Albums of the Decade

So, I decided to finally give in and try to put together a list of my favorite releases of the decade. This was super hard and I pretty much put the albums I listened to the most. Remember, half of this decade I spent in middle school/high school and a majority of these were purchased during that time period. A few post 2005 albums made the list as well. I probably forgot a few but hey, who cares.

There is no order to the list. Thats just how I roll.

Happy New Year!

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The Lawrence Arms - The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!
The Lawrence Arms - Ghost Stories
Alkaline Trio - Maybe I'll Catch Fire
Alkaline Trio - Alkaline Trio (i know this was a collection. don't care)
Colossal - Welcome The Problems
The Ghost - This Is A Hospital
The Ghost - This Pen Is A Weapon
Saves The Day - Stay What You Are
Owen - I Do Perceive
Modern Life is War - My Love, My Way
The Jealous Sound - Kill Them With Kindness
The Weakerthans - Left and Leaving
Daft Punk - Discovery
Cursive - Ugly Organ
Owls - Owls
At The Drive In - Relationship of Command
The Appleseed Cast - Two Conversations
Minus The Bear - Highly Refined Pirates
Converge - Jane Doe
Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
Fugazi - The Argument
Brand New - Deja Entendu
Shellac - 1000 hurts
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas..
Botch - We Are The Romans
Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
Tegan & Sara - The Con
Bright Eyes - Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil...
Aloha - Here Comes Everyone
Postal Service - Give Up
Spitalfield - Remember Right Now
Benton Falls - Fighting Starlight
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
The Honor System - Single File
This Town Needs Guns - This Town Needs Guns
RX Bandits - Resignation
Morrissey - You Are The Quarry
The Promise Ring - Wood/Water
The Rapture - Echoes
The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free
Atmosphere - Seven's Travels
These Arms Are Snakes - Oxeneers or the Lion Sleeps...
P.O.S. - Never Better
Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illinoise!
The Mars Volta - De-loused in the Comatorium
With Honor - Heart Means Everything
Torche - Meanderthal
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Bear Vs. Shark - Right Now, You're in the Best of Hands..
Anathallo - Sparrows
Propagandhi - Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes


Currently Listening: Anathallo - Sparrows

Honorable Mentions/Forgotten Releases 2009

These are my honorable mentions and albums I forgot to add to my year's end list. It was such a long year of listening to wonderful music that it was hard to keep track.

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Kylesa - Static Tensions
Lucero - 1372 Overton Park
Into It. Over It. - 52 Weeks
Shook Ones - The Unquoteable A.M.H.
Dear Landlord - Dream Homes
Cast Spells - Bright Works and Baton
Native - Wrestling Moves
The Menzingers - Hold On, Dodge
Lymbyc Systym - Shutter Release
Toe - So Long Tomorrow
Grown Ups - Songs
Paramore - Brand New Eyes
Chuck Ragan - Gold Country
The Thermals - Now We Can See
William Elliott Whitmore - Animals in the Dark
The King Khan & The BBQ Show - Invisible Girl
Daitro - Y



Currently Listening: Telefon Tel Aviv - Map Of What Is Effortless

Albums of 2009

I started compiling a list about 3 months ago because well, I have no life. During the process I decided not to rank or list them in any order because all the albums stood out to me individually. I kept it simple and the list ended up being exactly 50. Sounds like a lot but if you know me personally, it really isn't. I have an addiction.

I'm sure there is a few I forgot as well but this happens. Its been a long year of music and everything below was so well written and individually a masterpiece. Support the music you love. Please.

