The Half Year in Music: 2009

[Easy Mac]

So we've got the 2009 music thread. We're about halfway through the year (maybe 1 day over, not sure), so I though I'd get people's ideas on what your favorite albums and/or songs from this year are you favorites.

Mine, in semi-official order:
1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
having never owned an Animal Collective album, I thought I'd take a flyer after seeing this album get rave reviews. What took me so long?
2. Suckers - Suckers EP
Its pretty unfair to put a 4 song EP on this list, but when the 4 songs are as catchy as these...
3. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
It reminds me of how I felt when I first heard At the Drive-In.
4. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Hated Yellow House... hated it. I really enjoy this though. Southern Point just drags me in on every listen.

honorable mention:
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There are Mountains
This album is a grower.
Art Brut - Art Brut vs. Satan
Good, but not as great as they have been.
Other Girls - Perfect Cities
There's so much potential in this Interpol/Band of Horses hybrid.

What I should have avoided:
The Thermals - Now We Can See
Should have just listened to their last album continuously.
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
God I hate this album, which is sad, b/c their debut is probably my favorite album of this decade.

Need more time with (just got them, but like them):
Amazing Baby - Rewild
Headdress gets in your head
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Discovery - LP
I feel guilty finding it so enjoyable.
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Love it, but only listened once.

Songs
1. Animal Collective - My Girls
2. Suckers - Easy Chairs
3. Yeasayer - Tightrope (from Dark Was the Night compilation)
4. Amazing Baby - Headdress
5. Discovery - Orange Shirt

[Calis]

I'm not a huge music buyer. I'm usually about a year behind on new releases so I don't have much to add but I will say that Neko Case's Middle Cyclone definitely is atop my list so far.

I've had that on almost constant play in my car since I bought it. Great album from start to almost finish(can't give the 30 minutes of chirping a pass).

Most of my other listening has been from '08 so that's all I have.

[Danny]

I do not know a single song or artist mentioned in this thread so far.

[whomario]

Haven´t listened to as much music as other times, but quality has been good for me. I´m way behind in terms of american indie stuff, so hopefully i´ll get sth out of here ;)

Albums :

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Just a picture perfect pop album. Catchy melodies, great drive behind the songs, fun lyrics.
Standout Song : YouTube - Phoenix - 1901 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSLbW1S5gHA)

Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the Groo-Grux King

surprising Albums from a veteran band are pretty rare, they managed to make one. Less experimental than last album, more tempo than the ones before. Some suprisingly "rocky" tracks besides their typically brilliant midtempo tracks. Don´t think there´s a vocal band with better melodies and song structure out there.
Standout Song : YouTube - Dave Matthews Band - Shake Me Like A Monkey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRZsDxrRUng)

Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

Great female Singe/Songwriter, but not in the classical way. Very diverse album with catchy songs (the single "daniel" especially) as well as sort of eery tracks that remind me of Bjork without the dramatisation.
Standout Song : YouTube - BAT FOR LASHES - GLASS (FULL LENGTH HQ) + LYRICS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnYJykzBseI)

Antony & the Johnsons

If you don´t like the voice you will quit it after a track or two. I love his voice though and actually the instrumental side of things is impressive as well. Hauntingly beautiful music, extremely eery as well as very poetic as far as lyrics go. He´s painting a picture for the listener and this time it´s actually a picture of hope at certain points, even though the general mood of the album is still pretty dark. And yeah, the dude is creepy ;)
Standout Song : YouTube - Antony and the Johnsons - "Another World" Secretly Canadian (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-qThnGw_64)


The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

great concept album, there´s so few of those ... But this one really delivers from start to finish. No real catchy tunes here, they are definitely going the folk-route for better or worse now. But i like it, even though i also liked when they made more catchy stuff.

Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind

Best Instrumental Album for me since Explosions in the Sky´s 2003 output (The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place) . Terrific song structure, beautiful selection of instruments (good balance guitars to strings) and all with a 30 sth piece orchestra with mind blowing sound. It´s really a culmination of everything they´ve down before.

others :

Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - It´s Blitz

just a great fun-album. Nothing to heavy, just great tunes.

