Better late then never!
My favorite 2009 releases. I know for sure that there are plenty of albums that I haven’t even discovered or appreciated yet (kind of like how one of my absolute favorite albums from 2008 turned out to be Lydia’s Illuminate –which I didn’t come to appreciate until mid-’09. Oops. Again, better late than never!) Which is why I ask, what did you enjoy? Tell me what you liked, or what I missed, and we can make this a collaboration.
I’ve saved my mostest favoritest top-12 for later this week. Maybe I’ll make a downloadable mix of my favorite songs of 2009 if I get ambitious.
LEVEL ONE: NOT REALLY A FAVORITE
Zion I – The Take Over
The Take Over had a couple good songs including Antenna, but really the only reason I am putting this up here is because Coastin’ feat K. Flay was one of my absolute favorite tracks of the year.
Review: “Zion I–on four songs, at least–maintain their sterling reputation as one of the most underrated acts around.” — RapReviews.com
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
LEVEL TWO: QUASI-FAVORITES
Atlas Sound – Logos
The indie-blogosphere has a mancrush on Bradford Cox that’s nearly as big as their over-the-top praise of Animal Collective. It’s pretty ridiculous. Somehow I looked beyond that, and semi-enjoyed this album. One of my favorite tracks was the long and haunting Quick Canal (w/ Laetita Sadier). And Walkabout (w/ Noah Lennox) is just so darn cheerful and was another of my favorite tracks of ’09.
Review: “Logos is still a predominantly insular affair and all the better for it, with his aching melodies and ethereal arrangements pushing open the doors to a remarkably vivid inner world.” — Paste Magazine
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
The XX – XX
This album is definitely a mood album and stays pretty even throughout but it’s chill without being boring. In my opinion, this album generated the same reactions as last year’s Vampire Weekend, in that it turned into a love-it or hate-it polarization based on a perception of it receiving too much praise and positive reviews. It’s sort of an odd choice, but I think my favorite track may have been the intro track.
Review: “While the band’s subtlety and consistency threaten to work against them at times, XX is still a remarkable debut that rewards repeated listens and leaves listeners wanting more.” — All Music Guide
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
Papercuts – You Can Have What You Want
A pretty obvious knock-off of The Shins, but hey, everyone loves The Shins, right? So I guess it isn’t a bad strategy.
Review: “The point really, as it is with all of You Can Have What You Want, is that regardless of what era Papercuts are paying (unintentional) homage to, they always sound relevant and never out of step.” –musciOMH.com
“You Can Have What You Want floats dusty folk-rock melodies in thick echo, giving the vocals an otherworldly cast.” –Spin
The Temper Trap – Conditions
Popular track Sweet Disposition has gotten them a small degree of notoriety. It was featured in the movie 500 Days of Summer and I’ve also seen it in some commercials recently too. It is a good song, but my favorite by far off this album was the opening track Love Lost. Side-note: I absolutely hate Pitchfork for being so pretentiously douche-tastic all the time, and their mean-spirited review of Conditions is a classic example of why exactly I can’t stand them. You can read the Pitchfork review here, but I’ve chosen a slightly more positive one.
Review: “There’s nothing here that’s going to surprise anyone in the slightest, but this is sleekly produced, brilliantly written and expertly executed radio fodder.” –musicOMH.com
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
LEVEL THREE: SEMI FAVORITES
Au Revoir Simone – Still Night, Still Light
Au Revoir Simone is an all-girl indie pop group from Brooklyn. That of course is a recipe for adorable, lo-fi goodness. The second track, Shadows is by far my favorite of the album and one of my favorites of ’09 in general.
Review: “The fact that many of the songs have lengthy instrumental passages confirms that Au Revoir Simone is more concerned with conveying emotions than just singing about them. On this count, the album’s a clear success.” –Slant Magazine
Review: “You can slice up its track-by-track constitution–a gently sung, interesting turn of phrase here, an evocative chord progression here–but it is a beautiful, haunting creature as a whole, and a poignant testament to the power of simplicity.” –musicOMH.com
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Basically it’s almost as if I’m a sucker for any band that has overt 80′s influences in their music these days. And The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have created a perfect blend of indie pop by mixing just the right amount of 80′s-ish-ness into their particular NYC shoegaze.
Review: ”There is something distinctly perfect about the naivety that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart seem to effortlessly inject into every bouncy ballad of young love and young living that makes their self-titled debut not only a welcome throwback but a much needed vacation from over-calculation.” — Prefix Magazine
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
Telekinesis! – Telekinesis!
Telekinesis is Michael Benjamin Lerner from Seattle. The album came one song per day on analog tape after he teamed up with the production/mixing/engineering help of Chris Walla (Death Cab). While not extremely groundbreaking indie-rock, it’s just plain good. It has an effortless flow, and the piano/vocal combo on Calling All Doctors will leave you saying, “Twitchin’, twitchin’, my heart is twitchin’, twitchin’.”
