Essential Indie Albums of the Millennium - Part 3

Today's list features our final installment of the 'Indie Essentials' series. You'll recognize some familiar names, including a band that likes rainbows and a duo that has played in every territory in Canada.




Radiohead: In Rainbows (Self-Released, 2007)
Their most melodic and cohesive album since The Bends. This disc hasn't left my car's CD player since I paid the "whatever you like" price of two dollars.




The White Stripes: White Blood Cells (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2001)
It's not too difficult listening to any White Stripes album without getting blown away by Jack White's stellar guitar playing and Led Zeppelin-meets-southern blues hooks. White Blood Cells represents the duo's introduction to the masses and is a great starting point.




Interpol: Turn on the Bright Lights (Matador, 2002)
Sorry Oasis lovers, but this is 'Definitely, Maybe' the best debut album I've ever heard. While many lazy journalists love to compare Interpol to Joy Division it's more obvious that these New Yorkers were taking cues from Kitchens of Distinction and the Chameleons. Choppy guitars intertwine with tense vocals -- binded together by the insane rhythm section of Sam Fogarino and Carlos D.




Grizzly Bear: Yellow House (Warp, 2006)
Grizzly Bear create amazing four-part harmonies, lush guitars, horns and keys surprise you by slowly building up into a fever of soaring rock. They're also an amazing band to see live.




Iron and Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days (Sub Pop, 2004)
Sam Beam improves upon his best work with more detailed slide guitar and warm production. His delivery always reminded me of the frailty that Nick Drake and Elliott Smith could convey.




Scott Walker: The Drift (4AD, 2006)
The Drift is sometimes difficult to swallow. This is the sound of deconstructing one's personality; forcing the listener to deal with his/her darkest fears. Oh, and it's still sounds like a pop record.




Sleater-Kinney: The Woods (Sub Pop, 2005)
Sleater-Kinney's final album, and Sub Pop debut, is their most consistent and visceral.




Portishead: Third (Island, 2008)
Fans of Can and Scott Walker should find it impossible not to love this album. After several years of nothing, Portishead triumphantly return with what is easily the best album of 2008 (so far), and their most introspective work.



Boris: Pink (Southern Lord, 2006)
Fusing heavy, dirty metal with space-rock atmospheres has never been done like this. The beauty of Pink is the space it creates between the distorted chaos on "Fake Food," the doom sludge of "Blackout" and the band's ability to slow things down with the trippy-dippy of "Parting."




The Besnard Lakes: The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse (Jagjaguwar, 2007)
What do you get when you mix Blue Cheer, Slowdive and My Morning Jacket? The best indie-rock album of 2007.

Album Review: Midnight Juggernauts - 'Dystopia'

Midnight Juggernauts: Dystopia (Astralwerks)
7/10


Midnight Juggernauts made a name for itself here in the U.S. touring with French juggernauts Justice last fall. Their live attack demonstrated excellent musicianship while sustaining dance floor vibes. The Australian trio are just one out of a large group of acts blending sugar-coated synth-pop with rock structure; only these gentlemen shape their music into arena-like anthems.

Other than the trio's futuristic, Xanadu-inspired keyboards, what sets Midnight Juggernauts apart from other rising synth-rock stars like Cut Copy and The Presets is how boldly they use their tools. The trio proudly showcases massive synth hooks that penetrate like heavy guitar strums. Pounding rhythms and vocal harmonies ("Road to Recovery") are also the norm on Dystopia, but its the influence of ELO and David Bowie on tracks like "So Many Frequencies," "Into the Galaxy" and the surreal disco of "Shadows," that demonstrates the band's visceral electro-rock.

A few of the songs tend to lag, simply because they depend too heavily on their larger-than-life sound instead of a solid melody, but those moments are rare. The group's strength is that its tunes are consistently held up by a sound that's expansive and immediate, never attempting to hit the listener over the head with multiple gimmicks. Midnight Juggernauts are the real deal.

Essential Indie Albums of the Millennium - Part 2

Welcome to part two of our top ten recommended indie albums of the millennium. A few British bands crept onto today's list, and rightfully so. They're the groups' best efforts and hold up extremely well compared to most critically acclaimed albums of the past eight years.

From the four lads in the photo above to a Swedish group who sing completely in their native tongue, all of these records should be in your collection. And don't forget to stay tuned for next week's final installment.



The American Analog Set: Know By Heart (Tiger Style, 2001)
American Analog Set toughened it up a bit on Know By Heart. Most of their albums have such a similar feel and relaxed mood, but this is their strongest collection of songs.


