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Five-Star Fridays: Reader’s Choice!
Friday, November 27th, 2009I haven’t really explored new music this year the way I have in years past. So I’m leaving it to you, dear readers, to fill me in on what you liked this year.
Leave your favorite songs of 2009, or favorite songs you discovered in 2009, in the comments section.
“Got to Fly” by Marian Call. From its eponymous album.
http://mariancall.com/
Best album of 2009 I bought: “We are the Same” by The Tragically Hip. Their last few albums haven’t been that great, while their first 6 or so were just excellent. But this one quickly vaulted to the top of the list. Some longtime fans say it’s too mellow, and it is more mellow than usual for them, but it’s great songwriting played well. And they are still one of the better live acts around and the best Canadian band that Americans have largely never heard of.
Schweine
I like the music, but I also like the cute little blond heroine. I just happen to have a thing for tough babes who happen to also have a sense of style, know how to handle an elephant, and can lead an army into battle.
Honestly this has been a pretty crappy year for new music. I thought it was just a lack of effort but I think I was just spoiled by 2008 which was probably the best year of music in the 2000′s.
There aren’t any stand-out front to back amazing indie rock albums this year. Everybody’s chasing the MGMT art school cum dance rocker formula. The XX don’t have any of the crazy dance anthems that MGMT have, but they did put out a pretty good record this year.
Also I really want to like the rural alberta advantage but I can only kind of get into it.
The Dutchess and the Duke put out a new album too, but the lead singer just had a kid and you can tell. Their first album is easily the best unknown album of 2008 though and if you’ve got a road trip coming up I definitely recommend putting it on the soundtrack.
I’m recently a big fan of Arcade Fire and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but I think they’ve been around for a few years.
As an FYI, Amazon apparently has a promotion going on where they are giving away a three dollar credit toward MP3 downloads. I just picked three MP3s and their promotion covered it completely.
Perry Keyes is hands down my favorite ‘new’ artist. great lyrics and classic Tom Petty hooks. album of the year in australia and a contributor to californication on showtime.
plus, he’s a nice guy.
Mastodon’s Crack the Skye album is the only one I really got into this year, as far as new music goes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6WGNd8QR-U
The two things that most impressed me this year are Brendan Benson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6K3OwtaGOg
and the Kaiser Chiefs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz40P1hFvWs
Both were great live as well – check em out!
Leonard Cohen. I discovered him before 2009, but I was able to see him in concert this year… amazing!
Dan Auerbach’s (Black Keys) solo debut album is good.
Those Darlins: Nashville, all-female country group.
I think Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone is the best thing that came out this year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FhVbyeWFvo
I’ve been listening to the Dawes album a lot as well. I just saw them do an in-store performance and they were really good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeCQp–fUJg
I’ll second the vote for the XX too, that record is pretty great.
Also, thanks Radley for introducing me to Joe Henry. I bought Scar, Citizens, and Blood from the Stars within the last couple months. All of those records are great. That was new to me this year.
It’s been kind of a slow year for me music-wise, but if I made a best-of-the-year mix it would probably include the following:
A.C. Newman – The Changeling (Get Guilty)
Art Brut – The Replacements
Doom – Gazzillion Ear
Eels – That Look You Give That Guy
The Fiery Furnaces – Staring at the Steeple
Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses
Ike Reilly (feat. Shooter Jennings) – The War on the Terror and the Drugs
Metric – Help I’m Alive
The Thermals – I Called Out Your Name
Wavves – I’m So Bored
I think it says something that only one of the songs above comes from an artist who made his debut in 2009 (and the one new artist, Wavves, I found to be a disappointment overall). Hopefully 2010 will be an improvement.
The best music has already been made, many years ago.
Well, it was last year, but since I didn’t discover anything new this year:
Infamous Stringdusters. In particular, their song “No More to Leave you Behind”. But damn, those bluegrass boys can JAM.
#8 already listed what I came here to say. Blue Record by Baroness is another of my favorites this year, as far as that style goes.
William Elliott Whitmore put out a new album this year as well, Animals in the Dark. I highly recommend it, as well as any of his previous albums. I’ve seen him live more than any other act, he’s a must-see if you ever notice him coming through town.
