Journal

This time without the fancy long comments about each part. I wish myself more free time in the next year, so I can write about music more.

INDIE & POP

1. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (Domino)
2. 椎名林檎 – Sanmon Gossip (EMI Japan)
3. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest (Warp)
4. Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew (self-released)
5. Maxwell – BLACKsummers’ Night (Sony)
6. Barzin – Notes to an Absent Lover (Monotreme)
7. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Loyaute)
8. Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Monsters (self-released)
9. Blue Roses – Blue Roses (XL)
10. Jim O’Rourke – The Visitor (Drag City)

Honorable mentions: Fink – Sort of Revolution; This immortal Coil – Dark Age of Love; The xx – XX


WORLD

1. Sara Tavares – Xinti (World Connection)
2. Vicente Amigo – Paseo de Gracia (Sony)
3. Yasmin Levy – Sentir (Adama Music)
4. Mari Boine – Sterna Paradisea (Lean)
5. Soname – Plateau (World Village)


ROCK & METAL

1. Low Frequency In Stereo – Futuro (Rune Grammofon)
2. The Flaming Lips – Embronic (Warner)
3. Akron/Family – Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free (Dead Oceans)
4. Future of the Left – Travels with Myself and Another (4AD)
5. Kylesa – Static Tensions (Prosthetic)
6. Indukti – Idmen (Mystic)
7. Zu – Carboniferous (Ipecac)
8. Mastodon – Crack the Skye (Reprise)
9. Gazpacho – Tick Tock (Verglas)
10. sunno))) – Monoliths & Dimensions (Southern Lord)

Honorable mentions: Sax Ruins – Yawiquo; Keelhaul – Triumphant Return to Obscurity; Elysian Fields – The Afterlife


JAZZ & IMPROV

1. Okkyung Lee, Peter Evans, Steve Beresford – Check for Monsters (Emanem)
2. The Rempis Percussion Quartet – The Disappointment of Parsley (Not Two)
3. Mark Feldman, Uri Caine, Greg Cohen, Joey Baron – Secrets (Tzadik)
4. Fred Anderson – 21st Century Chase (Delmark)
5. Yamamoto / Dickey / Carter – Emergence (Not Two)
6. Wadada Leo Smith – Spiritual Dimensions (Cuneiform)
7. The Vandermark 5 – Annular Gift (Not Two)
8. David Sylvian – Manafon (Samadhi Sound)
9. Trzaska / Gasser / Zerang – Nadir & Mahora (Kilogram)
10. The Fully Celebrated Orchestra – Drunk on the Blood of Holy Ones (Aum Fidelity)

Honorable mentions: Crimetime Orchestra – Atomic Symphony; Xu Fengxia, Lucas Niggli – Black Lotos; John Zorn – O’o; McPhee / Brotzmann / Kessler / Zerang – Damege is Done; David S. Ware – Shakti; Will Holshouser Trio – Palace Ghosts and Drunken Hymns


ELECTRONIC & HIP-HOP

1. Ben Frost – By the Throat (Bedroom Community)
2. Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation – Succubus (Ad Noiseam)
3. the young lovers – The Young Lovers (Loungin’ Records)
4. JJ – no 2 (Sincerely Yours)
5. SISTER FA – Sarabadah (Piranha)
6. King Midas Sound – Waiting for You (Hyperdub)
7. Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy (Big Dada)
8. Dinky – Anemik (Wagon Repair)
9. Fuck Buttons – Tarot (ATP)
10. Rameses III – I Could Not Love You More (Touch)

----------------------- Free jazz

===========
Punk jazz
===========
John Zorn

Top albums of 2009!

First of all, some really good albums that didn't make it to my top 10:
Love 2 by Air
Amor Vincit Omnia by
Pure Reason Revolution
Avanti! by Miriodor
No more stories Are told today I'm sorry They washed away No more stories The world is grey I'm tired Let's wash away by Mew
Revisions by 3

Then, let's start the top 10:

10. Våre Demoner by Kaizers Orchestra

Although not as catchy as its predecessor, this album deserves the 10th position.

9. Red Menace by The Kremlin

Have you ever thought what the Beach Boys would sound like if they were sovietic? I hadn't either.

8. The Incident by Porcupine Tree

For me, the most anticipated album of the year. I can't say it was a let down, but it did not captivate me so much. Maybe because of such high hopes.

7. The Resistance by Muse

Even though I find it not very consistent as an album, there are some brilliant songs in it. 7th position!