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Mew - No More Stories Are Told...
Passion Pit - Manners
Pissed Jeans - King of the Jeans
Owen - New Leaves
P.O.S - Never Better
Jay - Z - The Blueprint 3
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
John Mayer - Battle Studies
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Sonic Youth - The Eternal
Castevet - Summer Fences
Tegan & Sara - Sainthood
Telekinesis - Telekinesis
Converge - Axe To Fall
The Raveonettes - In and Out of Control
St. Vincent - Actor
Russian Circles - Geneva
Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health
Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement
Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing
BLK JKS - After Robots
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
Death Cab For Cutie - Open Door
Antony And The Johnsons - The Crying Light
Girls - Album
White Denim - Fits
Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be
Big Business - Mind The Drift
Volcano Choir - Unmap
The Dodos - Time To Die
Bygones - By
Pelican - What We All Come To Need
Narrows - New Distances
RX Bandits - Mandala
Crystal Antlers - Tentacles
Ben Gibbard & Jay Farrar - One Fast Move Or I'm Gone...
Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself
Real Estate - Real Estateoly
The xx - The xx
Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem
The Lawrence Arms - Buttsweat and Tears
Brother Ali - Us
Fireworks - All I have to Offer Is My Own Confusion
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx PT II
Morrissey - Year of Refusal
Jonsi & Alex - Riceboy Sleeps
Isis - Wavering Radiant
Lee Fields & The Expressions - My World
Felt - Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez

Songs of The Year: The Twilight Sad - I Became A Prostitute

I've slacked on making posts the last few days and well, at first it was because of me having the flu but then quickly turned to just me being lazy. I'm back at it again and this time with a band from one of my favorite cities, Glasgow. I had a faze late last year, as winter approached, of really only listening to bands from Scotland. This included a lot of Mogwai and the wonderful band above,The Twilight Sad. I'm ashamed to say that I put off picking up this record until about 2 weeks ago. What a mistake that was. Forget The Night Ahead quickly worked its way up into my "Top Albums of 2009" list and the track I Became A Prostitute is just beautiful.




Currently Listening: The Promise Ring - Wood/Water

Songs of The Year: Phoenix - 1901

I mentioned below that I would be posting another track off Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and here it is. I decided to go with this les Concert à Emporter video to mix things up and stray away from a music video this time around. Plus, Vincent Moon is a incredible director. 1901 is a song I hear everywhere and still adore. This rarely happens. I really enjoy my pop music, can you tell?





Currently Listening: Patrick Watson - Close to Paradise

Songs of The Year: Morrissey - I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris

All I have to say is Morrissey still writes a great song. One of my favorite artists of all time.




Currently Listening: Morrissey - Viva Hate

Songs of The Year: Sonic Youth - Sacred Trickster

Today's track comes from one of my favorite bands of all time: Sonic Youth. The Eternal, the bands 16th release, was on of my favorite albums of the year and overall quite amazing. Sacred Trickster opens up the record and really starts things off with a bang. I also read somewhere recently that the band plans to start writing for another new record in 2010. This makes me a very happy boy.




Currently Listening: Big Black - Songs About Fucking

Songs of The Year: The Raveonettes - Last Dance

I'd say as a whole, I enjoy the more blown out, distorted and darker effort that was Lust Lust Lust but In and Out of Control is still extremely catchy and overall pretty solid. I always end up having Last Dance stuck in my head for a few days after spinning the record.






Currently Listening: Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be

Songs of The Year: P.O.S - Goodbye

I love my hip-hop and I always will. Goodbye was one of my favorite jams of 2009. I love the punk mentality P.O.S. brings to the table. Never Better is definitely my hip-hop record of the year.





Current Listening: P.O.S. - Never Better

Songs of The Year: Phoenix - Lisztomania

I feel like Lisztomania was one of the catchiest songs I've heard in years. So well put together. Simple yet complex enough to keep you interested. It was truly the year of the Phoenix. You will probably see another song off of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix in the next week or so.




Currently Listening: The xx - xx

Songs of The Year: St. Vincent - Marrow

I've been head over heals in love with Annie Clark for the past two years. She has put out two incredible records, she totally shreds on guitar and well, she's beautiful. Actor is one of my top 5 records of 2009 and Marrow is definitely one of my favorite tracks of the 2009. Her use of the fuzz pedal is just incredible.




Currently Listening: Cap'n Jazz - Analphabetapolothology

Songs of The Year: White Denim - I Start To Run

One of my favorite bands out right now hands down. White Denim's Workout Holiday LP was one of my favorite albums of 2008 and Fits is pretty high on my list for 2009 as well. The band and video are strange to say the least. I love it. I Start To Run is a straight up jam and I highly suggest grabbing both Fits and the Workout Holiday LP. You won't be disappointed.



