Ryan's Top Picks for 2010

It was an interesting year for music. A lot of great tunes came out, and a lot more crap ones, but it seemed to me like there was no real dominant theme or pattern to anything that was coming out. Here's some stuff that I did like:

Top 5 Albums of the Year

5. Record in a Bag, Hollerado: Ten years from now, this one might not hold up as one of the greatest albums of our time, but for now it’s a fun, danceable rock and roll record that kept me entertained throughout the year.
4. Slash, Slash: The idea here wasn’t a new one - you have to look no farther than the last decade of Santana’s career to see an execution of “Famous guitarist records an album with a series of guest vocalists”. Like with the Santana albums, the result is a little eclectic, and doesn’t always feel like what an ‘album’ classically has. There’s some excellent guitar work throughout, though, and if you were ever the kid sitting around saying “Yeah, but could you imagine if Slash and Ozzy were in a band together?”
3. Tron: Legacy Sountrack, Daft Punk: I realize I’m most likely going to get mocked for this choice. Allow yourself to forget, for a moment, that it’s a soundtrack to a Disney film. What you find yourself listening to when you do is a finely honed, perfectly orchestrated electronic concept album. I’m often critical of electronic music as being soulless and shallow, but Daft Punk proves that need not be the case with this album.
2. The Suburbs, The Arcade Fire: I live in the suburbs, and have for most of my life. One thing that I’ve been acutely aware of as a result is the reflexive sense of scorn that city-dwellers feel for the burbs. There’s a lot more going on than meets the eye, though, and Arcade Fire chronicles that in this album, which isn’t a concept album in the traditional sense, but does manage to maintain a strong sense of theme throughout it.
1. Brothers, The Black Keys: I first got interested in this album entirely because of the cover art - simple white text on a black background declaring “This is an album by The Black Keys. The name of the album is Brothers.” Which in itself is a declaration - that the album doesn’t need to win you over, because it’s strong enough to not worry about such things. It was an accurate assessment, and the blues-influenced rock (or is it rock-influenced blues? I’m not quite sure) turned me into a fan on my first listen.

Top 10 Songs of the Year

10. Juliette - Hollerado The chorus of this song makes it an instant summer classic. Hook-laden, poppy, catchy, I found myself singing this one at odd moments for months.
9. This Too Shall Pass - OK Go The music video has fast become a dying art form, with most bands going with the tried and true rather than taking creative chances. OK Go is shaming all those bands, and making great tunes along the way. This is just one of them.
8. Trace Decay - Wintersleep I was excited about the New Inheritors, but didn’t find it to be that great upon listening to it. This track is stellar, though.
7. Highway of Heroes - The Trews All wars are tragedies, and the Trews definitely seem to understand that with this song, which walks the fine line of respecting and honouring the fallen without turning jingoistic or blindly patriotic. It’s a subtle song that I think a lot of people overlooked because of its subject matter.
6. I Was A Teenage Anarchist - Against Me! There’s something almost anachronistic about this song - it’s got a classic punk feel that seems almost out of place in 2010, but then again, nostalgia is always anachronistic, isn’t it?
5. Les Chemins de Verre - Karkwa A lot of people were upset at Karkwa winning the Polaris prize this year. Not me. It wouldn’t have been my first choice, but songs like this one are great arguments as to why they deserved the nod.
4. Ready to Start - Arcade Fire The strongest song on a strong album. Welcoming and accessible, just as any single should be, but not in a cloying or needy way. If Arcade Fire wasn’t on your radar before this one, they definitely should be now.
3. Black Sheep - Metric If nothing else, this song’s a statement as to how powerful of an album Fantasies was, that one of its B-sides is better than the A-sides on most albums.
2.Rose Garden - Shad. This song is one of the reasons I’m glad we started the Polaris blog. Hadn’t heard of Shad before, and probably wouldn’t have heard him if not for the blog, and I walked away with one of the most entertaining songs of the year.
1. Ten Cent Pistol - The Black Keys. The blues are about pain, and dealing with pain, and there’s no pain deeper than a partner who’s cheated on you. That was true in Hendrix’s Hey Joe, and it’s true in this tune, about a woman done wrong who seeks her revenge.

Biggest Flop of the Year
20Ten, Prince I really wanted to like this - Prince’s music in the last decade has shown that he’s still a competent, capable musician in spite of all the craziness that usually surrounds him (check out the instrumental jazz album NEWS or 3121 to see what I’m talking about). This album feels only half-finished in comparison, and doesn’t hold a candle to the others.

Dave's Top Picks of 2010

This year in music was a confusing year. On one side it was filled with a mish mash of pop songs and dance hits, and on the other it was a beautiful harvest of artists creating reflective music of their times. If you stand back in 10 years and look at 2010, it probably won;t be a year that changed music or culture, but it probably will be a year that won;t be forgotten either. Here are my Top 10 songs, Top 5 Albums and my biggest flop. Enjoy and feel free to disagree - that's why we do it, to foster debate. Nothing on my list is on any order either, just as it came to me, don't read too much into that part of it.

TOP 10 SONGS

1. Kanye West - Runaway - The moment i saw this at the VMAs I was connected with it. Everything else after it has been a bonus. Kanye has lived up to the bravado and the image, and in the end it's really art that pushes expectations.

2. Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars - A song to define the year. Loud, frenetic buy still full of melody.

3. Cee Loo Green - Fuck You - Amazing amazing amazing.

4. Eminem - Not Afraid - Perfect single for a comeback that is full of repent. Honest? I hope so, for fans sake.

5. Jay Malinowski - How It Comes - This is the song that stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it. A really underrated album too.

6. Shad - Rose Garden - A hooky soul driven jam that optimized summer for lots of people in this country. This song is a huge step for Shad, proving he's not just the run of the mill MC in this country either, he's got staying power and a huge ability to move beyond what people expect of Canadian Hip-Hop

7. Arcade Fire - We Used Wait - Sums up my teenage life along with this albums sentiments perfectly. Angsty, remorseful, and performed to a tee. The video is also magical and visionary.

8. Broken Social Scene - Sweetest Kill - A song that hits me right where I need it too every time i listen to it. It's haunting, and sticks with you for days - in the best way possible. A slow burn of the perfect kind.

9. The Black Keys - Never Give You Up - Any song from this album could have been on my list really but Never Give You Up echoes the the roots of what made me love The Black Keys way back when. Grab you're love and have slow dance to end the year, make them feel special and forgive people, just forgive.

