5. Fanfarlo – Reservoir
‘I’m A Pilot’ is the perfect microcosm of the album as a whole. Brooding, marching, subtle, yearning epic, uplifting and rousing. Arcade Fire and Beirut comparisons are obvious but that doesn’t diminish the impact the album has. Reservoir is a remarkably solid 11-track album. Look out for them in Ireland in the new year.
[Site | Buy: Amazon / iTunes ]
4. Mos Def – The Ecstatic
The Ecstatic is the renaissance of Mos Def as a rapper after ten years of ever-increasing mediocrity. Mos takes a global view with instrumentals from Oh No, Madlib, J Dilla, Preservation and Mr. Flash and a memorable appearance from Slick Rick on ‘Auditorium’. The result is a fired up MC clearly relishing twisting words to beats once again.
MP3:Mos Def – Twilite Speedball
[Myspace | Buy: Amazon / iTunes / eMusic ]
3. Major Lazer – Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do
Switch and Diplo’s digital dancehall project is a futuristic twist on that great Jamaican genre imbued with flavours of baile funk, hip-hop, and the global soundclash of modern dance music. Guns Don’t Kill People.. showcases some of the best dancehall MCs around like Turbulence, Mr. Lex, Ms. Thing, Mr. Vegas, Jahdan Blakkamore. In the Santigold-featuring ‘Hold The Line’, the pure Eurodance pop of ‘Keep it Going Louder’ and the dancefloor-slammer ‘Pon De Floor’, Major Lazer also delivered three of the best tunes of the year.
[Myspace | Buy: Amazon / iTunes / eMusic ]
2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
An uncompromising joy, Animal Collective’s eight album sees them in uncharted territory but anyone following the form of their most recent albums won’t be too surprised. Despite the immediate joy of tracks like ‘My Girls’, ‘Brothersport’ and ‘Summertime Clothes’, the band’s experimental touches remain resulting in MPP coming across like a 21st century Beach Boys record but with added yelps, squelches and “boing” noises.
Merriweather is also the first AC album to put melody at the forefront and what a knack for it they have. Panda Bear and Avey Tare’s vocal relationship helps define and refine the album’s strong danceable electronic aesthetic with some necessary humanity, as they share vocal focus and harmonies. Both men have distinctive and contrasting singing styles, yet the variance between them is crucial to the bristling energy of this record. When they align, it can be glorious. And they so it it so frequently here that it’s an out and out celebration.
[Site | Buy: Amazon / iTunes / eMusic ]
1. Grizzly Bear – Vecktimest
Grizzly Bear first came to attention with the release of Yellow House in 2006, an album of flighty atmospherics and choral vocals. While not for everyone, the reaction set them on a path from the pastoral surroundings of that titular house to an island off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts which informs the title of their 2009 album. They must have picked up some magic dust on the way too as Vecktimest shines brightly with pop melodies and dreamy group harmonies.
The quartet of Ed Droste, Chris Taylor, Daniel Rossen and Chris Bear deliver 53 minutes of sublime, bright and spatial music on Veckatimest. It might be folky in nature but these are big dynamic productions, brimming with gargantuan-sounding crescendos and lovely lilting quiet moments, while stile managing to effectively avoid the quiet-loud-quiet-loud convention that so many bands fall prey to.
While there are standouts: the summery piano-pop of ‘Two Weeks’, the taut ‘While You Wait for The Others’ and the dizzying multi-part opener ‘Southern Point’, what makes Veckatimest a must-listen for 2009, is the all encompassing atmosphere soaking the record imprinted by four very talented musicians.
MP3:Grizzly Bear – While You Wait for The Others
[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.