22. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum (2007)

The first 500 copies of this album came with a bubble gum scented scratch-and-sniff sleeve, I’m jealous. Anyways, this album is a mix of electronic and folk and a lot of experimental noise, I can’t begin to accurately describe the music without you listening to it, but I have a feeling that these guys do a lot of drugs. I liked the songs Sun Lips, Jump in my Mouth and Breathe the Stardust.

Myspace.
Download.

21. Armor For Sleep - What To Do When You Are Dead (2005)

What To Do When You Are Dead is a great concept album from Armor. There seems to be a resurgence in concept albums lately, this one stands out for me though. The basic idea is that this kid kills drives his car into a lake, because of his shitty relationship, and then haunts his former girlfriend as a ghost. He doesn’t really haunt her, just floats around her house. Sounds like the dumbest thing you ever heard right? Well it is, but the songs are great. As the album progresses you see the dead guy change his mind from being mad, to wanting to go back to life, then realizing that what he did is final. Car Underwater, Truth about Heaven, and Basement Ghost Singing are really good songs. Go check it out.
Note: There is a pretty good album called An Acoustic Tribute to Armor for Sleep’s What to do When You are Dead. If you like the Punk Goes Acoustic compilations then you’ll love it.

Myspace.
Download.

20. Kyuss – Sky Valley (1994)

This band is classified as stoner metal, and they apparently took the name Kyuss from a Dungeons and Dragons character. That is enough for me to like them, but this is one of my favorite albums. The version that I have is only 4 tracks, even though there are ten songs. This is to encourage you to listen to it as a whole, rather than playing songs individually. I wish more artists would do that. Some songs are so much better when heard with their companions. The flow that this album has is exactly what I am talking about. This album has all the goodness of Queens of the Stone Age, with a 1994 attitude. You will enjoy.

Note: I saw Tool a few years ago and they covered the song Demon Cleaner. I hope that you are one day lucky enough to see Tool cover your favorite Kyuss song. This song is also in one of the Guitar Hero Games, if you care.

Myspace
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19. Joy Division – Closer (1980)

I only really started listening to Joy Division after watching the film Control and realizing what a cook Ian Curtis was, and you know crazy people make good music. I was right, Closer is a great album. The drums on the opening song, Atrocity Exhibition are so strange yet not too tribal. Curtis matches them beat for beat with his vocals, also reminding me a lot of Jim Morrison. That song alone had me hooked. Heart and Soul is my favorite song on Closer, the bass is perfect. I love the scene in the film Donnie Darko, when Donnie descends the stairs into the Halloween party and Love Will Tear Us Apart Again is playing. That is one of my favorite ‘music in movies’ moments, so I was a little bothered when I noticed that Love Will Tear Us Apart Again is not on this album. There is a 2007 re-mastered version containing bonus material, of which Love Will Tear Us Apart Again is a part. So go listen to this album, then watch Control, then watch Donnie Darko.

Note: The director’s cut of Donnie Darko changes the music in the scene I mentioned, so go find the original. And fuck you Richard Kelly, I’ll make a Director’s cut out of your face.

Donnie Darko IMDB page here.

Control IMDB page here.

Joy Division Myspace here.

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18. Beast – Beast (2008)

It seems that I have been stumbling across more and more French musicians lately, at least this one is singing in English. If you know who Betty Bonifassi Is then good for you, I didn’t. But once I looked her up I found out that she has been a part of several music projects that I really liked, such as DJ Champion. This is her new one, an electro duo from Montreal with Jean-Phi Goncalves. I remembered Bonifassi’s voice from the song No Heaven with DJ champion immediately, her voice is not raspy but it’s almost there, and the French accent is a perfect touch, (for some inexplicable reason.) Mr.Hurricane is the first single which was released free on Itunes, that’s how I heard Beast for the first time. My picks were for Devil and Mr. Hurricane. If you like slower tempo electro or trip hop then this is where it’s at. I included the link to the Mr. Hurricane music video, which is fabulous.

Note: The Toronto Star called it “one of the most strikingly original and swaggeringly bad-ass Canadian albums to rear its head in recent memory”. I love when a mainstream newspaper uses the word “Badass”. Badass.

Myspace
The great video I mentioned
here.
Download.

17. The Tallest Man On Earth – Shallow Graves (2008)

This is Kristian Matsson’s new folk album. I don’t know why I threw that out there; His name means nothing to me, so it probably means even less to you. Anyways, Matsson is a brilliant folk singer from Sweden. This album is very early Dylan, with simple song format and brilliant lyrics. I know that Bob Dylan has been used as the yardstick of folk music since the beginning of time, but it is more than true when speaking of Matsson. This album sounds more like he is playing beside a campfire than in a studio, but in a good way, as if he isn’t trying all that hard. (I stole this idea from a review I read on Pitchfork, I couldn’t think of anything nearly as fitting**.) The song The Gardner, is so lyrically beautiful about his secrets getting away to his girl. I loved it, whatever it was about.
P.S. I said it sounds more like he’s at a campfire than in a studio. Just for the record, there is a picture on his Myspace where he is playing beside a campfire. I swear that I saw the picture after I wrote that. I guess I’m just that awesome.

**
myspace
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16. Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde (2007)

I don’t know any background about this band, but I can tell you that they’re French and they play amazing tunes. They sound like Aves, and Amesoeurs and I don’t know what else. This band has got their metal roots shining through this post-rock, shoe gaze album and it works out perfectly. I first heard this because the album art is wicked, and I wanted to know what a French rock band would sound like. This is the only album by Alcest I could find, but they also have a great EP called The Secret with only 2 songs, but the playtime is close to twenty minutes. Printemps Émeraude and Souvenirs d'un autre monde were my two favorite tracks. Go, do it.

Myspace
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