For the love of music
10. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz! The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have extracted the essence of 80s synth-pop and refined it by blending in their own arty garage-punk sound and seasoning it with shoegazing swirls and buffing it up with glossy production. The songs pulsate with jagged hooks and sharp, danceable rhythms while Karen O’s crystalline voice … [Read more...]
20. A Place To Bury Strangers - Exploding Head What's that old phrase about there being nothing new under the sun? Fact of the matter is that even though My Bloody Valentine pretty much cornered the market on shoegaze back in 1991 when Loveless came out that there can still be surprises left in the genre to this day. It's become a template for … [Read more...]
30. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career Will men please quit breaking Tracyanne Campbell’s heart?? Sure we benefit from it but think of the toll it’s taking on the poor girl! Campbell and her group jumped labels, from Merge to 4AD, and turned in their finest effort of 60’s girl group pop, twee-ish rock, and even a little bit of country … [Read more...]
40. Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound - When Sweet Sleep Returned This San Francisco band's third release, When Sweet Sleep Returned, is a psychedelic rock album thick with heavy grooves. Fans of this 70's style throwback shouldn't miss this one, even with the stoner rock label thrown around so frequently. While this could certainly be a good … [Read more...]
As this year and this decade come to a close, we begin first by taking a look back at some of our favorite albums of 2009 at DOA. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to many of you that the album at the top of this list is pretty much a forgone conclusion since it topped nearly all of the lists that I saw in every other publication print and … [Read more...]