Women: s/t

Label: Jagjaguawar

No joke: This got strong consideration for Album of the Year. To be sure, it’s the best debut of 2008. I know little about this band – four dudes from Canada, they recorded it in Chad VanGaalen’s basement, that’s about it – but they’ve crafted a unique and highly appealing sound, a bit of psych and post-punk mixed with experimental electronica. Women cite This Heat as an influence, so they are immediately aces in my book, and they bring that legendary band’s aesthetic to their self-titled debut, with heavy, jagged rhythms, lo-fi pop and furious raw energy. The first few tracks give you the album’s eclectic sound. The opening one-minute track, “Cameras”, immediately brings to mind early Velvet Underground, while “Lawncare” with its layers of guitar feedback, is pure post-punk. Then there’s “Woodpine,” an instrumental track of keyboards and guitars that could pass for Christian Fennesz, followed by “Black Rice,” almost Nuggets-like with its hooks and pop sensibility. A spectacular record, one of the year’s best. (James)