2009 was an interesting year in music. Not the best, not the worst, not really anywhere in between but someplace random that I can't pinpoint. There were some incredible
highs and some really fucking low
lows. I know it's not the end of 2009 yet, but I don't honestly give a shit about anything else coming out this year and I want to get my list out there early so I can laugh and imagine that everybody else copied me. Ha! Without further ado, here's my favorites and least favorites of the year (also notice how I said "my favorites." this denotes opinion!)
Favorite albums of the year:
10.
Thrice -
Beggars
The wonderful, challenging evolution of Thrice continues with their sixth studio album. Off the heels of the four part experimental Alchemy Index project, many wondered where Thrice would go next. Sadly many got the opportunity to answer that question early as the disc leaked months in advance. Beggars is one of Thrice's most complete works to date. From heavy hitters ("All the World is Mad", "At the Last") to subtle and moving slower paced songs ("Circles, Wood & Wire"), the album showcases a band comfortable with itself. The album closer "Beggars" may be one of the band's greatest songs, weaving elements of folk and rock punctuated by the poignant repeated line "If there's one thing I know in this life, we are beggars all." And this used to be a hardcore punk band! Hard to believe.
9.
Super Furry Animals -
Dark Days/Light Years
As you can maybe tell by the cover art, this album is a trip and a half. The Super Furries have always flirted with psychedelic elements, but this album perhaps trumps it all. From the opening groove of "Crazy Naked Girls" to the bounce of "Inaugural Trams" to the bizarre but delightful "The Very Best of Neil Diamond", the Furries cram as many fuzzy riffs and strange sonic textures into their songs as possible.
8.
Bon Iver -
Blood Bank EP
Yeah, it's an EP on the heels of one of the most "warmly" (haha) received folk albums in the past few years. Yes, it's only four songs long. Yes, one song features autotuned vocals repeating the same line over and over (albeit heavily layered and harmonized). But for fuck's sake this is fucking Bon Iver and the man is a genius. His voice is in top form here, sucking the listener into his world of isolation and cold. "Blood Bank" and "Babys" are two of Vernon's most wonderful works, and the aforementioned "Woods" manages to make autotune a good thing. (hard!) This man makes me want to isolate myself in a cabin somewhere far away in the dead of winter. Heck, this man makes me appreciate winter, and that is worth something.
7.
Imogen Heap -
Ellipse
Let's get this out of the way: Imogen Heap is my favorite female vocalist, bar none. Her work with Frou Frou was brilliant, and her solo work has been top notch as well. So naturally I was eagerly anticipating this one. The good news: her voice is still fucking great. It has the ability to turn mediocre songs musically into masterpieces. Ellipse is more of the same Imogen sound, very cinematic in feel, each piece dripping with urgency and a weighty tone. "Wait it Out" and "Swoon" are two of the album's centerpieces, detailing love and loss. My only gripes are the two song handicap of "Earth" and "Little Bird", which admittedly aren't very good and nearly ruin the flow of the album. But her voice! The atmosphere! I'm in love.
6.
The Flaming Lips -
Embryonic
What could the Flaming Lips possibly do next?! At War With the Mystics was a disappointment! The band is through! Washed up! Not quite. The Lips quieted many of their detractors with this one, a double album that came out of left field (outer space). A psychedelic clusterfuck of distortion, riffage, pop, and classic Lipisms make this one their best in years. Individual songs hardly matter on this album, it's that damn cohesive. It's a movement.
5.
Built to Spill -
There Is No Enemy
Indie rock's guitar god's make yet another memorable album. There's plenty of guitar noodling here to be had, but not too much to make fans of more direct rock shy away. Martsch's shredding and wailing are easily his best of the decade, and the band sounds more inspired than they have in a while. The two song tandem of "Things Fall Apart" and "Tomorrow" is one of the best one two punch album closers this year.
4.
Brand New -
Daisy
Let's get this out of the way: this is no Devil and God, and it's my opinion that Brand New will never, ever top that record. With that, Daisy is a wonderful follow-up, the sound of a band that truly doesn't give a shit, and the perfect way to weed out all of the fake fans that wish they'd write another Your Favorite Weapon or Deja Entendu. Jesse Lacey shrieks and hollers like a madman, and the distortion heavy guitars and feedback conjur Modest Mouse but angrier. They slow it down sometimes too, but it's the fast, angry, pissed as all hell off songs here that really win the day. Clearly influenced by Nirvana, this record is dirty, contemplative, cynical, and beautiful.
3.
Mew -
No More Stories...
Yeah I'm way too fucking lazy to type out that entire album name. But it's that same laziness that makes it so wonderful to listen to this album. It's a chill, dreamy, harmony laden sound scape that is wonderful with headphones on and eyes closed. Highly experimental and challenging, this album takes pop and warps it. "Cartoons and Macreme Wounds" swells and then drops, "Introducing Palace Players" dashes in some prog, and "Sometimes Life Isn't Easy" inspires. It's beautiful, it's varied, it's relaxing.