Currently Listening: Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself

Songs of The Year: Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game

I love this song and this band. I randomly came across Technicolor Health a few months back and it quickly became a favorite album to listen to while driving out west. I'm very fond of percussion and the Harlem Shakes do it well. I really need to check this band out live. It took me a few seconds to realize these aren't still photos in the video. Clever and humorous.





Currently Listening: Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health

Songs of The Year: Mayer Hawthorne - Maybe So, Maybe No

Mayer Hawthorne has ruled my iPod for the past 4 months. I've posted about my enjoyment of Mr. Hawthorne on this nerd journal before and I blame Benjamin Smith for my addictions. Such a chill, soulful record and Maybe So, Maybe No is a serious jam. This video makes me miss living in Marina Del Rey/Venice, California.





Currently Listening: Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Songs of The Year: Owen - Good Friends, Bad Habits

Song number four comes from one of my favorite musicians of all time, Mike Kinsella (Owen). Cap'n Jazz, American Football, Owls, Joan of Arc all had a profound effect on me growing up in Chicago and well, still does. Good Friends, Bad Habits is high on my list of songs of 2009. Straight up beautiful song on a straight up beautiful record. Plus, the video features a few members of some great Chicago bands. New Leaves came out on Polyvinyl Records this year and I highly suggest you pick up either the vinyl or the "special offer" CD with the 24 page booklet.



"I have good friends with bad habits
what's a boy without a voice to do?
literary romantics
they fuck like Wilde
and they'll die like Hemingway"



Currently Listening: Toe - For Long Tomorrow

Songs of The Year: Telekinesis! - Awkward Kisser

Telekinesis! put out one of my most listened to records of 2009. A well put together piece of work. Nothing complicated about it. Straight forward indie/pop tunes written, played and sung by Michael Lerner. I could have chosen a few songs off this record but I went with Awkward Kisser based on the video. The song is my third favorite on the album but still ranks amongst my favorite tracks of 2009. I highly recommend picking this up. I mean, Chris Walla produced this. Thats a selling point right there.





Currently Listening: Telekinesis! - Telekinesis

Songs of The Year: Passion Pit - To Kingdom Come

I know that it looks like I posted two videos today but the post below was from late last night and figured I'd go with song number two before I go out for the evening.

I fell in love with this whole album this year. I'm sure the Good Old War guys want to kill me for those late night drives with Passion Pit blasting up front. I find every track on Manners individually amazing but To Kingdom Come really grabbed me. I love the video too. What a year for Frenchkiss Records. I picked up at least 4 records they put out. Nice work.





Currently Listening: Young Sun - Demos

Songs of The Year: The Dodos - Fables

One of my favorite songs of 2009 hands down. The video is great too. Simple but works so well with the flow of the song.

I thought it might be fun to post my favorite songs of the year. I'm thinking one song a day? No order or anything, just songs I was really into that came out this year. Let's see how this goes.





Currently Listening: The Dodos - Time To Die

hallelujah

Let's be honest here for a minute, will there ever be another artist quite like Jeff Buckley? I really don't think so.

"well, maybe there's a god above
but all i've ever learned from love
was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
it's not a cry that you hear at night
it's not somebody who's seen the light
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah"

Currently Listening: Nina Simone - Pastel Blues

nothing we can say sets the whole world free

I came across this wonderful band from Copenhagen, Denmark called Marvins Revolt. Their sound is a bit hard to explain but I feel this quote pretty much sums it up:

"Pretentious, but not pompous; intelligent, yet intense; pop, yet progressive. In fact, this is the kind of band all those Mew apologists should be digging... ...All you people should be digging this band, the indie rockers, the math rockers, the emos, the post-hardcore crowd." - Lowcut (DK)

Patrolling The Heights has come out recently on a bunch of great indie labels across the world and I think you should give it a spin. You can stream the whole record here.

Enjoy


Currently Listening: The Mercury Program - All The Suits Began To Fall Off EP