While this album didn't appeal to me like his reissued debut did last year,
there's still a rather large handful of fantastic tracks here. Kudos
to Light In The Attic for the quick turn around on the only other official
full length this guy ever had the chance to put out.
:Rodriguez
- Climb Up On My Music:
#24) White Denim - Fits
Finally! After years of shrugging my shoulders at all the White Denim
fanatics in the world, the trio released an effort that convinced me to
change my opinion on their noisy ways. Sure, they're still weird as
hell, but they've gotten better at it, and I think it's made all the
difference.
:White
Denim - I Start To Run:
#23) Viva Voce - Rose City
Before this full length I didn't really have any particular thoughts on Viva
Voce, so the sonically cool greatness littered throughout Rose City
was, to say the least, a pleasant surprise. Can't wait to hear what
Kevin and Anita Robinson hit us with next.
:Viva
Voce - Octavio:
#22) Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
Erika Wennerstrom (and that great voice of hers) have long been something
that I've greatly loved, but despite my automatic support I thought this LP
felt a bit more inspired than usual. I blame the new lineup and/or her
recent move to some awesome town called Austin.
:Heartless
Bastards - Out At Sea:
#21) Old Canes - Feral Harmonic
This album kind of came out of nowhere about two weeks ago and instantly
impressed me. If you like your folk music warm, a little noisy and
accessible then I highly recommend seeking out what Christopher Crisci (Appleseed
Cast) put together here.
:Old
Canes - Little Bird Courage:
#20) Raveonettes - In And Out Of Control
After the psych-fest that was Lust Lust Lust I figured this duo would
follow it up with an even thicker album. But that didn't happen.
In fact, they went the complete opposite direction on the retro-rock road
and instead churned out their most accessible effort. Way to keep me
on my toes, Raveonettes.
:Raveonettes
- Last Dance:
#19) Throw Me The Statue - Creaturesque
These guys had one of my favorite releases last year, so I was happy to see
that they were able to effortlessly follow it up with another collection of
super catchy indie pop tracks. This is highly recommended if you like
singing-a-long with whatever you're listening to.
:Throw
Me The Statue - Noises:
#18) Brazos - Phosphorescent Blues
The wait for this album seemed to last an eternity and a half, but it ended
up being worth it since Martin Crane proved exactly what I've always thought
- he's one of the more talented musicians in Austin. I just hope he
doesn't take forever to release another full length.
:Brazos
- Day Glo:
#17) Thermals - Now We Can See
I know there are quite a few of you out there who think this trio softened
up and lost their edge on this release, but you've got to move on from the
past and recognize that they put together 11 of the most infectious pop punk
songs in recent memory. Buy this. Now.
:Thermals
- Now We Can See:
#16) Decemberists - Hazards Of Love
It finally happened. I now appreciate Colin Meloy and Co. as much as
the rest of the world does. Although, who knew it would take a bizarre
concept album and them rocking out louder than ever before? I didn't.
But I suppose that's just part of the fun. Or something.
:Decemberists
- The Rakes Song:
#15) Metric - Fantasies
There's usually one release a year that I have to slap a guilty pleasure
label on, and this was definitely it in 2009. Oddly enough though, it
took four albums before it dawned on me to label Emily Haines' lovechild as
such. Guess that's what a shot of glossy arena rock will do to a
career.
:Metric
- Satellite Mind:
#14) Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
You'd think that by this point this veteran act would have turned the volume
and the distortion down to mostly nothing, but these guys are still rocking
along like they haven't been around for an eternity. Note: I won't
blame you if you wear earplugs while listening at home.
:Dinosaur
Jr - Farm:
#13) Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
While I do like my pop music with a dash of spontaneous spunk, there's
something endlessly endearing about a collection of such well crafted and
refined songs. I honestly don't think anyone this year did anything
even remotely as slick as this.
:Camera
Obscura - My Maudlin Career:
#12) Mono - Hymn To The Immortal Wind
Admittedly, this kind of music is not for everyone. It's very slow
paced, intricate and it plays out as though it was crafted specifically as a
score for a film. Still, instrumental rock doesn't get much better
than this, and I implore you to grab a pair of headphones and give the album
at least one good listen.
