日志

hi, i'm not too good at introducing these, so i'll start with a poem:

another year has come and past,
and the tunes this year have been a blast
this is my list; the cream of the crop
so let's see what album ends up on top!

(sorry)

10)Morrissey - Years of Refusal

steven patrick's most recent offering (aside from the b-side collection Swords, which i'll be coming back to later in the best tracks of the year) is a fantastic rock n' roll record. yes, lots of hard (cock?) rock guitar + sometimes painful lyrics (come on, moz. the lyrics in I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris are fucking awful.) BUT you just gotta have fun with it.

9)The Horrors - Primary Colours

after a whole lot of musical growth since their debut Strange House, the band has taken cues from The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and The Cure to throw together a fantastic sophomore release.

8)The Thermals - Now We Can See

i actually just bought the album like...two months ago. but it's really good. When I Died is a great opener, up to par (i'd say) with Here's Your Future off The Body, The Blood, The Machine, although i'm sure no one else will agree with me on that.

7)Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing

no one else likes this band, but fuck them. andy hull + co's sophomore release is almost too clean sounding, especially when compared with Like A Virgin Loosing A Child, but the songs as a whole are so much stronger. the riff in Pride is up to par with the best from Led Zeppelin. holla.

6)Japandroids - Post-Nothing

i originally dismissed the band as pitchfork wank, HOWEVER, post-nothing is actually a fantastic debut. the album is chock full of wonderful guitars, energetic drums and the songs have more hooks than there are fish in the sea. super fun and highly recommended.

5)The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

fuck pitchfork for hating on this album. not as good as Picaresque, but it's not really trying to be. instead of focusing on great individual songs, the band proves here that the sum is greater than the parts. hazards a sprawling 17 song album about love and death. and metal.

4)Silversun Pickups - Swoon

if i didn't know better, i'd think it's 1992. harkening back to the lush sounds of Loveless and Siamese Dream with updated riffage, silversun pickups managed to put together a pretty solid release. bonus track Ne Plus Ultra is better than the entire b-side of the album.

3)Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen

one ofSaddle Creek's flagship bands, cursive continues to make great music years into their career. a monstrous improvement from the lackluster Happy Hollow and bolstering songs like From The Hips, I Couldn't Love You, Caveman and the epic what have i done?[/track], cursive shows the doubters that they can still pack a punch.

2)M. Ward - [album artist=m. ward]hold time

fuck yeah folk. matt's second best album, only topped by Post-War, shows that his songwriting post She & Him (sartist]zooey deschanel still pops up on two tracks) is still fantastic. the production is pristine and his guitar work (as if anyone doubted) is second to none.

1)The Antlers - Hospice

i'm not too original for having this on the top of my list; as many others already have and many more will, but the album deserves as much recognition as possible.

there's not much i can really say that hasn't already been said about this album already. epic, beautiful, heartbreaking; the album hasn't gotten any less desolate and stunning since i first listened to it, and i doubt it will.

TOP TRACKS OF '09

10)Japandroids - Crazy/Forever
9)Silversun Pickups - There's No Secrets This Year
8)Morrissey - Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice
7)Cymbals Eat Guitars - ...and the Hazy Sea
6)Paul Westerberg - Love On The Wing
5)The Decemberists - The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid
4)The Antlers - Epilogue
3)M. Ward - Stars of Leo
2)Jeremy Enigk - Late of Camera
1)Cursive - What Have I Done?

and at by the looks of it, 2010 should be fantastic. with releases coming from Bright Eyes, The Walkmen, Sigur Ros, The National, and Titus Andronicus (to name a few), i'm sure 2010 will be full of wonderful music as well.

Like Christmas songs played in shopping centres, each year the end-of-year lists seem to start earlier and earlier. Soon, you won't be able to move for articles listing the "best" records of the decade, and that's before you start on the lists of movies, books, TV programmes, TV chefs, campaigns promoted by TV chefs,...

This all strikes me a doubly premature: not only does the decade have six five two weeks left to run, but one of the key measures by which you must judge a great record is longevity. It's simply too soon to say which records will still be listened to in five, ten, or twenty years time.

