Or ‘09 for those of you who are word-challenged.
With the acception of all the compilation albums that came out this year, (Dark was the Night, Dark Night of the Soul, 20 Years of Merge Records) there came some pretty good music that was hard to escape. The scene in 2009 saw some great singer songwriters, some ok punk records and some records that will have new bands striving to produce that same sound for the next 20 years of modern music. Here’s my take on some of the best music of 2009 (with some honorable mentions, too).
Albums
5. Up from Below- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
This debut from the LA based folk /psychedelic / Ennio Morricone wannabes makes you groove from start to finish. From the opening track “40 Day Dream” to the western stylings of the title track “Up from Below” and closing track “Om Nashi Me,” this band will take you through a folk time warp that spans from the sixties to the oughts. Come on, how can you deny a band that mentions a Beatles album?
4. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix- Phoenix
Yeah, the French are good at impressionism, but who the hell said they couldn’t make you rock out to a Cadillac commercial? Um, not me. With tributes to two astounding composers, I just give immediate approval. From the simple downstroke guitar hook in “Lisztomania” to the synth in “1901″ and “Girlfriend,” these Euro-rockers got the formula right. Do the lyrics make sense all the time? No, English is their second language, after all. But music speaks all languages. And so does this album.
3. Veckatimest- Grizzly Bear
From the sound of the song “Little Brother” on their previous album, Yellow House, I had a feeling about these guys. It took a few listens, I’ll be honest, to warm up to Veckatimest. Partly because ” Southern Point” sounds so much like Steely Dan. And I hate Steely Dan. But by the third time around, I fell in love with this piece of art, helped by the contemporary classical composer, Nico Mulhy. From the insatiable “Two weeks” to the ass-kicking “I Live With You,” bands around the nation will try to emulate Grizzly for years to come.
2. Middle Cyclone- Neko Case
This is Case’s best work to date, by far. Even better that Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, which is just plain great. This proves her talent as an arranger, a songwriter and above all, a lyricist. If the lyrics on the track “Middle Cyclone” don’t at least tug at your heart strings, I’m not sure what would. She took the Waylon Jennings / Willie Nelson approach to not really putting choruses in her songs, which makes them all more apart of her Alt-Country style. “This Tornado Loves You” is one of the best tracks of the year. Hands. Down.
1. Merriweather Post Pavilion- Animal Collective
Chaotic. Manic. Controlled. Insatiable. The four words needed to describe possibly one of the best albums of the decade. In the past ten years, the indie scene has stretched its limits, come back again, then stretched them even further, hoping to stumble upon the newest and most creative genre bending band next to Radiohead. Thanks to the Baltimore based band, we need not look any further. From the bouncy “Summertime Clothes,” the anthem-like “My Girls,” the sentiment of “Bluish” to the uplifting ode “Brother Sport,” it was the most difficult thing to escape this album if you call yourself a music fan.
Honorable Mentions
Dark Night of the Soul- Danger Mouse and David Lynch(various artists)
Embryonic-The Flaming Lips
20 Years of Merge Records!- Various Artists
