2009 Year-End List #9: Favorite Albums #40-21

Now we have arrived at the part of my year-end listing that I am most excited about. Below are #40-21 of my favorite albums of 2009. With all said and done, I am surprised at how confident I feel in this list. Though, per usual, I feel much more confident in my top 20.

Regardless, you can download a zip file of songs from each of these albums as a 20 song mix RIGHT HERE.

Again, I encourage you to not feel overwhelmed, get a cup of coffee or something, and have fun, please! Comments/thoughts are also encouraged.

Here we go!


(40) Wilco (The Album) - Wilco (Nonesuch)
After the 2007 Sky Blue Sky debacle, it's nice to have Wilco returning to what their best at: slightly off pop/rock tunes with great melodies and interesting folk ditties. There are a few snoozers here, but I would consider it a triumphant return. Though, it doesn't come close to touching Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or Summerteeth (not sure about A Ghost is Born). "Wilco (The Song)" is their best since the A Ghost is Born b-side, "The High Heat"
Top jams: "Wilco (The Song)," "Deeper Down," "One Wing," "You and I," "Sunny Feeling"


(39) Bromst - Dan Deacon (Carpark)
The chaotic, blip-bloopity electronic pop of 2007's Spiderman of the Ring showcased some great songs, but it was way too scatterbrained and obnoxious in places. On Bromst, Dan Deacon has definitely matured, and it is more cohesive, but it is still loud and completely nuts. The cohesion makes this much better, as do the more succinct ideas and overall more beautiful, bittersweet feel to the record. And, the moments where the digital player piano show up are simply breathtaking. Otherwise, don't be fooled; this is not as different from Spiderman of the Ring as everyone else is saying.
Top jams: "Build Voice," "Paddling Ghost," "Snookered," "Woof Woof," "Slow With Horns/Run for Your Life"


(38) Assemble - Hi Red Center (Joyful Noise)
I was requested to review Hi Red Center's Assemble for the print magazine I sometimes write for, Ghettoblaster, last spring. Of all the promo releases I've collected since writing for them, this is one of three that I was actually ended up excited about. Not too far off from the bizarre, schizophrenic, guitar-dominated indie rock of Deerhoof, Hi Red Center's talent and knack for fucked up time signatures and song structures are incredibly impressive, to say the least. They focus more on improvisation and harmonies, which thankfully separates them a bit from Deerhoof.
Top jams: "Littlest Giant," "Symmetry Chameleon," "Trees in a Row," "Los Olvidados," "Pipe Dream"


(37) Bonfires on the Heath - The Clientele (Merge)
Alec and Travis have been into The Clientele for a while now, and just like with R.E.M., I was way late to that game. Bonfires on the Heath doesn't seem too different from anything else I've heard from them, I guess I just happened to come around to it quicker. Its songs are slow to mid-tempo, moody ballads that sometimes feature subtle orchestration. There are also some dark but upbeat jangly tunes thrown in for good measure. Good stuff.
Top jams: "I Wonder Who We Are," "Bonfires on the Heath," "Jennifer and Julia," "I Know I'll See Your Face," "Never Saw Them Before," "Walking in the Park"


(36) Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship - Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship (Romantic Air)
Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship is an intriguing collaboration between Zoos of Berlin's Trevor Naud and ex-Pas/Cal drummer LTD. It is a collection of bizarre, spacey pieces of music made of looped drums, spacious guitars and keyboards and Naud's Bowie-esque croon. The whole thing flies by in just over 20 minutes, which, due to its awkwardness and urgency, suits this work of art perfectly.
Top jams: "Non A Non," "Jonaccce," "Latest Journey," "Nineteenth Usher," "The Game as a Hunter"


(35) Tragic Boogie - The Life and Times (Arena Rock)
Alan Epley's post-Shiner band The Life and Times has been releasing music for some time now, and I've finally caught on. Their latest, Tragic Boogie, is not too unlike Shiner at all, which is fine by me. It does space rock almost up to snuff with Hum, but the shoegaze elements in the guitars make it a different enough monster to keep me interested. Epley's voice is awesome, the drumming is completely ridiculous, and the guitars are fucking huge. Tragic Boogie should be able to help any Shiner fan get over their loss.
Top jams: "Que Sera Sera," "Fall of the Angry Clowns," "Dull Knives," "Confetti," "Tragic Boogie"


(34) There is No Enemy - Built to Spill (Warner Bros.)
Built to Spill haven't really been good since the 1999 release of their best (and perhaps my favorite guitar album of all time), Keep it Like a Secret. It seems like they're kind of back in business with There is No Enemy, which presents their best songs of the decade, aside from "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss," the one sweet jam from Ancient Melodies of the Future. Doug Martsch and co. still get a little too jammy in places here, but the guitars have gotten back to those supreme, jangly, bending and sliding tones. It's about time.
Top jams: "Aisle 13," "Hindsight," "Good Ol' Boredom," "Done," "Planting Seeds," "Tomorrow"


