DP39: #25-21

25. Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger (Warp)
A few months ago I proclaimed that A Certain Trigger "is just there. Nothing more. It just exists to be a continuation of the soon to be faded post-punk rebirth." I might have actually believed this or more likely, I was trying to impress my then girlfriend who seemed to not buy into da Park, with some hip indifference. I was wrong and I am stupid. First of all, this pop music at it's classiest: hooks galore, jagged guitars and slightly subtler than the all out raucous Futureheads. Secondly, my girlfriend probably didn't even read this web log, so who the hell was I trying to impress? I'm still listening to this album, months later, with my foot securely in my mouth.

24. Chad VanGaalen - Infiniheart (Sub Pop)
The holiday season is upon us and my roommate Panther has been crushing mad hard on the festive tunes. So I revealed to her I recorded a Holiday EP nearly 5 years ago. What I didn't tell her was that I recorded it in my parent's bedroom, fearing some weird but fairly unprovoked oedipal accusation. In any case, Infiniheart is Chad VanGaalen's bedroom recording and its singer-songwriter meets indie rock is heavenly. VanGaalen's talent lies in his refined songwriting style and his unique presentations. One second, we're bumping to an electronic drum machine, the next, he's crooning folk-tastic. Furthermore, it's actually somewhat refreshing that Infiniheart has no semblance to a cohesive album. His random and succinct songs are more ideas, accentuating the sort of lo-fi genius in brilliant bursts. Suffice to say, Inifiniheart is about one billion times better than my EP, music-wise, but if we're talkin' geeky hilarity-wise, I think I might be able to hang.

23. Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers (Drag City)
A lot is made of David Berman being a poet, but how about the fact that he's got a fantastic ear for melody? Tanglewood Numbers is the album that cements this theory, a true rock band album ranging from the rollicking, psuedo-Sesame Street "Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed" to the crunchy and contemplative "Punks in the Beerlight". Berman's lyrics are of course, goofily scholarly and off-kilterly beautiful, and there are tons references and metaphors to his dark times of depression and substance abuse. But seriously when I hear him harmonize with Cassie Berman on the twang-pop of "Animal Shapes", everything surrounding the enigma that is Berman dissipates, and he simply is no longer just the troubled poet, but a fucking fantastic songwriter.

22. Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)
All I want for Xmas is to hear the MF Doom/Ghostface collabo. If this makes me a spoiled little brat, so be it. The Mouse and Mask should be sweet enough to satiate the biggest of hip hop appetities, but I guess you can say I'm just a glass half empty kinda person. I want more more more. Eventhough Doom brings his B+ game in lyrics, it's really all he needs as Dangermouse's beats completely carry the record. "El Chupa Libre" opens with Tribe-like hook while "Bizzy Box" recalls Dre on a happier (dre) day. But it's the orchestral soul delights of "Sofa King" and "Crosshairs" that really bring the house down. Doom is fine, just along for the ride; he must be saving his real good shit for a Ghostface collaboration, which if a rosy cheeked fat dude with toys happen to be reading this, I want right fucking now. Seriously Santa, let's make this happen.

21. Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures (Sub Pop)
"AC Newman, Matthew Friedberger and James Mercer all walk into a bar..." begins Jeremiah, to which we both almost simultaneous say: "and they all know Zach Rogue." Okay, so it lacks a punchline, but in all actuality, the joke is really on us. While we linger on how the Oakland-native dot-commer left his creatively-hindering yet super duper awesome band Desoto Reds to form a little act called Rogue Wave (an obligatory fact needed to be brought up in every mention of Rogue Wave), Schwartz aka Rogue and his misfit team of pop-lovers continue to forge on, making beautiful indie-pop music. "Catform" is at the top of the list going from twee folk finger picking to ominous fuzzed out atmosphere. It's a perfect example of how Descended Like Vultures is not as sacchrine as the mindblowing Out of the Shadow. However, this collection of strong tunes are arranged with much more density and complexity and a conscious effort to wander "out of shadow" (hi-oh!) of plain jane arrangements. Thank you, I'll be here all week.

Maximo Park: http://www.maximopark.com/
Chad VanGaalen: http://www.subpop.com/scripts/main/bands_page.php?id=445
Silver Jews: http://www.silverjews.net/
Danger Doom: http://www.dangerdoom.com/
Rogue Wave: http://www.roguewavemusic.com/