Three Records Released Last Year

They were released last year, but as usual, I've only gotten around to listening to them.

Sufjan Stevens, "Illinois"

Probably the most critically acclaimed record of last year, Sufjan Stevens' lengthy ode to the Land of Lincoln is certainly an impressive accomplishment, especially considering the guy played basically every instrument. Upon the first few listens, the whole album is nothing less than astonishing -- the songs very complex, the instrumentation intricate, the singing sweet, but not so twee you have to leave the room.

But sit with it for a few weeks and the luster starts to fade a little. Not that the album turns bad by any means, but a lot of the cute factor of several of the songs, notably "Jacksonville" and "Metropolis," gets a little tired. The anthemic "Chicago" kind of loses its impact after a few days of listening, too. In the end, the songs that hold up are the ones that seem the most genuine. "Casimir Pulaski Day" is just a heartbreaker, "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." is simply beautiful, and "The Predatory Wasp of the Pallisades Is Out to Get Us!" actually kind of grew on me.

Was this the album of the year? I can't say I know for sure. It's quite good, and incredibly easy to pick up, listen to and enjoy. It certainly wasn't like anything else that came out, and it definitely is a technical feat. And Stevens is clearly going to put out some great records. But as far as this being a milestone or a masterpiece, that may be hyperbole. A-

The New Pornographers, "Twin Cinema"

I don't know why everybody gave The New Pornographers such a hard time over their second album, "The Electric Version." It had some of the catchiest power pop songs ever recorded, I say. Critics have said that this record was the Pornographers' return to form and the first sign that these guys have formed some sort of cohesive unit.

All I can say is, it's pretty good, but I liked their other stuff, to be honest.

There are some excellent songs on here -- "Sing Me Spanish Techno," "Jackie Dressed in Cobras" and "Falling Through Your Clothes" are standouts -- but nearly half the record is kind of, well...sleepy. Yeah, it seems that all the band members were all in the same room when they recorded this stuff, but it also sounds like they were all kind of depressed.

I will say that part of the problem is that this group has just set a standard for themselves that is almost too high to meet. From any other band, this would have been a breakout record. For The New Pornographers, making only 7 out of 14 songs so infectious I can't stop humming them seems like a disappointment. B-

Wolf Parade, "Apologies to the Queen Mary"

I think Montreal may be the new Seattle. That city pumps out a new, really cool band like, every week now. I mean, really all you have to do is take a look at these guys' name to know they've got to be good. Wolf Parade. I mean, come on.

And even beyond the name, this is a pretty damn good debut. The album comes right out of the gate with the best song on the whole thing, "You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son," a revenge tune that's almost all drums and that almost rocks too hard. It's also the least derivative song on the record, as, like many bands' debuts, Wolf Creek's album wears its influences right on its sleeve. There's a series of songs in the middle of the record that might as well be titled by the bands they sound like. Songs 3-8, retitled: Modest Mouse, The Pixies, At the Drive-In, Nirvana, Spoon, Interpol.

Not that that's bad, necessarily. I like all those bands. But when they put all that together and every song sounds like it came from the same band, hopefully in their next record, that's when Wolf Parade will finally live up to their unbelievably cool name. B