[Listmas 2008]: The Top Ten EPs Of The Year

I'm running just a slight bit behind with Listmas this year, mainly because this year's holidays are leaving me overworked (and, coincidentally, underpaid). No worries though, because I plan on doing some catch-up in the next week or so. That being said, I'm pleased to present my list of the Top 10 EPs of 2008. Interestingly enough, I think I heard about twice as many EPs this year as I normally do, so that made coming up with this list a bit easier than it normally would be. And there were some really good EPs this year too (surprisingly so)! Some really good new buzz bands released some debut EPs that I hope you've checked out. If you haven't, I hope their appearance on this list will inspire you to look into them. And so we go. Here are the Top 10 EPs of 2008.

10. ..And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Festival Thyme EP (Download: Bells of Creation [Machete Mix])
Can we all just settle into the idea already that Trail of Dead are not going to ever top their "Source, Tags and Codes" album? The sooner we all agree on that, the quicker we can move on to what they're doing in this day and age. Their last couple of albums have been so-so, but now that they're fully free of record label constraints the band has a real chance to show us all what they can do. The first audio we've gotten from them since the label exodus is the "Festival Thyme" EP. While it's a collection of songs that doesn't quite go back and reestablish the band's guitar-driven, Sonic Youth-inspired roots, it does a fine job of exploring avenues and ideas as to where Trail of Dead might go next. What's nicest about the "Festival Thyme" EP is its lack of pompous and overblown choruses, which mostly served to get the band in trouble and turn their last couple albums sour. Piano dominates for the most part, often leading into surging choruses or bridges that take things to new levels. Overall, it's a pretty satisfying EP and one of the better things the band has released in the past few years. The biggest standout on the EP is the title track, a thrilling and rhythmic folk song that presents an exciting possibility of where this band might be going on their upcoming album. If they've given up on returning to the foundations that first got them popularity, they may just find solace and mass critical acceptance by pursuing that creative and inspired title track. I'll keep my fingers crossed for this band if you will.

9. The Mountain Goats and Kaki King - Black Pear Tree EP (Download: Thank You Mario But Our Princess Is In Another Castle)
Personally I think the team-up of John Darnielle and Kaki King was divinely inspired. Darnielle being the grand vocalist/lyricist that he is, and King being the guitar virtuoso that she is, their songs should conceptually be quite excellent. And they are, as the pair released the vinyl-only "Black Pear Tree" EP for their tour together this past fall. It marks only one of a handful of times that Darnielle has collaborated with anybody for a Mountain Goats release, and I for one am glad to hear it. While Darnielle does take the vocal reins and King the guitar ones for most of this EP, there are a couple of small role reversals in the songs, mainly those that involve King singing on some tracks, as she's prone to do on her solo records from time to time. What makes King's lead vocal turn that much more interesting here is that she's singing the lyrical poetry written by Darnielle and you can hear his distinctive voice in the words even though you might not hear it. Naturally Kaki King also shows off her talents with the intricate guitar work, which additionally adds new dimensions to your typical Mountain Goats song. So yeah, this is definitely a worthwhile collaboration, and I think this EP works better overall than the pay-what-you-want "Satanic Messiah" EP that the band put out around the same time this fall. I'd even go so far as to say the "Black Pear Tree" EP is better than the last Mountain Goats full length, "Heretic Pride." Or maybe I'm just a little too excited about a worthwhile collaboration between two artists that I happen to have a lot of respect for. Either way, if you can find a way to get your hands on it I certainly recommend it.

8. The Clientele - That Night, A Forest Grew EP (Download: Share the Night)
I'm pretty sure The Clientele are one of the best little-known bands around today. Their music is so distinctive and fascinating, their lyrics brilliant puzzles about love and life, yet I consistently see their albums fail to make mention on so many year-end lists. And while the band didn't release a new full length in 2008, they did put out an EP, which was probably used to bide time before their next official record. What fascinates me so much about the "That Night, A Forest Grew" EP is that The Clientele are finally starting to sound like they're comfortable in their own shoes. Drifting somewhat stylistically across their 10-year existence, they've gone from the dark and reverb-drenched alleys to the sunny open field indie pop. The band's last album, "God Save the Clientele," took their upbeat stance to a new level, taking on a new twist to the 60's pop most frequently utilized by Belle and Sebastian as of late. "That Night, A Forest Grew" takes those same cues and shows additional influences that point more in a disco direction, as the middle two tracks would probably work pretty well on a dance floor.. The closing title track is a spoken word song that The Clientele have been known to occasionally do, and the lyrical content reflects the song's title overly well. This may be a very short grouping of four songs (available via eMusic and Acuarela Records), but it does a fantastic job of summing up exactly where The Clientele have been and where they're headed next. As one of the more critically acclaimed bands in recent memory, I'm excited to hear what they've got in store for us in 2009.

