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Austinist's Dark Horses: The Best Overlooked Albums of 2008
While the steady hand of democracy steers most end-of-year best of lists towards not only the very good but also the very well known, we here at Austinist feels it's important to give a little face time to the lesser knowns, especially now that 2009 has closed the door on that last year that happened, whatever it was called. So while we were plenty pleased with our own official list, we thought it important to take note of those albums that shook us this year, even if they didn't make it through the primaries--let's consider them the Dennis Kuciniches and Mike Gravels of the race, if only those guys were any good. As a result, this list is unnumbered, obscure, sometimes strange, and features those underexposed greats that shouldn't be forgotten even though the calendar's turned.
Juana Molina - Un Día (Domino)
In the United States, our ever-salivating media would be breathing pretty heavily if a one-time television star transformed her career over a number of years from actress-in-sketch-comedy to widely-respected-musical-dynamo. For example, imagine if ten years from now Tina Fey were releasing critically acclaimed records of innovative (and notably punchline-less) psych-pop--a pretty damn unlikely scenario, yes? Well, to find this type of startling career transformation do no more than steer your eyes southward, to Argentina, where toils the still largely slept-on (by Americans, that is) ball of intrigue that is Juana Molina. Molina, who, of course, made her name on the tube, has been making very serious albums that are serious in the way that the music is good, and not serious in the way that Scarlett Johanssen covers Tom Waits or William Shatner sings Christmas tunes while downing a glass of whiskey.
The songs on Un Día, Molina's fifth LP, mark some of her best work yet, as the looping vocals and guitar of the title track set the mood at an uncharacteristically frenzied pace. And when the horn drops in, ooh boy, it's like Panda Bear but with a welcome shot of the organic. While the album as a whole tends to be a bit more on the patient side, with swelling tides of guitar and sweeping atmospherics, it's "Los Hongos de Marosa" that pushes Un Día over the top with its stunning marriage of the gorgeous with the strange. So maybe it's a good thing Molina hasn't gotten more exposure in the U.S., because albums like this seem best listened to very, very late at night, on a beach, and alone. -Nick Courtright
Impeccably retro and incredibly catchy, Crystal Stilts' Alight Of Night is a 21st century pop record that unrepentantly harvests the sounds of the sixties and beyond. Surf-guitar riffs, a ready supply of organ chirps and tambourine jingles, and plenty of reverb and distortion perfectly complement the unavoidable melodies, distant vocals, and insistent drone running amok on the record. Although there are quite a few standout tracks that could be earmarked as singles ("The Dazzled," "Prismatic Room," and "Shattered Shine" to name a few), Alight Of Night is largely a seamless haze of psychedelic smoke bound together by a distinct dark allure. Each song lazily drifts into the ensuing one before flowing into the tranquil closer, "The City In The Sea." Immerse yourself in the Brooklyn band's brand of psychedelia and let the garage-pop bliss encompass your very being, this is an album best enjoyed as a whole, from start to finish. -Adi Anand
Passion Pit - Chunk of Change EP (French Kiss)
One of this year's sleeper successes, the Massachusetts recording project (and now live band) Passion Pit is most notable for delightfully blurring genres. Is this rock music that reaches into the dance club, or vice versa? Either way, it's tough to deny that lead single "Sleepyhead" has both the ability to move bodies and inspire deeper listening, and better yet, "Smile Upon Me" showcases wicked, stereo-crossing beams of synth and inspired drum programming--even though the stage is ultimately stolen by founding member Michael Angelakos' bittersweet harmonics. The EP originally came to existence as a V-day present for Angelakos' girlfriend, and Chunk of Change does seem rooted in romance, from effusive, tinkling '80s synths to the confident strut of "Cuddle Fuddle." With a full-length due in 2009, we'll either learn more about life in love or what happens when things get, as they say, "real." Either way, it should be a trip worth taking. -Adam Schragin
Sleeping in the Aviary - Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel (Science of Sound)
They're a chaotic art-folk band that manages to pack the right amount of punk and the right amount of pop in their bag of tricks to keep things forever interesting and engaging. The group - Phil, Elliott, Michael and Celeste - are excellent at making the transition between pop acoustic songs and rowdy electric ones feel natural. Although, they don't get as much into the high-octane stuff on this one as with their previous, Oh, This Old Thing.