(33) The Fresh & Onlys - The Fresh & Onlys (Castle Face)
The Fresh & Onlys do the lo-fi thing, and they do it well. They are especially hip since putting out a second album in 2009 on Woodsist. Another surprise from a Ghettoblaster promo pack, their self-titled record, which came out earlier on, is definitely the better of the two. With the exception of the late 70s post-punk of "Peacock and Wing," they play a retro 60s psychedelic rock inspired by the likes of The Kinks, The Velvet Underground and The Zombies. There are some throw-away tracks, but the highlights severely outweigh them.
Top jams: "Feelings in My Heart," "Fog Machine," "Peacock and Wing," "Shattered Moon," "Let's Hang," "Arm's Advice"


(32) Rose City - Viva Voce (Barsuk)
Here is a fairly safe pop/rock record with some touches of psychedelia. Viva Voce expanded from husband and wife duo Kevin and Anita Robinson to include two more people. I haven't followed them for long at all, so I'm not sure how much of an effect that had on the band's sound, but Rose City is totally good. The guitars and drums sound awesome and Anita's voice contrasts nicely with Kevin's deep baritone.
Top jams: "Octavio," "Midnight Sun," "Red Letter Day," "Good as Gold," "The Slow Fade"


(31) Mama, I'm Swollen - Cursive (Saddle Creek)
On Mama, I'm Swollen, their sixth full length, Cursive decided to shed most of the bells and whistles they've become known to use (strings, horns, keys) and let the guitars do most of the talking. This has led to to a return to the dark, emo-ish guitar rock of Domestica, and is easily their best since their 2003 masterpiece, The Ugly Organ. For this I am thankful.
Top jams: "In the Now," "From the Hips," "I Couldn't Love You," "Donkeys," "Caveman," "Mama, I'm Satan"


(30) You Can Have What You Want - Papercuts (Gnomonsong)
Papercuts' 2007 release, Can't Go Back, was the surprise album of that year for me, so I was pretty excited about this year's You Can Have What You Want. Unfortunately it didn't quite meet up to my expectations, though I wouldn't consider it a disappointment in anyway. Where Can't Go Back is a more lush, psychedelic bedroom recording, You Can Have What You Want is louder, organ driven slowcore that still slightly nods to psychedelic pop. It is still very beautiful.
Top jams: "Once We Walked in the Sunlight," "Dictator's Lament," "Dead Love," "Future Primitive," "The Wolf"


(29) Survival Strategies in a Modern World - Liechtenstein (Slumberland)
I have to thank my friend and Alec Jensen fiance Emily Jane Powers for this one. All girl, reverb drenched pop punk at its (almost) best. Liechtenstein may be lacking in actual musical talent just a bit, but they make up for it with their interesting to great at the very least melodies and harmonies. The dirty and sloppy edge to the songs make them even better. I wouldn't want to cross these Swedish ladies.
Top jams: "All at Once," "Postcard," "By Staying Here," "Roses in the Park," "Reflections," "The End"


(28) Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic (Western Vinyl)
Here We Go Magic seemed to be the top hype band at the 2009 SXSW festival, if my Pitchfork and Stereogum memory serves me correct. Then they seemed to fade away a little, quicker than even most blog bands do. I don't understand this, because their self-titled record is pretty brilliant, for the most part. There are some difficult, ambient tracks that don't go anywhere, but all five of the actual songs are absolutely fantastic. They mix the organic (namely acoustic guitars) with the electronic (synths, beats, etc.) in a flawless, effortless way. And bonus, sometimes the singer sounds like Paul Simon, especially on the opener, "Only Pieces."
Top jams: "Only Pieces," "Fangela," "Tunnelvision," "I Just Want to See You Underwater," "Everything's Big"


(27) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Slumberland)
I'm not convinced that I completely love The Pains of Being Pure at Heart yet. I have a hard time believing they'll be able to top this, let alone follow it up properly. However, I may not have exactly shown it, but I felt this way about Vampire Weekend, and now I know that I was wrong there. Anyway, TPoBPaH are a pure ode to The Smiths and pre-Loveless My Bloody Valentine (and I think The Cure, a little bit), and their execution is perfect. They obviously aren't trying to do anything new here, but they do a wonderful job at paying homage, and I am perfectly fine with that.
Top jams: "Young Adult Friction," "This Love is Fucking Right," "The Tenure Itch," "Everything With You," "A Teenager in Love," "Hey Paul"


