top ten albums of 2009…

a while ago, in june, i made a post about the top ten albums half-way through the year…
so here is my updated list of favorites. these albums are the ones that blew my mind or i couldn’t stop listening to this year. it’s was pretty easy to pick for once, as most of my favorites didn’t release albums this year… and one album just blew everything else away. (maybe that’s a bad thing, letting some fine work slip from my radar?)
i think i’ve been doing one of these since my first journal in middle school, so i guess it’s kind of a tradition? yea. we’ll go with that. i might do a shorter one of these tomorrow for my favorites of the decade…

1. enter the haggis – gutter anthems
this album, released in march, is easily 2009’s best album, if not one of the best albums released the past decade. i can’t say enough in praise of gutter anthems. it’s a really mature album from a band i grew up listening to/following around, and a nice brainf*ck/eargasm. eth is a band that i first encountered as a cute little quirky/dorky canadian celtic punk band with an interesting instrumentation that was jamming their faces off. their instrumentation still *shouldn’t* work, but it does. this year, they totally grew up out of nowhere and did nothing but blow my mind constantly. (they’ve been doing that for years) i can’t decide if it was their rage against the machine cover (with bagpipes) or acoustic cameos. or how most of gutter anthems evolved on stage since craig downie’s brief stint with a saxophone at the 2008 celtic fling. while still having hints of their celtic punk/rock roots, they’ve grown into a really progressive and eccentric sound. and they have incredible showmanship and energy to back up their awesome work (as if their work needed any help? ^_^) there’s not one song on this album that i don’t like *something* about. it opens with an organ/pipes intro and closes with eth’s signature style of instrumental awesomeness in alternating 7/8 and 6/8 (broken line) with a bunch of fine songs that showcase their musical diversity and personalities in between. and brian buchanan’s instrumental credit list in the liner notes? yea. did i mention that these guys can double like woah? craig downie is the most quirky/unique wind doubler out there. the thing i must say that i love most is how this album just shouldn’t make sense, yet all of the songs just *fit* with each other.
i’ll just stop rambling now and tell you to go listen to this frigging album!

2. the decemberists -hazards of love
ok… the decemberists’ 2009 release is incredible. it’s an hour-long “rock” opera about a woman named margaret who has fallen in love with william, a shape-shifter and the crazy adventures that happen with other characters such as an evil rake and jealous forest queen. the instrumentation on this album is absurd. there’s slide guitar, banjo, accordion, pedal steel guitar, harpsichord, strings and a bunch of instruments that *shouldn’t* make any sense together… even better? the genref*cking that hazards does is a brilliant mix of folk, folk rock, rock, prog rock, metal and country, just to mention some, and they pull it off flawlessly. colin meloy and jenny conlee did something incredible with this album. seeing it performed live at philly folk fest was probably one of the best performances i’ve ever witnessed. so powerful. i think i’m still recovering, but we can also blame ETH for that one, as it’s their fault for blowing away the rest of my brain that day… the very little that colin meloy left. i get shivers listening to hazards of love 2 (wager all). other sections that also stand out (ok, the story as a whole does) are annan water, the rake’s song and the wanting comes in waves/repaid. i get shivers listening to repaid.. as the alto, shara worden, has a frigging powerful voice… and she can *belt* like woah. this is my favorite decemberists album, but i don’t think it’s the perfect album for a first-time listener.

3. the young dubliners - saints and sinners
released early in the year, february, saints and sinners is the young dubs’ finest. some damn good irish rock here. i want to dance my ass off every time a song from this album comes on my ipod. it’s really fun, slightly serious (eh, not really) and has some pretty catchy tunes on it. i can’t get backseat driver out of my head no matter how hard i try. the title track is pretty kickass as well. young dubs never fail to deliver fun and a good time. i was just pissed that i missed them at bam margera’s bar this year because i had an orchestra concert. hopefully they’ll be back there in 2010. i’ve seen them once and they know how to work a stage and be a fine show to party at. so yea. listen to saints and sinners.