10. Band Of Horses - Laredo - This track is a stand out for me on this album that surprised me from top to bottom. It proves that American rock legacy is in good hands, and that today's bands can still write a solid rock song, without ostracizing their fans, but still including others. That guitar lick is also just dirty enought.

TOP 5 ALBUM

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record: I was harsh on these guys in my Polaris review but this album is one I revisit again and again for sheer enjoyment. After seeing them live in Vancouver by myself, I was convinced this record was something that would stick with me for ages, and that I was quick to judge it based soley on a week or two worth of listening.

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: As an artist he put tons of preassure on himself to deliver a landmark album. For musics sake he did. We'll all look back on MBDTF in 10 years and realize how influential it is - there's no doubt kids in basements everywhere are trying to replicate this, heck, even Diddy Dirty Money is trying to replicate this. It truly did become a cultural movement for a short time - with ALL CAPS.

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs: This band does everything I love about music on this album. And most of all it feels so fucking relevant to everyone, everywhere.

The Black Keys - Brothers: I've loved this band for a long time, and I was hesitant when I heard they were going 4 piece. Still knock down rock, with the softest touch - only they could pull off such a rise to stardom with such a fantastic album. Sweaty, sweaty, sweaty rock.

Band Of Horses - Infinite Arms: This band started from scratch this year. They fired everyone, and hired all new players, and still they put out a solid record that slowly takes listeners through the emotional journey of an artist. This band is on the cusp of bigger things really - the next Kings of Leon maybe.

BIGGEST FLOP

When I interviewed bands and artists for a living I had a line I'd use when I'd meet them: if I liked the album I'd say so. If I didn't like it I'd say 'congrats on getting this out'. I know, I know - totally transparent and slimey but I was 22 and back then thought it was a smart thing to say. This year I'd have to say the artist that deserves biggest 'congrats' is: Interpol. One of my favorite bands phoned it in, and maybe packed it in for good too with their self titled release this year. Very disappointing for me and a world full of fans craving a record.

Gary's Top Picks for 2010

Looking back over 2010 the first thing I noticed is that this year didn't have the same quantity of amazing songs and albums that previous years offered. That's not to say the albums that did make the list weren't deserving. There were some great tracks and it made narrowing the list down much easier. So with that here are my tops songs and albums of 2010.

Top 10 Songs

Kanye West - Power: The first minute of this song gets the adrenaline flowing. Try as I might to dislike Kanye's ego and bravado this song is just really good. Plus his Saturday Night Live performance was pure spectacle.

Broken Bells - The High Road: I expected a lot more from this album which I found, on the whole pretty underwhelming. That said, this song is solid.

Foster The Kids - Pumped up Kicks: Not knowing much about the band, this song crept out of nowhere to leave an impression.

Tegan and Sara - On Directing: This one song encapsulates all the things that make this duo great.

Beach House - Zebra: Emotionally this track means a lot to me. I've played it a lot over the year and expect to hear it a lot in 2011.

Arcade Fire - Rococo: There's something oddly affecting about the repetitive chorus and swelling stomp of this one. I can't help but love the depiction of how naive we are as teenagers thinking we know what life is all about.

The Black Keys - Tighten Up: Such an amazing groove and the whistling at the start gets me every time.

Broken Social Scene - Meet Me in the Basement: I thought this song was good after hearing it on the album. I thought it was amazing after seeing the video, post-G20 Toronto riots.

Ok Go - WTF: Just watch the video and try not to be amazed.

Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars: My favourite song for 2010 and with blazing guitars and screeching vocals, it should be evident why.

Top 5 6 albums

Beach House: Teen Dream: It's a simple well written album that evokes so much emotion (as mentioned above). I'm so eager to hear what they come up with next.

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record: I couldn't stop listening to this album all summer. There's virtually no missteps; so solid from start to finish.

Sleigh Bells - Treats: After hearing Infinity Guitars I had to see what the rest of the album was like. No two songs are alike and everything is short, sweet and to the point. I fully expect the track Rill Rill to catch a lot of people's attention very soon.

The Black Keys - Brothers: Dirty, dirty old school rhythm and blues. Indie music's hardest working duo.

Karkwa - Les Chemin De Verre: There were some people scratching their head when Karkwa won the Polaris Prize this year. But one listen to this haunting and beautiful album should explain why the were so deserving.

Arcade Fire - Suburbs: I hated Arcade Fire's last album Neon Bible. I thought it was the height of pretension and all that was wrong with indie music. So I went into this album expecting more of the same. I was so wrong. Arcade Fire have produced a personal yet epic sounding album that flows perfectly and hits all the right notes. You can consider me a fan once again.

Honourable Mentions - Ok Go - Of The Blue Colour of the Sky, Wintersleep - New Inheritors

Biggest Flop

Kings of Leon - Radioactive: I won't get to deep into how big a fan I was and how the first two albums exist in a very sacred place for me. I don't want to sound like one of those snobbish people who constantly go on about how great a band was when no one else was listening. But, this song (and the album) is terrible. The video is awkward and forced, the band has shed all the urgency and desperation that made them great and traded it in for the polished, top 40, gosh-I-wish-we-could-be-on-Glee commercialism that ruined bands like U2 and Coldplay.

Ryan's Tegan and Sara Review

Love stories are tricky, and telling them in song there’s no exception to that. Part of this stems from cynicism – there is a lot of film, music, and literature that go around calling themselves love stories, but they're really empty, and talk about what is at best a childish understanding of the emotions involved and at worst a form of emotional sociopathy. Take a look at the “romantic comedies” that fill up the movie theatres in the summer, or the “love songs” that fill up the Billboard charts and you get an idea of what I'm talking about. Part of it also stems from the fact that falling in love is a scary and dangerous thing. An author I like, Wil McCarthy, once compared love to gravity – a powerful force, but one that can destroy you if you're not careful around it.

Tegan and Sara Quin realize this about love, but they went and wrote an album about love anyways. Sainthood realizes the pitfalls of writing about love – as the ladies sing on Hell, “These words are over-used”, but that's the thing about love: the cliches don't matter anymore, and it doesn't matter that the fire will burn you if you get to close. You're in love, and you want to let the whole damn world know.

