Hey all! Hope your Christmahannukwanza vacations have been going swimmingly, mine have been pretty delightful to say the least, hence the lack of posts for the last little while. As 2009 is now officially over, however, I thought I’d stop by and put up what I believe to be the 10 best albums of the year, reviews and all. Agree with me? Think I made even poorer choices than the guys on Jackass have? Want to show me your favorites from the year? Let me know in the comment box below!
—Love you all
Y!L!N!
10. “Manners” by Passion Pit
Let this be a lesson: Writing semi-cheesy love songs to your girlfriend can really pay off sometimes. Boston-based band Passion Pit is headed by Michael Angelakos, who started the entire project based off of some songs he put together for his anniversary with his then girlfriend. These songs were included in the band’s 2008 EP “Chunk of Change”, including the hit song “Sleepyhead” which appeared on this album, my number 10 of the year, titled “Manners”.
There’s something just so satisfying about the techno-dance vibes that are put into the songs on Manners. You can’t help but stomp around to the beat whenever drummer and DJ Nate Donmoyer comes into the songs. With highly catchy synth lines and impressive (though occasionally strained) vocals, Passion Pit’s “Manners” is an indication of very great things to come from the band.
9. “Hospice” by The Antlers
Brooklyn based band The Antlers have been under the You! Listen! Now! spotlight ever since they released this debut album, titled Hospice, on August 18th of this year— And for very good reason. The band manages to cover the very depressing subject matter of a hospice worker and his relationship with his patients without sounding mopey or whiny in the slightest. The songs encapsulate certain strange moods that really no band has done as effectively until now. Songs such as “Kettering” or “Atrophy” have a sound to them that is not only cinematic and beautiful, but also very original. A very recommendable album for rainy/occasionally crappy days.
Interestingly enough, this is also the second album on the list that is a band’s first. Apparently this new generation of bands knows where it’s at.
8. “Merriweather Post Pavilion” by Animal Collective
So, Baltimore-based experimental/indie/crazy-assed group Animal Collective just barely squeaked into the year for this one (their newest album “Merriweather Post Pavilion” was released before the first week of 2009 was even over), but they are very much deserving of a spot on this list for their most recent full-album effort. I will admit that I still prefer their 2007 album Strawberry Jam, which has the mind-crunching vocals and extreme spontaneity that Merriweather was somewhat lacking, but you really can’t help but love the all-out fun track “Summertime Clothes” or the laced-with-magic “In The Flowers”.
It is odd, however, that AC released the album when they did, in early January. After listening to the album many times through, it becomes very obvious that it’s themed for summer (if the title “Summertime Clothes” wasn’t enough indication). There are enough nuggets of genius on this record, however, to carry it across all seasons.
Summertime Clothes - Animal Collective
7. “Wild Young Hearts” by Noisettes
I don’t know why it took so long for British indie group Noisettes to catch on in the US, but I am damn happy that I discovered them this year with the release of their second album, Wild Young Hearts. Their rock/pop/soul vibe on the record is undoubtedly contrasted to their first release, titled What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf?, which has a very crunchy, punk rock-influenced tone to it, but both records have their own very well established and deserving places. This latest effort finds the band hitting the dance nail right on the head, with songs such as “Don’t Upset The Rhythm” or the irresistible “Saturday Night” leaving you jumping around uncontrollably.
The day that the Noisettes finally bring their tour through the states will be a very happy day indeed; they put on some pretty phenomenal performances as well.
6. “It’s Blitz!” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
That’s right Yeah Yeah Yeahs, you better not break up. You’ve got all this other awesome music to make. Exhibit A: Your dance-rocky album you put out in March this year called It’s Blitz! Though it surprisingly did not contain any tracks from the EP Is Is released in 2008, the beats and synths in Blitz! show a very interesting progression from the band’s semi-acoustic sophomore album Show Your Bones. Songs like “Heads Will Roll” and “Zero” put your head in banging mode and your legs in jumping mode without fail, and they all translate very well in the live setting too.
The album has been nominated for the Grammy award for Best Alternative Music Album, and things are looking very promising for the band with the nomination. My one complaint about it though? Where’s Karen O’s trademark sexy scream?
