24. Doves – Kingdom of Rust
Andy: Unranked :: Dave: 12
Doves write driving songs. I’m not specifically referring to beats, though oftentimes there happen to be a plethora of driving beats moving Doves music along. What I mean is you can imagine the band driving through austere landscapes contemplating all of life’s mysteries as they conceptualize their music. Listen to the titular Kingdom of Rust and see what I mean. Personally, I love listening to Doves as I drive long distances. And perhaps that is part of why the band gets very little mainstream love. They are in it for the long haul, making consistently excellent music, avoiding any gimmicks or shite to get famous and instead focusing on perfecting their craft.
With Kingdom of Rust the band does not stray much from what got them to this point. Stylistically and structurally it is very similar to previous Doves records. To some that may be a detriment, and if I’m being honest, this is not my favorite of their records. Nonetheless, a good Doves album still rates very high on any list I may create, because their pretty good is better than many bests.
Doves – House of Mirrors (mp3) from Kingdom of Rust
23. Volcano Choir – Unmap
Andy: 27 :: Dave: 25
Unmap is unconventional. There is an overwhelming sense of creativity prevalent throughout, which lends the notion the authors were just playing music to see where things went. Everyone at this point knows Justin Vernon’s story regarding his moniker Bon Iver and last year’s sublime, For Emma, Forever Ago. Playing along with post rock concern Collections of Colonies of Bees to form Volcano Choir, Vernon is not attempting to follow up his work as Bon Iver in any way. This music does not adhere to a basic structure and truly couldn’t have been done without one of my favorite voices working today. But perhaps he would not have been able to do something like this without CoCoB. And Vernon, along with this record and all those with the opportunity to have heard this record, benefit all the more.
Volcano Choir – Seeplymouth (mp3) from Unmap
