I made a list on my facebook (
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=354966620276), but here's the cut and paste:
12. Zoot Woman, "Things Are What They Used to Be"
I hate the title for their 3rd album, but the content more than makes up for it. This is a darker, more mature spin on their past two records. It's a big-sounding, "maximal" record that lives in the gray area between early 90's house music and the more current trend of electronic pop that's been coming out in the past 2 or 3 years (Think of that updated version of "Erotica" that Madonna did on the Confessions Tour.) They really make the most of every second of music on each track with simple drums, layered harmonies, and a couple of distorted guitars. It's flawed in it's extremely clean, shimmering production, but the album holds together extremely well with it's continued themes of loneliness and depression. It's the happiest, shiniest 50 minutes about complete sadness that I've heard in a very long time, that also doubles as one of the best workout albums of the year. It also doesn't hurt that every song has potential to be a huge single in the right atmosphere.
Standouts: Lonely By Your Side , Saturation, Witness
11. A.C. Newman, "Get Guilty"
Personal things aside, I think A.C. Newman is one hell of a great songwriter, and this album is a great continuation on what he hinted at in his debut. Grown up, hook-filled pop music with brilliant musicianship accompanying it. He's grown a lot as a singer, and some of these songs would best some of the New Pornographers work on "Challengers". Swap out Neko Case for Nicole Atkins and Kori Gardner (from Mates of State), and you'll get an idea for how head-on these songs are. They work even BETTER live, when the instrumentation (the percussion in "Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer", the violin in "Young Atlantis", the bombast of "Submarines of Stockholm", etc.) fills everything out and wrap around his voice. Not to mention, it's all insanely catchy and the lyrics will stick with you long after the record ends. The centerpiece is definitely "Submarines of Stockholm", but the heart of the record is in the song that immediately follows it, "Thunderbolts". The broken rhythm that pushes the song forward acts as a heartbeat for the protagonist, and god damn, it just clicks so perfectly. It's always exciting to see your favorite songwriters continue to hone their craft and make amazing, thrilling, moving music.
Standouts: Submarines of Stockholm , Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer, Thunderbolts
10. Matias Aguayo, "Ay Ay Ay"
Hands down, this was the most fun, (successfully) experimental dance record of the year, second only to YACHT's "See Mystery Lights". If Bjork had visioned Medulla to be a more danceable record, it would sound very similar to this. None of the "songs" hold conventional song structures, but it's never off-putting or insular, it's always fun and light-hearted. Figuring out where the keyboards buzz in and out, the vocal loops end and begin, deciphering what he's saying...it's a really exciting, great listen. It sounds like a Chilean block party on acid, and I LOVE it. It's got very little in common with his older stuff, except for the extremely catchy hooks that flow in and out of what he's got. Mucho Viento is so fucking fun, I can't even breathe, and is easily matched by the killer staccato disco of Rollerskate. It's really hard to want to be in the studio with him while listening to this!
Standouts: Mucho Viento, Rollerskate, Menta Latte
9. Me'Shell N'Degeocello, "Devil's Halo"
She's an amazing bassist, songwriter, and her voice is pretty much unmistakable. She's done records with everybody from John Mellencamp to Basement Jaxx, and she still retains her signature seductive identity throughout it all, no matter what hat she chooses to wear as the medium for these songs. Sometimes aggressive, soul-power funky, or a melancholy purr, most of the time on the same song. This new album is without a doubt, one of the most impressive records of the year, just because of that voice that she gives it. Giving a woman's voice to Ready for the World's "Love You Down" was maybe the boldest thing she's done this go around, and DAMN is it effective. This has been music for making the transition from Saturday night to Sunday morning and afternoon for me. "Blood On the Curb" is so thoroughly disturbing and gorgeously poppy, you've got to give her major points for making violence sound downright sunny. The whole album really balances a thin line between soul music, rock, and pop, and it rarely gets it down better than on the centerpiece "Mass Transit". The lyrics are so perfect throughout this entire record. Just buy it already.
