Sound Salvation Army

Ooooh, boy. Year-end list. Best albums of 2009. Here we go.

I’m going to start with the ones that didn’t quite make it, the albums that were excellent but not the very top of the heap. Some Canadian groups shone brightly, groups like The Rest, Bruce Peninsula, and Passenger Action are getting off to amazing starts. Bob Mould continued to excel in his new solo career, his prolificness exceeded only by the quality of the songs. Austin Lucas continued to shine with the help of his friends and family and Tegan and Sara’s familial connection continued to result in great pop songs. Attack In Black, Vivian Girls, Manchester Orchestra, Two Hours Traffic, and Dead To Me put out great second albums. Thursday, Lucero (and Ben Nichols), Pete Yorn (with Scarlett Johansson), and William Elliott Whitmore all wrote compelling new chapters in their songbooks.

But I’m going with a top 20 this year for the absolute cream of the crop. Let’s begin.

20. Converge - Axe to Fall
This album is so good it makes me wish I listened to heavy music more often. It’s not their albums specifically, I just only listen to a few heavy bands with any regularity. I’ve always liked Converge but I tend to listen to them much less than most other heavy bands. Which is odd, because their work has been transcendental; they’ve changed hardcore at its very roots and literally everything they’ve done is as the very least highly interesting. This album is very, very good. It would be ranked higher if I felt compelled to listen to it more but for some inexplicable reason I just don’t. Even though it’s amazing.

19. the Danks - Are You Afraid Of The Danks?
Spiritual cousins to fellow PEI rockers Two Hours Traffic, the Danks have a slightly more energetic, driving sound that embraces the hooks-only aesthetic of bands like the Ramones. Throw together some Super Friendz, Thrush Hermit, Stone Roses, and Buzzcocks and you’ll be tapping your foot until you start to lose feeling (or until the half hour is up). Read more here and celebrate the East Coast resurgence.

18. We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
Perhaps their eyes are bigger than their stomachs, but We Were Promised Jetpacks have come forth with a stirring debut packed tight with tension and youthful energy. Compressed to within an inch of their lives, each song is big, loud, and brash and full of life. Not every moment is flawless, not every note resonates, but everything comes together in an inspiring package. Commenters liken it to a Scottish version of Bloc Party covering Thursday’s Full Collapse. Read more here and decide for yourself.

17. Bomb The Music Industry! - Scrambles
It took me forever to “get” Bomb The Music Industry! Or at least what seemed like forever, seeing as Jeff Rosenstock puts out an album or two every single year. While his arrangements continue to have a considerably chaotic tapestry this is lyrically his most mature offering to date. Yes, he’s aping Springsteen more than Black Flag but he’s also making it work. He still talks about “the scene” to an ob-scene degree (which is a little Inside Baseball for me sometimes) but no one speaks for the slowly-maturing punk rockers of this generation quite like he does.

16. Andy Shauf - Darker Days
This is easily one of the best albums released by a Regina artist in a long while. Shauf’s style is understated and gentle, his tender singing voice a perfect compliment to his acoustic guitar and banjo arrangements. Some are hushed and atmospheric, some are peppered with sprightly electric guitar runs, and all are imbued with the quiet intensity and intimacy of bedroom recordings. Even better for Shauf and the world at large, the album has been released on a wide scale by P Is For Panda, an imprint of the wonderful Hopeless Records. And he has a new EP out! Huzzah!

 

 Converge - Dark Horse [2:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Danks - 374 [2:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 We Were Promised Jetpacks - It's Thunder and It's Lightening [4:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Bomb The Music Industry! - Fresh Attitude, Young Body [3:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Andy Shauf - the Darker Night [3:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Andy Shauf: Website and iTunes
Bomb The Music Industry!: Donation-based label, vinyl purchasing, iTunes
We Were Promised Jetpacks: Fat Cat Records store, iTunes
the Danks: MapleMusic, iTunes
Converge: Buy music, iTunes

Pat entries acoustic, Andy Shauf, best ofs, Bomb The Music Industry!, Canadian content, Converge, pop rock, post-punk, punk rock, rock, the Danks, We Were Promised Jetpacks, year in review

Today we’re talking about two records. Two records that are joined at the hip, both philosophically and by personnel. Two records that share a love of major chords, handclaps, and classic pop sensibility. Two records that should offer yet another bump in profile for Prince Edward Island’s burgeoning rock scene.

