Top Music of 2009
It's time for my top albums of 2009. I didn't have a whole lot of time to listen to full albums this year, so my second half of this post will be dedicated to singles I like. It's not how I would prefer to listen to music but hey, it's an iTunes world and we're all just living in it.
Albums that will stay in the rotation
I'll still be listening to these albums in 10 years, so without further ado, alphabetically...
Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue - Jerry Cantrell and company have done the unthinkable, pay worthy tribute without cheapening the legacy of the old days. It's not their best work, but it's about as good as their self-titled 1995 album (with the three-legged dog on the cover) if you took off that album's best two songs. Nobody thought anything near that quality could come from Alice in Chains in 2009, that's for sure.
Band of Skulls - Baby Darling Doll Face Honey; Cage the Elephant - Cage the Elephant - These two bands sound somewhat similar, so I'll group them together. At first blush, they both have a "White Stripes" vibe (which, of course, is the quickest way to my heart.) But after digging deeper into both albums, you discover a whole lot more.
The Dead Weather - Horehound - Jack White's side band to his side band. They've got a really rough sound, and this album takes a few spins before you really get it. Once you do, though, you're hooked. I saw them live this summer at the Riv -- amazing show.
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand - better than their second album (which I liked a lot), but still not as good as their first (which I loved.) They've largely abandoned their "rock edge" and have settled on full-on dance music.
Mastodon - Crack the Skye - The only full-on metal to make my list this year. The riffage and musicianship on this album are as good as anything I've heard in years, so much so that I prefer the instrumentals of each track (which come on the deluxe version of the album).
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular - What is this, 2007? Yes, this album has been out roughly 23 months (and some of the songs are from an EP even older than that), but 2009 is the year they became ubiquitous on my radio (not unlike Kings of Leon for the rest of the world). It's also the year I came to absolutely love this album. I'm kicking myself for not stopping to watch them at Lollapalooza 2008.
Muse - The Resistance - As of now, I still prefer their last album (Black Holes & Revelations) and I sadly haven't given this one it's full due yet. But already I know its one of my 10 favorite full albums of the year.
Silversun Pickups - Swoon - One of my new favorite bands. Yes, the singer sounds like a chick but he's an awfully good songwriter and an excellent guitarist. I also "discovered" their 2006 effort Carnavas this year (with the track "Lazy Eye") which is just as good.
Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures - Supergroup featuring Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones, and Josh Homme. With Homme on vocals and the master riff writer, it sounds an awful lot like Queens of the Stone Age (but with 25% more Zeppelin!). It doesn't qualify as the "best" of any of its parts, but it's at least as good as a lesser QOTSA album, which is good enough in my book.
Albums that are good but might not last
These all have their high points, but for whatever reason I haven't been compelled to go back to them all that much.
Green day - 21st Century Breakdown - I was severely disappointed in the followup to American Idiot (my favorite Green Day album). It's got 8 or 9 good songs, but the 21 tracks have just gone too far down concept album lane for my tastes. Some of the connector filler is downright annoying, and/or too sappy for even Nickelback. I mean, come on. Still, the songs that are good really are good. I look forward them heading back to the garage to craft 3-minute pop songs again, which is supposedly what they'll be doing with their next effort.
Pearl Jam - Backspacer - This one's got about 5 good-to-great songs on it but the rest is pure filler. I like their last album better, and it of course doesn't hold a candle to their first three. It is better than Binaural and Riot Act, which isn't saying much.
Weezer - Raditude - I've only listened to it once and I have to admit my first impressions were damn good. The first 6-7 tracks are simply gold. But its nothing you haven't heard from Weezer before (and better) on Blue, Pinkerton, and Green.
Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg - I loved their first album. After a mere two spins, my first impressions of this one are merely lukewarm. Love the first single, though, so I'll give it a few more listens.
The Singles
Some of these singles have prompted me to nab the full albums, but I honestly haven't given any of them any sort of in-depth treatment as of yet. I should, because its these songs that were the soundtrack for my life in 2009. Also, a good number of these tracks were technically on albums from 2008, I just didn't get to them till this year. Sue me.
Arctic Monkeys - Dangerous Animals - I dug their 2006 release (Whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not) quite a bit, and I really enjoy their new sound. This track has this cool Cake-esque hollow body guitar that's the butter for my bread.
Carolina Liar - Show me What I'm Looking For - Kind of Coldplay-ish, if not even less cool. "I'm Not Over", from the same album, was secretly one of my 10 fav tracks from 2008.
Coconut Records - Microphone - Something my Dad would call Beatles-esque. Headdress, by Amazing Babies owes a debt to John Lennon as well.
Cold War Kids - Hang me up to dry; These guys kind of belong with Band of Skulls and Cage the Elephant in the "bands that kind of sound like the White Stripes" bin, but really, they have their own sound and deserve their own attention.
Company of Thieves - Oscar Wilde - Good Chicago band, not unlike a rockier version of Feist.
Florence + The Machine - Kiss With a Fist - Prototypical garage rock with a punk-rock-chick singer. Owes Joan Jett a debt of gratitude.
Metric - Help I'm Alive - Kind of like Blondie but with a Nirvana-esque happy chorus. (Accoustic, too!)
New Moon Soundtrack - Ok, hear me out. Death Cab, Muse, Thom Yorke, Band of Skulls, Killers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Ok Go...what am I supposed to do, ignore all that because Twilight is for teenage girls?
Phoenix - 1901; Santigold - Lights Out - two songs that invaded your brain via TV commercials. It worked. Lots of people put Phoenix's album on their best of 2009 list. I haven't gotten around to downloading it yet.
Passion Pit - The Reeling - Love this track. Kind of like a more danceable version of MGMT. Just got this album today and I eagerly await diving in.
Rinocerose - Cubicle - Catchy hard-edged dance rock, not available on iTunes for some reason. Curse them.
Stereophonics - My Own Worst Enemy - I thought this was Stone Temple Pilots (or Velvet Revolver) at first. Turns out its Stereophonics, who have been around a while (but never really sounded like this before).
Switches - Drama Queen; The Takeover UK - Ah La La; The Thermals - Now We Can See - Three big pop-rock songs with hook-laden choruses. Funny enough, The Thermals guy sounds kind of like Weird Al, which would be perfect if those guys ever took off.
White Lies - To Lose My Life; She Wants Revenge - Tear You Apart - A little bit of goth has poked through to the mainstream in 2009, the latter being a more extreme example (while actually from 2007). To Lose My Life is great, though, and I definitely have to check out the full White Lies album. Kind of like a darker version of the Killers or a lighter version of Joy Division.
White Rabbits - Percussion Gun - cool drums and riff, which reminds me of Radiohead while sounding absolutely nothing like Radiohead. A lot more accessible. Maybe a little like the 90s band "Live".
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads will Roll - Another danceable rock song with a female vocalist. They've changed their sound quite a bit in the last few years. Dig it, though.
And that's about it. There's a number of other tracks I liked this year, but I couldn't get my Shazam out in time to catch the name. Till next year...or if I feel compelled to write a best of the 2000s list, which is currently en vogue. Later.