(26) Embryonic - The Flaming Lips (Warner Bros.)
When you really think about it, The Flaming Lips didn't really take all that long to follow up 2006's critically maligned (but personally loved) At War With the Mystics. It was four years between that and their previous album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. And between ...Mystics and Embryonic there finally was the release of their film and coinciding soundtrack album, Christmas on Mars (which actually was released less than a year before Embryonic). All of this to say that I am shocked at how much this came out of left field. I mean, musically. Now, I have never listened to pre-Transmissions of a Satellite Heart Lips, but this sounds like nothing they have ever done. At first this was a bad thing, now I consider it good. I am very glad that "The Impulse" and "Silver Trembling Hands" provide a common bond with some previous Lips albums. But aside from this, it seems like the band decided to say, "fuck melody, fuck expansive instrumentation and fuck poppy two chord progressions." Instead they decided to make a noisy, discordant, distorted, disjointed rock 'n' roll statement. It took me a while, but I think I appreciate them doing this. Embryonic has to be my least favorite Flaming Lips album. I am a sucker for their outright, psychedelic pop records. But, Embryonic not only sounds like nothing the Lips have done before, but it doesn't really sound like anything I've ever heard before, either. Because of that, I cannot deny its brilliance.
Top jams: "Convinced of the Hex," "The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine," "Your Bats," "The Ego's Last Stand," "The Impulse," "Silver Trembling Hands," "Watching the Planets"


(25) Dragonslayer - Sunset Rubdown (Jagjaguwar)
Sunset Rubdown's primary songwriter is Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug, and because of that fact alone, I have wanted to like each of their albums. Dragonslayer is the first one that I haven't been let down by. In fact, I think it's totally great. There are definitely elements of Wolf Parade, namely Krug's signature piano and synth playing. Dragonslayer's songs are even more fantastical than Krug's Wolf Parade ones though, if you can believe it. I'm indifferent as to if that's a good or bad thing. Regardless, these songs are epic, eerie, urgent and showcases Krug's warble a little too much, perhaps. With Dan Boeckner and Krug sharing vocal duties in Wolf Parade, much appreciated breaks are provided from that warble. But here, it's all you get. Thankfully the eeriness and urgency of Dragonslayer distract from that, and make for an incredibly interesting listening experience. To be honest, I'm not sure how else to explain why I like this so much.
Top jams: "Silver Moons," "Idiot Heart," "Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!," "Paper Lace," "You Go on Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)"


(24) Middle Cyclone - Neko Case (Anti-)
I said it in my blurb about "This Tornado Loves You" a couple posts ago, and I'll say it again: Neko Case has the best female voice in music right now. In spite of one or two dull moments, I like pretty much everything about her latest, Middle Cyclone. Its alt-country/folk at its best and brightest. Sure, Case's powerful voice carries the whole thing, but also, the instrumentation, structures and lyrics are completely gorgeous. Here's where I finally become a big fanboy.
Top jams: "This Tornado Loves You," "People Got a Lotta Nerve," "Vengeance is Sleeping," "Middle Cyclone," "Magpie to the Morning," "Don't Forget Me," "Red Tide"


(23) Dark Night of the Soul - Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse (self-released)
Dark Night of the Soul is a fascinating collaboration between Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse, David Lynch and a bunch of others involved in the hipster music scene, of which you can read about here. The sounds found on it are sometimes epic, creepy, heavy (figuratively speaking), original and varied. All in all it is a collection of dark pop where every song is a different genre and almost every song is good. Brilliant!
Top jams: "Revenge," "Just War," "Jaykub," "Little Girl," "Every Time I'm With You," "Dark Night of the Soul"


(22) Logos - Atlas Sound (Kranky)
When the proper version of "Walkabout" (my second favorite song of 2009) was unleashed on my ears, I had such high hopes for Logos. I got even more excited when I revisited Atlas Sound's 2008 record, Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel sometime late last summer. Unfortunately it didn't quite live up to the hype I had created for myself (I had thought it was going to be this year's Person Pitch). I eventually came around. I don't like that more of this album sounds organic. I prefer Bradford Cox's manipulation of samples and experimentation with sound over his strumming of the acoustic guitar, and there is a bit more of that here. There are plenty of sweet jams though, some sounding like rough Deerhunter demos, and others harking back to 2008. "Walkabout" takes the cake though.
Top jams: "Walkabout," "Shelia," "Quick Canal," "Kid Klimax," "Washington School," "Logos"


(21) The Atlantic Ocean - Richard Swift (Secretly Canadian)
Upon my first couple listens, The Atlantic Ocean was in the running for surprise album of the year. I've always thought I would like Richard Swift though, and then the rest of the year happened, and so that didn't end up being the case. This is a completely zany piano pop record. Sort of like a less jazzy Ben Folds Five on a lot more and weirder drugs, I guess. Swift's voice kind of sounds Randy Newman-esque and it's weird, but it's pretty cool too. The songs are mostly upbeat with a few nice ballads (that aren't cheesy, unlike Mr. Folds). I would say synthesizer is the secondary instrument to piano here, and I like the way he meshes the two. I could see this album sounding obnoxious to some, but I'm pretty certain that I am way into it.
Top jams: "The Original Thought," "Ballad of Old What's His Name," "Hallelujah, Goodnight!," "The End of an Age," "A Song for Milton Feher," "Lady Luck