The 2009 Magazine Albums Of The Year Thread For Posting Lists and Discussion.

ah okay sorry thought it was a band...didn't know that album had reached acronym level

Mojo and Uncut album of the year

the uk just finally catching up on pitchfork innit?

I write MPP not because the disc has reached some high level of cultural significance, but because it's a pain to constantly have to type "Merriweather Post Pavilion."

(xp)

daniel otm...matt yours is a subtle dig but come on that name is kinda tiring and embarrassing to type

what's strange about the MMP placing? it's clearly a breakthrough album in the most traditional sense possible.

nb - I am not necassarily talking about musical quality yada yada.

sorry dudes honestly i just didn't put the pieces together mentally on that one!

ilx is the only place ive seen it referred to as MPP

I really don't get the MPP fuss one little bit, and I never will stop reminding ilx of this opinion (maybe by 2010).

― 102. LJ: British. 5. (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 8 December 2009 21:48

zing zang zong with a zing-a-ling zung

MMP - My Morning Panda. Did anyone see the odd episode of American Dad a few weeks back that features My Morning Jacket? That's another band I don't get.

Oh, I love MMJ. They hit that arena/Southern-rock sweet spot that I've been nostalgic for. And those big vocal harmonies in the choruses of Golden, Gideon and others are magnificent.

They sort of lost their way with that last album, but even there, once the embarrassing missteps were removed, it was pretty good.

I hope they're satisfied with getting "Wait, you guyz are a real band?" attitude from American Dad fans for a little while.

i thought they lost their way years ago. Their first electric album was their last good one imo

it's the turn of the Americans

Spin Magazine - 40 Best Albums of 2009
http://www.spin.com/gallery/40-best-albums-2009

summary via
http://countmeoutblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/spins-top-40-of-2009.html

40. Kiss - Sonic Boom
39. Wilco - Wilco (Wilco The Album)
38. Rick Ross - Deeper Than Rap
37. Gallows - Grey Britain
36. Brakesbrakesbrakes - Touchdown
35. Miike Snow - Miike Snow
34. Mariachi El Bronx - Mariachi El Bronx
33. The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
32. U2 - No Line On The Horizon
31. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
30. Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young
29. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
28. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
27. Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
26. The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World To Come
25. The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love
24. Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg
23. St. Vincent - Actor
22. Tegan And Sara - Sainthood
21. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II
20. Paramore - Brand New Eyes
19. Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
18. Antony And The Johnsons - The Crying Light
17. Mastodon - Crack The Skye
16. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
15. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
14. Amadou & Mariam - Welcome To Mali
13. Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall
12. Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart
11. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Summer Of Fear
10. The Dead Weather - Horehound
09. Drake - So Far Gone
08. Florence And The Machine - Lungs
07. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
06. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
05. Girls - Album
04. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
03. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
02. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
01. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

back to Britain...

Gigwise - Best 40 Albums of 2009

http://www.gigwise.com/photos/53787/The-Best-40-Albums-Of-2009

summary via:
http://pub37.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=3172289350&frmid=10&msgid=1020887&cmd=show

40. Seasick Steve: 'Man From Another Time'
39. Gallows: 'Grey Britain'
38. Major Lazer: 'Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do'
37. Crystal Stilts: 'Alight Of The Night'
36. Fanfarlo: 'Reservoir'
35. Muse: 'The Resistance'
34. The Prodigy: 'Invaders Must Die'
33. Eminem: 'Relapse'
32. DOOM: 'Born Like This'
31. A Place To Bury Strangers: 'Exploding Head'
30. The Decemberists: 'The Hazards of Love'
29. The Flaming Lips: 'Embryonic'
28. Phoenix: 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix'
27. Jay-Z: 'The Blueprint 3'
26. The Low Anthem: 'Oh My God, Charlie Darwin'
25. Mumford & Sons: 'Sign No More'
24. Passion Pit: 'Manners'
23. Bat For Lashes: 'Two Suns'
22. Golden Silvers: 'True Romance'
21. Dirty Projectors: 'Bitte Orca'
20. Vitalic: 'Flashmob'
19. Jamie T: 'Kings and Queens'
18. The Big Pink: 'A Brief History Of Love'
17. HEALTH: 'Get Color'
16. Moderat: 'Moderat'
15. Florence and The Machine: 'Lungs'
14. Manic Street Preachers: 'Journal For Plague Lovers'
13. The Temper Trap: 'Conditions'
12. Memory Tapes: 'Seek Magic'
11. Noah and The Whale: 'First Days Of Spring'
10. The xx: 'xx'
9. Royksopp: 'Junior'
8. Fever Ray: 'Fever Ray'
7. The Maccabees: 'Wall Of Arms'
6. Grizzly Bear: 'Veckatimest'
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: 'It's Blitz'
4. The Horrors: 'Primary Colours'
3. Fuck Buttons: 'Tarot Sport'
2. Animal Collective: 'Merriweather Post Pavillion'
1. Wild Beasts: 'Two Dancers'

To these ears it's just crummy overstuffed wanktastic psychedelic murk masquerading as mind-altering pop

Wait Louis I thought you said you didn't like it?

