Best of 2009: Dave's 111 Most Enjoyed Songs, Part Two

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Dec 312009

Here is installment two. I’m not expounding just why I like all of these in order to get my list done and not have you sift through a novel to get a few songs. I already know that I forgot tunes from at least one band (whose album is actually in this picture) so this list is likely a worthless exercise, but here it continues nonetheless.

66. The Decemberists – The Rake’s Song
65. Ladyhawke – My Delirium
64. Darwin Deez – Radar Detector
63. Andrew Bird – Anonanimal
62. Au Revoir Simone – Another Likely Story
61. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Edmonton
60. Cut Off Your Hands – Turn Cold
59. Sea Wolf – Wicked Blood
58. Mason Proper – Safe For The Time Being
57. The Rest – Walk on Water (Auspicious Beginnings)
56. Dan Deacon – Snookered
55. Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension
54. Doves – Kingdom of Rust
53. Brazos – Day Glo
52. Dirty Projectors – No Intention
51. Bon Iver – Brackett, WI
50. Bombay Bicycle Club – What If
49. Bat For Lashes – Daniel
48. Volcano Choir – Island, IS
47. Miike Snow – Animal
46. Mew – Hawaii
45. Kid Cudi – Soundtrack 2 My Life
44. Mean Creek – Strange Man
43. Amazing Baby – Head Dress
42. The Antlers – Kettering
41. The Lovely Feathers – Lowiza
40. Death Cab For Cutie – My Mirror Speaks
39. La Roux – Bulletproof
38. Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over
37. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Young Adult Friction
36. Dirty Projectors – Useful Chamber
35. Annuals – Sore

Once again, I’m not listing each album so just go here to Amazon.

Posted by Dave at 10:21 am Tagged with:

Best of 2009: Dave's 111 Most Enjoyed Songs, Part One

Music View Comments
Dec 302009

This list is mostly just self indulgent. In compiling it, I didn’t quite go the route of listing the songs with the highest play counts in iTunes, since the work I put in during the earlier part of this year was lost due to my well documented hard drive crash. It is also unlike a usual best-of list in that I’ve listed songs that I came to enjoy during 2009, regardless of which year the songs may have been released in. These may not be the best songs but were all enjoyed at various points of my year. I tried to limit using the same band multiple times because I probably could have included, in their entirety, several of my top albums of the year.  Alas, I’m sure I’ve forgotten multiple songs and this list would probably be completely different if I completed it any other time. Oh well, this has, as I said, been created mainly for my own selfish reasons. And I already wish I had ranked things differently.

Oh, and I’m not going to link to each album so if you want to get anything just go to Amazon to purchase away.

111. Micachu & The Shapes – Calculator
110. Elizabeth & The Catapult – Taller Children
109. Riverboat Gamblers – A Choppy, Yet Sincere Apology
108. An Horse – Postcards
107. Jemina Pearl – Undesirable
106. Field – The More That I Do
105. Lily Allen – The Fear
104. Company Of Thieves – Oscar Wilde
103. Feist + Ben Gibbard – Train Song
102. Maxïmo Park – The Kids Are Sick Again
101. St. Vincent – The Party
100. The Sounds – No One Sleeps When I’m Awake
99. MSTRKRFT – Heartbreaker
98. N.A.S.A. – Gifted (Feat. Kanye West, Santogold & Lykke Li)
97. Major Lazer – Keep It Goin’ Louder (ft. Nina Sky & Ricky Blaze)
96. Metric – Help I’m Alive
95. M. Ward – Rave On (Featuring Zooey Deschanel)
94. Andrew Bird – Fitz and the Dizzyspells
93. Throw Me The Statue – Waving At The Shore
92. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
91. Grizzly Bear + Feist – Service Bell
90. Tegan & Sara – Hell
89. Wild Light – California On My Mind
88. Cymbals Eat Guitars – …And The Hazy Sea
87. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home
86. The Dodos – Troll Nacht
85. Cass McCombs – You Saved My Life
84. Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man
83. The xx – Infinity
82. The Veils – The Letter
81. Wilco – One Wing
80. White Denim – Regina Holding Hands
79. Wavves – Cool Jumper
78. Washed Out – Lately
77. Trailer Trash Tracy’s – Candy Girl
76. Silversun Pickups – Substitution
75. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Frank, AB
74. The Rest – Sheep In Wolves’ Clothing
73. Photons – Glory!
72. The Peekers – Your Morning Toast
71. Kid Cudi – Up Up & Away
70. Ganglians – Valient Brave
69. Grizzly Bear – Slow Life (Feat. Victoria Legrand)
68. Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move
67. The Limousines – Very Busy People

Posted by Dave at 11:46 am

Aren't All Caves Cold?

