2009 Year-End List #5: Favorite Songs #60-41

Moving on to the real good stuff, now. Along with this section of the list, I give you MP3s of the songs to listen for yourself. The tracklist for the mix goes in descending order by ranking (or ascending order by quality), so track one is the 60th song on my list, track 20 is the 41st song, etc. Download it RIGHT HERE.

Now for #60 through #41 of my favorite songs of the year.

(60) "Electrical Way" Zoos of Berlin, from Taxis (self-released)
Detroit's best band, Zoos of Berlin, kicks things off at #60 with their funkier, louder and more direct take on Bowie's "The Secret Life of Arabia." "Electrical Way" is most definitely the most accessible song from Zoos' debut full length, but its ultra tight rhythms, odd melodies and slight Earth, Wind & Fire feel make it one of its best.

(59) "French Navy" Camera Obscura, from My Maudlin Career (4AD)
My Maudlin Career opener "French Navy" is about as good as the best stuff from Belle & Sebastian's Dear Catastrophe Waitress/The Life Pursuit era. Sure, overall, Camera Obscura sound like that anyway, but for some reason no one cares, including me. There is so much to love here, namely Tracyanne Campbell's cute yet powerful vocals, the motown-y reverb guitar and most of all those ELO disco strings.

(58) "I Wonder Who We Are" The Clientele, from Bonfires on the Heath (Merge)
While still being dark, "I Wonder Who We Are" is a surprisingly upbeat number for The Clientele. The danceable guitar strums and badass trumpet section make this their best song by far. At least based on my limited knowledge of the band.

(57) "No Hope Kids" Wavves, from Wavvves (Fat Possum)
Several days ago, I posted about Wavvves being my least favorite album of the year and Nathan Williams seeming like one of the biggest douches ever. Nothing has changed, but unfortunately I can't deny how awesome "No Hope Kids" is, in all of its ultra shitty sounding, annoyingly catchy lo-fi punk glory.

(56) "Soft Shock" Yeah Yeah Yeahs, from It's Blitz! (Interscope)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs took a bit of an electro-pop angle on their latest, and most people seemed to like it. I'm mostly fine with it, I guess, but the press' favorite songs are lame compared to "Soft Shock," which is much more subtle and beautiful than anything else on the record.

(55) "Intentions" The Whitest Boy Alive, from Rules (Bubbles)
The Whitest Boy Alive is the danceable, sparse, smooth and jazzy pop side project of Kings of Convenience's Erlend Oye. The choppy, two chord progression of "Intentions" is pure bliss, and Oye's voice fits in perfectly.

(54) "Halleluiah, Goodnight!" Richard Swift, from The Atlantic Ocean (Secretly Canadian)
In vocal delivery and overall sound, Richard Swift could be the son of Randy Newman, and I wouldn't even be surprised. "Halleluiah, Goodnight!" is a fantastically weird piano pop gem dominated by synthesizers, and I love it.

(53) "Lisztomania" Phoenix, from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Glassnote)
Phoenix released the best straight up pop album I've heard in years in 2009, and here is its crucial opening track. Clever, polished in the right way and simply awesome.

(52) "Young Adult Friction" The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Slumberland)
"Young Adult Friction" is The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's (possibly the worst named band around) crowning moment. Perhaps this is what The Smiths would have sounded like if they went on into the 90s? Maybe not?

(51) "Siren Song" Bat for Lashes, from Two Suns (Astralwerks/Parlophone)
Screw that "Daniel" song. This is the ultimate jam from Bat for Lashes' critically acclaimed Two Suns. In spite of the amount of drama all over "Siren Song," it is an absolutely gorgeous and intense piano ballad, and it gives me chills.

(50) "Gravel" Lake, from Let's Build a Roof (K)
Knowing nothing about this Lake band aside from the fact that they are on K Records, I took a chance on them and was rewarded handsomely. "Gravel" is not even the best track on Let's Build a Roof, but its swirling Rhodes, subtle piano and harmonized monotone vocals hit my sweet spot.

(49) "Two Weeks" Grizzly Bear, from Veckatimest (Warp)
To be completely honest, I did not want to include this song anywhere on this list. But, I could not resist. "Two Weeks" is the poppiest Grizzly Bear may ever get, which is fine by me. I want to say the group's vocals are the MVP of the song, but no, it's that twinkling faux harpsichord during the chorus.

(48) "It Ain't Gonna Save Me" Jay Reatard, from Watch Me Fall (Matador)
I'm surprised that Jay Reatard's high pitched, snarling vocals don't get on my nerves more than they do, especially since I think he seems like a complete asshole. But, it works in a Buzzcocks' sort of way. And as annoying as those vocals during the chorus and the end of the song are, I totally love the switching back and forth between chimey guitar lead and thick three chord punk progression.

(47) "Avalon or Someone Very Similar" Yo La Tengo, from Popular Songs (Matador)
I wasn't shocked at all when Yo La Tengo released as good of an album as Popular Songs is this year, and after much internal debate, here is the cream of the crop. "Avalon or Someone Very Similar" sounds like YLT doing a Byrds cover.

(46) "Oklahoma" Bishop Allen, from Grrr... (Dead Oceans)
In spite of "Oklahoma" being on an utterly forgettable album, Bishop Allen nail it here. It's really nothing special. Its overall cuteness and incredibly fun chorus just happen to make for an inexplicably great combination.