6. Frequency by IQ

One of the most consistent band I've seen. Their last albums are all great and so is 'Frequency'.

5. Phrazes For The Young by Julian Casablancas

Sounds like futuristic music made in the eighties. I can't help thinking this could be the soundtrack to 'the Jetsons' cartoon.

4. O'o by John Zorn

"He is a great figure in modern music. In fact , I think he is in modern avantgarde jazz and rock music the same, what was Frank Zappa in seventies and eighties." - said one of the reviews I read about the album, and it's just true.

3. Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré by Magma

One of the best Magma albums and one of the releases of the year. And I'm not an enthusiastic fan of Zeuhl.

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix

Up until this release I hadn't heard of Phoenix before. It's a shame they don't get the recognition they deserve (at least here in Brazil).

And my favorite album of the year is:

1. The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists

There are not many songs that stand out in this release, and I think it's a good thing. It's a narrative, so I guess it should be listened as a whole, as an album. And what a great album!

01 Raekwon- Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II
02 Future of the Left- Travels With Myself & Another
03 Sunn O))) Monoliths & Dimensions
04 Khanate- Clean Hands Go Foul
05 John Zorn- Femina
06 Pissed Jeans- King Of Jeans
07 Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds- Dracula Boots
08 Coalesce- OX
09 Sir Richard Bishop- The Freak Of Araby
10 Obits- I Blame You
11 Immortal- All Shall Fall
12 Converge- Axe To Fall
13 Secret Chiefs 3- Satellites: Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini
14 Æthenor- Faking Gold & Murder
15 PJ Harvey & John Parish- A Woman A Man Walked By
16 Current 93- Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain
17 KTL- IV
18 Gorgoroth- Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt
19 Slayer- World Painted Blood
20 Jamie Saft- Black Shabbis
21 Neil Young- Fork In The Road
22 Method Man & Redman- Blackout! 2
23 John Zorn- O'o
24 Themselves- CrownsDown
25 Nomo- Invisible Cities
26 Them Crooked Vultures- Them Crooked Vultures
27 Mos Def- The Ecstatic
28 Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears- Tell 'Em What Your Name Is
29 Borah Bergman Trio- Luminescence
30 Califone – All My Friends Are Funeral Singers

> some lists may be adjusted in time
This year, I liked this music the most:
rock/pop:
1! Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion [Domino] (Amazing how they keep getting better!)

2. Nadja - When I See the Sun Always Shines on TV [The End Records] (good, original "shoegaze" versions of tracks from Elliott Smith, A-ha, etc.)
3. The xx - XX [Young Turks] (I like the soberness of the sound, especially in these times of loudness)
4. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs [Matador]
5. City Center - City Center [Type]
6. Tortoise - Beacons Of Ancestry [Thrill Jockey]
7. HEALTH - Get Color [Lovepump United]
8. Fever Ray - Fever Ray [Rabid Records] (arjesh persuaded me!)
9. Jim O'Rourke - The Visitor [Drag City] (=> 1 track!)
10. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix [V2]

ambient/drone/noise:
1! Mokira - Persona [Type] (organic, wide sound; play loud; in my opinion his best yet)

2. Peter Broderick - Ten Duets [Digitalis Limited] (only released on tape!)
3. Giuseppe Ielasi - Aix [12k] (Clear, "open" sound; samples "found sounds")
4. William Basinski - 92982 [2062] (muffled, crackling loops -as usual- but still intruiging)
5. Alva Noto - Xerrox Vol.2 [Raster Noton] (I like it better than the first volume; three volumes will follow!)
6. Brock Van Wey - White Clouds Drift On And On [Echocord] (has an extra disc with dub versions by Intrusion)
7. Ben Frost - By The Throat [Bedroom Community] (feat. Nico Muhly and Lawrence English)
8. Emeralds - What Happened [No Fun Productions] & Emeralds [Gneiss Things] (organic; sort of "vintage" sound)
9. Hildur Guðnadóttir- Without Sinking [Touch] (Cello! Probably my favourite instrument)
10. Kenneth Kirschner - Filaments & Voids [12k] (2 cd's, 4 tracks: long, dark ambient tracks, yes!)
11. Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country [Kranky] (But I still prefer his 'Harmony in Ultraviolet')
12. Mountains - Choral [Thrill Jonckey] (Vinyl version has two extra tracks)
13. Clouwbeck - Wolfrahm [Shining Day] (reminds me of Stephen Scott's Bowed Piano works)
14. Mika Vainio - Black Telephone Of Matter [Touch] (actually quite scary stuff)
15. Jon Hassell - Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street [ECM] (a pleasant addition to his discography)

techno/dub/etc. records:
Burial & Four Tet - Moth / Wolf Cub
The Field - Yesterday And Today
DJ Sprinkles - Midtown 120 Blues (a.k.a. Terre Thaemlitz)
Moritz von Oswald Trio - Vertical Ascent
Shackleton - Three EPs (he delivered my fav remix of last year)
The Black Dog - Further Vexations

