2009 in music. • Page 2

Pitchfork

 

1. Dangerous Summer - Reach for the Sun
2. NFG - Not Without a Fight (thought it so-so when i came out, love it now)
3. John Mayer - Battle Studies

 

Lots of stuff I need to go back and listen to. Was able to pull a lot of good stuff from my list.

1. St. Vincent - Actor
2. Amesoeurs - s/t
3. Bike for Three - More Heart than Brains

toe - For Long Tomorrow
Daitro - Y
Regina Spektor - Far
Still Life Still - Girls Come Too
The Mercury Program - Chez Viking
Saxon Shore - It Doesn't Matter
Lye By Mistake - Fea Jur
Maybeshewill - Sing the Word Hope in Four Part Harmony
Fanfarlo - Reservoir
Baroness - Blue Record
sgt. - Capital of Gravity
And So I Watch you From Afar - s/t
Kidcrash - Snacks
If These Trees Could Talk - Above the Earth, Below the Sky
MONO - Hymn of the Immortal Wind
Doomriders - Darkness Comes Alive
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Mew - No More Stories...
Metric - Fantasies
Comadre - A wolf Ticket
Vedera - Stages
Drake - So Far Gone
Kid Cudi - Dat Kid From Cleveland / Man on the Moon
Little Boots - Hands
Kylesa - Static Tensions
POS - Never Better
Dalek - Gutter Tactics
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - s/t
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Its Blitz!
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Japandroids - Post-Nothing



https://rateyourmusic.com/list/ecirht/best_of_09/1/

 

this was an insane hip-hop year and may have been the end of the mixtapes era. I downloaded so much stuff off datpiff this year

 

1. Empire! Empire! (I was a Lonely Estate) - What It Takes to Move Forward
2. Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day
3. Mastodon - Crack the Skye

4. Brave Little Abacus - Masked Dancers: Concern in So Many Things You Forget Where You Are
5. Passion Pit - Manners
6. Rihanna - Rated R
7. Alexisonfire - Old Crows/Young Cardinals
8. Every Time I Die - New Junk Aesthetic
9. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
10. Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment

 

1. Grammatics - Grammatics
2. Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing
3. Tigers on Trains - Grandfather

Grammatics is an overlooked treasure of an album, mixing together Antidote-era Foals math rock, orchestral flourishes, and beautiful interweaving vocals. Broken Wing and Relentless Fours are two of the best songs of the decade, and it's a shame that the band were only able to release one full length before splitting.

Mean Everything to Nothing is Manchester Orchestra's best out and out rock album and just a fucking great time from start to finish.

Grandfather is a beautiful introspective folk record, reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel records, exploring themes of death and regret. A Year in The Garden Shed is one of my favourite songs of all time.

 

1. Thrice - Beggars
2. 311 - Uplifter
3. Passion Pit - Manners
---------------------------------------------
****** 4. Brand New - Daisy ******
5. Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist
6. Silversun Pickups - Swoon
7. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
8. Every Time I Die - New Junk Aesthetic
9. Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing
10. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
11. Mutemath - Armistice
12. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
13. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
14. Switchfoot - Hello Hurricane
15. John Mayer - Battle Studies
16. Cage The Elephant - Cage The Elephant
17. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
18. Mastodon - Crack The Skye
19. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
20. Our Lady Peace - Burn Burn
21. A Day To Remember - Homesick
22. Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: The End Of Day
23. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
24. The Antlers - Hospice
25. Muse - The Resistance
26. Eels - Hombre Lobo
27. Mae - (Morning) (Afternoon) (Evening) EPs
28. Taking Back Sunday - New Again
29. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
30. Japandroids - Post-Nothing