4. mute math - armistice
this album, released in august, is some pretty awesome alt-rock. the rhythm section on this album is incredible and sets the tone for the album right away with the nerve. it pushes through the entire album. the vocals are tight. the instrumentals are just… mind-blowing. this album is just *tight*. the last track, burden, is an awesome last track. it’s got a really catchy melody and some fine instrumentals. and their lyrics? awesome. armistice is a well-written album lyrically and instrumentally. it’s comforting to know that fine alt and prog rock is still being written and mute math is an excellent example.

5. lacuna coil – shallow life
lacuna coil’s most recent attempt. another band i grew up listening to, one of the first bands i ever got into. italian symphonic/gothic metal band with cristina scabbia’s incredible mezzo voice at the lead and andrea ferro on background vox. cristina and andrea sound incredible. it’s not my favorite coil album, and it’s not the most mind-blowing thing i’ve heard…. but it’s different. i like their sound and new direction, but parts of this album feel too forced. i enjoy this album.

6. the von bondies – love, hate and then there’s you
an indie/alt rock band that i’ve gotten into the past few years. this is a pretty cool album, but it reminds me too much of their last one. it’s enjoyable, happy music. chancer and modern saints are my favorite tracks. their sound is interesting and fun. i think that’s what i like about it… and their drummer doesn’t suck. i really enjoy this album.

7. butterfly boucher – scary fragile
i just can’t stop listening to this album. it’s addicting folk/alt-rock. it’s really catchy and shows off butterfly’s versatility as a musician. she plays all of the instruments and sings all of the vocals on this album. she also shows a maturity from flutterby, her first album. i guess my biggest/only problem with it is that it is too short; a little bit over a half hour. but it’s not length that matters most, it’s the work… and she creates some pretty fine music. my favorite track is to feel love. it’s so angry, reminding me a bit of aimee mann or maybe tori amos. part of bitter song sounds a lot like the slow section of radiohead’s paranoid android, or at least the tune does. i’m not sure if it was intentional… but it’s brilliant. it’s the final track on the album and a really interesting way to end the album

8. steven pasquale -  somethin’ like love
ok… i generally don’t like jazz. but i *love* steve pasquale. dilemma!  so, in this album, we have a pretty-good-but-still-higher tenor pretending to be a baritone. this album is so low on my ‘top ten’ list because i can’t get over the fact that he can sing a lot better than he does on this album. it’s enjoyable background music… and his voice is still pretty freaking incredible… but i can’t put my finger around what i don’t love about this album count your blessings instead of sheep is cute… and his ode to his wife, tony winner laura benanti, is gorgeous… but it’s they all laughed that’s my favorite. it’s a cute little song about how society generally laughs at brilliance. but maybe it’s the jazz that gets to me… i just can’t get into jazz no matter what i do…or how much i love steve pasquale’s voice. it’s worth a listen.

9. metric – fantasies
i just love metric. and this album is some of my favorite indie rock. ohhh broken social scene, why the hell are y’all such an awesome super-group that keeps pouring out some awesome groups like metric? they’re one of the very few indie rock bands that i love with a chick singer. emily haines is a pretty awesome alto. this album is full of really catchy tunes with driving indie rock instrumentals. sick muse has been stuck in my head for a while. i can’t stop listening to this album. but thanks to ETH and the decemberists being so epic this year, fine albums like this one almost slipped off my radar. i’m sure that i’ll be listening to it more often in 2010.

