Albums of 2009

I like music, but I don’t get a chance to talk about it as much as I’d like because I don’t want to bore people, so, if anyone cares here are my favorite albums of 2009 in no particular order. I'll probably think of more and update this...

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz
Anyone even vaguely interested in indie/electro-pop will know this is probably the critics favourite for 2009, and rightly so. Beautiful song writing, production and lyrics, and wonderful evolution from Show Your Bones. To anyone who missed the intermediate E.P. Is Is should go and buy it RIGHT NOW because it’s also stunning.

Come for “Heads Will Roll” and stay for “Skeleton”. For fans of Bloc Party, Kings of Leon, Depeche Mode, Hot Chip.

Lamb of God – Wrath
Not much to say really. Lamb of God are just this machine that churn out unbelievable record after unbelievable record, and this is no exception.

Come for “Set to Fail” and stay for “Grace”. For fans of Lamb of God, anyone even remotely interested in heavy metal.

Say Anything – Say Anything
So it’s no lie that I think Max Bemis is a musical and lyrical genius, and this album only helps prove my case. “In Defense of the Genre” was a groundbreaking album, but its length (2 CDs, 27 songs) is almost to its detriment. Bemis has learned from this, and Say Anything is a (relatively) concise collection of witty, catchy and inspiring alternative “emo” (I use the term loosely) songs. I listened to it on repeat for three weeks, and never got tired.

Come for “Elosie”, stay for “Cemetery”. For fans of Taking Back Sunday, (early) Fall Out Boy, The Dykeenies, Story of the Year, Saosin, Silverstein

Mastodon – Crack the Skye
I think anyone in the metal words this is one of the finest metal albums of the last five years or so, so instead to saying all that already has been said I’m just going to quote Brann Dailor’s description of the album, because, frankly, it is literally mental.

“There is a paraplegic and the only way that he can go anywhere is if he astral travels. He goes out of his body, into outer space and a bit like Icarus, he goes too close to the sun, burning off the golden umbilical cord that is attached to his solar plexus. So he is in outer space and he is lost, he gets sucked into a wormhole, he ends up in the spirit realm and he talks to spirits telling them that he is not really dead. So they send him to the Russian cult, they use him in a divination and they find out his problem. They decide they are going to help him. They put his soul inside Rasputin's body. Rasputin goes to usurp the czar and he is murdered. The two souls fly out of Rasputin's body through the crack in the sky(e) and Rasputin is the wise man that is trying to lead the child home to his body because his parents have discovered him by now and think that he is dead. Rasputin needs to get him back into his body before it's too late. But they end up running into the Devil along the way and the Devil tries to steal their souls and bring them down…there are some obstacles along the way.”

Incredible.

Come for “Divinations” stay for “Oblivion”. For fans of Opeth, Tool, Metallica, Isis, Dillinger Escape Plan

Brand New - Daisy
Perhaps an album that has somewhat split opinions, Lacey and co continue down the road that “The Devil and God are raging inside me” pulled them towards in 2006. It’s amazing how this album feels both heavier and more stripped down at the same time than their last effort. The production on this album is just right - avoiding that flat industry-clean and sterile sound that some albums seem to pick up, but keeping every note and crunching riff clear and fresh. In my opinion Lacey’s lyrics are by far the most poignant, subtle and haunting currently being sung by any rock band, and to see Brand New progress from the fantastic but somewhat narrow “Your Favorite Weapon” to the genre bending interchange of “The Devil and God…” and Daisy is a wonderful thing.

Come for “The Bottom” stay for “Sink”. For fans of …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead ,Led Zepplin, Jimmy Eat World (Disintegration E.P.), (early) Taking Back Sunday

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
It’s rare that an album grabs my attention as much as “Wolfgang…”, but this is basically the perfect electro-pop indie album - which I know pits it directly against “It’s Blitz”, but, to be honest, I think it would win. Largely overlooked by critics, this is just a fantastic album that can’t help but make you want to dance. Production and percussion especially are just something else. I literally can’t sing this album’s praises enough.

Come for “1901/Lisztomania” (I DARE you to listen to either of these and disagree with me!), stay for the breathtaking “Love like a Sunset Part I”. Or “Rome”. Or “Lasso”. Oh god. For fans of Foals, Hot Chip, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Battles, The Strokes, Kings of Leon, Daft Punk, and anyone else with ears.

Two Tongues – Two Tongues
Yes, I know I think Bemis is a god, but seriously, who else can produce two basically identical albums that are both SO good within eight months of one another? The union of Bemis and Saves The Day’s Chris Conley is a beautiful one, with catchy, clever and ever changing songs with a certain undertone of competition between the two that only enhances the album. If you can, get a copy with the Third Engine and Every Man has a Molly acoustic covers, as both are album highlights (especially Third Engine, which Bemis makes his own – think “Goodbye Young Tutor” but better).

Come for “Crawl”, stay for “If I could make you do things”. For fans of Say Anything, Saves the Day, Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, Hellogoodbye

Immortal – All Shall Fall
So, I’ve been waiting for this for LITERALLY three years, when I heard Immortal had reformed back in the summer of 2006, and, unbelievably it doesn’t disappoint. It’s totally true to previous albums - production value is up, the riffs are heavy, the drumming is stomach churningly fast and the vocals are … northern. The seven years between the seminal “Sons of Northern Darkness” and “All Shall Fall” simply fall away, and it’s relieving that with everything happening with modern metal old friends can come back and make the same music they always do. Ravendark lives on!