(45) "Anonaminal" Andrew Bird, from Noble Beast (Fat Possum)
Here is Andrew Bird's most bad ass song (though, not even close to his best). It starts off like a typical Bird number, kinda dark with a whirlwind of violins, but it gets real awesome at the 2:50 mark when those tight, angular drums and that trebled guitar jump in.

(44) "Stillness is the Move" Dirty Projectors, from Bitte Orca (Domino)
It took me a while to fully understand the brilliance of this, Bitte Orca's centerpiece. After my first few listens, I just tossed it aside as Dirty Projectors' attempt at writing a bangin' club jam. And, I was really irritated by everyone comparing Amber Coffman's performance to Mariah Carey. And the repetitive guitar line didn't help. But, one day I noticed those gorgeous strings that come in at the end, and then I came out of my stupor.

(43) "Roses in the Park" Liechtenstein, from Survival Strategies in a Modern World (Slumberland)
Once, I claimed on Facebook that Sweden's Liechtenstein were better than New York's Vivian Girls. After eventually falling for Everything Goes Wrong, I realized that I had jumped to a conclusion a bit early. That's not to say that Liechtenstein are no good, because they are so far from it. "Roses in the Park" is their best and catchiest take on all girl, lo-fi, punk infused indie pop.

(42) "Cold Hands" Pants Yell!, from Received Pronunciation (Slumberland)
Pants Yell! came out of nowhere for me with their brand of smart and subtly complex guitar pop. "Cold Hands" is their greatest moment, mainly due to that sweet guitar lick that shows up during the choruses.

(41) "Marrow" St. Vincent, from Actor (4AD)
2009 was the year that I fell in love with Annie Clark. She transformed from a sweet and sultry goddess to an intimidating and sexy vixen. "Marrow" is a great depiction of this transformation, with those heavenly verses and bad ass choruses (with blaring, staccato horns to boot). No, help me, Annie. Or even better, marry me.

2009 Year-End List #4: Favorite Songs #100-61

On to my actual list of favorite songs. I typically have a difficult time thinking about songs outside of the context of an album. So, I am completely shocked that I was able to come up with a list of 100 favorite songs this year. But, here it is! Most of my favorite albums are represented on this entire list, but there is a good number from various other releases that I may or may not have enjoyed. I was thinking about keeping a limit at one song per band/artist, but then this list would be much less honest.

Anyway, here's numbers 100 through 61, true list style, no blurbs. I didn't want to be too redundant or completely overwhelming. Here we go!

(100) "Lay it Down" Peter Bjorn and John, from Living Thing (Witchita/Almost Gold)
(99) "Perfect Fit" Clues, from Clues (Constellation)
(98) "Prima Donna" Cass McCombs, from Catacombs (Domino)
(97) "Break the Angels" Grand Duchy, from Petits Fours (Cooking Vinyl)
(96) "Bicycle" Memory Tapes, from Seek Magic (Sincerely Yours/Acephale/Something in Construction)
(95) "Rainwater Cassette Exchange" Deerhunter, from Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP (Kranky/4AD)
(94) "Red Letter Day" Viva Voce, from Rose City (Barsuk)
(93) "Tremble and Tear" John Vanderslice, from Romanian Names (Dead Oceans)
(92) "Not Wrong" Pants Yell!, from Received Pronunciation (Slumberland)
(91) "Daylight" Matt & Kim, from Grand (Fader)
(90) "Save Me From What I Want" St. Vincent, from Actor (4AD)
(89) "Beggars Bowl" Polvo, from In Prism (Merge)
(88) "Sunny Feeling" Wilco, from Wilco (The Album) (Nonesuch)
(87) "What It's For" Junior Boys, from Begone Dull Care (Domino)
(86) "I Think I Can" Animal Collective, from Fall be Kind EP (Domino)
(85) "I Want You to Know" Dinosaur Jr., from Farm (Jagjaguwar)
(84) "Revenge" Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse featuring Wayne Coyne, from Dark Night of the Soul (self-released)
(83) "New Theory" Washed Out, from Life of Leisure EP (Mexican Summer)
(82) "I'll Take Us Home" Matt & Kim, from Grand (Fader)
(81) "Fangela" Here We Go Magic, from Here We Go Magic (Western Vinyl)
(80) "To Save Me" M. Ward, from Hold Time (Merge)
(79) "Idiot Heart" Sunset Rubdown, from Dragonslayer (Jagjaguwar)
(78) "Aisle 13" Built to Spill, from There is No Enemy (Warner Bros.)
(77) "Incarcerated" Alec Jensen, from Waterparks (self-released)
(76) "Laughing Gas" Neon Indian, from Psychic Chasms (Lefse)
(75) "Bay of Pigs" Destroyer, from Bay of Pigs EP (Merge)
(74) "Drugs" Black Lips, from 200 Million Thousand (Vice)
(73) "Deeper Down" Wilco, from Wilco (The Album) (Nonesuch)
(72) "Against Me" Why?, from Eskimo Snow (Anticon)
(71) "Octavio" Viva Voce, from Rose City (Barsuk)
(70) "The Party" St. Vincent, from Actor (4AD)
(69) "Symmetry Chameleon" Hi Red Center, from Assemble (Joyful Noise)
(68) "All Your Secrets" Yo La Tengo, from Popular Songs (Matador)
(67) "Breathing" Lake, from Let's Build a Roof (K)
(66) "Latest Journey" Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship, from Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship (Romantic Air)
(65) "Cardiff in the Sun" Super Furry Animals, from Dark Days/Light Years (Rough Trade)
(64) "City Birds" Polvo, from In Prism (Merge)
(63) "Happy Up Here" Royksopp, from Junior (Astralwerks)
(62) "No Intention" Dirty Projectors, from Bitte Orca (Domino)
(61) "Jim Cain" Bill Callahan, from Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle (Drag City)

2009 Year-End List #3: Honorable Mention Songs

Quickly, here's a list of songs that didn't quite make the list of absolute favorites, but that I still really loved. No blurbs or anything, just a list, in alphabetical order by band/artist.

Andrew Bird - "Not a Robot, but a Ghost"
Built to Spill - "Tomorrow"
Cotton Jones - "Some Strange Rain"
Dan Deacon - "Woof Woof"
Death Cab for Cutie - "My Mirror Speaks"
Deerhunter - "Circulation"
Jeremy Enigk - "Mind Idea"
The Fiery Furnaces - "The End is Near"
God Help the Girl - "Come Monday Night"
God Help the Girl - "God Help the Girl"
Grand Duchy - "Volcano!"
Here We Go Magic - "Only Pieces"
Alec Jensen - "Shear Us Sheep"
Alec Jensen - "Waterparks"
Junior Boys - "The Animator"
Kings of Convenience - "Mrs. Cold"
Lake - "Loose Wind"
Liechtenstein - "Postcard"
The Life and Times - "Que Sera Sera"
The Life and Times - "Tragic Boogie"
Lotus Plaza - "Sunday Night"
The Most Serene Republic - "Heavens to Purgatory"
Owen - "Never Been Born"
Papercuts - "The Wolf"
Passion Pit - "Little Secrets"
Peter Bjorn and John - "I'm Losing My Mind"
Phoenix - "Countdown"
Real Estate - "Fake Blues"
Real Estate - "Snow Days"
Jay Reatard - "Can't Do it Anymore"
Jay Reatard - "Hang Them All"
Jay Reatard - "My Reality"
Royksopp - "Vision One"
So Many Dynamos - "The Formula"
Superchunk - "Screw It Up"
Super Furry Animals - "Moped Eyes"
Super Furry Animals - "Lliwiau Llachar"
The Twilight Sad - "Made to Disappear"
John Vanderslice - "C & O Canal"
Viva Voce - "The Slow Fade"
Vivian Girls - "I Have No Fun"
Vivian Girls - "Walking Alone at Night"
M. Ward - "For Beginners"
Why? - "Berkeley by Hearseback"
Why? - "Into the Shadows of My Embrace"
Yo La Tengo - "If It's True"
Yo La Tengo - "Nothing to Hide"
Zoos of Berlin - "Black in the Sun Room"
Zoos of Berlin - "Doctor Vine Passing"
Zoos of Berrlin - "Water Town"

2009 Year-End List #2: 10 Favorite EPs

In 2008 I ranked Animal Collective's Water Curses EP as my second favorite release of the year. This was truthful, and in retrospective, it probably was my absolute favorite thing that came out then, but I felt weird about it. This year, I listened to a higher number of EPs, and liked enough of them to make a separate list. Here is that.


(10) Bay of Pigs EP - Destroyer (Merge)
After last year's decent but disappointing Trouble in Dreams, Daniel Bejar comes around again with two incredibly long songs that sound nothing like anything he's ever done before. "Bay of Pigs" is a 13+ minute epic that is subtle, spacious, dancey at moments, and simply gorgeous. It is awesome the whole way through, and is easily the best thing he's done since Destroyer's Rubies. "Ravers" is almost eight minutes of soothing ambiance, and isn't too far off from any of the slow instrumentals from David Bowie's Low.
Top jam: "Bay of Pigs"


(9) Reality EP - Real Estate (Mexican Summer)
Real Estate do the lo-fi thing right. While the Reality EP doesn't even come close to touching their self-titled full length that was released earlier this fall, this baby's still got some sweetness to it. An EP full of slow and moody, yet summery guitar pop. No real standouts, but all the tracks flow and meander nicely. Perhaps a little too nicely.
Top jams: "Basement," "Younger Than Yesterday," "Dumb Luck"


(8) Desktop EP - Desktop (Suburban Sprawl)
Not surprisingly, my buddy (and singer/keyboardist for Detroit's The Pop Project) Zach Curd's voice works perfectly in the context of bangin' electro-pop. Desktop is a collaboration between Curd and fellow Detroit musician Keith Thompson, of The Electric Six and Johnny Headband. Their debut, self-titled EP consists of three dance tracks that fit somewhere between Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, New Order and Junior Boys. Needless to say, it is really fun.
Top jams: "Fired Up," "Too Much"


(7) The Succulent Leftovers EP - The Recital (Suburban Sprawl)
The Recital also hail from Detroit, and The Succulent Leftovers EP compiles their final recordings before their breakup, which occurred earlier this month. I have only followed them since their last release, 2005's Colour Up. While that album is pretty good, I never came around to loving them until now. The Succulent Leftovers EP doesn't sound as good as Colour Up, but I like the songs better. Their brand of quirky, somewhat complex, guitar-oriented indie pop comes across as less awkward and a lot more confident. I wish this had been a full length.
Top jams: "Kid, You're Wrong," "Colony of Windmills," "Drop Those Legs"


