Rock Cridick: Best Albums of 2009

All "End of Year" lists are, as a rule, self-indulgent, and well, when have we here at FSD ever shied away from such endeavors?  After all, why do you think this blog exists?  And while we do not necessarily subscribe to the notion that "anyone can like anything", considering that some music just sucks, we do believe a first impression is a good impression.  Therefore, through our Point(s) of Attack approach, we hope to provide you with a few soft spots to target before tackling the entire album.

And so, without any further delay, our top 25 albums of the year are as follows...


25.  Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Already an accomplished, albeit morose, songwriter, Elvis Perkins' decided to employ the help of Dearland to assist his old-fashioned, idiosyncratic lyrical delivery.  Through the employ of the versatile Dearland, Elvis was able to craft one of the most dynamic and atmospheric folk albums of the year.  Amplified by assorted brass instruments, heavy organ, and even a marching bass drum, Elvis' vocal arrangements combine to make for one of the most unique, yet familiar feeling albums in recent memory.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #8 (Doomsday)


24. Love at the end of the world
Sam Roberts Band
In a music scene were actual instruments seem to be becoming less of a focal point, purists can take solace in the classic rock style of Sam Roberts.  While the approach is straightforward, the songs still drip with character.   For Sam actually has something to say, building his songs around a preconceived message, and done so in a way that the music ultimately punctuates his thesis, rather than simply standing by to support it.  "Love At the End of the World" bursts with a passion that is all too uncommon in the rock landscape these days.

Point(s) of Attack: Tracks #6 and #7 (Them Kids and Words & Fire)


23.xx
The xx
The xx are cool.  Cool and sexy, actually.  Perhaps that's what the second "x" represents.  They're so cool in fact that the band is willing to let silence and space do most of the talking for them.  Displaying a laid black rhythm and blues style that has caught on well over in Europe, xx proceeds at its own speed, never in a rush to break free from the sleak packaging that it takes shape within.  But don't let the pacing and spacial arrangements betray the fact that this band is passionate about what they do.  They just go about it differently than you or I.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #3 (Crystalised)


22.  Everything You Love Will be Taken Away
Slaid Cleaves
Slaid is the antithetical country performer.  While his sound may reflect the country and western tradition, the content wanders and swings so far to the left that his loyalties are difficult to pin down.  Honky tonk, bluegrass, slow-moving ballads, combined with keen observations, an honest acceptance of the temporary nature of life and a sneer at the domineering zeitgeist of the decade, make Slaid, and this collection, one of the most naturally American meditations of the year.

Points(s) of attack: Track #1 (Cry)


21. Broken Side of Time
Alberta Cross
Combining distorted guitars, soaring vocals a la My Morning Jacket, and a bluesy bass and rhythm, "Broken Side of Time" represents a very straightforward approach to music: do what you do best, and do it as often as possible.  Alberta Cross will not wow you with exercises in high flying genre-blending, but they will win you over with an earnest style that rocks yet never sonically overwhelms.

Point(s) of Attack: #2 and #4 (ATX and Old Man Chicago)



20. Hospice
The Antlers
The most emotional and personal album released all year, "Hospice" deals with the inevitability of death and the bereaved's relation with the living once a loved one, as a piece of them, fades away.  At times quiet, at others furious, extreme vocals tell a story of loss through an outpouring of affected, literal lyrics.  With synthetic sounds mimicking that of a hospital room, the listener is transported to the sterile confines of a location where only death and depression await patiently.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #7 (Two)


19. It's Blitz
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
What happens when an alternative rock band takes a sharp turn toward a more electronically beat-based sound?  You get "It's Blitz".  You also get a stylistic swerve that quite possibly enhances and bolsters lead singer Karen O's pre-existing hyper energy.  The new sound, while more sleek, does nothing to stifle the Yeah Yeah Yeah flavor, and if anything, gives them even more options and lee-way in a live setting.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #1 (Zero)



18. Dragonslayer
Sunset Rubdown
Leaders of the Canadian Smart Rock movement, Spencer Krug's pet side project has a penchant for inspiring as much wondrous imagery as they do confusion with their colorfully cryptic lyrics.  While not immediately accessible, with a little effort, Krug's Bowie-like delivery/constructions and the band's progressive folk/rock style slowly stirs a curiosity only satiated with additional spins.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #2 (Idiot Heart)



17. Threadbare
Port O'Brien
The entire album seems to occur off in the distance, as if the band's problems are their own.   In time, and amidst the slowly strummed guitars, swirling string arrangements and smoky vocals, everything emerges into the foreground, and their heartache becomes identifiable and even empathetic. "Threadbare" might be the biggest grower of the year.