Dark Was the Night

Best Indie-Pop Sampler i can remember.

Song i have to mention : Winter Sleep - Weighty Ghost (don´t like the album, but that song is awesome)

Maximo Park - Quicken the Heart

Nice Album, but not as good as the first 2.


disapointments :

Morissey - Years of Refusal

First of his albums ever that i liked less and less with every listen ... Can´t even put a finger on the problem, just doesn´t do anything for me.

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown

their act just got old for me ...

Eminem - Relapse

don´t listen to hip hop much and propably it´s "good" in a Hip Hop sense, but for me it´s just ridiculous. It´s like he´s trying so hard to be funny and selfsecure at the same time that he can´t remember mid track what he wanted to actually say with it. And that "accent" (wrong term propably) he´s doing ? No way ...

[Danny]

There are some performers I know there, so that's a start.

[Young Drachma]

So we've got the 2009 music thread. We're about halfway through the year (maybe 1 day over, not sure), so I though I'd get people's ideas on what your favorite albums and/or songs from this year are you favorites.

Mine, in semi-official order:
1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
having never owned an Animal Collective album, I thought I'd take a flyer after seeing this album get rave reviews. What took me so long?
2. Suckers - Suckers EP
Its pretty unfair to put a 4 song EP on this list, but when the 4 songs are as catchy as these...
3. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
It reminds me of how I felt when I first heard At the Drive-In.
4. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Hated Yellow House... hated it. I really enjoy this though. Southern Point just drags me in on every listen.

honorable mention:
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There are Mountains
This album is a grower.
Art Brut - Art Brut vs. Satan
Good, but not as great as they have been.
Other Girls - Perfect Cities
There's so much potential in this Interpol/Band of Horses hybrid.

What I should have avoided:
The Thermals - Now We Can See
Should have just listened to their last album continuously.
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
God I hate this album, which is sad, b/c their debut is probably my favorite album of this decade.

Need more time with (just got them, but like them):
Amazing Baby - Rewild
Headdress gets in your head
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Discovery - LP
I feel guilty finding it so enjoyable.
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Love it, but only listened once.

Songs
1. Animal Collective - My Girls
2. Suckers - Easy Chairs
3. Yeasayer - Tightrope (from Dark Was the Night compilation)
4. Amazing Baby - Headdress
5. Discovery - Orange Shirt

Bitte Orca is good for the soul and Phoenix's new LP is really good, even though it's getting too much mainstream play. Everyone has been telling me the new Grizzly Bear is the goods, but since it's a buy only album on both music services I use, I haven't listened to it much and so...we'll just have to see.

I need to do a list like this, because this year has been such a strange mish-mash music year for me.

[Young Drachma]

Dola -

Other Girls are apparently coming to town on Wednesday. I just listened to them and I'm all over that.

[larnott]

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

[aran]

I haven't heard that many albums of 2009. I usually wait to see the opinions of people I trust on music and pick stuff up a year or more late unless it's one of the bands I actively follow. There are maybe 5 such bands.

So here are my top albums of 2009 so far:

OSI - Blood
OSI have been amazing since their inception. Blood has a couple of tracks that I find marginal (the boring Stockhold and the somewhat bland False Start) but this disc contains some of the best songs they've made in Radiologue and Blood. The general sound is a slight evolution on their usual metal + electronic + progressive sound which is quite unique. There are some very subtle and enjoyable down tempo tracks like We Come Undone and Terminal that get better with every listen, as well as one kick ass metal song in Be the Hero which is just bursting with attitude without being cheesy. 4.7/5

Animals as Leaders - Animals as Leaders
Tosin Abasi is a beast on the guitar. This instrumental math-metal album can be a little samey at times, but has some brilliant composition and playing. The drums are programmed, but you can barely tell because the sounds are good and the parts emulate normal drum parts except for a few more electronically influenced tracks. 3.7/5

