10. Bitte Orca - Dirty Projectors
(Domino 2009, Dave Longstreth)
Innovation doesn't always lead to success no matter how creative you are, and on previous efforts Dave Longstreth and Dirty Projectors have often created intriguing works but found themselves too often venturing into the extremes of inaccesibility. Bitte Orca sees a fundamental shift, it feels no less creative, imaginative or remarkable but suddenly the Dirty Projectors have presented the world with an album full of sharp addictive melodies and ground breaking pop music. Only a cursory listen to the brilliant album opener Cannibal Resource unveils the great strength of Bitte Orca. Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian's sweet high pitch harmonies take the role of the entire orchestra providing beautiful instrumentation and a adding a great depth and contrast to the melodies of Longstreth. In conforming to convention and presenting more traditional song structures, more welcoming to uninitiated, Longstreth has not lost his core sound he has instead found a way to transform and subvert traditional conventions.
After the layered vocal arrangements of the openers Cannibal Resourse and the warped guitar of Temecula Sunrise the crunch of a conventional guitar lick becomes a surprising thrill on the brilliant The Bride before we are treated to the first r'n'b ballad of any interest in what seems like an eternity Stillness Is The Move. It's at this point that you realise just how hard Bitte Orca is to describe, it's been a common complaint among critics, Bitte Orca is an album that makes you look stupid, that sentence alone proves my point. The harmonies and burbling electronica combine with rich orchestral undercurrents creating a beautiful europhia but it's almost impossible to define in conventional terms, even on Dirty Projectors most conventional album to date. Two Doves is one of the albums clear highlights, it has a approachable enough plucked guitar lick but the infusion of sharp stagger classical jabs and swift fleeting timing changes provides the music with a tense sensation which is almost at odds with Ambers high floaty croon, the end results is a luminescent sweet pop song that shouldn't work but of course does. It's at this point you realize the ultimate triumph of Bitte Orca is that, Dave Longstreth has managed to produce a fiercely challenging and intelligent album whose abrasive edges are smoothed by it's own undoubted beauty. Therefore Bitte Orca can be strange, challenging and defiantly different without making it's potential audience feel like outcasts or unwelcome visitors.
9. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
- The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
(Fortuna Pop! 2009, TPOBPAH)
Another entry in the top twenty five and another reference to My Bloody Valentine, I don't know why but the shoe gaze asethic appears to be thoroughly back in vogue. Thankfully, the influence here is subtle, similar to those seen on Primary Colours earlier in the countdown, the glorious hazy dream pop contrast gives The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart a glorious pop punch and their melodies a wonderful sleepy and demure charm. Rather than providing a exploration of noise and beauty the foggy haze ascends over their impeccably tight indie pop jaunts. Young Adult Friction burst out early in the record with a sense of fond retrospection, it sounds like detached reflective pogo-along hymn, at the start you could be mistaken for thinking this was the best track the View had ever written, but then of course after thirty seconds you realize no it can't be because this isn't shit. The guitars jag and bounce relentless throughout the album, and it almost makes you sad, you feel as though we've missed out on a generation of potentially brilliant guitar music. Pains Of Being Pure At Heart have seamlessly blended the dreary day dreams of MBV and Pavement with the Strokes and Libertines' post-punk 21st Century jangle, you can't help but feel this is what the last ten year of music should have sounded like. There's even a healthy dose of The Stone Roses in the mix as the straight lo-fi jaunt of This Love Is Fucking Right! manages to feels distinctly like the offspring of UK pop and US alt, resulting in a glorious union. The whole of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart does bear the scar of it's influences, it never feels challenging, and while it's certainly distinct in the current pop market, it doesn't feel particularly fresh or new, if there's one word to describe this album it's cosy, it fits like a warm slipper. Now in the world of rock and roll the world "cosy" is about as abhorrent as any imaginable, but by the time you've ploughed through ten tracks each more catchy, more bouncy and more irresistible than the last, artistic nit picking seems fruitless. Similar to The Strokes Is This It The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart have crafted a debut so direct and so punchy that any criticism seem pointless. To create such an assured work so early in one's career is simply a feat to be applauded not dissected.
8. XX - The XX
(Young Turks 2009, The XX)
Their is no doubt as to 2009's most staggering album, the long awaited debut of London's The XX was a record that stopped you dead in you're tracks. Everything about their debut had a rich emotional power, every subtly guitar lick, every pound of the bass drum, and each down beat melonconic croon. The albums intro a two minute instrumental track set the tone, it resonate ominously, it was gloriously minimalistic but it's winding central riff and pounding drum arrangement was designed to fill wide open spaces, not with blistering noise but with sheer atmosphere. It was that one word that encapsulated the entire album, atmosphere, this was an album that loomed large, it was emotionally tense and powerfully haunting as the two duelling vocalist slowly elided together. As a result the albums emotional core is hard to define, it has an incredible immediacy, and it has the feel of dispear and desolation but it's simply too harmonious and too accessible to ever be a downer.