Standouts: Blood On The Curb, Love You Down, Mass Transit, Bright Shiny Morning
8. The Juan Maclean, "The Future Will Come"
"I was walking home alone, so dejected by my own design"...is one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite dance records of the year. It plays like a maybe-concept album about two people that are destructive together, but ultimately destined to be together, and I think it's genius. It's insanely well put together, and a testament to the contrast of the human and synthetic vocals and instrumentation. Fuck it, it's great dance music, and Nancy and Juan's vocals together are like Rocky Road ice cream of electronic music. Jerry did an amazing thing drumming on these tracks, and live, there was no question how talented he was. Every ass will shake at the opening thump of the title track, and when it gets into more pop-based song structures like "The Station", it's got the capacity to be downright emotional. I'm considering this album Jerry's going-away present to the world, and wow, what a great present it is. "Happy House", "One Day"...soon to be classics on the dancefloor. DFA lives on through the form of straight-forward Human League-esque goodness.
Standouts: Happy House, One Day, Accusations
7. St. Vincent, "Actor"
Distorted guitars, clarinets, bassoons, well-placed orchestras, everything has it's place on St. Vincent's album, and DAMN does it sound phenomenal. Actually, this is a time when "epic" can be applied properly to describe the sound of an album. It all plays out like the soundtrack to the freakiest, most sinister Disney movie ever. There's nothing contrived or pretentious about how it all comes together. The hook to the first song, "The Strangers", hints at this vaguely ("Paint the black hole blacker..."), and it's actually spelled out in "Marrow" ("H-E-L-P, Help me, help me..") I mean, even the song titles in Actor alone let you know shit's not right ("Laughing With a Mouth of Blood", "Save Me From What I Want".) Regardless of any preconceived notions from the album cover and track-listing, everything sounds super gorgeous. Check out how "The Party" actually sounds like someone's heart breaking in just over 4 minutes. Really affecting, dramatic pop music. Sign me up!
Standouts: Laughing With a Mouth of Blood, Black Rainbow, The Party
6. Brandi Carlile, "Give Up the Ghost"
Okay, so most people think her last record was absolutely perfect. I would be one of those people...except maybe it lulled a bit in the play of the whole album. Even that's just a minor grip for me. I feel like this record is a great example of how to update a signature sound that works. It's her big, arena-filling voice that's center stage on this record, with a more modern-rock backdrop to it. Every song on this record is a keeper, in the sense that it's a collection of harmonies that connect instantly, and songs that break your heart and build you back up slowly over time. It's always refreshing to stumble upon a record that sounds good in almost any environment you want to play it in, which I'll admit most of the records in this list, are NOT for anytime, anywhere. Rick Rubin did his fucking thing on this, and Brandi matched his skills in the studio with her musicianship. Way to go. This is my answer to anyone who put "Middle Cyclone" on their list. Brandi doesn't fuck with locusts, frogs, or having 20 pianos play a Harry Nillson cover.
Standouts: Dreams, Dying Day, I Will
5. Local Natives, "Gorilla Manor"
This is my favorite indie rock album of the year. So many bands wish they made an album like this. If Grizzly Bear's last record had maybe two less sleep-inducing ballads, then maybe it'd rival this. Extremely percussive (like the White Rabbits, but without the sometimes annoying vocal-tics...*sorry*), cleverly written, overflowing with melodies and harmonies, and genuinely exciting to experience (ask anyone who's seen them live.) They remind me a lot of another band from the 80's that I can't really put my tongue on, but did this type of thing, but darker, maybe? I'll think of this after I post this, I know it. The music is really light-hearted and fun, but not in a cheesy, goofball kind of way. They are definitely a band to be experienced live. It's something about seeing 4 guys drumming their asses off. The highlight of the record is probably their spot-on, possibly career-defining cover of the Talking Heads' "Warning Sign". I can't wait to see how much better these guys get.
Standouts: Wide Eyes, Warning Sign, Camera Talk, Sun Hands
5.1 Selena Gomez and the Scene, "Kiss and Tell"
Heads up, this is serious for-realz POP album. This album is seriously a beacon of light in the pop world, a lot like Robyn's album was a couple of years ago. As a matter of fact, this album plays like Robyn's just-as-sassy little sister's album. Everything is so well-constructed to fit her attitude and her voice, and it plays really impressively. Nothing is contrived or embarrassing lyrically, and she works with a really smart collection of producers and assisting songwriters to make the set strong and consistently-energetic listen. I also love the fact that she chose Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails / A Perfect Circle) to do all the drums and drum programming on it, and The Go-Go's Gina Schock to assist with writing and vocals on some songs. The whole thing plays like music that Tiffany or Debbie Gibson would've made if they were still making straightforward pop music now. I think it's a better pop album, and maybe the best teen pop debut album than any other 17-year old has put out in the past 10 years, including Britney's "...Baby One More Time". That's right!