:Mono
- Pure As Snow:
#11) Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Self Titled
When I found myself with this album on repeat earlier in the year I thought
it would be something that I'd eventually get bored with. But, of
course, that turned out to be crazy talk. If I had to take just one of
these trendy hazy pop acts that are everywhere right now, it would
undoubtedly be this one.
:Pains
Of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction:
#10) Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens - What Have You Done, My
Brother?
It's sort of a weird thing to say, as it may not really inspire many of you
to check this out, but this was my easy listening album of the year.
Seriously. I think it has something to do with Naomi's golden voice.
Or maybe her band's genuine soul sound. Or maybe the lyrics. Or
everything. Probably the last one.
:Naomi
Shelton And The Gospel Queens - What Have You Done?:
#09) Mos Def - The Ecstatic
I couldn't figure out what Mos Def was trying to do on his last album (Tru3
Magic), so I was very relieved when it only took a single complete
listen for me to want to run out and high-five someone. Curious to see
if he'll ever be this aggressive - both lyrically and sonically - again.
:Mos
Def - Wahid:
#08) Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns
I know I put the rather pop and emo Don't Haunt This Place in my Top
Songs list, but you should know that isn't necessarily what to expect from
the rest of this album. It's actually packed with rousing,
acoustic-driven gems, and none of them should be missed.
:Rural
Alberta Advantage - The Deadroads:
#07) We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
You could probably find a 100 bands this year with a similar moody rock
sound, but I'm not sure any of them would have the same sort of intensity
that We Were Promised Jetpacks exude. Still can't believe it took a
live performance for me to see how great this album is.
:We
Were Promised Jetpacks - Roll Up Your Sleeves:
#06) Pomegranates - Everybody, Come Outside
Sure, it's obvious, but I want you to know that I love this album.
Every single one of it's quirky art-pop songs are as charming and infectious
as can be, and I demand that you purchase them as soon as possible. On
another note, why the hell didn't Pitchfork review this?
:Pomegranates
- Everybody, Come Outside:
#05) And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - The Century Of
Self
I'll probably never be able to recall why or when I lost interest in this
band, but I will always remember this thunderous effort as the reason I
jumped back on the bandwagon. It's easily my favorite modern rock
album in years, and I hope they they can be just as epic on the follow-up.
:Trail
Of Dead - Bells Of Creations:
#04) Lightning Dust - Infinite Light
Want to know what I expected from this album? A few good tracks.
Clearly, I was wrong. But really, there's no way I could have
predicted that every song would have a great hook, an interesting sound and
at least one moment of vocal brilliance from Black Mountain's Amber Webber.
Stop judging me!
:Lightning
Dust - Dreamer:
#03) Thao With The Get Down Stay Down - Know Better, Learn Faster
While I had complete faith in assuming that Thao, Willis and Adam would
follow up We Brave Be Stings And All (my #1 album last year) with
something great, I didn't think it would be such a vastly different listen.
This is them in a more adventurous state, and I strongly advise that you buy
this album.
:Thao
With The Get Down Stay Down - Body:
#02) St. Vincent - Actor
A couple of years ago Annie Clark dazzled my world with a whimsical and
endlessly charming album (also a #1 pick) that I thought she might find
difficult to top. Oops. Similar to Thao and Co., this is her swinging
for the fences and having a great time doing so.
:St
Vincent - The Strangers:
#01) Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
To be honest, this was a year where any of the albums in the top part of
this list could have been placed in this spot. So why Cymbals Eat
Guitars? Because I listened to this release the most this year, and I
love that it's a perfect hybrid of indie rock and pop. Pick this up
(and cherish it) if you have yet to do so.
:Cymbals
Eat Guitars - Some Trees (Merritt Moon):
- 5
Other Records That I Fancied A Bit
1. Why? - Eskimo Snow
2. Russian Circles - Geneva
3. El Perro Del Mar - Love Is Not Pop
4. White Rabbits - It's Frightening
5. Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen
-
5 Records That Seemingly Impacted Everyone But Me
1. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
2. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
3. Animal Collective - Meriwether Post Pavilion
4. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
5. Girls - Album
-
The 5 Best Shows I Attended In 2009
1.
Bon Iver at the Paramount
2.
Mono at the Mohawk
3.
The Decemberists at Pangea
4.
Melt Banana at Fun Fun
Fun Fest
5.
Explosions In The Sky at Stubb's
- John Laird -
Unless
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John Laird under a
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