The albums has two truly great facets, first the gorgeous interplay between the male and female vocals, both wonderfully dead pan but with each coo carrying the air of faint hope. Second the subtle guitar work, the riffage is minimal, and the arrangements are sparse and rhythmic but the real strenght is the timing, every time you want a clang of emotionally terse guitar to chime or the big concluding thud of bass pedal to emerge it always does. The end sensation is not predictability but a deep rooted sense of satisfaction, everything is truly in it's right place, each track evolves naturally giving you the climax you desire, without ever over stepping the mark or encroaching on the strong captivating vocal performances. As a result the album creates a magical atomsphere, far richer than the relatively bare bones arrangements would suggest, it's all to do with timing and pitch, the thudding blurry thud of bass on Fantasy is a perfect example, combining with a ghostly strained riff it creates grand imagery of eerie uncomfortable surroundings. The XX aren't afraid to let tracks linger even in the space of three or four minutes tracks are allowed to brood; the gorgeous Shelter is in no rush, they allow every syllable to sink into you're subconscious. Minimalism is The XX's friend, and it's their weapon of choice, they feel shy, reluctant but most importantly truthful and this decision to choose bare bones honesty over rock and roll gusto serves them well, creating an intelligent honest powerful and spooky masterwork.
7. The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
(Interscope 2009, Darkchild)
It's tricky when running you're own blog, not to repeat yourself, when reviewing The Fame Monster earlier in the year, I lavished an almost unending stream of praise upon this very album, I felt I said everything that needed to be said, capturing a moment in Lady Gaga's evolution. However it's been a couple of months since I last sampled The Fame Monster, and I wonder does my assessment still hold true, does this record still thrill? The answer is of course a defiant hell yes! The Fame Monster still seems like the awakening of a true pop icon, and album that shows Lady Gaga's potential not just as a vapid iconoclastic celebrity but as a true artist, whose shock tactics now pale in comparison to her undoubted hit making capability. The scariest facet of The Fame Monster was it's consistency, the quality set by album opener and uncontainable single Bad Romance is held throughout, and while the obvious Madonna references still abound, the strength of this collective work points more in the direction of Bowie. Not in terms of the crazy outfits but in terms of the mad cap creativity.
The improvement on The Fame is marked, her debut seemed like a necessary breakthrough, a victory of style over substance with a series of irresistible hits carrying cleverly postured filler. The Fame Monster is the opposite; it is a thirty minute lightening bolt of slick and irresistible electro pop. The songs feel richer, the arrangements are sharper and the melodies inescapable. The songs are no longer structured around potential dance routines and opportunities to strike a pose; the tracks are now shaped from beginning to end to create emotional peaks and those perfect fist in the air moments. Monster lives up to it's name as a monster of a pop track, Alejandro is still hilarious and Speechless contrasts Gaga's own sense of the ridiculous with genuinely epic song writing sweeps. Speechless is perhaps the albums scariest moment, we all knew Gaga and her crew could make the club bangers but in this ballad she shows a flare for cinematic and inventive, who would have expected to see orchestral arrangements and folk stomps on The Fame? Every last inch of The Fame Monster suggests that come 2020 Lady Gaga will be this decade and this generations enduring Icon. And to think this was just a set of throwaway tracks to flog a few copies of her debut album, who knows what's she capable of on her true follow up to The Fame.
6. Two Dancers - Wild Beasts
(Domino 2009, Richard Formby)
One of the greatest accomplishments in all of the arts whatever you're medium is to take the grotesque and make it beautiful. Wild Beasts accomplish that feat with assured ease on their sophmore effort Two Dancers. Two Dancers is an album that sees the emergence of a remarkable song writing talent in the form of Hayden Thorpe. Moving to Leeds obviously did Wild Beasts a power of good as Two Dancers feels like a concept album with Hayden Thorpe examining in great almost Shakespearean verse the ills of society, however this is not a condemnation, this is an exploration; we are given these rich narratives through the eyes of the common thug, whether he be brutally beating a rival, taking part in a visceral gang rape or simply putting the erh...boot in booty call (and yes that does actually form the chorus of Fun Powder Plot). What makes this album remarkable is how these themes are explored, this depraved world of gangs, blood shed and rape are explored not in furious gritty post-punk indie but instead in europhic shimmering rhythms and through a desperate almost heavenly yelp combined with a warm welcoming if subtly sinister croon. The interplay between the dead pan vocals and the feral falsetto grate at first but in time create a heavenly contrast on an album that defies expectation by becoming almost instantly accessible.
