Flight of the Concords: Flight of the Concords
The third most popular comedy-folk group from New Zealand came out of nowhere with a release of pure genre-jumping pleasure. Ranging from Pet Shop Boys-style 80's electronica to acoustic funk to rap-core, Bret and Jemaine managed to wax ironic about everything from their duty to please women, to the daily problem homeless people face of being stabbed with utensils, to the inevitable robot take-over of the world.
Coldplay: Viva La Vida
All bow and acknowledge this year's Critical Album Beast. The world was expecting fireworks, and instead we got explosions. It really is a very good album, and the band must have thought so, too, because "Vida" was re-released with different cuts and extra tracks as a two-disc collector's set.
Dido: Safe Trip Home
This British chanteuse managed to stay within her lines so as not to displease loyal followers, but still stretch enough that she's not repeating herself. Though not particularly touted across the covers of magazines, this album is full of delightful gems that make for perfect homework music, especially when snowbound.
Shiny Toy Guns: Season of Poison
STG's impossible blend of electronica, pop, metal, and male and female voices continues to astound. Their sophomore release took the band to darker, heavier levels while still staying "pop"-enough to dance to. Imagine Kelly Clarkson going Goth. It's really quite lovely.
Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
They stepped out of the 60's and right into indie-pop.
Unabashedly choral-based, their sweet, lilting melodies give the album the air of a bookend for the indie movement and are different enough to feel unique.
Kings of Leon: Only By the Night
These guys were last year's Cool New Breakout British Indie Band.
Something about their sound is a little off, familiar but not too much, and the kind of music that grows. The first time through it's all right, but by the third time through, you're addicted.
Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
Is Columbia University's law school its biggest appeal? No way. It's these guys, four collar-popping rock stars who went from their dorm to the cover of Spin in 10 seconds flat. The album was something of a flash in the pan last January, but still quality enough to warrant these kids sticking around.
Kate Nash: Made of Bricks
Addicting, lyrical, witty, sweet and danceable. Lily Allen played big sis to Nash and ended up in the back seat as Nash took over the title of Edgy British Song Queen. Nothing really beats blasting English white-girl R&B with a cockney accent from your car.
Death Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs
Not as brilliant as their first album, "Plans," this album still hit all the right spots as the perfect musical setting of what is undeniably poetry. If Shubert were alive today, he would be listening to Death Cab.
Though some songs feel a bit out of place, the flow as a whole works, and "Narrow Stairs" is a most rewarding experience when heard straight through.
The Police: Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires
This two-disc record of their world tour is all-out perfection. Their songs are still magnificent, but thirty years of letting these artists simmer and ripen has afforded a whole new experience. Sting is always at his best when with Andy Summers and Stuart Copeland.
Listening to these three musicians, who have each gone and done different things for the last three decades, finally come back together to revisit the music that launched them is life affirming.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Stephanie DePrez at sdeprez@nd.edu
