Aspen

I never actually got around to posting my write-up for my year-end album list. I suppose I still could, but now that we’re on the eve of March it would feel a bit silly.

In 2010 I refused to declare a single favorite album, but I did select a top five (looking back now it would be revised to six). For 2011 (I almost typed “this year”) that number was three; Destroyer’s Kaputt, EMA’s Past Life Martyred Saints, and La Dispute’s Wildlife.

Since I didn’t get to gush over these in that year end post—well I did, but no one saw it, I’m just going to do so here. But I’m not going to gush over all of them. Rather, I’m going to gush over the one that is never actually going to get the recognition it deserves.

Dan Bejar (Destroyer, among other things) is and has been a well respected musician in the indie community for something like fifteen years now. That he could put out a masterful album surprised no one, and furthermore it would have no trouble getting attention, mass and critical. EMA doesn’t have the same pedigree, but Erika Anderson’s old project Gowns was developing a following and the sound and attitude of EMA build directly from that, so Past Life enjoyed a sort of breakout success.

( La Dispute, on the other hand... )