pourmeanother

Top 5:

1. Heartless Bastards - The Mountain

*Erika Wennerstrom has won me over in her writing, and with those vocals that conjure thoughts of just a few cigarettes and a drip of honey.
1. The Mountain *song of the year
2. Be So Happy
3. Early in the Morning
4. Hold Your Head High
5. Out At Sea
6. Nothing Seems the Same
7. Wide Awake
8. So Quiet
9. Had To Go
10. Witchypoo
11. Sway

2. Blakroc - Blakroc

*Nikki Wray shines.

3. Fashawn - Boy Meets World

*Exiles production helped elevate it, but Fashawn appears to be a solid and conscious writer.

4. Tor / Sufjan Stevens - Illinoize

*Carefully crafted mashup blends these two very well.

5. P.O.S. - Never Better
--too many pictures--
*Love this live percussion genre-crossing hit. 'Purexed' one of my favorite songs of the year.

5 Honorable Mentions:
1. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimist
2. Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day
3. Wale - Attention Deficit
4. Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid
5. Animal Collective - MPP / Fall Be Kind

__________________
Life is just blah, blah, blah
You hope for blah
And sometimes you find it, but mostly it's blah
And waiting for blah
And hoping you were right about the blahs you made
And then, just when you think you've got the whole blah'd damn thing figured out
And you're surrounded by the ones you blah
Death shows up... anddd blah, blah, blah.

Anteater

Amidst all the posts that so far look identical, here's a few personal picks from me.



Modern prog. rock that excels in every imaginable performance department, but also takes a step further in telling stories with a lot of emotional depth and scope to their substance. Major kudos also to vocalist David Longdon for outstanding lead work when I wasn't expecting it and to XTC's Dave Gregory for kicking ass on the guitar side of things. On the prog. side of things, this is my pick for 2009 and recommended to all of you.





This year showed that Mew are still really damn good at pushing the envelope just as much as Animal Collective or Sigur Ros while still remaining simultaneously infectious and wonderful sounding...which can't always be said for AC or their ilk. Once again, recommended to those who haven't checked this out yet.




maudlin of the Well unexpectedly returned from the depths of the abyss and released this astral masterstroke of metal earlier this year thanks to the money and cheering on of many, many devoted fans, and its had a lot of time to smolder and creep its ephemeral, steel-studded claws into me since its release.

__________________
Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

TheCunningStunt

1. "My Propeller"
2. "Crying Lightning"
3. "Dangerous Animals"
4. "Secret Door"
5. "Potion Approaching"
6. "Fire and the Thud"
7. "Cornerstone"
8. "Dance Little Liar"
9. "Pretty Visitors"
10. "The Jeweller's Hands"

SATCHMO

I have to agree completely. This album defied and exceeded any and all expectations I had for it, or for a hip-hop album in general. Without question it qualifies as best hip-hop album of the year.

The Monkey

Probably It's Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs:



Runner-up would be Primary Colours by The Horrors:

LoathsomePete

I'll do my favorite albums of the year according to genre:

Metal



Cobalt - Gin

1. Gin
2. Dry Body
3. Arsonry
4. Throat
5. Stomach
6. A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
7. Pregnant Insect
8. Two-Thumbed Fist
9. The Old Man Who Lied His Entire Life
10. A Starved Horror

A lot of people have been singing this album as a true metal album, stripping away all the bullshit that has afflicted the genre in recent years. 2009 was a very good year for metal and I, two Devin Townsend releases, Immortal's first album in yonks, and some really good post-metal releases by ISIS, Pelican, and Russian Circles. At the end of the day though my hat goes off to Cobalt and their third album Gin which is just an incredible array of sounds that cannot accurately be defined. At times the album has a very progressive sound to it, with long intricate solos and a real wall of sound, and then at other times it's just a dissonant chaotic mess. It really is one of those albums that needs to be listened to through headphones to truly appreciate and hear all the sounds and to try and understand the lyrics, which I've been told tell the a story about the lives of authors like Hemmingway and Hunter S. Thompson. Truly sublime from start to finish that belongs in every metal head's library.

Hip Hop



Gift of Gab - Escape 2 Mars

1. E2mtro
2. El Gifto Magnifico
3. Light Years
4. Dreamin' (ft. Del the Funky Homosapien & Brother Ali)
5. In Las Vegas
6. Escape 2 Mars
7. Electric Waterfalls
8. Richman, Poorman
9. Somathapeople
10. Spotlight
11. Rhyme Travel

2009 didn't hold up as well as previous years for hip hop, however there were a few gems that dropped this year. My favorite Southern trio CunninLynguists dropped two albums this year, however they lacked the same spark that previous albums had and seemed to be made up of B-Side material. P.O.S. was a new artist I discovered this year (along with a few other people it seems), but I felt Never Better seemed to meander around a bit towards the middle. After I found out my favorite Mega Man inspired hip hop artist Random put out a new album I was seriously considering it to be my favorite hip hop album of 2009. That all changed when I learned my absolute favorite MC, Gift of Gab, had a new solo album coming out this year.

Escape 2 Mars just further proves how skilled Gift of Gab is at delivery, riding the beat, and writing truly intelligent yet unpretentious lyrics. Gab has been absent from the hip hop community for a few years now, while he did collaborate with the Might Underdogs last year, his last work with Blackalicious was back in 2005 and his previous solo album came out in 2004. This time off has not been ill spent as he continues to prove how much he has mastered the genre. If you have not yet heard of this artist or did not know this album was out, do yourself a favor and PM me and I will be more than happy to provide a download because this is truly an amazing album that everyone who likes hip hop should have.