Surprised the M. Ward album isn't appearing in any of these, given the general bent of most of the lists.

back to America...

NPR - Listeners

All Songs Considered Listeners Pick The Best Music Of 2009
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121103815&ps=cprs

summary via
http://www.babystew.com/?p=5769

1. Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest
2. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
3. Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
4. Neko Case: Middle Cyclone
5. Andrew Bird: Noble Beast
6. The Decemberists: Hazzards of Love
7. Wilco: Wilco (The Album)
8. Bon Iver: Blood Bank
9. The Avett Brothers: I And Love And You
10. St. Vincent: Actor
11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It’s Blitz!
12. Regina Spektor: Far
13. M. Ward: Hold Time
14. The Swell Season: Strict Joy
15. Monsters of Folk: Monsters of Folk
16. The Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
17. Passion Pit: Manners
18. Various: Dark Was The Night
19. Camera Obscura: My Maudlin Career
20. Metric: Fantasies
21. Beirut: March of the Zapotec
22. The xx: XX
23. Bat For Lashes: Two Suns
24. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: Up From Below
25. Modest Mouse: No One’s First, And You’re Next

God the consensus emerging is depressing, it's like everyone involved in compiling these lists has aged about 25 years over the course of 2009.

26 + 25 = 51 = Mark Radcliffe - so the consensus is reflective of Radcliffe & Maconie Radio 2 show?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Radcliffe

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/the-radcliffe-and-maconie-show/

xp srsly, when you look at eg the above and start thinking 'oh Regina Spektor that's a nice change' you are deep in that rabbithole

sucks about Mark Radcliffe getting sugbanned btw, RIP big man

I'm still not sure by this age thing Matt - are you still referring to dulcet/lack of noise/speed/fun? Does this necessarily represent youth? Maybe critics are tired of hedonism.. It could be said that subtlety/understatement/gentleness has been a major part of what 2009 has been about - minimalism, freak folk, dubstep all represent this, and things like MPP and Veckatimest are a sort of culmination of some of these aspects.

I thought the M. Ward album was sincerely disappointing compared to everything else he's done.

it makes me sad to see st vincent (and to a lesser extent camera obscura) amongst the rest of this dross, but that's almost certainly just because i really like it and have zero interest in the rest

sorry about last post - very disjointed as i'm at work.

Maybe critics are tired of hedonism

fyi we're not

I have no problem with earnest men with beards playing slow quiet music IN MODERATION but (YYYs/Fuck Buttons aside) the upper reaches of these polls seem to be united by a lack of energy, fun, noise, groove, mischief, most of the things I love in music.

It's also partly a feeling of resentment at the Pitchforkisation of the UK music press, I preferred it when they were championing dreadful haircut indie bands because at least there was a sizeable audience for that stuff. Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Wilco, Dirty Projectors... these records just have no cultural context over here.

Onion AV club

25. Japandroids: Post-Nothing
24. Antony & The Johnsons: The Crying Light
23. White Rabbits: It’s Frightening
22. Fall Out Boy: Folie À Deux
21. The Thermals: Now We Can See
20. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It’s Blitz
19. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
18. Lucero: 1372 Overton Park
17. Bill Callahan: Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
16. St. Vincent: Actor
15. Art Brut: Vs. Satan
14. Future Of The Left: Travels With Myself And Another
13. Raekwon: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt II
12. Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3
11. The Antlers: Hospice
10. Andrew Bird: Noble Beast
9. Brother Ali: Us
8. Converge: Axe To Fall
7. P.O.S.: Never Better
6. Neko Case: Middle Cyclone
5. Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
4. Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer
3. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
2. Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest
1. Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Time magazine's top 10 is surprisingly good!

Top 10 Albums

1. American Saturday Night by Brad Paisley
2. Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
3. Crack the Skye by Mastodon
4. Revolution by Miranda Lambert
5. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix
6. Love vs. Money by The-Dream
7. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt 2 by Raekwon
8. Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
9. I and Love and You by the Avett Brothers
10. The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1945379,00.html

Ellie Goulding win Brits Critics Choice award
http://bit.ly/79cAWi

following previous winners Adele and Florence and the Machine

that will be a Mercury Prize slot guaranteed then

It's also partly a feeling of resentment at the Pitchforkisation of the UK music press, I preferred it when they were championing dreadful haircut indie bands because at least there was a sizeable audience for that stuff. Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Wilco, Dirty Projectors... these records just have no cultural context over here.

