Maybe I'm making this up, but I think the pop music album is an odd format. To paraphrase some history, the round disc pressings we know started off as odd-formats intended to hold brief recordings of words and sounds, and thence to the round acetate and vinyl formats to carry songs. Technology then pushed longer and longer formats, standardized to encompass full classical works and operas. It was a short leap, then, to collect groups of songs into collections on the longer-format records. The concept of recording full albums of songs that had never been released as singles was a later development, and not necessarily a good one. Too often, these albums are a few singles padded out with filler to maximize profit - after all, for record labels, a CD single and CD album represent identical costs, but not identical profits. The mp3 began re-writing this formula throughout the decade, though, as of this writing, the re-birth of vinyl seems like a rebellion against the encroaching reign of ephemera.
The ten bands below represent the best bands I've found over the past few years who are commendably taking their time in building towards their first album. Some undoubtedly will tank without ever troubling the stockers at Best Buy. Others will sell out as quickly as possible, with NME covers and coke binges and iPod commercials presaging a slow decent into obscurity and audience-padding at the finale of Clash of the Choirs. Anyway, in the meantime, enjoy yet another pointless top ten list proving that I like things that don't matter:
1. Afraid of Stairs – Part of the Sweden’s Labrador Records shoegaze wave, started by the Radio Dept. and carried forward by the Mary Onettes. Two brilliant singles, and I check from time to time to see if an album is forthcoming.
http://twitter.com/afraidofstairs
2. Bellman Barker – The debut single, “Molly Malone,” was so good, I could not believe it came from DC. Live, they’re as euphorically wonderful a life-affirming show as you can see in town today. Band most likely to be featured on those Boston-Public-type shows.
3. The Bon Bon Club – The other two from the Long Blondes have a covers band (c.f., “Lullabye,” “Sex on Fire”) with enough skill and talent to go their own way, should they choose.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bon-Bon-Club/17573546902
4. Casper Bangs – DC’s own, best, most alarmingly accomplished band of the past few years. Along with Bellman Barker and Title Tracks, a triumvirate of untapped talent.
5. Delphic – With two singles on R&S (a Belgian techno label), I think they’re on the cusp of something great. Somewhere between Friendly Fires musical drive and New Order’s looping basslines with bits of Cut Copy’s euphoric techno/electro. Listen to “Counterpoint” to see what I mean. Also, they just got tipped to the BBC “Sound of 2010.”
6. Golden Filter – Two singles (“Solid Gold,” “Thunderbird”) and a slew of great remixes so far (Peter Bjorn and John especially), they could end up being the next on the Little Boots/La Roux train, but they sound just a little too austere to be a pop band. Dummy Records and Taxlo have been on top of this great band from the start. From New York by way of Ohio and Australia, naturally.
http://thegoldenfilter.com/
7. Marina and the Diamonds – My guess for the next really big thing. Her debut single, “Obsessions,” was good, the second, “I Am Not a Robot,” is life-affirmingly gorgeous (in spite of the shite video). The third single, “Mowgli’s Road,” is mediocore, but sold out in seconds. The new single, “Hollywood” may be her big pop breakout, and the video is breathtaking. They just got tipped to the BBC “Sound of 2010.”
http://marinaandthediamonds.com/
8. Mechanical Bride – Blue Roses stole a march on Mechanical Bride, who thus far have failed to put out anything but a clutch of limited-edition, exquisitely-packaged singles. “Poor Boy” was their perfect debut, a sparse piano and vocal song so sad, so gorgeous, so perfectly atmospheric, it seems to come from out of time. “Umbrella” completely inverts the pop nature of Rhianna’s pop pap, and, to be honest, I thought the radio version was a cover rather than the other way around. They were rumored to have an album coming up in April 2009. Yeah, 8 months ago.
http://www.myspace.com/mechanicalbride
9. The Ruling Class – With one single on Shelflife and a re-release of two of those tracks on Loog, I’m starting to wonder if they were a six-song wonder? Mind you, these are six of the most exquisitely perfect Stone Roses pastiches ever made. “Flowers,” “Umbrella Folds,” it’s like the Waterfall never stopped…
10. Title Tracks – As mentioned before, DC is doing really well right now. Title Tracks is the masculine half of Georgie James, abandoning the 70s folk fug that surrounded that band in favor of XTC/Elvis Costello-inflected genius. On record, they make great lost postpunk classics. Live, they’re a revelation. Breaking news: album due in February. Or April.
God loves a cheerful giver.
no midnight kids?
wheretf is true womanhood on here?