Top Albums of 2009

Choosing my top ten albums was fairly difficult this year. I found several albums to be just ok, and a lot of the albums that were critical favs just didn't grab me (though that probably means that somewhere around March I will buy a ton of 2009 music as ususal). Also a lot of interesting music was released int eh last couple months of the year but I have to live with music a little before I think it can earn a spot in my top ten so a few of my favorites of 2009 will inevitably be missed. And as usual more and more great music is being re-issued so I was listening to a lot of music from the past as well.

Given this I thought I would not only give my top ten albums of the year but also some of my fav re-issues as well.

As usual these are not in any particular order. Enjoy

Top Albums of the Year

Megafaun - Gather, Form, & Fly
Though some will be put off my the experimental tracks, this is an incredibly beautiful album. It feels like an alt-country/CSNY take on Olivia Tremor Control's Dusk at Cubist Castle (impressions of the past) in its scope as well as its mixing of songwriting and experimentation. To me this is a band that is as comfortable with itself  and its music as Animal Collective is and I can't wait to here more from them.

Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
sure this album is essentially Kate Bush of today and might be a surprising inclusion on my list. I was a little surprised myself that this album stuck with me. I assumed it was something I would listen to a few times over the summer and rarely after that but I am drawn back to this album again and again. I feel like this album showcases a larger ambition that makes me excited for her future work.

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon
alright let's get the negative out there first. yes this album is bloated like all major label hip-hop/rap. yes some of the lyrics are misogynistic and uncalled for. yes the storyline shouldn't need skits to tells you what is going on.
now given all this it might be a surprise that I have included this album on my top ten at all, but similar to bat for lashes I feel like this album shows a larger ambition in its scope. it takes the blueprint that kanye created with 808s and heartbreak, fleshes it out more and expands its scope. the big question for Kid Cudi is whether he keeps pushing or gives in to the corp rap machine.

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
While I disagree with the majority of critics who say this is her best album yet (nothing will ever beat fox confessor), this is another incredible album from an almost criminally underrated songwriter. the sound is something of a step away from the country tinged music of her previous albums while still maintaining the themes and atmosphere that make her such an amazing musician.

Telekinesis - Telekinesis!
The first time I heard 'Coast of Carolina' I was hooked and had to hear more from this band. Full of energy, pop hooks, and songs of love it is a throwback to 90's indie rock/power pop. Yes it is produced by Chris Walla, but for a debut album this record feels really accomplished. All the songs are quick tight bursts (the album is around 40 minutes which is perfect) and it's impossible to find a week song in the mix.


5: Five Years of Hyperdub
I usually try to avoid putting compilations on my year end list but this one is just too good not to. As I recently noted, Hyperdub has always sounded like future music but in my mind this comp shows the label taking it to another level and really pushing the boundaries of electronic/dance music. Given the subject matter of label boss Kode 9's recently published book, it shouldn't be surprising that he has greater ambitions than to just be a 'dubstep' label and  I can't wait to hear what he does in 2010.


Metric - Fantasies
Didn't give this album too much thought when it first came out. I thought  'help, I'm alive' was OK but sounded a little too much like Death Cab to me (i don't have anything against death cab just like groups to be original). It entered my life though when Liane bought it and I am really glad she did. Even considering my feelings for that first song, there isn't a bad song on this album and similar to Bat for Lashes I find myself going back to this time and time again. I love the energy and they do a great job of mixing electronic sounds with a really rockin guitars.

POS - Never Better
I'm still not 100% why I bought this album as I found his last one just meh and I really wasn't to keen on the song The Current was pounding into my brain 'Savion Glover.' HOWEVER as should be obvious by its inclusion on this list, I am really glad that I did. as usual the production is unlike anything else out there especially any other MPLS hip-hop. it floats from doomy-elp business to punk to funk but completely original takes. I think the thing that grabs me with this album is just the emotion that seems to be there. POS has always seemed to be an intense MC but to me this album is where he puts it all together.