Favourite EP:
Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind

Favourite soundtrack:
John Zorn - Filmworks XXII: El General (feat. the great guitarist Marc Ribot)

Favourite (contemporary) classical music:
Arvo Pärt - In Principio

My favourite tracks of 2009 (ranked alphabetically by artist):
Air - Sing Sang Sung, Animal Collective - My Girls, Animal Collective - Brother Sport, Animal Collective - Bleed, Animal Collective - On A Highway, Antony & The Johnsons - Another World, William Basinski - 92982.2, Andrew Bird - Sectionate City, Peter Broderick - Piano & Toy Piano, Peter Broderick - Mandolin & Theremin, Dinosaur Jr. - Over It, Dirty Projectors + David Byrne - Knotty Pine, Canyons - Big City Lights, City Center - This Is How We See In The Dark, Fever Ray - When I Grow Up (or the Version by Lissvik), Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses (Beyond The Wizards Sleeve Re-Animation), Fuck Buttons - Surf Solar, Girls - Lust For Life, Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks, Grouper - False Horizon, Grouper - Rising High, HEALTH - Before Tigers (CFCF Remix), Giuseppe Ielasi - Track 9, Jonathan Jeremiah - Happiness (Morgan Geist's Port Authority Remix), Lake Heartbeat - Between Dreams, Loscil - Strathcona, Major Lazer - Hold The Line (feat. Santigold), Mokira - Oscillations and Tremolo, Mokira - Invitation To Love, Nadja - Needle In The Hay (Elliott Smith cover), Nadja - Long Dark Twenties (Kids In The Hall cover), Jack Peñate - Tonight's Today, Ratatat - Mirando (Animal Collective Remix, Röyksopp - Happy Up There, Röyksopp - The Girl And The Robot (Kris Menace Remix), Tame Impala - Remember Me (Blue Boy cover), Team William - Lord Of The Dogs, The xx - Crystalised, The XX - Basic Space, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Higher Than the Stars (Saint Etienne Visits Lord Spank Remix), Tiga - Shoes, U2 - Magnificent (Fred Falke Remix),YACHT - Psychic City (Joe Goddard Remix), Yo La Tengo - Nothing To Hide, Thom Yorke - All For The Best (Miracle Legion cover), John Zorn - Los Cristeros,...

According to last.fm's top tracks, I listened the most to:
1. City Center – This Is How We See In The Dark
2. Animal Collective – My Girls
3. Animal Collective – Brother Sport
4. Burial & Four Tet – Moth
5. Mokira - Ode to the Ode to the Street Hassle & Invitation To Love
6. Ratatat – Mirando (Animal Collective Remix)
7. Grouper – False Horizon
8. Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses (Beyond The Wizards Sleeve Re-Animation)
9. Mokira – Oscillations and Tremolo
10. Arvo Pärt – Da Pacem Domine


Favourite techno/dub/etc. tracks:
Burial & Four Tet - Moth
Max Cooper - I (Long Version)
DJ Koze - 40 Love (=> inventive!)
In Flagranti - Brash & Vulgar
Maxïmo Park - Let's Get Clinical (Clark Remix)
Plaid - Dett (=> previously unreleased track from Warp20's Unheard)
The Field - The More That I Do (samples Cocteau Twins!)
DJ Sprinkles - Sisters, I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To
...

°°°
Favourite album sleeve:

(picture taken by Taylor Deupree)

°°°
Movies/documentaries I liked a lot:
Das Weiße Band (Michael Haneke)
Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
The Cove (Louie Psihoyos)
(I have yet to see Up, Moon, A Serious Man, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Avatar, El General... but overall, I think it was quite a bad year for the film...)

