Best Albums of 2009
At our second annual Christmakwanzikah party the other day, my friend Ken proclaimed that the 00’s were the worst decade in music. I’m not sure if he’s right, I actually want him to be wrong, but it’s a very compelling argument. The 00’s had some great music. It’s just kind of hidden.
I figured I would look back at 2009 and come up with the best CDs that have come out within the year. This list makes me happy.
5 - The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
The Prodigy are always lumped in with Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers, but they are unique in the sense that they incorporate such an aggressive sound pallet yet remain melodic and interesting. Most songs on the album give the listener the sensation of being hit in the head repeatedly, but the songs also extend in other styles from funk (Stand Up) to rock (Run With the Wolves) and even ambient (Omen Reprise). Each track is exciting and unique.
As a side note, the best way to listen to this album is with the commentary tracks that come with the iTunes version. In the commentary, details like where the songs were written (The title track was written on a plane.) and how the song samples were culled are provided. I was disappointed that they didn’t bring up that World on Fire samples The Breeders’ Kelley Deal’s voice, but whatever. You win some, you lose some.
4 - St Vincent - Actor
St Vincent went on tour this year with one of my favorite bands, Pattern is Movement. In anticipation of the show, I picked up this album as homework. What is really great about this album is how different it sounds that anything else out there. Annie Clark’s voice soars over strange beats and distorted guitars, mixed with beautiful string sounds.
My favorite part of the album is the first track, which has a strange clicking sound that distinctly sounds like an engine cylinder going bad. In the song, she repeats the phrase “Paint a black hole blacker.” For months, I thought she was saying “Paint a black hole, black girl.”
3 - Backspacer - Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam had a few great albums in the 90’s, but recently, they have had their share of stinkers. Barring their countless live albums, Backspacer is arguably Pearl Jam’s first/only good album of the 00’s.
I read in an article that they spent extra time, this time around, writing the album before going in to the studio before recording it. Ironically, these tracks sound like it was written on the fly, but in a good way. They have been obsessed with sounding like The Ramones for a long time, but with this album they finally nailed it. The guitars sound pushed to the back, while Eddie Vedder and drummer Matt Cameron are right there in your face.
2 - Grand - Matt and Kim
Matt plays keyboards and sings, while Kim plays drums like a drum machine. It’s a very simple concept that works like a charm in this case. They’re so charming. From beginning to end, Grand builds upon itself, getting better and better. By track 6, Lessons Learned, the album achieves sonic bliss.
I had the honor of seeing them live at Street Scene 2009. Not only were they able to perfectly recreate songs from the album, they completely won over the crowd, including myself.
1 - The E.N.D. - Black Eyed Peas
Say what you want. The E.N.D. is nearly a perfect pop album.
I was never a fan of Black Eyed Peas. They used to play San Diego a lot, to the extent that I thought they were a local band. When they finally hit mainstream success, I wrote them off as one of those awful bands like the Foo Fighters and Dave Matthews Band, that are successful thanks to ignorant, Coors Light-fuelled college kids.
My opinion changed when I first heard Boom Boom Pow. I reluctantly picked up the entire album and did not stop listening to it all summer. Every song on the album is fun and seamlessly flows with the other songs. This is, of course, with the exception of “Now Generation”, which I like to pretend doesn’t exist.
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So, maybe there is hope for the 00’s. Time will tell. Honorable mention, by the way:
Flaming Lips - Dark Side of the Moon
Yes. Listen to it now!
Coming soon: A journal entry that is fun, light and well written.
I figured I would look back at 2009 and come up with the best CDs that have come out within the year. This list makes me happy.
5 - The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
The Prodigy are always lumped in with Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers, but they are unique in the sense that they incorporate such an aggressive sound pallet yet remain melodic and interesting. Most songs on the album give the listener the sensation of being hit in the head repeatedly, but the songs also extend in other styles from funk (Stand Up) to rock (Run With the Wolves) and even ambient (Omen Reprise). Each track is exciting and unique.
As a side note, the best way to listen to this album is with the commentary tracks that come with the iTunes version. In the commentary, details like where the songs were written (The title track was written on a plane.) and how the song samples were culled are provided. I was disappointed that they didn’t bring up that World on Fire samples The Breeders’ Kelley Deal’s voice, but whatever. You win some, you lose some.
4 - St Vincent - Actor
St Vincent went on tour this year with one of my favorite bands, Pattern is Movement. In anticipation of the show, I picked up this album as homework. What is really great about this album is how different it sounds that anything else out there. Annie Clark’s voice soars over strange beats and distorted guitars, mixed with beautiful string sounds.
My favorite part of the album is the first track, which has a strange clicking sound that distinctly sounds like an engine cylinder going bad. In the song, she repeats the phrase “Paint a black hole blacker.” For months, I thought she was saying “Paint a black hole, black girl.”
3 - Backspacer - Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam had a few great albums in the 90’s, but recently, they have had their share of stinkers. Barring their countless live albums, Backspacer is arguably Pearl Jam’s first/only good album of the 00’s.
I read in an article that they spent extra time, this time around, writing the album before going in to the studio before recording it. Ironically, these tracks sound like it was written on the fly, but in a good way. They have been obsessed with sounding like The Ramones for a long time, but with this album they finally nailed it. The guitars sound pushed to the back, while Eddie Vedder and drummer Matt Cameron are right there in your face.
2 - Grand - Matt and Kim
Matt plays keyboards and sings, while Kim plays drums like a drum machine. It’s a very simple concept that works like a charm in this case. They’re so charming. From beginning to end, Grand builds upon itself, getting better and better. By track 6, Lessons Learned, the album achieves sonic bliss.
I had the honor of seeing them live at Street Scene 2009. Not only were they able to perfectly recreate songs from the album, they completely won over the crowd, including myself.
1 - The E.N.D. - Black Eyed Peas
Say what you want. The E.N.D. is nearly a perfect pop album.
I was never a fan of Black Eyed Peas. They used to play San Diego a lot, to the extent that I thought they were a local band. When they finally hit mainstream success, I wrote them off as one of those awful bands like the Foo Fighters and Dave Matthews Band, that are successful thanks to ignorant, Coors Light-fuelled college kids.
My opinion changed when I first heard Boom Boom Pow. I reluctantly picked up the entire album and did not stop listening to it all summer. Every song on the album is fun and seamlessly flows with the other songs. This is, of course, with the exception of “Now Generation”, which I like to pretend doesn’t exist.
---
So, maybe there is hope for the 00’s. Time will tell. Honorable mention, by the way:
Flaming Lips - Dark Side of the Moon
Yes. Listen to it now!
Coming soon: A journal entry that is fun, light and well written.