Now, once you've acknowledged that there's a lot of cliches out there about love, you become obligated to avoid those cliches, and Tegan and Sara do that well with this album by not only focusing on the positive rush of endorphines you get in that initial stage of immature love. Instead, they've crafted an album that covers the entire narrative arc of a relationship. The first stage of the album is the first three songs: Arrow, Don't Rush, and Hell, which look at the initial attraction and starting of a relationship, and the emotional roller-coasters that result from that. The next two songs look at the infatuation of the early stages of a relationship. The Cure marks a move away from this – there's a notable change in the narrative voice and in the subject matter of the lyrics, and you can tell that we're getting a more mature, understated view of love – one that's willing to sacrifice, and put the other person ahead of yourself.

Sadly, though, this is not one of those love stories that end happily; the last few tracks look at the end of a relationship, and they give the album a bit of a bittersweet aftertaste as a result. It's more sweet than bitter, though, and like the narrator of this love story, you feel like you've learned from the experience. Listening to albums all the way through, in the order the artist laid them out in, has fallen out of favour in the past decade, but this is one of those albums that demands it to get the full experience.

Love, and its joys and pitfalls, a lot for an album to take on, especially one that's as short as Sainthood is (the entire thing clocks in under 40 minutes). It's short in the same way that a Hemingway story's short, though – everything extra and unnecessary has been cut away, leaving only the beating heart of the story. And a damn well told story it was. There have been a lot of strong albums on this year's shortlist, but in this reviewer's opinion, at least, Sainthood stands head and shoulders above the rest of them.

Gary's Tegan and Sara Review

Seconds into the track On Directing Tegan Quin (or maybe it's Sara) let's fire the line "eyes focused like a microscope." And while probably relating to matters of the heart she could easily be talking about the impressive album she and her sister have put together - Sainthood.

This is without a doubt the tightest, most economical album of the Polaris bunch. Every note has been accounted for, every harmony justified. It's clear these girls are as serious as a heart attack when it comes to putting an album together. This is as polished and nimble as you can ask for in music, and clearly only the most essential pieces were included, anything extraneous was tossed aside.

But don't assume this means the music is cold or in any way detached. Despite their cut-throst approach to recording, these two can open up and bare their souls with the best of them. Heartbreakers like Night Watch and Sentimental Song are as autobiographical as they come and sound right at home peppered amongst a mixture of new wave jerkers and old school punk rockers.

Which is the other admirable thing about Tegan and Sara - their amazing knowledge and respect of musical history. There's a little something for everyone here whether you're looking for Thin White Duke era Bowie (Red Belt) or something approximating Social Distortion (Hell, Northshore).

Some people may not love the repetitive lyrics or the jerky guitar-synth tug of war but with the help of producer Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie) the sisters make it work almost every time and successfully too. They've got a knack for sniffing out the necessary parts and doing away with the rest.

This album could easily be announced next week as the Polaris winner and would have my full endorsement. With the exception of perhaps BSS and Kwarka, Tegan and Sara have assembled the most complete and cohesive album of the competition.

We truly did save the best for last.

Dave's Tegan and Sara Review

Tegan and Sara seem to fill a void for people. Every album they release seems to be something that a certain group of people is craving at the time. For me Sainthood is filling the Riot GRRRL of the 90’s , it’s just evolved it for my tastes. I was fan of the L7s and Bikini Kills, the Eric’s Trips (Julie Doiron singing), 7 Year Bitch songs from the 90s – and this sounds like it was the adopted child of those bands – redheaded and all.

Upon first list Sainthood seems to be honouring the GRRRL era in a very appropriate way. Catchy, hooky, and full of sing-a-long songs that get stuck in your head for days at a time – that’s what really hooked me into this album, but it’s not what kept me around. Once I had let the album play top to bottom, I couldn’t believe it was over. Each song is short and sweet and really, really concise. It’s like original pop song kind of writing, where anything longer that 3 mins feels like an epic journey for Tegan and Sara – and eventually for listeners. It’s refreshing considering some of the recent releases that have enjoyed success with 4+ minutes of nonsense - this is a lean record, I like it.

It maybe trim, however, for me it all sounds very alike. It’s not that every song sounds like every other song, it’s the pace of the album feels the same top to bottom. With the exception of “Night Watch” and “Northshore” every song seems to be painting different pictures with the same pallet. Tegan and Sara don’t seem to be pushing themselves on the production side of things –focused on lyrics, they are able to sing a story with the best of the best in this country, but their music writing feels stagnant and stuck.

I can’t help but think that this album was released near the end of 2009. That it was able to survive the whole year, and still be considered one of the 10 best Canadian albums of the year and be short listed for Polaris Prize 2010 is really a testament to Tegan and Sara’s presence as a force within the industry - as they sing on “Alligator” “relentless yes it’s true”.

DAVE’S KEY TRACKS: ‘The Ocean’; ‘Alligator’; ‘Don’t Rush’; ‘On Directing’

Post #10: Tegan and Sara

ALBUM: Sainthood

ARTIST: Tegan and Sara

HOMETOWN: Calgary, AB

Ryan's Shad review

I didn't listen to a lot of rap when I was growing up, so I always feel a little out of my element when asked to judge or comment on it. It's not that I'm not willing to do it, just that I acknowledge that I'm not familiar with the history or form of it, so any opinion I have is somewhat limited.

That being said, there was a lot in this album that I really enjoyed, and a lot that doesn't fit in with the stereotypes that rap usually gets hung with. TSOL feels like a personal reflection that Shad's making on his life, and as a result it's humble, reflective, and spiritual, with healthy doses of sarcasm and self-deprecation peppered throughout it. Shad has clearly put a lot of himself into this album, and while it may at times seem to be rather patchwork and heavily produced (which, given that there were eight different producers working on different songs, is a fair claim), it's still clear that all those songs are presenting facets of the same author.

The end result is something very complex and interesting. Shad raps about racism and politics, about gender inequality and the negative effect it has on the rap scene, but also is someone who feels at home rapping about Green Lantern and “spelling out BOOBIES on the calculator.” Being able to balance those serious subjects with humour without detracting from either takes a lot of talent and experience; Shad might be a young man, but he's got an old soul, and it shows throughout the album.

Standout track: Rose Garden, which is also the first single off the record, has a nice, soulful backbeat that balances well with Shad's rhymes.

Gary's Shad Review

Shad, I feel like we have a few things in common you and I. We both have a strong affinity for the 90s (as witnessed here) and we both think we're pretty handy with a clever turn of phrase. And where you're nominated for a Polaris Prize, I'm writing about the Polaris Prize. Ok this is starting to get tenuous.

