Albums of the Year 2009

The art of list making is what separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom (imagine manatees debating the top 10 sexiest videos of the noughties) and with that in mind here’s my choice of the 20 best albums of 2009 (plus the five worst). Discuss away...  

The Top 20

1.    Japandroids – Post Nothing (Polyvinyl)

Scuzzy and fuzzy with lyrics that border on both childlike simplicity and swooning genius (the closing refrain of ‘Wet Hair’ proclaims, “Let’s get to France/So we can French kiss some French girls” – how great is that?), Japandroids’ debut hits top spot for just being so exquisitely tilted between garage messiness and perfect pop melodies that I’ve listened to it nearly every day since its release.

2.    Future Of The Left – Travels With Myself And Another (4AD)

Riffs capable of levelling entire cities, basslines so full of dirty funk they’ll give you STDs and filthy synths straight from the bowels of a debauched hell. That’s enough to justify its placement before you even get to the lyrics. Album number two from the Cardiff based punks takes the blueprints laid down with previous band Mclusky and the critically acclaimed debut ‘Curses’ and ramps everything up to deliver a set of tunes to rival the best of Shellac, Pixies and Nirvana.

3.    Dananananaykroyd – Hey Everyone (Best Before)

Let’s start with the name. Some love it, some hate it – me, I think it’s fucking genius but I never type the right amount of ‘an’ when I try to spell it which is really annoying. The music sits alongside Johnny Foreigner and Los Campesinos! in the sense that it originates in twee but manages to be punk as fuck whilst also being a guaranteed highlight on any indie dancefloor. In at number three mainly for the brilliant opening to ‘Watch This’.      

 

4.    A Place To Bury Strangers – Exploding Head (Mute)

They’ve been called “the most ear-shatteringly loud garage/shoegaze band you'll ever hear” which was good enough for me to be positively dripping with excitement when a copy turned up in the office. It’s all very Jesus and Mary Chain (although that’s obviously no bad thing) and reawakened my love of all things melodic but noisy just when I thought the rest of ’09 was going to be drowning in electronica.

5.    Pissed Jeans – King Of Jeans (Sub Pop)

Love Flipper, The Jesus Lizard or Tad? Then Pissed Jeans are the band for you. This is sludgy, riff laden rock that pummels your skull like a punk rock pneumatic drill. Sound unlistenable? Well, you’ll be surprised because underneath the toffee-like layers of noise lurk nuggets of pure melody that lift ‘King Of Jeans’ into the upper echelons of rock godliness.

6.    The Horrors – Primary Colours (XL)

There has been a tendency to treat The Horrors like a joke but despite the “look” the music was always fantastic and their influences immaculate.  I was looking forward to their sophomore effort but I didn’t expect the stylistic shift towards My Bloody Valentine territory that marked this as one of the finest albums to emerge from the UK in recent years. Atmospheric, noisy yet full of cracking tunes, ‘Primary Colours’ was the perfect response to the doubters.  

 

7.    Part Chimp – Thriller (Rock Action)

I’d seen (and loved) these guys live a couple of times before but never totally believed in their recorded output. This all changed as soon as ‘Thriller’ hit the stereo: a stoner rock masterpiece that owes a debt to Sabbath whilst never descending into pastiche. It wasn’t a hard rock covers album of the Wacko classic though, sadly.  

8.    Passion Pit – Manners (Columbia)

Having swooned to the gorgeousness of ‘Sleepyhead’ late last year, anticipation for Passion Pit’s debut full lengther was pretty high, but it wasn’t until seeing them live that I truly fell for this stunning band. A bit Flaming Lips, a bit euphoric dance and a whole lot fucking ace, ‘Manners’ marks the emergence of one of the best new bands in the world today.

9.    The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (Fortuna Pop)

The lush noise-pop of ‘Come Saturday’ hooked me initially but over the course of the year I came to fall in love with the entire Jesus And Mary Chain-meets-My Bloody Valentine (them again!) indie of this stunning debut album. As fuzzy, shoe-gazey pop returned to the hearts of music lovers everywhere in 2009, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart swayed beautifully at the top of the tree.

