50 Words or Less: Elbo.ws Top Ten

(MGMT)

Note: these rankings are as of Wednesday, March 25th. They may have changed

1. *MP3: Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - “Round and Round”

“Billie Jean” backbeat broadcasts major pop ambition wrapped in the guise of chic lo-fi pop. Sleepy production allows synth subtleties, hazy harmonies to begin blooming, but gauzy vocal melody shows unnecessary restraint. Shouldn’t pop anthems should be, well, more anthemic?

Grade: B

2. *MP3: Neon Indian - Sleep Paralysist

Warped bedroom pop with oscillating, whirring key tones closer to inducing hypnosis than paralysis, with chirpy effervescence replaced with more sober-minded sing-alongs. A stab at more mature mood piece, and not an entirely bad one either.

Grade: B-

3. *MP3: MGMT - Flash Delirium

Speaking of stabs at more mature, adventerous material…well, see above. Cribbing from Bowie and The Beatles is never a bad idea, though. But this? Save for the gonzo psychedelia of the last 30 seconds, call it a jumpin’ jack rehash.

Grade: C+

4. *MP3: Holy Fuck - Latin America

Certainly not likely to make anyone scream out exclamatory, but possibly blasphemous, profanities, but Holy Fuck’s propelling drumbeats and serene use of piano serve up an awfully impressive electro-tinged melange.

Grade: B+

5. *MP3: Wye Oak - I Hope You Die

Swirling swaths of delay-enhanced guitar, clicking backtrack, and, most importantly, saxa-ma-phone, should sooth even the most troubled soul, even if the title prompts a McNulty-esque response. (‘The fuck did I do?)

Grade: B+

6. *MP3: Yukon Blonde - “Rather Be With You”

Elegant Americana, marrying more contemporary throwbacks with the real southern soul deal. Solos strike a little too close to FM radio cliche, but more subdued interplay between melancholic guitar lines and background keyboards prove immediately pleasing.

Grade: B

7. *MP3: Cults - “Go Outside”

A contemplative, chill vibe on loan from reggae, but with a stronger emphasis on electronic textures to provide new wave ambiance. Skeptical listeners shouldn’t be quite ready to drink the Kool Aid yet though.

Grade: C+

8. *MP3: Teenage Fanclub - Baby Lee

For a song like this, words like “shimmering” and “jangly” are thrown out like confetti at a New Year’s party, but there are some instances where they apply for good reasons. Latest from power-pop progenitors sounds like passable lite-rock fair, with the aforementioned adjectives providing in a fine, but hardly illuminating, direction  for a new record.

Grade: C

9. *MP3: Blitzen Trapper - Heaven And Earth

Maelstrom of broadway-style piano gives way toward plaintive ballad channeling more melancholic aspects of Americana peers. Continues my theory that Blitzen Trapper are the Tom Petty to Wilco’s Bob Dylan.

Grade: B

10. *MP3: The National - “Bloodbuzz Ohio”

The heirs to R.E.M.’s throne of moody, thoughtful and explosive alt-rock continue their impeccable creative winning streak.

Grade: A

(Jon Graef)