7. Antony and the Johnsons - Another World EP
Antony is back officially for the first time since 2005's "I Am A Bird Now," and it seems not a whole lot has changed with him since then. Of course he did have those fascinating guest stints on the ever-danceable Hercules and Love Affair album, but for the first recordings with his name headlining in a couple years, this is a wholly other affair. Bring on the quiet and the piano ballads, two big elements that worked wonders for Antony on that breakthrough record. And though you may be initially inclined to dismiss the "Another World" EP as an exercise in patience as there are no true standout tracks here, these are just the sort of reflective songs you'd find sliding between the cracks on "I Am A Bird Now." That's in no way suggesting those songs were bad, but more underappreciated than anything else. What these sparse songs serve best as is a small group of songs that allow the listener to much more clearly focus on Antony's vocals and lyrics which are dynamite as usual. Though it appears that Antony is more restrained and downtrodden here, a quick trip to the middle of the EP will reveal "Shake That Devil" to you, which is about as accessible and interesting as Antony has gotten to date. That's the true highlight of an EP filled from start to finish with great songs anyways.

6. Andrew Bird - Soldier On EP (Download: The Trees Were Mistaken)
Tour-only EPs, as I've tended to find, are normally worse off than store-released EPs, the idea being that the label doesn't always feel like the EP might turn a profit were they to go through all the trouble of making however many number of copies and getting distribution. On the plus side, they provide extra collectible pieces of music for hardcore fans to enjoy. Andrew Bird's "Soldier On" EP was sold on his European tour promoting "Armchair Apocrypha," and is a surprisingly long set of songs that includes some b-sides, some rare and unreleased material, as well as a remix and a demo. As Bird has pretty much developed a style all his own, it's pretty interesting to hear what he considers to be not quite album worthy. Turns out that most of the rare stuff on this EP is just as good as his normal album tracks, though the couple instrumentals and slower songs make some sense as to why they've not been released on his full lengths. Where this EP truly shines is on the unreleased material, which takes on a life of its own and gives some indication as to what we might be hearing from Bird's forthcoming "Noble Beast" record. Particularly inspiring is the EP's opening song, "The Trees Were Mistaken," which combines layers of noise, electric guitar, whistling, violin and programmed beats into a beautiful mess only made better by Bird's dynamic vocals. Available on tour last January, it's been nearly a year since I first heard this EP and it still sticks with me. If you can find this somewhere, I strongly advise getting yourself a copy. It is fully worth your time and money.

5. Animal Collective - Water Curses EP
Released as essentially a stopgap collection of throwaway tracks to keep fans occupied between their last album "Strawberry Jam" and their forthcoming one "Merriweather Post Pavilion," expectations for Animal Collective remain high no matter what sort of collection of songs they release. And while the "Water Curses" EP wasn't exactly designed to be a critical masterpiece of a mere few tracks, the songs are good enough for the band to have released though they might not have had room or the same thematic elements as "Strawberry Jam" did at the time. But the small assemblage of songs on "Water Curses" actually do work well together despite containing some sonic disparities between themselves. The title track and EP opener is the easiest listen on the record, and even that is purposely messed with using the odd sound effects and vocal tics. It only gets more progressive and stranger with each new track, though the band always maintains their pop accessible edge despite trying to tear it to pieces. And that's extremely important if they're to win over new fans and keep the ones they've already got. Though this serves as a nice distraction between Animal Collective full length records, the "Water Curses" EP stands on its own in many ways and continues to show that the band intends to keep pushing the envelope until they have no room left to move. It provides a nice taste of what could also lie ahead on the band's next album, which we remarkably won't have to wait very long now to actually hear.