The Decemberists - Hazards of Love
What an awesome album. There are some tracks that I adore on this album. They've taken the pop/folk sentimentalities of their early works and artfully weaved them in with some progressive rock elements to make a stellar album here. There are some amazing female vocals on this album. 4.2/5

Dredg - The Pariah, The parrot, The Delusion
Catchy, enjoyable Dredg songs. Unfortunately the lyrics can be downright cringeworth at times--the songs are still fun to sing, though. Not as good as previous Dredg releases but on par with Catch Without Arms. 3.7/5

Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Great metal album. It's not as good as Blood Mountain for me, but it has some very catchy vocals, sounds crunchy as hell, and riffs your face off. 3.8/5

Pure Reason Revolution - Amor Vincit Omnia
At first I thought this album was a significant drop in quality from their first full-length, The Dark Third. A lot of the guitars in the original album have been replaced by bleeps and bloops, but if you listen you can still hear the guitars doing what they did so well on TDT. The vocal harmonies are still there, though a little less immediate as the brilliant work on the previous album. There are a lot more dance elements in this record: thumping bass and the afore-mentioned bleeps and bloops. It grew on me after several listens, though, and I quite enjoy it now. 3.8/5

Disappointment:

The Mars Volta - Octahedron
Nah. Just doesn't do it for me. Their last album, Bedlam in Goliath, was full of really strong, rockin' tracks. This one is nowhere near as memorable or enjoyable for me. It's a shame, because I generally love TMV.

[Young Drachma]

I love threads like this, because I always find new stuff to check out.

Here's my contribution. I don't really know what I didn't like. There's stuff that fizzled out for me (Green Day) and stuff I like, but not enough to listen to that much (The Decemberists) but other than that, I'm still trying on a lot of new stuff as the weeks pass.

Albums

Asobi Seksu - Hush
I love shoegaze. Fix filled.
Standout tracks: Familiar Light, Sing Tomorrow's Praise, Transparence, n The Sky, Meh No Mae, Blind Little Rain

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
I can't stop listening to it. I just can't.
Standout tracks: This Tornado Loves You, Vengeance Is Sleeping, Middle Cyclones, Magie to the Morning

Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic
I can't really explain it. But you should still listen to it.
Standout tracks: Fangela, Ahab, Everything's Big

Passion Pit - Manners
Dunno how I found it, but this indie pop-rock output is the sort of thing that you'll love, especially it's not going to be on any sort of mainstream radar.
Standout tracks: Make Light, The Reeling, To Kingdom Come

Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Not his best album, but certainly his best musical output in a really long time.
Standout tracks: Roses (f/Georgia Anne Muldrow), History (f/Talib Kweli)


Matt & Kim - Grand
Former art students who decided to make a rock album in Brooklyn. It's just a mish-mash of randomness. But I like it.
Standout tracks: Daylight, Good ol' fashion nightmare, Spare Change

Metric - Fantasies
Emily Haines just has a great voice and this LP is solid gold. Probably one of the most complete albums this year.


God Forbid - Earthsblood
Riffs and other tasty metal goodness delivered fresh. The riffs and the lyrics come in clear, making it particularly enjoyable.
Standout tracks: The Rain, The New Clear, Bat The Angels

Zee Avi: Zee Avi
She went from YouTube sensation to her own album. This makes me happy, because she's the most refreshing singer/songwriter indie type to show up on the scene in a while. She sings clearly, her lyrics are tight and the musicianship is first class from start to finish.


Songs

Röyksopp ft. Robyn - The Girl and the Robot
Mos Def (f./Georgia Anne Muldrow) - Roses
Manchester Orchestra - Shake It Out
Metric - Collect Call
Whole Wheat Bread - Bombs Away
Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You

[dwardzala]

Gotta chime in here with Bruce Cockburn's Slice of Life:
2 disk live album all one man band acoustic guitar. If you are an acoustic guitar kinda person its a must have. No new material (maybe one song), but the guitar playing is outstanding. Did I mention the guitar playing?

