Damn right I did. :lol:
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The Best albums for 2009, thus far
- Thread starter nwee
- Start date
Damn right I did. :lol:
nwee
Member
of Porcupine tree & other releases
hello libri vermis,
Porcupine tree registers in at No.8 ( of the 14 albums I've listened to so far).
7- depeche mode
8- porcupine tree
9- mark knopfler
I like the second CD in particular. Possibly because it's because it is more consistent. The Tool reminiscent circle of manias is pretty awesome. I don't know whether it is just me, or the music, but the first CD gave an impression of what great music they can deliver, but are just shy of that in this particular case.
Came across few more releases that interested me:
The eternal - Sonic Youth (pretty impressive music, if one doesn't mind the vocals that much, that is)
mind control (acoustic) -stephen marley
kingdom of rust - doves
I found some of the tracks in the Wilco album pretty great (e.g. bull black nova, I'll fight) , but as an album I felt it was a shade bit watery. I found the Phish album also, well, very Phish like, and nothing great. At this juncture I have a doubt whether any other album would be able to challenge "The Groo Grux King"
Also thinking of giving Muse an listening ear. I will never finish the twenty odd albums at least before end January at this rate
hello libri vermis,
Porcupine tree registers in at No.8 ( of the 14 albums I've listened to so far).
7- depeche mode
8- porcupine tree
9- mark knopfler
I like the second CD in particular. Possibly because it's because it is more consistent. The Tool reminiscent circle of manias is pretty awesome. I don't know whether it is just me, or the music, but the first CD gave an impression of what great music they can deliver, but are just shy of that in this particular case.
Came across few more releases that interested me:
The eternal - Sonic Youth (pretty impressive music, if one doesn't mind the vocals that much, that is)
mind control (acoustic) -stephen marley
kingdom of rust - doves
I found some of the tracks in the Wilco album pretty great (e.g. bull black nova, I'll fight) , but as an album I felt it was a shade bit watery. I found the Phish album also, well, very Phish like, and nothing great. At this juncture I have a doubt whether any other album would be able to challenge "The Groo Grux King"
Also thinking of giving Muse an listening ear. I will never finish the twenty odd albums at least before end January at this rate
nwee
Member
20, with 4 to go
I still have to check out Alice in Chains, Muse, Gov't Mule & Doves. But the other albums according to my preference for 2009 are:
1- Big Whiskey & the Groo Grux King (Dave Matthews Band)
2- Before the frost/until the freeze (Black Crowes)
3- Backspacer (Pearl jam)
4-Save me San Francisco (Train)
5- 21st Century Breakdown (Greenday)
6- Mind Control Acoustic (Stephen Marley)
7- The Fall (Norah Jones)
8- Raditude - Weezer
9- Working on a dream (Bruce Springsteen)
10- Draw the line (David Gray)
11- Sounds from the Universe (Depeche Mode)
12- The Incident (Porcupine Tree),
with Mark Knopfler, Barbara Streisand, U2, Tori Amos, Phish, John Mayers, Bob Dylan & Duncan Sheik being (13-20)
I still have to check out Alice in Chains, Muse, Gov't Mule & Doves. But the other albums according to my preference for 2009 are:
1- Big Whiskey & the Groo Grux King (Dave Matthews Band)
2- Before the frost/until the freeze (Black Crowes)
3- Backspacer (Pearl jam)
4-Save me San Francisco (Train)
5- 21st Century Breakdown (Greenday)
6- Mind Control Acoustic (Stephen Marley)
7- The Fall (Norah Jones)
8- Raditude - Weezer
9- Working on a dream (Bruce Springsteen)
10- Draw the line (David Gray)
11- Sounds from the Universe (Depeche Mode)
12- The Incident (Porcupine Tree),
with Mark Knopfler, Barbara Streisand, U2, Tori Amos, Phish, John Mayers, Bob Dylan & Duncan Sheik being (13-20)
beer good
Well-Known Member
I bought ridiculously few new albums this year. Maybe I'm getting old. But here's 10 (OK, 17) 2009 releases I really liked in no particular order:
Dave Rawlings Machine – Friend Of A Friend
The 00's began with Ryan Adams' solo debut Heartbreaker, and Ryan and producer/guitarist/songwriter DaveRawlings having an in-studio argument before kicking up the Highway 61 Revisited-esque "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)". So after 10 years as a sideman – most notably to his partner Gillian Welch – the 00's end with Dave Rawlings making his solo debut, and of course he includes a take on "To Be Young" that sounds more 1950 than 1965. There's the post-postmodern decade for you. Anyway, if you like roots country rock in general and Gillian Welch's stuff in particular you might just call this album of the year, and you'll get no argument from me.
Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs
Condo Fucks - Fuckbook
Very few artists get away with releasing two albums in one year, even if one of them is a cover album. Dylan is one (barely). Yo La Tengo is another. Popular Songs, once again, finds them playing around with genres and sneaky pop hooks from 60s soul to 90s noise and beyond – not quite their best, but it's funny how much it sounds like a "Best of" in slightly different clothes. And before that, they put out Fuckbook which is just the three of them mangling through 30 minutes' worth of semi-obscure old favourites like the garage band they always wanted to be. Lots of fun.
Bob Dylan – Together Through Life
Bob Dylan – Christmas In The Heart
For the first time in over 20 years, Dylan is productive enough to release two albums. And let's face it, neither is among his very best. But Together is a nice album nonetheless – possibly his kindest album of love songs ever, even though as usual there's plenty of darkness lurking in the corners. And Christmas In The Heart is so utterly bizarre you find yourself wondering if maybe he's been serious all along when he's claimed to never be anything but an entertainer; after all, if Johnny Cash and Elvis gets to put out Christmas albums, why not Dylan?
Antony And The Johnsons – The Crying Light
I need another world, this one's almost gone, sings Antony on his third album, and then proceeds to build it, operatic vocals over music that's both stately and intimate. And while it's not quite the knock-out that I Am A Bird was, songs like "Daylight And The Sun" still pack all the drama.
Jenny Wilson – Hardships!
Why this woman doesn't have an international career at least as successful as her friend Karin Dreijer in The Knife is beyond me. The former First Floor Power frontwoman (their Jenny-less comeback album was a bit of a disappointment) continues to piece together oddly angled, gloomy, yet somehow irresistable soul pop.
Fever Ray – Fever Ray
Speaking of Karin Dreijer, Fever Ray was a hell of an album. And I mean that literally. If you thought The Knife's last album was dark, it's nothing compared to this. It's a bit like being sucked into a tar pit. With beats and hooks.
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
OK, so technically this came out last year, but I picked up the 2CD version that came out this year. And while I'm not too impressed with the Nu-Beach Boys wave in general, the Fleet Foxes have that breezy harmony pop thing down to an artform.
**** Buttons – Tarot Sport
Yes, they've been hyped to hell, and they deserve it. The logical link between fuzzed-out shoegaze and electronic dance music, with just a hint of 70s jazz sprinkled on top. Blasts your head clean, and when you come to again, you'll find you're dancing.
Comeback of the year that means nothing to anyone here:
Perssons Pack – Öster om Heden
Per Persson, the possibly greatest songwriter to come out of the Swedish countryside in the 80s – think The Pogues with more accordion - returns with an album that picks up right where he left off before disappearing in the early 90s. Saw them at a festival this summer and realised that not ONE person under 25 had a clue who they were. Kids, huh?