°°°
Conclusion:
will follow in the beginning of january...

wolowina-saute's top albums (3 months) 1. Parov Stelar - Coco (332) 2. Tricky - Maxinquaye (239) 3. John Zorn - The Circle Maker: Zevulun (184) 4. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic (181) 5. Air - Love 2 (166) 6. I Monster - A Dense Swarm Of Ancient Stars (161) 7. Cat Power - Jukebox (155) 8. Massive Attack - Splitting The Atom (139) 9. Soap&Skin - Lovetune for Vacuum (136) 10. Waldeck - Ballroom Stories (135) 11. Jamie Saft Trio - Astaroth: Book of Angels, Vol. 1 (114) 12. PJ Harvey - White Chalk (92) 13. Bitter:Sweet - The Mating Game (92) 14. Masada - Gimel (91) 15. Air - Premiers Symptomes (85) 16. Bar Kokhba - Lucifer - Book of Angels Vol. 10 (84) 17. John Coltrane - Coltrane For Lovers (81) 18. Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (75) 19. Tricky - A Ruff Guide (71) 20. Smoke City - Flying Away (71) 21. Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin' (71) 22. Soulsavers - Broken (67) 23. Xploding Plastix - Amateur Girlfriends Go Proskirt Agents (67) 24. John Coltrane - Giant Steps (65) 25. Waldeck - The Night Garden (64) 26. Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (64) 27. John Zorn - The Gift (63) 28. Bar Kokhba Sextet - 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 11 (62) 29. Tricky - Nearly God (61) 30. John Zorn - The Circle Maker: Issachar (60) 31. Fever Ray - Live in Luleå (60) 32. Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club (56) 33. Gentle Giant - Acquiring The Taste (54) 34. John Zorn - The Dreamers (53) 35. Koop - Koop Islands (48) 36. The Puppini Sisters - Betcha Bottom Dollar (46) 37. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals (46) 38. Mr. Bungle - California (46) 39. Armia - Freak (44) 40. The Cinematic Orchestra - Motion (44) 41. Proghma-C - Bar-do Travel (43) 42. Musetta - mice to meet you! (43) 43. Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue (43) 44. Aga Zaryan - Live At Palladium (42) 45. Suede - Dog Man Star (42) 46. Mark Feldman & Sylvie Courvoisier - Malphas: Book Of Angels Vol. 3 (41) 47. Fever Ray - Fever Ray (41) 48. John Zorn - Filmworks XVII - Notes on Marie Menken / Ray Bandar: A Life with Skulls (40) 49. The Cinematic Orchestra - Man With a Movie Camera (39) 50. Air - Pocket Symphony (38)

#1 Sleepy Sun - Embrace
Guess I gotta thank The Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound for putting me onto this marvelous group. When I found out vocalists Rachael Williams and Bret Constantino were to record with Assemble Head on their own latest outing I thought I'd better check them out to keep me busy while i patiently waited for "When Sweet Sleep Returned". As it turned out "Embrace" caught me totally off guard, and blew me the fuck away. Better than anything i could have expected. I've been keeping tabs on them all year, checking out videos of all their performances and i gotta admit I'm a total sucker for everything they do. Ridiculously awesome riffs, lovely spacey jams. They've another new album just around the corner, and from what I've heard so far it's going to slaughter!



#2 Sholi - Sholi
If it weren't for the now-defunct indiepassion blog i'd have never discovered this wonderful and totally unique gem. It was the first album to blow me away this year, way back in early February. Some would carelessly tag this as indie garbage but that simply isn't the case. The musicianship and songwriting is very unique, with each song comes a lovely melody as well as an excellent aggressive drive. Their style is balanced, emotive, hypnotic, intelligently composed and all the while incredibly technical. Oh, and i didn't even mention the drumming on this record. Good lord, just download and listen to the dude tear it up! - P.S. "Spy In The House of Memories" totally sounds like some modern indie/King Crimson hybrid, really fucking cool.



#3 The Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound - When Sweet Sleep Returned
I've mentioned it a dozen times prior, but god damn it do love Tee Pee Records. Everything they put out is golden, and this was no exception. I was completely obsessed with Assemble Head last year when i discovered their previous record "Ekranoplan". There's just something about their sound that i can come back to again and again. Not to harp on the meaningless, but i'd unkowingly rack up 50+ spins of their albums and have them jump up into my most played here on last.fm without even knowing it (and certainly without getting sick of them). While they might not have changed it up much from album to album, it's certainly no less enjoyable. Can't wait to see what they do next. If it's more of the same i won't mind at all.