5. “No One’s First And You’re Next” by Modest Mouse
I tried to refrain from putting EP’s on this list, mostly due to the fact that many that were released this year were simply precursors to full-length albums. Washington-based group Modest Mouse, however, released an 8-song EP in August, titled No One’s First And You’re Next, that was simply too fantastic to pass up. The band has always had the amazing ability to make perfectly imperfect songs that are just feel righteous. Take, for example, the song below titled “King Rat”, which appeared on the EP. There’s something just so satisfying about yelling “WELL!” along with singer Isaac Brock during that intro, and the song continues the onslaught for 6 whole minutes.
Interestingly enough, Heath Ledger directed an animated (and slightly twisted) music video to the song just before he died. And really, at that point, how can you not just be all that?
4. “Actor” by St. Vincent
Pay no mind to how cute Annie Clark, the brains behind St. Vincent, may be. This girl is completely nuts, and her latest album, Actor, proves it. It’s AWESOME. Clark perfectly combines orchestral and symphonic arrangements with noise rock elements, that somehow feel like they were always meant to be together. Just looking at the tracks “Black Rainbow” or “Actor Out Of Work” have this vibe of blissful insanity that make the album one of the most fun things to put in your ears this year. How can you not like a song that has the line “paint the black hole blacker” running through it?
What’s more, have you seen her collaboration with Andrew Bird on French video series La Blogotheque? SO COOL!
3. “Mean Everything to Nothing” by Manchester Orchestra
You most likely have heard Georgia-based rock group Manchester Orchestra’s epic track “I’ve Got Friends” off of their latest album, Mean Everything to Nothing, on the radio or some other random medium— it’s a fantastically put together song that’s well-deserving of the attention. But have you heard the rest of the record? If your response is a “no”, then you have two things to do: 1. Stop reading this. 2. ROCK THE HELL OUT TO THIS ALBUM.
The group has been attempting to make it for the past four years, with two releases previous to this one. But nothing they have put out so far quite matches the perfection that is Mean Everything. Songs such as “Pride” and “Shake It Out” have just as much, if not more, badassery as “I’ve Got Friends”, while the band perfectly brings it down momentarily for the somber “I Can Feel A Hot One”. And it’s all done flawlessly.
Job well done, MO. Looking forward to your show at the end of the month.
2. “Them Crooked Vultures” by Them Crooked Vultures
If you’ve ever visited You! Listen! Now! before now, you have probably read some tidbit about supergroup Them Crooked Vultures. And it’s for good reason too— The collaboration between Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters, and John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin looked to be the most true and original display of the hard blues-rock that Homme is known for. And once the album dropped on November 3rd, all expectations were met and then blown to bits. You can really tell what kind of professionals you’re dealing with on tracks such as “No One Loves Me and Neither Do I” or “Elephants”, with not only very catchy melodies, but highly intricate time signatures.
Checking out the first single released from the self-titled album, called “New Fang” forces you to rock out with Homme’s line “sometimes you break the finger on the other hand” (…whatever that means). The band should be making the rounds on the upcoming festivals in 2010, make sure you keep an eye out for this truly phenomenal project.
No One Loves Me & Neither Do I…
1. “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” by Phoenix
Though I haven’t spent nearly as much time raving about French electro-pop group Phoenix’s latest album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix as I have with Them Crooked Vultures, there is absolutely no denying that the foursome struck pure gold with this record. Not only are the tracks put together in the most perfect, catchy way possible, they also do an extremely good job of bridging the gap between the “underground” indie scene and the mainstream. This remains to be the only album I’ve ever seen get a great review on Pitchfork (8.5) that I’ve also heard in Taco Bell.
It’s also a great break for the group, which has been together for a decade now. Though they have made truly great music in the past, this is undoubtedly their most mesmerizing effort to date. Songs such as “1901” or “Fences” stick with you in all the right ways and, at least on my end, never get old. The upbeat electro-pop sound that comes off of this album is priceless, hands down. Be sure to keep an eye out for them this year on their tour of the States, they’ve already confirmed a spot at Coachella.
Congrats guys. This thing is fucking magic.
All songs
Thanks for checking back in everybody! I’ve missed you all dearly, it’s nice to be back. Be back to you in a couple days!Y!L!N!