The album starts at lightening pace and the three punch combo of Fun Powder Plot, Hooting And Howling and All The King's Men leave you stunned by an infeasibly brilliant opening. This tremendous opening is concluded with the alcohol fuelled We've Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Mouths a truly intoxicating track that's beauty is contrasted hilariously with it's menace "Us Kids Are Cold And Cagey Rattling Around The Town, Scaring The Oldies Into Their Dressing Gowns", his lyrical structure is so charming you can't help but feel a roguish affinity with his tales of inner city depravity. The album concludes with a more sombre and reflective pace with the albums two part title track, providing a pause for thought mentally, before blowing us away with one last should have been classic single This Is Our Lot. Two Dancers by it's end is an album set apart by it's lyrically approach; a style that is so distinct, refreshing and unique it's only matched by the sweet subtly of it's arrangements; it's insightful, powerful, challenging, beautiful and most importantly crammed full of divine pop sentiments, no band has achieved this feat so successfully since messieurs Morrissey and Marr parted ways. High praise, thoroughly earned.
15. Flashmob - Vitalic
(Pias 2009, Vitalic)
Dance and electronica acts across the world are often troubled by albums, while a good first offering or a pair of club bangers may be enough to guarantee sales those looking for true critical credibility and historical relevance are always faced with an up hill battle. After the brilliance of the more revolutionary than it first appeared OK Cowboy, I'm sure many wondered if they'd ever hear from Vitalic again or whether his debut would collect dust in all the trendiest of record collections. Thankfully four years later Vitalic returned to the fold with a second full album, and for once in the shallow world of techno this truly was a "full album". Carefully crafted to achieve emotional highs and lows, and create those perfect fist in the sky moments, unlike fellow legends Daft Punk Flashmob was not filled with gloried samples to be thrown in the mix when played live, this was an album of thirteen meticulously arranged tracks. This wasn'tjust fodder for a live show this was an album that if played in full would create the perfect experience. While Vitalic may have achieved the mighty task of creating a dance LP where you don't find yourself reaching for the skip button every other moment, he needed to do more, he had to supply a plentiful supply of club bangers and euphoric climaxes. Luckily those big fist in the air moments are in plentiful supply, the album opens with the huge riffage See The Sea (Red) which subside divinely teeing you up for the near deafening explosion of pure noise that provided the crescendo for the albums masterful title track. While it's always the power of the noise and the sheer volume of the electro riffing that allows Vitalic to rock our world he still finds space to show of some Daft Punk-eske pop sensibilities on the ironically down beat One By One, and some low key electro fuzz steals the show on See The Sea (Blue). However the albums undoubted highlight comes in the form of the irresistibly groovy and surprisingly hilarious Terminator Benelux it maybe the most convention bass line on offer but it never fails to thrill especially as it drops into the gorgeous Second Lives. All in all Flashmob is an album of wonderfully crafted electro noise and slick grooves perfectly combined to create a fast following and exhilarating experience for it's listeners.
14. Psychic Chasms - Neon Indian
(Lafse 2009, Alan Palomo)
Whenever anyone talks about Neon Indian and Psychic Chasms the whole discourse becomes lost in some overall contrived discussion of the eighties, what it meant to us, how it shaped our child hoods, and basically this retrospective nonsense either ends up with a kind of regretful longing or a uninteresting critical cultural dissection. Afterall anyone over the age of seventeen can point to a Snes, a game boy, and can recite the classic eighties movies, innovations and more importantly aspirations, but all this discussion seems to miss the point. Retrospective day dreams of the past will always stir emotions, they remind us of our childhood, and ultimately either disappoint or enthuse, but really if you can't see beyond the Mac tools and Nintendo day dreams screw writing a review go listen to the Nostalgia Critic or The Angry Video Game Nerd and have some fun save yourself the bother. Because while Neon Indian's reference aren't remotely well hidden, nor are their influences (Ratatat and M83 anyone?) this is an easy album to nit pick. Yet the same could be said of The Horrors and Girls but few sought to criticise those LPs, because they we're wowed by the music, and like those afore mentioned acts Neon Indian never fails to wow. In just half an hour of music they create an album that flows like an artificial dream we're drench in sunlight and the moons glow but it's from some alien source, fresh from the Starship Enterprise's holodeck. Psychic Chasms is an album of light electronic psychedelia that allows you to lay back and take it easy, what it may lack in sublty and artistic nuance it comfortably compensates with a never ending supply chill out grooves and hazy hooks. It also avoids that most deadly of pitfalls for chill out music, it never bores, it has enough jagged effects and ninento bleeps to make sure you're brain stays thoroughly switched on as you loose yourself in a Deadbeat Summer.