4. Crystal Stilts - Crystal Stilts EP (Download: Crystal Stilts)
In one of the weirdest but coolest ways possible, Crystal Stilts' debut EP makes me reminisce about Joy Division. Whether it's the extremely cheap-sounding lo-fi production or the driving bass lines and deep vocaled lyrics that give their songs a dark, post-punk affectation, there's something very Ian Curtis-ish about this band and I find that fantastic. Of course they're not quite Joy Division, as their sound often takes many modern angles such as jangly garage pop to get where they need to go, but I firmly believe the similarities between the two groups is undeniable. And that's a huge part in what sucked me into this band. Their knack for incessantly addictive melodies and danceably upbeat hooks also aid in making them a force to be reckoned with. This band is playing on a very odd and very compelling sort of line between the obscure and the mainstream, leaving just enough of an edge to keep them from rising to mainstream prominence. Besides, I doubt a large number of people would openly accept a record that sounds like it was recorded in one take from inside a closet. This cheap recording style, whether this EP was actually recorded on the fly or had studio effects muck it up on purpose later, only works in a very limited number of cases. Crystal Stilts proved on their debut EP that they know full well how to use subpar recording quality to its greatest effect.

3. Air France - No Way Down EP (Download: No Excuses)
Air France is actually an electronica group from Sweden, which makes their name somewhat confusing. It's also remarkable that Air France work in the same sort of genre that French duo Air also happen to make their living, though fundamentally speaking the two groups couldn't be much farther apart. Air France specializes in an upbeat sort of electronica that incorporates so much more than beats and tends to steal from quite a few previously released recordings. And that's really what helps to make this group so amazingly compelling. These are songs for the dance floor, and while you could admire them for the great beats, their power only gets fully revealed upon much closer inspection. It's in those details that you hear the birds chirping, the xylophones and flutes and horns and chimes swirling between the canned beats and vocal samples. It's a whole lot like The Avalanches, and I mean that in the most favorable way possible. Considering we haven't heard a whole lot from Avalanches of late, Air France is as good if not better as a substitute. Mainly, the "No Way Down" EP provokes my unnatural inclination to dance, which is something I'm typically not prone to doing. A big part of that is how unflinchingly positive these songs are, akin to music by their fellow Swede Jens Lekman, who also samples very frequently but uses a much more standard song structure. I wish all electronica music was this good. If that were the case, I'd be inclined to listen to a whole lot more of it.

2. Passion Pit - Chunk of Change EP (Download: Sleepyhead)
I'm quite picky about my electro pop records. They don't always have to be dance-worthy, but creativity really counts, as do engaging lyrics. The Postal Service is one of the better examples I can think of in recent memory that's been very catchy, creative and meaningful. Now I can put Passion Pit onto that list as well, as they garnered quite a bit of heavy chatter about their "Chunk of Change" EP. I was most certainly hesitant to even listen to the group, at first fearing they were headed down the path of MGMT in that they had maybe 2 good songs in them and splurged the rest on crap. Thankfully, the "Chunk of Change" EP is a 6-song collection featuring 6 shockingly great electro pop songs. But they also feel like so much more than that, with all the additional elements scattered throughout each track. Multiple listens are rewarded by new sonic revelations that increase your appreciation of each track. It's been a couple months and I continue to learn from this EP. Passion Pit have most definitely proven to me that they're a band worth watching, and hopefully their 2009 full length debut will be equal to or better than the talent they've got on display with this short collection of tracks.

1. Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP (Download: English House)
So many of us got our introduction to Fleet Foxes through the "Sun Giant" EP, which preceeded the band's first full length, released a short time later. And almost immediately the buzz started up. The grandiose folk, the catchy tunes, the woodsy lyrics, and the vocal harmonies. My God the vocal harmonies! This was a jaw-dropping bomb of an EP placed upon an unsuspecting music community that has now launched Fleet Foxes to the pantheon of heralded indie bands in 2008. Also somewhat surprisingly, the buzz hasn't really died down/the backlash hasn't started. Chances are it won't show up until the next Fleet Foxes release, provided the band doesn't hit another grand slam like they did with their first two releases. But a perfect 5-track EP doesn't come along very often, as many are looked upon as relative throwaways or mere testing ground for new directions. There's a full cohesiveness to the "Sun Giant" EP that takes you from the title track through "Innocent Son" only improving as it moves along. This was remarkable upon its release and it remains so several months later. That I'm still slayed by this after so long is a true testament to how good it is, and if you've yet to hear this EP or even investigate this band, you're missing out on something truly beautiful and more than buzzworthy.

What are your favorite EPs of 2008? Let me know in the comments!

Labels: best eps 2008, listmas, listmas 2008