Standouts: I Don't Miss You At All, Kiss and Tell, Naturally, Stop and Erase
4. Metric, "Fantasies"
Hands down, the best straightforward pop record of 2009 for me. Yes, it's a little too clean-sounding and overproduced, but god damn, you won't find hooks like this anywhere else this side of a major label. The more I listen to it, the more parallels I draw between this album and another one of my favorites from a little over 10 years ago, Garbage's "Version 2.0". Short, packed to the punch, and overflowing with ridiculously catchy, perfect-sounding pop music. Every song on Version 2.0 was perfect, the ballads weren't even really ballads, and the production was super clean. Not to mention, just like V2.0, there are maybe 5 or 6 songs on here that could be great singles. Even when guitars are meant to be crunchy and jagged, and the synths are meant to stab at the listener, their edges are smoothed out to a smoother texture, which is something that the live performances of the material brings out. So fucking phenomenal. I had a hard time choosing standouts for this, but I chose to go with a bonus track for one of them, the stellar, summer-sounding, nostalgic "Waves". I mean, seriously, best pop record of the year.
Standouts: Satellite Mind, Blindness, Waves
3. Hanne Hukkelberg, "Blood From a Stone"
I had a hard time thinking of an album that had a bigger effect on me this year (but I did!), aside from this Hanne Hukkelberg record. I think this album is a complete inverse of Metric's in one major way: the production. The songs have compelling hooks, get embedded in your skull, and make for one of the most cohesive records of the year. However, instead of smoothing out the edges and mixing everything into a perfect blend, some elements of the songs poke out like broken bones, exposing the grit and the rawness of the songs beneath the many layers of guitars and vocals. This is obviously such a winter record, by the drops of color that the bass-lines and the melodies paint on even the iciest of tracks ("Salt of the Earth", "Midnight Sun Dream"), and how genius her arrangements are. The best way to experience this for the first time is to listen to it among the hustle and bustle of an urban environment on really good headphones. Not because of it's noisiness, (some songs are light as a feather, but pack a serious emotional wallop), but how each instrument sounds like everyday hustle and bustle (Try listening to "In Here / Out There" on the subway, and see if you don't think everyone else is in on it.) Never boring, this album pulls you deep into it's Norweigian fairytale and owns you completely. It's like reading a great book for 45 minutes.
Standouts: Bandy Riddles, In Here / Out There, Midnight Sun Dream
2. Amerie, "In Love and War"
When I think about amazing R&B albums that came out this year, more than a handful stick out...Keri Hilson, Muhsinah, J*Davey, Georgia Anne Muldrow...but Amerie's album sticks out like a sore thumb, mostly because it's supremely better than the rest, thanks to her amazing ear for great producers and a gruff, Lyn Collins-ish voice that opts for straight-forward singing over unnecessary diva-ish dramatics. That really gives her album a personality that makes it easier to love than Beyonce's tedious double-album mess, and Rihanna's cold, detached comeback record. It brings old-school hip-hop back into contemporary R&B songs and even harks back to early-Mary J. Blige in the first single, "Why R U", but the album excels because of how innovative her arrangements and interpretations are this go around. "Red Eye" fucking slays, point blank. Seriously, those synthesizers and her subtle, seductive delivery make this song (that equates falling in love with an overnight flight) sound fresh, moving, and atmospheric without succumbing to over-singing or corny lyrics. Not to mention, she serves a sass that I can relate to...so, check plus on this one. "Higher" should be a huge fucking hit in my eyes. Here's hoping.
Standouts: Higher, Why R U, Red Eye
1. Fever Ray, "Fever Ray"
There hasn't been a stranger, more compelling, intricately put together, catchy as hell record put out this year for me. I can't even really describe how perfect everything sounds on it. It takes a long while to get settled into loving it, but god.damn...who knew pop music could be so frightening and delicate at the same time. It's like music from another time and place that gets under your skin and becomes a part of you. Songs about the most domestic things, motherhood ("Triangle Walks"), goals and dreams ("When I Grow Up"), friendships and washing dishes ("Seven")...all of these topics get projected onto a bigger stage with the setting of her voice in the tracks. Eerie, whispering, distorted beyond belief, powerful...sometimes all within the same track. Music doesn't get much more exciting and original than this album. The live show was something to fuck with, too. Here's hoping she comes back...
Standouts: Triangle Walks, Now's the Only Time I Know, I'm Not Done
