Merry X-Mas all. Finals are done, and as a holiday treat and because I still want to get this done by 1/1, this is a special double edition of the countdown.
#8
Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavilion
7.5/10
I'll be honest, this album might be higher up the list except that I was pretty late to the game regarding hearing it. Also, this was my first foray into Animal Collective, so I'm still digesting the album as a whole.
Obviously though, this album would top a lot of people's similar lists, and with good reason. This swirling mixture of electronica, dream pop and Beach-Boys esque harmonies took me a few listens to appreciate, but on about the 3rd listen it did indeed click. My Girls is obviously a phenomenal song, but I almost think I like the opener, In The Flowers, more. Overall though there's no song that I really feel like skipping when I listen to this, hence it's entry at #8.
#7
Fuck Buttons
Tarot Sport
7.5/10
I can't say that I enjoyed this album more than the debut
Street Horrsing. I really didn't feel like there were any songs on
Tarot Sport that could match Okay, Let's Talk About Magic or Race You To My Bedroom. Also, the extra ten minutes that
Tarot contains makes the album slightly overstay its welcome in my book. But that doesn't mean this album should be overlooked. Once again, this duo manages to create an impressive display of electronic noise. Space Mountain is fantastic. These guys avoided the sophomore slump with this album, and it will be exciting to see what they can create in the future.