13. Album - Girls
(True Panther Sounds 2009, Chet White)
If there's one act above all others that it's chronically uncool to be influenced by in the 21st century it's Elvis Costello, in many ways this is a great tragedy, as Costello's first three albums are sublime exercises in weighty emotional but perfectly crafted pop, but try getting one of you're hall mates at uni to give him a spin, and marvel at the blank expressions on their faces. Girls take it a step further, not only do they have more than a hint of the Costello Album has a strong dose of The Beach Boys and a positive whiff of Paul McCartney, inbetwixt the odd dabble with shoegaze (which miraculous has become the sound of 2009?). However, while these reference points may appear rather lame on paper; on record Album is tremendous with it's neat and subtly arranged musical sweeps it pulls of the remarkable feat of seeming both incredible cosy and refreshing daring at the same time. Album's true strenght lies in it's song writer and lead vocalist Christopher Owens who manages to combine feel good sunshine indie pop with intense internal neurosis. The album is overwhelmed by tragedy and heartbreak and Owens voice carries a surprising resonance. When he allows his inner depression pour out unflitered the result is a track like Laura Marie which manages to outstrip the bare emotional pull of Glasvegas self titled debut, which is no mean feat. Elsewhere Owens smart sharp but never overbearing lyricism combines with the sunshine pop to create a record of irresistible charm. Lust For Life kicks off Album and feels like a mission statement "Oh I Wish I Had A Boyfriend, I Wish I Had A Loving Man In My Life, I Wish I Had A Father, Maybe Then I'd Turn Out Right, Now I'm Just Crazy, I'm Totally Mad, I'm Just Crazy, I'm Fucked In The Head" his scathing depressive sarcasm is beautiful offset by a soft ooh ahh melody and it's this contrast that encapsulates the record as a whole. From then on the album builds to the divine seven minute centrepiece Hellhole Ratrace the albums true work of genius and emotional tipping point. Despite what Glasvegas taught us in 2008 it turns out in 2009 that deepest dispear can sound surprisingly dreamy, and thanks to Girls it turns out that old themes and older references presented in a new light can rock you're world allover again.
12. Two Suns - Bat For Lashes
(Parlophone 2009, David Korsten)
With so much blinding noise populating the list so far it feels almost heavenly to hear Natasha Kahn tender and chilling voice power seductively through my head phones. Two Suns opens with a track by the name of Glass listening to it now, on it's own merits this one track makes me regret not placing this sweeping and soulful album atop my list. Riding on a thuding drum line and some ethereal sweeps Glass builds a tumultuous strength, while Kahn's voice grows in stature it never threatens to blare or scream, yet the unmistakable emotional pull has more power than the loudest cry or the sweetest croon could ever hope to achieve. This power; a mix of tribal rhythm, feminine fragility meets strength and a taste of the surreal elements of nature captured in the best folk music; are all masterfully displayed by the albums artwork, it tells you all you need to know about this record, a perfect blend of imagery and musicality.
Natasha Kahn's influences aren't particular well hidden, references to all of the most power leading ladies of the past twenty years are present, a smidge of Bjork, a dab of Tori Amos, and breath of PJ Harvey, are layered alongside a touch of Scott Walker, to create the most beautiful album of the year, and while at times Two Suns may not feel remarkably fresh, it always feels staggeringly affecting. The arrangements are constantly beautiful, and the peaks take on a near spiritual dimensional raising the sheer emotional pull of Kahn's voice to levels that seemed unattainable on the inconsistent Fur And Gold. The imagery of the sun and moon are strong across the entire album, it has a natural, sensual pull to it, it feels earthy and dreamy, human and yet mystical at the same time without ever threatening to feel forced. It seems tragic that Florence And The Machine continue to soar towards super stardom while Two Suns and Natasha Kahn continue to shy away from mainstream attention, thankfully something tells me this lady won't be going any away anytime soon.
11. Humbug - Arctic Monkeys
(Domino 2009, Josh Holme & James Ford)
Oh boy oh boy those Arctic Monkeys boys sure do know how to deflate expectation, but perhaps in 2009 they took it a step too far, what should of been one of the years most anticipated albums arrived with more of a whimper than a bang, a series of low key online broadcast provided the hype, and unless you were paying particular attention, I wouldn't be surprised if you missed out on Humbug's release all together. This low key no glitz no glamour approach seemed to suit the Monkeys down to the ground, as they offered up an album that was destined to alienate much of their core fanbase. This I suspect is what they wanted, less bums in seats but a more discerning more loyal set of fans, less pressure to live up to, less expectation and more artistic anticipation of their next offering. Humbug may have appeared a mild attempted at commercial suicide, after all while this felt a million miles from Whatever People Say... the song writing remained too strong to even consider Humbug a failure.
