—Hell
TOP 46 ALBUMS OF 2011
And so, we’ve reached the end of the year, and it’s time for the annual roundup of the year’s albums. This year’s total number came out to 46, for some reason. We’ll be counting down the albums to number one this whole month.
42. Blue Suicide - Coma Cinema
What makes Coma Cinema special at all is a bit of mystery. With a lack of history and diversity amongst tracks, it’s easy to let the band fall into the background, for it’s a pretty standard folky-poppy-rock band with acoustics mixed with occasional electronics, and poor vocals that sing about sadness, love, etc. - it’s all worn territory. Even the album art recalls the majority of no-name bands who chose a single picture - both Blue Suicide does this and Stoned Alive, the previous album by the band. This all sounds very bad when put together, but the fact of the matter is that Coma Cinema is doing a better job at all of this than any other band is. Sure, it’s a formulaic template, but it’s not one that we should ignore. Just because it’s something that been done by others doesn’t mean it’s not good, it just means that it’s not as original as some of the other stuff being put out right now.
The lack of choruses, and lack of song structure is particularly appealing, especially on tracks like “Hell,” where we get simple melodies mixed with simple lyrics, and it all feels pretty right: “The only thing permanent about your love is the pain you feel when it’s gone” - this line feels like something out of a middle school love ode, but it still rings true here. Other standouts include the following “Greater Vultures,” which builds slowly and lets us feel each part sink in pleasantly; “Desolation’s Plan” isn’t necessarily a well put together track, but it’s simple and good as well. Maybe simple is the word to describe this band, but it pays off. Yeah, there isn’t a lot happening here, but what is happening is important. The stripped down quality is one that we can expect from a nubile band, and time will probably lead to longer and more involved tracks, which will probably only be a problem. We’re reminded a little bit of Page France or Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, in that as time went on they changed and there wasn’t as much to like about them. But Coma Cinema is in those early staged, and their pretty much brilliant. It’s an album of short effective songs, and maybe they don’t stick with you and make you think a whole lot, but they sure as hell are catchy when they’re playing.
41. Cults - Cults
The self-titled debut album by the duo Cults might be the most disappointing of the year, and I’m saying that as a fan. In 2010, the husband-wife team released their single “Go Outside,” which exploded onto the scene - maybe because of it’s allusions to actual cults or just because it was insanely catchy. The three songs we got from the band were incredibly promising, and maybe it was because of this that the album fell a bit short. We’d heard most of the songs going into it, whether it was because of that original single or because of the Adult Swim release of “Oh My God” or the original single “Abducted.” Okay, so Cults isn’t exactly the explosion we thought it’d be, but then again neither was Sleigh Bells’ Treats after we’d heard a number of awesome singles from then. It doesn’t make for a necessarily bad album, it just makes for an album we have to appreciate for what it is: there are going to be some songs that feel like filler, there’s going to be some repetition, and there’s going to be some amazing music.
“Go Outside” is still the standout for the band, which you’ve come to expect. And maybe it was a fluke that they released that song, but I’d bet not because of how close it is to the rest of the album. “Oh My God” isn’t very far off - lyrically it’s not as interesting, but musically it gives us what we want. And the single “Abducted” is one that is relatively enjoyable: when it reaches it’s climax, we’re on board, and the male vocals are surprisingly good. The rest of the album somewhat slides into place: “You Know What I Mean” is a pleasing track, as is “Rave On,” the closer - which feels like a pat on the back, but is still a welcomed song. “Most Wanted” is probably the second best of the album, but it’s from the original single “Go Outside,” and so it isn’t as pleasing on repeat here. The rest of the songs are that filler that we’ve dreaded - it follows the pattern of “Go Outside,” but doesn’t hit the mark nearly as close. This is especially evident when seeing Cults live: there’s the energy there, but not nearly the same energy as “Go Outside.”
Cults may simply be an ode to that single track, and that original single that put Cults where it is now. But the next step will be far more interesting, just as it was with bands like Beach House and others who had to overcome the original appeal of their sound and become a real band or move out of the way. The gimmick of Madeline Follin’s shrieking voice and twee bells in the background will only take the group so far, and now the movement to something bigger and better will have to take place. Sure, Cults is a beautiful debut rooted deeply in good songwriting, but that doesn’t give it a pass all together. What’s important now is what they do next, and how it both compliments this original album and compliments the band as a whole.