Two Hours Traffic broke out thanks to an upbeat radio rock single a couple years ago and rode the album it was taken from to a Polaris Prize nomination (recently losing out to blog favourites Fucked Up). “Stuck For The Summer” was a cherry piece of guitar pop with an undercurrent of melancholy that was so good it (and two other gems) were taken from a preceding EP and re-recorded for the album Little Jabs. A few years later, the boys are back with another full-length, produced once again by Island chum Joel Plaskett.

The band is continuing to develop its own rock and roll take on radio pop of an era long since past. Most of the songs here coast along on a mid-temp groove, propulsive bass providing a solid backbone to the relaxed feel of tunes like “Weightless One,” “Drop Alcohol,” “Painted Halo,” and others. Not to say its a “softer” album, but the record as a whole is a more down-tempo affair, relying less on upbeat, peppy arrangements and focusing more on tense, airy grooves and an expanded lyrical focus. There are more sing-song tracks, greater use of acoustic guitar and sunny vocal harmonies.

Taking a more serious approach this time around, there are songs about the dangers of alcohol dependence, one-sided relationships, and the camaraderie of misguided youths. Possibly their most engaging and atypical song yet, “Sing A Little Hymn” is an honest number about singer Liam Corcoran’s modicum of faith. He talks about a simple method he uses to lift his spirits without being overly spiritual. He’s far from evangelical, professing his adoration for both Darwin and the triceratops. But the gentle, piano-led track is quietly respectful of all levels of worship, emphasizing that Corcoran is mainly concerned about the wonder of love and its profundity.

Lead single “Territory” is one of few uptempo songs, recalling the rush of “Stuck For The Summer.” But by expanding on their sound and grabbing for the next rung Two Hours Traffic is taking another step towards longevity, even if youthful enthusiasm takes a hit.

The Danks flip the script, providing an eerily similar sound to Two Hours Traffic’s more upbeat moments, but with a quicker, more aggressive pace and tone. The guitar and bass comes courtesy of Two Hours Traffic personnel, but the vocal melodies and general tone of the songs definitely have a few things in common as well.

The general pop sensibility has close ties to both bands. Bouncy, simple bass lines, jangly guitar parts, and quietly emotive singers are common traits. Highlights on Are You Afraid Of The Danks? like “No Radio” and “Shifty” are the archetypes: jagged, raw-sounding guitar grabs your attention right out of the gate, falling off slightly as the vocals come in before reasserting itself in the chorus. Its a basic song structure as old as time itself, but the Danks’ unaggressive, unpretentious attitude puts the focus solely on the hooks and the strength of their arrangements. The bouncy “Die Young” sounds like a classic THT cut, its slinky bassline and tweaked guitar solo providing a danceable moment. The synth that opens “What’s The Rush?” could be ripped from a Cars album.

Frankly there isn’t a single dud in the bunch here, each song catchier than the one before it. This is driving music so good it will have you looking for an excuse to hit the road, even if only for a track or two. It cries out for motion, the blinking of the highway’s white line the perfect accompaniment.

I can only imagine that when these two groups hit the same stage back to back it rips open a hole in the time/rock continuum, plunging the audience into dizzying fits of ecstasy one has to see to believe. Dig it tonight in Regina at the Exchange and later elsewhere. You’ll regret it if you don’t. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but definitely when it comes time for next year’s Polaris nominations.

 

 Two Hours Traffic - Territory [2:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Two Hours Traffic - Just Listen [3:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Danks - No Radio [2:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Danks - 374 [2:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Two Hours Traffic merch is at Maple Music, as is the Danks. Convergence, meet synergy! Tour dates below!

October 8, 2009 - Sault Ste Marie, ON @ Lop Lops
October 9, 2009 - Sudbury, ON @ The Townehouse
October 10, 2009 - Brantford, ON @ The Ford Plant
October 13, 2009 - London, ON @ Call The Office
October 14, 2009 - Hamilton, ON @ Casbah
October 15, 2009 - Guelph, ON @ E-Bar
October 16, 2009 - Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
October 17, 2009 - Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
October 23, 2009 - Halifax, NS @ Coconut Grove (Halifax Pop Explosion)
October 24, 2009 - Charlottetown, PE @ Hunters Alehouse

Pat entries Canadian content, live music, PEI, pop rock, Prince Edward Island, punk rock, rock, the Danks, Two Hours Traffic