Point(s) of Attack: Tracks #2 and #6 (My Will is Good and Sour Milk/Salt Water)




16. Gather, Form and Fly
Megafaun
At first glance, "Gather, Form, and Fly" appears to be just another Americana album from some rural boys who play the banjo and listen to the Doobie Brothers.  But as the album unfolds, a myriad of styles emerge as if the listener is being brought along on some Appalachian Alice in Wonderland, with unexpected surprises around every corner. The backwoods environment remains the same, but shifts toward chamber pop, muddy blues and even ambient electronica manage to keep the listener on their toes.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #6 (The Process)


15. The Mountain
Heartless Bastards
The Heartless Bastards come off like an alternative rock band trapped in a time warp; either ahead of their time, or way behind.  Or perhaps their sound is just timeless.  On "The Mountain", the tone is generally dissonant as if birthed in early 90's grunge movement.  However, Erika Wennerstrom's strong, versatile voice is the wild card.  Equal parts Joan Jett and Kay Starr, Wennerstrom has the natural gifts and songwriting skills to keep the Bastards relevant and fresh for years to come.

Points(s) of Attack: Tracks #3 and #10 (Early in the Morning and Witchy Poo)


14. Middle Cyclone
Neko Case
Only Neko Case has the ability to relegate lushly orchestrated instrumentation, as featured on "Middle Cyclone", to a mere support role.  For it is Neko's dancing melodicism and brimming verses that carry the album.   And unlike many female singers, it is her voice that is the prominent feature of the album, forcefully projected to the forefront by the sheer power of her convictions as well as by her affection for the subject matter on display.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #4 (Polar Nettles)


13. Miike Snow
Miike Snow
The most impressive aspect of Miike Snow's debut album is the level of variation that the band achieves within what can often be a narrow-synthtronic approach.  At times the music is heavy, driven by a dense piano expressing the somber subject matter, and at others, breezy and fun, punctuated by blasts of synthesizer acting as party poppers.  But regardless of the tone, each song offers a complex construction of sound, in full of evocation of an impenetrable atmosphere that shows no thinning at any point along the way.

Point(s) of attack: Tracks #1 and #5 (Animal and Black and Blue)


12. Wilco (The Album)
Wilco
What better way to cause a stir than to release a self-titled album with a self-titled opening track, whose chorus repeatedly echoes the self-titled nature of the album?  And this all comes in the wake of Sky Blue Sky, which generated plenty of its own controversy.  But where SBS failed, namely in consistency, "The Album" succeeds.  Never overwhelming at any point, Wilco's value is found in the cohesive relation from track to track and the intricate composition of each individual song; an obvious result of an increasing chemistry between Tweedy and his newer bandmates.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #9 (I'll Flight)


11. Hometowns
Rural Alberta Advantage
Ranging from the infectious to the dysphoric, RAA's buzzing folk rock is caught between the joy of what was, and the pain of what can no longer be.  Heavy on nostalgia, Hometowns is a walking contradiction reflective of the modern world; acoustic guitars shrouded in synthesized tones, like a farmer who still needs to rely on modern technology to preserve their way of life.  And still the emotion of the subject matter ties the whole tumultuous package together as if they were meant to be.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #1 and #12 (Ballad of the RAA and Edmonton)


10. Fantasies
Metric
Metric might be the only band on the list who could, and possibly should be receiving heavy radio play.  The music is simple enough to be digested on a mass scale and modern enough to fit in between Britney and the Jonas Brothers.  The only "problem" is that lead singer Emily Haines, while phenomenally melodic, appears to have no desire to frame her lyrical content into a radio-friendly format.  All the better for to us enjoy perhaps the purest pop act in existence today.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #1 (Help I'm Alive)


9. It's Frightening
White Rabbits
White Rabbits might be the only band who secured their spot in the Who's Who of 2009 with a mere opening track. But from the first tom beat of "It's Frightening", you can tell that you're in for something special.  Blending intense percussion with simple, yet dense piano and bass arrangements, White Rabbits deliver a dark but satisfying offering of rhythmic rock.  One part jazz in its use of space, and equal parts punk in its growling passion, "It's Frightening" makes for one unique recipe.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #1 (Percussion Gun)


