Happy end of the year! Things will be a bit different in one aspect of the listaganza. I usually upload mp3 samples of each entry, but since I no longer have any webspace, youtube to the rescue! Other than that, business as usual. Here is the (subjective) best music to come out in 2009!
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It's not just the top ten albums regurgitated. Some of the best songs appeared on albums that weren't otherwise that amazing.
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Hold on a sec - What I missed last year.
All Girl Summer Fun Band
Looking Into it
A seemingly unprovoked fixation with The Thermals' Kathy Foster led me to this twee power-pop band she plays in. This album in particular gave me Mr. T Experience nostalgia.
Squarepusher
Just A Souvenir
Oh hey, a new Squarepusher slipped right under my radar last year!
Stereolab
Chemical Chords
Whoops, never heard of this band before this year! They manage to combine a lot of my favorite things about bands like Electralane, Buffalo Daughter, and Broadcast. It's like French pop music from the 60's travelled to the year 2010.
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One more look back - Best albums of 1999
What was I up to in 1999? Hmm, I remember seeing Blink 182 at Warped tour. That pretty much summed up what I was digging back then. Looking at this list compiled today - A few releases on this were a pretty big deal to me when I was 16, but I admit, most I had not heard of yet. Oh well, they were still fun times...
Number ten...
SherbetsSiberia
It's hard to say what makes Siberia such a special album. Sure, it's garage rock and roll bliss, but so are all the Sherbets albums, and so are nearly all the other albums by all the other bands Kenichi Asai leads. Siberia has a lot of their biggest hits, if that works for ya.
Number nine...
The Rentals
Seven More Minutes
Haters gonna hate, but I love this album! It's a very eclectic release with great melodies. A couple experimental styles fail, but most hit their mark. I can't help but wonder where The Rentals would have gone if this album wasn't a total bomb...
Number eight...
PolysicsA・D・S・R・M!
Ah, to be young and in love (with Devo). While this may be the weakest Polysics album, it is an amazing jumpstart. Pure energy.
Get nostalgic over this decade old performance of - "Modern"
Number seven...
BeckMidnite Vultures
This isn't really his best album, but it may be my favorite. Beck proved himself to be our generation's Frank Zappa with this totally bonkers LSD + Spainish Fly clusterfunk.
Observe a very great thing through very poor compression: The music video for - "Sexx Laws"
Number six...
The Get Up KidsSomething To Write Home About
While The Get Up Kids were one of the guilty parties that unintentionally turned emo into romance-pop at the turn of the decade, I'm sure nobody blames them now when you look at what emo has become since then... Regardless, this is still a super catchy album today.
Number five...
Cibo MattoStereo Type A
I've always preferred this album over their debut. It's much more accessible, and has more versatility. It's a piñata of fun songs!
Number four...
The Mr. T Experience
Alcatraz
Another album that was left to die by most fans. MTX was one of the first to make made pop punk into what it was in the 90's, and Dr. Frank took it to the next pop level, with no other band with the balls to follow. Alcatraz is MTX's most lyrically clever and musically daring album. Possibly my favorite of theirs in general.
All youtube has for us is a live performance of - "Naomi"
Number three...
Pavement
Terror Twilight
With their finale album, Pavement managed to predate the brief indie alt-country wave of the mid-naughties. A few bands went on to do this kind of sound, but none had such great lyrics such as "Pardon my birth, I just slipped out."
Number two...
Built To Spill
Keep it Like A Secret
This is the band's shining moment. A perfect combination of their clever fun songs, and their lengthy rocking out numbers.
Number one...
Number Girl
School Girl Distortional Addict
This is the greatest Fugazi, Pixies, At The Drive-In, and Jawbreaker mix tape you will ever hear. Every Number Girl album is unique and incredible. This one just happens to be my favorite kind of lo-fi indie punk sound.
Enjoy the music video for - "Touch"
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Moving on to this decade - The best music videos of 2009!
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Might as well mention - The Biggest disappointments of 2009.
Metric
Fantasies
A terribly boring monotone album with really bad lyrics. This whole album sounds like the band wrote and recorded it in their sleep.
Green Day
21st Century Breakdown
I've liked everything this band band has done up until now, even American Idiot. This is garbage from a garbage can. I can't even get halfway through it.
The Rentals
Songs About Time!
Matt Sharp sticks his head up his own ass and undoes all the excitement left by the 2007 reunion EP. Total pretentious snorefest.
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one more thing - The best cover art of 2009
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Ok Finally - The best albums of 2009!
Number ten...
Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest
Number 10 is always the hardest to pick. I'll make the case for this album simply by stating who it pushed out - Animal Collective (who will no doubt be on every other list on the internet), Polysics, and The Fiery Furnaces (two of my favorite bands of all time).
Number nine...
Sonic Youth
The Eternal
Nothing new here, but the songs are rock solid. I was particularly impressed by the band's ability to incorporate their Daydream Nation era style of crunch and distortion into the current jam rock sound without any friction.
Number eight...
Do Make Say Think
Other Truths
Quality over quantity. Four instrumentals that explode with emotion and imagination. It's the soundtrack to adventure!
Here is the fantastic opener - "Do"
Number seven...
OOIOO
ARMONICO HEWA
OOIOO makes their catchiest album without sacrificing an ounce of crazy. You may start out feeling perplexed, but by the end you'll be left wanting more.
Check out the seizure inducing music video for - "SOL"
Number six...
Vola & The Oriental Machine
SA-KA-NA Electric Device
It was a big risk to drop such a strong post-punk influence for this new style of synth rock, but it paid off big time. Every song is a keeper, even the bloody secret track!
Number five...
The Whitest Boy Alive
Rules
I never expected a second album to ever come from this romance-funk Erland Øye experiment. Its very existence is joyous enough; but it also manages to do everything the debut did even better.
Enjoy this live performance of - "1517"
Number four...
Rx Bandits
Mandala
...And The Battle Begun was my favorite album of 2006. While Matt Embree's songwriting has improved, the loss of their horn section has hurt the versatility of this otherwise rocking album.
Number three...
The Paper Chase
Someday This Could All Be Yours (Part One)
They haven't really changed their sound over the years, but have improved it with each album. Great Kill Rock Stars no-wave rock wrapped in macabre and despair. Standing out, are the nihilistic themes of tragedy, with clever metaphors to natural disasters.
Number two...
Peter Bjorn & John
Living Thing
When interviewed about how different Living Thing is from every other PB&J album, Peter quickly interjected with "Yeah, it's better." He's right. This band turned the corner with a short instrumental album last year, and have hit a home run with this one. Suddenly this trio have become some of the most innovative pop songwriters around today.
Number one...
Fake Problems
It's Great To Be Alive
I love me some Swami Records style American rock and roll. The wacky Southern Baptist themes are quite fun; and I love how humble some of the lyrics can be, juxtaposed with Chris Farren's loud raspy voice and cocky swagger. From the loud triumphant introduction to the modest ballads that close it out - best album of 2009.
PHEW!
Wow, that was a lot of work. Thank you for reading!
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