My Favorite 75 Albums Of 2009 — Dec. 19
Posted By Ben W. on December 19, 2009
Today we highlight three outstanding — if not particularly original — albums.
In one corner, we have a band taking a wanna-be Blondie turn. In the other corner, we have a guy who has always really wanted to sound like David Byrne. In in yet another corner, we have a band who is so confused about its identity, they are trying to sound like eight bands at once.
21. It’s Blitz! — Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I’ve never been able to embrace the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as a personal favorite — I can never get a grip on their identity, or what they stand for (maybe it’s the often-generic lyrics). Therefore, I only take their music in as a cold, unbiased observer, and not a fan. So that should tell you how good this album is that it ranks this high on the list of someone who doesn’t even particularly like the band. This is just a very well-executed album, with great singles, great album tracks, lots of energy in places and even a couple tender moments.
20. Mo Beauty — Alec Ounsworth
I wasn’t all that upset when word came down last year that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was splitting. Why? Because I knew we’d soon be getting an album of this quality from frontman Alec Ounsworth. He was CYHSY, basically, so it’s not surprising that his solo debut often recalls his former band. Recorded in New Orleans, this has a more soulful vibe than the two Clap Your Hands records, but it retains his gifts for off-kilter melodies and imaginative lyrics.
19. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart — The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
Part of me wants to write this band off as copycat hacks. There’s just no getting around the fact that they sound an awful like The Stone Roses, The Smiths, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Belle & Sebastian and The Cure. Back up for a second, though. That’s a hell of a list of great source material, right? And if you can forget about the originality factor for a minute, you may notice that Pure Of Heart seems incapable of writing a bad song. Every track on this debut record is loaded with melody, shimmery guitar, clever, funny lyrics. It’s not cutting new roads through the rock n’ roll history map, but it’s a fantastic listen, front to back, nonetheless.
Check back tomorrow for Day 20 of the Advent calendar countdown. We’ll be listing three albums every day from now through Christmas when we get to No. 1.
Click DAY ONE to view Nos. 75-73.
Click DAY TWO to view Nos. 72-70.
Click DAY THREE to view Nos. 69-67.
Click DAY FOUR to view Nos. 66-64.
Click DAY FIVE to view Nos. 63-61.
Click DAY SIX to view Nos. 60-58.
Click DAY SEVEN to view Nos. 57-55.
Click DAY EIGHT to view Nos. 54-52.
Click DAY NINE to view Nos. 51-49.
Click DAY 10 to view Nos. 48-46.
Click DAY 11 to view Nos. 45-43.
Click DAY 12 to view Nos. 42-40.
Click DAY 13 to view Nos. 39-37.
Click DAY 14 to view Nos. 36-34.
Click DAY 15 to view Nos. 33-31.
Click DAY 16 to view Nos. 30-28.
Click DAY 17 to view Nos. 27-25.
Click DAY 18 to view Nos. 24-22.
MY FAVORITE 75 ALBUMS OF 2009 (THE LIST SO FAR)
75. Man Of Aran (Soundtrack) – British Sea Power
74. March Of The Zapotec/Holland EP – Beirut
73. Changing Horses – Ben Kweller
72. It’s Frightening – White Rabbits
71. Living Thing – Peter Bjorn And John
70. Working On A Dream – Bruce Springsteen
69. 21st Century Breakdown – Green Day
68. Grrr… – Bishop Allen
67. Let The Dominoes Fall – Rancid
66. Kingdom Of Rust – Doves
65. Get Guilty – A.C. Newman
64. Hands – Little Boots
63. Further Complications — Jarvis Cocker
62. Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future — The Bird And The Bee
61. The Love Language — The Love Language
60. The Crying Light — Antony And The Johnsons
59. Don’t Stop — Annie
58. My Way — Ian Brown
57. Post Electric Blues — Idlewild
56. Dragonslayer — Sunset Rubdown
55. Middle Cyclone — Neko Case
54. Tongue ‘N Cheek — Dizzee Rascal
53. Art Brut Vs. Satan — Art Brut
52. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand — Franz Ferdinand
51. Phrazes For The Young — Julian Casablancas
50. It’s Not Me, It’s You — Lily Allen
49. The Hazards Of Love — The Decemberists
48. Album — Girls
47. Manners — Passion Pit
46. Watch Me Fall — Jay Reatard
45. 200 Million Thousand – The Black Lips
44. Now We Can See – The Thermals
43. Scars – Basement Jaxx
42. Ghostdini The Wizard Of Poetry In The Emerald City — Ghostface Killah
41. Yesterday And Today — The Field
40. The Duckworth Lewis Method — The Duckworth Lewis Method
39. Merriweather Post Pavilion — Animal Collective
38. Love 2 — Air
37. I’m Going Away — Fiery Furnaces
36. Junior — Royksopp
35. Ignore The Ignorant — The Cribs
34. Wall Of Arms — The Maccabees
33. Ready For The Weekend — Calvin Harris
32. A Brief History Of Love — The Big Pink
31. Temporary Pleasure — Simian Mobile Disco
30. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix — Phoenix
29. West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum — Kasabian
28. UGK 4 Life — UGK
27. In And Out Of Control — The Raveonettes
26. Primary Colours — The Horrors
25. Goodnight Oslo – Robyn Hitchcock
24. Face Control – Handsome Furs
23. The Blueprint 3 – Jay-Z
22. Attention Deficit – Wale
21. It’s Blitz! — Yeah Yeah Yeahs
20. Mo Beauty — Alec Ounsworth
19. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart — The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
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