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Top Picks of 2009
By TG | December 31, 2009
**We love the above print by artist Mark Weaver, check out his prints available for purchase at his site here and his flickr right here.
2009 was certainly a year of great albums, and even more notably a year of amazing releases from tons of local Sonoma County bands. We thought it would be fun to ask a few local musicians and noisemakers around town what their favorite albums of 2009 are. As expected, the following list contains albums that are high among many critics lists - so if you haven’t heard them yet head on over to The Last Record Store to pick them up! And if you’re strapped cash, take advantage of Pitchfork’s Top 50 list that will let you stream every album on their list for free! So without further ado, please enjoy:
* Not everyone that we asked had a chance to get back to us, so we would like to invite everyone to comment with your top 5 below – we would love to hear from you.
Paul Haile - Not To Reason Why
1. Mew- No More Stories. Mew is just so damn good. Takes a few listens to really get into this album, but after you hear all the detail and complexity in the music it’s like a rose unfurling. I would almost go as far to say that they are my favorite band right now. Their other albums are also way good.
2. Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca. Solid album. There is so much diversity from track to track and each song has its own uniqueness. The thick harmonies and beautiful instrumentation definitely tickle my fancy.
3. Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest. This album is just epically beautiful. The recording sounds huge, and awesome. This album just totally hits the spot for me.
4. Manchester Orchestra -Mean Everything To Nothing. This album is also pretty diverse. The powerful vocals are what really do it for me on this album. He sings more aggressively than he has on previous albums which makes it raw and emotional. Loving it.
5. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Pheonix. Super catchy and awesome. The fact that they are both really cute frenchmen makes this band even better. What really made it for me was hearing an acoustic set of theirs. They aren’t just a thing that is going to come and go, they are really talented dudes who know how to play and write music.
Favorite show played this year:
I would probably say my favorite show of this year was with a band from Seattle called “Heatwarmer”. They were touring at the time, and we had no idea what to expect. Their musicianship was totally legit, and their show was so ridiculously awesome. It was almost hard to believe what was happening. Phenomenal musicianship throughout, even a dude playing an EWI. Really nice guys too. The New Trust also played that night with us, and it was just a really great night for me. They always perform super well. Julia has got to be the best girl drummer I’ve seen, and Sara is very entertaining to watch. Watching that man Josh Staples perform is an also experience. He’s just a badass inside and out. Great show.
Favorite show attended this year: Didn’t attend a lot of major shows this year, but I did get the chance to see Mew twice. They were impeccable. Hearing it live made me love this band even more. I sometimes have the awful thought: “Maybe they are going to suck live”, but from the first few moments they played their first song, I was blown away.
Ben Henning -Polar Bears 1.Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion. In my opinion, they are our generation’s great band. Beautiful!
2.Big Business - Mind the Drift. Heavy music with a great sense of humor, hooks/riffs out the ying yang, and no compromises. It Rules.
3.Real Estate - s/t. Mellow, subtly psychedelic, nostalgia pouring out of it as it plays. One hell of a debut record!
4.Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. They nailed it! Start to finish, it delivers, with some of their most open/emotional writing ever. A total “get stoked” record for an intense year.
5.Various Artists - 5: Five years of Hyperdub. Hyperdub is a London label that seems to release records by every awesome/original/bad ass electronic producer out there. Zomby, Burial, Joker, Kode9, Flying Lotus, Ikonika…forward thinking music for headphones and big speakers.
Favorite show played this year: Breaking the rule of the question, but Polar Bears did a 9 day California mini-tour with Rx Bandits, Tera Melos and Pebaluna and the entire experience was humbling, fun as shit and really positive for me personally. I’m very grateful to have been part of it.
Favorite show attended this year: Sorry, breaking the rule again for a two-way tie…Grizzly Bear at the Fillmore and Prizehog at Kimo’s. Grizzly Bear were perfect; warm, full, enthusiastic, all around a joy to watch. Prizehog just destroyed. Their set started with a loop pedal layering of the Legend of Zelda theme for electric guitar, dove into molasses slow psychedelic rumble with celestial electronics and then culminated with a on-the-spot cover of Tom Petty’s “Freefalling” that sounded like it was played in a teenage metalhead’s melting tape deck. Absolutely insane and one of the heaviest shows I’ve ever seen. Happy 2010 y’all!!!
Navid Manoochehri - Not to Reason Why
1. Mew- No More Stories...The riff to the 2nd track still knocks my socks off.
2. Manchester Orchestra- Mean Everything to Nothing. Just flat out good.
3. Passion Pit- Manners. Can’t listen to this without dancing.
4. Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca. Again, not too excited about this at first, but I would catch myself singing their songs and I have learned to love it.
5. Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavillion. I was not stoked on this at all to begin with, but it really grew on me. “My Girls” might be the song of the year.
