top of 2009

I love lists. i love music. naturally i love the annual best of lists. It's fun to expose people to some of the music that really inspired and entertained you thru out the year, and hopefully get to find out about some new stuff yourself... so here is mine, including a link to download a play list of some of my favorite tracks from the mentioned records. hopefully you dig some of this...

1. Gregory allan Isakov - The Empty Northern Hemishpere.
(there is nothing ground breaking or new in this record. infact, you might not even like it much after the first listen, but after a few plays it will sink in and hit you... this is an amazing record. It's a record that will seriously stand up for ever, cause it's not fitting a trend, it's just solid, incredible song writing)

2. Bruce Peninsula - A mountain is a mouth
(this is the single coolest record you will hear all year. Canadians making 19th century southern gospel and slave music. think Tom waits meets anathallo)

3. Owen - New Leaves
(it's owen...)

4. Mew - No More Stories...
(it's mew... and they are successfully going further in making themselves one of the most unique bands ever... if only they didn't have those 2 slow long songs in the middle of the record)

5. Animal Collective - merryweather
(if you haven't heard this record.. you probably lived under a rock for all of 2009)

6. Nurses - Apple Acres
(3 dudes, lots of basketball jerseys, a ton of keyboards, and... one weird danielson moves to portland record)

7.Fanfarlo - reservoir
(horrible band name, incredible record. arcade fire meets clap your hands say yeah... but better then both)

8. Converge - ave to fall
(i fought it for years... but i officially love this band, and this record sealed the deal. and was definitely the nail in that coffin. BRUTAL)

9. Passion Pit - Manners
(this years mgmt? but better... cause they could write an entire record that was listenable... and listen to this record we did... ALOT)

10. Avett Brothers - I and love and you
(they added more instruments, stopped writing (as many) songs about pretty girls, and made an incredible record that got you excited for whats next)

11. Mono - hymn to the immortal wind
(i don't understand why i haven't seen this on any lists. this record is amazing. the first time i listened to it, i was walking to dinner in vegas, and upon getting to my restaurant walked around the strip for another hour till the record ended, because it's that good)

12. Kyte - Science for the living
(scottish electronic rock similair to sigur ros... if they were scottish electronic)

13. Throw me the statue - Purpleface
(just an EP, but possible the best recording of the year... if it wasn't for how much the ful length let me down this would be so much higher.... purchase this EP immediately.)

14. Phoenix - Wolfgang amadeus phoenix
(this record blew my mind when it came out... then a couple weeks later it lost it's appeal... hence it being this low)

15. Pearl Jam - The fixer
(it's pearl jam... and totally kicking ass)

OTHER NOTEWORTHY RECORDS

Freelance Whales - Weathervanes
(much like phoenix, i loved this record when i first heard it... then got bored... but am back on now... it's fresh still so maybe ill change my mind again, either way.. it's good)

Coconut records - Davy
(if i went n play counts alone this would be my favorite record of the year... but... it's not really that good... but it's a fun listen

Art brut - art brut v satan
(much like cocnut records... i listen to this record like CRAZY last spring. it is fun and awesome... but far from "best" of the year.)

Local Native - gorilla manor
(see freelance whales)

As Cities Burn - Hell or high water
(one of my total favorite bands... in retrospect this record should be in the top 15... but.. i guess i like this song at the end of a play list?... well come back to this record in time i think...)



Hopefully you are interested in some of this... if you want to listen to some of these bands... you can download the play list HERE: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YDS4VNTI