2011 Calvin Awards: Best Album
February 14, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
In second place is an album that had some of the best rock guitar of the past few years, Expo 86 by Wolf Parade. Ever since Eric Clapton passed the proverbial torch to Eddie Van Halen, sketchy looking dudes have been lining up to claim the title of rockingest rock guitarist who ever rocked (note: not a real title). Right now it belongs to Wolf Parade' s Dan Boeckner. When paired with the angular voice and song-writing of Spencer Krug, the result is alchemy. Wolf Parade is no stranger to the Calvins - their previous album At Mount Zoomer ranked fourth in our 2009 voting. Additionally, we loved two related side projects last year - the Krug-fronted Sunset Rubdown placed seventh, while Boeckner's band Handsome Furs placed tenth.
Proving our eclectic nature, the shimmering fuzz pop of Beach House's Teen Dream - our third-place album this year - sounds about as different as can be from Wolf Parade. Sounding like a waking dream, the Baltimore-based duo's third album consists of track after track of intricate, sweeping music.
While everyone and their mother were fawning over Kanye (seriously, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone had the same album of the year choice), the BOP staff gravitated toward a different hip hop masterpiece.
Specifically, the funked out rhythms and spacetastic rapping of Big Boi's Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty made our best list in fourth place. The next best thing to a proper OutKast record is this accomplished solo statement from perhaps the more dynamic of the two. Your move, Andre 3000.
While it didn't finish first in the hearts of the BOP staff, Arcade Fire arguably made the most interesting album of the year. It’s textured and nuanced, without being trite on a subject (the
aforementioned suburbs) that is begging for a lyricist to fall into the stereotype trap. Albums with staying power that impact the musical landscape are like onions, layered and requiring a little work to peel. The Suburbs is an onion. A delicious, delicious onion. It's also a little bit of a swerve for Arcade Fire, and probably a necessary one. They’ve always had a big sound, filled with anthemic rock and roll. In concert, they are high energy, always moving, creating a wall of sound. But The Suburbs is a restrained, controlled album. The anthems are still there, but they don’t have the heart-on-the-sleeve fervor of Funeral or Neon Bible. You just have to find them.
2010 was the year The Black Keys went over the top of the mountain to become the consensus pick among critics and consumers as the best band in America. Newer fans would do well to check out the band's flawless back catalog. Older fans would do well to forgive the Keys for licensing their songs to just about any commercial enterprise looking to show its gritty side. It's hard out there for a blues rock duo, and merely making BOP's sixth favorite record of the year isn't going to pay the bills.
With Gnarls Barkley, Cee Lo Green is responsible for "Crazy", one of the catchiest songs in history. The most infectious song from 2010 is "Fuck You" from Cee Lo Green's solo album, The Lady Killer-- the catchiest and bluntest kiss-off song in history. But it's more than an album done in support of a great single. From the synthy opening notes of the first proper song on the album (Bright Lights Bigger City), it's clear that Cee Lo Green brought his A-game to The Lady Killer. There are horns, there are strings, there's percussion. You can just visualize Cee Lo dressed like Al Green, standing and belting this out like he was in a church.
Unfortunately, LCD Soundsystem is breaking up. This is Happening is not a bad consolation prize, though, as it furthers James Murphy's reputation for crafting the thinking man's dance music. Witty, wry lyricism, insouciant beats, and an overall attention to detail lost in most dance music today propel This is Happening for all of its 65 minutes, not one of which is boring. As a swan song for LCD Soundsystem, the sum result is our eighth favorite album of the year. As for James Murphy, we don't believe for a minute we've heard his last.
You may be surprised to see the house band from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon among our selections, but The Roots' most recent album, How I Got Over, is like several other albums on this year's list in that it takes a number of listens to appreciate its brilliance. Once you've had a chance to absorb the funky rhythms and listen to the "grown-up" hip-hop lyrics, you'll be aching to hear it again and again. There are religious undertones and ideas about redemption interspersed throughout the various tracks, making How I Got Over plenty challenging but also completely rewarding.
Wrapping up the list is Elsinore, a four-piece indie rock troupe from Champaign, Illinois. Their debut album, Yes Yes Yes, mixes heavy jam with pop, and with considerable ease. The disc opens with a nearly seven-minute, two-song mini rock opera and sounds exponentially better as its volume increases. While the album's most accessible track is probably the one that named it, "Yes Yes Yes," its finest may be "Breathing Light." Its combination plate of strings, piano, high voice and base makes for beautiful composition. (Collective BOP Staff/BOP)
The Calvins Introduction
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Best Videogame
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture