Mickey's Lists 2009!
My Top Albums of 2009
Here's the list, folks. I tried to find the albums on Lala, hence the linked titles. Give them a listen for free there if you're interested. Do it before Apple turns the site into an arm of iTunes!
01 - Curse Your Branches - David Bazan - I've long been a fan of Mr. Bazan's work, but rarely has he been this "on." Each song on here is perfectly crafted and really interesting, from both musical and lyrical standpoints. Love it.
02 - Bitte Orca - Dirty Projectors - This is, admittedly, a kinda weird album, but man, oh man is it fun to listen to. The lead guitar work is nutty, the vocal harmonies are prominent and precise, and the structures of the songs owe enough to pop music to be followable, but there are always at least a couple of tricks to keep you guessing and relistening.
03 - Noble Beast - Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird gets a bit back on course and put out the fitting follow-up to "Mysterious Production of Eggs." While nothing on here is quite as immediately satisfying as "Eggs," the more I listened to this, the more rewarding I found it.
04 - Middle Cyclone - Neko Case - Another triumphant disc by Ms. Case. She's such a great singer and interesting songwriter. I particularly love the piano chorus on the Nilsson cover.
05 - Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear - This is likely to be in the top five or so of every critic's list this year, so I doubt I can say anything to shed any light on it. Two Weeks is a rad song.
06 - Actor - St. Vincent - St. Vincent took everything from her prior disc and improved on it for this one. I love the complex instrumentation on these songs. I wonder if the other members of Sufjan's entourage have as much talent?
07 - Dark Was the Night - Various Artists - I can't believe I'm actually putting a compilation disc on my list, let alone one that is two discs long. That said, this is a simply phenomenal release, with a really great who's who in indie music these days. Also, any album that can put a one-two-punch like The National's "So Far Round the Bend" and Yeasayer's "Tightrope" back to back deserves some serious acclaim.
08 - Hazards of Love - The Decemberists - They're my favorite band. Of course they're going to make my list.
09 - Merriweather Post Pavilion - Animal Collective - Like the Grizzly Bear album, this is going to be on a ton of lists. It's Pitchfork's album of the year and it's really good. Also, my sons love "My Girls."
10 - Manners - Passion Pit - Finn really got me into this album if you can believe it. I liked it before he heard it, but his insistence on listening to "dance music" ("Little Secret" and "Make Light," specifically) so often this summer really made me love this disc.
Honorable Mentions:
Person to Person - Foreign Born
Embryonic - Flaming Lips
See Mystery Lights - YACHT
The Ecstatic - Mos Def
Bromst - Dan Deacon
Hospice - The Antlers
Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free - Akron/Family
Catacombs - Cass McCombs
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Phoenix
Top Songs of 2009:
There were some really fantastic songs this year, that you should hear, if you're so inclined.
Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear
Lisztomania - Phoenix
So Far Round the Bend - The National
Psychic City (Voodoo City) - YACHT
Please, Baby, Please - David Bazan
People Got A Lotta Nerve - Neko Case
Cannibal Resource - Dirty Projectors
Two - The Antlers
My Girls - Animal Collective
The Rake's Song - The Decemberists
Movement III/Movement IV - Sufjan Stevens
Little Secrets - Passion Pit
Walkabout - Atlas Sound
Tightrope - Yeasayer
When it Stings - Pictures of Then
Nothing to Worry About - Peter Bjorn & John
Science is Real - They Might Be Giants
Best Reissues:
There was this band called The Beatles who had their catalog remastered and reissued. I kinda liked that a little bit.
Top Five TV Shows of 2009:
Lost
Party Down
Fringe
True Blood
Top Chef
Community
Finn & Leif's Favorite Songs of 2009:
The Alphabet (Backwards)
The Alphabet
Wake Up - Arcade Fire
My Girls - Animal Collective
Rocky Raccoon - The Beatles
Ob La Di, Ob La Da - The Beatles
Polly Wolly Doodle - Wiggleworms
Nine Bowls of Soup - They Might Be Giants
Party in My Tummy - Yo Gabba Gabba!
White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
Bob the Builder Theme - Bob the Builder
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
2010 Sneak Peek:
Here are some bands whose forthcoming albums I'm looking forward to.
Frightened Rabbit
Retribution Gospel Choir
Yeasayer - Odd Blood (I've heard it. It rocks the 80's vibe big time and is soooo good.)
A new Sufjan Stevens album maybe, please?
The Shins
The Decemberists
Spoon
Twin Making Sounds
(Most of) My Favorite Albums of the Decade:
I'm very sure I've missed a few here, so the comments section will likely have a few additions in the coming days.
Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams - 2000
Ágætis Byrjun - Sigur Ros - 2000
Figure 8 - Elliot Smith - 2000
Kid A - Radiohead - 2000
Birds Flying Away - Mason Jennings - 2000
Rome (Written Upside Down) EP - Les Savy Fav - 2000
Poses - Rufus Wainwright - 2001
The Strokes - This is It - 2001
White Blood Cells - White Stripes - 2001
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco - 2002
Hearts of Oak - Ted Leo/Pharmacists - 2003
The Black Album - Jay-Z - 2003
Chutes Too Narrow - The Shins - 2003
Funeral - Arcade Fire - 2004
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema - 2005
The Mysterious Production of Eggs - Andrew Bird - 2005
Picaresque - The Decemberists - 2005
Gimme Fiction - Spoon - 2005
Illinois - Sufjan Stevens - 2005
Apologies to the Queen Mary - Wolf Parade - 2005
Everything All The Time - Band of Horses - 2006
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - Neko Case - 2006
Writer's Block - Peter Bjorn & John - 2006
Return to Cookie Mountain - TV On The Radio - 2006
Destroyer's Rubies - Destroyer - 2006
Boys & Girls in America - The Hold Steady - 2006
Boxer - The National - 2007
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes - 2008
Feed the Animals - Girl Talk - 2008
