Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Top 10 albums of 2009

10.) Happiness/ Dance Gavin Dance



This band has progressed lately with their screamo sound and smooth vocals. Happiness puts them ahead of the game among their other competitors, even though it comes to close to sounding generic. With their collection of never ending gritty guitar riffs, Kurt Travis’ abnormal smooth vocals that sound like he’s trying to get you in bed and Will Swan’s make you ears bleed screams make the album perfect. Travis once again shows why he’s the best lead singer for the band. Jonny Craig should go crawl in a hole with Kayne West.


Songs to download: “Don’t tell Dave” & “Self-Trepanation”


9.) Crossing the Rubicon/ The Sounds



Damn you Sweden for making non-pop bands that I can actually enjoy without thinking of annoying ass dance moves. The Sounds can’t do any wrong in my eyes since witnessing them live during the summer. Crossing the Rubicon out do’s Dying to say this to you with its more relatable lyrics. Maja Ivarsson offers her 80’s inspired spunk to each song. “Beat box” sounds like part two to the single “Tony the beat” from their previous album. The use of synthesizers is very apparent throughout the entire album. However, their Swedish accents are close to invisible on this album.


Songs to download: “4 songs and a fight” & “My lover”


8.) Daisy/ Brand New



They’ve slowly grown on me, with their song “The Quiet things that no one ever knows”, but I have to admit that Daisy is hands down their best album to date. I want to kidnap Jesse Lacey and make him serenade me every night. This album will make you little angry at first listen, but after the second you start to appreciate their sound. There’s a hint of some Modest Mouse influence throughout the album. They avoid the emo simplicity of lyrics with songs like “Gasoline “and “Vices”. It doesn’t hurt that this was their first top billboard charting album.

Songs to download: “In a Jar” & “You Stole”



7.) I and Love and You/ The Avett Brothers



I waited a few months to actually give this album my undivided attention, and I’m pissed that I waited. The Avett Brothers capture the perfect rawness of the songs on this album. I was shocked to find out the Rick Rubin produced this album…MOTHER FUCKING RICK RUBIN! To me the Avett Brothers are like the Mountain men version of The Beatles…that I can listen to without having to be drunk or thinking I have to take a tab of LSD. Their damn love-laced lyrics add to the Beatles comparison.

Songs to download: “Kick drum heart” & “Incomplete and Insecure”


6.) Veckatimest/ Grizzly Bear



Yes…the album’s name confuses you and it’s in German, but forget about that and once again Grizzly Bear is awesome! The band experimented with this album and it worked out for them, making this their most successful album. They’ve even gained some musical genius fans…and a genre that’s pretty new to me called Art-Rock. This album truly embodies a sound of its own with its acoustic riffs and uniquely haunted lyrics. Each track flows perfectly with the pop sound and the raw emotion.

Songs to download: “All we ask” & “Dory”



5.) New Again/ Taking Back Sunday



I LOVE TAKING BACK SUNDAY! And I mean love them…to the point I would go groupie if I had the perfect opportunity. With the departure of Fred Mascherino, I was effy on how the band would recover. But, I have to admit it was probably the best thing to happen to them. Mascherino’s replacement Matt Fazzi has become a legend in my eyes after being able to watch him live on stage jumping/stomping around with a medical boot on his foot. New again has the TBS sound that cannot be duplicated. The song “Everything must go” has Adam Lazzara spawning the lyrics: “You quote the good book/When it’s convenient/But you don’t have the sense/No you don’t have the sense to tie your tangled tongue…” There was no doubt this album was going to fall into my top favorites of the year.

Songs to download: “Lonely, Lonely” & “Swing”


4.) Brand New Eyes/ Paramore



I didn’t want to give this album a try at first…I’m still in love with their first album All we know. But, I gave it a quick listen and then the damn songs stuck to me. I couldn’t stop singing the chorus to “Careful”. I guess almost breaking up made the band see a new light and they focused on repairing their bond. It has less angst then Riot, but it has the potential for people to see Paramore more than just the “Twilight” band. Each song clearly channels the bands feelings during the animosity of Hayley Williams getting most of the attention. I have always loved her voice and her true vocal range is shown in track 11 “All I wanted”. It starts off soft and melodic and then the chorus literally punches you in the jugular.

Songs to download: “The Only Exception” & “Playing God”


3.) Swoon/ Silversun Pickups



This damn band got under my skin…but in the good caring way. At first the whispery voice got to me, but “Well thought out Twinkles” kept playing over and over again in my head. The album showcases the bands true talent, and it’s also nominated for a Grammy…which means they’re going to become more mainstream and then I’m going to get annoyed. Just like when Paramore became mainstream and I wanted to stab people. This album shows the qualities of a true alternative rock band. Everything on this album makes Silversun Pickups a band to recognize. The drums and bass seem to overpower every song, but it’s still a remarkable album.



Songs to download: “It’s Nice To Know You Work Alone” & “Growing Old is Getting Old”



2.) Its Blitz/ Yeah Yeah Yeah’s



The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s seem to outdo their creativity in almost every album. When they released “Zero” I was caught off guard by the sounds they presented in the song. It had the old school Yeah Yeah Yeah’s charm but it had more of happier beat to it. The whole album was more relaxed but it was undeniably their creative juices flowing thru every song. The album generated a lot of buzz among music magazine as they dubbed it the best Yeah Yeah Yeah’s album. Karen O has always been a “god” in my eyes and this album just puts her on a higher pedestal.

Songs to download: “Hysteric” & “Dull life”


1.) Two Suns/ Bat for Lashes


I thought this band was an actual full on band with like a guitarist and bass player…but it’s not. I had no idea who the hell Bat for Lashes was until I saw her performance on Jimmy Fallon… btw I hate his damn show. Natasha Khan noted that some bands such as MGMT and TV on the radio were influences for the album. Khan releases her alter ego “Pearl” thru out the album with the songs “Daniel” and “Pearl’s dream”. Her voice is so haunting but yet it has a certain Kate Bush quality to it. She references emotions in her songs that seem to be kept locked upside. From start to finish the album has an automatic hook on you. I love how she her melodies interline with fables. If you haven’t heard of Khan I strongly advise you to start stalking her via youtube now!

Songs to download: “Sleep alone” & “Two planets”

1 comment:

  1. If you seriously think that Dance Gavin Dance is a decent band something is wrong with you. And Paramore's second album was better.

    ReplyDelete