We’ve done album openers, which are important for setting the tone of the rest of the project. But what about album closers, which are like the conclusion paragraph of a research paper, except way more fun? Here are three of the best indie rock album closers from the year 2006.
“Turn Into” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
“Turn Into” closes out the second album by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Show Your Bones. Released in March 2006, it opens with the pounding “Gold Lion” and continues in a more melodic vein than their previous album, Fever to Tell. The goal for their second album was to reinvent themselves, and “Turn Into” puts a satisfying cap on that stylistic transformation. Yeah Yeah Yeahs experienced extreme pressure to outdo their debut when writing Show Your Bones, to the point where they scrapped an entire first draft. Essentially, they were determined not to get trapped in the sophomore slump, with every song sounding like a cast-off from the first album.
“Blue Veins” by The Raconteurs
The Raconteurs released Broken Boy Soldiers in May 2006, spawning the raucous hit single “Steady As She Goes”. But the album closer brings it all down a notch with a bluesy tempo and some distorted weirdness. “Blue Veins” lays the album to rest, places silver dollars over its eyes, and sends it on its way. The album itself earned praise from critics, who noted that Jack White’s distinct White Stripes-ian influences were present but not overwhelming. Meanwhile, “Blue Veins” is a tongue-tied send-off serving as the last glimpse of The Raconteurs as the lights go out.
“A Certain Romance” by Arctic Monkeys
“A Certain Romance”, the closer of Arctic Monkeys’ debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, started out as a demo in 2004. Re-recorded for the album that released in January 2006, the track became an instant favorite despite not being a single. It begins as a criticism of youth culture as Alex Turner experienced it in Sheffield. There’s a lack of romance, style, or sophistication. But as the chorus-less structure progresses, it becomes less criticism and more acceptance. Less us-vs-them, more appreciation for familiarity.
As an album closer, it brings the preceding tracks together with its lyrics, but also with the concluding 2-minute guitar solo. Through composition alone, all the themes of youthful nightlife, bad decisions, and pretentious peers are linked as if with a twisting silver thread. “A Certain Romance” builds to an emotional height that words almost can’t describe.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
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