along a barren apocalyptic landscape than a road trip with any actual destination."


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Fleet Foxes
"White Winter Hymnal"
from Fleet Foxes


"[White Winter Hymnal's] bouncy vocal harmonies and upbeat riffs make it an absolute treat..."


MP3

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Ladytron
"Ghosts"
from Velocifero


"Outstanding single `Ghosts' is one track in which Ladytron offers up a playful experiment, notably a glam rock track that's a bit Bolan and a bit `Personal Jesus.'"


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My Morning Jacket
"Smokin' from Shootin'"
from Evil Urges


"[Smokin' from Shootin'] slowly builds from sweet searching ballad into a churning and brakeless runaway train of piano, guitar and drums."


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Wolf Parade
"Language City"
from At Mount Zoomer


"`Language City' is as kickass a rock song as you're likely to hear from the band, driven by open, ringing chords and a bouncy piano melody."


MP3

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My Brightest Diamond
"From The Top of the World"
from A Thousand Shark's Teeth


"Worden continues to impress throughout the album, with the Radiohead-like `From the Top of the World'…"


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Port O'Brien
"I Woke Up Today"
from All We Could Do Was Sing


"It has to be said that All We Could Do Was Sing contains one of the year's more anthemic and irresistible songs, `I Woke Up Today.'"


Video

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Hercules and Love Affair
"Hercules' Theme"
from Hercules and Love Affair


"`Hercules' Theme' is a complete 180, giving into sensual funk, with disco strings and horns layered thick for maximum decadence."


MP3

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The Watson Twins
"Bar Woman Blues"
from Fire Songs


"[Bar Woman Blues] finds the girls' country roots coming into direct contact with their newly adopted home and its Laurel Canyon roots."


Video

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Au
"RR vs. D"
from Verbs


"`RR vs. D' was released as a single, and with good reason; while Au isn't a band that one might associate with a singles format, in this instance, the group excels at vibrant, hyperactive, Tropicalia-inspired pop."


MP3

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Flying Lotus
"Camel"
from Los Angeles


"`Camel,' meanwhile, is sexier and more exotic, with layers of beats shaking and rattling their way toward ecstasy."


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