#4 Ancestors - Of Sound Mind
Ancestors' 2008 debut was one of my favourites so naturally i was keeping tabs on this baby! What we have here is essentially 4 fucking huge pieces, each clocking in at around 15 minutes - and a series of short and contrasting interludes. They've added so much to their already-scorching sound here and almost sound like a completely different band. The production is truly something to behold. I absolutely love the keys spread all over this album, the bluesy guitar solo's are very tasty as well. Running in at just over an hour usually pushes it for me, but i still didn't want this one to end. It smacked me right from the get-go. Keep an ear out for these heavy motherfuckers!



#5 The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
The Decemberists' earlier work never really clicked with me, but to be fair i don't think i ever really gave them a chance. It was because of this i was completely blown away with "Hazards", a beautiful collection of songs and recurring themes all arranged to perfection. That break down in "A Bower Scene" is one of the coolest things i've heard in a long time! Gotta give their earlier stuff a second chance asap.



#6 Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below
The buzz on this crazy bunch has been steadily picking up momentum ever since the Letterman performance earlier in the year. It seems as if everyone who caught them that night instantly fell in love with them. I managed to pick a copy up from Amazon for pocket change and now it's become one of my favourites of the year. It's big and wild, easy to sing along with, completely over the top and most importantly, it's just a really entertaining listening experience.



#7 Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
I really didn't know what to expect with this. It's good enough to hold up to the band's legacy, and at this point in time i guess that's all we can ask of it. I still don't really like "Lessons Learned" and especially "Take Her Out", but everything else holds up. "When The Sun Rose Again" is excellent. The highlight has to be the haunting "Private Hell", which one could guess narrates Layne's final days, as well as the closing title track which ends too quickly, further serving it's purpose. A fitting tribute to Layne, and a fitting swan song for the band should they choose not to continue.



#8 Greater California - All the Colors
This here's another gem i stumbled upon while browsing the aforementioned indiepassion blog. They're from Long Beach, L.A. Road trips, cookouts, sunny days and beaches, Pet Sounds and nostalgia. All that good cheesy stuff comes to mind. Produced by Ikey Owens of TMV but don't let that give you the wrong impression. This is totally melancholic and chilled. My favourite "midnight album" of the year.



#9 Imaad Wasif - The Voidist
Given Tee Pee Records' reputation as one helluva heavy label i gotta admit i was a little hesitant while reading about this Canadian fella, who is primarily known as the touring guitarist for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I decided to check out all three of his solo albums, including this, his latest. The debut was very dark and mellow which brang to mind Elliott Smith at first. In contrast, his second album "Strange Hexes" with his current backing band Two Part Beast (a modern Crazy Horse in the making) is fucking loud, and it fucking rocks! His latest "The Voidist" mixes the two elements into one great and unique record. Clearly his best so far.



#10 Balmorhea - All Is Wild, All Is Silent
Gotta be honest, I didn't think much of this after my first few listens. A few months after release i returned to it and it slowly infected my psyche. Every time i listen i imagine some wonderful film in which this would comfortably suit as a score. The landscapes of No Country & There Will Be Blood come to mind. Hell I've never even visited the US, but i sure do love Balmorhea's latest Americana-tinged release.



#11 Stardeath and White Dwarfs - The Birth
Hot damn, this caught me by suprise! Absolutely love the Floyd influence. But there is really so much more going on here, hell i was half expecting Coyne No. 2 to rap along with that wicked digi-happy beat from "I Can't Get Away". The best Coyne-family release of the year! Bring on that family gathering-dsotm cover already.



#12 A.A. Bondy - When The Devil's Loose
A.A. Bondy has been one of my favourite folk discoveries of the last few years. He obviously takes his cue from the greats, and it shows. However it's this sophomore release of his where he's really fleshed out his own familiar sound. "A Slow Parade" & "Oh The Vampyre" are two of my favourite songs of the year.



#13 Truckfighters - Mania
These guys have been steadily chugging along as the new Kyuss over in their native Sweden for a few years now. From release to release they have tightened up a little but this here, their latest, is the real deal. They really stretched out here and it's payed off as one of the best rock albums of the year, for me anyway. It's straight up classic desert rock with a little 90's grunge thrown in for good measure. Tell me the vocal harmonies on the closer "Blackness" don't sound a hell of a lot like Cantrell and Staley! Awesome.



