Best of 2009 - Music

[Godspeed]

It's that time of year (and decade, incidentally)...

 

I only rank what I buy, and I only bought 11 CDs (yes, I still refuse to acknowledge the digital age, although I am slowly digitizing my collection):

 

1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

2. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

3. Mars Volta - Octahedron

4. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs

5. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

6. Flaming Lips - Embryonic

7. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

8. Air - Love 2

9. Sonic Youth - The Eternal

10. Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy

 

Honorable mention goes to Iron & Wine - Around the Well, a compilation of rarities and b-sides that I hold as ineligible for this esteemed competition.

 

Thoughts:

 

I didn't get a chance to listen to the Sonic Youth & Built to Spill albums, hence they are where they are.

 

I was really impressed with 'Merriweather Post Pavillion' when it came out and even though it was only January thought it wouldn't be topped, but 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix' really grew on me. Must've been that Cadillac commercial. I thought Animal Collective was a bit underwhelming live at the Riverside, but it could've just been the venue and my seat in the balcony. That may have affected my ranking, right or wrong. My 18-month-old son loves My Girls though. And as subliminally ubiquitous as the aforementioned Phoenix's 1901 was on television this year, it was Love Like a Sunset Pts 1 & 2 that sealed the deal for me. Pt 2, the coda, is killer.

 

I was somewhat disappointed w/ 'Wilco the Album', as I felt it was a clear step down from 'Sky Blue Sky'. I thought this one tapered off near the end. They absolutely killed at the Pabst in April though. I was there day 2.

 

'Love 2' gets demerited for its ridiculous title and album cover, in addition to it just not being as consistently good as its predecessors. Some goofy songs in the middle, but they always have great closing tracks. This one was less so even there. More 'Talkie Walkie' than 'Moon Safari'.

 

I found 'Veckatimest' to be beautiful in parts, but meandering as a whole. This album might have been better served being a little more terse. 12 songs is a bit much in this case.

 

'Octahedron' was the most straight-forward thing the Mars Volta has done, Rick Rubin producing their debut album notwithstanding. (Even that one was out there though.) Going in I thought it would be a let down as they advertised it as their "pop" album, but it's a really strong release. Still "out there", but structured and nuanced. One of their better albums.

 

'Embryonic' was a return to form for the Lips after the uneven 'At War With the Mystics'. It's a lot to get through, and I still haven't yet completely digested it, but I really like what they've done here.

 

And Yo La Tengo has never, ever let me down.

[jjkoestler]

5 favorite albums of 2009 (in no particular order)

1: Street Sweeper Social Club - Self Titled

2: Monsters of Folk - Self Titled

3: Modest Mouse - No One's First and You're Next

4: Conor Oberst - Outer South

5: Bike for Three! - More Heart than Brains

 

Honorable Mentions

Flaming Lips - Embryonic

Mos Def - The Ecstatic

Jaydiohead

NOFX - Coaster

Eminem - Relapse

[BrewCrewForever]

Muse- The Resistance

 

Pearl Jam- Backspacer

 

Silversun Pickups- Swoon

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

Molina & Johnson: Molina & Johnson

Pearl Jam: Backspacer

Magnolia Electric Co: Josephine

Monsters of Folk

Patterson Hood: Murdering Oscar

Ben Nichols: LAst Pale Light in the West

 

 

Favorite songs of the year:

Pearl Jam: Unthought Known (seems almost like advice I might give to my daughter someday, daughter arrives sometime in next three weeks, chokes me up a bit)

Molina & Johnson: Twenty Cycles to the Ground

Pearl Jam: Force of Nature

Rise Against: Savior

Patterson Hood: Belvedere

Magnolia Electric Co: Whip-poor-will

Ben Harper: Shimmer & Shine

Silversun Pickups: Panic Switch

[BrewCrewForever]

Favorite songs of the year:
Pearl Jam: Unthought Known (seems almost like advice I might give to my daughter someday, daughter arrives sometime in next three weeks, chokes me up a bit)

 

No doubt, not only is it my favorite song off "Backspacer" but my favorite song of the year. Just a great song. Probably one of PJ's best.

[Teatoe993]

There's probably great stuff out there but I think I lost the ability to absorb any more new music back in 2004. My music collection is absolutely out of hand and I've been to hundreds (maybe thousands) of shows. I just can't do it anymore. That said, I did like the first two songs on the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And the new Green Day is rotten. They really need to put the eyeliner down and quit the rock opera schtick. I was able to predict almost every song on that record. Start off with a lo-fi intro and then crank the entire band in with about 18 more guitars. They really should just retire and spend the mad cash they've made, or go back to writing really catchy/simple songs and stop trying to change the world.

