It was an interesting year for Canada's second most famous supergroup - they released their third album and then hinted at an indefinite hiatus. Co-leaders Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner shared the songwriting duties on Wolf Parade's most direct album yet, making up for the rambling disappointment of 2008's At Mount Zoomer.Krug's songs have always been the most interesting ones on a Wolf Parade record, marrying abstruse lyrics to unconventional yet blindingly good melodies (witness album opener 'Cloud Shadow on the Mountain') but here he goes for the direct pop approach, matching Boeckner's more traditional songwriting. This might lead to less meandering, unco moments but it does leave the listener with a more coherent album experience. Fear not, though, there's still enough fuzzy guitar, weird electronica and esoteric lyrics to keep the most hardened of Wolf Parade fans interested.
It might not be album of the year, but it does win album cover of the year.
24. Foals - Total Life Forever.
The first British band to appear on my end of year list, Foals deserve to be here thanks to finally adding a heart to their punk-funk mathletics.This is the record that should have won the Mercury Music Prize, an album full of pulsing bass, metronomic drumming and guitars that dance a merry waltz together. The biggest change from Antidotes (apart from replacing David Sitek's icy production with Luke Smith's warmth) is that singer Yannis Phillippakis actually sings on Total Life Forever, and in fact he has quite a lovely, plaintive croon.
One to search out, if only to hear the gorgeous 'Spanish Sahara'.
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