Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.
36. Vampire Weekend – S/T
If I remember correctly, these guys took quite a while to get pretty popular, at least they did by comparison to some of their blogosphere peers who had almost overnight success (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Black Kids). Â I recollect finding rough demos of “Oxford Comma” and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” on Aquarium Drunkard up to a year before they released this gem, their debut album. Â I also remember the Paul Simon comparisons being made almost immediately, as most critics are wont to do when they hear anything remotely referential to Afro-pop.
VW were the first to really incorporate the sound into the ever-growing indie pop landscape, however, and they brought the influences to a much younger audience. Â They dubbed the sound “Upper West Side Soweto,” and indeed it had a small movement of its own, generating bands like Ra Ra Riot, the electronic experiment Discovery, and more traditional projects like The Very Best.
I’m not saying the Simon relation isn’t correct; it obviously is, but to deny the band’s growth from that blueprint is simply dismissive. Â One listen to the simple pop of the aforementioned two tracks, as well as the stomping “A-Punk” (my personal favorite) and the falsetto friendly “Blake’s Got a New Face,” and you’ll see these guys either were showing all their cards at once or they had healthy knowledge and a palette to grow from. Â We know now from their great sophomore effort two years later the latter was the case.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
70. Band of Horses – Is There a Ghost
The first track off Cease to Begin is a great introduction to Band of Horses’ second disc – it’s a beautiful rising track with the simple, repeated lyrics “I could sleep” and “When I lived alone, is there a ghost in my house.” What follows is a near-flawless album that embodies the Southern spirit and indie charm this now-immensely popular group delivers.
Once every three months I list the best of what I heard in albums/songs/remixes for the quarter. I do this to personally keep up with all the awesome music I hear, as it ultimately helps me at the end of the year when I do my overall listing for the previous twelve months. I also do it to introduce you cool cats to tunes you may have missed independently.
Today marks the official first day of autumn 2010. As far as music goes, there is usually one “song of the summer” – a track that we will forever associate with the previous season of this particular year. This song usually embodies the typical moods related to summer – laziness, partying, a carefree, optimistic attitude, et al.
While I’m not going to try and pick this song, I have my nominations – songs that will bring me back to this summer, my first few months in a new city, and, as with most summers, a good time in near-intolerable heat.