Four albums by favourite artists which I've, for various reasons, not given the chance they probably deserve:
Sonic Youth – The Eternal
Neil Young – Fork In The Road
Flaming Lips – Embryonic
John Parish & PJ Harvey – A Woman A Man Walked By
Archive releases:
Neil Young – Archives Vol 1: 1963-1972
We've been waiting 20 years for this box set. And no, it's not quite the revelation it might have been; padded with album tracks everyone already had, and if you've already collected the bootlegs, you've heard a lot of the "new" stuff too. Nevertheless, this is the first masterful period of one of my favourite songwriters, it's never sounded this good, and there's plenty here that I wouldn't want to be without.
The Vaselines – Enter The Vaselines
I actually got to see them on their reunion tour last year. Lots of fun. The Vaselines only ever recorded enough material for one album, so their collected recordings including live performances, demos and everything fits on one double CD. And it's one double CD of the most gloriously demented and naive punk-pop Scotland ever saw.
Dave Rawlings Machine – Friend Of A Friend
The 00's began with Ryan Adams' solo debut Heartbreaker, and Ryan and producer/guitarist/songwriter DaveRawlings having an in-studio argument before kicking up the Highway 61 Revisited-esque "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)". So after 10 years as a sideman – most notably to his partner Gillian Welch – the 00's end with Dave Rawlings making his solo debut, and of course he includes a take on "To Be Young" that sounds more 1950 than 1965. There's the post-postmodern decade for you. Anyway, if you like roots country rock in general and Gillian Welch's stuff in particular you might just call this album of the year, and you'll get no argument from me.
Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs
Condo Fucks - Fuckbook
Very few artists get away with releasing two albums in one year, even if one of them is a cover album. Dylan is one (barely). Yo La Tengo is another. Popular Songs, once again, finds them playing around with genres and sneaky pop hooks from 60s soul to 90s noise and beyond – not quite their best, but it's funny how much it sounds like a "Best of" in slightly different clothes. And before that, they put out Fuckbook which is just the three of them mangling through 30 minutes' worth of semi-obscure old favourites like the garage band they always wanted to be. Lots of fun.
Bob Dylan – Together Through Life
Bob Dylan – Christmas In The Heart
For the first time in over 20 years, Dylan is productive enough to release two albums. And let's face it, neither is among his very best. But Together is a nice album nonetheless – possibly his kindest album of love songs ever, even though as usual there's plenty of darkness lurking in the corners. And Christmas In The Heart is so utterly bizarre you find yourself wondering if maybe he's been serious all along when he's claimed to never be anything but an entertainer; after all, if Johnny Cash and Elvis gets to put out Christmas albums, why not Dylan?
Antony And The Johnsons – The Crying Light
I need another world, this one's almost gone, sings Antony on his third album, and then proceeds to build it, operatic vocals over music that's both stately and intimate. And while it's not quite the knock-out that I Am A Bird was, songs like "Daylight And The Sun" still pack all the drama.
Jenny Wilson – Hardships!
Why this woman doesn't have an international career at least as successful as her friend Karin Dreijer in The Knife is beyond me. The former First Floor Power frontwoman (their Jenny-less comeback album was a bit of a disappointment) continues to piece together oddly angled, gloomy, yet somehow irresistable soul pop.
Fever Ray – Fever Ray
Speaking of Karin Dreijer, Fever Ray was a hell of an album. And I mean that literally. If you thought The Knife's last album was dark, it's nothing compared to this. It's a bit like being sucked into a tar pit. With beats and hooks.
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
OK, so technically this came out last year, but I picked up the 2CD version that came out this year. And while I'm not too impressed with the Nu-Beach Boys wave in general, the Fleet Foxes have that breezy harmony pop thing down to an artform.
**** Buttons – Tarot Sport
Yes, they've been hyped to hell, and they deserve it. The logical link between fuzzed-out shoegaze and electronic dance music, with just a hint of 70s jazz sprinkled on top. Blasts your head clean, and when you come to again, you'll find you're dancing.
Comeback of the year that means nothing to anyone here:
Perssons Pack – Öster om Heden
Per Persson, the possibly greatest songwriter to come out of the Swedish countryside in the 80s – think The Pogues with more accordion - returns with an album that picks up right where he left off before disappearing in the early 90s. Saw them at a festival this summer and realised that not ONE person under 25 had a clue who they were. Kids, huh?