#14 Kings of Convenience - Declaration Of Dependence
This is wonderful late night listening. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's just as excellent at all times of the day and night. I probably won't listen to it a whole lot but when those nights come this is what I'll be reaching for. I'm liking it better than their previous so far.



#15 Hopewell - Good Good Desperation
Leave science behind and imagine for a moment if you will, a mass orgy the likes nobody has ever seen before, in which Perry Farrell and his original band of addicts somehow, someway, impregnate Jason Simon and his band, Dead Meadow. Stay with me.. ok so these four or five little messed up children grow up and form a band of their own, yeah you know it, Hopewell. The science works!



#16 Mouse On The Keys - an anxious object
Discovered this fantastic Japanese jazz band from TheSirensSound blog last year. The drumming especially is excellent. The second half of the album in particular is mind blowing. The funky 'Double Bind' has one of my favourite beats in a long long time. The next track 'Soil' cruises along at a nice pace before unleashing an absolutely incredible extended sax solo, the definitive highlight of the album for me. Good funky jazz fusion/post-rock with nice beats, a fun listen.



#17 Black Math Horseman - Wyllt
Progsychedoomic-Metal? Nah, fuck tags. But this is a welcomed fresh breath among those genres mentioned. The whole album is solid but i have to mention the closing track. Boy oh boy is it heavy. One of my favourites of the year. Lead singer Sera Timms has one hell of a possessed, demonic-like howl to her. Yes, her.



#18 Blakroc - Blakroc
I didn't even see this one coming. I'm not the biggest fan of The Black Keys but i like what they did here and in turn i guess I gotta check out more of their work. A few of the MC's annoy me but for the most part i enjoy it all. I love the first Mos Def track, as well as the RZA & Pharoahe track the most. I enjoyed the studio videos, seeing how everyone interacted and how the project came about through it's stages. I read they are compiling all that into some kind of documentary soon, should be cool.



#19 Quest For Fire - Quest For Fire
Why is it that when i first seen this creepy artwork of a seemingly drug-fucked human being slobbering all over his/her/it's own breasts (???) I was instantly set on obtaining the album? What does that say about me? At any rate, i did notice this was on the wonderful Tee Pee Records label and knew right away of the quality waiting to be discovered. Fortunately for me, this was but one of the many awesome psych releases of '09.



#20 Shrinebuilder - Shrinebuilder
How could this ever possibly live up to the huge expectations of most fans? I mean let's face it, to have these four influential giantlemen of all things heavy in the same room is fucking big. Having said that, if you can put all that bullshit to the side and just let this one slowly burn through, you WILL see the light! If you dig this, check out the latest Ancestors' record posted up top. Trust me on that.



#21 The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Strange, strange, strange. I gotta give 'em credit for changing it up, but good lord! All i know is after 5-10 listens of the latest Lips album i still can't quite get my head around it. Like i said, strange. One can only wonder what other kinds of strange Uncle Coyne & co will unearth to us come decade number four! I can't wait to find out.



#22 Mastodon - Crack The Skye
For one reason or another this was my introduction to the mighty Mastodon. Gotta admit this is pretty kick-ass, i don't much care for the vocals though. I see this moving up the list in time. It's been a pretty fucking heavy year though...



#23 Black Bonzo - Guillotine Drama
This was probably my most anticipated album of the year and while it certainly isn't bad, i figure i might have hyped it up too much. Nothing was going to live up to what i was expecting. Hell, i don't even know what i was expecting. I can't really fault the album.. the songs are great and the band is continually adding new and interesting dimensions to their already awesome brand of "retro" prog-rock. Gotta admit that's one god-awful cover design though. I'm just glad this band exists, to be honest.



#24 Serpent Throne - The Battle Of Old Crow
Sabbath worship at it's finest. You could probably con someone into thinking this is a lost Iommi, Geezer & Billy Ward jam record. It really is spot on.. although completely instrumental. Bottom line is while I'm listening to this album it fucking rocks. But when i'm not i tend to completely forget about it. In a way that kind of sums it up. It'd be interesting to hear these guys lay down some vocals on top, but i guess that's not what it's about.



#25 Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
Sure i knew of them and a few of their earlier hits, but until "Humbug" i had never given a shit about the Arctic Monkeys. Decided to check this out after learning of Homme's involvement. Yep, "his" sound is definitely present. This is pretty cool.




