From the first lines of the opening track, “Tiger” – “I caught you streaking in your Birkenstocks/ a scary thought in the two Ks” – fans will know that these lyrics aren’t meant to disappear into a bass and synth vortex. Not unlike previous efforts from the Jicks, “Mirror Traffic” is a rather obvious extension of the trademark “slacker” rock Malkmus perfected with his native band, Pavement. And “slacker” is in no way an insult to The Jicks’ creative output; it’s the only way to describe how organically the elements of “Mirror Traffic” come together. Malkmus’s vocals are pleasantly bare and unconcerned, aided by loaded lyric grenades he unwittingly flings at waiting listeners, as though he only just thought of them.If you haven’t been a Stephen Malkmus fan in the past, this could possibly be the conversion album. While past efforts have sometimes felt long-winded and trapped in a distinctly 1990s sound, “Mirror Traffic” takes a breath and focuses on the logical senselessness of life and relationships. It’s not the most thoughtful or abstract Jicks album, but it offers 16 solid tracks of satisfyingly honest speculations and humorous lyrical tangents, as in the frantic track, “Spazz” – “Would you like to pet my rifle? / Summer camp is such a drag/ I rip into my lemon trifle/ I’m too old to play capture the flag/ Someone’s giving French kiss lessons/ How else will we learn to love.”

Some of the most captivating moments happen on slow, unhurried tracks like “Share the Red,” “No One Is (As I Are Be)” and “Asking Price,” where Malkmus sings tenderly alongside meandering guitar melodies. “Mirror Traffic” has much to offer for Malkmus virgins and veterans alike, who will have an equally difficult time ignoring the sardonic social caricatures and a micro-hook about blowjobs in the album’s first single, “Senator.” Just go ahead and try.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Senator by DominoRecordCo

Helplessness Blues ~ Fleet Foxes

If thoughtfulness is a quality becoming all too rare in mainstream music, rejoice in knowing that it still thrives in the fringe realm of bands like Fleet Foxes. The Seattle-based folk group returns with “Helplessness Blues,” their second full-length album and the first release since 2008. Echoing previous efforts, “Fleet Foxes” and “Sun Giant,” with its multi-instrumental baroque folk sound and faultlessly blended choral harmonies, “Helplessness Blues” nonetheless bares traces of greater maturity and emotional exploration.

It is the high-pitched, honey-laced vocals of frontman Robin Pecknold that initially lure you into the opening track, “Montezuma,” as he sings, “Oh how could I dream of such a selfless and true love/ Could I wash my hands of just looking out for me/ Oh man what I used to be.” But the band quickly reminds listeners of their ability to evoke rich folk imagery in aural scenes of sprawling countryside and peasant gospel. A balance of soft, melodious acoustics, subdued drums and clanging tambourines set the tone for an album that is strangely radiant in its sorrowfulness.

The band’s songwriting talent is more evident than ever in “Helplessness Blues,” where each track embodies a comprehensible thought, moment or sensation in Pecknold’s doubtful existence. Fleet Foxes reveal themselves as storytellers in tune with the written word, and there are no superfluous lyrics to be found. A recurring theme of encounters with personal mortality and presumed insignificance pervades the album’s 12 songs, and most certainly the title track: “I was raised up believing I was somehow unique/ Like a snowflake distinct amongst snowflakes…and now after some thinking I’d say I’d rather be/ A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me.”

Despite a sound that is so visibly defined, “Helplessness Blues” manages to avoid monotony in its arrangement, alternating between more low-key acoustic songs featuring Pecknold’s ardent vocal style and primarily choral tracks that layer glorious vocal harmonies over a breathtaking symphony of guitars, tambourines, pianos and flutes. Dual tracks like “The Shrine/An Argument” and “The Plains/Bitter Dancer” bounce back and forth between both styles, offering all of the band’s best qualities in one epic musical narrative.

The album is rich with lyric gems like “Battery Kinzie,” “Blue Spotted Tail,” “Lorelai” and the reflective “Bedouin Dress,” where Pecknold apologetically sings, “If to borrow is to take and not return/ I have borrowed all my loans from life/ And I can’t, no I can’t get through/ The borrower’s debt is the only regret of my youth.” By the final track, “Grown Ocean,” you exit “Helplessness Blues” in the same way you entered – with high expectations of what may come next.

tUnE-yArDs

Ears are meant to be stimulated, and Tune-Yards begs to be the weapon of choice for flexible music listeners eager to be perplexed, enticed and bombarded all at once. Helmed by New England native, Merrill Garbus, Tune-Yards is an explosion of worldly influences, ranging from traditional Swahili music and eerie indie melodies to modern soul and R&B. Following the 2009 experimental album “Bird-Brains”, Garbus returns with “w h o k i l l”, an instruction manual on how to bewilder an audience before proceeding to reel them in.