Music View Comments
Dec 292009

Later today I plan on getting at least the first installment of my favorite songs of 2009 out. But I have some running around to do today and it’s not ready. So here is a post I drafted way before our albums countdown began. It’s probably been written about a ton since then and I think featured in a commercial, but anyways I liked it then and still do now, so it’s worth it.

Cold Cave – Life Magazine (mp3) from Love Comes Close

Posted by Dave at 10:03 am Tagged with:

Best of 2009: EPs and Singles, Part 3

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Dec 282009

To finish up our brief look at what we think were the best EPs from this past year, we’ve got four of ‘em.  I had originally planned on three, but I forgot about one of my favorites.  I won’t tell you which I left off of my original list.

Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer

Previously sold exclusively at their shows, Blitzen Trapper’s Black River Killer EP is an extension of their 2008 release Furr.  At just over 17 minutes for 7 songs, it’s a quick showcase of what Blitzen Trapper does best – their unique, Northwestern take on indie-folk.  Black River Killer will further endear them to previous fans, while offering enough to reel in new ones as well.

Blitzen Trapper – Big Black Bird (mp3) from Black River Killer EP

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Higher Than the Stars

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s Higher Than the Stars EP is a nice companion to their acclaimed self-titled debut that came out earlier in the year.  Their shoegaze influenced twee-pop is as affecting as here as on their debut, but it doesn’t expand anything in a new direction.  Their formula works well, and with the 4 remixes tacked onto the end of the EP, it shows that even if it’s reorganized, it’s still just as good.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Falling Over (mp3) from Higher Than the Stars EP

Bon Iver – Blood Bank

Three of the four songs on Bon Iver’s January EP Blood Bank were written for his now-epic (and two years old) For Emma, Forever Ago.  Not included because they didn’t fit thematically, they work here as their own separate entity.  Aching and melodic, Blood Bank is a stellar look at where Bon Iver has already been with his last release, and where he could very well go with his next.

Bon Iver – Woods (mp3) from Blood Bank EP

The Static Jacks – Laces

We found out about The Static Jacks after discovering Amie Street in May.  They were our first giveaway on the blog, and their September EP Laces showed marked improvement over their previous EPs.  Gone are the rough edges while their testosterone-fueled and handclaps version of garage rock is retained.  It’s upbeat, confident, and shows off a band ready to own their piece of stardom.

The Static Jacks – My Parents Lied (mp3) from Laces EP

Posted by Andy at 10:00 am Tagged with: , , , ,

Best of 2009: EPs and Singles, Part 2

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Dec 272009

Today we continue our look at some of our favorite EPs from the past year; we’ve got one more of these set for tomorrow as well.

Animal Collective – Fall Be Kind

As if 2009 wasn’t busy enough for AnCo, their Fall Be Kind EP was released at the end of November.  (The EP, interestingly, contains the first licensed sample of The Grateful Dead on “What Would I Want? Sky.”)  It’s signature Animal Collective – space-y, psychedelic rock that’s cementing them a place at laser light shows across the nation twenty years from now when our kids are getting stoned.

Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky (mp3) from Fall Be Kind EP EP

Death Cab for Cutie – The Open Door

Since their move away from Barsuk, reviews of Death Cab’s material has gone steadily downward.  It may just be coincidental, but the indie goodwill they’d built up prior seems to have been waning.  With The Open Door, the band released a few of the tracks from the Narrow Stairs sessions.  A little less produced and polished than what ended up making the cut for that album, the songs sound much better.

Death Cab for Cutie – My Mirror Speaks (mp3) from The Open Door EP

Josh Rouse – Valencia

After a quiet couple of years, Josh Rouse took the unconventional route with his recent Valencia EP.  Comprised of the leftovers from his forthcoming LP, Valencia is an excellent pre-cursor to what should be an excellent album.  It’s upbeat, influenced by his current residency in Spain, and warms up the long winter nights with hints of the impending spring.

