As usual, I'm a few months behind...BUT, this album really is as good as most reviewers would have you believe. I've just been listening to it for the past couple of hours and all the songs are really strong pop songs in their own ways. I won't bother going on about who they sound like and how varied their sound is...instead here are a few really nice live acoustic videos I found on Youtube. The album isn't acoustic, but it's on Spotify and worth 44mins of anybody's life.
I always love Piccadilly Records' end of year list simply because it's bound to be nothing like any of the other, more obvious ones (Pitchfork, Uncut etc). Every year, without fail, I read the list and am excited to listen to the albums I haven't heard (which is usually loads!). I was going to reproduce the list here, but it's much easier if you just check it out on their website:
As it's been snowing a lot this past week I thought I'd play something that reminded me of previous winters. This album reminds me of Winter 2005 and cruising round in my friend's car in the snow back in Manchester. By the end of the night we'd slammed into a curb and dented his bumper. This album will always remind me of that night and Christmas and it has a really great late night atmosphere to it that goes perfectly with orange-tinted wintery nights out in the snow.
"Chess is the ultimate board game. Monopoly is not in its league and Checkers doesn’t compare at all. It’s civilized war. It’s a mathematical thing, its science, and it’s strategy. That’s life all the time. Just planning your day, being ten steps ahead and seeing the moves ahead. That’s what chess is about."
The Black Ryder are an Australian band comprising of Aimee Nash and Scott Van Ryper (formerly of Morning After Girls) and their debut album 'Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride' was released last month. The album also features a host of guest appearences that include BRMC's Peter Hayes and Ricky Maymi (BJM, The Imajinary Friends). I've only as yet heard one track (see below), but the band have received excellent reviews, with comparisons including The Cowboy Junkies, The Raveonettes, My Bloody Valentine as well as the aforementioned bands.
I think it would be impossible to even attempt to compile a Top 50 of 2009, simply because one, I probably haven't listened to 50 new albums this year and two, if I had there's no way I could've given them all the attention they deserve for them to become a favourite. Therefore, I thought I'd list some albums I enjoyed from 2009.
Obviously, you'll probably read it and say "I can't believe he missed this or that", but if you think I should give something a listen please leave a comment. Sure, there are a few albums that featured heavily in major lists that I didn't care for too much, but there are just as many that I just never got around to listening to.
There are quite a few albums I'm just getting round to listening to and would probably make the list, but I haven't given them enough attention yet for the to join the list. For example, I recently got into Kurt Vile, but haven't got round to listening to his latest album 'Childish Prodigy' and I love Espers, Bob Dylan and Sufjan Stevens but haven't listened to their latest albums as of yet. Also, I've recently been listening to Dam-Funk's 'Toeachizown', Dinosaur Jr's new album, The Mantles and Flaming Lips' 'Embryonic' and I like the sound of them, but just haven't heard them enough to warrant a place in my favourite's list.
Nice to see The Horrors in this list. Still no Felice Brothers!
50. Antony And The Johnsons - The Crying Light [Secretly Canadian]
49. Mos Def - The Ecstatic [Downtown]
48. Silversun Pickups - Swoon [Dangerbird]
47. jj - n° 2 [Sincerely Yours]
46. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II [Loud/RCA/BMG]
45. Regina Spektor - Far [Sire]
44. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns [Saddle Creek]
43. Mastodon - Crack The Skye [Reprise]
42. The Dead Weather - Horehound [Third Man]
41. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures [DGC/Interscope]
40. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms [Lefse]
39. Brand New - Daisy [Interscope]
38. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle [Drag City]
37. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains [Self-Released]
36. The Horrors - Primary Colours [XL]
35. Tegan And Sara - Sainthood [Vapor]
34. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport [ATP]
33. Florence & The Machine - Lungs [Island]
32. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm [Jagjaguwar]
31. The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World To Come [4AD]
30. Dan Deacon - Bromst [Carpark]
29. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career [4AD]
28. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers [Domino]
27. Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young [Cult/RCA]
26. Metric - Fantasies [Metric Music International]
25. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast [Fat Possum]
24. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug [Domino]
23. Monsters Of Folk - Monsters Of Folk [Shangri-La]
22. The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You [Sony]
21. Japandroids - Post-Nothing [Polyvinyl]
20. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart [Slumberland]
19. Atlas Sound - Logos [Kranky]
18. Wilco - Wilco (The Album) [Nonesuch]
17. Various Artists - Dark Was The Night [4AD]
16. The Decemberists - The Hazards Of Love [Capitol]
15. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns [Astralwerks]
14. Fever Ray - Fever Ray [Mute]
13. Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer [Jagjaguwar]
12. St. Vincent - Actor [4AD]
11. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic [Warner Bros.]
10. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone [Anti-]
09. Passion Pit - Manners [Frenchkiss]
08. The Antlers - Hospice [Frenchkiss]
07. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz [Interscope]
06. Girls - Album [True Panther]
05. The XX - XX [Young Turks/XL]
04. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix [Glassnote]
03. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca [Domino]
02. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest [Warp]
01. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion [Domino]
I won't bother ranting oer what's missing. Plenty of good albums included and plenty of great albums missing. Here's the list:
50 Woods - Songs of Shame
49 Cass McCombs - Catacombs
48 DOOM - Born Like This
47 Zomby - Where Were U in '92?
46 Dan Deacon - Bromst
45 The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come
44 tUnE-yArDs - BiRd-BrAiNs
43 Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
42 A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar
41 Baroness - Blue Record
40 Mos Def - The Ecstatic
39 Jim O'Rourke - The Visitor
38 Major Lazer - Guns Don't Kill People-- Lazers Do
37 The Antlers - Hospice
36 Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
35 jj - jj n° 2
34 Passion Pit - Manners
33 Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
32 Bear In Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
31 Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions
30 Röyksopp - Junior
29 Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
28 Micachu and the Shapes - Jewellery
27 Various Artists - 5: Five Years of Hyperdub
26 Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP
25 DJ Quik & Kurupt - BlaQKout
24 Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
23 Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
22 Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
21 Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
20 Real Estate - Real Estate
19 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
18 Atlas Sound - Logos
17 The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa
16 Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
15 Japandroids - Post-Nothing
14 Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
13 St. Vincent - Actor
12 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
11 Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
10 Girls - Album
09 Fever Ray - Fever Ray
08 Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
07 Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
06 Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
05 Raekwon - Only Built for Cuban Linx... Pt. II
04 The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
03 The xx - The xx
02 Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
01 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Legendary early pioneers of psychedelic music from Austin. Lead singer George Kinney had shared his childhood with Roky Erickson (13th Floor Elevators if you didn't already know!) and had played with him in another group (The Fugitives). The two groups definitely have a similar sound and that obviously is a great thing! Here are a couple of tracks from their most famous album, Power Plant. The band still perform to this day and earlier this year performed at the Austin Psych Fest, where they played the whole of this album.
I've finally got round to getting their debut album and it's easily in my Top 5 albums this year. Although most people have labelled it a perfect summer album, it's been really snowy here of late and the album has a lethargic quality to it that goes perfect with the snow. Plus the last track on the album is called 'Snow Days'. I'm sure it'll sound great all year round! Their sound kinda reminds me of Clientele (see video below) in that it has the same hazy dreaminess to it that you can get lost in. They do have a surf-rock edge to many of their songs too and have a hint of Beach House's late night sleepiness to them. This album wouldn't be out of place alongside some of Modest Mouse's slower, dreamier songs (Drammamine, Edit The Sad Parts). The comparisons could go on and on, but they DO have their own sound and I like it. I've already made two earlier posts on these guys, so be sure to check those videos out too if you haven't already and give these tracks below a listen.
Ganglians are yet another band to emerge from the label that has brought us Woods, Crystal Stilts, Real Estate and Kurt Vile...Woodist. This year saw the band release both a self-titled mini-LP and a full length album ('Monster Head Room'). I haven't yet heard their self-titled mini-LP, but have been listening to 'Monster Head Room' this past hour or so and have thoroughly enjoyed my listening. The first song to really jump out at me was 'Valiant Brave', which kinda reminded me of Devendra Banhart's 'Seahorse' in the way it exploded into life after a gradual build up. The song also includes some killer flute work and has a really great atmosphere. Elsewhere, the rest of the album has some really nice acoustic songs ('Cryin' Smoke' and 'Lost Words') and some general acid-folk/psych style songs that fans of Devendra Banhart, The Beach Boys and Grizzly Bear alike should find appealing. Anyway, time to listen to it again...
"This album is pure naive headphone acid pop to drive to, at least that's what was going through our heads." - Ganglians
mp3s for sampling only. If you are the owner of any mp3s on this site, and would like it removed, please contact me and it will be taken down immediately.
