Top Albums Of T'Thousands 80-71

80. Film School - Film School [Beggars Banquet - 2006]

Shoegaze is the music of dreams. It is inherent in the DNA of the genre, the ethereal nature of the guitar and vocal sounds just lend to a blurry atmosphere that makes one reminisce of the otherworldly landscapes of their dreams. What Film School did for the shoegaze movement was to drag it kicking and screaming back down to Earth and onto the living, breathing streets of downtown New York. The dreamy nature of the music is still there but it has been ruptured with a sense of urban isolation and paranoid realism that brings modern life to the fore. Lurking around every dark corner of this record is another hook to keep you coming back and roaming these streets at night.


79. Oxford Collapse - Bits [Sub Pop - 2008]

What a shame that Bits, the final release from Brooklyn indie rockers Oxford Collapse, would turn out to be the finest record they'd ever make. After years spent releasing little known gems on a plethora of indie labels, the lo-fi fanatics moved into the big leagues by signing to Sub Pop in 2006. What followed were two albums of sheer, noisy joy, the latter of which, Bits, seemed like the summation of what they were building towards. Thirteen nuggets of messy but mesmerising indie basement rock. Pick up without a second thought and soak up the good vibes they are sadly no longer beaming on out into the world.



78. Feist - Let It Die [Arts & Crafts - 2004]

The first lady of Canadian indie, ladies and gentlemen, Leslie Feist. On her second release Feist mixes elements of indie rock, bossa nova and jazz to create one of the most eclectic records in recent times. The years of experience gained from performing with bands such as Broken Social Scene is clearly noticeable on Let It Die, largely down to the huge jump in quality from 1999's Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down). Single 'Mushaboom' is undeniably one of the most infectious pop songs you're ever likely to hear. Be warned though, you may just fall in love with this women.



77. Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time [Sub Pop - 2006]

From its very first moments this record crashes its way into your mind, casting aside everything there and replacing it with a childlike sense of wonder. Drums crash and guitars chime building into dense, emotion laden walls of sound that leave nothing behind. The ten songs on this album tell cinematic, picturesque stories of love and loss. It may sound somewhat clichéd but this is just one of those records that deserve these sentiments, it will wrap you up in its frosty sound and imagery and keep you there as long as you please.




76. Portishead - Third [Island - 2008]

This was something I thought I'd never see, Portishead coming back with new material, and whats more, it is consistently enthralling throughout. Beth Gibbons can still lure you in with her distinctively icy yet simultaneously seductive voice, caressing you into a stupor. The dark nature of Portishead's music is still there with a mood of isolation dominating the 50 minutes of the album. This is a record that deserves to be held in as high regard as the band's 90s releases. It is without a doubt one of the most startlingly genuine and original releases of the last ten years.



75. Test Icicles - For Screening Purposes Only [Domino - 2005]

A certain trend-setting indie magazine (read rag) once reviewed this album as "More vital than haemoglobin." Is this statement really apt? Treading a fine line between indie rock, dance punk and robo-metal breakdowns, this is one of the most innovative records you will ever hear. It sounds like the living, breathing embodiment of London teen nightlife at the midpoint of the decade, mashing every edge of the capital's music scene into one big deformity. Like many deformities however, it is strangely beautiful. Thrilling, horrifically original and yes, if you wanted to be hip at the time, "More vital than haemoglobin."



74. TV On The Radio - Dear Science [4AD - 2008]

"Dear Science, please start solving problems and curing diseases or shut the fuck up." So said David Sitek in a note left during the recording of this very album, hence its title. This record really brings the groove to healing vibes. No, it's not a new-age, self help record but a warming reminder of musical creativity at the start of a new century. Dark beats allow slick basslines and fuzzy synths to create an atmosphere of smokey funk that Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malones' vocals just seem to complete. It's otherworldly and alien but ultimately rewarding and heartwarming without losing any of its groove. It won't be curing any diseases but Sitek's technical wizardry is giving science a run for its money.


73. Radiohead - Hail To The Thief [Parlophone - 2003]

2 + 2 = 5? "Freedom is the freedom to say 2 + 2 = 4." Opening with a track loosely based around 1984 by George Orwell seems incredibly fitting for Radiohead. The album's intro comes across as one huge explosion of the sort of angst few can produce like Thom Yorke, and this time it's heading straight at the totalitarian governments of the 21st century. George Bush, terrorism, the Iraq war (see the album cover), all are lambasted here. This is vintage Radiohead from start to finish, following on from the explosive intro, there's the lunar atmospherics of 'Sail To The Moon' through to the dark synth led beat of 'Myxomatosis'. This is a band that truly cannot take a step wrong, proving why they are perhaps the most innovative band of the last decade.

72. Joanna Newsom - Ys [Drag City - 2006]

An undisputedly grand gesture from one of the more interesting female folksters of recent years. Almost an hour long and yet comprising only 5 songs, Ys finds Joanna Newsom creating epic, lush arrangements of the sort of forest folk she is known for. Newsom's trademark harp sound is here for all to see. Only this time it is pitted against a backdrop of numerous orchestral accompaniments. What this does is create a dynamic plateau for Newsom's forest imp like voice to run across, telling stories of pastoral imagery that create a wonderfully rustic but beautiful atmosphere. A truly bedazzling hour of music that will leave you spellbound and running around in mother nature just as you did when you were a child.

71. The For Carnation - The For Carnation [Touch & Go - 2000]

Never judge a book by it's cover. In my mind, this has always been a statement that's been fairly questionable. What are the two primary colours you see on the sleeve of The For Carnation's self-titled LP? Black and blue. This is visually at least, the summation of this record. Black and blue, dark but sombre. Slow grooves unravel themselves over lengthy phrases clouded in a smokey haze. Vocals are whispered (what would you expect from former Slint vocalist Brian McMahon..), arrangements are sparse and the outlook is bleak. This is quiet desperation but also bitter resentment. When McMahon simply says: "My days of seeing you are done." on intro track 'Emp. Man's Blues' you can really feel the man distancing himself from everything and losing himself in the music's dark and haunting undercurrents.