Those who stuck around saw the earthy friday night thrills of Whatever replaced by a deeper more accomplished sound, Humbug was a rich album that brooded, grooved and most importantly it took it's time. There was no rush, no urgency, tracks like Crying Lightening and Potion Approaching were allow to linger an develop, the climaxes were no longer a series of lightning fast punch lines in their stead were lush groove laden sweeps. This was music that was impossible to mosh to but music that you could wrap your soul around. Alex Turner's lyricism became rich, heartfelt and moving, rather than capturing the moment he was conjuring up great imagery. The album would be carried by three tracks whose power remain undeniable, and all three were sweeping open ended ballads, the next evolutionary step from the gorgeous 505. Secret Door, Jeweller's Hand and the mind blowing Cornerstone were the Monkey's new emotional core, rather than jumping up and down and yelping "You Know Nothing" Monkey's fans found themselves swaying hand on heart and crooning "She Swan Out Of Tonight Phantasm" and "I Smelt You're Sent On The Seatbelt, And Kept My Short Cuts To Myself". So they may have lost a few thousand fans, but Humbug shows the tell tale signs that Alex Turner has the potential to become a true time out of mind, a once in a lifetime songwriter, and I for one cannot wait for their forth offering.
20. Kingdom Of Rust - Doves
(Heavenly Records 2009, Doves)
Doves have to be this decade's unluckiest band; afterall no act has released as many sure fire hit singles as Doves, only to watch each and every one of their brilliant slices of pop poetry fail to make even the mildest imprints on the charts. Thankfully it's never seemed to get them down, they still push on, boldly producing an unbroken run of staggering albums despite the continued mainstream apathy. Doves simply aren't cool, I'm sure the Williams brothers were hardly surprised to see Kasabian, The Enemy, Oasis & Coldplay soaring to the top of the charts with their more simplistic brand of pop music but when The Seldom Seen Kid saw Elbow garner mainstream acceptance they must have given up the ghost. I mean how can Elbow be cool and Doves not be? Well whatever the reason it remains beyond my understanding as 2009's Kingdom Of Rust was a sublime series of infectious beautifully crafted pop tracks, that was not only subversive and inescapably infectious but also saw the Doves push the boundaries of their sound harder than ever before creating their most daring work to date. On the downbeat but addictive album opener Jetstream Doves experimented with slick electro beats with far greater success than anything Franz Ferdinand managed on Tonight, while on the refreshing urgent House Of Mirrors Doves managed more menace and bolsh than any Kasabain offering. Yet of course as is always the case it was the two singles Kingdom Of Rust and the spell binding Winter Hill that plucked at our collective heart strings and saw our jaws smacking harshly against the floor. So it would appear that world's continued loss is our gain as Doves continue to be one of this decades most consistently brilliant acts.
19. The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love
(4AD 2009, Robbie Furze)
A Brief History Of Love almost took too long to arrive, I was bored of it before I'd even heard it, infact after hearing the staggering singles and leaks Dominos, Crystal Visions, Too Young To Love, At War With The Sun and of course the transcendent Velvet I'd effectively played the album to death before I'd even heard the albums final six tracks, I'd moved on, infact were it not for a kindly reminder from a certain Miss Allen's Twitter (I've got to mention her less) I wouldn't have even bought this album. Thankfully with some prodding from Lily I purchased A Brief History Of Love and haven't regretted that decision for a second. Those tracks that I'd long since abandoned grabbed me once more, when Crystal Visions first creeps and squelches through your speakers, your almost underwhelmed, another U2 & Eno influenced act *sigh*, and yet the track grows, becomes irresistible, suddenly it's as if Billy Corgan were fronting Ireland's finest; only that what the Big Pink had managed to create was somehow more epic than either of those Stadium sized superstars. By the time Too Young To Love winds its way onto the scene your already lost in the lush electronic grooves and thudding percussion, and as the track slithers with a Eastern glimmer you can almost imagine George Harrison smiling down from upon high with a tear in his eye. Surprisingly for an album layered with gorgeous grooves and walls of burbling electro noise it's the subtle and tender moments that are A Brief History...'s finest. The desolate desperation of the beautiful title track is powerfully affecting, and of course the album's true stand out and signature track Velvet still sends a shiver down my spine, and I have to admit I take a deep breathe every time that chilling first vocal emerges. The track has an unholy power it feels as though the spectres of a thousand lost loves are trapped in the ragged yet ethereal arrangement. While A Brief History Of Love could never match this level of emotional intensity across the other ten tracks, the Big Pink did manage to form one of the most powerful and most importantly fun debuts of this decade, well worth the wait.
