DM Stith's albums of the decade
In no particular order
I've recently reentered a solid loop of obsession over this album. Chan's voice is really strong here, and while it'll likely always be affected by sadness and silent neglect, here the spaces left by these traits are most appropriate. Good Woman, Keep on Runnin', Names, He War, Half of You -- where this album lacks a definite shape, the mystery of it makes the whole stronger.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
While the songs here are less lively than the two albums that followed, this is by far the most well-crafted and well-rounded BPB album to date and frames Will's persona in a beautiful light.
Richard James' previous releases had a sheen to them, brilliant for sure, but the faux-evil drama was always caked in sardonic crud. Here he's done away with charm and let the aesthetic grip a deeper part of his process -- he's let the extremes of his composition stay separate from one another. Nanou 2 and Avril 14th, two of the solo piano compositions featured on Drukqs, are more haunting in their bareness than the whole of his catalog combined.
Dude's a good songwriter /and/ a hot cheerleader. And I happen to know this is just the tip of the iceburg for the guy. Validating the American identity during the Bush era is an incredible feat.
There's always been something hard to accept about Animal Collective. While I love them, there's a consistent geometry to their songs. They've branded themselves with eclecticism. For whatever reason, Noah's album speaks to me more than the AC albums.
This album coulda been 10 minutes shorter and it would've been better for it (I'm looking at you "The Park" and "The Water")... Always seems to drag on, but there's something perfect about the pop on this record. And So Sorry is the perfect opener for this collection.
I've been waiting for a worthy follow-up to this record for 8 years. Gillian's got a voice so draped in wisdom and clarity, her songs about elvis and mlk jr. are perfectly grounded in something like southern gothic realism.
With the exception of the remix at the end of this album, I would listen on repeat to this all through my painting sessions in college. 12/12 is just a mess of beautiful things that evokes punches of color in haze and ends in a field recording of fireworks.
In highschool, I was hooked on smashing pumpkins and the 2001 soundtrack and Bjork. Who knew dumping all those things together could taste this good?
Other artist's top tens
All these lists were compiled into one Artist's top ten albums of the decade poll. But here are all the individual lists that went into it...
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