frightened rabbit
The Scots have great accents; this we know. But who could've foreseen Frightened Rabbit, a couple of brothers from Selkirk, making the year's most emotional and stirring album? Although their 2006 debut, Sing the Greys, certainly showed Scott and Grant Hutchinson's capabilities, Midnight Organ Fight capitalizes on the band's strengths as only an experienced group can.
Sing the Greys seemed like an EP, with a handful of knockout tracks surrounded by a collection of dull instrumentals; Midnight Organ Fight has no such problems. The album is comprised of beautiful, violent pop songs underpinned by frenzied acoustic guitar and Scott's poignant lyrics, delivered in a throaty howl. The standout tracks revolve around his brutal quips, the best of which include, "You must be a masochist/To love a modern leper on his last leg," and this pointed accusation in "Keep Yourself Warm": "It takes more than f-ing someone/To keep yourself warm." Midnight Organ Fight is earnest, well-crafted and could go a long way toward warming up your cold winter months.
Kevin Lincoln
bon iver
After listening to For Emma, Forever Ago, it should come as no surprise that Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, wrote and recorded the majority of the album during his stay in an isolated cabin in northern Wisconsin. The wintry aesthetic translates beautifully into music that evokes soulfulness and pathos. Vernon's haunting falsetto is paired with sparse instrumentation in intimately produced arrangements. For Emma, Forever Ago is a personal affair that deals with love and loss in impressionistic, opaque verses open to interpretation.
Despite the desolate recording backdrop, the album's ambiance is warm and inviting, especially on beautiful acoustic ballads like "Lump Sum" and "Re: Stacks."
Originally self-released in 2007, Jagjaguwar picked up For Emma, Forever Ago for redistribution early this year. Now, as trees grow barren and frost covers the ground, you don't want to miss this album a second time.
Brian Contratto
noah and the whale
London folk rockers of the year Noah and the Whale released their debut in August. The band's playful attitude is encapsulated in the video for their cheery single, "5 Years Time." The sunny perspective and comical outfits might as well have been straight out of The Life Aquatic. But beyond this aesthetic, singer Charlie Fink's simple picture of a fleeting happiness and the nostalgia of simpler times, is dead on. Fink says, "it was fun fun fun when we were drinking," but reassures us "there'll be love love love, wherever you go." It's simple and catchy, but that doesn't mean it can't be reflective and sentimental.
Most of the album is mellower, but the touching lyrics and childish optimism persist. In the painfully gentle "Mary," Fink admits, "And in that perfect moment, I nearly ruined it, by saying I love you, and nearly meaning it." Such lines reveal that Noah and the Whale can match pop with poignant.
Sam Schlinkert
marnie stern
Marnie Stern's second album, besides having the coolest title of 2008, is a testament to her musical prowess. Stern is reminiscent of great guitarists like Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page. It's not just me: Venus Magazine recently named her one of the "greatest female guitarists of all time." The album begins with "Prime," which showcases Stern's writing, and moves into "Transformer," where her talent as a guitarist is immediately apparent. The closer, "The Devil Is in the Details," is an exquisite summation of Stern as an emotive, extremely gifted musician. Her lyrics are forceful and playful, inviting the listener into her world. Marnie Stern's music baffles me. I can't imagine what her concerts are like. Would there be a mosh pit or people dancing hand in hand? I'm not sure, but I do know that a lot of Stern's appeal is driven by her mystery. How crazy do you have to be to set up a kissing booth at your own concert, offering make-out sessions for the bargain price of $100? I'd like to see Jimmy Page pull that one off.
Alex Reinstein
why?
Rekindling the magic they found in 2003 in Hymie's Basement, Fog's Andrew Broder and Why?'s Yoni Wolf Broder and Wolf are back together. This time, Broder joins Wolf and the rest of his bandmates for Why?'s third LP, Alopecia.
The result is an album that stylistically lands somewhere between Why?'s second album, Elephant Eyelash, and Hymie's Basement. But in traditional Why? fashion, the album is rooted in hip-hop but defies classification.
Alopecia has some of the tightest and most innovative instrumentation of any record of the year. On opener "The Vowels, Part 2," the sound of a chain smacking against the ground creates the beat, while guitars and standard percussion flesh out the sound. Nothing about the album is traditional. On paper, Alopecia seems nonsensical and dissonant, especially with Wolf's abstract lyrics in the equation. But the album's sound is rich and deeply enjoyable.
Though each track is its own unique thought, Wolf constructs them so they all flow into one another, creating a sense of unity. By the end, Alopecia might not make any sense, but it is a rewarding musical journey.
A.O. Hibbard
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.