
Tues: 231 lbs. (bah humbug!)
So, the year is at it's end, and just like every other jackass out there, i'm feeling inclined to let you know my favorite records of the year. As with all my lists, i don't take any kind of cultural factors into account. I don't care what's important, these are just the ones that i like.
(In no particular order of course.)
1. Animal Collective - "Merriweather Post Pavilion": Ok, so actually this is my favorite of the year, so that's why it's at #1. To be honest, i love Animal Collective. Everything they create just flabbergasts me, but this record is by far the best and most complete album they've ever put to tape. It came out in January (the same day we got our dog Sydney by the way) and set the tone for the rest of the year. And nothing has matched it...but they've got an EP coming out next week, so who knows?
2. Ganglians - "Monster Head Room": Indie-psychedelic-folk-rock! Maybe that doesn't sound appealing to you, but if it does, these guys do it better than anyone else. Especially check out the song "Valiant Brave," which you'll see more of when i unveil my best songs of '09 list.
3. Dangermouse and Sparklehorse - "Dark Night of The Soul": Dangermouse? Check. Sparklehorse? Check. The Flaming Lips? Check. Jason Lytle of Grandaddy? Check. Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals? Check. Julian Casablancas? Check. Black Francis? Check. Iggy Pop? Check. And David Lynch providing visuals and some vocals? Check. There's even more than that? Check. Why the fuck won't EMI release this? That's a good question. We should probably all burn their offices down.
4. Zombi - "Spirit Animal": Imagine if Goblin were still around making awesome music for Italian horror movies. Fuck yeah.
5. Dan Deacon - "Bromst": This is a great indie-pop record, and by the end you'll be craving a glow stick and pacifier and wondering when that pill you took will kick in. Dance motherfucker!
6. Crystal Antlers - "Tentacles": Probably the best of the recent rash of "crystal" bands this year, this record is a cacophony of noise and melody. It's a garage rock opus.
7. The Flaming Lips - "Embryonic": The best record they've done since 1999's "The Soft Bulletin," and also one of the weirdest. Must have!
8. Mos Def - "The Ecstatic": I've always liked Mos Def when he's rapping or acting, but this record pretty much tops everything prior. The opening track starts with a sample from Turkish psychedelic rocker Selda's "Ince Ince," and the pace continues from there through a hodgepodge of styles.
9. The Paperchase - "Someday This Could All Be Yours, Vol. 1": I've never been able to really classify these guys into any discernible genre. They've got moments of prog rock, moments of emo (ugh!), and enough experimental noise to make your parents yell at you to "turn that shit down." Always moody. Always a little creepy, John Congleton and Co. scream hellfire at you like a southern minister while undressing you with their eyes. Yeah!
10. Them Crooked Vultures - "s/t": While this may just sound like another Queens of The Stone Age record, Homme, Grohl, and Jones churn out better music here than half the hard rock or heavy metal bands you know.
11. Steven Wilson - "Insurgentes": Prog rock solo record from the lead singer of prog rock band Porcupine Tree. It's good. I promise.
12. Blakroc - "s/t": The Black Keys manage to create one of the best hip-hop albums of the year with a slew of guests from Mos Def to The RZA to Ludacris. Psychedelic blues rock and rappers. Who knew?
13. Mount Eerie - "Wind's Poem": Continuing in the tradition they began when they were The Microphones, Mount Eerie create another pitch perfect mesh of moody indie rock, folk, and noise.
14. Girls - "Album": 50's style rock and doo-wop melodies from a couple of stoners in San Francisco. Oh, and the singer sounds like Elvis Costello. How could you not like this?
15. Fuck Buttons - "Tarot Sport": An electro-ambient-kraut rock masterpiece. If that previous sentence means anything to you, this record cannot be topped.
16. NASA - "The Spirit of Apollo": Another hip-hop album. I'm really proud of myself. So the story is that a deejay from North America and a deejay from South America (hence NASA) got together to mesh there numerous sounds and tastes together, and then got everyone from Fatlip to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs to MIA to Kanye West to KRS One to Tom Waits, etc. to come along for some vocals. As an added bonus, one of the tracks features a sample from "Duckjob," that email from 10 years ago that had some guy talking in a Donald Duck voice getting a blowjob, if you're into that sort of thing.
17. No Age - "Losing Feeling": An EP that's even better than their superb LP "Nouns" from 2008. I cannot wait for what's next.
18. Kurt Vile - "...God Is Saying This To You": Spaced out folk jams, from a guy who put out three and a half records this year. (All of them are good by the way.)
19. "Dark Was The Night" Compilation: A 2 disc benefit collection that's actually good you say? Yes. Everyone and their dog contributed to this sucker. It's a little moody, but i guess you really shouldn't expect something different from an AIDS benefit record. Go buy it now. You'll be helping yourself and others. Hooray!
20. "Inglourious Basterds" OST: So, i know none of the material on this record is new. Hell, except for Bowie's "Cat People," there's really nothing from after 1970, but the whole thing's just put together so well. This is probably my favorite record to listen to while i'm reading. It just works. Kudos Tarantino.
And that's that. What did you listen to this year?