With that said, and with no further ado, I present my own end-of-year list:

In No Particular Order, A Dozen Records Released Between 2000 and 2009 (Inclusive) That I've Quite Liked or Listened to A Fair Bit

• Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi - Camera Obscura (2001)
• Dear Catastrophe Waitress - Belle and Sebastian (2003)
• Falling Off The Lavender Bridge - Lightspeed Champion (2008)
• Hold On Now, Youngster... - Los Campesinos! (2008) ^[1]
• I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - Bright Eyes (2005) ^[2]
• It's a Bit Complicated - Art Brut (2007)
• Lady's Bridge - Richard Hawley (2007)
• The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place - Explosions in the Sky (2003) ^[3]
• Trouble Over Bridgwater - Half Man Half Biscuit (2000)
• We Are the Pipettes - The Pipettes (2006)
• We Love the City - Hefner (2000)
• Yeah So - Slow Club (2009) ^[4]

Feel free to tell me why these choices are stupid and wrong. I'd be disappointed if you didn't.

In fact, I'll probably agree with you.

―
Footnotes:
1) Despite the scratchy production.
2) Even if I haven't really listened to it since that Glastonbury appearance.
3) From a list performed by Andrew McClelland.
4) Although, like I said, it seems too recent.

1. The Rural Alberta Advantage (1830 plays)
2. Brand New (724 plays)
3. The Academy Is... (677 plays)
4. Aiden (673 plays)
5. Bright Eyes (632 plays)
6. Dashboard Confessional (551 plays)
7. 3OH!3 (519 plays)
8. The Veronicas (500 plays)
9. Fall Out Boy (429 plays)
10. The Early November (392 plays)
11. Placebo (367 plays)
12. The Airborne Toxic Event (343 plays)
13. Emmy the Great (342 plays)
14. Atreyu (270 plays)
15. Amateur Transplants (255 plays)
16. Jack's Mannequin (249 plays)
17. Rancid (235 plays)
18. The Good Life (228 plays)
19. My Chemical Romance (221 plays)
20. Paramore (208 plays)
21. Emery (194 plays)
22. Panic at the Disco (192 plays)
23. Something Corporate (187 plays)
24. Taking Back Sunday (185 plays)
25. William Control (181 plays)
26. Two Gallants (179 plays)
27. Adam Gnade (162 plays)
28. Broken Spindles (158 plays)
29. Kate Voegele (145 plays)
29. Hope of the States (145 plays)
31. Underoath (143 plays)
32. Cursive (136 plays)
33. blink-182 (134 plays)
34. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band (132 plays)
35. Vampire Weekend (124 plays)
36. Weezer (113 plays)
37. Billy Talent (110 plays)
38. Desaparecidos (109 plays)
39. Angels & Airwaves (108 plays)
40. Neutral Milk Hotel (100 plays)

101. Muse - Map Of Your Head
Impressively, this is one of two Muse B-sides on the list, showing the depth of their catalogue.

102. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps
This was released back in 2003 and it still feels fresh.

103. Death Cab for Cutie - Marching Bands of Manhattan
Okay, the lyrics are mostly cringe-worthy (except for the part about living like a hermit in your own head), but it's a great tune.

104. Oceansize - Massive Bereavement
Oceansize is probably the most underrated band of our time. The climax of this song is mind-blowing.

105. Slow Club - Me and You
"I've got a feeling someone else is reading the letters I wrote to you."
"Well my pet's illiterate and I live alone, so it's someone in betwixt of me and you."

106. The Mars Volta - Meccamputechture
They manage to make a saxophone sound menacing, which is an accomplishment in itself.

107. Oceansize - Meredith
The first Oceansize song I really loved. Apparently this was on The O.C.?

108. The National - Mistaken for Strangers
It's hard for The National to make a really bad song, because Matt Berninger's voice is so awesome, but the songwriting on this one stands out.

109. Frightened Rabbit - The Modern Leper
An overwhelmingly good track.

110. Joanna Newsom - Monkey & Bear
Lyrically, this is Joanna Newsom's most cohesive song. It tells an interesting story, which unlike most of her songs is fairly easy to follow.