18. Crack The Skye - Mastadon
(Reprise 2009, Brendan O'Brien)
Who would have thought back in 2000 when Nu-Metal seemed so thoroughly entrenched that by the end of the decade Progressive Metal of all thing would be cool? I mean it's been a rough old decade for Metal, it still seems like the whole genre is waiting for a giant kick up the arse, for the next Metallica to emerge, for Metal to have it's own Arctic Monkeys, but hell before it finds it's own Monkeys it'll need it's own version of the Strokes, but alas the world still waits. Thankfully while the mainstream has waved good bye to Metal, and Metal has waved good bye to Nu-Metal and Emo, a group of hard working, creative and most importantly hard rocking virtuosos have been blazing there own trail, France's Gojira showed that Death Metal was still relevant, and Dillenger Escape Plan and more importantly the brilliant Mastodon kept the good ship Prog sailing in the right direction. On Crack The Skye Mastodon seemed to have finally cracked it (sorry), combining a sense of the epic verging on OTT, with a respectful nods to metals past and a forward thinking creativity and technical wizardry to produce something that was as much food for thought as it was fuel for the world's mosh pits. The albums storming opener Oblivion reminded us of Ozzy Osborne's croon but the spiralling guitar work and the ability of the track to branch of from the beaten track set it in another galaxy all together from Sabbath. It was this ability to let tracks fly of the handle that made Crack The Skye an instant classic, Quintessance started with high pitched croons and subtly layer acoustic guitar work before exploding into an opened epic full of pummelling and full steam ahead bluster. The real trick to Mastodon's success was their ability to explore these gargantuan soundscapes creating mini metal operas without losing a central sense of urgency that tied together even the most pretentious elements of their work; this skill was best displayed in their three part epic and album centre piece The Czar a track that should sink under it's own pretensions but instead effortlessly soars above them (are you taking notes Coheed And Cambria?). All in all, Crack The Skye was a more complete, more artistic and down right more interesting album than either the excellent Leviathan or the then definitive Blood Mountain, a true triumph.
17. Tarrot Sport - Fuck Buttons
(ATP 2009, Andrew Wetherall)
Toto were damn sure as hell not in Kansas anymore. That is the feeling I'm immediately struck by when I listen to Tarrot Sport it's a record that transports to instantly, like you've been beamed in Star Trek from your sturdy sleek utilitarian star ship to some ethereal plane. The landscape that surrounds you shimmers beautifully it almost blinds you as it's glow resonates around you, yet there's a constant threat and encroaching thud of precussion before your blinded and deafened by the scorching all encompassing noise. It all sounds like over the top hyperbole but there is a certain near religious experience to Tarrot Sport, as the Fuck Buttons explore sound, exchanging their trademark yelps and scratchiness for the almost heavenly neon glare of the synathizer they have forged a truly illuminating album. There is no other word for it, Tarrot Sport is hard to define upon traditional lines, and I've never proclaimed to be a great expert in the avante garde but their is such sheer beauty in this work that the one clear image in my mind is light. A sharp definite light a blinding glimmer, that may cause you to shield your eyes but in that brief second in which it catches you, you see everything albeit fleetingly in a different way, it's a perception of sound of image that you may never uncover again, and it's remarkably rewarding. Tarrot Sport has a similar effect to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless it's an album of undoubted beauty but you never really feel like listening to it twice, it's a moment in time, it's like a great piece of abstract art you see it, you perceive it, and you react to it. Many will find Tarrot Sport perplexing, abrasive and even hideous but that is the power of the work, when you surrounded you self in the monotonous shimmer of Space Mountain you will either reach your own emotional response or it will disgust you. In that sense Tarrot Sport suffers from over analysis, it's not an album to be discussed, you must simple experience it and react, the potential reward is more than worth the minimal risk of disappointment.