Darwin Meiners - Luv’n Rockets, Young Liars
Your top 5 Albums of ‘09:
1. Mew - No More Stories…
2. Flaming Lips - Embryonic
3. Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Pains of Being Pure at Heart
4. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5. Editors - In This Light on this Evening
Favorite show played this year: Luv’n Rockets w/ David J in El Centro, Ca
Favorite show attended this year: Mew - Mezzanine, SF
Andy Pohl - Snipers
1.) Wilco - Wilco the Album (a genius album by a group of geniuses)
2.) Russian Circles - Geneva (dynamic, mature, and not boring)
3.) Solar Powered People - Living Through The Low (one of the best bands in California, period)
4.) Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue (it’s great to see that even though they lost their voice, they didn’t lose their soul…. a brilliant album from one of the most important bands of the last 20 years)
5.) Litany for the Whale - Dolores (brutal, honest, and local)
Favorite show played this year: SNIPERS with The Mud, The Blood and The Beer and The Sleepover Disaster at The Vine in Santa Rosa, CA
Favorite show attended this year: Sunny Day Real Estate with The Jealous Sound. Two great bands that can rock a sold out Fillmore without a bunch of bells and whistles. Totally flawless and powerful music.
Ben Shackelford - Snipers
1.Isis - Wavering Radiant
2.MSTRKRFT - Fist of God
3.Bat For Lashes -Two Suns
4.The Dead Weather - Hore Hound
5.Alter of Plagues - White Tombs
Favorite show played this year: Benefit show for Chi of Deftones @ The Phoenix
Favorite show attended this year: Doves @ The Fillmore.
Nevuah Tova – Rock’n'Roll Sunday School
1. Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
2. Florence and The Machine - Lungs
3. Muse - The Resistance
4. The Lost Valentinos - Cities of Gold
5. I’m not sure what albums came out on what year. I also like some of Portishead, Passion Pit, and Crystalstilts.
Annie Ostrowski – Tonegazer
‘09 was an incredible year for music, there are far too many to choose from so I’m just going to go with the albums that I found in constant repeat in my stereo for weeks on end - In no particular order:
1. Woods – Songs of Shame
2. Nurses – Apples Acre
3. Papercuts – You Can Have What You Want
4. Grizzly Bear -Veckatimest
5. Russian Circles - Geneva
Favorite show attended this year: The Dodos at The Aladdin Theater. My friend Annie had just gotten in to town and we all decided to try and get tickets right before the show. They were amazing, the audience was completely transfixed, and music is just better when you have great people by your side.
Topics: BAY AREA, Music News |
December 31st, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Just wanted to say HI. I found your blog a few days ago on Technorati and have been reading it over the past few days.
January 3rd, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Top 20 of 2009
In no particular order:
jj- n 2. Swedish pop music has grown very close to my heart.
Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion Live. They play a way different show live, almost like a rave it’s a must hear if you like the studio album.
John Vanderslice & Mountain Goats W/Chris Stamey- Moon Colony Bloodbath. This EP blew me away early in the year and it’s a concept record which I love.
Death Cab For Cutie- The Open Door. The group kind of went back to it’s more simple roots and came heavy with the lyrics once again:).
Candy Claws- In Dreams of Sea Life. Kind of a animal collective rip off but it’s way smooth, has a lot of beach love even though it’s a duo from Colorado and was made in a bedroom.
Emeralds- Emeralds. Steve Hauschildt and Mark McGuire bring theory to there music with non-rhythmic flowing inprovisational noise. Check out their solo work too, it’s just as good.
Sleigh Bells- s/t. This stuff rocks the hip-hop and punk for the kids but really it’s for anyone who has heard of Bikini kill or The Go Team.
Drake- So Far Gone. Mix tape for the hip-hop softies.
The XX- XX. Minimal rock and roll from the U.K.
Propagandhi- Supporting Caste. Canadian punk that needs respect. Pro-gay, Pro-vegetarian, Anti-Bush Anti-war Punk Rock!
A Sunny Day In Glasgow- Ashes Grammar. I was waiting for an album like this to come out and here it is.
Jack Rose (R.I.P.) I have been listening to him before and after his passing. Great American music.
Graham Lambkin- Softly Softly Copy Copy. It’s a bunch of sound clips clipped together to make something wonderful. Hear it.
Moofish Catfish- Yours To Share. Fun and fun swedish pop music. Sounds like they are 12 or 13 years old.
John Zorn- Femina and O’o. Zorn is crafting more more adult albums even he’s an old fart already.
Cave- Psychic Psummers. It’s a jam not a jelly.
Atlas Sound- Logos. It rocks in an ambient way.
Zu- Carboniferous. metal/math/no-wave/free/noise/punk/jazz. It’s hard and great.
Alva Noto- Xerrox Vol. 2. Transport yourself to inner space. Very Cool, and I mean it will make your house feel 10 to 20 degrees colder.
Memory Tapes/cassette/Weird Tapes- Everything Dayve Hawk has put out. Memory Tapes is a hit, Memory Cassette is like the soft part of the smashing pumpkins and house music had a baby that was forced to suck down helium and make a record. Weird Tapes is more on the disco/electro/sample side and is also a must hear. Dayve don’t get lost in the shuffle.
One of my New Years resolution is to hear more local music. It’s Twenty Ten!
January 3rd, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Thank you Matt, that was an incredible list!
January 27th, 2010 at 12:14 am
Is it twenty ten or two thousand ten? I think we should hire consultants to do an extensive - and expensive - telephone survey. Oh wait, we’re not civic government. Thanks for the executive decision, Matt!
February 17th, 2010 at 1:05 am
Today is my lucky day
Apple is giving review copies of iPad to 100 lucky person. Go to http://bit.ly/cmmVr7 and apply for it.