(6) High Times EP - Washed Out (Mirror Universe)
If Ernest Greene, the young lad that is Washed Out, can expand his horizons just a little without the quality and integrity of the project suffering, he should be huge. This cassette release features some of the coolest electronic pop I've heard that isn't Daft Punk or Junior Boys. Now, he doesn't sound anything like those two duos, but their are a few similar elements, I guess. Some people may be turned off by the lo-fi spin on his songs (his recordings sound like warped vinyl or tape rips) or the stupid new sub-genre tags of "glo-fi" or "chillwave" or whatever. However, this dude knows his way around smooth, moody, mid-tempo summer pop.
Top jams: "Belong," "Good Luck," "Phone Call," "Olivia"


(5) Leaves in the Gutter EP - Superchunk (Merge)
You probably know who Superchunk is, so I won't go into all the, "90s indie rock flag-bearing, Merge Records owning, long time of not releasing anything new" details. Well, they finally came out with another EP, and it showcases their typical, punk-infused power pop sound. This isn't a bad thing at all. These boys still have it, and I'm glad to hear it. Now when can I expect a new full length?
Top jams: "Learned to Surf," "Screw It Up," "Knock Knock Knock"


(4) Losing Feeling EP - No Age (Sub Pop)
I'm not sure I'll ever fully get No Age. I never listened to Weirdo Rippers, and Nouns had some great moments, and I think I'll like it more when I decide to revisit it. But, this EP is really good and I like the direction they're headed in. They traded in a bit of their punk edge to create more atmosphere, which makes for a really nice, evolved final product. I hope they pick up the tempos just a tiny bit on the next full length, and if that really does happen, No Age could become one of my favorites.
Top jams: "Losing Feeling," "Genie"


(3) Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP - Deerhunter (Kranky/4AD)
Bradford Cox and co. seem to be caring less and less about atmosphere and more about kicking our asses with noisy, distorted pop tunes. On the Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP, there isn't really any fooling around. Three out of the five songs skate by in under three minutes. Most of them stick to a faster, driving beat and are laced with choppy, distorted, only slightly shoegaze-y guitars. Microcastle is still Deerhunter at their best, and with an entire album of this, everything might start to sound the same. Still, this is totally sweet.
Top jams: "Rainwater Cassette Exchange," "Disappearing Ink," "Circulation"


(2) Life of Leisure EP - Washed Out (Mexican Summer)
Washed Out was discovered thanks to the brilliance of his Life of Leisure EP. There are only a few differences, such as here there are less songs, and these songs are longer. But, the one crucial difference is that this is by far the better release from him this year. The songs are less scatterbrained, and even smoother and sexier. There are more standout tracks, as well. "Get Up" and "New Theory" are sweet mid-tempo electronic pop masterpieces, and you can't get much sexier than the fantastic slow jam "Feel It All Around." What a year for this dude.
Top jams: "Get Up," "New Theory," "Feel It All Around," "Lately"


(1) Fall be Kind EP - Animal Collective (Domino)
Oh man, Animal Collective has had quite the year, haven't they? Not only did they release one of the best albums of the decade, they followed it up just under a year later with another fantastic EP. And, somehow, it still sounds like nothing I've ever heard before. Sure, there are some similarities between this and Merriweather Post Pavilion, like plenty of synths and programming and samples and the likes. But, thankfully, they brought back some real, live drumming! Fall be Kind is also darker and even more mysterious. I'm having a hard time trying to explain why exactly so different, though, so you'll just have to trust me. God, I love this band.
Top jams: "Graze," "What Would I Want? Sky," "I Think I Can"

2009 Year-End List #1: 15 Least Favorite Albums

To start things off, I debut what I hope will become a yearly tradition. When Buddyhead was popular, I loved that they had a "worst albums of the year" list. Granted, as fun as those lists were to read, they were incredibly pointless and obvious. This list is based solely on the albums that I listened to. No assumptions, no inclusions of obviously awful radio pop albums. These are albums within the constraints of my taste, that I was disappointed by, wasn't impressed by in the least, or simply LOATHED. This should be fun


(15) It's Frightening - White Rabbits (TBD)
White Rabbits' 2007 debut, Fort Nightly, showed a lot of promise, as did their set opening for Spoon and The Walkmen in the spring of 2008. That record wasn't too unlike the NYC garage-pop of The Strokes and early French Kicks, and the emphasis on percussion made it just a little bit original. My only real qualm was that it was a bit obnoxious in places. This year's It's Frightening is a bit different. You'd think Britt Daniel having a hand in their recording would make the band better, but oh no. The production is nice and all, but dear God, this is especially busy and obnoxious. What I liked about Fort Nightly is nowhere to be found, and the songwriting is just not there. And, why these guys are labelmates with Radiohead is completely beyond me.


(14) I Blame You - Obits (Sub Pop)
Featuring Rick Froberg, formerly of Drive Like Jehu and much more recently Hot Snakes, I was banking on Obits' debut I Blame You to offer up some half-way interesting punk rock. Therein lies the problem: it isn't interesting at all. Instead, it is unfortunately straightforward and there isn't much to it.


(13) High on Jackson Hill - Immaculate Machine (Mint)
Immaculate Machine is a Canadian indie pop band that features A.C. Newman's niece, and that detail is where anything remotely interesting about this band ends. "Thank Me Later" is a very nice tune, but as a whole, High on Jackson Hill is about as bland as it gets.


(12) 200 Million Thousand - Black Lips (Vice)
This, Black Lips' fifth full length, is admittedly the first record of theirs that I've given a chance. It seemed like for awhile they were quite the hype band, until 200 Million Thousand's release, when everyone seemed to stop caring. I completely understand, because it isn't very good. I was hoping for a truly great lo-fi punk record, and instead got one that is mediocre at best. Aside from the album's opener and especially the awesome Clash-esque jam, "Drugs," there is nothing worthwhile here.


(11) The Bachelor - Patrick Wolf (Bloody Chamber/Nylon)
Talk about obnoxious! On The Bachelor, Patrick Wolf sure knows how to be annoyingly dramatic, loud and in your face. I won't deny that he is an incredibly talented and unique artist, but who cares when his stuff is this unbearable?


(10) Tea Tornado - Marmoset (Joyful Noise)
Here is an ugly, difficult record. The long-standing, ex-Secretly Canadian band excel at creating space, but suck at including any beauty whatsoever. Marmoset's latest, Tea Tornado, offers shitty production, shittier melodies and a heap of other bullshit that is completely unmemorable.


(9) The Crying Light - Antony and the Johnsons (Secretly Canadian)
This guy freaks me out to no end. Antony ruled on last year's self-titled disco/house effort from Hercules and Love Affair, then finally followed up 2005's critically acclaimed I Am a Bird Now with this snoozer of a creepfest. There's nothing offensive or anything about The Crying Light, except that some of its sounds are unsettling and it is tremendously boring. Also, as with a good number of these albums, there is way too much drama.


(8) Change Remains - Starlight Mints (Barsuk)
Here is yet another incredibly obnoxious, piece of shit record. My main man Travis put a fantastic Starlight Mints song on a mix for me back in the fall of 2006, but everything else I've heard from the band (which, honestly, is only this) has been awful. On paper, Change Remains sounds good: synth-heavy, psychedelic pop. Unfortunately, not everything works out that way.


(7) Skin of Evil - Blackout Beach (Soft Abuse)
While Skin of Evil is one of my favorite album titles of the year, and its closer, "Astoria, Menthol Lite, Hilltop, Wave of Evil, 1982," is eerily beautiful, I could have done without it. Blackout Beach is the solo project of Frog Eyes' and Swan Lake's Carey Mercer. It really is a terrifying and even disgusting listen. I never care to get inside Mercer's head like this again. Way too stripped down and intimate.

(6) Outer South - Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band (Merge)
I never wanted to like Conor Oberst, but then 2005 happened and I easily fell in love with both Bright Eyes albums that were released that year (the gorgeous country-folk of I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and the wonderfully disturbed pop of Digital Ash in a Digital Urn). Luckily for me, after both of those, he decided to go right on back to sucking and he hasn't looked back since. This time he decided to invite a few other dudes to collaborate on some songs, and it just so happens that they are his worst. Merge, you can do so much better than this idiot.


(5) Tonight - Franz Ferdinand (Domino)
Just in case you didn't already know, I am pretty smart. I interpreted the promise of a new, long-awaited Franz Ferdinand as a shitty lost cause, and that's exactly what it is. I am not surprised at all. This is pure poppy dance-rock bullshit, with the exception of "Send Him Away," which is actually a pretty neat jam. Domino, please lose these assholes.


(4) The Planets Are Blasted - Boston Spaceships (Guided by Voices)
Boston Spaceships is the newest project of ex-Guided by Voices' mastermind Robert Pollard. So, of course one would be excited about this, ya know? And, keeping in mind how frequently GBV released, and how many songs were recorded, I figured that Boston Spaceships could potentially produce with a similar success. Nope. Three full lengths in (The Planets Are Blasted being the second), and this band is recording some of the safest and most bland indie rock around. No thank you.


(3) Hymn to the Immortal Wind - Mono (Temporary Residence)
I HATE post-rock, and this is the worst of it. Granted, Hymn to the Immortal Wind is the first record of Mono's that I decided to try (not really sure why, now). This is post-rock with elephentitis, chock full of quiet moments that always eventually swell into these corny, grand moments. This is incredibly boring and offensively dramatic. It really sucks.


(2) The Hazards of Love - The Decemberists (Capitol)
UGH. Colin Meloy, I am so sick of your literate, pretentious whine. I admit, I was once a fan of The Decemberists, but you have taken this WAY TOO FAR. You wanna do a rock opera? Okay, fine. Just, be sure to expect to turn off a shit ton of your fans. You can stop making music now. Please.


(1) Wavvves - Wavves (Fat Possum)
Here it is! My least favorite album of the year! It sucks! The trend of lo-fi, punk-infused indie rock has really come to a head over the past two years, and Nathan Williams' Wavves project contributed immensely to that. Too bad his songs are terrible! Well, actually, and I hate to admit this, but his first record had one or two jams, and "No Hope Kids" is the lone highlight from this one. I don't know, maybe a lot of it has to do with how incredibly shitty these recordings are. Regardless, I loathe Wavvves, and I can't wait for the hype to swallow him whole. It doesn't help that this guy seems like a total douchebag.

2009 Year-End Lists: An Introduction

The time has come, and though I'm not completely ready, I'm going to go ahead and get started.

Any posts through the rest of the year (and unfortunately possibly into the first part of January, if I don't get my ass in gear) will be pertaining to the best (and one post to the worst) of 2009.

