2009 in music. • Page 3

Mr. Mayer should be happy that he jumped 13 spots from the #28 I had him ranked the year that album came out, especially considering it's one of his ..... not necessarily "lesser", but it ain't his best album.

Definitely speaks to what we've been saying so far in this thread about 2009 being a weird year .... I count 30 of my Top 40 albums from that year that I do not keep anywhere near in "regular rotation". And that's being kind of generous.

 

The record from Them Crooked Vultures on the other hand .... I'd put this up there with Homme's best work honestly, should probably sneak into my Top 10. Haven't heard it in a while, and I've been diving into a few of the deeper cuts from that one today, loving it.

This song though - still an absolute ripper. Wow.

 

I'm just giving you a hard time as usual

 

It's funny that you use that image - I remember at the time feeling conflicted about the song "Half of my Heart", because I was still in my 'snob' mode and didn't care for Taylor Swift or her music. Can't deny now that it's a great song, and of course have since come around on Taylor.

 

Echoing what others have said about this year. It's an odd one for sure, and it just seems like less music in general came out? Got a few all-time favorites from this year though, even if the albums outside of my top 3 are not my favorites by any of the artists.


1. Fun. - Aim and Ignite

• I feel so blessed to have seen this band before they broke up. I love this album top to bottom and I think it's still my favorite project any of the members have been involved with (though Strange Desires comes close, imo).

2. Relient K - Forget and Not Slow Down

• My fav Relient K album! They finally leave the joke tracks behind and embrace a mature, organic sound. One of the few albums where the interludes really work, imo. I also bought the deluxe edition of this album and got my name on the poster, if anyone remembers that!

3. The Swellers - Ups and Downsizing

• The best Swellers album is a juggernaut of hooks and crunchy riffs. This thing just sounds muscular. One of the best FBR releases for sure. A lot of their fans have difficulty grasping why these guys never got huge, but I posit the theory that you can be either extremely earnest OR very good at your instruments. Not both.

Honorable Mentions
Pearl Jam - Backspacer

• The last "classic" Pearl Jam album, IMO. Their leanest offering, I actually really love this album. Power pop is a good fit for this band.

Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything to Nothing

• Didn't get into this one until much, much later. Good album though!

Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky

• The duo's second offering is not as cohesive as their first, but there's still lots of laughs and big hooks to be found here.

The Lonely Island - Incredibad

• I love The Lonely Island so much. This album is pretty clearly a mishmash of the Digital Shorts, but it's a mishmash of the best Digital Shorts.

New Found Glory - Not Without a Fight

• The beginning of the "NFG in the wilderness" era. Some big riffs and big hooks, but it's a bummer they've mostly stuck with exactly this sound since then.

Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist

• Never been my favorite band, but I really like the organic Seattle-y sound they achieved on this album.

Others
The Dangerous Summer – Reach for the Sun

• This one has a little bit of "you had to be there" energy for me and I desperately wish I was.

Say Anything - Say Anything

• Some bad, bad lyrics on this album, but the production is immaculate and the songs that are good are some of the band's best.

Bo Burnham - Bo Burnham

• Some bad, bad lyrics on this album, but his talent is pretty apparent from a very early age.

Anarbor - Free Your Mind

• Catchy tunes on this EP. Another band that never really fulfilled their potential. Each album after this has like 3-4 very solid songs and a whole lot of filler.

Cobra Starship - Hot Mess

• Hehe. I listened to this album so much it's not even funny. Almost bought the repressing earlier this year before I re-listened to it and changed my mind lol.

Weezer - Raditude

• Hehe. I listened to this album so much it's not even funny. I was never an active Weezer fan (I got into the band with Beverly Hills) for any of their good albums, so this just seemed like par for the course for me.

Bowling For Soup - Sorry for Partyin'

• Not the best BFS album, but some fun songs here. And some that have aged like milk.

Taking Back Sunday - New Again

• Another album I used to listen to all the time that I haven't listened to in actual years.

All Time Low - Nothing Personal

• I do not condone this band's present behavior or litigation, but I did listen to this album a ton while mowing lawns one summer.

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown

• Some solid tunes on here.

Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures

• Never really got into this one outside the singles, but I like the singles a lot.

 

them crooked vultures album is very good but I've lost my energy to defend Homme

 

I would have bet the house that The Listening would be on your list. Full of surprises

 

I've always been a Lights fan, but that album is pretty... amateur-feeling, for lack of better term. Siberia is where she started getting super impressive. Still like The Listening of course, but easily my least favorite

 

1. Mastodon - Crack the Skye.
2. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love.
3. Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions

Crack the Skye is a masterpiece. The Czar and The Last Baron are two of the best 10+ minutes songs I've ever heard. Truly groundbreaking work here.