So 9 weeks in and we're finally reviewing the first hip-hop album of the bunch (and no I do not count Radio Radio as anything like hip-hop). And call it what you will - a love letter, an homage or just straight influence - it's clear Shad's roots are firmly planted in 90s rap.

All the great touchstones are there - A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and especially the Pharcyde (just check out the video for Rose Garden). Like his influences he doesn't take him self too seriously but at the same time can deliver an impactful message with his rhymes. Plus the production isn't mired with that repetitive Timberland bullshit that seems to infect so much hip hop these days, but instead drops some old-school bass lines and funky drums.

So then why didn't I like this album more?

For me it's good but never great. With the exception of maybe album opener Rose Garden, TSOL aims for far bigger things then it delivers. Many times Shad is too clever by half and goes to the same lyrical well too often (close like Glenn, hit College like the Danoforth, etc). And anyone who rhymes rappin with nappin is just lazy.

For me this album has too many of those moments where it almost reaches greatness but doesn't quite make it. Shad is clearly very talented and I feel like aligned with the right producer he could achieve that high water mark. But TSOL just isn't it.

Dave's Shad Review

There is something about Canadian Hip Hop that prevents its from being as popular and widely accepted as it’s US counter part. Canadian TV went through the same thing recently, as have Canadian movies, and I’m sure other artists as well. Hell Canadian rock/alt scene went through it twice in the last 50 years. I guess there is something Canadian about not craving stories created by our fellow country people – but once we do, we can’t get enough of them. Shad’s TSOL is a perfect example of this for me.

TSOL was very quietly released across the country, pop stations didn’t jump on it right away, our video stations didn’t give spins, but slowly over the last few months it has percolated into mainstream sources (the same way K’naan’s album did this time last year). All I can say about that is – it is more than well deserved for this artist and album and everything it represents.

TSOL has solid production all over it, and that is cause enough for it to stand out alone. “Yaa I Get It” is a banger, and was a phenomenal choice as a first single. Throughout the album the beats don’t disappoint either “Keep Shinning” creates the vibe of female empowerment from the man’s point of view smoothly. “Rose Garden” takes a soul tilt and the production opens it’s arms wide to invite everyone into enjoy the track – and as far as I can tell it's working. There is also a wide diversity of production on TSOL, “At The Same Time” slows down and incorporates a slower, more minimalistic production sound – something that I could've used a little more of on TSOL at times.

For me though Shad’s lyrics are what stand out on TSOL, there is a modern flow, with a wink to his influences. It’s easy to see Shad has been influenced by Kanye West and his style of rapping about self-awareness, but where Shad really shines, is where he gives us his insecurities and his faults without apologizing for them. “Rose Garden” is all about this – “I promise I’ll be with you no matter what the issue, and there will be some issues to address.” As a lead track, Shad lays it on the line for us – proving he’s not here to hide anything of himself on this album. “A Good Name” takes us inside the origins of who he is even more, exploring the personal relationship with his father, his name, and his heritage.

I truly believe this is a solid piece of art from top to bottom, and I hope that it gets the ears it deserves. But as I write this, I’m taken into my own insecurities, and do I like this because it tips its hat to the hip hop I grew up with - Tribe Called Quest, Roots, and The Pharcyde? Or does it sound so different to the hip-hop I listen to now that it’s refreshing? Either way I still believe it’s a solid album top to bottom and that it easily sits in the top three on this list for me and is a real contender for my choice this year.

DAVE’S KEY TRACK: ‘Rose Garden’; ‘A Good Name’; ‘Yaa I Get It’; ‘Keep Shinnig’; ‘At The Same Time’

POST #9: SHAD

ARTIST: Shad

ALBUM: TSOL

HOMETOWN: London, ON

Ryan's Sadies Review

There's a unique challenge to being an established act. Being a new act is challenging as well, of course, because it's hard to get exposure and you always end up getting compared to other artists. Being established is challenging too, though, because you not only are compeeting against other artists, you're also competing against the younger version of yourself, and you have to make music that's different from the old stuff, but not too different, because you want a sense of continuity to what you're doing. When you're as prolific a group of artists as The Sadies – Darker Circles is the band's eighth album in the eleven years they've been together – it's got to be even more difficult.

So how do you meet that challenge? Again, if you're the Sadies, you just don't worry about it and go do your thing - making kickass collections of tunes. If you've listened to the Sadies before, you have a rough idea of what to expect here – alt-country that still manages to have a lot of raucous energy to it, and which keeps your hips swinging just enough to keep you paying attention to the lyrics without you getting lost in the dance. There's not a lot of “innovation” here over the format of their older music, but that's largely because they've found a format that works, and there's enough “new”in the lyrics to make up for it. These are songs that are relevatory, reflective, and resonant – songs of experience, songs of being on the road, songs of real life and all the messiness that goes with it. If you like the feel of something that's familiar, but new at the same time, this is an album for you.

In short: this was a really solid album, full of songs that got me thinking and got my bum shaking at the same time. It's exactly what I needed to listen to this week, especially after being disappointed with the last couple of albums we've looked at on the blog.

Gary's The Sadies Review

It's been along time since you would associat the terms A side and B side when to an album. There's no need to flip a record anymore or turn the tape and so we think of albums as one cohesive idea. But there was a time when a band would take that brief intermission while you ceremonially flipped to side B and switch up the sound or set you off on a completely new musical journey.

I mention this because knowingly or not The Sadies have given a nod to this bygone era with their album Darker Circles.

To wit, tracks 1 through 5 are pure Canadiana, embracing a decidedly 90s alt-country sound that puts me in mind of Blue Rodeo and Prairie Oyster. The songs are rich and deeply emotive and instantly draw you in.

Cut Corners and Another Day Again are instantly memorable, while Tell Here What I Said is a gorgeous love letter to someone long gone.

Meanwhile tracks 6-11 take a decidedly different turn opting for more of a 70s AM Gold feel. The country swagger is still very much present (maybe more than I would have liked) but now tinged with a little honky-tonk and that warm glow of the 70s . Gordon Lightfoot would be proud.

For some this stark contrast in style could be seen as jarring or even off-putting and they'd have a case. This sometimes feels like two albums almost at odds with each other. Some will embrace the throw-back country twang of side B while others will see it as a confusing and unanticipated left turn. Count me in that second group.

But at the end of the day that doesn't matter because it's clear The Sadies made exactly the album they wanted to, split personality and all. A fully complete Side A and Side B.