Four albums by favourite artists which I've, for various reasons, not given the chance they probably deserve:
Sonic Youth – The Eternal
Neil Young – Fork In The Road
Flaming Lips – Embryonic
John Parish & PJ Harvey – A Woman A Man Walked By
Archive releases:
Neil Young – Archives Vol 1: 1963-1972
We've been waiting 20 years for this box set. And no, it's not quite the revelation it might have been; padded with album tracks everyone already had, and if you've already collected the bootlegs, you've heard a lot of the "new" stuff too. Nevertheless, this is the first masterful period of one of my favourite songwriters, it's never sounded this good, and there's plenty here that I wouldn't want to be without.
The Vaselines – Enter The Vaselines
I actually got to see them on their reunion tour last year. Lots of fun. The Vaselines only ever recorded enough material for one album, so their collected recordings including live performances, demos and everything fits on one double CD. And it's one double CD of the most gloriously demented and naive punk-pop Scotland ever saw.
nwee
Member
...and the winner is Dave Matthews Band
The Top albums for 2009:
1- Big Whiskey & the Groo Grux King (Dave Matthews Band)
2- Before the frost/until the freeze (Black Crowes)
3- Backspacer (Pearl jam)
4- Save me San Francisco (Train)
5- 21st Century Breakdown (Greenday)
6- Mind Control Acoustic (Stephen Marley)
7- The Fall (Norah Jones)
8- Blacks gives way to Blue (Alice in Chains)
9- Raditude (Weezer)
10- Kingdom of Rust (Doves)
11- Working on a dream (Bruce Springsteen)
12- The Resistance (Muse)
13- Draw the line (David Gray)
14- Sounds from the Universe (Depeche Mode)
15- The Incident (Porcupine Tree)
16- Get Lucky (Mark Knopfler)
17- Love is the Answer (Barbara Streisand)
18- No Line on the Horizon (u2)
19- Abnormally attracted to Sin (Tori Amos)
20- Joy (Phish)
21- Battle Studies (John Mayers)
22- By a thread (Gov't Mule)
23- Together through Life (Bob Dylan)
24- Whisper House (Duncan Sheik)
The Top albums for 2009:
1- Big Whiskey & the Groo Grux King (Dave Matthews Band)
2- Before the frost/until the freeze (Black Crowes)
3- Backspacer (Pearl jam)
4- Save me San Francisco (Train)
5- 21st Century Breakdown (Greenday)
6- Mind Control Acoustic (Stephen Marley)
7- The Fall (Norah Jones)
8- Blacks gives way to Blue (Alice in Chains)
9- Raditude (Weezer)
10- Kingdom of Rust (Doves)
11- Working on a dream (Bruce Springsteen)
12- The Resistance (Muse)
13- Draw the line (David Gray)
14- Sounds from the Universe (Depeche Mode)
15- The Incident (Porcupine Tree)
16- Get Lucky (Mark Knopfler)
17- Love is the Answer (Barbara Streisand)
18- No Line on the Horizon (u2)
19- Abnormally attracted to Sin (Tori Amos)
20- Joy (Phish)
21- Battle Studies (John Mayers)
22- By a thread (Gov't Mule)
23- Together through Life (Bob Dylan)
24- Whisper House (Duncan Sheik)
Occlith
Well-Known Member
At long last I have listened to No Line on the Horizon a couple weeks ago and I liked.
Magnificent, FEZ Being Born, Cedars of Lebanon, were the stand out tracks for me. Also liked White as Snow and I'll Go Crazy - they got more likable with repeated listening. Moment of Surrender could of been a great if wasn't sung with a tired voice. Love the line in Breathe about "Coming from a long line of travelling sales people on my mother's side"- personalizing an otherwise ambiguous tune.