The Best (And Worst) Of 2009 In Music - Part 1
A new year is upon us, and that can only mean one thing. I'm a little late on my annual best-of list. Today's installment will be those albums not included in my top 30, for one reason or another.
Biggest Disappointments of 2009
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
How do you follow up a wonderfully ambitious concept album that was equal parts progressive rock, folk, and power pop? If you're Colin Meloy and company, you release a mostly hookless snoozefest like this one. It feels like a struggle to finish the entire album, and once it ends you've forgotten pretty much everything except for the phrase that gives it its title, and that's most likely because it is repeated in no less than four different movements. Let's hope the guys regroup, put away their Jethro Tull records, and remember how to write songs.
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
This album got a lot of hype from critics and fans alike, so as a Lips fan myself I was pretty excited. Instead of the creative experimental pop album I was promised, what I was treated to was an exercise in window dressing. There are lots of neat sounds and innovative production touches, and a lot of this album sounds really great. But the songwriting is horrible, especially coming from the same band that gave us Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. If you like the weird noise and ear candy of their early albums, yet want none of the melodic sense and insane catchiness of their last few albums, this could be the disc for you.
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
There seemed to be a new trend in 2009 - A band of otherwise capable and talented indie kids cranks up the quirkiness of their music at the expense of doing anything with substance, and is hailed as The Best Damn Thing by Pitchfork and music snobs everywhere. Like the two aforementioned releases, Mr. Bear could do well to lay off their weirdness and just concentrate on writing solid songs with strong melodic hooks.
The Appleseed Cast - Sagarmatha
So what exactly does "Sagarmatha" mean? I think perhaps it's Sanskrit for "horrible production." The goal of producing an album is to make it sound good, correct? I think about four words on the entire disc were intelligible, and all too frequently the instruments didn't sound too hot either. The end product is an album where every song bleeds into the next, and absolutely nothing stands out and grabs your attention. I expected better from these guys.
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
There's a fine line between getting back to your roots and painting by numbers. My best guess is that Pearl Jam decided to backspace over anything that made their previous albums stand out and leave behind only that which is readily identifiable as "vintage" Pearl Jam. Take the challenge - close your eyes and try to tell the songs on this album apart from previous Pearl Jam hits. I dare you.
The Yawn Award - These albums aren't necessarily bad, they just didn't hold my interest for very long for one reason or another.
Derek Webb - Stockholm Syndrome
I'm a pretty big Webb fan. The publicity stunt that led to the release of this album had me glued to my computer to see what would happen next. Upon first listen I really liked the album. But over repeated listens it just got more and more boring. Webb's lyrics aren't up to his usual standards, and the music here is a mixed bag. A few songs, like "Jena and Jimmy," rank among the best he's ever done. A handful are cringe worthy. But once the novelty of the new sound wears off, you're left with a bunch of music that just isn't that interesting.
Owl City - Ocean Eyes
Emo kids everywhere were taken aback by the catchy pop sounds of Owl City. Little did they know that it had all been done before, with much better lyrics and production, by a band that came out when they were in fourth grade called The Postal Service. There's nothing really bad about Owl City, they just don't inspire any sort of reaction in me at all. The hit "Fireflies" is pretty catchy, but everything else kinda blends together into one big sugary techno pop confection. Might be great for someone else, but I just don't find enough to get excited about.
Girls - Album
A group of guys called their band Girls and released an album called Album. That's probably the most interesting thing they have going for them. Sure, there's some Beach Boys style vocals and some lush soundscapes and whatnot, but none of it really goes anywhere. Not as annoyingly quirky as this year's batch of Pitchfork approved bands, but not good enough to hold my attention.
The Maybe-If-I-Heard-It Award - I might like them, who knows.
Pomegranates - Everybody, Come Outside!
Somehow this one flew under my radar until months after it was released. I loved their debut album, ranking it pretty highly in my list last year. This one seems to be getting mostly positive reviews, some even saying it's better than their first. Now if only I could manage to find a copy maybe I could voice my opinion.
Indigo Girls - Poseidon and the Bitter Bug
I've been a big fan of these ladies for years, but their last few albums have left me wanting. I've been meaning to get this one for a while now, but I'm scared I'll be disappointed, and with it being a double album, I'm not ready to plunk down money just yet.
Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin
When I moved away and stopped hanging out with lesbians so much, I pretty much forgot Tori Amos existed. I was never able to get into her last few albums, so I just sort of stopped paying attention. This one has gotten some good reviews, so I might like it, I just haven't been interested enough to pick it up.