[Bikeage77]

lol tito. I downloaded that a few months ago, and just listened to it on my drive home from Michigan last weekend. Pretty bad. Which is sad since Green Day is one of my favorite bands ever. That said, I am right with you Tito as far as new records this year. I did get some. I don't know if they came out this year or late 2008. My record nerdiness has gone way down since I've become jaded and without a band of my own. Lately all I buy is 7" singles anyway. On a brighter note, I went all of 2008 AND 2009 without buying a single cd.

 

Also, since most of you guys are indie rockers, and I pretty much only listen to punk and power pop, we will probably never take record advice from each other. That said, go buy these!

 

FULL LENGTHS

Hex Dispensers LP

Thomas Function LP

Greg Cartwright - Live at Circle A LP

Used Kids - Yeah No LP

Marked Men - Ghosts LP

Audacity -Power Drowning LP

Pinhead Gunpowder - Kick Over The Traces LP (Billie Joe from Green Day with Aaron Cometbus and some other guys, if you miss the old Green Day, you NEED this (this is pretty much a greatest hits, so I shouldn't really count it in my list.).)

 

SINGLES

Marked Men/This Is My Fist! Split 7"

Future Virgins: Easiest Years7"

RPM's 7" (reissue) - Great Milwaukee band from early 80's (www.singsingrecords.com)

Orbits 7" (reissue) - Great Milwaukee band from early 80's (www.singsingrecords.com)

[bjkrautk]

Nearly everything that I can think of for consideration actually came out in 2008. My favorite song that I heard in 2008 is "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon, but that was technically released last December. The Killers last album was out in November, as was the song "After Hours" by We Are Scientists.

 

The only 2009 Album I've actually purchased is "Brand New Eyes" by Paramore. I love about 90% of that album, though it's a bit self-indulgent in the later tracks. I have a hard time picking a favorite song out of the first 5 tracks.

 

(Yeah, I'm in that narrow category of people who like alternative rock, but only gets exposure to the bands that get radio/tv airtime.)

 

Really ought to track down more Silversun Pickups songs, since I liked "Panic Switch" quite a bit.

 

Very torn on "Uprising" the first song from Muse's album. Musically, I like it quite a bit. Lyrically, it captures a mood well, while at the same time being so generic as to apply to anything from teens being emo to an alien invasion. Still, late '08 or early '09 was the first time I saw the video for "Knights of Cydonia," so they get a pass for the rest of their careers from me.

 

Other songs that I like enough to give a passing mention: "Wheels," by the Foo Fighters (not as heavy as their best stuff, but still acceptable), "Fixer" by Pearl Jam, and "Waking up in Vegas" by Katy Perry (which is more of a guilty acceptance that she can sing, which makes me dislike her first single even more).

 

 

Also, 2009 is the year that Lady GaGa....happened. I really don't know if that's a good thing, or not, but someone needed to point it out.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

Saying that LAdy GaGa "happened" is a good way to put it. She happened all over the place.

 

Unthought Known, for the uninitiated:

 

Patterson Hood, for the uninitiated:

[chadomac]

Does that Muse single remind anyone else of "Call Me" by Blondie? Just one part of it in particular.

[homer]

FTJ was unable to make this thread but he wanted me to nominate Lady Gaga for greatest entertainer of all time.

[flosses like fossas]

my heaviest rotated 2009 releases:

 

the xx - xx (metered, great flow through the record, good music to slowly wake up to)

 

micachu and the shapes - jewellery (low-fi pop amazingness)

[davebobn]

I second The XX album. It is one of the best debut albums I've ever heard.

[bjkrautk]

Driving in to work this morning, it occurred to me that I left out the music/comedy album I picked up this year, "Incredibad" by the Lonely Island.

 

Santana DVX is probably the highlight for people who already know the SNL sketches. (Not suitable for work or younger audiences.)

 

Dream Girl (f/ Norah Jones) is probably more of an all-audience friendly song.

[RyDogg66]

Weezer continued to get worse this year. their latest single "I want you to" is a ripoff of The Jam's "Town Called Malice"

[patrickgpe]

Here are my top 10 (in no order)

 

1. St Vincent "Actor"

2. Pheonix "Wolfgang Amadeous Pheonix"

3. Decemberists "Hazards of Love"

4. Neko Case "Middle Cyclone"

5. The xx "The xx"

6. Regina Spektor "Far"

7. Grizzly Bear "Veckatimest"

8. The Avett Brothers "I and Love and You"

9. Passion Pit "Manners"

10. Hockey "Mind Chaos"