2009 was a great year for music. I have already posted my favourite albums of the year, but I have a few more superlatives up my sleeve. but first, here's a list of things I really didn't like very much, just so y'all can have a definitive list of the artists who incurred my wrath this year
artists who released albums that disturbed, disgusted, or quite simply disappointed me:
Green Day
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Neko Case
the xx
Elvis Costello
Monsters of Folk
Lily Allen
Pearl Jam
White Lies
Discovery
La Roux
Grizzly Bear
Bat for Lashes
Passion Pit
Lady Gaga
Dirty Projectors
Ida Maria
Wilco
U2
The Big Pink
Florence and the Machine
The Drums
worst concert of the year: The Virgins @ Great American Music Hall (20 May 2009)
best concert of the year: Franz Ferdinand @ Fox Theatre (15 April 2009)
runner(s) up: Julian Casablancas @ Regency Ballroom (17 November 2009)//Andrew Bird @ The Fillmore (19 February 2009)
album from 2008 that I really grew to love in 2009:
The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
The Gaslight Anthem - Great Expectations [mp3]
runner up: The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of Understatement
The Last Shadow Puppets - My Mistakes Were Made for You [mp3]
(I liked this album last year, but ADORED it this year)
saddest breakup: Harlem Shakes
Technicolor Health is one of the most delectable albums I've heard all year, but sadly, the band disbanded a couple of months ago, and their breakup prevented me from including them in my best albums of the year list. RIP, sugary goodness. we hardly knew ye.
Harlem Shakes - Nothing But Change Part II [mp3]
best new band: Free Energy
the great thing about this band is that they aren't REALLY a new band. they're actually more or less the reformation of a band called Hockey Night. they are so much fun, but, more importantly, they know what they're doing. even though their songs are lighthearted, you can tell that each note is deliberate. the proof is in the pudding: on the strength of their debut single (and a couple of extra songs) alone, they have landed tour dates throughout the country-- without a debut LP (or even EP!) to their name.
Free Energy - Something in Common [mp3]
cover of the year:
Cage the Elephant - Psycho Killer (Talking Heads cover) [mp3]
this is so right in so many ways.
EP of the year: Calypso - Teen Age
Calypso - Casually Sad Mercedes [mp3]
I imagine that this is the type of music which pisses G-d off.
band of the year: Phoenix
Phoenix put out a flawless album that was unanimously loved by fans, critics, and even mainstream audiences. they are first and foremost perfectionists, but they don't let that from keeping them down to earth and extremely loveable. viva France!
Phoenix - Lisztomania [mp3]
song of the year: Girls - Lust for Life [mp3]
last year it was "Kids". this year, it's "Lust for Life". what can I say, I'm a sucker for upbeat, slightly bittersweet songs from indie darlings.