I found out that the groups I like put out good albums this year. Except for Satriani’s Chickenfoot project, which I didn’t like from the first note. One of those cases where four good musicans don’t make a good group.
Not new, but new to me
Nouvelle Vague remakes new wave songs as bossa nova (all three being direct tranlations of the other)
I like “Wishing” a reworking of A Flock Of Seagulls song.
Pandora can bring up some interesting things.
Times New Viking’s “Born Again Revisited” was probably my favorite album this year, and “Move to California” is a great song from it, although if you don’t appreciate loud you won’t enjoy it much. Magneta Lane and Wye Oak also put out good albums this year, and Spinnerette’s “Ghetto Love” was a great song by a new band.
Radley, you forgot to state the rules:
1. Attempt to make your song/band more obscure than the person who posted before you.
2. Your song/band cannot be mainstream or play on the radio. No exceptions.
The Mountain Goats, 1 Samuel 1523
I haven’t picked up too much new this year. I thought the new Between the Buried and Me album was pretty good though. It’s called The Great Misdirect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OspGO0YVeRI
‘Ragged Wood’ by: Fleet Foxes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-CEfY9CDLw&feature=player_embedded#
the airborne toxic event was a decent new band that broke out this year.
I’d forgotten about the best album i’ve heard in 09 so far, Drummer – Feel Good Together. Just an awesome take on a straight ahead indie rock album.
Also, Wheat re-issued their two best albums, Medeiros and Hope and Adams. Two kind of perfect pop albums. Not too dreamy not too rocky.
El Bicho
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001ZA2J8/theagitator-20/
Weezer – “Beverly Hills”
Hilariously fun song.
And per the earlier commenter, Leonard Cohen is one of the greatest lyricists in contemporary music. What Dylan is to social issues, Cohen is to human relationships.
I recently discovered Ton Steine Scherben, but they broke up a long, long time ago.
The only thing from anyone actually new that I liked was The Dead Weather. Alison Mosshart and Jack Whites new project.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scJ8ITsZsl4&feature=related
Otherwise, Hatebreed, 5 Finger Death Punch, Sick Puppies, and Atreyu all put out solid cd’s this year. 5 Finger has a nice cover of Bad Company..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVTn6qciodo
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
Health – Get Color
Jay-Z – The Blueprint III
N.A.S.A. – The Spirit of Apollo
Raekwon – Only Built For Cuban Linx II
We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls
The xx – xx
Collective Soul – pretty much all their stuff rocks.
The new motown-like funk-soul coming out of Britain and New York
The Cat Empire
Lily Allen
and, since I often HAVE to listen to kid music when travelling with the tykes, Justin Roberts
How could I forget: Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears.
Sounds like James Brown, but with more energy
#4 Marc Robbins,
I know I’m old, but I can’t think of any song that I’ve heard from MGMT that would qualify as dance music. Maybe I misunderstood your description?
I’ve been a big fan of The Avett Brothers for a number of years. Their new album I and Love and You came out this year and it’s a really good listen. I think it’s a little more refined than some of their previous albums, which is a good and a bad thing, I suppose. You can definitely see the growth in their songwriting and musicianship. I highly recommend the album (along with the old stuff too).
“Too Fake” by Hockey – Loved the song and then listened more closely to the lyrics: Sounds like Obama singing about himself.
“Heavy Cross” by The Gossip – As mentioned above has that R&B Motown sound with a woman who can belt it out. Good straight up guitar.
Newest Album from Agoraphobic Nosebleed is great, and feature some of the best female metal vocals ever recorded:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzBDGS3YlqU&feature=PlayList&p=39C803126E61F468&index=65
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Charlotte Gainsbourg is fantastic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CDWJBPAVp8&feature=PlayList&p=9517188614C53AF4&index=50
Love Black Joe Lewis and MGMT’s “Of Moons, Birds and Monsters”,
“Andrew” – Crystal Antlers
“Librarian” – My Morning Jacket
“Broadripple is Burning” – Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos
“Darling Girl” – The Rifles
“Train Song” – Feist & Ben Gibrard
“People Say” – Portugal the Man
“You Just Can’t Win” – The Dead Weather
Also, back to great female vocals:
“Never Forget You” – The Noisettes
You couldn’t go to a club in 2008 without hearing Kids or Electric Feel or Time to Pretend. Also usually the song when the crowds would go craziest.