Out On A Technicality - Albums that don't really count.
Iron and Wine - Around The Well
There really isn't anything new on this collection of B-sides, outtakes, and rare tracks. But I'll be damned if disc 2 isn't the best folk-pop album of the year. If this was a collection of new songs released in 2009, pencil it in the top 5.
Anna Ternheim - Leaving On A Mayday
This album wasn't released until 2009 in the United States, but it was released in her native Sweden a year earlier, so it technically isn't a new album, and not eligible for my list. There's a lot to like here, and I hope the US release of this album gets her a bit more exposure so that perhaps her next album will be released stateside in a timely fashion.
Honorable Mentions - Close but no cigar.
Paper Route - Absence
Take the 80's pop sounds of The Pet Shop Boys and give them a slight update for the 00's and you have Paper Route. Big and cinematic, intricately layered, and skillfully performed, this is a pretty good album that would probably rank much higher in a year of lesser competition.
Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted
We've seen this story before. Record label tries to mold young pop star, young pop star does her own thing and has a huge hit, record label allows pop star complete artistic freedom, pop star flops and is forced to meet record label halfway. There are some great songs on this album, and more variety than on any of her previous albums. But ultimately variety is what keeps this from being a real album and not just a collection of singles. Good for record sales, but you can't help but wonder if Kelly's heart is really in it.
Aeroplane Pageant - Even The Kids Don't Believe Me
Yet another quirky indie band with a lot of good ideas, Aeroplane Pageant occasionally hits the mark. They don't miss it very often, they just dance around it a lot. If this were an EP it would be brilliant, but as a full length album it's not quite strong enough to make my list.
Colbie Caillat - Breakthrough
Colbie Caillat's sophomore album has a lot of things going for it - solid hooks, skilled musicianship, top notch production, Caillat's soothing voice, and the year's best single in "Fallin' For You." What it doesn't have is momentum. The second half of the disc blurs together and becomes background music. It's a bit of a shame, because when she hits, she really hits, and it would be nice to see that happen more often.
OneRepublic - Waking Up
Huge pop songs with hooks to back it up. It just so happens that OneRepublic specializes in a very generic brand of arena pop that sounds a bit disposable. A good fun listen, but not a whole lot more.
Stay tooned tomorrow-ish for the first installment in my top 30. The End.
Biggest Disappointments of 2009
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
How do you follow up a wonderfully ambitious concept album that was equal parts progressive rock, folk, and power pop? If you're Colin Meloy and company, you release a mostly hookless snoozefest like this one. It feels like a struggle to finish the entire album, and once it ends you've forgotten pretty much everything except for the phrase that gives it its title, and that's most likely because it is repeated in no less than four different movements. Let's hope the guys regroup, put away their Jethro Tull records, and remember how to write songs.
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
This album got a lot of hype from critics and fans alike, so as a Lips fan myself I was pretty excited. Instead of the creative experimental pop album I was promised, what I was treated to was an exercise in window dressing. There are lots of neat sounds and innovative production touches, and a lot of this album sounds really great. But the songwriting is horrible, especially coming from the same band that gave us Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. If you like the weird noise and ear candy of their early albums, yet want none of the melodic sense and insane catchiness of their last few albums, this could be the disc for you.
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
There seemed to be a new trend in 2009 - A band of otherwise capable and talented indie kids cranks up the quirkiness of their music at the expense of doing anything with substance, and is hailed as The Best Damn Thing by Pitchfork and music snobs everywhere. Like the two aforementioned releases, Mr. Bear could do well to lay off their weirdness and just concentrate on writing solid songs with strong melodic hooks.
The Appleseed Cast - Sagarmatha
So what exactly does "Sagarmatha" mean? I think perhaps it's Sanskrit for "horrible production." The goal of producing an album is to make it sound good, correct? I think about four words on the entire disc were intelligible, and all too frequently the instruments didn't sound too hot either. The end product is an album where every song bleeds into the next, and absolutely nothing stands out and grabs your attention. I expected better from these guys.
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
There's a fine line between getting back to your roots and painting by numbers. My best guess is that Pearl Jam decided to backspace over anything that made their previous albums stand out and leave behind only that which is readily identifiable as "vintage" Pearl Jam. Take the challenge - close your eyes and try to tell the songs on this album apart from previous Pearl Jam hits. I dare you.
The Yawn Award - These albums aren't necessarily bad, they just didn't hold my interest for very long for one reason or another.