The Streets - Tweets Don't Pay (the Twitter 'Album')
This may be cheating as it isn't really an album. Even as someone who liked 'everything is borrowed' (perhaps placing me in the minority) these 14 songs that Mike Skinner released via twitter this year are better than that album and songs like 'a blip on a screen,' 'trust me,' and 'lovelight of my life' are right up there with his best material.  he is supposed to have an official album being released in 2010 so maybe these were his demos but they are well worth searching out on the torrent sites.

Dangermouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul

Another record that wasn't officially released this year but this one was intended to be an album if record labels didn't get in the way. With an insane collection of guest musicians, it would be really easy for this album to go horribly wrong but Dangermouse and Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse are able to pull this all together and make a fairly cohesive album.  The weakest contributions have to be Iggy Pop and Frank Black but the most surprising are the 2 songs that David Lynch sings which I was not expecting at all.

Top Re-Issues (no The Beatles aren't here because you don't need me to tell you the sound quality is better)

Legends of Benin - the Analog Africa label can really do no wrong in my book. every release has been incredible and this one really raises the bar for them. Also check number 6 which is a second volume of songs from Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou Dahomey

Light: On the South Side of Chicago - It is going to be hard for Numero Group to top this release. Combining an incredible book of photos from 1970s southside Chicago clubs and a great album of music representing the music form these clubs. Just awesome.

Roll Deep - Street Anthems; every important song from Roll Deep in one place. if you want to understand the history of grime at all, this is where you need to start. Wiley, Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Strider, Skepta, Flowdan - it is incredible the talent that was in this collective.

Iron and Wine - Around the Well; a beautiful collection of b-sides, covers, compilation tracks and unreleased songs. This covers the entire career of Sam Beam and is a great introduction to his beautiful music. disc one is home recordings, while disc two houses studio recordings giving each disc it's own feel but it is hard to go wrong with this great collection

Nueve: the 2009 mix

time again for another best of the year mix. as with all my year-end mixes, I won't necessarily call these my top ten tunes (or 14 in this case), but some of my favorites that I think go together.

I violated my unwritten rule to only include one song per artist this year with J Tillman, but he did release two albums and I have one song from each so maybe it isn't cheating after all.

and now here is the tracklist:
Darkstar - Aidys Girl's a Computer
Purexed - POS
Black Hearted Love - PJ Harvey & John Parrish
Solo Dolo (Nightmare) - Kid Cudi
Daniel - Bat for Lashes
Summertime Clothes - Animal Collective
Lakeside - BLK JKS
Steel on Steel - J Tillman
A Blip on a Screen - The Streets
Don't Forget Me - Neko Case
Kaufman's Ballad - Megafaun
Crosswinds - J Tillman
Coast of Carolina - Telekineses
Gimme Sympathy - Metric

p.s. time permitting a new dubstep mix will be done by end of year as well. also just ask me for a copy if you are gonna see me and it's yours.

2008 Top Ten

It is that time of year when fellow musicheads begin to look back at the year in music. 2008 has been a mixed year for me. on the one hand, I have been really into dubstep and buying lots of 12"s, but on the other hand, there has been a huge number of disapointing albums released by bands I really like this year. The shear number of less than stellar albums made this a little more difficult than in years gone by but in the end this is what I came up with.

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War); Best album of the year-period. now where is that part 2?
Cat Power - Jukebox; a lot of people don't seem to like this album but I think her arrangements of the covers performed within are incredible. add a couple of stellar new songs and you have a great album all around
Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold; what can you say about Atmosphere? Every album rocks and every album is better than the last. I have no idea how they do it.
Menahan Street Band - "Make the Road by Walking"; members of the Dap-Kings, Budos Band, and Antibalas. They also cover "Going the Distance" from Rocky. How coudl you possibly go wrong here? Simple you can't, awesome album that I will be listening to for many years to come.
Jeremy Messersmith - The Silver City; yes the Dan Wilson production makes it a sound like a Dan Wilson album, but the songs!!! great storytelling inside great songwriting point to a great future.
Nick Cave - Dig! Lazarus! Dig! ; I've never really been into Nick Cave before, but I am sensing that I may have to start investing in his back catalog after this album.
Nomo - Ghost Rock; Discovered this album late in the game via The Current and I don't really know anything about them. One of my new year's resolutions however is to learn more because this is an awesome update of afro-beat to dance around the house to.
Various Production - Versus; of collection of remixes they have done of others and that others have done of their tracks showcases the wide variety that comes out of this incredible production group. add to this the various new songs that have come out online and on vinyl and it has been a productive and strong year yet again.
The Heavy - Great Vengeance and Furious Fire; part lo-fi indie and part Curtis Mayfield and all awesome. This has been in regular rotation on my iPod since I bought the album.
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes; I didn't want to succumb to the hype machine but this album really is good.