10.    Daniel Johnston – Is And Always Was (Feraltone)

The real Daniel Johnston (not that godawful name stealer on X Factor) has never quite reached the level of public adoration that his beautifully simple tales of love and loss deserve despite a critically acclaimed documentary and the patronage of Kurt Cobain. However, on ‘Is And Always Was’ Johnston roped in ex-Jellyfish man and Brendan Benson collaborator Jason Falkner to bring an extra sheen and the results are one of his most accessible albums yet. Let’s hope the public finally takes notice.

11.    Dinosaur Jr – Farm (PIAS)

One of my favourite musical stories from this year was the announcement that the new Dinosaur Jr album had been mastered too loud which was, considering how fucking loud the band are anyway, both hilarious and ironic. Did I send my copy back in exchange for one without ear-bleeding levels of feedback, did I fuck...the louder the better. Another masterclass in guitar noise and cracking tunes ‘Farm’ is a classic from the Mascis/Barlow stable. 

 

12.    Jarvis Cocker – Further Complications (Rough Trade)

Geek king of Britpop ropes in the geek overlord of US alt-rock and the finished article is nothing short of remarkable. Jarvis is on top form throughout singing his unique tales of sexual longing and mid-life fantasy over some of the punchiest tunes in his repertoire. It’s a far cry from the days of Pulp and arse wiggling at the Brits and all the better for it as ‘Further Complications’ establishes Cocker as one of the brightest jewels in the British indie crown.  

13.    Sonic Youth – The Eternal (Matador)

Sixteen albums and no signs of mellowing from NYCs premier art-rockers. After the commercial frills of 2006’s ‘Rather Ripped’, ‘The Eternal’ saw a return to the more challenging tunes of albums past yet still retained a pop sensibility that is rarely glimpsed in bands of such experimental leanings. ‘The Eternal’ also saw the band leave the relative safety of major label Geffen to take up refuge with indie titans Matador, hinting that there’s still a lot of life in the old dogs yet.

14.    The Juan Maclean – The Future Will Come (DFA)

The point at which The Human League meet LCD Soundsystem, The Juan Maclean’s second album ‘The Future Will Come’ is a supersonic ride through squelchy electro, retro disco and anthemic dancefloor mayhem. 12 minute+  closer ‘Happy House’ is so monumental it should come with a national preservation order attached.  

15.    Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport (ATP)

The authoritative stamp of producer Andrew Weatherall is all over this album and the result is a stylistic leap forward from ‘Street Horrrsing’,  the Bristol duo’s critically acclaimed debut. A leap which essentially makes ‘Tarot Sport’ sound a bit ‘Screamadelica’, but a leap nonetheless. Huge washes of sound soak the listener with aural beauty creating a sea of magnificent noise that you’ll want to dive into like a pig in shit. Awe inspiring stuff.

16.    Brendan Benson – My Old, Familiar Friend (Echo)

The greatest songwriter of his generation (my opinion, but I’m right) returned with a fourth album of McCartney-esque alt-pop after the slight creative misstep of 2005’s ‘Alternative To Love’. In the interim he’d become a full on rock god as part of Jack White’s Raconteurs project and the effects on his latest solo outing were obvious. The songs here have a bulkier feel and the delivery is one of confidence and swagger suggesting Benson may be ready to step out of White’s shadow to become a legend in his own right.  

17.    Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career (4AD)

Glasgow’s finest exponents of twee indie reached album number four whilst delivering two of the most gorgeous slabs of pure pop in ‘French Navy’ and ‘The Sweetest Thing’ not privy to a Phil Spector production. A band so heartbreakingly lovely that listening to them will make you want to hug all the breath out of the world before reviving it with tender kisses. Even for a miserable old punk lover like me this is pretty irresistible.

18.    Cougar – Patriot (Ninja Tune)

From the furious opening salvo of ‘Stay Famous’ you’ll get sucked into this astonishing record of instrumental post-rock from  Wisconsin’s Cougar. References to Explosions In The Sky and Mogwai are relevant but underneath the sweet guitar noodling and crunchy riffs lurks a percussive beast that takes cues from the likes of Four Tet and sees them more akin to bands like Battles.  Beats the crap out of most po-faced post rockers more interested in beard stroking than rocking out.

19.    La Roux – La Roux (Polydor)

I tipped La Roux right at the start of the year and having seen them perform live at a Universal new music event back in February I held firm with my opinion despite a bunch of industry bleaters telling me that the other acts that night (Gary Go (who?), Noisettes (what?), Melody Gardot (why?) and I Blame Coco (fuck off Sting)) were all more destined for stardom. Despite the hair, despite the hype this album shone through as a pinnacle of where pop music can go in the 21^st Century. Daring, exhilarating and damn-fucking-danceable.

