Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Best Albums of 2009

1) Kid Cudi - The Man on the Moon: The End of Day

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, is a member of the Kanye West camp, but get past it. We know rappers sing about their bling, where they've come from, who they've slept with and the like. Here's a rapper who attempts to reinvigorate a genre through an unwitting, concept album. It reads like a veritable diary of confessions, aspirations, dreams and fears! The selection of samples elevate the rhymes, string arrangements, and electronica dabbling is refreshing and is much deserving of not only the title of Best Rap Album for 2009, but also Best Album of 2009.

Download NOW: Soundtrack 2 My Life, Heart of a Lion, Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part 1), Up Up and Away

2) Lady Gaga - The Fame/The Fame Monster: Let it be known that ever since the infectious "Just Dance", it seems that the world could not have gotten enough of the Jewish-bred, David-Bowiesque, disco-chic Stefani Germanotta. Forget Barbara Walters' personality of the year, I give her my own award ( I just haven't found a title for it yet). Tremendously talented (pianist, writer, producer, vocalist, and not to be dismissed as a one-hit wonder), she has already proven herself within the entertainment industry. The master-stroke of releasing "The Fame Monster" EP has only created more of a feeding frenzy. I give her props for releasing the EP as truly that in addition to "Deluxe" editions of "The Fame". Truly a performance artist worthy of being mentioned alongside Freddie Mercury, Madonna, and MJ (RIP).

Download NOW: Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say), Starstruck, Paper Gangsta, Alejandro, Monster

3) Yeah Yeah Yeahs- It's Blitz: I remember stumbling across this band as an opening act to one of the best New York bands ever...The Strokes. The vocals of Karen O were hypnotic, the keyboard work of Nick Zinner and Brian Chase (on drums) were pitch-perfect. They were rough, dance-ready, glam-rock afficionados. This album should really be higher (but I vowed no ties on this list). This album also proves there is something for the proper sequencing of tracks. It was only at the Nine Points West Music Festival in August 2009 (thanks to a certain Hochie) that I was no longer a closet fan. I simply must catch this band live again and wish that they release an Unplugged set ASAP.

Download NOW: Soft Shock (both versions), Heads Will Roll, Hysteric (both versions) and Dragon Queen.

4) La Roux - La Roux: unabashed synthesized Brit-pop has not sounded this good in years, since probably Erasure and The Human League. Is it something in the water over the pond because there are noted similarities in characteristics of the British acts on this listing: brash attitude, unassuming and unapologetic lyrics of politics, courtship, religion etc. and resonant wit! This a duo (named after the flaming red hair its vocalist), comprises of Eleanor Jackson (vocalist, co-writer and keyboardist) and Ben Langmaid (producer and co-writer). Terrific album, which would have copped my pick for "Dance Album of Year" if Lady GaGa was not on the radar.

Download NOW: In For The Kill, Quicksand, Colourless Colour, I'm Not Your Toy, Growing Pains

5) Soundtrack to "500 Days of Summer": the most adept soundtrack compilation this year is also from one of the year's best non-romantic, whimsical, yet sweepingly romantic movies on film. Each song is expertly selected, closely mirroring the narrative and mood of the film. Comprising of several previously released tracks and B-sides, the album provides a terrific sampling of such great acts as The Smiths, Feist, Simon and Garfunkel and Regina Spektor, which are sure to convert people into new fans.

Download NOW: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths; Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths, Us - Regina Spektor, Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap and Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - She and Him

6) Kanye West - 808's and Heartbreak: a rapper who consistently braves new frontiers and is unafraid of risk. All of his released albums, have made my "Top 10 List", within their respective year of release. Four albums in and he continues to demonstrate his suave and sophisticated knowledge of cross-generational, genre-defining and defying acts. His experimentation with even his contemporaries and emerging alternative acts, earns him even more respect. Forget the tabloid Kanye, this man is brilliant!

Download NOW: Paranoid, RoboCop, Bad News and See You In My Nightmare

7) Imogen Heap - Ellipse: Her sophomore effort once again throws the sink at you. Odd sounds echo throughout, even the bathroom shower is used, with great effect too. Her vocals and the fact that she remains true to her ambient roots is commendable. Her ability to surprise via the layers and textures of the music, also remains amazing.

Download NOW: Between The Sheets, Aha!, First Train Home, Wait It Out, Swoon and Tidal.

8) Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You: once again, Britain's most notable smart-ass delivers a solid second album. Funny, honest, energetic, political and yes religious. This is one of the most sociologically, relevant albums of the year.

Download NOW: Him, Chinese, Back to Start, Everyone's At It, The Fear

9) Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix: They're a French alternative rock band. If you've gone to the bathroom or fast forwarded your TIVO during a TV commercial break or not been to the theatres to see a few previews (notably "Where The Wild Things Are"), you probably would have missed this band's music. They became the go-to band for songs to use in advertisements. The album is full of such gems and much more. Easy to sing and hum along. One word to describe this, their fourth album: simple.

Download NOW: Armistice, Girlfriend, Lasso, Fences, 1901, Lisztomania

10) The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart: Sounding like a mash-up of several early British indie acts, this NY-based indie band's album is very difficult to listen, but thoroughly worth the effort. Great music for the beach run!

Download NOW: Hey Paul, A Teenager In Love, Everything With You, Stay Alive, The Tenure Itch, Young Adult Friction, Come Saturday.

APN - January 2009