I listened to 195 releases this year: mostly full-lengths, a decent number of EPs and a handful of 7"s. I blame it on not having a job for exactly half of the year. The result of this is more lists and inclusions on lists than I thought I would ever do. There is also one segment from last year that I am omitting. Gone is the best songs by local artists list that I had so much fun doing last year, mainly because there weren't as many impressive releases from Michigan artists. New to this year are my least favorite albums and favorite EPs lists.

I'm not sure how rapidly I'll be posting these, but here's the loose schedule:

Part 1: 15 Least Favorite Albums of 2009
Part 2: 10 Favorite EPs of 2009
Part 3: Honorable Mention Songs of 2009
Part 4: Favorite Songs of 2009 #100-61
Part 5: Favorite Songs of 2009 #60-41
Part 6: Favorite Songs of 2009 #40-21
Part 7: Favorite Songs of 2009 #20-1
Part 8: Honorable Mention Albums of 2009
Part 9: Favorite Albums of 2009 #40-21
Part 10: Favorite Albums of 2009 #20-1

I'm surprised that I was able to come up with a list of 100 songs that I absolutely loved, but like I said, I had a lot of time to digest music this year.

Also, with the top 60 songs and top 40 albums lists, I hopefully will be providing 20 song mixes to download with each of the posts.

Lastly, I apologize ahead of time for this being so overwhelming. I hope that these will somehow be half as enjoyable to read as they were to write.

Twitter Review Session #9

The final Twitter review session of the year! I'll pick it up again as soon as I get around to listening to next year's releases. Until then, hopefully all can enjoy my year-end music posts, which should begin by the end of this week.

(181) Seek Magic - Memory Tapes (Sincerely Yours/Acephale/Something in Construction)
"Glo-fi." Stupid name for a new subgenre of lo-fi electronic pop. I dig it though, and this dude's voice rules. (6.5/10)

(182) Chez Viking - The Mercury Program (Lovitt)
A post-rock-ish album that actually is good! These jazzy instrumentalists have pretty much always ruled. (6.5/10)

(183) Psychic Chasms - Neon Indian (Lefse)
The best of this "glo-fi" stuff, for sure. This kid is brilliant. Three of my fav songs of 2009 are right here. (8/10)

(184) Received Pronunciation - Pants Yell! (Slumberland)
Very smart and subtle guitar pop. Cool hooks, structures, and plenty of slight twists thrown in for good measure. (8/10)

(185) In Prism - Polvo (Merge)
Technical, a little sludgy at times, lots of texture. In other words, math rock, and a pretty solid record at that. (6.5/10)

(186) Threadbare - Port O'Brien (TBD)
Folky indie pop that doesn't really do much for me. Some moments late on are nice, but that's about it. (5.5/10)

(187) Intuit - Ramona Falls (Barsuk)
Another Menomena side-project of trippy pop songs, only this one isn't really anything special. (6/10)

(188) Real Estate - Real Estate (Woodsist)
Moody, yet summery, shimmering guitar pop. These dudes sound bored, but they rule. Best of the lo-fi this year. (8.5/10)

(189) Reality EP - Real Estate (Mexican Summer)
More chimey, lo-fi guitar pop goodness, only even slower and a little more boring. Keep it up, boys. (7.5/10)

(190) The Succulent Leftovers EP - The Recital (Suburban Sprawl)
Final release from one of Detroit's finest indie pop bands. Fairly complex, fun and flawed in the right ways. (7.5/10)

(191) Know Better Learn Faster - Thao with the Get Down Stay Down (Kill Rock Stars)
Not as great as last year's under-appreciated indie pop gem, but still fairly wonderful. (7/10)

(192) Forget the Night Ahead - The Twilight Sad (Fat Cat)
Dynamic, Scottish shoegaze rock. Tight, succinct songs that are very dark and get impressively loud. (6.5/10)

(193) Life of Leisure EP - Washed Out (Mexican Summer)
Beautiful, mid-tempo, lo-fi electronic pop. Yes, "glo-fi" if you will, I guess. Damn awesome. (8/10)

(194) High Times EP - Washed Out (Mirror Universe)
More boring and not as memorable as the first EP, but still some sweet lo-fi synth pop goodness. (7.5/10)

Twitter Review Session #8

(161) The XX - The XX (Young Turks)
Subtle, new wavey electronic pop. All the rage now it seems, it's just that I didn't give a shit at all. (5.5/10)

(162) It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Interscope)
They're finally back with another decent album with a few great jams. Was surprised by the electronic spin. (7/10)

(163) Popular Songs - Yo La Tengo (Matador)
New Jersey's best dudes and gal offer another fantastic pop album that sounds like the best mix tape imaginable. (8.5/10)

(164) Taxis - Zoos of Berlin (self-released)
Probs my favorite Detroit album of all time. Original, professional, soulful, beautiful. Well worth the wait. (9/10)

(165) Fall be Kind EP - Animal Collective (Domino)
Keeping up their tradition of releasing awesome EPs after their albums. How can this band be so good? (8.5/10)

(166) Logos - Atlas Sound (Kranky)
At first underwhelming, this is a grower of a bedroom pop record. "Walkabout" is one of the best songs of 2009. (8/10)

(167) Beast Rest Forth Mouth - Bear in Heaven (Hometapes)
A truly innovative mix of freaky electronics and dark pop. Unfortch, that sounds better than it actually is. (5.5/10)