Derek Webb - Stockholm Syndrome
I'm a pretty big Webb fan. The publicity stunt that led to the release of this album had me glued to my computer to see what would happen next. Upon first listen I really liked the album. But over repeated listens it just got more and more boring. Webb's lyrics aren't up to his usual standards, and the music here is a mixed bag. A few songs, like "Jena and Jimmy," rank among the best he's ever done. A handful are cringe worthy. But once the novelty of the new sound wears off, you're left with a bunch of music that just isn't that interesting.
Owl City - Ocean Eyes
Emo kids everywhere were taken aback by the catchy pop sounds of Owl City. Little did they know that it had all been done before, with much better lyrics and production, by a band that came out when they were in fourth grade called The Postal Service. There's nothing really bad about Owl City, they just don't inspire any sort of reaction in me at all. The hit "Fireflies" is pretty catchy, but everything else kinda blends together into one big sugary techno pop confection. Might be great for someone else, but I just don't find enough to get excited about.
Girls - Album
A group of guys called their band Girls and released an album called Album. That's probably the most interesting thing they have going for them. Sure, there's some Beach Boys style vocals and some lush soundscapes and whatnot, but none of it really goes anywhere. Not as annoyingly quirky as this year's batch of Pitchfork approved bands, but not good enough to hold my attention.
The Maybe-If-I-Heard-It Award - I might like them, who knows.
Pomegranates - Everybody, Come Outside!
Somehow this one flew under my radar until months after it was released. I loved their debut album, ranking it pretty highly in my list last year. This one seems to be getting mostly positive reviews, some even saying it's better than their first. Now if only I could manage to find a copy maybe I could voice my opinion.
Indigo Girls - Poseidon and the Bitter Bug
I've been a big fan of these ladies for years, but their last few albums have left me wanting. I've been meaning to get this one for a while now, but I'm scared I'll be disappointed, and with it being a double album, I'm not ready to plunk down money just yet.
Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin
When I moved away and stopped hanging out with lesbians so much, I pretty much forgot Tori Amos existed. I was never able to get into her last few albums, so I just sort of stopped paying attention. This one has gotten some good reviews, so I might like it, I just haven't been interested enough to pick it up.
Out On A Technicality - Albums that don't really count.
Iron and Wine - Around The Well
There really isn't anything new on this collection of B-sides, outtakes, and rare tracks. But I'll be damned if disc 2 isn't the best folk-pop album of the year. If this was a collection of new songs released in 2009, pencil it in the top 5.
Anna Ternheim - Leaving On A Mayday
This album wasn't released until 2009 in the United States, but it was released in her native Sweden a year earlier, so it technically isn't a new album, and not eligible for my list. There's a lot to like here, and I hope the US release of this album gets her a bit more exposure so that perhaps her next album will be released stateside in a timely fashion.
Honorable Mentions - Close but no cigar.
Paper Route - Absence
Take the 80's pop sounds of The Pet Shop Boys and give them a slight update for the 00's and you have Paper Route. Big and cinematic, intricately layered, and skillfully performed, this is a pretty good album that would probably rank much higher in a year of lesser competition.
Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted
We've seen this story before. Record label tries to mold young pop star, young pop star does her own thing and has a huge hit, record label allows pop star complete artistic freedom, pop star flops and is forced to meet record label halfway. There are some great songs on this album, and more variety than on any of her previous albums. But ultimately variety is what keeps this from being a real album and not just a collection of singles. Good for record sales, but you can't help but wonder if Kelly's heart is really in it.
Aeroplane Pageant - Even The Kids Don't Believe Me
Yet another quirky indie band with a lot of good ideas, Aeroplane Pageant occasionally hits the mark. They don't miss it very often, they just dance around it a lot. If this were an EP it would be brilliant, but as a full length album it's not quite strong enough to make my list.
Colbie Caillat - Breakthrough
Colbie Caillat's sophomore album has a lot of things going for it - solid hooks, skilled musicianship, top notch production, Caillat's soothing voice, and the year's best single in "Fallin' For You." What it doesn't have is momentum. The second half of the disc blurs together and becomes background music. It's a bit of a shame, because when she hits, she really hits, and it would be nice to see that happen more often.
OneRepublic - Waking Up
Huge pop songs with hooks to back it up. It just so happens that OneRepublic specializes in a very generic brand of arena pop that sounds a bit disposable. A good fun listen, but not a whole lot more.
Stay tooned tomorrow-ish for the first installment in my top 30. The End.