111. Animal Collective - My Girls
Animal Collective: it's not just for hipsters anymore!

112. Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
I can't decide whether this or White Winter Hymnal is their best song. This is the more complex of the two, though.

113. The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour
The vocals on this song are just bursting with joy. It's hard not to smile when you listen to it.

114. Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Youthful idealism tinged with sorrow in the form of a song.

115. Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows
That riff!

116. Radiohead - Nude
I'm just glad that when I google this I don't get pictures of Thom Yorke naked.
("You'll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking...")

117. The Decemberists - O Valencia!
Colin Meloy's voice is always kind of flat, but it's got a certain charm, especially on this song.

118. Grizzly Bear - On a Neck, On a Spit
These guys sure can write songs. Everything on this song is put together perfectly, but the drumming stands out.

119. Regina Spektor - On the Radio
This song reminds me how great "November Rain" is. Also, it's got some of Regina Spektor's most touching lyrics.

120. Oceansize - One Day All This Could Be Yours
Chilling.

121. Joanna Newsom - Only Skin
The best song on the best album of the decade. I can't possibly say enough good things about it.

122. Oceansize - Ornament/the Last Wrongs
If you only listen to one Oceansize song, make it this one. But really, you should listen to everything they've ever recorded.

123. Okkervil River - Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe
Yet again, Will Sheff's impassioned vocals make this song.

124. Audioslave - Out Of Exile
Awesome solo.

125. Hot Chip - Over And Over
The joy of repetition.

126. Björk - Pagan Poetry
One of the best videos of the decade, for one of the best tracks.

127. of Montreal - The Past is a Grotesque Animal
Too many good lyrics to list. The 12 minutes go by like 4.

128. Regina Spektor - Pavlov's Daughter
The best of her early songs, on which her quirkiness really comes through.

129. Joanna Newsom - Peach, Plum, Pear
Best harpsichord solo since The Art of the Fugue?

130. The Shins - Phantom Limb
Well, The Shins didn't change my life, but this is a great song.

131. Muse - Plug In Baby
Sure, it's just an arpeggio, but I bet you've never come up with a riff this good.

132. Coldplay - Politik
This is from when Coldplay used to write good songs. Ah, those were the days.

133. Explosions in the Sky - A Poor Man's Memory
A lot of EITS songs leave me cold, but I really like this (and Have You Passed Through This Night?).

134. Ludovico Einaudi - Primavera
This is the only classical song on my list - I mean, the 21st century isn't exactly known for its classical music. Einaudi obviously takes a cue from Vivaldi, because you can hear the influence of the cascading strings from the last movement of Summer (not Spring, ironically) on this track.

135. Animal Collective - The Purple Bottle
Animal Collective's lyrics are somehow obtuse and direct at the same time, especially in their love songs: "Sometimes I'm naked and thank God sometimes you're naked, well hello." The last couple minutes of this song are incredible.

136. The Fiery Furnaces - Quay Cur
This is the first Fiery Furnaces song I heard, and I was hooked after about 30 seconds.

137. Carla Bruni - Quelqu'un m'a dit
I'm willing to bet that Michelle Obama couldn't write a song this good.

138. Bon Iver - Re: Stacks
"This is not the sound of a new man or a crispy realization"

139. Regina Spektor - Real Love
I don't listen to many covers, and this is the only one on my list. But damn, the crescendo at the end is soulful.

140. Mates of State - The Re-Arranger
Again, how am I the only one who really loves Re-Arrange Us?

141. Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
The best song on the album, and it's an amazing album.

142. Muse - Recess
Most bands would kill to have a bassline like this on an A-side or an album track, let alone a B-side.

143. Radiohead - Reckoner
Thom Yorke singing "Because we separate like ripples on a blank shore..." gives me goosebumps every time.

144. The Strokes - Reptilia
Incredibly catchy. This is the song that made me pay attention to the Strokes.

145. Portishead - The Rip
Haunting. The keyboards and general droniness at the end combine perfectly with Beth Gibbons' vocals.

146. Akron/Family - River
What an uplifting song. It's even more awesome live, like every Akron/Family song. (Seriously, their live show is like a big party.)

