Year End Review 2009

The last year was an interesting one: Two of the best songwriters out there, Bruce Springsteen and Conor Oberst, released lackluster records. The latest releases from Animal Collective and Dirty Projectors got great reviews, but neither excited me and I spent more time listening to the solo debut from Julian Casablancas. The Black Eyed Peas released another big piece of pop crap that dominated the charts. A reality star named Adam Lambert tried too hard and looked like a fool. Another, Susan Boyle, didn’t seem to try at all and had the biggest selling debut by any female in chart history.

The year really belonged to two young females, though. Some weird Gaga chick had hit single after hit single, all while dressing like some sort of space mummy. Buried in there, though, is an oddly talented, classically trained artist that may stick around when the shtick wears off. Then there was the talented, young country star, Taylor Swift, who captured the hearts of everyone and in the process became the most over-saturated artist on Earth. She also had a beef with Kanye West which is hilarious and the best thing that could have happened to her.
And then, the King of Pop died. As sad as it was, the world belonged to MJ for the next two months and we all benefited from the nonstop play of those songs. He also sold a billion more records which, hopefully, opened a door for many that had forgotten or never heard them.
Top 10 Albums for 2009

10. Jay-Z, “The Blueprint 3”
After the release of the disappointing “Kingdom Come” in 2006, and the messy “American Gangster” soundtrack in 2007, Jay-Z was back in fine form with the final part of “The Blueprint” trilogy. The first single “DOA (Death of Auto-Tune)” was one of the best jams of the summer and pissed off a lot of artists even though it really needed to be said.

9. Miranda Lambert, “Revolution”
It’s not often a country artist makes my list, but a good album deserves to be talked about. It’s no secret female country artists are creating the best music in that genre and Miranda has been one of those artists for quite a few years. The first single, “Dead Flowers,” features one of the most gripping hooks I’ve heard this year and her cover of Fred Eaglesmith’s “Time to Get a Gun” is stellar.

8. Japandroids, “Post-Nothing”
The best pure rock record of the year, “Post-Nothing” is packed with loud guitars, rolling drums and passionate vocals and features the anthem “Young Hearts Spark Fire” which ruled the summer. And it was all done by a two-piece Canadian band that recorded it live in the studio with no overdubs.

7. Blue Roses “Blue Roses”
Blue Roses is the work of one wonderful woman, Laura Groves. The album was recorded at different houses around the UK, and a lot of the piano was played on a vintage Steinway in a music store. Vocally and musically, it’s very similar to Joni Mitchell, but more whimsical and with lots of twists and turns in the melodies, similar to Regina Spektor.

6. Passion Pit, “Manners”
This Boston-based band released one of the most danceable records of the year. Mostly the work of frontman Michael Angelakos, who sings a bit like James Mercer of The Shins, “Manners” is synth-pop at its best and seems to be getting the same buzz the MGMT record got last year. They sound really great live, too.

5. Real Estate, “Real Estate”
The self-titled debut from Real Estate is a beautiful bummer of an album. At times sounding like a lo-fi Beach Boys, but mostly like Yo La Tengo minus the female vocals, the album is packed with dreamy, hypnotic songs. The band has only been around for two years, so it will be interesting to see how they progress.

4. Florence + the Machine, “Lungs”
Florence Welch has one hell of a voice. There hasn’t been a shortage of female singer-songwriters the last few years, but this is something different. The flamboyant Welch has the vocal power and soul of Annie Lennox, but she gives it a modern feel. She also does the dark stuff as well as Neko Case, with songs about one-eyed girls, coffins and domestic abuse.

3. Avett Brothers, “I and Love and You”
After releasing a few critically-loved folky, bluegrass records, the Avett Brothers enlisted Rick Rubin to produce their latest. While some have complained that Rick cleaned up the sound too much, the end result is stunning. There definitely is less of a bluegrass feel than before, but the songwriting is sharper and every song comes off as some epic ballad The Band never recorded. The ghosts of Danko and Manuel are definitely present on this record.

2. Girls, “Album”
The story of Christopher Owens has been told a million times this year: To make a long story short, he was raised in the Children of God cult, never attended school and moved around a lot. He started his musical career busking to raise money for the cult. After escaping at 16, he moved to Texas and ended up in the local punk scene there. It doesn’t sound like cult music (Edward Sharpe, Polyphonic Spree), though, but sounds more like a snotty singer fronting the Velvet Underground if they were from San Francisco. It also features the best single of the year, “Lust for Life,” which just happens to be the best video of the year as well.

1. The Antlers, “Hospice”
The most depressing album of the year, hands down, “Hospice” is a beautifully sad concept record that tells the story of a hospice worker that falls in love with a cancer patient. With a fluttery falsetto similar to Antony, Peter Silberman has created the most stunning album since the Arcade Fire’s “Funeral.” Not an easy listen by any means, “Hospice” is best consumed when alone and with headphones

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