Numbers 10-6

10. The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible
Well, what can I say about The Arcade Fire that hasn’t already been said? They are the maturation of disaffected youth. They are the past tense of jaded angst. If Funeral was an ode to the desperate longing of school age love, then Neon Bible has got to be the summation of that unrequited ennui three years later. Three years of listless reverie met with the uncomfortable inevitability of waning light. Une Année Sans Lumière seems laughable when stacked up against eternity. That is the drive of Neon Bible. The innocence of Funeral is built up into a caricature of itself when the sad truth is, there doesn’t seem to be any left. Love becomes antagonism. Hope becomes dejection. Aspiration becomes spurn. Hey, growing up sucks, but at least there’s good music.
9. White Rabbits' Fort Nightly
Finally some pay-dirt from the big score promised by The Strokes. New York has it’s next great rock outfit. The kicker here is that they easily could have been tapped out after the ambitious opener Kid on My Shoulders. But they’re just not. They’re not even started. There are so many different looks here, the scathing vocals on I Used to Complain, the obligatory sing-a-long in The Plot, and that boogie inducing shuffling beat on Navy Wives. You just have to dance, and what’s more, you have to sing. It’s a very demanding listen, don’t get me wrong. You’ll probably even feel a little unprepared without a shaker of some sort for the experience. I’d recommend a cup, plastic or paper, with some candies or any sort of smooth round tiny thing. This is what music is supposed to do to people. It’s easy to forget that.
8. !!!'s Myth Takes
Nic Offer is the first great warrior for the white man’s right to dance. If you’ve seen Chk Chk Chk or Outhud live, then you know what I’m talking about. He’s got such style and finesse in all of his movement. What he lacks in grace, he makes up for in pure energy. Myth Takes isn’t an invitation to dance, it’s a goddamn commandment. Thou shalt look silly and get down to totally sweet tracks like Yadnus and Must Be the Moon. They have improved on every aspect of their sound without losing any of the goofy charm. The only thing we’ve lost from Louden Up Now is the loud. Maturation doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
7. Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam
Dave Portner is the Paul McCartney to Noah Lennox(a.k.a. Panda Bear)’s John Lennon. Yes, Person Pitch was fantastically awesome. The looping samples and harmonic cadences truly transcended anything Animal Collective had accomplished as a whole. That past tense, however, is the key. Their sound is officially innovative. They’ve been dancing (literally) along the border for quite some time, and Feels was certainly a huge leap in the right direction, but now they’ve really done it. For Reverend Green in the clean up position shows just what power pop truly means. Or should truly mean. It’s anger, it’s passion, it’s genuine unabated emotion, but it’s so catchy. And running in succession with Fireworks and all of it’s humble glory qualifies this album as top ten alone. Look out, future.
6. Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Animal Collective, however, was not the only band to take hold of their sound this year. Spoon has added another album to it’s growing repertoire of characteristically unapproachable, yet universally unforgettable sound. The Underdog is the official marker of the full circle they’ve traveled since 96’s Mantra of the Middleman Telephono. Why else would they have re-released Telephono the same year? Since Telephono, Spoon has learned much in the studio. The Ghost of You Lingers is the proof. All the haunting intrigue of Paper Tigers with the masterful artistry of The Delicate Place. Spoon has made a definitive mark between carefree experimentation and overly articulated pop. “It may not be photo-op/In the way that [they] spell it out.” But it is worth a second look. And a third, etc.