An Editor’s Top Ten List of 2009

I hate these lists.
I love these lists.
They just won’t go away, the longings to make such endeavors – to properly distill everything down to categorizable, easy-to-understand numerical order that successfully reduce the artist-to-listener experience to “in” or “out” or even “this guy is better than that band.” But alas, I do it every year so who am I to really stop.

This year the low estimate on the number of CDs that came across my desk (since I write about music for most of my income) is around 750. The most likely figure is just under 1,000. So there’s obviously no way to take all of that in. But many of the ones I did take in were quite fine, a nice even year, this 2009. It’s no 2007, that’s for sure. It’s no 2002 either. But even without an absolutely, stop-you-in-your-tracks disc, there’s plenty to love. And it starts here.

10. Metric, Fantasies - I love Emily Haines. And I love the synth-pop/rock her band brings with her. “Blindness” is a moving tune featuring Haines at her best and the entire album impresses with no filler tracks. Lyrically, there’s not much to write home about, but when the melodies are this strong, it really doesn’t matter.

9. Girls, Album - Each month brings 10 buzz bands, so I hate falling for one of the newest ones. But there’s something moving about the jangly guitars and sunny riffs on Album. Sometimes the disc’s a little too earnest, but something tells me Girls will be around for a long time

8. Lou Barlow, Goodnight Unknown - As the founding bassist of Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh (among others), Barlow’s solo album only serves as a personal interest in exploring new avenues. Thus it’s amazing Goodnight Unknown is as good as it is. Apparently, Barlow’s been busy crafting lo-fi pop tunes to acoustic folk – all of which sound stunning together in this collection.

7. Ancient Astronauts, We Are To Answer - This German duo created my favorite hip-hop release in a year of underwhelming ones. As much as I loved Mr. Lif, Brother Ali and perhaps Jay-Z to a degree, this was definitely a down year in my opinion for the genre. Thus, this brilliant collection of infectious samples and superb guests receives the nod in this year’s Top 10. “Classic” is the best track here, but every one is strong.

6. Silversun Pickups, Swoon – The most popular act on this list, but I can’t deny the fantastic musicianship and rock riffs on Swoon. Brian Aubert’s guitar work is strong and Nikki Moninger’s bass work is equally impressive, creating a sound completely their own (with an obvious Smashing Pumpkins nod) and one of this year’s best rock albums.

5. Vic Chesnutt, At The Cut - This paraplegic acoustic songwriter finally received his due in 2007 with the much celebrated North Star Deserter, after decades in the music business as a solo artist, session player and songwriter. Now, At the Cut reveals layers of bravery and cowardice, love and loss and fond memories fading as slowly as the photographs involved. For much of this year, I believed this would become my favorite.

4. Arctic Monkeys, Humbug – There’s a mature masculinity unleashed on Humbug, the third album in four years from the English indie rock darlings, and it’s clear they’ve turned the corner from “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.” The superficial charm is gone, replaced by heavier instrumentation and a seriousness needed for the long haul. A fantastic album that should provide a proper foundation for the next several years of music.

3. Manchester Orchestra, Mean Everything to Nothing - Tough call, but the one-two punch of “Shake It Out” and “I’ve Got Friends” near the album’s front end can’t be topped by anything else this year. The average age of this Georgia five-piece is somewhere around 20, so there’s arguably no more promising young rock band than Manchester Orchestra. And Andy Hull’s lyricism is top-notch.

2. Doves, Kingdom of Rust - This album’s a long time coming. 2005’s Some Cities was definitely solid beginning to end, but nothing could have prepared fans for this career-defining tour-de-force. The title track alone is easily my favorite song of 2009 and others like “Jetstream” and “Spellbound” fully deliver. After over 20 years in some form or another among Britain’s second tier, Doves finally make an album worth of mention with the nation’s elite.

1. A.A. Bondy, When The Devil’s Loose - Perhaps this isn’t a surprising spot for Scott Bondy, given my absolute fawning over 2008’s top disc for me: Tyler Ramsey’s A Long Dream About Swimming Across the Sea. Still that doesn’t take away from the sparse beauty exhibited all over When The Devil’s Loose. Marked by nature’s analogies and the heart’s emotions, Bondy executes a beautiful slow arrest of the senses. An unexpected top album.

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