—Brain Ninja
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.
36. Life Sux EP - Wavves
Wavves has changed more than pretty much any other group in the last few years, both in sound, members, and overall approach to music. You listen to Nathan Williams’ original self-titled debut, and listen to his new EP Life Sux, and they sound like two different bands. The other thing that stays constant is Williams’ voice, which has evolved, but still has its angsty, upset quality to it, squealing and screeching his way through teen heartbreak and parties all the same. Well, the only other thing that hasn’t changed is the subject matter, which as always been about, well, “screw everything.” And that’s probably where Life Sux comes into play - it’s not as convincing as his early music, but he still seems pretty much to hate everything. And that was always the immediate appeal - that the guy didn’t really like anything and wrote some awesome songs about it. Life Sux is, quite essentially, a brief collection of these songs while we wait for another album, which will most likely take a much different shape than King of the Beach, which fought to be both that same punk rock album and something new (see: “Mickey Mouse” and “Baby Say Goodbye”). Those awesome songs didn’t really feel like Wavves, but then again we didn’t really need that, and Williams didn’t want that. He didn’t want to make the same album again: he’d already done that. And Life Sux takes off a bit of the pressure, leaving us with simply a few good songs before going on about its way.
This is probably one of the few albums or EPs this year that will find their way onto a end-of-year list, and especially for me, because it doesn’t take form as much as many other releases do this year. It doesn’t have a face or a theme, it’s just a few songs. But those songs really stick with you, and the fact that they were put out like this is alright, because they probably wouldn’t fit anywhere else. Songs like “Destroy,” which features Fucked Up’s Pink Eyes, wouldn’t make sense on either a Wavves or Fucked Up album, and so it belongs here. The same has to be said for “Nodding Off,” which features Best Coast - both Best Coast and Wavves follow the same format, and work together well, but together they don’t make an album. But “Nodding Off” does make for an amazing song, maybe the best by both. It’s incredibly catchy and awesome and you can listen to it a million times without getting sick of it. It’s probably one of my top played for the year, because it’s just so cool - the way Williams’ voice cracks and he doesn’t give a fuck, the way it explodes with Best Coast’s vocals, the way it’s short but so sweet. And that’s really the heart of the EP, because without it, we wouldn’t pay any attention to this one. “I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl” is an incredibly interesting track (for starters: why does it exist?), and despite the fact that you can’t really make much sense of it, it’s a good song. “Bug” feels closer to a Wavves’ album song, and “Poor Lenore” is an interesting take on a Williams’ song as well. The only thing that’s really a disappointment is “In The Sand (Live)” because we don’t really want a live bonus track from Wavves at this point. Release it on your website as a free download and move on. But apart from that, Life Sux holds up remarkably well, and even when it doesn’t, it realizes it doesn’t and is just a solid EP of solid songs. There needs to be more work done from Williams before another King of the Beach can be released - he needs to hone in on exactly what he wants to sound like, and how to change it - but for now, fans can find solace in this wonderful EP, with lines like, “Don’t call me friend, I’m not your friend. Don’t call me nothing at all - I’ll stop waiting for your call.” Because in the end, Williams is just some punk recording music about how much life sucks, and anyone listening can relate to that more than anything.
35. The Stepkids - The Stepkids
It’s really, really hard to take The Stepkids seriously, and that’s probably why their album didn’t get as much press as it could have. Most people wouldn’t have heard of them unless Tom Scharpling hadn’t directed a wonderful video for them, and if they weren’t on Stones Throw Records, which is probably more surprisingly than the fact that Scharpling did a video for them. Stones Throw is known for obscure releases by Madlib and the like, and for being incredibly underground and incredibly underrated - and since they have ties to Stones Throw, they have to be pretty good. And they are, in fact; Scharpling’s video does a pretty good job of describing them. They’re extremely weird, extremely out of place, and kind of a joke. And with that being said, their music is pretty awesome.
The main issue with The Stepkids are that you can’t tell if they’re joking or not - if the whole thing is one big gimmick or something that simply sets them apart. They draw on sources that are from forty years ago, like Curtis Mayfield and a less tacky Bee Gees, and the fact that their putting out this music now feels a bit strange. For a lot of people, The Stepkids will be a one hit joke, and because of that they won’t attract many listeners except for hipsters who think The Stepkids are good because they might be doing a bit. But let’s set aside the fact that it might be a bit, and take into account that the music their making is very catchy, very good, and surprisingly accurate. It doesn’t go very far from it’s funk/disco roots, and that’s a good thing. It’s a old style brought back to life, and I can only assume it’s because they were a couple of white guys who really like this music and wanted to make it. And because of that appreciation, this self-titled debut works. Sure, it’s a little long (despite only being a half hour), and a little repetitive, but what debut from a niche three-piece isn’t. What sets them apart are the moments on the album where you get lost in what they’re doing, particularly the opening moments of “Brain Ninja,” and the verses of “Shadows on Behalf,” which feels a bit like a Dr. Dog set in Saturday Night Fever and yet still maintains its own creativity. There’s also “Santos and Ken,” which is a pretty weird track but a pretty catchy one all the same. And then, of course, there’s the debut single “Legend in My Mind,” which seems to be laughing at itself while still being a track you really dig into. You want to hear the lyrics, and you want to hear the instruments, and really the only way to appreciate it all is by listening a few times and really getting into it.
The Stepkids might not be able to keep this up for any more albums - I don’t see this as something that could outlast it’s own level of music, but maybe because they know what they are, they’ll be able to. Where does a group go from something like this, with the majority of the potential already incapsulated in the debut? The album laughs at itself - it’s got an intro and outro of just about nothing - and it’s short and to the point. It could have probably been an EP, and saved us a few of the more repeating songs, but all and all, it should be considered a fun album. It might not be one that makes us think or makes us want to understand ourselves better, but music like The Stepkids is just as important as the other stuff, but it grounds us back into the reason why we like music in the first place: because of an insane need to hear something good. And in the end, even if as an adult it’s not a deep, progressive one, it’s still an album that sounds good.
