8. DIIV. Oshin
3 albums in and already my second dream pop entry (probably something to be said about that).
Oshin is an album that almost passed by me over the summer. Not because of the quality clearly but because this isn't music of statements but an album as coherent as any on this list.
Subtlety is a strange thing. At what point does art have such a nonchalant ease in its creation that paradoxically it can almost become overwhelmingly self-aware? Luckily these 13 tracks (none lasting over 4 1/2 minutes) don't outstay their welcome but fuse into one another with ideal pacing that means the music can fly by.
That's a great quality to have, the great pop albums of the 60s often topped out at 30-35 minute running times. This is not a direct comparison to those works and certainly if it revels in its gorgeousness, it's a gorgeousness that heads in one direction.
These are Philip Glass-like interludes which project differing emotions and feelings. From 'Druun' to 'How Long Have You Known' the band play around with simple note structures that build and climax within a tight song structure before the idea gets stretched beyond reason.
You will move on to much more grander and important records, like I did. Ones with grander more inventive production, bolder ideas and involving lyrics (unfair on Oshin). But when you want a record that never out stays its welcome and can be returned to over and over again you may find that Oshin is a man's best friend.
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