The Willy's #'s 21-25

We begin the Top 25 for 2010
in the heart and mind of me - The Willy's.

Hopefully, you'll get them!
(the albums, not the willies...)
Enjoy!

25. Yeasayer - Odd Blood
Odd blood indeed! With no Animal Collection bizarreness this year, Yeasayer can fill that void in your heart (yes, I know Avey Tare had an album). These space age dance grooves will have you shimmy shaking. While some of the album veers into strange, the high spots are loads of fun in the vein of Passion Pit's album last year. Check out the synth-y goodness of "O.N.E." and "Ambling Alp".


24. Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love
Oh, Stuart Murdoch how do I love thee? You let me down with your wannabe musical, God Help the Girl. Write About Love brings you back to my liking somewhat. While it may be heresy in the B&S circles, I think that Dear Catastrophe Waitress and The Life Pursuit are some of the group's best work. This album is not quite up to that caliber. There are some enjoyable songs, but like early B&S some of the album could lullaby you to sleep. Caveat: this album is not suited for long road trips. Failure to recognize this could result in bodily harm and trashing your car! That being said, listen to it in spurts on a lazy day. Download "Write About Love" and "Come on Sister".

23. The Drums - The Drums
The Drums blew onto the blog/hipster scene last summer/fall with their debut EP. "Let's Go Surfing" was one of my favorite songs last year and is still catchy to this day (it's intro is my ring tone). It appears again on their debut album this year. Songs like "Best Friend" and "Forever and Ever Amen" will have you finding your inner Robert Smith. The songs are upbeat in the theme of the EP, Summertime!, but the message seems to be anything but sunny. Therein lies their debt to the Cure - depressing, dark, loathing, and heartbroken. Yum.

22. The New Pornographers - Together
"Put, put, put your 'Hands (Together)' for the silver bullet maker!", screams the NP gang at the onset of their newest collaboration - werewolves are all the rage next to vampires! Carl Newman, Dan Bejar, and Neko Case are still making it work in their Canadian super group. "Crash Years" serves as one of the finer vehicles for Neko's voice that the group has ever put out. The album is good, but the great-ness is maybe not all there. It's a solid 3 1/2 stars. Enjoyable all over, but it's not the best they've ever done. It maybe would've been higher for me if they hadn't phoned in their show here in July... (in their defense, it was the last night of a long tour, and I'm sure they were tired...)

21. Jenny & Johnny – I’m Having Fun Now
What can we say, "We are suckers for Jenny Lewis." From the Wizard to Troop Beverly Hills to Rabbit Fur Coat, I've been all ears (and eyes). A duets album with boyfriend, Jonathan Rice, IHFN plays more like a sequel to Acid Tongue, Jenny's 2008 album. I actually like this better than Acid Tongue. "Scissor Runner" is a rocker. "My Pet Snake" is all fun. The two play well off eachother, but Rice's voice tends to be flat compared to the sharper, Lewis. The light is on her for sure, and he fades to the back with his "Switchblade". Regardless, it's a good run start to finish over and over again as it spins.