“W h o k i l l” solidifies Tune-Yards’ position as a musical anomaly with a diverse vocal presentation that transitions seamlessly from soulful crooning to an African-inspired, but self-styled version of scat singing to a pleasant melodic wailing reminiscent of Garbus?s heroes and former tour mates, the Dirty Projectors. From the first lines of the opening track, “My Country” -  “My country tis of thee/ sweet land of liberty/ how come I cannot see my future within your arms” -  the album spills over with thoughtful, gritty lyrics that evoke the raw image of city life and Garbus’s uncertain role in it.

While this sophomore effort from Tune-Yards is more accessible than “Bird-Brains” songs like ‘Gangsta’, ‘Killa’ and the first single, ‘Bizness’ feature a similar collision of looped instruments and sounds, including Garbus’s trusty ukulele and the electric bass stylings of Nate Brenner layered over old-school hip hop drum beats.

Garbus just as fearlessly showcases the softer side of her voice on the album?s calmer tracks ‘Powa’, ‘Wooly Wolly Gong’ and ‘Riotriot’ in which she trills “You have come to put handcuffs on my brother down in the alleyway/ I dreamt of making love to you up on the rooftop looking out at the sky”. From the first pluck of the ukulele string to the final blaring howl, “w h o k i l l” offers moments of honesty and curiosity that will hook both devoted fans and new recruits alike.

tUnE-yArDs – Gangsta by ListenBeforeYouBuy

10. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul
I remember seeing posters all around town in Austin at SXSW in March and being very intrigued by the premise of this project (David Lynch working with Danger Mouse and Mark Linkous with a roster of vocalists including Nina Persson, Julian Casablancas, the Flaming Lips, Suzanne Vega and Iggy Pop), so i was very disappointed when the record label basically shelved this project [though the book of Lynch’s photos is still being sold, cleverly packaged with a blank CD]. The production is top-notch, layered and more upbeat than you might expect from a Lynch project. you can still hear the whole album on NPR’s site.

9. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns
Such a leap forward from her debut, both the production and songwriting are so rich and intricate. I did think it had one of the worst album covers of the year (the deluxe edition cover is a huge improvement).

8. The Gossip – Music for Men
So slick and rock steady, defiant but ultimately just a knockout of a dance record. “Four Letter Word” was one of my top 10 favorite songs of the year.

7. PJ Harvey & John Parish – A Woman A Man Walked By
There was a great quote I read from Uncut’s review that said “Parish and Harvey sound confidently experimental, like two soldiers daring each other to ever more stupendous feats of bravery” – I think it’s truly incredible how PJ continues to find new ways to use her voice as an instrument and, especially on this album, uses it to conjure up a whole cast of characters, ranging from creaky and ancient (“April”), to child-like (“16, 15, 14”), to straight-up maniacal.

6. the xx – xx
I wouldn’t usually associate words like “hushed” and “subtle” with pop, but this album manages to combine great pop melodies with impressively restrained production. One of the things i love most about this album is that it sounds like it could have been released anytime during the last 30 years.

5. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
I think David Fricke hit the nail on the head when he called this album “a triumph of determined simplicity by a band that has been running from the obvious for most of this decade” – it reminds me of A.M. and Being There and it’s refreshing to hear these guys a little more stripped down, rocking out like the amazing live band they are. my favorites are”One Wing,” “I’ll Fight” “Wilco (The Song),” and “Deeper Down.”

4. Florence & the Machine – Lungs
The first two songs I heard from Florence were “Blinding” and “Between Too Lungs” and i was floored. I do think the album could be more focused stylistically, but it makes sense that a roaring debut would cause a bit of a frenzy.

3. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I didn’t give this album enough attention until the last couple months of this year, but i’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve heard this album described as almost giddy, and I’d have to agree. It’s a solid record, really textured and so refreshingly upbeat, it’s hard to resist wanting to make it my soundtrack anytime I’m out walking around the city.

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
I think the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are officially my favorite band making music today; so much style, so much substance, so much swagger. I love that they continue to push themselves into new territories of sound, and that they can rattle a dancefloor with Karen O commanding “off with your head! dance til you’re dead!” one minute, then do a sweeping, heartfelt ballad like “Hysteric” or “Little Shadow” the next.