Indie



The Protomen - Act II: The Father of Death

1. Intermission
2. The Good Doctor
3. Father of Death
4. The Hounds
5. The State Vs. Thomas Light
6. Give Us the Rope
7. How the World Fell Under Darkness
8. Breaking Out
9. Keep Quiet
10. Light Up The Night
11. The Fall
12. Here Comes The Arm

As I'm not really that familiar with the genre that Indie has become, this wasn't a tough decision at all. I'm not sure if anyone else here is familiar with the band so here's just a little background information on them. The Protomen is a six piece indie band from Mississippi who play Mega Man inspired music. Both of their albums have been concept albums about the titular character Mega Man and his search for identity as well as battling the evil Dr. Wily. If you're unfamiliar with the series then you may not catch all the subtle references or jokes, but it will not stop you from enjoying their catchy music. Act II: The Father of Death is far more grand than the self-titled debut, with a wide range of musical influences from country all the way to Meatloaf-esque epic pop. You can really tell how much effort was put into this album as it really does sound grand and complete. If you like the Mega Man games and rock music then this a band that you definitely need to check out.

Country



Corb Lund - Losin' Lately Gambler

1. Horse Doctor, Come QUick
2. Steer Rider's Blues
3. A Game In Town Like This
4. Alberta Says Hello
5. Talkin' Veterinarian Blues
6. It's Hard To Keep A White Shirt Clean
7. Long Gone to Saskatchewan
8. Devil's Best Dress
9. The Only Long Rider I Know
10. Chinook Wind
11. This Is My Prairie
12. Rye Whiskey / Time To Switch To Whiskey (Live in Australia)

This was probably the hardest decision of the year because of Guy Clark's album Somedays The Song Writes You and Pinebox Serenade's sophomore album Let The River Take Them Home, however in the end Corb Lund's new album proved to be victorious. It seems that Corb knew it'd be hard to try and top his previous album Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! so he decided to try and improve on the previous album to that one Hair In My Eyes.... The album is certainly a return to his roots, songs tend to be more about life in the prairies, manual labor, and gambling. Losin' Lately Gambler does feature more of Corb's humorous side, which is always enjoyable and welcome, and the inclusion of a live track just shows the listener how much the crowd is a part of his shows. A truly great addition to his already strong itinerary and my favorite country album of 2009.

If anyone wants any or all of these albums, please feel free to PM me and I will hook you up with a link.

__________________
Last.FM
101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

lucifer_sam

i definitely haven't listened to enough albums this year to make a top ten. here's a few of my favorites though:

1. Isis - Wavering Radiant


Aaron Turner's return to the dynamic and aggressive tones of preceding years proved to be a fortuitous move for the band. Quite possibly their best work since the genre-defining Oceanic, the new album blends the melodic and the abrasive to great effectiveness. If the album doesn't spark another revolution in metal aesthetic, it certainly does a fantastic job of returning to the same sound which brought Isis to fame in the first place.


2. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm


After some twenty-five years since their first incarnation, the indie rock heroes got a chance to prove their place in history. While perhaps not as captivating as 1987's You're Living All Over Me, it certainly begs the question: what the fuck was J doing all those years without Barlow? It's a different Dino J sound than years past, but no less impressive, with works like the fiery "Pieces" and cathartic "I Don't Wanna Go There". And after all this time, J's voice hasn't changed at all; the trademark laconic drawl is still in full weave. Maybe it's the influence of the tight rhythm section, maybe it just "clicks," but these three should continue making music for a long time to come.


3. maudlin of the Well - Part the Second


The avant-prog band returned upon the laurels of independent contributors to release another annal of the chilling music that's been their montage since day one. Although they largely dropped the metal tinge to the music (in much the same way as sister project Kayo Dot did), the multi-faceted dimensions of previous works like Bath and Leaving Your Body Map remained. In fact, the sweeping dynamic tone of the band manages to remain accessible and concise -- something their previous works could never claim. Easily one of the best progressive records of the new millennium.

__________________
first.am

jackhammer

I will agree for Both Cobalt and Maudlin Of The Well and I don't really have anything to add to those so here are a couple from me as well as the above:

Proof you can still make a fuck heavy album and still retain decent melodies, intensity and textures. It's like a handjob for the ears.
Who gives a toss if it isn't the most original album released this year. No other album has been cranked louder either at home or on the headphones quite so much. I like music to be fun too.
It's a huge mish mash of Dub, Reggae, Funk, Chillout and Trip Hop that keeps it's focus and sounds a lot different to many instrumental bands who bore you to death by track 3.

2009 has been quite a disappointing year for me but no doubt I will probably find some gems from this year in a couple of years time.

__________________

Anteater

^ All fantastic highlights of 2009. Need to pick up 'New Life New Vision' though. :P

Also, here's my favorite 2009 album this year on the hip-hop side of things-


Q-Tip - Kamaal / The Abstract

I have a hard-on for acid jazz and jazz-rap when it's done with some stripes n' panache, and Q-Tip (of ATCQ fame) certainly pulled out all the stops on this baby which came out earlier this year. Although the fact that it didn't receive release back in 2003 because the label had a stick up its arse is a durned shame, I'm glad it finally reached shelves this year.

__________________
Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

simplephysics

It's a tie at the moment between

Vs. Children - Casiotone For The Painfully Alone


Jangly indie pop that's infectiously catchy. The vocals don't really seem to fit the music at first but he'll grow on you fast. Just a great listen all the way through. Victoria Bergsman formerly of The Concretes is one on of the songs too, if that gives you any indication as to what this album sounds like. Very reminiscent of their old stuff.

and

Crownsdown - Themselves


I read somewhere that is something like doseone's 20th album release (respectively). That kind of longevity is admirable, especially when his projects only get better and better. He's still got it folks, classic nasally lightening speed vocals and all. Jel's cuts on the album are fantastic as always, too.

__________________
one font under god