Top music of 2009

2009 has been a surprisingly strong year for music, seems like bands old & new just hit their stride on their releases this past year and I can’t think of any really disappointing albums that came out this year.

As with last year I’d like to give a run down of my favourite songs & albums from the past year.

Top Albums.

The Thermals – Now we can see
This album is so strong I even recommended it mid-year because I was enjoying it so much. Months later and I’m still enjoying the heck out of it. Somehow this albums got a “diamond in the rough” quality to it. It’s just low-fi enough to sound like something a hopeful musician would be selling CDRs of out of a bus shelter. And yet the songs are polished and complete, never sounding forced or over-processed, and just sloppy enough to be endearing.

Truth be told I’m shocked this album isn’t overplayed yet, I’d expect stations like x929 to be all over it by now and I’d be sick of it, luckily this hasn’t happened.

Dinosaur Jr. – Farm
On the opposite end of the age spectrum is Dinosaur Jr’s 2009 album Farm. Dinosaur Jr’s age as a band may even rival that of the members of the other bands on my list. And this album shows that age in the best of ways, rather then peppy kids giving it their all in a garage Dinosaur Jr sounds much more relaxed. Instead you’ve got a group of guys who seem to be pulling this sound off effortlessly, there’s no tension or power struggles, no square pegs going into round holes. Just flowing smooth rock from start to finish.

Cam over at Worksonpaper also included Dinosaur Jr’s Farm on his list this year:

“For me, this was definitely the album of the summer (maybe the year? a close second anyways…), as I found myself listening to it over and over on the highway (Highly recommended as a road trip album!). The standout track is the opener, Pieces, but really there isn’t a track here that doesn’t stand out.”

Death – …For the Whole World to See
This disc actually is a certified diamond in the rough, recorded in 1975 and unreleased until 2009, this disk showcases the emerging punk scene, even if it was slightly a head of the curve. The story of this disc is as such, three brothers start a garage band, record half an album’s worth of material, get into a fight with the record company, forget about the album and grow up to live their lives. This has happened to 100′s of go-no-where garage bands before, and it’ll happen again. The startling thing about this disc is what’s contained on it, amped up garage rock in the vein of the stooges, and hints of the punk that bands like the bad brains & black flag would go on to record just a few years later.

The thing that this disc showcases the best though is that punk-rock in the 70′s wasn’t just an explosion one night in a dingy New York club. There were other bands tinkering with a similar sound in their garages at the same time as the Ramones and The Sex Pistols.

Them Crooked Vultures – ST
This album falls squarely at the half way point between The Thermals & Dinosaur Jr. It’s neither a sloppy garage rock romp, or a laid back effortless affair. It’s as if the three well known members burst into a neighbours garage during band practice, grabbed the instruments away and said “You darn kids, your doing it all wrong, let us show you how it’s done” and then proceeded to blow the top off said garage.

Megadeath – Endgame
Another year, and another new album album from one of the original “big four” of trash metal on my list. From the opening instrumental of Dialectic Chaos to the closing number this is one solid, heavy trash album. Unlike Metallica’s Death Magnetic, there isn’t any filler on it, or experiments to be heard. Just the sound of a lean, mean, thrash band at the top of their game.

Top Songs.

In addition to the albums above there were also some great singles released this year, the following is some of the stand out tracks that have been on repeat for me.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero
From the first time I heard this song I knew it would be an instant classic, from the opening note to the first vocals this song has a timeless quality to it that’ll have it popping up on movie soundtracks for years to come.

Silversun Pickups – Panic Switch
The bassline in this song just hammers it’s way into your head and doesn’t let go until the end. The psychedelic mood of this song makes it a great song for the drive to the party or the cab ride home.

Hot Little Rocket – Volcano
A bit of a swan song as Hot Little Rocket released this album in the same month they played their last show, but what a perfect swan song it is. The course of “don’t stop, erupting every night” shows why these guys were Calgary favourites for years.

Josh Freese – I don’t think that’s OK
Vandals/Devo/NIN drummer Josh Freese released a great power pop gem this year along with a great promotional stunt to go along with it. The lead single is just plain fun and stands up to repeated back to back listens.

The Shagbots – Consequences
Ok I am a bit biased towards The Shagbots because I had the pleasure of doing their website this year. But truth be told this song had me hooked before we’d even sat down to discuss the site. The opening keyboard just grabs you by the hips and forces you to dance.

What I missed.

There’s a few disc this year that I listened to once or twice, thought “hey, this is pretty damn good” but then forgot about and opted to listen to Nine Inch Nails for the 9,000th time instead.

Luckily Cam from worksonpaper.ca is much better about keeping up to speed on these disc and included some of them on his list.

Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
I’m an unabashedly huge fan of the blues-soul-rock of the Black Keys, so of course Dan Auerbach’s first solo album would be among my favorites of the year. If you’re familiar with the Black Keys, this album won’t be much of a stretch in terms of sound and style – it’s a raw soulful rocker in the style of the Keys. 14 solid tracks of Auerbach baring his soul and emoting through his guitar much to the delight of my ears. There just isn’t a white man on the planet with more soul than Mr. Auerbach. Some choice cuts on this one include Mean Monsoon, My Last Mistake and Street Walkin’.

Japandroids – Post-Nothing
Not many albums released this year were as raw and rockin’ as this Vancouver duo’s wonderfully noisy output.

So there you have it, the top music of 2009, along with some bonus picks on the disc I missed. Now, do I dare do up my top picks of the decade? You up for it Cam?