Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Five Fave Fall Indie Albums

On Thanksgiving eve, your humble correspondent (wink) has decided to step away from regularly scheduled programming to bring you something a little different. That means no talk of young evangelicals, no current events, no creation care updates, no politics, nothing to incite hate mail. Instead, I thought I would give you something that warms my heart like a frothy cup of hot cocoa...Indie rock!

Nothing goes better with a crispy fall day than some Indie tunes. Ok, maybe football. Or turkey. Or pumpkin pie. Or maybe a good low-budget holiday flick on ABC Family. Anyway, you get my point. Indie rock goes well with Thanksgiving, I think. It is a natural precursor to the Burl Ives and Dean Martin Christmas tunes that we are all eager to whip out.

I have decided to give you my top five favorite Indie albums for the fall. (Not sure if all of them are Indie in that they are label-less; I am using "Indie" simply to describe the genre. AKA No "just so you know" posts from know-it-all emo bloggers, please.) Without further adieu, here they are in no particular order:

1. "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" by Bright Eyes: Brilliantly eclectic and mellow. Favorite songs Arc of Time, Easy/Lucky/Free and Gold Mine Gutted.

2. "The Rhumb Line" by Ra Ra Riot: This is guaranteed to put you in a good mood. Favorite songs are Each Year, Winter 05, Dying is Fine and Can You Tell.

3. "Vampire Weekend" by Vampire Weekend: Language is sometimes a little rough for the easily offended, but music may be some of the best of 2008. Very Paul Simon. Favorite songs are A-Punk and The Kids Don't Stand a Chance.

4. "Re-arrange Us" by Mates of State: This boy-girl duo is unreal. Favorites songs are Now, Re-Arrange Us and My Only Offer.

5. "Oracular Spectacular" by MGMT: Great band with a great 70/80s flair. Favorite songs are Time to Pretend, Electric Feel and Kids.

If you have heard of any of these bands, let me know your thoughts. Do you love my list or hate it? If you think you have a better list, post it. I am always looking for new music. If you haven't heard of any of them, click on iTunes and start downloading.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love MGMT, though I just posted on the nihilistic overtones of "Time to Pretend" (http://classicalarminianism.blogspot.com).

I found you through Tim Jones on Twitter. I'm a student at the college at Southeastern. I appreciate the work you're doing with the environmental initiative, etc.

God bless,

Billy

Steve McCoy said...

Best song by Vampire Weekend, "Oxford Comma," contains a clear four-letter word, but it's a great song.

Bright Eyes is always good.

I don't know if Bon Iver is on your radar, but they are outstanding. And perfect for fall/winter.

Steve

Jonathan Merritt said...

Thanks for the compliment, Billy.

And, Steve...Oxford Comma is my absolute favorite Vampire Weekend tune. I just didn't want to say it because of that blatant four letter word imbedded in the chorus. Thanks for making it safe.

Jm

coco cupcake said...

love it! great list, amazing artists on there (especially 2 & 4 ;) lol)

Tim said...

As an avid indie-rock listener, I think you've made some good picks...
MGMT's Time to Pretend is both a catchy tune, and a great example of the worldview of a lot of the people the church is failing to reach...
I've been really into Sia, Band of Horses and the Frames recently, since you asked...

tim

Jonathan Merritt said...

Tim J.,

Good suggestions. I love Band of Horses and the Frames. I will check out Sia on iTunes.

Jm