(168) There is No Enemy - Built to Spill (Warner Bros.)
Jammy, guitar-centric indie rock, duh. This just happens to be BTS's best since Keep It Like a Secret. (7.5/10)

(169) Phrazes for the Young - Julian Casablancas (RCA)
Strokes front-man comes out of hiding with surprisingly electronic pop album. Not too shabby at all. (6/10)

(170) Split 7" - Child Bite/Big Bear (Joyful Noise)
Two peas in a pod: weird, artsy, complex punk. The CB song isn't as good as the one on the previous 7". (6/10)

(171) Love is a Wave 7" - Crystal Stilts (Slumberland)
Hip, lo-fi post-punk band releases one of the best songs of the year with a pretty great b-side. (8/10)

(172) Dead Man's Bones - Dead Man's Bones (Anti-)
Ryan Gosling's surprisingly charming indie/folk project. Not so surprising that he's a much better actor. (5/10)

(173) Landscapes - Ducktails (Olde English Spelling Bee)
More weird, meandering, ambient, druggy stuff from Real Estate dude. Challenging, pretty, eventually boring. (6/10)

(174) Embryonic - The Flaming Lips (Warner Bros.)
Not even close to the Lips record I was hoping for. Surprisingly dark and somehow different for them. (7.5/10)

(175) Grey-Eyed Girls - The Fresh & Onlys (Woodsist)
Second 2009 LP from these Cali lo-fi psych-rockers. Not as good as the self-titled, but still solid. (7/10)

(176) Stills EP - God Help the Girl (Matador)
Follow-up to a wonderful full-length, twee-popra released earlier in 2009. Unfortch, not as memorable. (6/10)

(177) Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic (Western Vinyl)
Wonderful, organic, experimental folk not too far off from earlier Grizzly Bear. Some true jams here. (7.5/10)

(178) House of Horror 3: More Songs About Hauntings and Ghouls - Alec Jensen & Matt Bezdek (self-released)
Their fun, annual Halloween themed pop album. For how quickly it's put together, this is great. (7/10)

(179) Declaration of Dependence - Kings of Convenience (EMI)
Truly great sparse, poppy folk duo. The modern time's Simon & Garfunkel, perhaps? The best harmonies! (8/10)

(180) Let's Build a Roof - Lake (K)
Fantastic lo-fi-ish indie pop from K Records band. Probably surprise of the year. Seriously, this is really good. (8.5/10)

New Favorite Song #4: Dreams

Whoo boy, what a song. Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," featured on the insanely popular, 1977 almost-masterpiece Rumours, was my jam of the summer. That feels like a long time ago, but I am still losing my shit over it. So much so, that I couldn't resist singing it the last two times I went to karaoke at the Elbow Room.

There is so much that makes the song incredible. For starters, Mick Fleetwood's drumming here is some of the tightest I have ever heard. His performance on it deserves a post all to its own. The beat is as simple as they come, but the groove is so smooth. And he pulls off these quick, subtle fills that are right up my alley.

To be honest, the drumming might just be my favorite thing about "Dreams." But that's not where the brilliance of it ends. Stevie Nicks' sultry voice is a nice touch and the complex vocal melody fits with the chord progression (which also is fantastic) very nicely. The icing on the cake is the chorus when those harmonies come soaring in. Add the lyrical depth (I'm assuming, like most of the album, the song is strongly influenced by the relational turmoil that was taking place within the band members' intertwined love lives), and we've got one of the greatest pop songs of all time.

Why don't you listen for yourself?

Dreams - Fleetwood Mac

Emotional Listening #4

Good god, it has been a long time since I have done one of these posts. I'm trying, guys, to get my blogging ass back in top notch gear. This Emotional Listening segment seems to follow the them of 90s indie rock. Anyway, here goes...


In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel (Merge, 1998)
Here is a record that took me a long time to even care about in the slightest. I always heard about Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea being a pure classic, if not one of the greatest indie rock albums of all time (though the rock is few and far between here). When I finally decided to give it a chance about five years ago, I was disgusted. Not really, but I LOATHED Jeff Mangum's voice. And, since I hardly ever pay attention to lyrics, I didn't understand the claims that he was this genius. Now, many moons and several tries later, I sort of get it. Mangum's voice still makes me cringe at times, and I still feel a little underwhelmed by the record as a whole. But, there are some really great moments, the best being "Holland, 1945." What an incredibly gnarly song, am I right? The untitled instrumental track is also great. If only the rest of the record was along those lines. A lot of the soft moments lose me, but don't get me wrong, there are some choice ones. Overall, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is a decent lo-fi, folky chamber pop album. I don't think it's the best of the 90s or anything like that, though.
Top jams: "King of Carrot Pt. 1," "Two-Headed Boy," "Holland, 1945," "Oh Comely," "(untitled)," "Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2"


Slanted and Enchanted - Pavement (Matador, 1992)
It blows my mind that in some circles, Slanted and Enchanted is considered THE Pavement album of all Pavement albums. It's good, I'm not going to argue that. But, the best? Really? It's completely uneven, sounds like shit (of course, I know that's cool now, but it is difficult in this case), and every other album is better, by a lot. "Summer Babe (Winter Version)," "Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17" and "Perfume-V" are all awesome, however. And, I do enjoy the punk edge that is missing from their four other albums. Like I said earlier, it is just crazy to me that there are people out there who consider this better than anything else the band has done. You people are nuts.
Top jams: "Summer Babe (Winter Version)," "Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17," "Loretta's Scars," "Here," "Perfume-V"


