Top Albums Of T'Thousands 70-61

70. The Mountain Goats - Tallahassee [4AD - 2002]

A couple move into a house on Southwood Plantation Road in Tallahassee, Florida. The house is falling apart, representing their crumbling marriage. So is the premise for one of the most fully realised records John Darnielle has ever written. The rustic nature of the album's setting in the American deep south is clear for all to see through lyrical refrains telling of nature and wildlife in a dilapidated country house. As always, Darnielle is at his best when exploring the relationships between his characters. Singing "Our love is like the border between Greece and Albania" on 'International Small Arms Traffic Blues', Darnielle creates a level of depth and intimacy in his fictional creations that consistently staggers expectations. Listen to this story, and watch a marriage crumble, but still with a small seed of hope barely visible in its centre.

69. My Brightest Diamond - Bring Me The Workhorse [Asthmatic Kitty - 2006]

Shara Worden's world is one of late night art house, candelabra and inner thunder. Her voice is a revelation, the inherent passion in her raw and powerful vocal performances seems to come from the very pit of her stomach. In Bring Me The Workhorse, Worden crafts an enigmatic, female figure equally seductive and fierce. From the delicate imagery of 'Dragonfly' to the sheer belly-fire present in the closing moments of 'Golden Star', Worden shows both sides of an incredibly versatile musical repertoire. At the core of this record, you find her, alone and vulnerable with the music her only protective shell. Worden is an undeniable talent, not only writing but producing the whole album herself. A lyrical maelstrom tiptoeing between dark cabaret and damaged soul singer, mesmerising and intoxicating.

68. Emilíana Torrini - Fisherman's Woman [Rough Trade - 2005]

"I hope again to live this life, to see you once more before I died," these are the words Emilíana Torrini seems to whisper into your ear in the final seconds of 'Snow'. This is delicate Icelandic folk poetry, you can almost hear the wind rustle over these gentle, swaying arrangements. Strange sounds can be heard resting just behind the music lending it a natural and improvised feel, with which the oft-finger picked guitars blend so well. Torrini's voice is constantly lovable, you can just imagine yourself walking out of the cold and into a warm, firelit room to discover Torrini, the fisherman's woman, serenading you, offering you a warm bowl of soup and nursing you away from weariness.


67. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells [Sympathy For The Record Industry - 2001]

Few albums in recent years have had quite the impact that White Blood Cells did on its release in 2001. Along with The Strokes' Is This It, it was largely responsible for the garage rock revival at the turn of the century. And there are plenty of reasons on this record why, 16 reasons to be precise. Across the 16 tracks on this album, Jack and Meg White create some of the most addictive garage and blues-tinged indie rock of recent times. From the country sing-along of 'Hotel Yorba' to the darker, pulsating 'Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground', from indie crossover hit 'Fell In Love With A Girl' to the virtually schizophrenic Orson Welles tribute 'The Union Forever': This is one of the best cover to cover listens of recent times, Jack White's songwriting would never get better.

66. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven [Kranky - 2000]

There aren't many more records more suited to be the soundtrack to the end of the world than Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven. Radio static and sampled distant voices collide with cathartic bursts of noise and marching funeral dirges before falling into drawn out ambient piano figures. The whole spectrum of human emotion is seemingly laid out across this album's overlapping movements. Being more like a symphony than a traditional rock or pop album structurally has somehow allowed this record to become a far more uplifting and massive feat. If this is the music for the end of the world then at least when the rapture does come, there'll be at least one thing I won't have to worry about.

65. Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance [Matador - 2003]

Yet another band to form from the volcanic hotbed of creativity around short-lived Seattle math rock band Sharks Keep Moving, Pretty Girls Make Graves (PGMG) are one of many notable alumni of this most influential of bands. Along with Minus The Bear and The Blood Brothers, PGMG rose from the still smouldering embers of Sharks Keep Moving to leave a distinctive stamp on the indie landscape. With their magnum opus The New Romance, PGMG created a ferocious set of songs which were still incredibly dancey. Andrea Zollo brings a fiery punk attitude to a soundscape of off-kilter drums, interlocking twanging guitars and piercing electronics. Fierce and powerful, they will be missed.

64. Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass [Matador - 2006]

There aren't many bands capable of weaving intimate tales like Hoboken alternative legends Yo La Tengo. Yet in recent times, serious questions could be placed over the bands ability to keep things fresh after such a long time together. What I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass did was remind Yo La Tengo's extremely left of centre followers that they were still incredibly relevant and there was definite reason for Matador's unwavering support of the band. Guitar freakout bliss is evident from monumental opener 'Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind.' This is then counter-balanced by wonderful indie pop gems 'Beanbag Chair' and 'Mr Tough', as well as fuzzy ambient sweetness in 'I Feel Like Going Home.' That's just the first four songs, discover the rest and be rejuvenated.

63. Nina Nastasia - Dogs [Socialist - 2000]

Ah, the romance of the struggling musician, saved by their own music. It's a tale that's been being told since folk musicians were wandering here and there with only their trusty acoustic guitars for company. The year is 2000, and Nina Nastasia is a little known New York based singer-songwriter. Her debut record is initially largely unrecognised, that is until a copy finds its way to John Peel, courtesy of Steve Albini. Peel instantly falls in love with the record, describing it as "Astonishing" and repeatedly plays it on his radio show, earning Nastasia countless new fans. The rest as they say, is history. Dogs is an album that deserves every positive accord it receives. Nastasia is one of America's finest songwriters of recent times, from the ice-laden chamber pop of 'Judy's In The Sandbox' to the beautifully detached 'Stormy Weather', this record will haunt you but ultimately become a wonderful friend to you aswell.

62. Built To Spill - Ancient Melodies Of The Future [Warner - 2001]

On first impression, this may seem like standard indie fare. Band with seemingly quirky name release album with incredibly ostentatious title. This is not the case with this record however. From the wonderfully warm intro track 'Strange' which features Quasi's Sam Coomes and his trademark instrument, the Rocksichord, this album never disappoints. It does, to a certain extent, do exactly what it says on the tin. It supplies you with forty minutes of joyous, fuzzy, messy indie rock that is both uplifting and mind-bending. Will these be the ancient melodies that are remembered in the future? The legacy left behind by Built To Spill is already monumental, and if they don't get the recognition they deserve in the future, then I'd rather be ancient and closer to this.

61. Deerhoof - Reveille [Kill Rock Stars - 2002]

Reveille in French means to wake up. It is also the name given to a military bugle call, hence the horns adorning the cover. If any album on this list is going to wake you up this is certainly the one. This is Deerhoof at their very best, disturbing minds and creating some of the strangest musical juxtapositions you'll ever see. Note: The deflated clown horn on 'Sound The Alarm' clashing into the Sonic Youth styled guitars that immediately follow on 'This Magnificent Bird Will Rise'. Over the top is one of the most enduring elements of Deerhoof's work, Satomi Matsuzaki's vocals are playful and shrill, cute and terrifying. Stark extremities are somehow mixed into a sugar-fuelled, hyperactive mess of addictive pop melodies and ultimate noise terrorism. Reveille is certainly an eye-opener and it really ought to wake you up.