The Hazards of Love is another masterpiece. I'm not a big Decemberists fan, but this record is something else. A rock opera written in the 2000s, this is a very special album. It's a trip. I have to listen THOL in full, I can't pick songs. From top to bottom, their best work to date.

Only Revolutions would be number 1 in another year, but 2009 had very strong competition. The Captain, Bubbles, That Golden Rule, Mountains... Hit after hit. And they are killer live.

Excruciating cuts:

Thrice - Beggars. In exile is one of my favorite songs ever, and Beggars (the song) is not too far. This record is amazing, I can't explain why it isn't in the top 3, but sh*t happens.

Berri Txarrak - Payola. A band from the Basque Country (Spain) that collaborated with Tim McIllrath, Steve Albini and more. You should give a listen to their records, they'll blow you away.

Pearl Jam - Backspacer. It's being said in the thread: PJ taking the powerpop road. Easy listen.

Propaghandi - Supporting Cast. Hell of a record by the canadian band.

Florence and the Machine - Lungs. That's a solid debut.

Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures. What a band.

 

this is why I give you a hard time lol

 

yes

 

1. Rx Bandits - Mandala

2. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm

3. This is a Standoff - Be Dissapointed

4. Thrice - Beggars
5. Rehasher - High Speed Access to my Brain
6. Strung Out - Agents of the Underground
7. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
8. Banner Pilot - Collapser
9. New Found Glory - Not Without a Fight
10. The Swellers - Ups and Downsizing
11. Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pin Points and Gin Joints
12. Propagandhi - Supporting Caste
13. 311 - Uplifter
14. Them Crooked Vultures

 

I've heard most of these and, while they're solid, Uplifter was the start of the 311 coasting period.

 

Crack the Skye felt like such a massive shift in sound for me when it came out. I just couldn't get into it at all. Need to go back to it as their last few records have been dope. I feel like a dingus for not going back sooner.

 

I think Don’t Tread On Me/Uplifter was their low points, although I enjoy both albums. I’m not sure how people feel about Universal Pulse, but I really like that record.

 

Weezer's Raditude actually has songs I like better than Red/Make Believe but also has songs I like worse so...kind of a wash. That being said, the bonus track "Turn Me Round", which was originally recorded in 2003, is fucking great.

 

all good - I said in the 311 thread - part of my love / fanboy-ism for this record is nostalgia based. Had an amazing summer of 09, personally - and this album (and the bonus tracks) soundtracked it, so I'm very admittedly biased lol.

 

Another amazing memory / nostalgia thing for me. 2011 I went to see their Pow Wow festival in Florida (which Deftones supporting as co-headliner). And they played both Universal Pulse and Transistor in full , plus 2 greatest hits/deep cuts sets. So much fun.

 

Really anyone's year it seems, here's my list:

01) GREEN DAY - 21st Century Breakdown

Green Day is one of my favorite bands and I loved American Idiot so my expectations were sky-high for this. I love how they took a "go big or go home" approach and didn't shy away from a big, bomsastic and hooky rock record. Some people may say it's bloated but I still feel very song is crucial.

02) MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA - Mean Everything To Nothing

Taking their Modest Mouse and Nirvana by way of Brand New influences, Manchesterd Orchestra began crafting their own sound offering a big meaty follow-up to an acclaimed debut.

03) FRANZ FERDINAND - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

A soundtrack to a FULL night out on the dance floor with a drug-fueled and early morning come-down back half, this is Franz's best.

04) THE XX - The XX

The headphone (or white ear-bud since it was 2009) album of the year, filled with gloomy post-punk romantic musings set to the newly fashionable indie $&B soud

05) GOSSIP - Music For Men

Disco-soaked anthems for the LGBTQ+ crowd. Really just one infectious joint after another with Beth Ditto's larger-than-life pipes.

06) MUTEMATH - Armistice

In another universe, Mutemath would have ascended to the same arena heights as their proteges in Twenty One Pilots but, instead, we're left with a fantastic discography with this being one of the highlights.

07) PARAMORE - Brand New Eyes

A slightly darker follow-up to their break-out album that kept the hooks in place but shed some of the Alternative Press neon stylings for a more mature offering.

08) PHOENIX - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

The most fashionable release of the year with silky-smoothe indie pop jams highlighted by shiny keyboards and guitars.

09) PASSION PIT - Manners

Speaking of shiny hook-filled indie pop, this album was similar to Phoenix in terms of hooky R&B but from the US instead of Europe and with MUCH darker lyrics.

