10 Best Albums of 2009 : radityapw

Seeing as this blog has been dead space on the internet for the last year, along with my renewed interest in blogging and renewed confidence in my english I intend to start anew with a best albums post. Why, you ask? Because I just love it when I get to look cool by portraying myself as a humble, self-conscious hipster who enjoys cheap radio pop yet still listens to obscure indie stuff. It’s my way of saying that eventhough I shamelessly enjoy bands such as ST12 or Geisha, I am still better than you. Muahaha. This post will hopefully mark a new era where I post regularly and you get to read more of these long, pointless, unnecessary-adjective-laden run-on sentences.

So before we start the list, these are some things I thought about while making it:

• I chose albums over songs because frankly I would have a really hard time picking my favorite songs of 2009: there were just too many. I don’t think that listing them would work, because I change favorite songs every week and I would never be able to do an objective comparison between so many songs that takes the whole year into account (maybe later I’ll do a “best of 2009” mixtape though, when I’m in the mood). Albums are different. It takes more of an effort to really ‘get into’ an album; you have to listen to it over and over before you really get a feel for it.
• I limited the list to 10 because personally, I usually need quite a while to understand the ‘feel’ of any particular album: choosing even 10 albums that i really like and have listened to from to beginning to end is hard enough.
• I chose to not discriminate between Indonesian albums and non-Indonesian albums; separating them makes it seem like they have different standards of quality. I’d rather just go with what my ear tells me I like, regardless of where it came from.

And without further ado, these are my top 10 albums of 2009:

10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!

A far cry from the frenetic art-punk of their 2003 debut Fever to Tell, It’s Blitz introduces shuddering synths and keyboard sparkle upon Karen O’s fiery vocals, Brian Chase’s groovy drumbeats and Nick Zimmerman’s ever-so-catchy riffs. It’s as if they took a crash course in disco sensibility. Oddly danceable, amazingly catchy: yet still the Yeah Yeah Yeahs we all know and love.

Key tracks : “Heads Will Roll”, “Dull Life”

9. The xx - xx

Masters of negative space, these four twenty-somethings from London utilize sparse instrumentation to create a sleek, whispery debut practically oozing with pop sensibility. You wouldn’t think that relying solely on a drum machine for percussion would work: yet The xx’s slight, expert compositions will make you think again.

Key tracks : “VCR”, “Islands”

8. The Trees and The Wild - Rasuk

Beautiful, atmospheric folk-pop full of rich imagery and a slight tinge of indonesian ethnic, laced with intricate details and just the right amount of mystery. Steeped in acoustic fingerpicking and whispery vocals, The Trees and The Wild are as maturely contemplative as Iron & Wine yet still maintain to be as catchy as John Mayer.

Key tracks : “Our Roots”, “The Noble Savage”

7. Various Artists - Dark Was The Night

A compilation recorded by the Red Hot Foundation to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS. As producers, Aaron and Bryce Dessner’s (The National) personal touch come through with crisp yet dreamy production peppered with orchestral flourishes. There are some amazing collaborations here (David Byrne and Dirty Projectors deliver unorthodox yet oddly catchy vocal arrangements on “Knotty Pine”, while Feist and Grizzly Bear slow burn through the hazy, dreamy “Service Bell”) and the solo efforts are top-notch (particularly Sufjan Stevens’ bombastic rendition of “You Are The Blood”).

Key tracks : “Brackett, WI”, “You Are The Blood”

6. Mew - 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

Jonas Bjerre’s fragile falsetto, Bo Madsen’s dry, dissonant guitar playing, and Silas Utke’s oddly timed drumming meld together perfectly into lush, floating ambient soundscapes. Mew indulge their prog-rock tendencies by introducing eclectic, complex, yet somehow totally accessible arrangements. Breathtaking, genius prog-pop.

Key tracks : “Introducing Palace Players”, “Vaccine”

5. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

An unorthodox experience: quirky, eclectic pop that hooks your ears and engages your brain at the same time. Frantic, jittery arrangements with frenzied guitar lines and swirling high-pitched vocals that are joyously harmonic yet somehow jarringly dissonant at the same time; Bitte Orca is unusual, in the best sense of the word.

Key tracks : “Useful Chamber”, “Stillness is the Move”

4. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures

A fiery mix of blues, funk, and rock, full of nasty riffs and sticky melodies. Sleazy as hell and a damn lot of fun, Them Crooked Vultures is wickedly enjoyable and packed with sing-along, head-banging moments. Listening to the album invokes an image of a bunch of dudes pumping their fists in a crowded room that reeks of cheap alcohol. You’ll feel your testosterone levels rising just by listening to it.

Key tracks : “Elephants”, “Caligulove”

3. Beach House - Teen Dream

Dreamy, hazy shoegaze-pop that hits close to the heart: Victoria Legrand’s heavy vocals add to the woozy mixture of atmospheric organ playing, shimmery keyboards, and Alex Scally’s economic guitar lines. Warm and wintry at the same time, “Teen Dream” is soothing yet unsettlingly haunting.

Key tracks : “Used To Be”, “Norway”

2. Monkey to Millionaire - Lantai Merah

Infectiously catchy, anthemic indie rock. Equal parts Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines, Lantai Merah is a testament to the good ol’ golden days when some guys from New York formed a band they decided to call “The Strokes” and decided to release their first album. Full of raw energy and addictive riffs, Monkey to Millionaire’s debut album is an instant classic.

Key tracks : “Merah”, “Clown”

1. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Pure sonic harmony, from beginning to end. Every moment of every song is compositionally perfect: laboured over to every meticulous detail. Full of mesmerizing vocal harmonies with just the right amount of reverb, Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen’s masterful instrumentation, Christopher Bear’s unique drumming, and Chris Taylor’s melodious basslines all fall together like pieces of a puzzle. Dreamy in some places, abrasive when it needs to be: Veckatimest is freak-folk at its very best.

Key tracks : “Two Weeks”, “Cheerleader”

Any feedback would be appreciated! (Hint: There’s a reason Merriweather Post Pavilion isn’t on the list.)