December 29, 2009
Favourite Albums of 2009
Before I sat down to try and remember what my favourite albums of 2009 were, I realized that I really hadn't listened to that many albums released this year. I only really got very interested in music about two years ago and I've spent those two years listening to great things I had been missing. Most of what I listen to is either from the '90s or 2000s (whatever this decade is called), so I'm not too far out of it, but there's definitely things that have come out in the past year or two that I've missed simply by not focusing enough on the present. So I've decided to limit myself to ten favourites from this year (because I honestly didn't hear more than 15-20 albums from this year) and fifteen favourites I heard this year that were released prior to 2009.
Hipster Level: Very High
I don't usually have similar tastes in music with my friends — besides the occasional Cure or Sigur Rós listener — but I can always count on knowing plenty of people who love Lady GaGa. What can you say? "The Fame Monster" outdid "The Fame" and made Lady GaGa an even more successful pop star than she already was. So it may not be hxc enough for Bring Me the Horizon fans, but we all know they secretly listen to Bad Romance when no one's checking their "screamo" cred.
I've started listening to a lot of post-rock this year and this band has become one of my favourites in the genre (second only to GY!BE). Their music is interesting and actually goes somewhere, unlike so many Explosions in the Sky knockoff bands. "Tertia" is both an energetic and beautiful album, and really quite a good listen. I just love the way the first track quietly leads into the explosive second, and the whole thing picks up from there. Yet it still calms back down to gentler points like Concrescence, which is my favourite track.
You might remember me praising this EP when it was released in November. Since then, I've only had more time to appreciate its beauty. It's basically a really dreamy post-rock meets shoegaze album. So beautiful and ethereal... not to mention flawless. This band really has their stuff together, and the vocalist has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. I'm hoping to see another release from them in the near future (hopefully a full length studio album).
The release of the xx's debut album, "XX", has created a big stir, not only drawing attention for lovers of "indie british stuff", but from a variety of listeners in general. Their gentle guitar riffs almost draw back to an older post-punk sound, but they're obviously not a pop-y Joy Division or anything. With their drum machine and careful sampling, the xx have created a very simple, but unique pop sound for themselves that sounds almost too perfect at times... "Crystalised", if you will.
Typically when I say I could "fall asleep" listening to something, it's more of a downgrading comment than a positive one, but when I say I could fall asleep to this album, I mean it in the most flattering way possible. This is one of the most peaceful albums I have ever heard. It was made entirely with just acoustic (string) instruments and vocals; no electronic stuff. I haven't made a big move into ambient music yet, but this, along with Alex's other project, Parachutes, is really pushing me in that direction.
Now we really don't need to go over this whole thing again (not that I wouldn't like to)... BUT RLY ITS GUD.
WHAT WOULD I WANT? SKY!
WHAT WOULD I WANT? SKY!
WHAT WOULD I WANT? SKY!
WHAT WOULD I WANT? SKY!
WHAT WOULD I WANT? SKY!
WHAT WOULD I WANT? SKY!
WHAT WOULD I WANT? SKY!
WHAT WOULD I WANT? SKY!
WHAT WOULD I WANT? SKY!
I think the cover alone scores points for this album. I'm really in love with it. My original review of the music itself wasn't very insightful, but now, having had more time to absorb and appreciate it, I can honestly say it's (almost) a masterpiece. Perhaps too different to try and compare with their previous albums, but alone it stands as a good representation of a band that knows how to make their sound. There are elements of so many genres in here... all these creative twists. It takes more than a few listens for all of it to sink in, but in the end it's truly a lovely "experimental pop" record. (And might I add, Mew is stunning live).
It seems like every rock band these days is oh so influenced by "classic rock" (which btw, is one of the dumbest musical tags I can think of) and most of the time said bands are some of the more boring lumps of snoozefest I've ever heard. But Portugal. The Man? They've got the influence, no doubt, but how did they get so interesting? So creative? So... good? Everything just flows together like honey on this album. Sweet, sticky pop goodness. My best memories of last summer are reminiscent of this record.
Yeah, suck it up. I kind of bought this album out of desperation early this year when I failed to find "Strawberry Jam" in any record store I searched in (ironically enough, I see it all the time now). It's easily become one of my favourite albums since, and I suppose my favourite of the year. Besides the two or three "super catchy" songs, Merriweather is really an album album, meaning you have to listen to the whole thing to get it. And obviously some people don't. Sucks for them.
Favourite Albums Heard In, But Release Prior To, 2009
1. Frengers - Mew (2003)
2. Blonder Tongue Audio Baton - Swirlies (1993)
3. Relationship of Command - At The Drive-In (2000)
4. Yanqui U.X.O - Godspeed You! Black Emperor (2002)
5. Juturna - Circa Survive (2005)
6. On Letting Go - Circa Survive (2007)
7. Some Kind of Cadwallader - Algernon Cadwallader (2008)
8. Strawberry Jam - Animal Collective (2007)
9. Lover the Lord Has Left Us… - The Sound of Animals Fighting (2006)
10. The Destruction of Small Ideas - 65daysofstatic (2007)
11. Amnesiac - Radiohead (2001)
12. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine (1991)
13. Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? - of Montreal (2007)
14. Skeletal Lamping - of Montreal (2008)
15. Cell Scape - Melt-Banana (2003)
I probably should have posted this earlier this month instead of at the very end of the year. Oh well. I have a lot of music to listen to that I got for christmas. And in addition to that, I'll add a few albums released this year that I heard were good to the "listen to" list, such as "Post-Nothing" - Japandroids, "What Happened?" - Emeralds, "And So I Watch You From Afar" - And So I Watch You From Afar, "Love Comes Close" - Cold Cave, and maybe even that Grizzly Bear album. Yeah. Hope you enjoyed the list.
[currently listening to: Sounds of Sebring - Swirlies]