Review: “On this debut, Lerner’s gorgeous vocals, sunny melodies, and ultra-catchy choruses sound like a Fab Four fantasy trip as he logs extensive mileage in a rush of crisscrossing travelogue songs.” — Spin
Review: “In its entirety the album is a great debut, toe-tapping and catchy with just the right blend of familiarity and individuality, and it should send a message to new bands: Simplicity is key.” –Billboard
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
The Swell Season – Strict Joy
Everytime I hear The Swell Season, I automatically think of the movie Once, and fit the songs into the awkward and cute relationship of the movie. It doesn’t really bother me , but this album while enjoyable simply because of Glen and Marketa didn’t have the special magic of the Once soundtrack. It’s as if a pervasive melancholy sadness just lingers through the whole album, which isn’t a bad thing, but it limits the times and spaces I choose to listen to the album.
Review: “Strict Joy is a joy from start to finish, as few bands manage to mix intimacy and sweeping songcraft with such finesse.” –All Music Guide
“These songs aren’t breaking any new ground, but they’re well written and enjoyable, and the background makes them sort of fascinating, too.” –PopMatters
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
LEVEL FOUR: VERY FAVORITEY, BUT NOT-QUITE TOP-12 FAVORITES
La Roux – La Roux
La Roux is English synth-duo Ben Langmaid and Elly Jackson, who is only 21 years old and is unmistakable with that crazy, unique hair. Their energetic electropop is infectious and like a shot of sugar right to the brain.
Review: “The result is as baleful and forlorn as most dance pop is swishy and effervescent.” — The Phoenix
Review: “La Roux’s dedication to their aesthetic makes this an album where the songs are variations on a theme, and on the rare occasion where the songwriting isn’t razor-sharp, the style threatens to overtake the substance. However, that devotion also makes La Roux a standout, not just among the many other ’80s revivalists, but the entire late-2000s pop landscape.” — All Music Guide
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
Loney, Dear – Dear John
How can you not listen to this after reading this bio: “Loney, Dear is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist and home-recording phenomenon Emil Svanängen from Jönköping, Sweden. In either his tiny Stockholm studio apartment or the basement of his parents’ house, and with a dedication bordering upon manic, Emil discreetly builds Loney, dear songs using a modest home studio set-up. In this way he has recorded and then released himself on CD-R four albums in the last two or three years. He has managed to sell several thousand of these, pretty much on his own. The music of Loney, dear has been aptly described as, “soulful indie folk with a powerful mini orchestra.””
Review: “The melodies are exquisite, and with each verse he surrounds them with more and more parts, creating pop crescendos of dizzying ingenuity.” — The New York Times
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
There is a cohesive flow and rhythm to the album that provides a laid-back mood while at the same time commanding attention. My two fav tracks were Auditorium and Life in Marvelous Times.
Review: “The Ecstatic feels like the album Mos has always wanted and intended to make. It’s experimental and progressive without being too left-field and isolating.” — PopMatters
Review: “He rivets his limber flow to the beat and effortlessly produces the kind of good-natured braggadocio and gymnastic wordplay of his glory days.” –Paste Magazine
Metric – Fantasies
Metric is described as a mix of synth pop, new wave, dance, rock, and electronic. That description basically sums up precisely why I liked this album so much. I’ve been really enjoying the synth/electro/new wave/electronic sub-genres lately and Fantasies is just about as good as it comes.
Review: “Fantasies flows seemlessly from song to engaging song, with less focus on the dance-based instrumentals of “Old World” and greater attention to frontwoman Emily Haines’ thoughtful lyrics and lilting voice.” –Alternative Press
“The Canadian quartet continues to polish its spacey, new wave-colored sound that’s heavy with buzzing synths and echoed vocals.” –Billboard
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
A lot of people loved this album in 2009 and for good reason. It really is that good, and Phoenix is blowing up.
Review: “The group has polished its ’60s-rock-revivalist sound to near perfection, but keeps expanding its aural palette, experimenting with layered rhythms and sonic textures.” –Billboard
“The 10 songs are sleek and clean, as if the Strokes had kept pushing a little longer and maybe bought some old disco records.” –Rolling Stone
Amazon | Myspace | Website | Bio
Top-12 coming later this week…
Sean has loved that Mos Def cd, it was a fav a few months ago on our car rides. Sean has this theory (that he read somewhere) that the album is unintentionally divided into four movements of four based on certain themes. But now that I’m asking him he can’t remember. Haha. One of them was a middle eastern theme, I know.
I’m interested to see your favorite favorite list.
And yes, I am having a wonderful 2010 so far!
ok, gimme a bit to digest these and then give you mine. there are a few on here i was meaning to listen to this year and never did as well as some ive never heard of i want to listen to…this is pertaining to both album posts.