147. Bright Eyes - Road to Joy
Okay, it's pretty lazy to use Ode to Joy as the basis for a song, but Conor Oberst does magical things with it.

148. Islands - Rough Gem
This is what cotton candy would be like in the form of music.

149. The Mars Volta - Roulette Dares (The Haunt of)
Surprisingly, since De-Loused in the Comatorium is my favourite Mars Volta album, this is the only song from it on my list. The "exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed" refrain is stunning.

150. Au - RR vs. D
This sounds like the kind of song WHY? would write, and that's a good thing. It also has pretty much the best use of handclaps in an indie song I've heard.

The Beatles – 1
Blur – The Great Escape
Bright Eyes – Cassadaga
British Sea Power – Open Season
Broder Daniel – Broder Daniel
Broder Daniel – Cruel Town
Broder Daniel – Forever
Broder Daniel – No Time For Us 1989-2004
Broder Daniel – Saturday Night Engine
Broder Daniel – Singles
Coldplay – A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay – LeftRightLeftRightLeft (Got it at a concert, didn’t really buy it)
Coldplay – Parachutes
Coldplay – Prospekt’s March (EP)
Dead by April – Dead By April
Elliott Smith – Figure 8
Elliott Smith – Either/Or
Elliott Smith – Elliott Smith
Florence + The Machine – Lungs
Florence Valentin – Spring Ricco
Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires
Glasvegas – Glasvegas (Limited edition with a DVD)
Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
Håkan Hellström – nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nått lånat, nåt blått
Idlewild – 100 Broken Windows
Jason Mraz – Waiting for My Rocket to Come
Johnny Cash – The Best of Johnny Cash
Joy Division – The Best Of Joy Division
Kaiser Chiefs – Yours Truly, Angry Mob
Kent – Du & Jag Döden
Kent – Röd
Kent – Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Kent – Vapen & Ammunition
The Kooks – Inside In / Inside Out
The Kooks - Konk
Laakso – Mother, Am I Good Looking?
Laakso – My Gods
Muse – HAARP (Limited Edition Live DVD)
Muse – The Resistance (Limited Edition With DVD)
Placebo – Once More With Feeling: Singles 1996-2004
Placebo – Battle For The Sun
Pulp – Hits
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Radiohead – Pablo Honey
Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope
The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow
Sigur Rós - Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
Simon Norrsveden – OK baby det är dags att vi ska vinna allt (I won this record from a magazine)
Snow Patrol – A Hundred Million Suns (Limited edition with DVD)
Snow Patrol – Up To Now (Limited Edition 2disc DVD)
Snow Patrol – Live at Somerset House (Live DVD)
Travis – The Invisible Band
Travis – The Man Who
Two White Horses – Two White Horses
Various Artists – New Moon OST
We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls
White Lies – To Lose My Life

awkardsolution's top albums (overall) 1. The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2 (182) 2. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs, Vol. 1 (180) 3. The Replacements - Tim (166) 4. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (141) 5. Husker Du - Zen Arcade (120) 6. Hop Along, Queen Ansleis - Freshman Year (109) 7. Kylesa - Static Tensions (107) 8. Laura Stevenson and The Cans - Laura Stevenson: A Record (101) 9. Husker Du - everything falls apart... (91) 10. Alkaline Trio - From Here To Infirmary (89) 11. Elliott Smith - Either Or (85) 12. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree (83) 13. Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon (82) 14. Alkaline Trio - Alkaline Trio (79) 15. Brand New - Deja Entendu (77) 16. Lifetime - Jersey's Best Dancers (76) 17. The Good Life - Album of the Year (73) 18. Lemuria - The First Collection (73) 19. The Used - The Used (72) 20. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst (70) 21. Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors (69) 22. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (68) 23. Brand New - Daisy (67) 24. The Microphones - It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water (67) 25. Elliott Smith - Elliott Smith (66)

NOTE: To keep things more interesting i limited myself to 1 album per artist

Please comment.

50. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There are Mountains (2009)
49. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight (2008)
48. mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister (2006)
47. Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles (2004)
46. The Unicorns - who will cut our hair when we're gone (2003)
45. The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts (2002)
44. Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow, & Blue (2008)
43. Panda Bear - Person Pitch (2007)
42. St. Vincent - Actor (2009)
41. The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)
40. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (2005)
39. Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You (2001)
38. Spoon - Kill the Moonlight (2002)
37. This Will Destroy You - This Will Destroy You (2008)
36. The Knife - Silent Shout (2006)
35. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup (2007)
34. Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow (2003)
33. Man Man - Six Demon Bag (2006)
32. No Age - Nouns (2008)
31. The Books - The Lemon of Pink (2003)
30. Liars - They Threw Us All In a Trench and Stuck a Monument On Top (2001)
29. Madvillain - Madvillainy (2004)
28. The Notwist - Neon Golden(2002)
27. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000)
26. Boris - Pink (2005)
25. Menomena - Friend & Foe (2007)
24. The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat (2004)
23. Mastodon -Leviathan (2004)
22. Bright Eyes - Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (2002)
21. Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster... (2008)
20. Band of Horses - Everything All the Time (2006)
19. The Antlers - Hospice (2009)
18. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy (2005)
17. Titus Andronicus - The Airing Of Grievances (2008)
16. Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands (2004)
15. Fennesz - Endless Summer (2001)
14. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It in People (2002)
13. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)
12. Explosions in the Sky - Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever (2001)
11. Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump (2000)
10. Interpol -Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)
9. Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)
8. mclusky - mclusky Do Dallas (2002)
7. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam (2007)
6. WHY? -Alopecia (2008)
5. ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes (2002)
4. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary(2005)
3. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)
2. The Microphones - The Glow, Pt. 2(2001)
1. Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica (2000)

1. Florence and The Machine
First heard: Kiss With A Fist
Fell in love: Dog Days Are Over
Current favorite:Blinding

2. Bat for Lashes
First heard: 'What's A Girl To Do?'
Fell in love: Daniel
Current favorite: Siren Song

3. Brand New
First heard: Sic Gloria Transit (Glory Fades)
Fell in love: Sowing Season (Yeah)
Current favorite: Sink

4. Lady GaGa
First heard: Just Dance
Fell in love: Beautiful,Dirty,Rich
Current favorite: Bad Romance

5. Bombay Bicycle Club
First heard: Dust On The Ground
Fell in love: Magnet
Current favorite: Always Like This

6. The xx
First heard: Crystalized
Fell in love: Crystalized
Current favorite: Basic Space

7. The Killers
First heard: Somebody Told Me
Fell in love: Mr Brightside
Current favorite: On Top

8. Bright Eyes
First heard: First Day of My life
Fell in love: Four Winds
Current favorite: Hot Knives

9.Laura Marling
First heard: Night Terror
Fell in love: Ghosts
Current favorite: Old Stone

10. Muse
First heard: Not sure
Fell in love: Plug In Baby
Current favorite: Falling Down

11. Kings of Leon
First heard: Molly's Chambers
Fell in love: Four Kicks
Current favorite: Closer

12. Kasabian
First heard: Club Foot
Fell in love: Shoot The Runner
Current favorite: Thick As Thieves

13. Arctic Monkeys
First heard: I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Fell in love: Brianstorm
Current favorite: Fake Tales of San Francisco

14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
First heard: Gold Lion
Fell in love: Cheated Hearts
Current favorite: Dull Life

15. The Horrors
First heard: Count In Fives
Fell in love: Sea Within A Sea
Current favorite: Who Can Say

16. The Cure
First heard: Just Like Heaven
Fell in love: Lovecats
Current favorite: A Forest

17. We Are Scientists
First heard: The Great Escape
Fell in love: The Great Escape
Current favorite: Ghouls

18. Modest Mouse
First heard: Dashboard
Fell in love: Dashboard
Current favorite:Parting of the Sensory

19. Foo Fighters
First heard: Learn To Fly
Fell in love: All My Life
Current favorite: Times Like These

20. Radiohead
First heard: No Suprises
Fell in love: Just
Current favorite:Karma Police