When first listening to Evols there wasn’t much I felt compelled to write about them. That their band name is essentially love backwards and pluralized does not a post make. That it could have something to do with Sonic Youth does not give me more than this particular sentence either. After listening a few more times I was able to come up with a comparison, but mostly I was helped in realizing this is a solidly enjoyable, if unspectacular, foray into indie rock.

[mp3] Evols // Waves of Fire

The band I came up with in comparison, Dodos, seemed natural the more I listened. Like Dodos, Evols’ music is spare and atmospheric, with limited instrumentation maximized to the greatest effect. The band’s website is an apt analogy to their music: made up only of assorted pictures, videos of live performances and various tracks, it’s sparse but effective.

[mp3] Evols // Winter Joy

You can listen to the remainder of the album if you wish before you decide to purchase it on iTunes, or if it’s your thing you can contact the band ([email protected]) for a copy on 180g white vinyl for €10 + shipping.

18. Japandroids – Post-nothing
Andy : 6 :: Dave :: Unranked

(NOTE: This is the last album that both of us don’t have listed on our individual lists.  You know, in case you were wondering.)

There’s an inevitable urgency about Japandroids’ full-length debut Post-nothing.  How could there not be?  This is a band that decided to stay as a twosome because finding an additional band member would have taken too much time.  In lieu of finding another member, the band shares vocal duties, filling the space above their musical din with shouts about girls, drinking and dreams.

Their fuzzy, lo-fi buzz lumps them in with bands like Crocodiles, No Age and Wavves, but their ability to maintain a certain levity about their music places them in a category all their own.  I mean, how serious can someone be when singing lines like: “I don’t wanna worry about dyin’/I just wanna worry about those sunshine girls” or “Let’s get to France so we can French kiss some French girls?”  I personally don’t think it’s possible.

As noted by our respective rankings of Post-nothing, Japandroids are instantly beloved or immediately shelved.  To me, Post-nothing is a straight-ahead, noisy slice of post-garage heaven, and its grinding 35 minutes are some of my favorites of the year.

Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire (mp3) from Post-nothing

17. The Dodos – Time to Die
Andy : 33 :: Dave : 14

Just about every review of a Dodos album, now and into perpetuity, will somehow mention that one of their songs soundtracks a commercial. While I love the song used in this commercial, I don’t particularly enjoy the product it was shilling, so I will avoid mentioning it much further than vague hints. Mainly because mentioning it in each and every review seems insulting, as if that is all they should be known for.

To hear The Dodos at work is to hear supremely talented musicians. As instrumentalists, guitarist Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber, are at the top of their respective crafts. The song in the afore-hinted commercial is a stunning example of this statement, and there is no lack of stunning instrumentalizations on this, their latest effort, as well. Multiple highlights abound, it is difficult to choose one song as an example. For this writer, multiple songs will be included somewhere on a year end list, few higher than ‘Fables.’ Indeed, rare are the moments of anything less than excellent. If for one odd reason or another a person was forced to listen to this album, there would be little need of the unmentioned commercial product above to contribute to the enjoyment of this wonderful album.

The Dodos – Troll Nacht (mp3) from Time To Die