The ideology that less is more in the sphere of music is a dying belief. Not to knock artists who favor recording albums that rival feature film time lengths, but there is something truly commendable about albums that accomplish what others do in less than 40 minutes. This week, in the tradition of in "High Fidelity," we decided to reward the select artists who have mastered the fine art of minimalism in the 2000s.
5. "I Am A Bird Now" by Antony and the Johnsons
Minimalism might not be the first thing that one may think of in reference to Antony and the Johnsons' haunting, landmark 2005 album "I Am A Bird Now," but as it's barely over a half an hour long, it merits a spot on the list. After winning the Mercury Music Prize, the album skyrocketed from No. 135 to No. 16 on the U.K.'s album chart in just one mere week. Devendra Banhart, Rufus Wainwright and Boy George drop by for duets, each adding their own unique influences to Antony's music, leaving each track resonating with originality. The showcase track of the album is Antony's collaboration with Lou Reed, "Fistful of Love," which boasts striking horns that perfectly match the heartbreaking lyrics. Aching with despair and nostalgia, "I Am A Bird Now" examines the human experience with brilliant grace.
-D.T.S.
4. "Hell Songs" by Daughters
Daughters are another band adept at short songs, but in an incredibly different way. It's true that most of the band's songs end near the two-minute mark, but it's usually because it is so fast that to continue any longer would be to overwork the listener's ears. Daughters make an incredibly dissonant yet surprisingly accessible combination of math metal and grindcore on its 23-minute sophomore album, "Hell Songs." The band's ear-shredding melodies could barely be called such - it follow no real melodic structure, but the unorthodox rhythms put forth by the guitars and drums are simultaneously startling and intriguing. While bands like Dillinger Escape Plan simply sound like musical machine guns, Daughters actually incorporate some truly haunting elements into their music. With "Hell Songs," Daughters take a fascinatingly accessible stance on a historically inaccessible genre while still maintaining its credibility.
-C.C.
3. "Fever to Tell" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are surely a love 'em, hate 'em band. Regardless of which side you're on, you have to at least admire 'em. Yeah Yeah Yeahs came to be during the garage rock renaissance of the early 2000s. What ultimately set the band apart from its musical counterparts (aside from the lack of the word "the" in their name) were guitarist Nick Zinner's genius and lead singer Karen O's screechy vocals and wild persona. On stage, Karen dons bizarre outfits, spits into the crowd and generally goes ape-shit. With "Fever to Tell," Yeah Yeah Yeahs blend garage rock with art punk, and the outcome is intoxicating. You won't find another album less than 40 minutes that matches the rage, love and artistic confidence of "Fever to Tell."
-D.T.S.
2. "Icarus" by The Forms
The Forms' debut LP, "Icarus," clocks in at just 18 minutes, but has more music jam-packed inside of it than most records of recent years. The songs are surprisingly deep for clocking in at less than two minutes. The songs are assembled impeccably well and make the whole album rather like one incredibly epic song. While the band's present-day contemporaries would probably consider them indie pop or something similar, one can't help but notice a similarity to the melodic styles and song structures of 1990s Chicago emo bands American Football and Cap'n Jazz. That's not to say The Forms apes its styles at all; The Forms is very much its own entity musically. The group uses drop-C tunings to create a fascinatingly diverse album that weaves from rocking out to mellow and back again with the utmost elegance.
-C.C.
1. "Kill the Moonlight" by Spoon
Clocking in at roughly 35 minutes, "Kill the Moonlight" is not only the best album of Spoon's career, it's also the best album of 2002. The Austin rock quartet has made quite a name for itself over its 13-year career, especially with the release of its smash hit "Gimme Fiction" in 2005. Each of the 12 songs on "Kill the Moonlight" is sparely stylized; the album's most exotic point entails tambourine shaking during the opening track "Small Stakes." This is very straightforward rock, but a masterful conception of what a rock album should be. Scaling emotional themes and genres alike, "Kill the Moonlight" is a rock masterpiece is every sense of the word.
-D.T.S.
