For good reason, Seattle bands carry the mantle of the Seattle music scene throughout the world. If someone's talking about Seattle music, they're likely talking about one of the many bands that make this city an unmatchable haven for homegrown music.
Nat Damm
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Too often taken for granted is the infrastructure that these bands have to work within. Not every city in the country has a KEXP or KNDD, a vibrant music press online and in print, a handful of internationally recognized record labels, independent record stores to spare, and clubs in every neighborhood accommodating to bands on the rise.
With this in mind, we've widened our definition of what constitutes a "Seattle album." Our alphabetical list includes not only records released by bands based here, but also ones from the local labels that nurture their fair share of out-of-town bands—a critical component of the Seattle scene as well.
Enjoy. —Chris Kornelis, Music Editor
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The Absolute Monarchs!, self-titled
March 8, self-released
Sales to date: not available
When the Monarchs opened for Les Savy Fav earlier this month at Neumos, it was one of those rare rock moments when almost every single person in the audience seemed uniformly impressed. Guitarist Shawn Kock tore into leads that would make any Swami or Touch & Go Records aficionado epileptically euphoric, and vocalist/keyboardist/hedonist Joel Schneider nearly destroyed his instrument while a leaden wall of reverb shuddered and quaked around him. A wave of heads began bobbing like dominoes falling across the room. The Monarchs' beautifully recorded debut was just a hint of their potential as heavy art-metal punks who know how to negotiate the treacherous precipice between sheer sonic free fall and sharp, tenacious hooks. HANNAH LEVIN
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T.L. Barrett, Like a Ship (Without a Sail)
Re-issued July 27, Light in the Attic
Sales to date: 2,000*
The music establishment—present company not excluded—was still too intoxicated by Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends, Light in the Attic's release of early Kris Kristofferson demos, to be in any place to appropriately appreciate T.L. Barrett's Like a Ship when it dropped. The record was met mostly with crickets, but those who revisited it have been in for a treat.
Originally released in 1971, Like a Ship is a gospel-soul masterpiece, buoyed by the Youth for Christ Choir. You don't have to be a believer to be moved by the title track or the ethereal "It's Me O Lord." This is the sweet spot for the crate-diggers at LITA, who have the ability to comb through history and pluck out gems popular and obscure with equal prowess. CHRIS KORNELIS
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Beach House, Teen Dream
January 26, Sub Pop
Sales to date: 91,000
Early in the year, Beach House's third album (and Sub Pop debut) set the bar for the slew of dream pop that became the vogue in 2010. But no record matched Teen Dream for sophistication, bare passion, and pure loveliness. It's difficult to decide whether the songs ache with loneliness or romance; ultimately it seems that the Baltimore band has combined and found inspiration and beauty in both states. On breathtakingly eloquent songs like "10 Mile Stereo" and "Walk in the Park," Victoria Legrand's dusky vocals and intoning organ coalesce with Alex Scally's fluid, balmy guitar to create an unforgettable sound for lovers, loners, and dreamers alike. ERIN K. THOMPSON
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Fences, self-titled
September 28, Onto
Sales to date: 2,000
Whether due to his appearance, marked by head-to-toe tattoos, or his addiction-riddled past as a Berklee School of Music dropout, Chris Mans-field is far from a universally loved character. But the onetime "self-proclaimed fuck-up" has an undeniable talent for crafting all-too-literal songs of heartbreak and emotion. Produced by Sara Quinn of Tegan & Sara, his debut record is as tender as it is sparse, filled with brooding introspection and beautifully melodic pop/folk ballads that fully employ his restrained, half-spoken vocals. The debut screams shy of Mansfield's full potential, but his music—and story—is one to hear. NICK FELDMAN
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The Head and the Heart, self-titled
June 29, self-released
Sales to date: 8,000
Blessed and cursed with deafening industry buzz just months after their inception at Conor Byrne's open-mike night, THATH found an instant audience with their undeniably uplifting pastoral-pop compositions and impassioned live performances. The Head and the Heart soars from start to finish, with an undercurrent of ambiguous spirituality, a wellspring of crystalline harmonies, brisk piano lines, and buoyant percussion. The band's signing to Sub Pop is all but official, so look for this one to be re-released in 2011, most likely with the addition of live favorite "Rivers and Roads." H.L.
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Damien Jurado, Saint Bartlett
May 25, Secretly Canadian
Sales to date: 6,000
In 2010, Damien Jurado finally found his voice. It's a surprise for fans of Jurado's 13-year Seattle music career, built on his distinctive style: bleak instrumentals and gently plucked guitars, sad falsetto vocals, and dark, lonely lyrics. But on this year's Saint Bartlett, the 37-year-old crossed a threshold: Still tinged with sadness—the songs represent the story of an unnamed, tragic close friend of Jurado's—Saint Bartlett is beautiful but comfortable, flawed but effortless. Most songs were recorded in one take; producer Richard Swift added unconventional instruments later, like crinkling metal on the mostly acoustic and echoing "Pear." Combine that production with rich lyrics ("Forgive my living/Keep me from breathing" on "Kalama"), and the result is simply stunning. PAIGE RICHMOND