2.
Animal Collective -
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Holy hype machine! Animal Collective received a shit ton of praise with the release of this, and seemingly put a stranglehold on the top spot of this list. I sure as hell didn't think any album would top this one when it was released in January. I turned out to be wrong, but hey. MPP is the culmination of everything Animal Collective has worked to in their career. Gone is the strange and often annoying noise rock from their earlier albums, replaced with tight song structures coupled with chilling vocals and creative electronics. I could honestly throw out a ton more bullshit terms and phrases but suffice to say I fucking love this album. Call it their "pop" album, it's certainly their most accessible: "My Girls" grooves like a train and "Summertime Clothes" conjurs images of yes, summer. Oh finally, not mindless summer music! Thank you Animal Collective! What will you do next?!
1.
Grizzly Bear -
Veckatimest
For 3/4s of this year, MPP was my album of the year. No question. Sure, I was struck by Grizzly Bear and their evolution from a low-fi one man band to mesmerizing full band folk-indie-pop-harmony-fuck-yeah awesome. Veckatimest was a lock at number two. I did some more listening. And by gum I realized something. Without hyperbole, this album just may be the most beauteous thing I have ever heard. The harmonies! The melodies! The ambience! The atmosphere! The vocals! The guitar! The band hones everything they introduced on Yellow House into a blend of pure rad. Every fucking song on this album is a thing of wonder. It flows together so well that it's almost like a dream to listen to. More accessible than even the most accessible of MPP's tracks, this album has slingshot Grizzly Bear into the public eye. Accessible, yet challenging. I can dig.
My favorite songs of the year:
10.
Super Furry Animals -
The Very Best Of Neil Diamond
9.
Built to Spill -
Life's a Dream
8.
Bon Iver -
Babys
7.
Mew -
Cartoons and Macreme Wounds
6.
Brand New -
Bought A Bride
5.
Radiohead -
These Are My Twisted Words
Um yes more new Radiohead please.
4.
Animal Collective -
My Girls
I don't mean to make it seem like I care about material things but I really enjoy this song and would marry it.
3.
Grizzly Bear -
Two Weeks
Vocally hypnotizing and musically dreamy.
2.
Animal Collective -
In the Flowers
Yes, this was my top track for a long time. Yes, Grizzly Bear once again trumps it. Taking nothing away from this track, it's one of the best album openers in a long time. 2:31 is where the magic happens.
1.
Grizzly Bear -
Ready, Able
The most beautiful track on a beautiful record. Sucks you in during the first half and then unleashes a chorus that'll make you sad, blissful, contemplative, and daring all rolled into one. It now also has a
really trippy music video.
AND NOW TIME FOR THE BAD!
Disappointments of the year:
Jay-Z -
The Blueprint 3
Yo Jay what's with this shit? Blueprint 3 being released on the same day as the original Blueprint is almost a sin because of what garbage it is. The guy who was once king of rap now sounds bored as all hell, basically phoning in an album and enlisting a lot of guest stars to mask it. After all these months I am still questioning the integrity of having a song declaring the "Death of Autotune" but having the VERY NEXT SONG ON THE ALBUM featuring both Rihanna and Kanye West. NOPE! Maybe next time Jay?
Muse -
The Resistance
HEY GUYS MATT BELLAMY HATES THE GOVERNMENT AND DOESN'T CARE WHO KNOWS. He hates them so much that he will stop at nothing, compromising creativity to write over and over about the same exact thing in most of his songs to get his one sentence point across. Might as well add some overblown compositions and bogus synths in there while he's at it. Did I mention: UNITED STATES OF.................................EURA-SIA! SIA! SIA!
Weezer -
Raditude
Well Weezer your career is already in the toilet so might as well make it worse. Another phoned in album with phoned in lyrics and bored sounding vocals. "Can't Stop Partying" featuring Lil' Wayne is quite possibly one of the worst songs I've ever heard. I can't figure out who sounds worse, Wayne or Cuomo!
AND WE END WITH A HEALTHY RANT!
Guest vocalists have been really shitty of late and have been dominating the music scene with their nonsense. Everybody knows that guest vocalists are great when done right (TV on the Radio feat. David Bowie for "Province", Kanye feat. Jay-Z for "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" jump to mind) but lately it seems like pop music stars are just getting random fools to guest in their songs to attract mindless fans. This is especially prevalent with rappers. Sorry Drake, Akon, (insert mindless rapper here) but I don't give a shit how many Kanyes or Jay-Zs you throw in your songs, they're still drivel. Sorry Keri Hilson, but get as many songs with Kanye and Lil Wayne as you like but your music is still the same trite brainless radio ready pop with an "edge" (HAHA). Is it bad that I now expect the worse when the radio announcer tacks on the "featuring"?
Built to Spill