8. Reservoir
Fanfarlo
Perhaps the most accessible album of the year, Reservoir unfolds with such natural ease, that you can't help but feel as if you have heard it before.  However, supported by a healthy bounce provided by the band's rhythm section, the album never falls into a lull.  Best characterized as a casual trot into the more reserved territories of both the Arcade Fire and Okkervil River's more orchestrated works, Simon Balthazar's quirky, yet smooth vibrato vocals, are the perfect complement to the already glistening instrumentation.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #2 and #9 (Ghosts and The Finish Line)


7. Manners
Passion Pit
Passion Pit's music is a full-on celebration of life, performed as if time is running out and that the Word holds the key to humanity's salvation.  "Manners" offers one infectious dance track after the next, anchored by synthetic rhythms and buoyed by invasive falsetto, the album can barely contain its happiness to meet you.  Yet in the way that the album remains concise, varied and undoubtedly focused, is a testament to Passion Pit's professional capabilities.

 Point(s) of Attack: Track #3 (Moth's Wings)


6. Upper Air
Bowerbirds
Happy to begin the album in understated fashion, like a teacher whose conviction and persistence wills that the class stop talking, the Bowerbirds delicate percussion and string arrangements inspire a sense of awe in their audience.  A similar sense of awe that they have for the natural world; the dominant theme aside from love.  The presentation might be simple, but the harmonies may be some of the most complex around. This album is beauty in the truest sense of the word.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #4 (Beneath Your Tree)


5. Noble Beast
 Andrew Bird
Credit the Birdman with creating perhaps the most dense album of the year.  Around every corner a delicious turn of phrase delivering a rye smile.  At every open space an instrumental flourish sending a blast of euphoria direct to the brain.  Looping here, layering there, and impressive all over, Andrew Bird may be the single most talented man in the business today.

Point(s) of Attack: Track #4 (Effigy)


4. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Phoenix
Upon first introduction to "WAP", one might not be unimpressed with the obvious Strokesy similarities.   But it doesn't take long before Phoenix' accelerated brand of pop music sinks in and ultimately holds the listener hostage long after the album has finished.  A 40-minute onslaught of frenetic motion, even the mellower tracks seem to be in a rush to get somewhere.  The result of a heavy beating heart that the dizzying pace of the album attempts to conceal.

Point(s) of attack: Track 1# (Lisztomania)


3. Mantis
Umphrey's McGee
Shunned by most media outlets, "Mantis" is most likely the best album of 2009 that you never heard.  Relentless progressive rock smoothed out by a prevailing new wave sensibility which most bands, let alone jambands, could neither fathom nor pull off.  And unlike the Sabbath-tinged progressions that dominate the works of Mastodon or Dream Theater, Umphrey's is all too aware of their metal tendencies, rounding out these often disconcerting edges with plenty of humor and modern considerations.

Point(s) of Attack: Tracks #4 and #7 (Cemetery Walk and Spires)


2. I and Love and You
The Avett Brothers
Much like most 20-somethings, the Avett Brothers are at a crossroads between childhood and adulthood.  Already wise beyond their years, "I and Love and You" represents the band's first step toward independence from the joyful, coming-of-age folkgrass that characterized their previous releases.  Presenting a perfect blend of happy-go-lucky folk rock and introspective piano balladry, the Avetts might be confused about the future, but their music offers no hesitation with respect to how confidently they will proceed.

Point(s) of attack: Tracks #3 and #7 (Head Full of Doubt and Kick Drum Heart)


1. Hazards of Love
The Decemberists
Belabored?  Possibly. Excessive?  Maybe.  The best album of the year?  Absolutely.  The Decemberists have created the most ambitious and well-executed album of the year, and quite possibly the decade.  Over-wrought?  Well, have you read a myth story that wasn't?  Actually, cohesive and uber-iminaginative best describe this folky rock opera.  Even upon repeated listens this humorously tragic, yet darkly romantic tale never fails to deliver.  After all, no one ever won any accolades by being common... Unless you happen to be called Animal Collective.

Point(s) of attack: Track #1... And don't stop until the album is done spinning.