But honestly, if for no other reason, the very first song of the album is so strong, that it guarantees this album a spot on this year's best overlooked albums. It's called "Write On," and it's catchy, rambunctious and totally inspiring. It's full of furiously strummed acoustic guitar, an electric buzz and a chorus begging to be sung along to as you bounce around with the poppy rhythm. Mix this one with others like the echoing, somber piano tune, "You're a Party," and the Western acoustic number "Gas Mask Blues" and you've got a strong recording full of emotion, harmony and high energy. They flood their live show with even more intensity than the recordings, making that the best way to discover their music. They're also not too bad at creating lyrics that stick, like "If you have my daughter I don't know what I will do, cause I'm gonna want to hit her if she looks like you" from "Gas Mask Blues." -William Mills
The first forays into Sunset's releases couldn't help but sting. Their ascendancy drove that last nail into Sound TEAM's coffin, which meant the end of the clenched-teeth anger and urgency of, for example, the flawed but darkly soothing 2006 full-length Monster Movie. With Bright Blue Dream, released earlier this year, Sunset stepped up into a promising if puzzling territory to mixed results. Perhaps because no one was expecting the double punch, The Glowing City was a knockout blow, and best expressed the group's dynamic range, vintage fetishes, and icy dedication to the LP form in a time of standalone singles and digital detritus. Always a little guarded, The Glowing City further explores a some of band leader Bill Baird's favorite themes--obsession and mortality, with a nuanced resignation toward both--as best encapsulated by the tiny symphony "When Perfect Flames Expire" and its layers upon layers of carefully crafted, moving musical language. -Adam Schragin
The Bug - London Zoo (Ninja Tune)
Built from a bevy of Kevin Martin's blistering beats, this album makes its dubstep influenced peers--such as Burial and DJ/rupture, great as they are--sound like preteen emo boys playing tiddly winks while drinking Shirley Temples at their mom's house. And it's not only the beats, which range from the simplistically bombastic to the glass-shatteringly intricate, that make London Zoo a stunning exercise in manically channeled rage, as a slew of rasta's most talented MCs (including Flowdan, Warrior Queen, and Ricky Ranking) bring their sometimes indecipherable politics to the disc in a way we would sing along to if only we could keep up.
Vicious and offensive in all the best ways, London Zoo was quite possibly the most unexpected batch of kickassery 2008 provided, and the nearly hour-long smorgasbord is overflowing with potential singles, from "Angry" to "Jah War" to "Fuckaz" to "Warning." But despite the power of individual tracks, it's the unifying strength of Martin's vision that makes this feel like a complete album rather than a collection of one-offs. And, sure, while some of this "rage" and "vicious" talk may sound a bit too pissed off for all those Fleet Foxes lovers out there, let it be known that even music listeners with the most chill of music tastes will find Warrior Queen's "Poison Dart" very difficult to turn down, let alone turn off. -Nick Courtright
Gameboy/Gamegirl - The Golden Ghetto Sex EP (Central Station) Hipster haters could have a field day with the Melbourne quartet Gameboy/Gamegirl, who trade in cheesy 90s iconography and throw down with ironic hip-hop lingo and two-dimensional double ententes ("Fruit Salad" is not really about fruit). But before tossing out the baby with the bathwater, do not make the same mistakes as the appearance-driven culture you despise. Dig deeper into producer Miami Horror's busy cutups and synthetic layers of melody and dissonance, and you'll find a talented creator honing in on a very listenable style of his own. The strong instrumentation often out shadows the call and response of the male/female vocals, but on "I Get _In the Club" the nasty synthesizers and boozy lyrical flirtation find a perfect synthesis. -Adam Schragin
