Wow. What great luck! Once I decide to honor the beast of a man known as Joe Blanton, his name comes up in a very serious rumor that has him packing his bags for New York (for the ridiculously radically-named Lastings Milledge aka "Da Edge"... yes, if the deal goes down, next year's year end list will carry that moniker in some way).
In any case, let's move ahead with the Blant list, after the jump of course.
50. The Knife - Silent Shout (Mute)
While it is true that I hold a little less interest in the electro-trance set, these P-fork darlings (ahem, IDOLS?) are really from another world. Retaining only an essence of their past poppier creations, the bro-sis duo embarked on a crusade of very dark proportions, leaning heavily on unique rhythms and minor-key melodies. Silent Shout is an achievement undoubtedly, but like many pop-rock enthusiasts like me, I don't like being grinded on.
49. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere (Downtown)
Sometimes an idea is all you need. In the case of Gnarls Barkley, a fantastic, quirkily magical melding of larger-than-life soulman Cee-Lo Green and biggest-beat producer Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, one idea stretches itself a tad thin, leading to an inconsistent record. But it's flashes of brilliance (and one huge blast called "Crazy") that keeps St. Elsewhere's discombobulated head afloat.
48. Man Man - Six Demon Bag (Ace Fu)
Reference Big Trouble in Little China an you shall be granted a spot on the list. Not to mention, these insane gentlemen are one of the top live acts on the circuit today. The album? It's alright.
47. Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55 (WEA International)
Daughter of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, star of the my fave film of '06, collaborator of Air, Jarvis Cocker, Neil Hannon and Nigel Godrich (who lent his production hand to 5:55), and a platinum selling artist in France, Charlotte Gainsbourg, plainly put, is IT. With her breathy vocal, spiced with an accent half British and half French, she just might be the most charming lady in the whole world.
46. Liars - Drum's Not Dead (Mute)
Let me present an entry from David Kamp and Steven Daly's Rock Snob*s Dictionary: "Rewards repeated listens. Euphemistic phrase employed by rock critics to confer value upon a dubious musical work that, given the reputations involved, has to be better than it sounds." I'm not sure Drum's Not Dead was just beaten into me through repeated listens, or if the inventive tribal drums and drone soundscapes than scored my afternoon naps for a week (acting as catalysts for unbelieveable dreams) turned me. But dude, after writing it off following the first three listens, this blew my mind.
45. Envelopes - Demon (Brille)
In my mind, Envelopes are Sweden's B52s... but rough around the edges. Demon is crafted recklessly with really no sense of care or delicacy. Like a ball pool or a romper room, it's exhilarating, footloose and fancy free. This is pop sitting in the muck making mud pies in the rain.
44. Cat Power - The Greatest (Matador)
Jesse Steinchen once told me that the first Cat Power record you hear first is usually your favorite, that is why Moon Pix will always my favorite and You Are Free his. Now that I've established that the ironically-titled The Greatest is not my end all be all Chan Marshall record, I can sing its praises of stepping out of the box. Marshall enlisted the Memphis Blues Band (Al Green's guys) which upps the "soul"-rating by a hundred thousand and compliments her low-register vocal to almost preposterous ends (hear: "Love and Communication") . But yeah, Moon Pix is the best.
43. Malajube - Tromp L'oeil (Ninja Tune)
French Canada is a breeding ground of these art-rock outfits. Malajube plays with the fervor and frenzy of Wolf Parade and mixes in the sweeping minor chord melodies of The Arcade Fire. On top of that, their avant-pop is powered by French singing without the slightest bit of pretention, because of the unabashed exuberance and complete lack of self consciousness that surrounds it.
42. Built to Spill - You in Reverse (Warner Bros.)
You in Reverse marks a sort of clever return of the Idaho-ians (help me out here), one in which they ditch the sleek stylings of Phil Ek's production and just go for that crunchy jam. While the hooks are still there, they seem to be a little dirtier and more hapahazard, as Doug Martsch and company show that a machine with little grime and clunkiness is just a solid way to show people that the parts still work and strive on character.
41. Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor (Atlantic)
What can I say? Chicago has my heart. Fiasco's witty accesibility and thoughtful flow glide through decent enough beats and appearances from Jigga, Kanye and The Neptunes and never really stop soaring. The pearl of Food & Liquor lies in the coupled "Kick, Push", a hook-laden explosion of energy and the plinking pianos of the Dr. Dre-esque "Kick, Push II". Chicago, what a wonderful town.
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