Honourable Mentions:
Radio Moscow - Brain Cycles
Mono - Hymn To The Immortal Wind
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Gösta Berlings Saga - Detta Har Hänt
Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
Astra - The Weirding
Bowerbirds - Upper Air
Grizzly Bear - Vecktamist
Latitudes - Agonist
John Zorn - O'o
Whitetree - cloudland
Long Distance Calling - Avoid The Light
Hanne Hukkelberg - Blood From A Stone
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Zu - Carboniferous
Crystal Antlers - Tentacles
Vetiver - Tight Knit
Foreign Born - Person to Person
Isis - Wavering Radiant
Lisa O Piu - When this was the future


Feedback/Comments:
So what do ya think folks? Feel free to comment on any shared tastes or anything else. Come on, let me have it for not ranking "Merriweather Post Pavilion" - you know you want to.

Anyway, that will do for now. Cheers.

Marcus :]

Various artists: Mom (Benefit comp for the mother of Beta-Lactam Ring Record's director, Chris, who is undergoing cancer treatments. Includes exclusive tracks from Nurse With Wound, legendary pink dots, Andrew Liles, Volcano the Bear, among others)
Various artists: Mutant Sounds For Mutant People (2009 Beta-Lactam Ring Records sampler)
Nurse With Wound: Space Music (deluxe version with signed card)
Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue (SACD)
Miles Davis: Ascenseur Pour L'Échafaud
UFO: Strangers In The Night (JP mini-LP)
Funkadelic: Music For You Mother (2CD)
Stan Getz & João Gilberto: Getz / Gilbero (SACD)
The Beatles: Let It Be (2009 Remaster)
Porter Wagoner: The Cold Hard Facts Of Life / Soul Of A Convict
Miles Davis: Get Up With It (2CD 1991 JP)
John Zorn: The Big Gundown (reissue on Tzadik)
Miles Davis: Live In Vienna 1973
The Chameleons: What Does Anything Mean? Basically (2009 2CD reissue w/demos disc)
Nurse With Wound: Paranoia In Hi-Fi
Miles Davis: Milestones (JP Mastersound)
Miles Davis: Porgy And Bess (JP Mastersound)
Miles Davis: Miles In Tokyo (JP Mastersound)
Miles Davis: A Tribute To Jack Johnson (JP Mastersound)
Miles Davis: The Man With The Horn (JP Mastersound)
Miles Davis: You're Under Arrest (JP Mastersound)
Miu Sakamoto: DAWN PINK
Sandie Shaw: Nothing Comes Easy (4CD box)
Bauhaus: Shadow Of Light / Archive (DVD)
Miles Davis: Miles Ahead (JP Mastersound)
Miles Davis: E.S.P. (JP Mastersound)
Funkadelic: Motor City Madness (2CD)
The Who: The Ultimate Collection Bonus Disc
Miles Davis: Circle In The Round (2CD)
Miles Davis: On The Corner (JP Mastersound)
Dif Juz: Soundpool
JG Thirlwell: The Venture Bros soundtrack
Pocket feat. Robyn Hitchcock: Surround Him With Love
Naked City: Grand Guignol

At this point, I'm thinking I should have just gotten the Miles Davis 71-disc Amazon box set....

Art of Noise: And What Have You Done With My Body, God? (4CD box)
The Yardbirds: Where The Action Is (2CD)
Robert Calvert: Freq
Robyn Hitchcock: This Is The BBC
Graham Parker: BBC Live In Concert
Wire: A Bell Is A Cup Until It Is Struck
jolin tsai: Magic (CD+DVD)
jolin tsai: Castle (CD+DVD)
Gigi Leung: Best Collection (CD+VCD)
Gigi Leung: Amour
Various artists: From Torture To Conscience (1984 LP comp with Current 93, Death in June, Clair Obscur, In the Nursery and Iron in Flesh)
Glenn Branca: Symphony Nos. 8 & 10 (The Mysteries)
Yes: Queens Park 1975 (VHS)
Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (VHS documentary)
Miles Davis: The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (4CD box, metal spine)
Miles Davis: Miles Davis Quintet 1965-'68 (6CD box, metal spine)
You've Got Foetus on Your Breath: Deaf
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions: Live 1986 (DVD)

And the final purchase for 2009 is a bittersweet one:

Rowland S. Howard: Pop Crimes... sadly his last album.... RIP Rowland

As a tribute a tribute of sorts, I am playing this as the last album I listen to in 2009.