Yes, it’s still list season. As State kicks off its Top 50 of the year, here are my own top 30 albums of the year in four-page epic form.
30. Channel One – Sound to Light
29. Clark – Totem’s Flare
28. The Phantom Band – Checkmate Savage
27. Micachu – Jewellery
26. DM Stith – Heavy Ghosts
25. The Holy Roman Army – How the Light Gets In
24. Florence and the Machine – Lungs
23. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
22. Dan Deacon – Bromst
21. The Horrors – Primary Colours
20. Moderat – Moderat
The marriage of Modeselektor and Apparat produced a beautiful Berlin child which was equal parts dub-techno and ambient electronica. Rumour had it they broke up immediately after their Electric Picnic performance but they left us a lush, brooding, beat album to cherish. The album also gave us the stellar Shackleton remix of ‘Rusty Nails’ which was equally as mindblowing.
MP3:Moderat – No. 22
MP3:Moderat – Rusty Nails (Shackleton remix)
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19. The XX – The XX
“A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.” The XX agree with Leopold Stokowski and made a miminal brooding indie-pop debut wise beyond their young years. It’s the space between the notes..
MP3:The XX – Intro
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18. St. Vincent – Actor
Before 2009, I had no time for St. Vincent. After hearing ‘The Strangers’, seeing her play live in a church at SXSW and support Grizzly Bear, I was a big fan boy. Actor cemented those experiences thanks to the Disney-inspired, orchestral and guitar maneuvers atop which Annie Clark sumptuous voice leads proceedings.
MP3:St. Vincent – The Strangers
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17. Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport
With Andrew Weatherall on board as producer, Fuck Buttons extended the ambient palette of their debut Street Horrrsing into something closely resembling out-and-out techno but a new kind, made with analogue equipment and perfectly imperfect. Tarot Sport was less about small moments and chord changes, it looks to the bigger picture with euphoric rushes of digital noise, techno beats and epic synths. Let it wash over you.
MP3:Fuck Buttons – Flight of the Feathered Serpent
[Myspace | Buy: Amazon / iTunes / eMusic ]
16. DOOM – Born Like This
“Born like this / Into this / As the chalk faces smile / As Mrs Death laughs / As the elevators break / As political landscapes dissolve.” – ‘Cellz’.
A new MF DOOM album is always welcome around these parts. This time, Dumile dispenses with the MF and goes all caps. Born Like This sees the rapping firebrand hungry to twist words in a raspier style than before. Raekwon, Ghostface both feature (as well as Paloma Faith bizarrely enough) while productions come from Jake One, J Dilla. Madlib and Mr Chop but it’s all about DOOM the enigmatic character.
[Myspace | Buy: Amazon / iTunes / eMusic ]
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
YES!
I agree, MPP is great and all but I truly think Veckatimest is the better album and will be seen so down the road!
Great LIST!
jealous of all the shows you’ve been able to see this year. Inever have the proper time
Interesting list, especially Fanfarlo so high up. Thought it was a good album but sort of forgot about it after the initial throes.
I’d also say the direct opposite of the first commenter’s sentiments on Veckatimest vs. MPP: that both are great but that down the road Veckatimest will just be a great album where MPP will have changed things up in its wake.
Ahh, I’d figured on page 3 that it’d be a toss-up between MPP and Veckatimest. I asked for Grizzly Bear for Xmas so reckon it’ll be a good one. Am a bit surprised there wasn’t a bit more Irish in here, there’ve been some really strong releases this year that IMO, stand up to your top picks. Still, good stuff.
Great list , looking forward to checking out some of your choices. Grizzly bear gig was gig of the year for me as well as album of 2009. Also glad to see QOTSA make 4 of your best of decade.
How the HELL did Bromst only come in at 22?
I had predicted the top two the other way around. There’s a few on here I haven’t heard though. Great list as always Niall.
So much good shit on there.
It took me a long time to get into Veckatimest. I am never one to listen to something once and then chuck it if Idont instantly like it. After a lot of listens it just clicked with me and it hasnt been off my iPod “Now Playing” list in months.
So much good shit there to check out. Gonna bookmark this post 😀
No Jay Stay Paid?
Good to see MPP, Major Lazer, and the Ecstatic where they are on the list – I feel like 2009 was one of the stronger years we’ev had in awhile
Number 16 is not “Cellz”. That’s the first line of a poem by Charles Bukowski called Born Into This.
Alex -the Bukowski poem is recited in Cellz the song.