Josh Rouse – Easy Street (mp3) from Valencia EP

Posted by Andy at 10:00 am Tagged with: , , ,

Best of 2009: EPs and Singles, Part 1

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Dec 262009

With the countdown of our favorite LPs of 2009 probably having gone on a bit too long (we’ll refine things for next year), we’re going to do a couple of posts about our favorite EPs and singles of the year as well.  Nothing as in depth as what we just finished up, we promise, but we’ll probably go three posts just to break things up a bit.  No rankings on these, just some music that didn’t fall under the long player format that is worth your time.

The Radio Dept. – David [Single]

Not having listened to The Radio Dept., I was surprised to learn that the Swedish group has been together for nearly 15 years – since this single seems especially relevant to the music that’s been recently released.  “David” is a slow-burning track, looping drums and strings around understated vocals, but the remix by The Rice Twins stands out.  The entire 4-song single shimmers, and it went particularly well with the longer summer days.

The Radio Dept. – David (mp3) from David [Single]

Washed Out – Life of Leisure

Whatever genre you want to place Washed Out in – chillcore, electro-chill (anything chill, really) – their Life of Leisure EP captured something particularly coastal.  The EP ebbs and flows along simply, washing itself over you, feeling like a sun-bleached beach scene.

Washed Out – Get Up (mp3) from Life of Leisure EP

Small Black – Small Black

In the same musical vein as Washed Out, Small Black actually has a remix of their Small Black EP track “Despicable Dogs” done by Washed Out.  As a whole, the EP sounds a little less polished, with a little more edge than their counterparts, but their glitch-y take on the electronica that has come before them this year is equally viable and impressive.

Small Black – Bad Lover (mp3) from Small Black EP

Posted by Andy at 10:00 am Tagged with: , , ,

Best of 2009: #1

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Dec 252009

1. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
Andy : 2 :: Dave : 1

I’ve had several days to prepare this, but of course delayed more than I should have. No matter, I hope all those who celebrate Christmas have a great day, and for all those who celebrate something else or don’t celebrate anything in particular, you can have a great day too.

–

Perhaps our ranking guise was misdirected. Andy and I each ranked our forty favorite albums and gave them a corresponding point total of one to forty, with our top album obviously getting the most points and then descending downward from there. We timed it out so that the reveal of our top record would happen on Christmas Day. Coincidentally or not, my favorite album of the year weighted out to be Tympanogram’s best of the year. And for this I am most grateful.

The odd thing is that before this record I may not have been so pleased with this result. You see, I disliked Grizzly Bear before Veckatimest. Where my animosity to the band derived from I am not completely certain. I have faint recollections of seeing an interview with the band followed by a music video and I recall disliking the impression the band members gave off during this interview. Perhaps I didn’t enjoy the accompanying song and video due to that fact. My disinclination to consume Grizzly Bear’s music likely compounded thereafter out of some ill conceived prejudice. That is, until I heard the majesty of ‘Two Weeks.’

Upon hearing the song the first time I knew immediately it would be one of my all time favorite songs. I can’t quite explain sufficiently just what it is that I love so much about it, but love it, I do. The fact that you could make the case for several others songs on the album being just as good or better, speaks to the talent and precision of this band at work.

Oftentimes to me, bands that focus almost entirely on production tend to lose the element of soul within their music. A rawness of talent and emotion make for the best music, and production removes or masks that in many band’s efforts. Grizzly Bear’s talent and emotion present on Veckatimest is not lost and in fact amplified, most likely because you can feel this immensely talented band perfecting their work instead of masking some deficiency.

There is a reason that Veckatimest is my number one album of the year. It has changed my perception of not only Grizzly Bear’s music, but music in general.

Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

Grizzly Bear – Ready, Able

Both songs from Veckatimest

Posted by Dave at 11:10 am Tagged with: ,

Best of 2009: #2

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Dec 242009

2. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Andy : 1 :: Dave : 5

Throughout this countdown, Dave and I tried to break the writing up equally – generally along the lines of who ranked the specific album higher on his list.  Today is my Number One album of 2009, so I’ll treat it as such.  Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca was so entirely ahead of every other album released in 2009 to me that I’ve had it in as my Number One since its release in June.