10) ARCTIC MONKEYS - Humbug

Sheffield's best started smoking more pot, hung out with Josh Homme and made a bluesy riff-centric third record.

11) THRICE - Beggars

Streamlining their ambitions from their previous progress, Thrice turned in a concise set of 10 songs highlighting all their muscular strengths.

12) FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE - Lungs

Able to be both twee and bombastic, FLorence's debut had her already primed for the arenas she later conqeured.

13) AFI - Crash Love

Perhaps a bit too streamlined for longtime fans but I loved AFI's melodic indulgences which likely were helped by their 2007 electronic debut as Blaqk Audio.

14) PORTUGAL THE MAN - The Satanic Satanist

Seemlessly hooky and groovy, The Satantic Satanist just breezes right along in PTM's more user-friendly release (to that point).

15) BIFFY CLYRO - Only Revolutions

While they never made it to arenas (at least not yet) in the US, this was Biffy's coming out as rock stars with a huge sound and gigantic songs.

16) YEAH YEAH YEAHS - It's Blitz

Indie rock was loving the dance floor in 2009 and one of NYC's finest added a bit more beats into their typical garage-rock approach.

17) THEM CROOKED VULTURES - Them Crooked Vultures

Like a long lost Queens' album, it's amazing how much Josh Homme dominates this record given he's playing with members of Led Zeppelin and Nirvana.

18) METRIC - Fantasies

More indie rockers investing in synths which leads to non-stop hooks and a big stadium sound.

19) THE DEAD WEATHER - Horehound

Jack White uses Alison Moss as his muse to make for a dirty and grimy sounding rock record.

20) MUMFORD & SONS - Sigh No More

This has slipped in recent years given the amount of bands that have co-opted their sound but Mumford's debut was, at the time, a beautiful balance of hushed sparse melodies while also containing big rousing anthems

21) PETER BJORN & JOHN - Living Things

I loved "Young Folks" but I found it hard to remember much else about the album it came from. This post-fame freakout stuck with me much more due to the more abrasive sound.

22) DREDG - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion

Dredg was seeminglys stuck between Ozzfest, Warped Tour, Coachella and every other scene in a no-mans-land but created their own little art-rock masterpiece with this one.

23) LA ROUX - La Roux

A precursor to the poptimism of the 2010's, La Roux's debut is a bunch of low-key disco bangers without much pretense.

24) U2 - No Line On The Horizon

U2 got spoiled being able to be in their 3rd decade and still managing top 40 hits which is why they felt they could get this experimental and still do a stadium tour. Album sales might have been soft but this contains some of those beautiful and experimental music (and also, unfortunately, "Get On Your Boots")

25) PEARL JAM - Backspacer

The most straight-forward and non fussed-over Pearl Jam record ever which, is somehow, also their most fun.

26) THURSDAY - Common Existance

While no longer as fashionable as some of the bands the played with (like when Bring Me The Horizon played before them on that year's Taste Of Chaos and crowds EMPTIED before them), Thursday still made another great record mixing the best of melodic hardcore, post-punk, art-rock and shoe-gaze.

27) BRAND NEW - Daisy

The angriest and most embrasive record by Brand New, with Vinnie taking the lead in composition and lyric-writing.

28) SILVERSUN PICKUPS - Swoon

Derivative of many 90's acts (most notably the Smashing Pumpkins) but still incredibly enjoyable and infection

29) FUN - Aim & Ignite

Their sophomore album might have blown them up but Fun's debut still had plenty of their indie pop via Broadway sound that fans can enjoy

30) ALICE IN CHAINS - Black Gives Way To Blue

While Layne Staley can never be replaced, AIC got another guy and sound just as dark and brooding while also seeming to finally sound like they ENJOY playing with each other

 

Yeah the tour they did that summer was great (saw it in Central Park). I will say, one of my favorite 311 moments is SA's final verse in "Golden Sunlight". Dude kills it in that song.

 

cheers to that. Love when people notice specific moments in 311 songs.

To anyone who cares - "too much too fast" is easily the LEAST 311 song in their catalog, and an absolute gem. If you check out anything from this album, that's the same way one. I still get Beatles vibes from that song, and cannot explain why.

 

1. Bomb the Music Industry - Scrambles
2. Meek Mill - Flamers 2
3. The Sidekicks - Weight of Air


Might edit, I need to check iTunes

 

Taking notes when everyone lists WORRY but ignores all of BTMI!

 

Scrambles and Vacation are still his best

 

Adults!!!! too. BTMI could top the next 3 years for me