Musically this sounds like a positive album. Jurado softly croons through most of the songs, lulling the listener with acoustic guitars and reserved pianos and gentle percussion. It's all very serene. But then, of course, you tune into the lyrics and suddenly your whole world is devastated. And just to make sure your soul is adequately crushed he scalds you with surprising vitriol in the song "Icicle." So awesome.
Damien Jurado - White Center
Damien Jurado - Icicle
89) Chris Staples - Blackest Hair, Bluest Eyes
Not quite lo-fi, not quite hi-fi, Christ Staple's first (and so far only) commercial solo release is a mid-fi exploration of mid-western Americana folk rock. A few tracks can be found on his previous two self-produced independent releases, but if you're like me you own all three anyway.
Chris Staples - Blackest Hair, Bluest Eyes
88) Uncle Bob Drives a Combine - Episode III: The Journey Begins
This album is a mind-boinking trip. Episode III tells the story of a man who heads for the city, meets his robot spirit guide (?!) and is eventually befallen by calamity. The music is one part Western soundtrack, one part grindcore, one part sci-fi, and one part... farm. It all comes together to form a killer brain hemorrhaging experience.
Uncle Bob Drives a Combine - Interlude V: Moo!
87) Jose Gonzalez - Veneer
The most relaxing music ever. Gonzalez's voice is gentle, his guitar is gentle, and his songs are perfectly and subtly crafted. Most surprising is his heart-squeezing rendition of "Heartbeats," originally done by the sharp Swedish electronic duo The Knife.
86) Frank Black and the Catholics - Black Letter Days
A good collection of solid catchy, bluesy (but not the blues), acoustic and plugged-in rock. It made the dissolution of the Pixies easier to tolerate, although they're back together now so it really doesn't matter. Everybody wins.
Frank Black and the Catholics - Chip Away Boy
85) Ozma - Rock and Roll Part Three
From their first full-length studio album, Ozma delivers the nerdy power-pop. The best and worst lyric you'll ever hear, from "Apple Trees":
"Take a number like 5, times 10, times 10 again.Rock and Roll is full of goofy lines like that. Also, track four is a big blatant ode to Natalie Portman. It's called "Natalie Portman."
500 miles of apple orchards to defend."
Ozma - Shooting Stars
Ozma - Battlescars
84) Suffering & the Hideous Thieves - Real Panic Formed
From the very first track (about anti-depressants!) to the last (an eleven-minute lyrical foray into emotional self-torture following the disintegration of a relationship), Real Panic Formed is an unhappy, though probably very necessary, listening experience.
Suffering & the Hideous Thieves - The Other Side of the Moon
Suffering & the Hideous Thieves - Sex is Dead
83) Air - Pocket Symphony
The music of Air is very chill and is the perfect soundtrack to anything. Driving? Eating? Love-making? Dying? Any given song from Pocket Symphony has it covered.
Air - Once Upon a Time
82) Extol - Synergy
Synergy, when it was first released, was a severe departure for the band musically. Suddenly Extol was a thrash metal band instead of a black metal one. For better or worse, due to this shift the songs of Synergy are more accessible than the ones found on their previous albums. Regardless of how this effects you as a metal-head, be assured that their metal-playing abilities were not diminished. Not in the slightest.
Extol - Grace for Succession
81) Songs: Ohia - Didn't It Rain
Minimal and dreary, this album showcases Jason Molina's excellent song-crafting abilities. A rung below Americana, a rung above folk, a rung with some blues influence, and a rung unremoved from indie lo-fi, these tunes are deceptively difficult to define but enthralling to hear.
Songs: Ohia - Two Blue Lights
