The Perch Top 5 Albums of the Year So Far
June is here already, which is crazy to think, and that means we’re halfway through the year. You know what that means. It’s time for my top 5 albums of the half year. I counted up the albums in my 2008 folder and I’ve got over 60 solid albums. It’s been a good year in music to say the least. But these five have stood above the rest and need to be in your collection if they’re not already. So, here’s your heads up.
5. Dodos – Visiter
Dodos came out of nowhere for me. They made Pitchfork’s best new music, which has become a very hit or miss thing for me anymore, and after listening to the song Pitchfork had featured, I went ahead and checked them out. Am I ever glad I did. Dodos’ music is a strange blend of acoustic guitar and percussion of all kinds. I can’t say I’ve heard anything quite like this album, and the more I listen to it, the more I like it. It’s a great, and very unique, sounding album that I honestly didn’t expect to hear this year. If that doesn’t get you interested in this album, I don’t know what will.
4. Frightened Rabbit – Midnight Organ Fight
I heard “The Modern Leper” a while ago and waited rather impatiently for their full length to finally be released so I could hear more. Thankfully it didn’t disappoint. Frightened Rabbit are a Scottish band, sounding somewhat like Snow Patrol minus the recent sappiness and commercial sound of recent Snow Patrol stuff. I used to really enjoy Snow Patrol, so I’m glad I’ve found a band that I have no problem replacing them with. The lead singer’s strong accent may get in the way of some of the songs for a few of you, but the lyrics are really well written and I rarely notice the accent anymore. That is, of course, unless I’m purposely singing in a Scottish accent with him. That’s always a good time.
3. Phantom Planet – Raise the Dead
I’m not going to lie. I didn’t expect to have a new Phantom Planet album on any top lists this year, but I just had to put this new release on the list. I enjoyed it at first, but then it just kept growing on me. “Leader” is one of my favorite Phantom Planet songs in quite a while, with the kids choir in the chorus putting it over the top for me. Many reviews touted it as the best Phantom Planet album yet, and while at first I was very skeptical to back those statements, I will agree that it’s right up there with any of their releases, being one of their most consistently good albums the whole way through. If you’re a Phantom Planet fan, there’s no reason you shouldn’t give this new one a listen. If you’re still on the fence with this band, you may want to give Raise the Dead some solid spins and I bet you’ll be surprised by how much you end up liking it.
2. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yetsin – Pershing
The other three albums on this list could easily be swapped out by other releases so far this year that I’ve enjoyed immensely, as they aren’t locks on the list by any means, but the top two stand above the rest by a mile. Boris Yeltsin’s latest release finds them sounding their most polished and professional yet, leaving behind their attic recording set-up for a much more professionally recorded sound. I’d heard most this album live over the last few years, since they’re from here in Springfield, but I had no idea the new album would end up sounding this good. Both this album and Cloud Cult’s at #1 have stood above the rest of 2008’s releases consistently despite both being released very early in the year, and I’ve lost count how many times I’ve shelved these albums for a few weeks while listening to all the new music that comes my way, only to pull them back out and putting them right back on repeat and enjoying them as much as ever. If you’re looking for an album you can listen to all summer, look no further than Boris Yeltsin’s Pershing.
1. Cloud Cult – Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
It depends on my mood at the time which album, this one or Pershing, is my #1 at the time, but one thing is for sure, I love this album. I was always somewhat hesitant to put Cloud Cult up there with my favorite bands, sticking my “favorite” label on them, but this album pretty much made it undeniable. Cloud Cult are one of my favorite bands. Each album is full of strings, great lyrics, catchy melodies, and Chris Minowa’s unique vocals and the songs just keep getting better and better with each new release. I almost didn’t catch this new album because most Cloud Cult albums have a few years in between releases. But Feel Good Ghosts was released in record time after The Meaning of 8 and it felt like Christmas came early for me once I heard that. The opener “No One Said It Would Be Easy” had me grinning from ear to ear upon first listen, and by the time the album was done, I knew this wouldn’t easily be dethroned this year. If you’re a fan of orchestral elements in your songs, you won’t find too many albums better than this one. It’s too early to say if Feel Good Ghosts will make my top spot by the end of the year after another six months, but I hope it does end up getting dethroned by another album, because quite frankly, if that happens, that would be one heck of a good album. Until that album comes along, I’ll just keep this new Cloud Cult album on repeat and let it continue being the soundtrack to my summer.
Frightened rabbit sounds like a scottish counting crows (counting crows when they were good). Love cloud cult, great live band. Haven;t gotten into this album as much as previous ones, might need to give it another chance.