Honorable Mention:
AFI - Crash Love
Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
Anchor & Braille - Felt
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
As Tall As Lions - You Can't Take It With You
Band Of Skulls - Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
Barcelona - Absolutes
Baroness - Blue Record
The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love
Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP
Breaking Benjamin - Dear Agony
Cartel - Cycles
Chevelle - Sci-Fi Crimes
Clutch - Slow Hole To China (B-Sides/Rarities)
Clutch - Strange Cousins From The West
Crash Boom Bang - Gold Rush
The Cribs - Ignore The Ignorant
Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen
Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid
Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
Dawes - North Hills
The Decemberists - Hazards Of Love
Depeche Mode - Sounds of the Universe
Dierks Bentley - Feel That Fire
Doves - Kingdom Of Rust
Editors - In This Light and On This Evening
Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky
Foreign Born - Person To Person
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
fun. - Aim and Ignite
Girls - Album
Jet - Shaka Rock
Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young
Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper
The Lonely Island - Incredibad
The Mars Volta - Octahedron
Metric - Fantasies
mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright
Michael Buble - Crazy Love
Miike Snow - Miike Snow
Modest Mouse - No One's First, And Your Last EP
Monsters Of Folk - Monsters Of Folk
New Found Glory - Not Without A Fight
Paramore - Brand New Eyes
Person L - The Positives
Pete Yorn - Back & Fourth
Placebo - Battle For The Sun
Poison The Well - The Tropic Rot
Rancid - Let The Dominoes Fall
Real Estate - Real Estate
Say Anything - Say Anything
Small Black - Small Black EP
Stereophonics - Keep Calm And Carry On
St. Vincent - Actor
Telekinesis - Telekinesis!
The Temper Trap - Conditions
Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
Throw Me The Statue - Creaturesque
Thursday - Common Existence
Tinted Windows - Tinted Windows
The Used - Artwork
Wale - Attention Deficit
Washed Out - High Times EP
Washed Out - Life Of Leisure EP
Weezer - Raditude
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
The xx - xx


Checking Out in Full First Time (Artist's 09 album):
Alexisonfire
All Time Low
Architects
As Cities Burn
Asking Alexandria
Between The Buried And Me
Biffy Clyro
Bomb The Music Industry!
Bruce Springsteen
The Chariot
Collective Soul
Converge
Dance Gavin Dance
The Dangerous Summer
Dashboard Confessional
The Dead Weather
The Dear Hunter
Dinosaur Jr.
Dredg
Enter Shikari
Fightstar
Frank Turner
Fu Manchu
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Jay-Z
Kevin Devine
Major Lazer
Mat Kearney
Matt and Kim
Mayday Parade
Morrissey
Mumford & Sons
OneRepublic
Owl City
Papa Roach
Phish
Rebelution
Relient K
Robert Francis
Rob Thomas
RX Bandits
Silverstein
Sonic Youth
Superdrag
Tegan and Sara
Thee Oh Sees
Thirty Seconds To Mars
Title Fight
Touche Amore
Twenty One Pilots
U2
We The Kings
Wolfmother
Yeah Yeah Yeahs

 

If you havent heard the All Time Low album you list above, they re-recorded that album for its ten year anniversay in 2019 and it sounds MUCH better than the original. Its called Its Still Nothing Personal.

 

You're a few years too early for this one unfortunately. The self-titled debut album from TWBF came out this year, but The Dark Dark Bright wasn't until 2013.

A brilliant album though, will absolutely be in my top three in 2013.

 

Oh no, haha I totally fucked it. Thanks for the heads up! I'll amend my list

 

it fucking sucks so bad lol.

i did really enjoy the AnCo album from this year, excited to check out MPP.

 

absolutely one of their best

 

The breakdown in Relentless Fours is an all timer.

 

1. fun. - Aim & Ignite
2. Brand New - Daisy
3. Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
4. Metric - Fantasies
5. Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist
6. Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
7. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
8. Closure In Moscow - First Temple
9. Relient K - Forget and Not Slow Down
10. Big D & The Kids Table - Fluent In Stroll
11. Mute Math - Armistice
12. Dashboard Confessional - Alter The Ending
13. Rx Bandits - Mandala
14. Say Anything - Say Anything
15. Weezer - Raditude
16. A Fine Frenzy - Bomb in a Birdcage
17. All Time Low - Nothing Personal
18. Emmy The Great - First Love
19. Set Your Goals - This Will Be The Death of Us
20. Destry - It Goes On

 

definitely a weird little year. Most bands on my list, this is not my favorite album from them. Aside from maybe Metric and Phoenix? Either way, weird year

 

somehow didn’t come across beggars being this year. wouldn’t have been in my top 3 but would have been in the ranked list in the next post.