The Shins: Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop, 2001)
As the 1990s came to a close, pop music was relatively extinct -- you can thank the industry's focus on Nu-metal and post-grunge acts. Someone needed to give the pop genre a makeover, or at least take a risk signing something refreshing and different. The Shins were, and still are, that band.


Goldfrapp: Felt Mountain (Mute, 2000)
Forget about the glitzy dance on Black Cherry, or the saccharine-ingested Supernature, Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory utilized baroque, metallic pop and vast electronic sheets of sound on the majestic Felt Mountain. Songs like "Pilots," "Utopia" and the distorted microphone on "Lovely Head," are all classics in their own right.


The Clientele: Strange Geometry (Merge, 2005)
The foggy, vintage pop of The Clientele always reminded me of The Smiths lounging around with Belle and Sebastian. Strange Geometry was the album you knew they could make. Its got better songs and added keyboards and dynamic string arrangements to their simple three-piece pop outfit.


Dungen: Ta Det Lungt (Kemado, 2005)
Dungen dipped into several genres, and covered a lot of sonic territory on this one, thanks to mastermind Gustav Ejstes. Even though I can't understand a single word on the entire album, the music translates perfectly -- transporting the listener to another time.


Spoon: Kill the Moonlight (Merge, 2002)
Spoon are really good at creating space without sacrificing minimalism or intensity. Britt Daniel's vocal delivery and jagged, pounding piano strikes sound incredibly simple, yet more sophisticated than the often-cited A Series of Sneaks.


Manitoba: Up in Flames (Domino, 2003)
Manitoba, now known as Caribou, took the blueprint of layering guitars, rhythms, and samples a la My Bloody Valentine and created a mini-orchestra of electrified pop -- kind of like a futuristic jazz ensemble.


Primal Scream: XTRMNTR (Astralwerks, 2000)
One of the final releases from Creation Records also happened to be Primal Scream's most political and abrasive album. Most british tabloids/publications drool all over Screamadelica -- telling you how magical and flowery it is -- XTRMNTR is the group's most unapologetic and excessively perfect full-length. Massively distorted guitars and danceable hooks mix with Bobby Gillespie's vision of a futuristic culture dominated by worthless behavior.


Doves: Some Cities (Capitol, 2005)
According to yours truly, Doves are the most underrated band on the planet. Some Cities is their third, and best, album. From the stomping pop of "Black and White Town," to the soaring underwater world of "Snowden," Doves should put on songwriting expos for bands learning to write tunes.


Deerhoof: Apple O' (Kill Rock Stars, 2003)
Deerhoof's crazy time signatures and guitar dissonance hammers the listener over the head on Apple O'. You can hear the band moving into concrete territory on songs like "Flower," and the epic "Dummy Discards a Heart," but they still sound moments away from a complete breakdown.

Satomi's vocals are more speak-and-spell, and very innocent on this record. From a technical standpoint, she's much more of a 'singer' these days, but it works better stacked against chaotic guitar blasts and Greg Saunier's manic drumming.

Essential Indie Albums of the Millennium - Part 1

I've got loads of indie essentials that I'm going to force upon you. Do you agree with some of these picks? Good. Disagree? Then drop me a line in the comments section. Stay tuned for part two.



Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It In People (Arts & Crafts, 2003)
BSS write songs that are toe-tapping, emotional and triumphant pieces of melodic rock -- all wrapped up into one big burrito of sound. The band explodes on charging epics like "Cause = Time," "Stars and Sons" and "Almost Crimes."


Boards of Canada: Geogaddi (Warp, 2002)
The mind is a difficult thing to understand, and Boards of Canada come closest to interpreting the depths of such a mysterious place with their slow-moving psychedelics. Geogaddi crawls at the slowest pace possible with mountains of sound tumbling right behind them.


The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Warner Bros. 2002)
I'll admit I'm partial towards the Ronald Jones days of lazer-sustained guitar madness, and the group's more "rock" material from Hit To Death in the Future Head and Transmissions From the Satellite Heart. However, I keep reaching for Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots whenever I need to introduce someone to their music. It's more of a positive extension of their previous records.


Arcade Fire: Funeral (Merge, 2004)
Emotions and weakness are demonstrated so clearly on the outstanding Funeral. Arcade Fire brought intensity back to indie rock and write songs loaded with tension and howls of despair. This is the album that launched a thousand wannabe MySpace bands.