20.    Vetiver – Tight Knit (Bella Union)

Devendra Banhart cohort Andy Cabic dropped this fourth album of laid back West Coast folk back in March but it has rarely been far from the stereo ever since. ‘Tight Knit’ is groovy yet lazy, funky yet half asleep but in amongst these contradictions lies an album of sublime craftsmanship and undoubted beauty.

Bubbling Under

Big Business - 'Mind The Drift' , Vivian Girls - 'Everything Goes Wrong' , Maps - 'Turning The Mind' , Alice In Chains - 'Black Gives Way To Blue' , Tom Morello/Boots Riley - 'Street Sweeper Social Club' , NASA - 'The Spirit Of Apollo' , Kong - 'Snake Magnet' , Grizzly Bear - 'Veckatimest' , Lily Allen - 'It's Not Me, It's You' , Telepathe - 'Dance Mother' , Cate Le Bon - 'Me Oh My' , Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard - 'Em Are I' , Manic Street Preachers - 'Journal For Plague Lovers' , Lovvers - 'Ocd Go Go Go Girls' , Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - 'Beware' , Howling Bells - 'Radio Wars' , Animal Collective - 'Merriweather Post Pavillion' , Eels - 'Hombre Lobo' , The Thermals - 'Now We Can See' , Empire Of The Sun - 'Walking On A Dream' .

The Worst 5

There's been a plethora of shit this year and I almost made this a top 10 (Alphabeat would have featured but the album isn't out until next year). However, 5 is enough for any man to have to revisit so here we go.... 

1. The Living End - White Noise

Lyrically banal and musically inept. Provoked endless laughing in the office even after we turned it off.

2. Kasabian - West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Oasis-lite dress up like extras from a Blackadder episode and attempt to go psychedelic. Results are a bit like watching someone pretend they are on acid when, in fact, they've only swallowed a stamp.

3. Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts

Dropped once then re-signed by the same label on the strength of one single. Single is a massive hit after huge advertising campaign. Album fails to deliver follow-up. My spider sense suggests another dropping is on the cards. This sums up why the music industry is up shit creek without a paddle.

4. Hollywood Undead - Swan Songs

Rap-metal, how very ten years ago. Now fuck off back to your mum's and get on with playing Warcraft. Twats. 

5. Reverend And The Makers - A French Kiss In The Chaos

No doubting the validity of the man's politics but musically the good ol' Rev just doesn't cut it. We've given you a couple of goes now Rev - stick to what you're good at (shouting your mouth off) and leave the music to the professionals.  

Opinions? Comments? - let me know your highs and lows of 2009.....

take it easy

Steve

 

Recordstore’s Rated & Slated #2

November brings five more personal highlights that have got me smiling like Simon Cowell’s bank manager and five low points that are making me as glum as Rafa Benitez when he’s filling out his team sheet.

Rated

1.    Jedward    Every...single...fibre...of my being says I should hate X-Factor for its dumbing down of the creative process, the lack of credibility, the sheer shittyness of the whole thing. It’s a cancerous growth on the arse of the music industry but one that refuses to be nullified by the chemotherapy of good taste. But Jedward, the very antithesis of everything I hold dear, are just so fucking watchable. Enjoying their bumbling village idiot shtick makes you feel as guilty as Pete Townsend doing online “research” and should probably result in social exile but just like Craig Charles after a drug bust you forgive them because of that cheeky charisma.

2.    Season 6 of Lost  Rumours, gossip and mis-directions litter the web as the countdown begins towards the finale of one of the most innovative, exciting and downright odd shows on TV. What is the smoke monster? Will Claire return? Is the Island actually the Garden of Eden? And how the fuck does Alan Dale get a part in every single US drama series that needs a nefarious patriarch...when he’s from New Zealand? All will be revealed....I’m so excited I would happily listen to every single Robbie Williams album in all their mediocre, smug twat glory...twice over... just to get the series moved forward a month.