Dave's The Sadies Review

You often hear screenwriters talking about how a song or album can inspire an entire movie. Just one song? The entire film is built around that tune? Darker Circles by The Sadies is an album of those songs. As you listen, scenarios of filmic glow will come to life in your minds eye. You'll see a smoke filed bar, a crowded subway platform and the countryside of a land where nothing good has happened in a long time. The music creates this world perfectly – I think it’s an achievement of any band to help inspire ideas within other people’s minds

As body of musical work Darker Circles grabs you. From the first note it speaks to the listeners. Lyrics address us directly- constantly using the pronoun 'you' without any description of who that is specifically. It sounds like it matters more than anything else we've been listening to as culture.

The Sadies have been making great tunes for as long as I've been interested in great tunes, but Darker Circles seems to put moments in a bottle unlike anything that I've heard from them. The album is full of rock 'n' roll swagger, with country insecurities and that's not even the best part about it- the best part is how comfortable they sound playing these songs. This is the album The Sadies was meant to make.

As a Polaris Prize shortlister - Darker Circles achieved something for me that very few albums on this list have - it makes me forget I’m listening, because it so good to just hear it.

DAVE’S KEY TRACKS: ‘Another Year Again’; ‘Tell Her What I Said’; ‘Postcards’; ‘Violet and Jeffery Lee’; ’10 More Songs’

POST #8: The Sadies

ARTIST: The Sadies

ALBUM: Darker Circles

HOMETOWN: Toronto, ON

Ryan's Radio Radio review

I'm going to start this with a bit of a digression that's not really related to music at all. I'm a bit of a cinema fan, and have always had something of an interest in international cinema. When I was in high school, and first started getting into more independent and 'arthouse' type films, I would often encounter an opinion from other cinephiles that international film was just better than what North America produces. I mean, after all, Hollywood is happy to put out schlocky Schwarzenegger movies and Pauly Shore comedies, but internationally you get real filmmakers like Felini and Kurasowa.

I was young at the time, so it was a convincing argument, and I felt that way until I finished school, and started living in a really ethnically diverse neighbourhood. The local independently-owned cinema wanted to cater to the different communities that lived in the neighbourhood, so they showed a lot of Polish and Southeast Asian films. When I first heard that they were doing this, I thought it was going to be great. Turns out, though, that what the local communities wanted was mostly cheesy action movies and romantic comedies – just ones in Polish, Tagalog, or Hindi rather than in English. It taught me an important lesson: that there is no relationship between nationality and quality, and that artists from any culture are just as capable of the odd stinker as those that I grew up surrounded by.

Which brings us to Radio Radio's Belmundo Regal. I'd been listening to more Francophone music over the past year – Polaris nominees like Malajube and Karkwa, and other stuff like Couer de Pirate and Caracol. Listening to those artists, it's easy to fall into a trap that thinks that the residents of la belle province are just better at this music thing than the rest of us, especially with the likes of Drake and Justin Beiber being so popular among English-language music fans. This made me oddly thankful to listen to Belmundo Regal because I absolutely did not connect to it at all – it seemed like the same kind of cheesy mainstream rap that, normally fills up the charts on top 40 radio and get scornfully dismissed by critics.

So I'm thankful that I've listened to it, but I can't say it's any good, and I'm in agreement with both Dave and Gary in wondering how it got on the list of Polaris nominees. I can fully understand French albums being on the Polaris shortlist, and rap albums, but I just cannot understand this album being there, especially when much more worthy albums (XXXX by You Say Party We Say Die and Hannah Georgas' This Is Good, for example) didn't.

Gary's Radio Radio review

I appreciate that all music is subjective and that judging art is purely an individual effort. I can only tell you what I think of an album and how it made me feel. But at the same time I also believe something really bad is universally bad, ie- Michael Bay movies.

So with that intro it should come as no surprise that I didn’t dig Radio Radio. It’s unintentionally silly and ridiculous. It almost tries to emulate the Brooklyn dance-rock scene of bands like Animal Collective and Digital Projektors (oddly two other bands I think are terrible) but with a Weird Al Yankovic twist. This album is just a mess.

There is good amongst the bad, like some of the hooks in some of the songs, but not nearly enough to make up for the fact that this album seems ill conceived.

Every year there’s one album that appears on the Polaris list that's inclusion baffles me. Mostly because the rest are so good and I have trouble believing the judges got it so wrong but also because there were so many better Canadian albums. There’s no question which category Radio Radio fits into.

I can’t help but think someone like Jason Collett listens to this album and thinks what the fuck? Why them but not me?

Dave's Radio Radio Review

At one of my old gigs, not so long ago I was sitting and small talking with a buddy at his desk, and the mail arrived. He opened a large manila envelope and out came the Radio Radio Belmundo Regal CD. Both of us were immediately drawn to the artwork. Those colours were so perfectly washed together over that gorgeous tall ship. We knew the music was going to be something remarkable - we imagined it sounded like Phoenix or Belle & Sebastian. Something that looks this well thought out has to sound equally as good right?

Then we put the album into his computer. We looked at each other puzzled and perplexed - "what the fuck is this?" he said. "There is no way the guys who designed this artwork make this music" I proclaimed. We skipped to the next track - still the same reaction. This went on for the entire tracklisting. We thought there was some kind of mistake with the manufacturing of the album - so we asked someone else in the office to put their copy on - same music. Same reactions.

That's Radio Radio, it's just so unexpected. They made a party hip hop album that addresses such issues as metro-sexuals, packing for vacations, and of course; girls - but they do it in Acadian. Acadian is a hybrid of English and French, and for all of it's historical importance to this nation just sounds ugly.

Radio Radio are a testament to the power and reach of hip hop and urban culture in general - how three Acadian kids were able to gain enough influence and exposure to an expression of black culture, then to adopt it and make it their own is a great example of how big urban culture has grown over the years. When I read that back out loud it sound like the tagline to bad movie - Yikes!

Radio Radio isn't for everyone - it sounds like something that fell off of Jersey Shore soundtrack and landed on this list. At times it's clever and witty, like a high school wise cracker, but at others it's trying to be something it's not and it shows. The imitation of American Hip Hop techniques wears thin about halfway through Belmundo Regal, for my tastes the production isn’t there to support the act for the whole album. But I also feel left out of something – I feel like I walked into the conversation late, or missed the set up to a joke – because everyone else seems to be getting it on some other level. If that’s you – enjoy it.

