12: Women – Women
Jagjaguwar

Women’s self-titled debut is a strange record; what makes it good are the collage of quick rhythms, great tones from creative, lo-fi production (with lots of great sounding noises dispersed throughout), group sing-alongs sometimes resembling melodic chanting, and fast, intricate guitar lines (with the emphasis on running, tricky melodies, not guitar virtuoso wankery). This record also has a stand out single, "Black Rice," which summarizes a specific, recent strain of indie rock very nicely and also features a killer xylophone melody. Ultimately, Women is defined by an underlying tension with unexpected and cathartic releases, all of which are off-kilter but familiar to all of us Pitchfork readers.

Labels: 2008 Recap, Album Review, Women