Top Tunes 2007

Well it is about that time when everyone starts to reflect on the past year. And so it is here at Buried Pleasure that I am giving you my picks of the top albums and songs of 2007.

Top Albums

Burial – Untrue
Just when you thought his first album was a fluke Burial drops a sophomore release that blows the first away. Not necessarily built for the dance floor, but amazing.

Radiohead – In Rainbows
It's strange to hear of their return to form since I loved Hail to the Thief, but yet another amazing album from a band that can do no wrong.

J Tillman – Cancer & Delirium
Heartbreaking and beautiful, this album is hard to find but well worth the effort

Arbouretum – Rites of Uncovering
Not as hard to find as J Tillman, but fairly overlooked and a real hidden nugget of gold. It just transports you to another place. Amazing

Okkervil River – Stage Names
Though not as strong as Black Sheep Boy, it is another strong outing that showcases the talent of Will Scheff

Apparat – Walls
Incredible electronic release that reminds me of so many people at the same time-most of them from the "traditional" music world-yet is completely it's own sound.

White Stripes - Icky Thump
An awesome return to form for the White Stripes. Apparently all Jack White needed was some space from this format to reinvigorate himself.

Great Northern - Trading Twilight for Daylight
There is a part of me that feels like I should have something against this album because it is so slick and polished sounding, but it blows me away every time so I just don't care.

Daft Punk - Alive 2007
Daft Punk live with the concert experience of the last 2 years. 'nuff said.

Feist - The Reminder
Yes, you may be sick of 1234 from all the commercials but this entire album is full of great songwriting and performances.


Top Songs

Radiohead – Reckoner
From the first moment, I was hooked. This has become one of my favorite Radiohead tracks of all time

Burial – Archangel
alienating, heartbreaking, and captivating. takes the sound he hinted at in Unite from the Box of Dub compilation to another level altogether

J Tillman - When I Light Your Darkened Door
I could say the same about this as with Archangel. Feels like the other side of the same coin. This is desert island music to me.

Arbouretum - Pale Rider Blues
Post-apocalyptic folk/blues. This song grabs me and transports me somewhere else until it's done

Great Northern – Home
slick production that works for one of my favorite songs of the year, that I returned to again and again

Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
I Know, I know, but it is a good song that sticks in your head and won't get out

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - I Came to Hear the Music
The first song from this prolific songwriter that grabbed me and just wouldn't let go.

LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
I may not buy into all the hype surrounding this album, though it is growing on me with each listen, but this song deserves all the praise it can get.

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Little Monsters
From an album that just missed my top picks. This song takes the Air production and adds something to it to make it her own. Not as catchy as The Operation, but this will keep popping up on mixes I make for a long time to come

Dizzee Rascal - Sirens
Easily the top pick from the criminally overlooked third release from this MC. Great production, Great spittin' and an awesome video to boot.

Check This Out Pt. 2

All right, here is the second part of my year-end music wrap up--my top albums. Not necessarily in any order and I am sure there are many deserving albums missing, but these are the albums that I bought and couldn't stop listening to. It might skew a little more towards the second half of the year, but that's mainly due to my increased spending budget in the latter half of the year.

I would like to give a shout out to Datarock which unfortunately did not come out this year and thus could not be included.

and now the main event:

Wolfmother - Wolfmother
Just try to ignore the power of the Wolfmother. You can't. Period. Led Zep meets Rush in a Black Sabbath blender. All you other rock bands should bow down.

