My favorite two albums of the year

I was just thinking how incredibly different my two favorite albums of the year are, in terms of genre, sound, and themes. The Avett Brothers' Emotionalism came out earlier this March; The National's Boxer was released in May. I keep coming back to these two albums for a few reasons. First (and most importantly in this singles-only era of music), they work well as entire albums. Though not necessarily concept albums, each has a certain theme running through most of the songs, and lends the entire album a sense of cohesion that not all albums have these days. Also, given the catchiness of Emotionalism, it's easy to sing along to, which is something I appreciate. Boxer is much the opposite - more complex and musically dense - which means that new sounds are revealed even after the 20th listen.

Emotionalism is bluegrass meets early-era Beatles with a touch of grunge and garage punk thrown in (though less of these last two than their earlier albums). Thematically, it's much like "I want to hold your hand"-era Beatles as well: songs about unrequited love, songs meant to woo a pretty girl, songs about relationships gone wrong, and songs about the impact of previous loves. Here, the Avett Brothers' singing is cathartic and liberating: like chatting about a failed relationship with a good friend over a beer, the point of the music is to express the associated emotions and ultimately move on. Though the story may be sad, the message is hopeful; the songs may describe one instance of sorrow or failure, but there is no sense of long-term depression or disaster.

I read in one interview that Boxer was named not for an athlete but for the physical sense of being boxed in a corner. And thus it is with the album - whereas Emotionalism has it sad places but still leaves the listener with a sense of optimism for the future, Boxer leaves the happy outcome more uncertain. More so than in other albums by The National, the songs are are snippets or clips of situations in someone's life. For instance, "The Apartment Story": "Be still for a second while I try and try to pin your flowers on. Can you carry my drink, I've everything else, I can tie my tie all by myself, I'm getting tired - I'm forgetting why. Tired and wired, we ruin too easy." I think the song's expressing a growing sense of annoyance over a relationship, but we're dropped right into the middle of things, not knowing how the couple got to be this way, and not left with any hope or optimism for the future. Similarly, "Start a War": "You were always weird, but I never had to hold you by the edges like I do now. Walk away now, and you're gonna start a war." Again, a couple's relationship is about to explode, but we don't know how or why, and we're not left with any optimism for the future. Instead, we get a sense of hopelessness - of being boxed into a corner. (Incidentally, Matt's voice is perfect for expressing a hopeless sense of frustration). Certainly not all tracks are as bleak as these two, but whereas The Avett Brothers have cut holes in the box they've been caged, letting in air and light and seeing hope in the future, Boxer is indeed still entrenched with an unshakable sense of dread.

In any case, I highly suggest both albums! Not sure anything's going to knock these two off of the top of my "best of" list. Though Josh Ritter's latest is growing on me, I don't think it will overtake either of these two.