At least those bands are doing something a bit more adventurous than the haircut indie hordes(imo the blight of the decade). What cultural significance did those bands represent anyway? That we're a bunch of vapid pissheads with an overdeveloped dress sense and absolutely no desire to do anything other than create middle-of-the-road rehashes of 70s pub rock? No wonder the NME and these lists have decided to take Pfork's side - British rock has a hell of a lot of catching up to do.

I said context, not significance.

middle-of-the-road rehashes of 70s pub rock

in what way are these p4k american beardhorde *not* the US equivalent of exactly the same thing?

eek, skimmed over these lists and they're truly indefensible. why do my fellow critics have such shitty taste :(

The sizable audience thing - do you not think that this was almost entirely created by the music press? i.e. NME wants to regenerate the success of its Britpop heyday, finds a bunch of dull-as-dishcloth Kaiser Chief/Stroke-soundalikes, creates a scene, kids get interested and buy NME, lather, rinse, repeat until the formula stops working - which it now has.

Saying that the NME shouldn't be covering or championing leftfield American indie and should stick to what it knows best seems very "Britons know your place" - this music is current and relevant, and yes it's good stuff, so what's the problem?

For what it's worth, I think Animal Collective are plenty fun and have a lot of noise eneergy. Much more exciting than just trying to sound like Oasis or the Stones or whatever.

Haha, Matt's argument sounds a lot like the motions I was going through when I originally opposed minimal house and dubstep, because at the time I had a hard time finding the fun/noise/energy in those styles.

middle-of-the-road rehashes of 70s pub rock

in what way are these p4k american beardhorde *not* the US equivalent of exactly the same thing?

― Karen Tregaskin, Wednesday, 9 December 2009 12:30 (7 minutes ago) Bookmark

I don't think Animal Collective sound like Lynyrd Skynyrd, if that's what you're saying. Neither do Dirty Projectors. There's a case in point for Grizzly Bear and Wilco, as more middle of the road bands, yes, but their music is a lot more forward thinking than, for example The View or the Kooks or almost any one of those bands.

The sizable audience thing - do you not think that this was almost entirely created by the music press?

No, quite the opposite. What the NME's been doing for the last ten years is following trends from early on, rather than driving them. Of course they influence the growth of those trends, but there are reasons why the likes of the Arctic Monkeys succeeded and, say, The Vines failed.

You can't create an audience if there isn't a sizeable groundswelling fanbase in the first place. I don't really see that's the case with, say, Grizzly Bear. Fair enough if the critics like them and want to vote for them, but it feels like we're in a low period for guitar music right now and there seems to be resistance towards covering the stuff that's flowing in to fill that void.

Not sure the Kooks sound much like Dr Feelgood or Eddie & the Hot Rods either to be fair.

xpost

Basically what I'm getting at is that there's been a big tilt away from club/gig/otherwise socially-experienced guitar music in favour of bedroom indie.

I just clocked that that NPR poll was actually voted by the listeners - I know next to nothing about NPR aside from the (seeimgly strawmannish) way it gets referred to on here but the extent to which it lines up with what writers from every fucking magazine under the sun have apparently been voting for is... a thing

i'm with the good colonel on this one.

i think that so much of this (actually quite retro) american indie only sounds "forward thinking" because their american 70s references have an exotic appeal you're not entirely familiar with

I preferred it when they were championing dreadful haircut indie bands because at least there was a sizeable audience for that stuff. Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Wilco, Dirty Projectors... these records just have no cultural context over here.

there seem to be plenty of people here who like these bands tho and have done for a few years tho - it's not particularly surprising for mags to recognise this (or even disappointing in that they're probably better than wha. in NME's case i don't think its any different to 10 years ago when they were rating Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips and co above all.

by here i mean UK (or at least London)

i don't think its any different to 10 years ago when they were rating Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips and co above all.

Exactly my point, this is the period they're now viewing as the dark days before The Strokes came and revitalised rock and roll or whatever nonsense they're peddling. The difference is that at the time Rev/Lips didn't have any cultural context here either (although the Flaming Lips grew into one) and the Strokes clearly did - people were going out in their droves to dance to them, dress like them, photograph them, etc.

THEY'RE ALL SHIT and should not be on anyone's lists

i'm still totally perplexed as to the "cultural context" or relevance or whatever chord it was that the strokes touched in people

The Strokes = NME brainwashing teenagers

those evil bastards

no, not in that way. but so much of their appeal at the time seemed to be based on "omg nyc is so kool!" - again the appeal of the exotic