Anyhow, read an interview with Neko Case in Acoustic Guitar magazine and have had Middle Cyclone in hand several times but just couldn't pull the trigger -what's it like?

[Young Drachma]

Anyhow, read an interview with Neko Case in Acoustic Guitar magazine and have had Middle Cyclone in hand several times but just couldn't pull the trigger -what's it like?

An happy slice of yummy indie Americana with a side dish of awesomeness.

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[ISiddiqui]

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
God I hate this album, which is sad, b/c their debut is probably my favorite album of this decade.

That's funny, since "Tonight" is probably my favorite album of the year.

[Mustang]

No idea who 90% of these bands are, but that didn't deter me from listening to some of the stuff. Could definitely see me buying Animal Collective and Phoenix among others.

I still think half the time you guys just make names up to see if anyone is paying attention though.... :D

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I'm liking the new Budos Band EP that just came out. Earlier this year, got an EP online from a group called Raphael Pistachio that I liked too.

[whomario]

I love threads like this, because I always find new stuff to check out.


Röyksopp ft. Robyn - The Girl and the Robot



yeah, me too :) Never heard of Neko Case f.e. and that recommended song (this tornado loves you) is pretty much awesome, so thanks for that :)

And have to say that this song by Röyskopp and Robyn is propably the best combo-song in years, awesome tune that just fits her voice like a glove.

and yeah, @ aran, the female vocals on the decemberists are pure ace. I mean, not surprising seeing the names but still :)

[Young Drachma]

yeah, me too :) Never heard of Neko Case f.e. and that recommended song (this tornado loves you) is pretty much awesome, so thanks for that :)

And have to say that this song by Röyskopp and Robyn is propably the best combo-song in years, awesome tune that just fits her voice like a glove.

and yeah, @ aran, the female vocals on the decemberists are pure ace. I mean, not surprising seeing the names but still :)

I agree with you on The Decemberists female vocals. Those were some of my favs songs on the LP other than "The Rake Song."

[dwardzala]

An happy slice of yummy indie Americana with a side dish of awesomeness.

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That is a cool tune and she has a great voice. Might have to pick up her latest. Thanks.

[Butter]

I'll agree with what's been said in here about the following:

Animal Collective - That is the best album, possibly of the last several years. Just wow. Definitely for a very select taste though.

Grizzly Bear - Very good, but I don't think I like as much as Easy Mac. Seems to meander a bit too pointlessly at times.

Franz Ferdinand - Did not like much at all.


Here's a few I didn't see get mentioned.

The Bird and the Bee - Ray Guns are not Just the Future
Contains one of the best singles of the year: "Love Letter to Japan". Rest of the album doesn't fall off much. Nice electro-pop with female vox that is right in my wheelhouse.

Doves - Kingdom of Rust
Back from the slight disappointment of their last album, this one contains several top tracks. If you are new to Doves, try their first album first, but this is a worthy successor.

John Vanderslice - Romanian Names
More high quality folk rock, but with a bit more synth and other instrumentation than normal from him. If you like his earlier stuff, this is much in the same vein.

Morrissey - Years of Refusal
This album rocks a bit more than I remember Morrissey's other stuff doing. It surprised me in that way, and I enjoyed it a good bit.


And one I absolutely hated, and was disappointed in:

Peter Bjorn and John - Living Thing

[Passacaglia]

Stuff I've liked so far this year:

Bishop Allen -- Grrr...
Beirut -- Holland and March of the Zapotec (both EPs)
Animal Collective -- Merriweather Post Pavilion
Camera Obscura -- My Maudlin Career
The Bird and the Bee -- Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future
Dent May -- The Good Feeling Music of Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele
Morrissey -- Years of Refusal


Disappointed by:

Neko Case -- Middle Cyclone
Au Revoir Simone -- Still Night, Still Light