Cat Power: You Are Free (Matador, 2003)
Chan Marshall's most focused album; mixing rock, pop and heartfelt vocals. Her songs always felt personable and slightly deranged, but I'd rather listen to Marshall when the music moves as well.


Clark: Body Riddle (Warp, 2006)
Chris Clark made one of the best electronic albums of the millennium by fusing patchy shards of sound and rhythms that shift on a dime. The euphoric digital world of Body Riddle is the album I always wished Richard James would make.


Wilco: Yankee Foxtrot Hotel (Nonesuch, 2002)
Named after the codes used by radio operators, Wilco's fourth -- and best -- album is filled with dynamic, beautiful pop songs. "Kamera," "Ashes of American Flags" and the awesome "Heavy Metal Drummer" are timeless classics that solidify Wilco's place as one of the best American bands of our generation.


And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead: Source Tags and Codes (Interscope, 2002)
You're only on track nine when the opening chords on "Relative Ways" hit. Trail of Dead could have ended the album right there and still would have been guilty of creating the most massive-sounding album since MBV's Loveless.


Death Cab For Cutie: We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes (Barsuk, 2000)
The first two Death Cab For Cutie albums are my favorite. They're rougher and have this feeling of a band playing right next door in a garage -- voicing all the things you wish you had the balls to say.


Autolux: Future Perfect (DMZ/Columbia, 2004)
I'd gladly argue with anyone that Autolux are the most progressive and experimental rock band of the last decade. While most of these songs can be found on their Demonstration EP from previous years, they still hold up.

Album Review: The Black Angels - 'Directions to See a Ghost'

The Black Angels: Directions to See a Ghost (Light in the Attic)
7.5/10


There's been a steady wave of psych-rock revivalists in the past decade. Groups like The Warlocks, Dead Meadow and BRMC have built audiences on loosely riffed guitars, a myriad of distorted effects and detached vocals that sound as if the band just rolled out of bed and hit "record." I enjoy those bands -- most of the time -- but I've always wanted something more than a slightly different take on Spacemen 3.

The Black Angels smuggled themselves into that genre with their debut, Passover, in 2006, only they've embraced something that neither of the aforementioned bands have -- pop melodies. On Directions to See a Ghost, The Black Angels give fans an album that feels freeing and colorful, and they could even teach their peers a thing or two.

It's not like the quintet ditched its sound on Directions to See a Ghost or backed off on the "black," the Angels just write songs that have direction and feel. If anything, they've simply tightened the screws and sprayed a little WD-40 on the axles, allowing the songs to widen and breathe. Tracks like "Doves," "You on the Run" and "Deer Ree Shee" all ride atop rhythmic guitar hooks that stretch for miles, which in turn makes their music driving and accessible.

Frontman Alex Mass deserves some serious kudos too. He delivers his stern, vibratoed sermon to perfection and sounds more confident than on previous efforts. It's that mix of dark, delayed guitar; the simple pounding of the toms; and Maas' sharp vocal lines that give the Black Angels an intense yet easygoing feel - something most of their peers could use.

Album Review: No Age - 'Nouns'

No Age: Nouns (Sub Pop)
8.5/10


After the success of Weirdo Rippers, No Age had a choice to make: expand their sound into genre-bending territory, or stay the path of their familiar, garage-like singles. And while It's no secret that the duo's "familiar" tunes helped propel them to indie darlings, Nouns immerses the band -- and the listener -- in new ideas, bold sounds and shades of feedback that are compelling works of art. Not bad for two dudes associated with a club called "The Smell."

Guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Spunt serve fans a helping of hazy, dense guitars and self-sampled bliss, yet they never come across as musicians who utilize, or need, state-of-the-art gear. Theirs is the sound of sitting around your pad; tinkering with tonality, lo-fi layers, and tunings until it's daybreak again. Repeat, wash, rinse, and start over again. From the opening gaze of "Miner," the sunny strumming (a nod to Neutral Milk Hotel?) on "Eraser," and the punk-pop blast of "Here Should Be My Home," No Age fill your head with a myriad of sounds.

If you're more of a Weirdo Rippers kind of fan then Nouns might take a few listens, because the album is certainly more listenable. But, Nouns is also a step into, not away from, new sonic territory and displays maturity for a band that has banked much of their hype and critical adoration on sounding frantic and dirty. After the dust settles from the hundreds of criticisms and debates surrounding this record, No Age has still managed to make a truly great album.