69.

Beach House
Devotion
(Carpark, 2008)

Devotion’s dream haze is simply celestial. Thick and slow moving, like a river of sugar, Beach House’s sophomore effort holds the most sumptuous bouts of paradisiacal nostalgia, it becomes difficult to put the album down. And why would you want to? Devotion delivers the most relaxed, honey glazed trance available without the use of controlled substances: pure goodness.

-Thistle

67.

Belong
October Language
(Carpark, 2006)

The opening track to October Language remains to this day one of the most gorgeous and elegiac moments of musical history for me. I could listen to the track ten times in a row without losing sliver of the climactic impact Belong has packed into its 4 minute and 43 second running time. And from there things only get sweeter. Belong has released a few EP length odds and ends since October Language (all of which are amazing), but the promise the duo has left with their debut album still has me on the edge of my seat, waiting for a true follow up. Belong has taken the My Bloody Valentine formula on October Language and perfected it, piling pristine layer of sound upon pristine layer sound. I guess I can sympathize with the delay, with an album this crystal perfect, it’s going to be near impossible to top.

-Thistle

Beach House - Devotion

Beach House
Devotion
(02.2008, Carpark)
Verdict: So Guuuud!

First In The Future, then The Evening Descends and Vampire Weekend and now this! It's only 57 days into 2008, we still have 308 days left and already we have been blessed with some seriously amazing recordings. As I recall, at the beginning of 2007 I was feeling a little disheartened that 2007 would never be as good as previous years in music because very little interesting music was being released in January and February, but this year is a complete 180. I predict 2008 will knock our socks off, clean off, like across the room off. I guess possibly I am being rash, and 2008 could take a total nose dive in the months to come, but let's just be optimistic right now. Beach House may just be the creme de la creme of the afore mentioned albums. Their self-titled 2006 debut held my interest but not my heart. Now with a fuller sound, bursting with slide guitar licks and organ swells accompanying the ghost of Victoria LeGrands vocals, hitting melodious jackpot after melodious jackpot, my heart is theirs. It's layed back and overwhelming and affirms your love for music within 20 seconds of the first track. Every song is the best track on the album.

-Sassigrass

WZT Hearts - Threads Rope Spell Making Your Bones

WZT Hearts
Threads Rope Spell Making Your Bones
(09.2007, Carpark)
9.0/10

I'm having too great of a year and its making me look like a critical softy. It's not my fault that 2007 has virtually bombarded me with some of the most exciting and imaginative music of my short life. In any other year WZT Hearts (pronounced 'Wet Hearts') would be the crown of their class but they will just have to enjoy the brotherly love at the top this year. What's more is the fact that the top of this year's list is wrought with some of the loudest most frantic musical oddities of this or any year. WZT Hearts is a compatriot of this theme. As wonderfully enjoyable as it is titled, Threads Rope Spell Making Your Bones is brimming with laser guns, trash compactor clatter and a humming sea of static. The whole of the concoction is quite blissful, frequently boiling over and exploding then simmering then stretching threateningly to the edges of its capacity again as if you hadn’t already been flattened by previous volcanic blasts. The whole album is a quaking, tremulous storm of electronic buzz n' rumble, sloshing like witches brew gone haywire. There are some reference points here but none of them really matter because when WZT Hearts is destroying it they own their sound. The whole of the album tromps about with layers and layers of superlative electronics grit, frenzied drumming and a grab bag of unidentifiable objects contributing to the dissonant delight (see laser guns and trash compactors above). The resultant grandeur makes me feel young with adoration. Threads Rope Spell Making Your Bones is a beautiful album of composed confusion for the kids.

-Mr. Thistle

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