Not having listened to Dirty Projectors in any significant capacity prior to this release, I have the unique position of being able to judge an album without tethering it to anything that the band has released previously.  Even in other reviews, Bitte Orca seems to be referred to as the fulfillment of the promise that has always been Dirty Projectors.  Everything has come together seamlessly.  The band’s avant-garde rock is an absolute revelation here.

At its most grandiose moments, the album still feels as though it’s going to expand further.  Not unlike a recipe you know by heart, the band adds ingredients liberally, switches things out in order to test others, and the results are just as impressive to ingest.  The album expands, swells, fades and contracts.  It defies categorization and convention from the outset – the stunning “Cannibal Resource” – and from there it refuses to relent.

When I really started listening to the lyrics, I thought “Two Doves” was a paraphrase of Song of Solomon.  (Two Bible references in two days?)  It’s not, but despite that, Bitte Orca is, in the end, a glimpse of something almost divine in a world where attaining mere secular status is becoming more and more difficult to come by.  It is remarkable.

Dirty Projectors – Temecula Sunrise (mp3)

Dirty Projectors – No Intention (mp3)

(Both songs from Bitte Orca)

Posted by Andy at 9:00 am Tagged with: ,

Best of 2009: #3

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Dec 232009

3. White Denim – Fits
Andy : 3 :: Dave : 8

There’s a steady buzz just underneath the surface of White Denim’s Fits.  It occasionally works its way to the forefront – but only for a moment – only to be hidden again by the amalgam of instrumentation, vocals, noise.  It’s a crackle that provides an apt foundation for that which is built on it.  The acid blues dwelling that White Denim has built for itself is truly becoming – on this, their third full-length – something to behold.

Fading in at the outset of Fits is “Radio Milk How Can You Stand It” – a bipolar track that showcases the band’s need and ability to completely shift gears at a moment’s notice – here from searing psychedelica to a near danceable funk.  From there, the multi-genre album moves fluidly, never staying comfortable in one skin for too long.

King Solomon may have been right on a moral basis when he wrote that “there is nothing new under the sun,” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) but musically, White Denim feels like they are onto something new by combining the familiar in atypical ways.  In an age where desensitization to most anything has become the new standard, the ability to impress is almost a lost art.  On Fits, White Denim are – in their own way – something akin to revivalists.

White Denim – Say What You Want (mp3)

White Denim – Paint Yourself (mp3)

(Both songs from Fits, which, by the way, is currently $5. You should buy it.)

Posted by Andy at 9:00 am Tagged with: ,

Best of 2009: #4

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Dec 222009

4. Girls – Album
Andy : 4 :: Dave : 9

While listening to Girls’ debut  - Album – to write up this review, I first wrote out sentences in an attempt to draw out of me exactly what I thought the album sounded like.  Somewhere in the midst of adjectives like “sun-bleached” and “updated” and “tragic,” I came up with the following sentence:

“Tingling, smart indie-rock, filled up intermittently with hand claps, breathless harmonica and failed relationships.”

The trouble is, that could describe any number of albums released in 2009 – not to mention a ridiculously large swath of the albums that comprise popular music.  But despite Album‘s close relation to all that’s come before it, there’s a timeless nature to it; it immediately calls to mind the best, most upbeat and likable parts of The Beach Boys and Elvis Costello.  But the dour outlook that runs through the entire album is decidedly current, and the contrast between the music and the tone of the lyrics makes for a fascinating result.

Any discussion surrounding Girls inevitably drifts to the fact that lead singer Christopher Owen was a part of the Children of God cult up until he was 16, and how much of the art he currently creates was influenced by that time.  It’s interesting to consider; was his art borne because of the repressive nature of the cult, or did it blossom in spite of it?  I don’t have an answer to that, and I suppose that it ultimately doesn’t matter – because either way, Album is a remarkable effort.

Girls – Big Bad Mean Motherfucker (mp3)

Girls – Summertime (mp3)

(Both songs from Album)

Posted by Andy at 9:00 am Tagged with: ,
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