2009 Year End Round-Up

It's hard to believe that a year ago I was spending my last days in Santee, getting ready for the big leap forward into Santa Cruz (not that Santee is "behind" Santa Cruz or anything...well, maybe just a little bit). I've put together a list that I believe not only gives a good picture of what I was listening to, but also characterizes the year's experiences and emotions fairly accurately. If I have time, I'll post a mixtape of my favorite songs of 2009 so that you can get an even better idea.

In 2008, I was listening to a lot of indie pop, twee, and 90's throwback psychadelia (I was obsessed with E6). In retrospect, I think that this was an attempt to bring balance into my life; those days were dark and stressful, with new responsibilities and fewer crutches. On the other hand, 2009's music for me has been much more mature, but also very versatile and well-rounded. Maybe you'll see what I mean...

I've made two lists: the first is a top-ten list, the second is an "honorary mentions" list. The albums are placed in no particular order; I don't really believe in ranking music, but I did want to separate the wheat from the chaff just a little bit. I should also mention that this is a list of personal discoveries, rather than my favorite new releases of 2009.

The Dismemberment Plan - Change
Released: October 2001
Genre: Indie Pop/Rock, Post-Hardcore, Emo

I first discovered "The Plan" a couple years ago. Emergency & I was a great album for someone still somewhat attached to, but also grown out of the pop-punk/emo genre. The lyrics were a bit angsty, the vocals were both high and abrasive, and there was definitely a good amount of drive to the songs. What set it apart was the jazzy instrumentation, and the overall willingness to experiment in ways that might frustrate your average listener. Change takes that maturity to a whole new level, as the title quite obviously suggests. Frontman Travis Morrison's voice softens to a dreamy mew, while the band pounds and clicks away, not unlike Pinback in many respects. The hooks in the songs, usually driven by synth, are much more effective even though the crazy left-turns are still there. Lyrically, Morrison sings about getting old, settling down, finding yourself...the kind of things you'd probably imagine hearing in a Scrubs episode.

Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Released: September 2008
Genre: Alt-Country, Indie Folk-Rock

This was one of very few truly perfect albums I have ever listened to. I mentioned my attachment to country in my review of Drag the River. This album hits the spot perfectly, along with so many others; classic rock, folk, psychadelia, Dead-style jams...this album has it all. What really makes this album addicting though is the cohesive theme of old-fashioned country waywardness and wild untamed youth.

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Released: January 2009
Genre: Indie Pop

I first listened to Animal Collective when doing so was a somewhat rebellious thing. They were a bit too wild in their experiments, and almost embarrassingly joyous in their pop, so that when you told people that you listened to them, they knew that you truly and un-apologetically loved music, perhaps even to a fault. I think that in the years between Sung Tongs and Merriweather Post Pavilion the Collective has become progressively more universal. This is an album of catchy-as-fuck songs, plain and simple. This will be on the top of every year-end list you will see.

Deerhunter - Microcastle
Released: August 2008
Genre: Indie Rock/Pop

The first couple times I listened to Microcastle, I was disappointed for two reasons. First, the album just didn't sound the same as the ferociously dense Cryptograms. Second, I had learned a bit too much about the front-man Bradford Cox. Knowing the human vulnerability behind Cryptograms threw off its mystique, and made it much less interesting. That was before Microcastle grew on me. The album is much lighter and poppier than Cryptograms, but still retains a spectacular sense of pacing, which is clearly Cox's greatest skill. The album also retains the vulnerability of Cryptograms, making the albums seem like two sides of the same coin.

Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill
Released: June 2008
Genre: Ambient, Folk

This album is fucking beautiful. I don't know what else to say. It's basically Liz Harris's hushed, dreamy, reverb-soaked vocals over gently swaying acoustic guitar and ambience. The first time I listened to this, I was reading the Watchmen chapter about Dr. Manhattan. The story and art fit the music perfectly; the epic loneliness, power, alienation, love and hope...it was an absolutely perfect combination.



mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream!It's Alright
Released: May 2009
Genre: Christian Rock, Indie Folk-Rock

I never really knew mewithoutYou was Christian when I listened to them in high school. I'm not 100% sure if it's accurate to call them a Christian rock band even now; does writing music about your faith automatically slot you into this niche? Maybe, maybe not. It's All Crazy is a departure from mewithoutYou's other post-hardcore albums, which were all about erratic distorted guitars and shouted/spoken lyrics. This album is a collection of folk-rock songs and narratives inspired mainly by Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, a sufi teacher and storyteller, and more generally by Christian spirituality. In today's increasingly agnostic/atheistic scene, this kind of art can be refreshing, whether you're a spiritual person or not.



Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Released: April 2002
Genre: Indie Pop, Alt-Country, Experimental

I've had this album on my hard drive for years now, but I don't think I really appreciated it completely before 2009. Some songs were instantly accessible, such as Heavy Metal Drummer and Jesus Etc. For the most part though, these are dense songs that slowly grow on you. This album is now one of my all-time favorites, and has really lived up to its reputation as a "perfect album".



Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
Released: 1997
Genre: Indie Pop-Rock, Experimental

Yo La Tengo is an extremely consistent and versatile band, which is why I think people tend to fall in love with the first album they hear from them. For me, that was I Am Not Afraid of You And Will Beat Your Ass. I didn't really listen to any other album because I felt I didn't really need to; it was a long album filled with great songs, and I could (and did) listen to it over and over. Seeing them live was the impetus to explore their discography more fully. I now believe that I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One is the one truly seminal YLT album. There are other songs as tumultuous as Deeper Into Movies, or as catchy as Autumn Sweater, but they probably won't move you in quite the same way.

Ween - Chocolate and Cheese
Released: 1994
Genre: 90's Rock-Pop weirdness, compliments of Garrett Smith

In terms of over-looked and under-rated artists, Ween is definitely the find of the year. I've been listening to their entire discography, but if I had to narrow it down to an album, Chocolate & Cheese is it. I have never heard of a band being so outrageous and weird without really being an "acquired taste", but Ween pulls it off perfectly. Chocolate & Cheese draws mainly from R&B and rock influences, but the beauty of Ween is that they can play anything, any genre whatsoever. Their music is a parody of pop music that in many cases is better than the original.



Vampire Weekend - S/T
Released: January 2008
Genre: Indie Pop, "Upper West Side Soweto"

I feel kind of silly for putting this one down, since I probably listened to it about a dozen times in 2008. Nevertheless, it deserves to be here just because it is so enjoyable. Also, I saw them live for the first time, and they really left an impression. In 2008, too many of their songs seemed too slow, too preppy, or too pretentious. It's funny how seeing a band live can redefine the context of their recorded works.

Honorable mentions:

The Apples in Stereo - The Discovery Of A World Inside the Moone
Bardo Pond - Ticket Crystals
Beaches - S/T
Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
BIGBIGcar - Limestone Throne/Kid Fight
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose
The Clientele - Strange Geometry
Comet Gain - Broken Record Prayers
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
Dan Deacon - Bromst
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Fleeting Joys - Occult Radiance
Japandroids - POst-Nothing
Kurt Vile - Constant Hitmaker
Lewis & Clarke - Blasts of Holy Birth
Machine Drum - Want To 1 2?
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
Night Control - Death Control
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - S/T
Passion Pit - Manners
Phish - Junta
Qua - Q&A
The Rentals - Return of the Rentals
Ride - Going Blank Again
So Cow - S/T
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
The Vaselines - Enter The Vaselines
Viva Voce - Rose City
Washed Out - High Times
Wavves - S/T