Come for “All Shall Fall”, stay for “Mount North”. For fans of all who love true back metal! Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Gorgoroth, Satyricon

Set Your Goals – This Will Be The Death Of Us

Best punk/alternative rock album this year hands down, just LISTEN to the opener and try not to be inspired. The dual vocals work like nobodies’ business, think Rise Against meet Taking Back Sunday. Awesome album.

Come for “Look Closer”, stay for “This will be the death of us” (01:57 – 02:45 make 100% of the hairs on my back stand up every time). For fans of Rise Against, Alexisonfire, AFI, Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard

Megadeth – Endgame

Ahhh, now this is a great vintage sounding heavy metal album. True to everything Mustain believes in (although perhaps with the Christianity toned down a tad). An appropriate repost to “Death Magnetic”, although the jury is still out on which is best (my money is on Death Magnetic, but I’m sure plenty would disagree).

Come for “44 minutes”, stay for “Headcrusher”. For fans of Metallica, Anthrax, Exodus, Lamb of God, Slayer

Behemoth – Evangelion

Technically, I think Behemoth are the most accomplished black/death metal currently performing. In terms of production quality, the albums since Demigod have been a cut above anything else going on in the black/death metal scene. It’s quite nice, therefore, that their latest effort is one of the best death metal albums of the decade (perhaps only behind Emperor’s “Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire and Demise”, in my eyes the greatest death metal album ever, and Behemoth’s own Demigod). Just relentless, crushing and technically unbelievable, and they do it all live note perfect.

Come for “Ov Fire and the Void” stay for “Alas, Lord is Upon” (02:44 – end = ZOMG) For fans of Zyklon, Emperor, Lamb of God, Mayhem, Napalm Death, Dillinger Escape Plan

Placebo – Battle for the Sun
It seems like Placebo have dropped a little out of the indie limelight since 2003’s “Sleeping With Ghosts”, but the fact is that 2006’s Meds and this year’s “Battle for the Sun” are stunning albums. Alternative rock that grips you, snaps you out of whatever you’re doing and forces you to listen, Battle for the Sun is a great example of an album that mixes various styles together to form a thick tapestry of sound that paints a desperate and beautiful world that makes hairs on your back rise on multiple occasions. A great focus of everything good about Placebo, with very little filler. Except “For What It’s Worth”, which I hate.

Come for “Battle for the Sun”, stay for “Speak In Tongues”. For fans of (later) Marilyn Manson, Suede, The Weakerthans, Brand New

Slayer – World Painted Blood
Of the big four (Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax) Slayer have not waivered, have not pandered to demand, have not experimented, and have just put out these heavy, angry, controversial thrash/heavy metal records one after another. World Painted Blood is no different - there seems to be a little less distortion on Kerry and Hanneman’s guitars, but the album is a fast as ever. It’s been a good two years for the big four.

Come for “World Painted Blood, stay for “Psychopathy Red”. For fans of Slayer, Lamb of God, (early) Metallica, Exodus

Honorable mentions

Muse – The Resistance
I haven’t listened to this enough to judge, but their live performance for “The Resistance” tour is beyond words. It’s topping a lot of end-of-year charts, so probably one to give the time it diserves

New Found Glory – Not Without a fight
I only just discovered my favorite guilty pleasure had released a new album this year, and looking across the board reviews are looking good. Something to enjoy in the new year methinks.

Paramore – Brand New Eyes
What started as enjoying Paramore ironically has slowly ended with me really liking them. While this album is perhaps not as good as Riot! (a pretty hard task) it’s still great punk-pop/alternative rock, Decode being a definite highlight.

Marilyn Manson – The High End of Low
I’ve not listened to most of this album much, perhaps because on the few listens through it’s not grabbed me, BUT, the opener Devour is probably the single song I’ve listened to most this year. Lyrically and musically beautiful, he’s a very, very talented man, but also sadly a bit mad and very angry with everyone.


Biggest disappointments

Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions
Horrible. Just horrible. It sickens me that this is the same band that produced “The Vertigo of Bliss” (which was recorded in THREE DAYS) and “Infinity Land”. Oh god, it’s so sad, it’s like watching someone succumb to a degenerative disease. A tragic waste of talent - radio friendly yes, sellable yes, but considering what they could be doing (and what Simon Neil has done/ is doing with Marmaduke Duke) this is such an underperformance.

Taking Back Sunday – New Again
After “Where You Want To Be”, I would have said TBS were probably my favorite band. Then came “Louder Now” and I was quite disappointed, but upon release of Louder Now: Part Two (live version) it made more sense. The live album sounds vibrant, exciting and far better than its studio counterpart. However, New Again is relatively uninspired, boring and predictable, which makes the stunning ender “Everything Must Go” even more galling – clearly they can still write the incredible, emotionally charged songs (the anguish in Adams voice, especially towards the end of the bridge is tangible) and yet they insist on putting out simple radio friendly drivel. Boo Hiss. The album has some redeeming features, the intro/verse of “Summer, Man” are excellent, and “Swing” harks straight back to the Where You Want To Be era, but overall this is not the TBS I fell in love with. Then again maybe that’s my problem rather than theirs.