I guess I’ll add that, while it’s not new by any means, my official song for 2009–as it was the first Year of Obama–is “Cult of Personality” by Living Colour.
I found this Seattle indie band called Lost Weekend. I enjoy the Captain at Shore Leave track.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/silverback-mirror/id341899374?i=341899379&ign-mpt=uo%3D6
The Derek Trucks Band “Down in the Flood” off the Already Free album.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/down-in-flood/id300546254?i=300546263
And the rest of the album ain’t bad either.
I will second The Avett Brothers album “I and Love and You” also the new Built To Spill. A bit noisier and darker would say Crystal Stilts and A Place to Bury Strangers. On the electronic side the new YACHT. Don’t forget there was a new Flaming Lips out a month or so back.
oh and new Califone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzE91IViKBE
Hinder, Lips of an Angel
I posted before I read the other comments, so I didn’t see the rules as per #19. ;^) However, the band I posted did not bring out that song this year, but I did discover it this year. The band is not truly obscure, either, tho I’ve never heard this song on an American station, yet. I live near the Canadian border so I usually listen to a Canadian station for the better mix of music from both countries, a lot of which will never get air play in the uS (not a typo). Another good Canadian band is Collective Soul, especially this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boJ2BT50kFs
Again, not a song from 2009, but a good one, nevertheless.
Mason Jennings’ “Pittsburgh” off his newest album, “Blood of Man.”
Mason is the closest thing our generation has to Bob Dylan- an epic story-teller and lyricist. Everyone should check him out. I’ve seen him three times, all in Utah, and each time I’ve been blown away.
http://www.masonjennings.com/
Lylle Lovett – Natural Forces
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears
The Avvett Brothers
Heart Of Stone – The Raveonettes.
Yggles mentioned the band; I think that’s the best song.
Old but good:NIN: “Cars” with Gary Numan, London 7.15.09 [HD]
max
['Just offhand.']
From 2008, but Elbow’s “Seldom Seen Kid” was a great album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL4mywCOJXA
Videovalvontaa put out a rather great album recently, as a free download:
http://calmdownkidder.com/records/releases/cdk042/
(The thread needed a token chiptune band, so I figured I’d dredge up an obscure one)
Chris Knight: Trailer II. An acoustic CD of mostly previously released material. This is down-home stick to your ribs honest country music. He’s never played on the popular country music stations because it would then be obvious that most artists can’t write their ways out a wet paper sack.
Also, his 2008 album: Heart of Stone is fantastic.
My favourite from this year is probably technically something from last year. Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet blend bluegrass/Americana with Chinese folk music. Really amazing. I saw them live in January. Bela Fleck, Casey Driessen and Ben Sollee make up the rest of the quartet so I knew it would be good.
http://www.abigailwashburn.com/music.html
Also I really like Casey Driessen’s Oog.
http://caseydriessen.com/sounds/listen/
I’ll second Scott in Austin. The Avett Brothers have pretty much saved music for me this year. Great songs include Murder in the City – Paranoia in Bb Major and Die Die Die.
For those of you into the Metal and Progressive lines (2009 releases):
Mastodon – Crack the Skye (progressive/sludge metal)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JGxJCVzBoI
Amorphis – Skyforger (progressive metal)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRsNZarFGxA&feature=related
Devin Townsend Project – Addicted! (Amazing! My pick for album of 2009!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpfPpxjEhb8
Diablo Swing Orchestra – Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious (“swing” metal + opera singer = interesting and different)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCoU0PELLKs
Katatonia – Night is the New Day (Amazing, just brilliant)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moZwgUex4aA
VNV Nation – Of Faith, Power And Glory (Techno, EMB)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUdYhkgPfcc
Dave Rawlings Machine – A friend of a friend
Absolutely amazing folk/ameicana album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DdiLyzddik&feature=related
#23 got my vote I really liked The Airborne Toxic Event’s self titled debut album this year.
Best radio station in the world:
http://www.fbiradio.com/content.php/753.html
Hit the link for streaming net radio!