POST #7: RADIO RADIO

ARTIST: Radio Radio

ALBUM: Belmundo Regal

HOMETOWN: Nova Scotia (now based in Montreal, PQ)

Ryan's Owen Palett Review

A few years ago Time Magazine put together a list of the most important gadgets of the past 35 years, and one of the top ones on the list was Sony's Walkman. It's easy now to underestimate how influential the Walkman was, but there's an argument that it entirely changed the way we appreciate music – albums had become truly portable after its introduction, and the Walkman allowed people to use their favourite albums as the soundtrack of experiences in their lives. The counter-argument of this, though, is that it's changed it in a way that has ruined music as an art form: if music is a soundtrack of an experience, rather than an experience itself, it no longer carries the same artistic weight that it was for centuries.

It's not an argument that I'm fond of; I think that the question of whether or not something is 'art' is more dependant on the circumstances under which it's created, rather than those under which it is consumed. But the changes that technology brings to art, and the idea of music as a soundtrack, rather than an experience, is something that has been weighing on my mind of late. This is especially true as I've been thinking of several of the Polaris Prize nominees that I've been listening to over the past weeks – I thought of it when listening to Besnard Lakes and Caribou, but listening to Owen Palatt's Heartland has brought that line of thought to the forefront more than either of those earlier albums did.

It sounds dismissive to say that, and I don't want to be completely dismissive of Heartland, because on a technical level it's a well-recorded and performed album, and it's clear that Owen Palett and the rest of the people working on the album knew what they were doing. But the entire thing is reminisent, to me, like the soundtrack of a Disney film, especially in songs like Midnight Detectives and The Great Elsewhere. From what I've read that isn't Palett's goal, and that he was actually attempting to create this intricate, layered narrative that deals with all sorts of philosophical and spiritual questions. While it's all well and good to do that, what Palett didn't do was create anything that would draw me into its narrative or force me to ask those questions. Instead I'd rather be doing something else while listening to this.

Gary's Owen Pallet Review

Sufjan Stevens. There I said it, now we can get on with the review and ignore the comparisons from here on out. Because while there are definite resemblances to the Chicago-native's blend of classical meets
power pop meets space-rock, talking about it during this review does
no justice to the supremely unique and awe-inspiring freshness with
which Owen Pallett approaches music.

To call it theatrical would be an understatement as would calling it
emotional. This is music that lives and breathes and demands you take
notice. It is an album of grace as it transitions from one superbly
crafted song to another. It is a the same time forceful; grabbing you
by the shirt and whisking you away to some insane carnival.

But while no one would classify this as mainstream in any sense and
this is not an album that would see regular rotation on my iPod, like
all art it is compelling. It defies you not to listen further and
become enthralled with its inherent beauty.

And the lyrics - oh the lyrics.

Stories are being unfolded here in beautiful emotive poetry for you to
linger on and dissect piece by piece. And as Dave mentioned, there is
clearly a sense of whimsy as Pallett seems to break the fourth wall
from time to time and speak directly to us, the listener; commenting
on the tale like some kind of vaudevillian narrator. When in Keep The
Dog quiet he quips "This place is a narrative mess" you wonder - is he
talking to me?

As we move into the midway point of our Polaris reviews it becomes
evident that these artists have been chosen for their sheer inherent,
god-given talent. These group and artists don't merely write songs,
they nurture and develop them like caring parents. And no more is this
on display than with Heartland. Not knowing a great deal about Pallett
one gets the sense that he is perfectionist at his core and the songs
are better for it.

Ironically as a parent myself this is the first album so far that -
with its lullaby-like tendencies - I would happily play for my 9
month-old son. Yet another reason to applaud Pallett; his appeal with
such a varying age demographic.

Dave's Owen Pallet Review

Before the review gets underway - just wanted to say I've been lobster fishing in the Northumberland Strait for the last week, and have loved it. Here's a pic, to prove it. Now onto the review

For me Owen Pallet has always been a unique question on the musical landscape – is he pop music evolved? Or is he accessible high art? One in the same we could say really.

For Heartland, Owen Pallet seems to be working on a higher level than I expected of him to. There are layers of sounds, experiments, and textures that upon first listen for me were frustrating, but the more I listened to them the more I listened for them. I must admit, I didn’t think Heartland would be as intense to listen to as it has become for me. It’s really evolved into an experience over the last week.

What strikes me about this album more than anything is the mood of it. It has every right to be pretentious and inaccessible, but it’s welcoming and warm. It gives a humorless vibe to it, but it’s got a tongue in it’s cheek at times. Heartland is full of heart, and is one of the more “human” albums I’ve listened to in a long time.

For Owen Pallet, this album is an accomplishment – he’s been hiding under the Final Fantasy moniker for years, and working for other people (writing, producing, composing) successfully for years. Heartland feels like the true man behind all that, finally with enough wisdom and confidence to present himself to the world. It’s admirable really. And it’s very appropriate that the last track on the album is What Do You Think Will Happen Now?

DAVE’S KEY TRACKS: ‘The Great Elsewhere”; ‘E Is for Estranged’; ‘Red Sun No. 5’; ‘Oh Heartland, Up Yours’

POST #6: Owen Pallet

ARTIST: Owen Pallet

ALBUM: Heartland

HOMETOWN: Toronto, ON

Ryan's Dan Mangan Review

Reviewing works of art can be a tricky business. It’s not like, for example, reviewing garden tools. If you’re looking at a hose you’ve basically got one question to ask yourself - does it effectively transport water from the spigot to where you need it to go? With artistic works, though, half the writing that’s ever been done on them has been focused on what art what it should do - is it entertainment? A soul pouring itself out to others? Is it a sign of self-actualization, or just another business?

I’ve never met Dan Mangan, but if Nice, Nice, Very Nice is any indication, I’d be willing to bet that he’s a man who believes that art is a tool of memory. That’s the feeling I got from listening to the album, at least; collectively they tell the story of someone who’s been away from home far too long, but who’s afraid to come home because he’s worried that either he’s changed, or home has. So he’s writing down all of his experiences, warts and all, to make sure he won’t forget them by the time he’s gotten old enough to appreciate them. And that’s all it is - this is not an album that tries to impress you with fancy instrumentation or complex key changes, or even trying to get you to pay attention with snappy hooks or singalong choruses. Instead it just sits there, existing on it’s own terms,a chronicle of its singer’s experiences. And while it may be cliche to say it, sometimes that’s enough.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’m a fan of meaningful lyrics, and this week was a big treat for me on that front. Mangan’s lyrics seem reminiscent of the Weakerthans in their more intimate moments. When I first listened to “You Silly Git” or “Some People’, for example, it seemed almost like I shouldn’t be there - like I was intruding on someone’s private conversation. Eventually, though, you realize that you are welcome there - Mangan recorded and published the album, after all, so he must be okay with sharing it with you. That simple, unassuming lyrical honesty is at the same time quaint and refreshing, and makes a strong case for Nice, Nice, Very Nice as a Polaris heavyweight.