10.dream theater - black clouds and silver lining
i’m sure you were wondering where dream theater was on this list.. (or not.) they’ve appeared on a lot of these lists… because they’re just epic. some really fine mind-blowing prog metal. mike portnoy and john petrucci are genius. this is one of their darkest albums. ok, i don’t really like some of their lyric choices this time at all… that seems to be the biggest criticism the album’s gotten from most listeners… but their instrumentals are mind-blowing, as they’ve always been, and this album’s best and most redeeming feature. they’re still pushing the limits of prog metal, even on their tenth album. but i can’t get past the lyrics and they’ve been bothering me since the release of this album. overall, one of my favorites this year. i can’t say it’s one of the best of the decade though. worth a few listens, yes… but good luck separating the lyrics from the rest of their work.

notable mentions

tori amos - abnormally attracted to sin
i frigging love this album. ok. enjoy. it’s still growing on me, seven months later. i’m not sure if i like the direction she’s been going in at all… i love the folkier sound of this album… and the prog rock influence… and the lyrics. not dying today is an awesome song. but i don’t like how her voice is becoming the primary focus. where’s the piano?? i’ve always loved her for doing some cool things with a piano. she’s sounding more like the october project meets pop… i think that’s what is still growing on me. she’s still evolving. so maybe this album will grow on me more. i don’t really dislike it…. but it’s memorable for this year. it’s good, but not incredible. some tracks stick out, but some are forgettable. it’s still worth a listen though.

sonata arctica – the days of grace
love this album. it’s really catchy. it’s nice symphonic metal. not my favorite sonata album… but it’s a good attempt. it’s… fluffly. sonata arctica is one of the first bands that i got into and they’re still creating some good music.

badly drawn boy – is there nothing we could do?
just released two weeks ago… i haven’t had enough time to listen to it enough to get a good feeling for it… but it’s probably better than dream theater’s album overall… and i am a huge dream theater fan. black clouds just didn’t do it for me lyrically… and badly drawn boy is a fantastic lyricist. so, we’ll see.

filter – the very best things
i love this greatest hits album… it’s a good intro to filter for new listeners and a nice retrospective of fine music for long-time listeners.

upcoming
some albums i’m looking forward to in 2010?
oh gawd, i’m gonna be broke really fast.

-barenaked ladies – all in good time. their second album as a quartet (the first was 1994’s born on a pirate ship) scheduled for release in march. after hearing some of the new work on youtube, i’m happy that my favorite band of ever can hold their own sans one of my heroes. i am beyond excited for this album.
-steven page : two albums… his ‘first’ solo album post-BNL (does vanity project count??) and the release of his art of time ensemble performance. also a re-release of the vanity project under his own name… it’s steven page… that’s the only reason i *need* to be excited about.
-dropkick murphys – hell yes. new album. whee!!
-lostprophets – the betrayed. recently got into them. should be a decent album.
-cold war kids – behave yourself. technically, it’s been released a few days ago… but not? i don’t get it, but i’ll probably give it a listen.
-patrick wolf – the conqueror. an artist that i’m just starting to get into.  i’m enjoying his songwriting style for how unique it is.
-vampire weekend – contra. another band i’m just starting to get into. i saw them at some festival or something like… two years ago and they’re pretty nifty.
-serj tankian- elect the dead symphony. i just love soad… so it has to be pretty good. and there’s a greek dude that’s credited with arranging it. and! there’s a song called beethoven’s cunt. win.
- rhapsody of fire – the frozen tears of angels. ok… i just love metal. specifically symphonic metal. *sticks tongue out*
-owen pallett – heartland. in his attempt to not get sued (after going as final fantasy for a good part of his solo career), he is releasing a new album under his own name. cool! he’s pretty awesome and this album will be sweet.
-massive attack – heligoland. i just frigging love massive attack.
-anathema – horizons. an album that didn’t get released this year that will surely be awesome.
-angels and airwaves – love. to be released on valentine’s day… cute. i’m just getting into them.
-tarja turunen – what lies beneath. tarja’s second solo album since getting kicked out of nightwish.
-tobias sammet’s avantasia – the wicked symphony/angel of babylon. i love tobias sammet. and a double album? yay!

Tags: 2009, albums, bands, music, pile of awesome, why music = life

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