16. Primary Colours - The Horrors
(XL 2009, Geoff Barrow)
An important reminder to all those young bands out there who struggled with their début offering; the mighty Radiohead's first offering was not the earth shattering The Bends it was in fact the generic and flaccid Pablo Honey. The Horrors were obviously well aware of this fact, as after the near disaster of the painfully indebted and tragically underwhelming Strange House they collected themselves and set about evolving as musicians, because after all no matter how perfect you may look not all bands can arrive fully formed some get better with age. Luckily when The Horrors sophmore effort was released in 2009 the world still thought of them kindly and they were more than happily to fulfil all that they had previously promised. Everything about Primary Colours felt better, more considered and more often than not brilliant. Even the album artwork carried the air of the iconic. Bringing in Portishead's Geoff Barrow on production was clearly a shrewd move as Primary Colours sounds like a million bucks, it's slick, it's sharp but it's still as the dirty sicky garage groove that made the Horrors so captivating in the first place. The Horrors have clearly decided to trade in the shock rock of Birthday Party meets The Misfits and Television sound for the wonders of shoegaze. The results are surprisingly thrilling, as the album now becomes full of swirling hazy noise, on Three Decades it almost treds too close a pastiche were it not for Faris dazzling vocal performance, his voice is now less cartoonish, more fragile and surprisingly endearing, and unlike the My Bloody Valentine and Spaceman 3 The Horrors firmly have their feet on the pop pedal. Faris wheels off one gorgeous ghostly hook after another and it's hard to think of a more perfect pop song than Who Can Say in 2009, and could it have come from a more unlikely source? This combination of a soothing and addictive lyrical tongue with eternally intriguing musical arrangements is a clear winner. The Horrors show just how far they have come with the closing epic Sea Within A Sea a true musical journey that shows an continued evolution of sound that seemed beyond the Horrors just two years ago. They may still wear their influences on their sleeves but when you're making music this good who cares? NME may have got a little carried away but this album deserves all the praise that's been bestode upon it, after the heavy critical backlash the Horrors have more than earned it.
So how did this decades final year fare in terms of albums? Well surprisingly well, while like much of the 21st Century it failed to produce many truly iconic albums the type that historians will be pointing to in fifty years time, it did continue this decades theme of creating a remarkably high standard of truly beautiful and jaw dropping albums from a wide variety of genres. While most of this years top end albums were forged away from the mainstream but do not fear a few of the popular cultures big hitters make their presence felt, in a year dominated by the artistic fringe. So anyway enough foreshadowing lets get down to business (I'll try and be more concise than usual, but I make no promises).
25. Junior - Royksopp
(Wall Of Sound 2009, Royksopp)
I've always been sceptical of Royksopp, they are so beloved, so well received that a part of me always wanted to dislike them, inspite of their brilliant production work, but the sheer strength in depth of Junior was impossible to deny. I found myself instantly grabbed by the spacious Royksopp Forever which despite it's horrible title is a thing of sheer beauty with a string arrangement so well judged it brings a wonderful tranquillity to a sparse and subversive beat which grows in menace as each effect is stacked creating a gorgeous piece of electro opera. Yet this stand out does not define the rest of the album, Junior sees Royksopp combining their talents, bring both the downbeat and spacious to the table and blending with their radio friendly near saccharin pop. The new middle ground sound surprisingly thrills smoothing the extreme edges of their previous sounds and creating a far less grating product. The album was of course highlighted by the three big singles the Robyn assisted The Girl & The Robot, the sugary Happy Up Here, and the staggering This Must Be It. But despite the clear highlights it's that rarest of quantities: consistency that makes Junior truly stand out.
24. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II - Raekwon
(EMI 2009, Raekwon, RZA & Busta Rhymes)
It's been over ten years since Raekwon's staggering debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx but in 2009 I'm sure many hip hop fans and critics alike where asking themselves did we really care about Raekwon anymore? Did the world need a squeal to one the '90s defining albums? Surely this was just a cheap cash in to boost an artist whose critical credibility was on the downslide, and most importantly would kids listening to Lil'Wayne, Jay Z and Kanye still be thrilled by Raekwon? Of course now looking back at the end of the year these questions seemed foolish, ...Cuban Linx Part II was a more than worthy successor, while it couldn't surpass it's predecessor it served as the perfect next chapter to one of hip hop's great narratives. This time rather than running from the mafiaso crime game Part II saw Raekwon and Wu Tang exploring every aspect of gang life, from cooking crack to executing rivals and running from the cops. While the album seemed to lack the clear moral tone of it's predecessor, it maintains the cinematic epic feel with it's slick beats and cleverly arranged skits, while the narrative is less coherent it is nevertheless compelling and the albums scope is unparalleled in contemporary hip hop. Yet at it's heart the albums greatest strength is it's knowingly old school sound, after all this isn't a set of retrospective newcomers, this is the former kings of the game, reminding us they may not be rocking to electro squelch or dub step but they don't need to worry about sounding contemporary or cutting edge because in today's market Wu Tang's finest has never sounded fresher or more epic.
23. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
(Rabid 2009, Karin Dreijer Andersson)
2009 was a promising year for electro fans, we were all anticipating the big releases from Royksopp and Vitalic but few would have been aware of Fever Ray, the debut album from a new act that wasn't all that new at all. After crafting some of the decades most beautiful, danceable and oft challenging music no one should have underestimated Karin Dreijer Andersson. As one half of The Knife she had achieved legendary status and the unrelenting adoration of the worlds critics, but it had been three years since The Knife's staggering Silent Shout how was she to follow such a creative peak? Well in effortless fashion it would seem; Fever Ray shares many similarities with the Knife it's textures remain steely, harsh and almost alien and of course they still come together beautiful but Fever Ray felt more relaxed, more spacious, more patient and perhaps more human. It was filled with charm rather than steely cool, When I Grow Up and Dry And Dusty felt remarkably fragile and tender despite the ping pong bass effects and starry arrangement, at their core these tracks were loveable and tender, highlighted by the fragile and strained vocals. It was as if the strangeness and inaccessibility of The Knife had being ripped away revealing a loveable often comical heart (trust me it's there buried under the ice cool beats) and best displayed on the wondrous Seven as Karin strains "We Talk About Love, We Talk About Dishwater Tablets, And We Dream About Heaven" it's not exactly Lily Allen but it's undeniably earnest and touching. Fever Ray may have been a little more downbeat and perhaps a little less thrilling but what it lack in punch it gained it atmosphere and emotional resonance.
22. It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
(Interscope 2009, Nick Launey & Dave Sitek)
There are few sounds in this world sexier than Karen O's ice cool croon, and when Zero was unleashed upon the world at the end of 2008 it seemed Karen had found the perfect vessel for her irresistible tongue as Nick Zimmer supplied the most divine of crunching riffs and soaring synths. Of course little did we know then that just a few months down the line the unholy dance floor beast Heads Will Roll was laying in wait. The grooves were irresistible, it's as if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had created a direct link to the nations hips and they were commanding us to dance our collective arses off. So within two tracks the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have successfully grooved us into oblivion what could possibly follow that act? Well with Shock Shock they simply wowed us, Karen's vocal performance was impeccable and the track grows in stature as the band let it burble and develop until it becomes an understated yet sprawling epic, powerful and truly touching, a remarkable feat for a track that's starts of so sweet and so disarming. It's at this point that you realize that you no longer miss Zimmer's trademark guitar, the synths and the carefully crafted arrangements are far more engrossing. It's amazing that a band that made it's name with it's feral rage would reach their artistic high water mark when tamed. In taming their sound the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have stumbled across true brilliance, when Karen O unleashes herself in the music and loses the plot mid stream the contrast between the slick and the uncontrollable is exhilarating even on a track as polished as Dull Life. Yet when thinking back to It's Blitz! now the truly memorable moments are it's sprawling ballads Skeltons and the heart breaking Runaway, the later while unable to match the epic pop punch of Maps miraculously manages to up the emotional ante creating the YYYs most affecting and powerful track to date.
21. Guns Don't Kill People Lazers Do - Major Lazer
(Downtown 2009, Diplo & Switch)
When ever I assemble these list I've always been accused of making some real head scratching decisions (Hit Me Baby, Kala and The Soft Bulletin spring to mind) but it almost always stems from my desire to put smiles on people's faces or more specifically to have a smile put on my face by music. So I'll always elevate the status of feel good music, and while the idea of putting Guns Don't Kill People Lazers Do above Fever Ray seems bizarre in hindsight it's wholy justified. While the quality undoubtedly lies with the latter it's simply no where near as much fun as Major Lazer, and that is the key to this record; fun. When two of the world's best deejays and producers Diplo and Switch combined forces to produce an album, everyone was more than a little excited, and of course we were all more than a little deflated when we heard they'd be creating a dancehall record? I mean seriously could there be a less credible genre? Well what we should have known then and what we all recognize now is that Diplo and Switch never fail, and by creating Major Lazer and redefining the dancehall sound they created one of the year's most fun and frivalous records. Instantly accessible from the first listen Guns Don't Kill People... boasted the slickest beats and the smoothest production and a unparrelled feel good factor, every track carried it's own unique charm and it's own signature groove whether it be the down tuned bass of Lazer Theme or the looped Santigold vocal on the excellent Hold The Line. The whole album was buzzing with an insatiable energy characterised by a conveyor belt of guest stars who were doing anything but going through the motions. Ultimately how could I possibly deny an album that had the sickest beats in town, now enough talking lets drop Pon de Floor and have a dance shall we? Just try and resist.
Okay so it's been a bit hectic lately, what with the holidays and the social life picking up a bit in recent weeks I haven't had much time. But between now and the new year I intend to get through the usual procession of end of year awards and a few end of decade awards. So for those of you who are wondering the Singles Of The Decade Countdown has been suspended until the new year, apologises to anyone who is that desperate to find out the results.
Anyway the features I intend to publish this week are:
Album of The Year
Single Of The Year
Icons Of The Decade
Match of The Year
And The Corrections to the Albums Of The Decade.
I'll be starting with the Album Of The Year countdown and interspersing it with the icons of the decade thread.
Okay, so sorry for the lack of activity, I intend to start churning out the updates forthwith.