For Dan Mangan, though, I get the feeling winning would just be one more memory to right a song about.

Gary's Dan Mangan Review

Nice, Nice, Very Nice might be the most appropriately titled album in this entire list of Polaris Prize nominees and perhaps of all time (unless Kenny G named any of his albums Generic Horn Music for Awkward White People). Dan Mangan’s offering is exactly that – nice. It’s the type of album that elicits words like nifty and neat and reminds me of music your mother would strongly approve of.

It’s safe to say no envelopes were pushed or animals harmed in the making of this album.

That’s not to say it’s a bad album by any stretch, but I – unlike Dave – felt zero emotional connection with this album (which is the fascinating part about this blogging process). Maybe under different circumstances, or pitted against less impactful Polaris Prize fare (like this year’s incredible line-up), Mangan would have stood out a little more from the pack.

The album begins promisingly enough, with Road Regrets eliciting a little toe-tapping here and there, but that’s about it. Robots follows and wastes little time in breaking out the clumsy clichés where robots are equated to heartbroken lovers, ending with a saccharin sing-a-long (robots need love too).

And such are Mangan’s lyrics – rarely treading into imagery and allegory, preferring the more heart-on-the-sleeve approach of putting it all out there. And when he does use metaphor it’s usually with slightly cheesy results (please see aforementioned Robots).

It’s also a bizarre album tonally ranging from 90s era Barenaked Ladies (Some People, Sold) to the Pogues (You Silly Git) but cohesively held together with that blunt lyrical style. And perhaps this is what keeps me from getting to deeply involved with this album. Mangan is unabashedly open and honest with his words and some people (ie – me) find this off-putting.

I should reiterate that this isn’t a bad album (which explains its inclusion in the Polaris Prize shortlist), and the worst thing you could say about it is that it’s corny and maybe a bit middle-of-the-road (a serving of vanilla ice cream with a side of white bread). Mangan is clearly a talented musician and songwriter and if that busking acoustic thing is your cup of tea have I got an album for you. But with so many of the bands on this year’s list creating soundscapes as complicated as the Taj Mahal, Mangan’s album sounds a little like a tree fort in comparison.

And I have to say I gain no pleasure from saying this, because Dan Mangan seems like a nice guy. Nice, nice, very nice indeed.

Dave's Dan Mangan Review

It would be easy to come up with any number of clichés that could describe the way I feel about Dan Mangan’s Nice, Nice, Very Nice: it feels like an old pair of jeans, it’s like a prefect cup of coffee, it’s comfortable and it’s home. But it’s more than all of those combined - for me this album is simply honest.

Dan Mangan seems to have caught a magical piece of himself and put it on this recording. Robots is the track that makes everyone take notice, which it should – if there was a Polaris Prize for song, it would get my vote 100%. In Robots Dan sings ‘ring the bells that still can ring and sing your stupid head off to the ones who are not listening.’ That is just what that this album is – it’s Dan Mangan, playing the bells that work for him while singing his head off. And it’s magical from top to bottom.

The bells that Dan plays are simple narrative lyrics, sung through a warm smoked voice, combined with arrangements that include at times violins (You Silly Git) a stand up bass and what I think sounds like a washboard (Sold). But it all works, because Mangan took that leap as an artist that you often hear singer/songwriter types talk about – doing what might not be expected, but what their heart is telling them to do. The best sound on this album is the sound of Dan Mangan believing in what he’s playing and singing for you at every turn.

It’s easy to dismiss this as another folksy arty Canadian singer/songwriter, but there is tons of great things that happen throughout this album. I’ve spent a lot of time with Nice, Nice, Very Nice, and every time I learn to love something more about it. Today it might be just one lyric, and tomorrow it might be an arrangement – but it seems I can find something new in every listen – and for that the album is special and to me a remarkable piece of work, from artist who you can believe in – for albums to come I hope.

DAVE'S KEY TRACKS: 'Robots'; 'Sold'; 'Tina's Glorious Comeback'; 'Basket' - but try them all, each one is solid.

POST #5: Dan Mangan

ARTIST: Dan Mangan

ALBUM: Nice Nice Very Nice

HOMETOWN: Vancouver B.C

Ryan's Karkwa Review

If you listen to enough albums, you'll realize that a lot of them come with certain barriers. Sometimes those barriers come from the musicians themselves, if they've made a really dense or inaccessible album, but usually those barriers come from the listener: you don't like previous work by the artist, or you're not fond of the genre in question, or any of a hundred other reasons. To an extent those barriers are necessary, because there isn't enough time in the day to listen to every song by every artist that comes out, and you have to make decisions on what to listen to and what to skip. If you're not careful, though, those barriers can make you miss something excellent.

Karkwa's Les Chemins de Verre arrived in the review queue this week, with a fairly big barrier in front of it: the album's in French, and I don't speak the language much beyond what I learned in Grade 9 French class. This is a bit compounded by the fact that I'm at heart a lover of lyrics, and so the part of the album I most want to dissect is the one that's inaccessible to me.

Thankfully, though, it doesn't matter. Les Chemins de Verre is a good enough album that it doesn't merely climb over any language barrier you might have, it leaps over it in a single bound. From the opening track, Le pyromane, it's got you, giving you enough to keep listening while leaving enough unsaid that you're hanging on every chord change and transition in the album. From there, we go on a bit of a musical odyssey – through tracks like Marie te pleures, Les Enfants de Beyrouth, and Au-dessus de la tete de Lilijune, Karkwa explores several different genres and styles in a way that shows that they're familiar with all of them, and yet each one still has a distinctive stamp on them – you still know you're listening to a Karkwa song with each one.

It's an album with a lot of layers to it – I've been listening to it all week, and I still feel like I've only scratched the surface with it. And, while it's layered, it's still very accessible – you could jump into it with a single quick listen and still get a lot out of it. But trust me, with that single quick listen, you're going to want to come back for more.

Gary's Karkwa Review

It would seem that in the last few years La Belle Province has thrown down the musical gauntlet to the rest of the country and maybe even the alt-rock music scene – a sonic warning to heed their ability. These are bands you should take seriously, very seriously indeed.

