MGMT, "Congratulations"
OK, so this came out a while ago, and we totally didn't review it, didn't put it in our year-end list, or even pay it much mind in 2010. So, we wanted to write this review and say that we were wrong, this album is underrated and unfairly overlooked. Sure, there's no big singles like "Electric Feel" or "Kids" on the album, but we love ambitious albums like this that avoid taking the obvious route. It's definitely a headphone album, meant to be heard in its entirety, and ending with an absolutely stunning coda in the title song, "Congratulations."
Smith Westerns, "Dye It Blonde"
Yes, they're glam-rock revivalists, in a way. But when you're channeling prime era T.Rex—and very well, at that—does it really matter? We love big stadium drums, breathy vocals, and real deal rock'n'roll guitar. Plus, they're not just attitude and sexy strutting, as evidenced by the sweetly romantic "Weekend."
Ducktails, "Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics"So much of the Ducktails aesthetic seems cast-off and haphazard that their music can seem unserious. For starters, their name is a play on a somewhat lame animated Disney show of the early '90s. Then, there's their sound—trashy and lo-fi psychedelic pop that can meander and go nowhere. And yet we always look out for their new releases because their sound captures a certain suburban malaise—think canned beer and blacklight posters—that oddly warms our hearts. This latest record is their most concise to date, containing what can pass as their most anthemic song, "Art Vandelay."
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