Best of 2009 (11-20)

11) Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows


Horn-heavy orchestrated post-rock. Less doom and gloom than some of their contemporaries, it’s at times lilting, pastoral, and ethereal. Definitely more cohesive than their previous effort.

Seizure city:


12) Dinosaur Jr. - Farm


The original Dinosaur Jr. line-up once again prove that they're capable of sounding exactly the same as they did 20 years ago. And who doesn't need another Dinosaur Jr. record? But if you're a fan of Mascis's guitar solos, beware. This album only averages 1.5 solos per song.

Sk8rs:


13) Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career


This sounds nothing like Belle & Sebastian! Where do people get this stuff? It's a girl singing...come on, Belle & Sebastian have a guy singer. A little wimpy one. So what if they're both Scottish bands. Wait, you're telling me that that little twee turd photographed one of Camera Obscura's album covers? And Belle & Sebastian have girls that sing too? Hmm. Did Wet Wet Wet release anything this year?

John McVie stand-in:


14) M. Ward - Hold Time


Last year's She & Him record didn't hurt M. Ward's cause at all. Hold Time features Ward's familiar songwriting and production skills, with a couple of cameos from everybody's mind-mistress, Zooey Deschanel.

Slow motion accident:


15) The Flips - That Girl Stacey 7"


Fresh out of Brew City, these girls marry the 60's girl-group sounds of the Shangri-Las and Martha and the Vandellas with the lo-fi aesthetic of the Vivian Girls (but much more classy and charming).

16) Mulatu Astatqe & the Heliocentrics - Inspiration Information Vol. 3


Steeped in the Ethiopian jazz that Mulatu came to patent and popularize, and coupled with the funk backbone of the Heliocentrics, this album is reminiscent of the Ethiopian Quintet’s Afro-Latin Soul.

17) Implodes - everything I heard on myspace


They released a cassette on plustapes this year, but since I don't own a cassette player anymore, it did me no good. Shoegaze guitar tones for creaming jeans.

18) Zombi - Spirit Animal


If this album were a spirit animal, it would be a shark being eaten by a rhinoceros being ridden by Geddy Lee.

19) Other Animals - Other Animals


Debut from Chicago-area dudes sounds like Explosions in the Sky, but with less explosions and more sexy guitars.

20) Tyondai Braxton - Central Market


Battles meets 20th Century composing. Complete with Wizard of Oz munchkin vocals (and even some human vocals).

M Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent

M. Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent

This album is good, but not great. While it's similar in most ways to his more recent albums, it lacks the distinct charm and breeziness of Hold Time and Post War. What's immediately apparent on this album, both through the instrumentation and lyrics, is the degree of melancholy with which most of these songs are written. Songs of sorrow, sadness, and heartbreak are all too cliche for the sensitive singer-songwriter type, and without the constant guitar work that's become Ward's M.O., this album as a whole is not something I'd return to regularly with such better albums in his discography.

Not surprisingly, the stand-out tracks are the few upbeat numbers like "Duet for Guitars #3" and "Helicopter". The former is an instrumental John Fahey-esque jam, while the latter is a pretty straightforward folk-rock song with a melody line lifted straight out of Paul Simon's "Graceland". The album also features a horribly depressing version of Bowie's "Let's Dance", which, quite frankly, is a song that's only notable for its staccato guitar and percussion (which Ward does away with completely) and video of two teenage Aboriginals dancing in an outback bar, and then suddenly transferred to a busy Sydney street, being forced to do manual labor. For a video that makes such a strong statement, the song itself does not. And for a song with seemingly very little meaning, it's a strange choice for an acoustic cover whose foundation is the lyrics. On a high note, Ward definitely had his Grand Ole Opry style production down already on this album, which certainly makes this album worth a listen at least once.

Here's a video of the aforementioned "Duet for Guitars #3" (performed solo, as it were), which starts about 2:30 in after some pretty impressive jamming.