Walerstein’s Top 10 Albums. An Expression of My Generosity

Being that I am an infinitely generous, altruistic, and self-less individual, along with the fact that I couldn’t write about the contemporary music scene to save my life, I have handed the shofar to my good friend and fellow legal misfit, Matt Walerstein. Don’t let the serial killer stare fool you. Just like all guys with excessively spiky faux-hawks, Walerstein knows his music.

So without further adieu, let Matt Walerstein mesmerize you with “lush melodies” and “explosive falsettos”, here are the  Top 10 Albums of 2008.

Top Ten of 2008

1. Lisa Hannigan, Sea Sew

Showing the same flair for emotional vibrancy as her former boyfriend and musical cohort, Damien Rice, the Irish folk chanteuse weaves a stunningly beautiful tapestry of love and longing with her intimate voice and tender evocations of the sea.

2. Passion Pit, Chunk of Change EP

This playful set of songs, coursing with bellowing synths and explosive falsettos, was originally created as Valentine’s Day present for singer-songwriter, Michael Angelakos’s girlfriend. If all courtship displays were this ingenious, See’s Candy would be out of business. Everyone thank Michael’s girlfriend for sharing.

3. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago

Your first question will invariably be, “Why is he singing like that?” Your second, just as fated, “And why can’t I stop listening?” The sonic tableau may at first seem sparse and desolate, but give the album a chance. Amid that sense of emptiness lurks enough joy and grandeur to transform solitude into something resplendent. Justin Vernon recorded these songs at a cabin in Wisconsin; every time you listen you’ll find yourself there with him.

4. M83, Saturdays = Youth

Finding the perfect blend of billowing vocals and spiraling electronic harmonies, the veteran French-Electronic outfit led by Anthony Gonzales leaves you enveloped, tunneling through walls of ethereal sound. “We Own the Sky” might be the single of the year.

5. Frightened Rabbit, The Midnight Organ Fight

With manically strummed guitars and the momentum of a freight train, the divine opener, “The Modern Leper,” ushers in one of the most visceral albums you’ll ever hear. From there, it never lets up. And with lyrics like “it takes more than fucking someone to keep yourself warm” and “Jesus is just a Spanish boy’s name” sung in a thick Scottish brogue, the album is one of the few that can make you crack up as you rock out.

6. Ra Ra Riot, The Rhumb Line

“Dying is Fine” threads the first stanza of e.e. cummings, “dying is fine)but Death” into a rollicking chorus worthy of the poem. Indie Rock music that’s equal parts shimmering and literate? I think I’m in love.

7. Headlights, Some Racing, Some Stopping

Alternating between its male and female vocalist from track to track, the band channels the same aesthetic and structure that made Stars’ 2005 offering, “Set Yourself on Fire” such a masterpiece. The lush melodies and diaphanous “ooohs” leave you humming them for days on end.

8. School of Seven Bells, Alpinisms

The gorgeous Deheza twins match thumping beats with heavenly vocals and win the award for “most seamless delivery of polysyllabic lyrics” on the charmingly opaque chorus to the album’s seminal moment, “Half Asleep.”

9. Jon Mckiel, The Nature of Things

Mckiel’s grungy guitar riffs and understated delivery suggest what Ryan Adams might sound like if stripped of all the self-indulgence. The real triumph here though, is the pacing of the tracks. Even the softer numbers brim with expectation, before giving way to climactic finishes. Case in point, are the riveting drug abuse elegy, “Get Caught,” and the album standout, “Poor Heart.”

10. Robert Svensson, Young Punks Are On The Never-Never

The unheralded Swede uses a boyish voice and harmonic textures lifted from the ‘80s to embellish his debut collection of genre-defying pop. Svensson mixes up the emotional tone of the album nicely, capturing infectious joy on “Young Enough” before dialing it down on the reflective duet with Cokiyu, “Hum.” Overall, a fine effort with a delightful title.

Honorable Mention: Lykke Li, Youth Novels; Blind Pilot, Three Rounds and a Sound; Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes; Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours; Fredrik, Na Na Ni

Oakland Tree Hugger Rips Off Mambo Number 5

Whilst cruising down the street in my 64 Impala, Indie 103.1 began to blare one helluva catchy tune. Like Pavlov’s dog, I embarked on the ritual all young males must engage in when a jazzy song comes on the radio. My fingers began to gently tap the steering wheel and I did my best to channel Arthur Fonzarelli (pictured right) as I glared out my window at the foxy chicks in the car next to me. I quickly came to 2 realizations: 1) the foxy chicks were actually elderly Puerto Rican women and 2) this song was a clear rip-off of Mambo Number 5! Beat, harmony, style, baseline, everything was a  straight xerox copy of Mambo Number 5. There’s about as much separating these two songs as there is separating Christian Slater and Jack Nicholson. Not on my watch sir! No way I’m gonna just sit here and let some talentless nitwit impinge on Lou Bega’s masterpiece!

When I got home, my research revealed the song I was listening to was “Say Hey, I Love You” by Michael Franti. Franti hails from Oakland, home of such musical luminaries as MC Hammer and Barry Zito. Turns out some time around the turn of the century, Franti decided to go shoeless to protest poverty and has been barefoot ever since. So the question remains my readers, is Franti’s tune a “Mambo” knock-off? Will I have to get Lou Bega to shove a wing-tip straight up this shoeless wonder’s ass? As always my readers, you be the judge: