Favourite Albums of 2009

Overall this was a fantastic year for music. It started off a bit slow with some disappointing follow-ups, but quickly picked up steam as some incredible debuts were released toward the end of the year. It was difficult to narrow it down to just ten albums, but I really think these are the releases deserving of the most praise. Let's hope 2010 is another solid year.


#10Screech Owls - Bear! Come Out!

Chalk this up as another one of my random downloads that turned into a mini-obsession. I was doing my weekly check of sordomusic and downloaded this on a whim. I expected to hate it and delete it like I usually do with random downloads, but this time I was completely blown away. I guess you could describe them as a mixture of Woods and Jonquil with a hint of Skygreen Leopards. Uplifting folk with a bit of a freaky side and an absolute joy to listen to it from beginning to end. My only complaint is it ends just far too quickly, I guess that always happens when you listen to something you enjoy so much. Listen to this album, buy this album and attend as many shows as possible. We need them to release a follow-up.

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#9

Mountains - Choral

Simply put, this is the greatest ambient release since Marsen Jules' Herbstlaub. Together, Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp create waves of sound that ebb and flow while slowly mixing together instruments and field recordings. All of this happens so naturally and seamlessly that it feels almost natural, not man made. I know that sounded hippy as fuck but I don't care. Listen to this fucking album.

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#8

Blackout Beach - Skin of Evil

Carey Mercer has finally created something all his own. Light Flows the Putrid Dawn, his first solo release as Blackout Beach is an fantastic album, unfortunately, it really doesn't sound that much different from earlier Frog Eyes releases. Of course, that isn't a bad thing, but I guess I was always expecting something... different. With his latest release Mercer was able to sound like nothing else out there right now. This album embodies Carey perfectly, and it is nothing short of astounding. That being said, 'Biloxi, In A Grove, Cleans Out His Eyes' is one of the greatest songs ever recorded.

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#7

Balmorhea - All is Wild, All is Silent

This band is finally gaining some well deserved publicity. This is the type of album that has a lot going on, but everything seems perfectly in place and never overwhelming. Wonderfully layered vocals along with guitars, hand claps, violin, cello, piano, banjo and double bass make you forget some of the other bigger named artists in this genre. With their next release coming in February, I know it's only a matter of time before they start getting name dropped by everyone.

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#6

There Will Be Fireworks - There Will Be Fireworks

I was really expecting to hate this album, mostly from the comparison to The Twilight Sad and a buddy of mine making fun of their opening track. Surprising enough, I fell nearly instantly in love with it. Each song has so much atmosphere without being suffocating or overtly pretentious. They take the best parts of great post-rock and shoegaze bands and make something all their own. This album is massive.

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#5

Ohbijou - Beacons

Just like The Acorn's Glory Hope Mountain, this Canadian folk-pop band came out of seemingly nowhere and blew me away. Insanely catchy songs with fantastic lyrics and incredible arrangements make this a definite must listen for 2009.

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#4

Danny Norbury - Light in August

I posted this album back in July and it has done nothing but grow on me. This is on par with some of the finest release from the likes of Rachel's, Sylvain Chauveau, Hauschka and Max Richter. An absolute incredible record for being his first full-length release. I am anxiously waiting to see what he does next.

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#3

Molina & Johnson - Molina & Johnson

To be honest, I didn't have any hope for this record. I am simply not of fan of Molina's Magnolia Electric Co. and Will Johnson hasn't been that consistent for me. I guess I was one of those pathetic Songs: Ohia fans who longed for the darker and much more dreary days. Molina displaying his soul for the world to see and absolutely crushing any positive feelings you had. Despite all of that, I decided to give this album a try and I am fucking glad I did. It's like we stepped back to early '00s and Molina is back to his old self. Johnson is the perfect partner and as they sing and croon their way through the album, you can imagine yourself sitting right next to them by the fire. It's an almost embarrassingly personal album, the type we've long missed. Please, please, please make another album like this Jason. I beg of you.

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#2

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Vs. Children

Owen Ashworth had quite the daunting task of creating a follow-up to the acclaimed Etiquette. I wasn't quite sure he could capture the simplicity and infectiousness found in Etiquette. Luckily, my doubts were proven unfounded and what he ended up creating was and album that surpassed it in almost every way. One of the most infectious albums I've listened to in recent years, this album didn't leave my car's stereo for three months.

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#1

Timber Timbre - Timber Timbre

What else really needs to be said about this incredible album? After a few years of ignoring his releases, I finally decided to give him a listen only to get completely blindsided by how talented this man truly is. It's been quite a few years since a single artist has completely dominated my listening time as thoroughly as this man has.

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Incredible Live Performance

My Completely Overdone and Unoriginal Ten Favourite Albums of the Past Decade

Happy fucking New Year everyone. I figured I'd post this list that I've been working on for the past month or so in the slim chance it will help you cope with your hangovers and possibly help you forget any mistakes you made last night/year.

Everyone and their cats have made a 'Bestest blah blah blah of the Decade" list and I was feeling a bit left out. Making lists usually comes very naturally for me because I am constantly making them up in my head when I am bored. However, there was absolutely nothing easy about this creating this list. Choosing the albums themselves wasn't that difficult, it was the type of list I was going to make that gave me the most trouble. Should I make a top ten list that featuring what my favourite album during that year was? How about a list with my current favourite albums from each year? Or what if I made a list with the most influential albums for me over the years?

After much deliberation and talking(arguing) to myself, I decided to combine the most influential and current favourites and choose the albums based on those two criteria.

I'll shut up now. Here is my shitty list. (Click the album title for the link.)

2000

Songs: Ohia - Ghost Tropic

Unfairly overshadowed by Jason Molina's other incredible releases, I always find myself coming back to this release. This usually results in me doing nothing productive and listening to it on repeat until I realize it's 6pm and I am still wearing what I slept in. There has always been a battle in my mind between Will Oldham and Jason Molina on who can make you feel the worst, and Jason almost always wins. This album is absolutely soul crushing, in fact, it should have a warning label with that fact. WARNING: This album will crush your soul and any hopes/dreams you may once held on to are now gone.

2001

Lift to Experience - The Texas/Jerusalem Crossroads

I haven't talked about this album yet because it's special to me. I realize how fucking pathetic that statement sounds but it's the truth. This is the be all, end all of music for me. Of the thousands of albums I've listened to in the past couple of decade this reigns supreme. An absolute juggernaut of an album these guys had the balls to release a massive double LP as their first release. Not just your run-of-the-mill double album though, this is about it being the end times, Texas is the motherfucking Promised Land and the only thing that can fucking save us is this god damned band. Now once you wrap your head around how incredible awesome that is, you need to download/buy/borrow the album and listen to it in its entirety. No skipping tracks all willy nilly you Nancy pants. You clear a good two hours from your normal daily schedule of eating cheetohs and reading digg, sit down and listen to this fucking album. You listen to this fucking album until you either loathe it with every fiber of your being, or realize that Josh T. Pearson is the son of god and start praying to him before you eat your nightly meal consisting of a pepperoni hot pocket.

2002

The Remote Viewer - Here I Go Again on My Own

Fresh off my infatuation with Hood's Cold House, I was looking for the similar glitchy yet warm electronic sound I was enjoying so much. I guess it was only natural to find these two guys since they were formerly members of the aforementioned Hood. And so started my five year long obsession with electronic music and ambient music in general. The hardest part for me when it comes to finding decent electronic artists, is the ability for them to create something that seems alive. I'm not usually a fan of harsh/fast beats that do nothing other than make your head/body move. This album of glitchy beats, soft strings and unnatural field recordings is near perfect in every way.

2003

Frog Eyes - The Golden River

If you've never heard of Frog Eyes before I will try and explain what they sound like. I'm sure you've heard of Wolf Parade/Swan Lake/Sunset Rubdown or one of the billion other Spencer Krug projects that are out there. Now mix those all together, add a circus, caffeine and a tiny bit of structure and you have Frog Eyes. This isn't a band/album that will grow on you. This is the quintessential love it or hate it band. Carey Mercer's singing style and lyrics are bizarre to say the least, and because of this there is that bold line drawn. Because of this there are a lot of people that say they enjoy Frog Eyes simply for the niche factor and I hope each one of you dies in a car fire tonight.

This album is frantic, fun and absolutely gorgeous from beginning to end. It opened my eyes as far as what really makes good music. Do you need to have an American idol voice to be enjoyable? Do you have to fall into a certain genre to garner fans? This is a band you need to try at least once in your life. If you don't like it, move on. If you do enjoy it, be fucking careful because Frog Eyes fans are fucking weird.

2004

Adem - Homesongs

2004 was an incredible year of music for me. So many fantastic artists/albums that it took quite awhile to decide on a single release. I chose this album because it is perfect in every way. There are no weak tracks, no filler, nothing to detract from the awesomeness of this record. Adem plays an embarrassing number of instruments during live performances, and this is represented perfectly in the album itself. Everything from xylophones to harps to bells to banjos are present and played fantastically in this album. The end result and a wonderfully textured and perfectly paced album with great lyrics. You won't find a more perfect album in 2004.

2005

Marsen Jules - Herbstlaub

Martin Juhls is a very talented man. He weaves samples of instruments that ebb and flow together that gradually form a portrait in your mind. And just when this portrait becomes clearly visible, it is unraveled and washed away right before your eyes(ears). He is a true artist and this album is his Starry Night. A work of art that is routinely copied, yet never surmounted.

2006

Manyfingers - Our Worn Shadow

Explaining Manyfingers can be done fairly easily, but I will probably be laughed at and/or chastised for it. Chris Cole(Manyfingers) does what Keith Kenniff(Helios/Goldmund) does, only better. Using clicks, bleeps, pianos, accordians, guitars, flutes and xylophones he creates haunting landscapes of sound that slowly surround and eventually envelope you. You are at his mercy and remain that way until a song ends. He creates the type of music that is normally played in the background, but demands your attention. This is the best album of 2006 and makes others in his style of music look like fools.

2007

Seabear - The Ghost That Carried Us Away

What started as a solo project of Sindri Már Sigfússon, eventually turned into a full fledged touring band. What he/they created is one of the greatest folk-pop records ever recorded. That is really all the description that is necessary. This is a fun, complex, happy and wonderful record that will kill even the worst moods and put a big stupid grin on your face and all the other passengers on the bus will look at you like you're a fucking pervert or something because who the fuck is so happy on a bus in the middle of winter?

2008Lotte Kestner - China Mountain

Have you ever listened to an album so many times in such a short period that you must force yourself to stop listening to it in an attempt to curb your obsession before it is out of control? This album did that to me. Anna-Lynne Williams decided to take a break from Trespassers William and create this methamphetamine in album form. I'm a sucker for fragile guitars and beautiful voices, so this album is basically a shot of crack cocaine into my dick. My perpetual hard-on for this album has yet to go away after a year and a half so I figure this should be my choice for 2008. Incredible lyrics and a voice that causes orgasms, thank you Anna-Lynne.

2009Timber Timbre - Timber Timbre

Everything that needs to be said about this band/album I wrote about already. So quit being a lazy dick and go read it.