Wowee Zowee! - Pavement (Matador, 1995)
First and foremost, I shall thank my boy, band mate and fellow blogger Alec Jensen for the gift of the original version of Wowee Zowee! about two years ago. My first thoughts about Pavement's third and probably most bizarre album were that it was overwhelming and a conundrum. On first listen, I didn't think there were any memorable songs at all. I know, I was a complete idiot, because after spending some time with it much more recently, I realize it is brilliant. It's still a bit overwhelming, with a whopping 18 songs. And I don't love all of it, only about half of it. But as an album, it is a doozy. It fits in perfectly between the badass slackery of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and the more polished (but in my opinion equally as brilliant) Brighten the Corners. The best songs here ("Rattled by the Rush," "Grave Architecture," "Kennel District," "Pueblo") are easily on par with the best on the other two mentioned, as well as Terror Twilight. I definitely get bored in places, but the challenge of getting through those moments is worth it to hear the highlights. This band was ridiculous.
Top jams: "Rattled by the Rush," "Black Out," "Grounded," "Best Friend's Arm," "Grave Architecture," "AT&T," "Kennel District," "Pueblo"


Pinback - Pinback (Ace Fu, 1999)
I am not surprised at all that I fell in love with this, Pinback's debut. Rising out of the ashes of Three Mile Pilot, it sounds like early Death Cab for Cutie before early Death Cab for Cutie sounded like early Death Cab for Cutie. I guess this is a bit more cyclical, robotic and sounds much less emotionally charged. The guitar tones and melodies are there, though. And boy are those melodies there, in the best way. It's all about the contrast between the dire tone of the songs, those wonderful, chimey guitar lines, the bland and lifeless drum beats and the incredibly catchy and especially awesome melodies. "Crutch" is the prime example of this. I'm not sure why I don't listen to this more.
Top jams: "Tripoli," "Chaos Engine," "Shag," "Crutch," "Lyon," "Montaigne"

Twitter Review Session #7

(142) Creaturesque - Throw Me the Statue (Secretly Canadian)
Nice and sort of interesting but pretty boring pop blah blah blah you've heard this from me before. (6/10)

(143) Beacons of Ancestorship - Tortoise (Thrill Jockey)
Spastic, unique instrumentals, sure. A lot of people love Tortoise, and I just don't get it with their 2009 album. (5.5/10)

(144) Bird-Brains - Tune-Yards (Marriage)
Very simple, sparse and rhythmic experimental folk that offers interesting vocals and not much else. (5/10)

(145) Romanian Names - John Vanderslice (Dead Oceans)
Pretty and impeccably produced indie pop story songs. His best since 2004's Cellar Door. (7/10)

(146) Dark Was the Night - various artists (4AD)
Pretty good benefit comp, huh? Dirty Projectors, Books/Jose Gonzalez and Riceboy Sleeps songs are best. (6.5/10)

(147) Warm Heart of Africa - The Very Best (Green Owl)
Fun and feel-good and interesting and all that, yes, but the no holding back is a little too joyous here. (5.5/10)

(148) Tight Knit - Vetiver (Sub Pop)
Gorgeous, simple folk pop with really nice instrumentation. This came out of nowhere for me. (8/10)

(149) Rose City - Viva Voce (Barsuk)
Husband/wife duo expand to include others and the result is a unique and pretty badass indie pop record. (7.5/10)

(150) Everything Goes Wrong - Vivian Girls (In the Red)
I believe all the hype, now. These girls know how to make some really good, catchy, messy and badass punk rock. (8/10)

(151) Unmap - Volcano Choir (Jagjaguwar)
Bon Iver/Collections of Colonies of Bees collab that features beautiful layers and cool, subtle rhythms. (7/10)

(152) Wavvves - Wavves (Fat Possum)
I can't deny that I've gotten into this lo-fi stuff that is so trendy now, but aside from one song, this is shit. (2.5/10)

(153) It's Frightening - White Rabbits (TBD)
Britt Daniel-produced obnoxious New York pop/rock. Just a tad bit less than mediocre. (4.5/10)

(154) Rules - The Whitest Boy Alive (Bubbles)
Smooth, soulful, subtle, dancey, jangly project from Kings of Convenience dude. Pretty good! (6/10)

(155) Eskimo Snow - Why? (Anticon)
A slower, even moodier direction for Yoni Wolf and co. Pretty stuff, but I miss the hip hop rhyme schemes and groove. (7/10)

(156) Wilco (The Album) - Wilco (Nonesuch)
So much better than 2007's Sky Blue Sky. "Wilco (The Song)" is one of the absolute best of the year. (7.5/10)

(157) The Bachelor - Patrick Wolf (Bloody Chamber/Nylon)
All over the place, and pretty fascinating in places, but I can't take the overwhelming obnoxiousness at all. (4/10)

(158) Magnolia - The Wooden Birds (Barsuk)
American Analog Set's Andrew Kenny's new band, which sounds like acoustic AmAnSet. Mellow and v. pretty. (6.5/10)

(159) Songs of Shame - Woods (Woodsist)
Quirky, lo-fi indie pop on their own Woodsist label that is so popular these days. My expectations weren't quite met. (6/10)

(160) How I Became Illustrated - The Word Play (Suburban Sprawl)
My boys finally came out with an album and I'm finally writing about it. Best jagged 90s indie rock around. (8.5/10)