For years, acts like The Stills, Wolf Parade, Arcade Fire, Stars, Patrick Watson, Plants and Animals and – the band that should have won last year’s Polaris Prize – Malajube, have rolled out of Quebec in a steady stream.

And now here comes Karkwa. From the French word for a quiver of arrows (thank you Wikipedia), this is a band with a lot in its arsenal (see how I cleverly related their name to a character trait).

But to imply they’ve just arrived is inaccurate. Les Chemins De Verre is the fourth effort from a band that creates catchy, instantly likeable songs, but will consistently surprise you. And for me this is easily the best part of listening – like a Christopher Nolan film, you’re never going to know what happens next.

For some, this is a daunting, even scary experience. Certain people need the comfort of blatant chord change and a chorus that rides in with ample warning. So it’s rare that a band can still surprise you with their musical choices but without sacrificing pop sensibilities.

Dave alluded to comparisons with Radiohead and Sigur Ros, and he’s not wrong. You can identify those same textures and layers that have become staples for those bands. But if you listen very carefully, you’ll find that Karkwa are more like musical chameleons. They don’t really sound like any of those bands but more like variations of their style.

Take for instance Marie, Tu Pleurs which will remind you Bon Iver if he had a slightly sunnier disposition. Or maybe you’ll find something akin to the Shins in L’Acouphune, but only sort of. This is the wonder of the album, identifiable tones mixed with genuine surprise. But I’ll concede that this could also be its downfall. With such an eclectic mix of styles and tones, it can be hard to anchor yourself to the album as whole.

However the fact remains, that this is seriously good music, from seriously good musicians and I for one am watching the 401 for the next great export.

Other provinces, be on alert - something wicked this way comes.

Dave's Karkwa Review

Karkwa Les Chemins De Verre, the first French language album we run across on the short list year. Welcome friend – you are refreshing, if you are not anything else.

For me it’s always interesting listening to an album en francais – I’m able to piece parts of the lyrics together, and I usually get limited by my own ignorance halfway through, but the music always keeps me listening.

That is no different with Karkwa – the album starts with a subtle, yet symbolic sound of a fire crackling and popping, or is that vinyl hiss? Not matter, because before you are able to indentify what it is, the lead track explodes out of the speakers and thus your journey begins.

Artistically, every song on Les Chemins De Verre sounds like a big statement, something that Radiohead and Sigur Ros achieve on albums these days (bands Karkwa are often compared with BTW), and something Coldplay and U2 attempt to achieve. However there is more of a mass, pop sensibility to this particular album. To the Karkwa’s credit they achieve a unified message here, without getting hokey and preachy about their art.

This album has something for everybody – “Dors Dans Mon Sang” is a haunting dark piano driven tune, “Marie Tu Pleures” is a sing a long, hand clap–a-thon, “La Piqure” is drenched in sentimental angst. But at the root of every song is an appeal, that speaks to listeners – it’s one of the most accessible French albums I’ve ever heard. With that being said, I'm really indifferent to it on a whole. I think it's good, but would I suggest you run out and get it or not get it? No either way.

Karkwa, has been able to demonstrate exactly what music is meant to do - break down barriers, in this case, they break down language. Le Chemins De Verre” maybe a French album but you don’t have to know the language to understand the message and emotion used to create it. Will it stand up over time, or will it just be the gateway to different artists doing the same thing? Time will judge that one.

DAVE'S KEY TRACKS: 'L'acouphene'; 'Dors Dans Mon Sang'; '28 Jours', 'Marie Tu Pleures'

POST #4: Karkwa

Artist: Karkwa

Album: Les Chemins De Verre

Hometown: Montreal, PQ

Ryan's Caribou Review

Have you ever had the experience of being in a confined space with two people speaking a language that you don't understand? It can be an incredibly frustrating experience, even if you're not trying to pay attention to the conversation. What can be even worse, though, is when those people are speaking a language where you know a few words of it, because you'll inevitably hear those few words that you know, and then you'll end up paying attention to the conversation, 99% of which you don't understand, because that's just the way the human brain works.

That experience was the same one that I had while listening to Caribou's Swim. There were a few things that I recognized here and there – dashes of Daft Punk here and there, and a healthy dose of Underworld's Beaucoup Fish album – but for the most part I just didn't get it.

No doubt that's my fault – I haven't really listened to much electronic music in the better part of a decade, and by not listening to it probably means that I've lost the ability to judge the quality of it, because I'm used to expecting a certain set of things from a song, and the types of things in 'good' electronic music are different from what I expect. But listening in as an outsider, there was really nothing here that pulled me in or interested me. If I had to pick a favourite track on the album it would most likely be the lead track, Odessa, but for the most part I felt like the songs kind of blended together and didn't really stand apart from each other.

Gary's Caribou Review

On more than one occasion I’ve seen my wife climb into a pair of shoes that looked fantastic but were clearly uncomfortable. And after a long day of immense pain, she pulls these twin torture devices from her feet with relief, and asks herself was it worth it?

This is basically what listening to Caribou’s Swim is akin too.

We start comfortably enough with opening track Odessa and its perfect blend of trashy glam and bubble gum pop, the kind you would hear in any Brooklyn club. With wispy vocals and Daft Punk pianos, Odessa starts things off on a high note. Sadly, the rest of the album never quite achieves it again. After that the feet start to cramp and the shoes start to pinch.

Second track Sun is repetitive and annoying with Caribou repeating the word Sun incessantly and as the blisters set in, you’re suddenly starting to regret your choice. But then by track 3 (Kali) we’re back to this infectious dozy dance-pop and you continue on.

And this is how the rest of the album progresses, leap-frogging between catchy numbers and horribly forgettable ones. For whatever reason your forced to pay the penance of suffering through one boring song before getting to the enjoyable (if not interesting) one.

This is a tough album to love. Hell, this is a tough album to like – at all. Frankly it’s too much work and the payoff is never all that satisfying. Most of the songs feel half done and aimless while the few remaining tracks give you the faint hope things are going to get better.

They don’t.

There are some solid songs on their own (the aforementioned Odessa and Found Out) but buried amongst Swim’s other tracks, it’s just not worth rummaging around to find them.

I wouldn’t go as far as saying this was a bad album, but it sure isn’t one you’ll instantly love. It’s going to take a few listens. And by the time you’re done listening and start rubbing those blisters, you’ll think was it worth it?

The answer is probably not.