3.    Flight Of The Conchords   Album number two has been keeping a permanent smirk on my face for the last couple of weeks with classic lyrics like: ”Make sure you know before you go/The dance floor bro-hoe ratio/Five to one is a brodeo” and “Chillin' in my store, doing my thing/When in walks a guy with his dick in a sling/I'm like, "holy shit, what happened to you?"/He said, "how much will you give me for the family jewels?"/I said, "ten bucks"/He said, "no way"/"Ten bucks and frisbee?"/He said, "okay"/And I took his sugalumps and put them up in a display/And sold them as hacky sacks later that day”. Whether they can sustain it for album/series number 3 remains to be seen (unless, of course, they put a whole lot more Murray in) but until then, sit back, relax and let those New Zealand minstrels keep you warm this winter with tales of cross-eyed girls, epileptic dogs and hurting the feelings of rappers.

4.    The Thick Of It  The only show so beautifully obscene they hire a swearing consultant returns after the big screen shenanigans of ‘In The Loop’. Political satire has never been so deliciously nasty and in Malcolm Tucker they have the most perfectly formed anti-hero in the history of television.   “I'd use the carrot and stick approach. Take the carrot and shove it up his ass, followed by the stick, followed by a nobblier carrot...” – poetry. But where the fuck is his untethered Rottweiler Jamie (“SHUT IT, Love Actually! You want me to hole-punch your face”)? The angriest man this side of The Hulk after he’s had his balls removed, covered in wire wool and stuffed inside his own foreskin. Seethy....

 

5.    End Of Year Polls    I love this time of year, not because of the Xmas cheer that is cautiously entering the public consciousness or the chilly winter evenings that demand the cosy decadence of log fires and steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Not even the magnificently hilarious sight of people slipping over on icy streets. No, I just love the publication of ream after ream of end of year lists. Favourite albums, movies, TV moments whatever the list I’m hooked in. Until, that is, I realise that Kasabian have topped everyone’s album lists and I have to leave the country in disgust.

Slated

1.    Spotify  I recently received an email from Spotify letting me know that the new Robbie Williams album was available on their service. Now, I’m not normally one to complain about unwanted emails as a) I have the use of all my fingers b) I have a workable delete button and c) I have a fucking life. But shit – I don’t even have a Spotify account (the whole concept just doesn’t do it for me) and I really fucking hate Robbie Williams. So all this experience has done has consolidated my loathing for one of the most overrated “entertainers” in Britain and ensured that I’ll never use Spotify in my life (although if they last another 6 months I’ll be surprised anyway).

2.    Giving up the booze  I spent the last month on the wagon after a particularly heavy night (details are sketchy and not for family consumption) and was subjected to so much abuse from those close to me (ranging from “what next? meat?” to “I’m not speaking to you again until you have a beer” ) that I felt like a plague victim in the 14^th Century ringing a bell and shouting “sober, sober stay away from the bloke who can string a sentence together and walk in a straight line”. Despite saving so much cash I felt like Steve Jobs wiping his arse with fifty dollar bills and feeling healthier than I have since I was 10 I only lasted a month because  peer pressure, even in your 30s, it’s still a powerful thing and, to be honest, drinking is bloody ace.

3.    DJing with iTunes   if you’re going to show off that you have a better taste in tunes than anyone else then at least have the decency to do it with proper records (or at least CDs – they’re easier to carry).  Djing with your Mac is like driving a Smart Car – it gets the job done but you look like a cunt.

4.    Famous People at Gigs  I was lucky enough to watch Biffy Clyro last month at the Kentish Town Forum (a great little venue apart from all the corporate HMV bollocks plastered everywhere) and whilst visiting the loo (complete with HMV logo) noticed three rather miniscule but instantly recognisable characters at the bar oblivious to the fact a gig was going on the other side of the doors. Now, they must have got in for free and have therefore taken up valuable space that could have been allocated to proper paying fans but the most galling thing was the lack of respect they were giving the band by completely ignoring their set.  These three “stars” – Matthew Horne, Dave Berry and the Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones – should be ashamed of themselves.

5.    Andy Parsons   the Mock the Week panellist has been getting on my tits for a couple of years now but my loathing of this man has now reached a point where even looking at his face makes me want to grab him by his ridiculous little beard and force feed his head up his own arse. The stupid comedy walk, the inability to tell jokes that haven’t already been done better by the rest of the guests and the way he starts every sentence with “well, yes, the thing is you see” etc just make him the most loathsome television “personality” since Peter Andre returned to our screens....whilst I’m here Gina Yashere can fuck off too

Until next time

Steve