My Favorite 75 Albums Of 2009 — Dec. 8
Posted By Ben W. on December 8, 2009
We’re bringing out the heavy hitters today on the Great 2009 Album Advent Calendar Countdown.
We’re talking some of the United Kingdom’s biggest stars. We’re talking No. 1 singles. We’re talking Mercury Prize winners.
We’re talking (as we’re not even in the top 50 yet) kind of disappointing albums.
54. Tongue ‘N Cheek — Dizzee Rascal
Clearly, this was intended as Dizzee’s fun-time party record. He found a hit-making formula last year — fun, light-weight raps over electro dance beats — and he’s milking it for all he can over the course of an entire album. Gone is any claim to Dizzee Rascal being a serious rapper. He doesn’t really even try to show off skills or broach topics deeper than money, girls and… well, money and girls. So in many ways, this is his most dispoable, least essential record yet. It sure is a fun ride, though.
53. Art Brut Vs. Satan — Art Brut
Art Brut’s shtick is so self-referential, so ironic and so rooted in self-deprecation that the idea that they’ve made a third album that sounds exactly like their first two is a bit of a problem. It’s almost like the joke is on them. The songs are still good. They lyrics are still funny, and occasionally poignant. We’ve just heard it all before from these guys.
52. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand — Franz Ferdinand
Franz has a similar problem to Art Brut. Taken on its own, this is a pretty strong album. “Ulysses” is among the strongest singles of the year, and the record is stacked deep with catchy, likable funk. It’s just that they’ve already given us two albums of catchy, likable funk. Franz Ferdinand showed signs of greatness early in their career. The third album often is the tell-tale release as to the true quality of a band. Well, this is not a great album. It’s a well-executed record lacking the imagination of a truly great band.
Check back tomorrow for Day 9 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.
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
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