Women

While I was working my way through the last of the albums from 2008 in preparation for my soon-to-be-posted year-end lists, I stumbled across something wonderful: a short-but-sweet set of fuzzy noise-washed guitar pop melodies mixed among beautifully distorted sonic experiments.

The eponymous debut by Women, an indie rock quartet of four Canadian men, consists of a little less than 30 minutes of music spread across 10 tracks of varying lengths. The song structures are very complex, combining traditional pop vocal melodies reminiscent of The Beach Boys with frenzied harmonious string-plucking. Each individual track is wonderfully inventive on its own, but when compiled together as an album of bright, catchy tunes played over raw, experimental sound art, create an incredibly cohesive album. Even the one-minute tracks, such as the opener "Cameras" and the rapid guitar movements of "Group Transport Hall," are sure to stick in your head with their clever hooks. The standout track of the album, "Shaking Hand," embodies the spirit of the whole: it begins with nice little vocal harmonies that gradually transform into pure, noisy instrumentals over the course of the song. Santa came early with this album, and it's definitely a must-listen for 2008.

Completely changing the subject: Enjoy the holidays, everyone! Sit back, relax, and put on "Sister Winter", an original from Sufjan Stevens' Christmas album. You won't be disappointed.