 

most votes we’ve had for different #1s in a while. only three albums in double digits so far

 

This is the year my listening became very very consistent lol

 

1. John Mayer – Battle Studies
2. Mat Kearney – City of Black & White
3. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

And the rest......
Timbaland – Shock Value II
Twenty One Pilots – S/T
The Fray – S/T
The Lonely Island – Incredibad
Kelly Clarkson – All I Ever Wanted
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
Keri Hilson – In a Perfect World
Papa Roach – Metamorphosis
Rascal Flatts – Unstoppable
The Dangerous Summer – Reach for the Sun
Eminem – Relapse
Kate Voegele – A Fine Mess
Chickenfoot – S/T
Hit The Lights – Coast to Coast
311- Uplifter
The Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.
All Time Low – Nothing Personal
Owl City – Ocean Eyes
Cobra Starship – Hot Mess
Colbie Caillat – Breakthrough
Miley Cyrus – The time of Our Lives
Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
Paramore – Brand New Eyes
Backstreet Boys – This Is Us
Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster
Rihanna – Rated R
Thirty Seconds to Mars – This is War

 

2009 mix, missing Mandy Moore's "Fern Dell" because that album apparently isn't on spotify

 

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
2. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
3. Japandroids - Post-Nothing

I think the top two are both near masterpiece level, and Post Nothing is to this day responsible for more than one of the most fun show experiences I've ever had. Shocked at the bitte hate, dirty projectors honestly suck more than not after but it's such a great combo of fun and accessible for how obnoxiously over the top the arrangements are.

HM: Real Estate s/t was my favorite album from this year by far, but so much of why it's good is their absolute creep of a guitar player so it has been more tainted for me than not. Hospice is a solid album that always relied a bit much on how good its best songs are. Cymbals' debut is probably my least favorite Cymbals album, but they are the most underrated indie band of the decade and need an HM for every release they made. And Veckatimest is pretty good, too, but I was a little disappointed in it after Yellow House and its own magical first two singles. I did get to see GB like a month before the album play a bunch of stuff with an orchestra and that was awesome, but for some reason in general in their career I feel like they never quite ascended to the level I thought they'd get to after Yellow House.

I imagine I'm forgetting some stuff.

 

What a year this ended up being for Scottish indie-rock type music! Lots I didn't mention too.

1. Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
2. The Xcerts - In The Cold Wind We Smile
3. Meg and Dia - Here, Here & Here

Sainthood is the final album in Tegan and Sara's perfect little three album run, and probably saves the best for last. The songwriting here is so magical, and the three song closing run of The Ocean, Sentimental Tune and Someday is as good a three-song run as you can find on any album. I am still really gutted that I don't really enjoy their subsequent albums as much, but these three records mean the world to me.

In The Cold Wind We Smile is a fantastic bit of Scottish alternative rock, with a big poppy heart. This was a really fertile period for bands like The Xcerts from Scotland, following in Biffy Clyro's footsteps, and The Xcerts are one of the best.

Here, Here & Here is an album that I might lazily compare to Tegan and Sara, just a brilliantly produced and performed bit of pop-rock perfection, that's unassumingly done perfectly.

Honourable Mentions

There Will be Fireworks - There Will be Fireworks: The follow up to this record is so good, that I think I underrate this album, but this is a great bit of passionate indie rock with a strong post-rock influence.

We Were Promised Jetpacks - We Were Promised Jetpacks: Operating in the same world and sound as The Xcerts, this is another great album, perfect for sing-alongs and shout-alongs.

The Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead: Yet more Scottish music, this time a louder and much more uncomfortable sounding shoegaze / post-punk type record.

Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions: Biffy's big massive, stadium filler album - for pure arena rock music, this is them at their peak.

Idlewild - Post Electric Blues: ...And one more great Scottish band and album, this time a bit more mellow from Idewild, but full of joy.

Enter Shikari - Common Dreads: A fantastic blend of political post-hardcore and dance music - such a fun band.

POS - Never Better: A really excellent hip-hop record, really sharp lyrically, with a huge amount of edge and aggression.

The Antlers - Hospice: I can't get into anything else The Antlers did, but this is a really really sad and eloquently expressed album.

And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar: Really fun, super energetic post-rock, none of that noodling around for 10 minutes before getting to the crescendo, this band are full of life and energy from minute one.

Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport: Super interesting and challenging electronica record, that doesn't sound like much else.

The Maccabees - Wall of Arms: Excellent English indie band, a really layered sound to their music.

Bon Iver - Blood Bank: Just an EP but 3/4 of these songs (sorry Beach Baby) would rank really high on my favourite Bon Iver tracks.

 

I saw this tour as well - actually I feel like it was the week that Veckatimest came out, in NYC. Show was definitely great - but I will echo what you said. That night for me, literally felt like they were "going places", and was the peak of Grizzly Bear at least for me. I know that this album obviously was a peak for them from a commercial success standpoint too, but in general I would agree that they had were a let down from that moment on in their career, which is a shame.

 

Merriweather Post Pavilion is a great record. Definitely one of my favorites of the year.

 

John is a little miffed he's in the 15th spot, sir...lol