Juana Molina - Son
I find Juana Molina completely fascinating. At first her story isn't overly original, a TV actress decides to start releasing albums of original songs. You probably have an opinion just from hearing that, but this Argentinean former sitcom actress is producing some of the most original and breathtaking music around today. Singing in her native Spanish, she accompanies herself with acoustic guitar and electronic loops and samples. The end result can be ethereal and otherworldly.

Goldfrapp - Supernature
Do you own a TV? You've heard these songs from the beginning of the year through Target's holiday campaign practically every song has been licensed for a commercial, but even without that you would be tapping your toes to this incredible group of songs.

Thom Yorke - The Eraser
He won't call it a solo album, but this release from Thom Yorke shows a few things. First that he is an excellent songwriter and that Nigel Godrich's production is top notch and you can see the influence he has on the end result of the Radiohead releases. Second, even though he is an accomplished songwriter, this gives a sense of the collaboration that happens within Radiohead and the magic that results. Finally, that he is a master at creating a dark, paranoid atmosphere that keeps pulling you back for more.

Working For A Nuclear Free City - Working For A Nuclear Free City Read my previous post if you want to know more, but this album continues to transport me back to my post high school years and the whole Madchester scene and all it's related extensions.

TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
No one sounds like this. Period. After 3 years, TVOTR are still one of the freshest sounding bands around. They rock, they groove, they harmonize better than practically any band than I can remember. Buy this record

Barbara Morgenstern - The Grass is Always Greener
Again I have talked about this album previously, but Barbara Morgenstern continues to improve and become a more accomplished songwriter and producer as her discography grows.

Fujiya and Miyagi - Transparent Things
is it white boy funk? is it a neu revival? maybe it's both. a nice hybrid of influences that ends up sounding like more than the sum of its parts. A great album for the bus. It's just upbeat enough to keep me going but mellow enough to zone out and forget my day.

The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
Say what you will about Craig Finn's voice, but the Hold Steady are one of the most relevant bands out there. Stories of love, loss, and drug use that are as honest as you can get. Forget the after school specials and MADD, just make all the junior high kids listen to The Hold Steady.

Cat Power - The Greatest
what is it about memphis that brings our the best in so many musicians? after half a century the memphis sound is still a force to be reckoned with and combine that with Chan Marshall's real life issues's this past year and you have a classic album in the making.

Various Productions - The World Is Gone
what more can I say, read my previous review, but Various Productions take bits and pieces from multiple sources and create something that is unique and their own. dubstep, post-apocalyptic folk prepare for the masses to copy this in the 07.


[EDIT]

I cannot believe that I actually forgot one of my favorite records last year. Most likely because I put it away for a while because I had been listening to it so much that I didn't want to burn out on it as can sometimes happen with an album that you love. What is this fabulous album that I speak of? Oh No! Oh My!'s self-titled release. It's a great album full of poppy indie rock in the vein of CYHSY and some of the older E6 related releases. Similar to CYHSY it was self-released but you should be able to find it now at your local indie music store or on Amazon.

Check this out pt. 1

Oh the end of the year. The time when I discover all the fabulous music that I missed out on the rest of the year and learn where all my Christmas money is going. well that and a nice bottle of scotch.

So this year I decided to make a list, and check it twice, of my favorite singles and favorite records. Since I will in DC for the holidays I figured now would be a great time to get started, so without further ado, here is my list of my favorite singles of the year:

Justin Timberlake - Sexyback

Junior Boys - In The Morning

Barbara Morgenstern - The Operator

Kelis - Bossy

Presets - Girl and the Sea

Well after sitting and stewing about this list for several days, I have decided to give up at 5. I really am more of an album kind of person, and usually if I here a song I like I check out the whole album. However this list is mostly an exception, as I only own the Kelis and Barbara Morgenstern albums. Also say what you will but Sexyback may be the best damn single of the year in my opinion. So here you go