Thursday, December 22, 2005
sarah handel makes lists
freakin' hell... I'm drunk at my parent's house at 6:25... but this ain't about me. It's about SARAH HANDEL and her totally bitchin' year-end lists. She's "literally not allowed to have a blog", and so asked if we could post her thoughts right here and now. So here's the albums list, followed closely by song/singles...
top ten albums
10.5 ben folds - songs for silverman - wasn't originally going to be on this but i was going through the disc looking for a single for that top 10 when i realized... i actually really like the first half of this album. all downhill after "trusted."
TIE 10 fruit bats - "spelled in bones" - kind of a sleeper, to me anyway. sounds a lot like something i would've liked 7 years ago, but better. so what if "legs of bees" could appear on a shins record without anyone batting an eye?
10 death cab for cutie - "plans" - solid release, exactly what you want to hear from death cab. different enough from "transatlanticism" to sound like something new, but similar enough to feel like returning to flannel sheets after a long summer - cozy and you never want to wake up. bonus points for a song where Sarah's the muse.
9 bloc party - "silent alarm" - almost didn't make the list because i couldn't really remember it, but i brought it in to jam first thing at work, and it rocks. sets me up right for a day of battle.
8 rogue wave - "descended like vultures" - sub pop kicked a whole lot of ass this year. the 1-2-3 punch of "bird on a wire," "publish my love," and "salesman at the day parade" is like a valentine from the one person you never thought would notice you. euphoric.
7 shout out louds - "howl howl gaff gaff" - super pop album. totally underrated. a little grimy, a little cocky, a lot of pop beauty.
6 antony and the johnsons - "i am a bird now" - it took me many listens to "get it" but now that i have...indescribable. aching, heartbraking, soulful. sure don't sound like no white boy.
5 go team - "thunder lightning strike" - it may be cheating since we were all rocking this in '04, but since it's officially an '05 record in america, it makes the list.
4 andrew bird and "the mysterious production of eggs" - a marked improvement over weather systems, which i also loved, but it had its lulls (haha). eggs is full of twisted wordplay, layered melodies, and intriguing instrumentation... sounds like a recipe for an "interesting" record not a good one, but this is a case where interesting and intelligent translates to likeable and accessible.
3 kanye west - "late registration" - oh kanye, my kanye. everyone at NPR (OK, not everyone, but people in multiple departments) calls me when he's on the TV. how can you dress like a countryclubber and rock me so hard?
2 sufjan stevens - "illinois" - simply the best. ok, second best. 2/3 of these songs make my heart soar, the other 1/3 are better than 99% of all music ever. what can i say that hasn't been said?
1 crooked fingers - "dignity and shame" - just call me mrs. bachman. PLEASE call me mrs. bachman. take heed of my call to love. perfect perfect album, not a dud on it, and each song invites you in and makes you part of it. definitely the album most like living your own movie.
freakin' hell... I'm drunk at my parent's house at 6:25... but this ain't about me. It's about SARAH HANDEL and her totally bitchin' year-end lists. She's "literally not allowed to have a blog", and so asked if we could post her thoughts right here and now. So here's the albums list, followed closely by song/singles...
top ten albums
10.5 ben folds - songs for silverman - wasn't originally going to be on this but i was going through the disc looking for a single for that top 10 when i realized... i actually really like the first half of this album. all downhill after "trusted."
TIE 10 fruit bats - "spelled in bones" - kind of a sleeper, to me anyway. sounds a lot like something i would've liked 7 years ago, but better. so what if "legs of bees" could appear on a shins record without anyone batting an eye?
10 death cab for cutie - "plans" - solid release, exactly what you want to hear from death cab. different enough from "transatlanticism" to sound like something new, but similar enough to feel like returning to flannel sheets after a long summer - cozy and you never want to wake up. bonus points for a song where Sarah's the muse.
9 bloc party - "silent alarm" - almost didn't make the list because i couldn't really remember it, but i brought it in to jam first thing at work, and it rocks. sets me up right for a day of battle.
8 rogue wave - "descended like vultures" - sub pop kicked a whole lot of ass this year. the 1-2-3 punch of "bird on a wire," "publish my love," and "salesman at the day parade" is like a valentine from the one person you never thought would notice you. euphoric.
7 shout out louds - "howl howl gaff gaff" - super pop album. totally underrated. a little grimy, a little cocky, a lot of pop beauty.
6 antony and the johnsons - "i am a bird now" - it took me many listens to "get it" but now that i have...indescribable. aching, heartbraking, soulful. sure don't sound like no white boy.
5 go team - "thunder lightning strike" - it may be cheating since we were all rocking this in '04, but since it's officially an '05 record in america, it makes the list.
4 andrew bird and "the mysterious production of eggs" - a marked improvement over weather systems, which i also loved, but it had its lulls (haha). eggs is full of twisted wordplay, layered melodies, and intriguing instrumentation... sounds like a recipe for an "interesting" record not a good one, but this is a case where interesting and intelligent translates to likeable and accessible.
3 kanye west - "late registration" - oh kanye, my kanye. everyone at NPR (OK, not everyone, but people in multiple departments) calls me when he's on the TV. how can you dress like a countryclubber and rock me so hard?
2 sufjan stevens - "illinois" - simply the best. ok, second best. 2/3 of these songs make my heart soar, the other 1/3 are better than 99% of all music ever. what can i say that hasn't been said?
1 crooked fingers - "dignity and shame" - just call me mrs. bachman. PLEASE call me mrs. bachman. take heed of my call to love. perfect perfect album, not a dud on it, and each song invites you in and makes you part of it. definitely the album most like living your own movie.
