DP39: #15-11

15. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (Vice)
It's a hit. Silent Alarm is a hit. The crazy thing about it all is that it's so damn good. Hits are supposed to be catchy and flavors of the moment, they're not supposed to be earth shattering and impressionably lasting. Bloc Party has put together a ginormous guitar rock album for the dance floor using all of its most powerful weapons: snaking and visceral guitar lines, the savage drumming of Matt Tong, rock solid basslines and Kele Okereke's emotional vocal, an urgent and epic yelp that makes each song some sort of youth anthem. While Franzie carbon-copies continue to try to out sass each other, Bloc Party has created a great pop record that isn't easily swallowable. And if you look past the haircuts, whitebelts and throngs of teen fans, you'll find a worthwhile and legitimate rock and roll treasure.

14. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (DFA)
How much longer can I keep this charade up? Everytime I talk ass-shaking, I must preface my inability and lack of desire to cut a rug. LCD Soundsystem nearly outright ruined me. James Murphy's dance band project has been killin' em softly with singles over the past few years but his debut full length is hands down the best dance album of the year, a mix of big beat, post-punk disco and a sick amount of percussive ingenuity. While the rest of meathead America has finally come around to mis-quoting the famous Blue Oyster Cult SNL skit, Murphy just lets the cowbell do the talking, and man, is he wearing gold diapers. Murphy's sonic gumbo is unbelieveably tasty, from the Pink Floyd hallucinatory "Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up" to the shit-is-bananas robot dance-inducing "Disco Infiltrator", and he does it seemingly effortlessly, nine solid tracks seem like a just a test-drive for the DFA head. One of these days, Murphy will force me to crossover for good. But until that day, I'll continue to nod my head civily, still retaining a shred of dignity. Just a shred.

13. Animal Collective - Feels (Fat Cat)
For some reason, I was contemplating the other day that the Brooklyn art-folk group Animal Collective should play an insane asylum. It'd be like Cash at Folsom prison, except at a nuthouse. I can picture the foursome rifling through their nutty and frentic pop songs from Feels while being showered by maniacal laughter and incessant crying. And when performing a slower ballady track like "Banshee Beat" they'd gather a group of patients who could "perform" their "imaginary tasks" as a sort of weird hand dance. It'd be lovely time, full of punch and pills, and some of the most crazy, beautiful, crazy/beautiful and imaginative music ever conceived. Then naptime would follow, or electro-shock therapy for any jerkface trying to stagedive.

12. of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins (Polyvinyl)
With every new of Montreal release, I feel like a father with a new child. I'm well-meaning, and have nothing but love to share with each of my "kids", but helpless favortisms and unneccessary comparisons begin to take shape. I feel guily. But today, I stand for this injustice no longer. It simply is not fair to compare. The Sunlandic Twins stands on its own as a brilliantly crafted electro-disco pysch-pop achievement by the Athens, Ga band. Barnes employs funky disco basslines, intertwined guitar and keyboard work and his signature pop hooks and melodies, almost like it's the same loveable music dressed in new threads. It might not play soccer as well as Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies, get better grades than The Gay Parade, or stay within the drawling lines of Satanic Panic in the Attic, but goshdarnit, it's still special child and it won't be neglected anymore.

11. Broadcast - Tender Buttons (Warp)
At first sampling, Broadcast's Tender Buttons seems like a gyp. A once great pyschdelic jazz space-lounge foursome have downsized to a duo, the drum machine is in full effect and the minimalist songs sound like they're never going to blossom. But Tender Buttons goes from being a drifting piece of debris to a divine pearl with each passing listen. Subtle and gauzy layers of electronic sound build around the fragments and with each layer, Trish Keenan and James Cargill's project takes more and more shape. This pearl is not perfect though, far from it, but its unique beauty is part of the attraction. Distorted keyboards and muddled noises makes Keenan's voice all the more at the forefront; her eerie and dreamy coo is like an echo, like a ghostly voice calling through the dense fog. It might be easy to spot blatant beauty when it's gleaming in your eye, but unearthing the oyster, cracking the shell and discovering the gem is far more rewarding.

Bloc Party: http://www.blocparty.com/
LCD Soundsystem: http://www.lcdsoundsystem.com/
Animal Collective: http://fat-cat.co.uk/
of Montreal: http://ofmontreal.net
Broadcast: http://www.broadcast.uk.net/