With out further or do, here are my Top 10 albums of 2009, guaranteed to make you a better person.
1) Bitte Orca - The Dirty Projectors
Recorded here in Portland, the band played Bridge City three times this year, opening for TV On the Radio, then headlining a strange, all-ages show on the 4th of July at the Holocene, and finally at The Aladdin Theater with Little Wings (another band worth checking out). Each show was progressively more aggressive and experimental. It seems as if the band has reached a comfortable position musically, and is ready to evolve to the next level. Let's hope so, because Bitte Orca's success rides not so much on its daringness, but on its ability to perfect a usually splintered hipster-pop crowd. Still, I cannot be something I am not, and the album remains in the #1 spot for the simple reason that I've played it more than any other this year.
2) Know Better, Learn Faster - Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
This almost made the #1 spot, but I'm careful enough to listen to it only so often, so that it keeps its surprising charm and energy. Thao with the Get Down Stay Down may just be my favorite band at the moment. That should be enough for you to seek this band out. But, if, for whatever reason, it's not. Let me spell it out for you, "I, Aaron Colter, as your musical, political, sexual and spiritual advisor encourage you to get this album."
3) The Satanic Satanist - Portugal. The Man
Another Portland gem, the band has become fairly popular in Europe, but retains its NW weirdness while combining a variety of popular sounds that please crowds across the globe. Imagine if MGMT spent more time jamming in lofts and basements, and less time channeling The Beach Boy during acid trips. The band is highly revered in town, usually playing back-to-back shows when headlining, or opening for a major out-of-town act and drawing as many fans. I'm still waiting for their songs to be in car commercials, but it may never happen as the band seems to be riding comfortably on its current success. Surprise your friends and break out this album while you're getting pre-party high.
4) The Blue Print 3 Outtakes - Alex Goose
I enjoy the outtakes better than the actual album when listened to as a collective. Probably because of the cohesiveness of a single musician, but also because it gives the Jigga Man necessary boundaries in which he can adapt his style. Because while D.O.A. rocked, and collaboration with Santagold proved fresh, not everything on the latest album did.
Legal download here:
http://theblueprint3outtakes.com/
5) Popular Songs - Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo continues to be one of the hardest working bands today, not only by playing some of the most crowd-friendly shows I've ever seen, but by cranking out albums after album, year after year, each professional and finding the band in a different temperament. Their latest album isn't the best thing they've ever produced, and it's by no means the worst (which is still better than the best of their contemporaries), but it's solid from start to finish. Something, in the day of singles, means quite a bit to this hater. If nothing else, Yo La Tengo deserves your support for nearly two-decades worth of awesome.
6) Apples Acres - Nurses
Nurses are set to be the next break-out band of Portland along with Explode Into Colors because the pair can create an entire world of music with fairly limited resources. Most of the album was recorded in an attic over a period of months, but manages to sound like a softer, yet equally complex Animal Collective. I'm a bigger fan of the other Portland-based bands on this list, but I notice talent when I see it, and believe Nurses have the potential to play in the big leagues, provided their hit-single lands in a movie trailer and not on Gossip Girl. Don't sell out, guys, please. Hold out for for that mainstream angle that still gives you indie-cred and you'll be alble to record the next album in a proper studio.
7) Forest Field - Experimental Dental School
XDS holds a special place in my heart, but it makes me sad they may never have the success of less talented bands in Portland. Forest Field is a great album, however, its consistent quality doesn't allow for much distinctiveness as the band tries to incorporate the best elements of Built To Spill and Modest Mouse, still missing the final definitive piece to a break-out album.
Download the album, legally, here:
http://www.experimentaldental.com/free/
8) Dark Night of the Soul - Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse with David Lynch
By now, you probably know the story of how copyright issues limited the release of this album, and that Danger Mouse attempted, with far less success, to cause another Grey Tuesday. Still, I'm sure you can find the album out there somewhere, and Danger Mourse does too, because you can purchase a collective of photos that pair nicely with the music by David Lynch, along with a blank CD. Tell the man to fuck off and find it. (I'm excited to hear Danger Mouse's collaboration with ex-Shins frontman James Mercer, who is, apparently, a huge dick that fired all that was left of the original band. The way-uncool act left drummer Jesse Sandoval with nothing else to do but open a taco cart called Nuevo Mexico on N Mississippi and Skidmore. Ouch.)
9) White Lunar - Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
No, not that Warren Ellis, comic nerd. The musician. White Lunar is comprised of songs from the film The Road, The Assassination of Jess James by the Coward Robert Ford, and The Proposition (perhaps the greatest Western of all time). Most of the tracks are short, but true to movie form, can make you weep with a single violin swell. Plus there are over thirty of them, so you get your money's worth. Nick Cave is a man of many talents, and this release is only a sample of his work. I'd recommend albums Tender Prey, Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus, and Digg!!! Lazarus Digg!!! for other greatness.
10) Embryonic - The Flaming Lips
I have to be honest, I don't even own this album yet. But I will. I'm waiting to purchase the deluxe edition like a super fan. In the meantime, the free downloads I have from purchasing tickets to their Portland show have kept me satisfied. My only concern is the legitimate complaint that the album's gain seems to be maxed for the duration. The influence of Cohen's nephew is a welcome addition as it added an element of harshness and wandering jam-like riffs not heard since the early days of the band's more sloppy sound. But, the constant assault of noise is something they should have grown out of in the last twenty years. Let's hope that they don't make the same mistake on the upcoming, complete cover of The Dark Side of the Moon.
Bonus Album: Gone Fishing - The Cools Kids & Don Cannon
Not as good as Bake Sale, but still poppin', I'm a big Cool Kids fan and remain one with this latest release. Mixtapes seem to be the way for smart hip-hop groups to stay current while avoiding the bullshit of trying to push a mainstream release in the face of contracts, torrent-spoilers, and national tours. Rhymefest did something similar with El Che, but while his mixtape was a reaction to an album delay, a record cancellation, and media fire, The Cool Kids & Don Cannon's mixtape sounds a lot more relaxed, just something to keep fans happy until a proper album of new material.
Download, legally, here:
http://whenfishridebicycles.com/
Well, that's it kids. I even added a bonus album. I really wanted to add Black Moth Super Rainbow's Eating Us to this list, but couldn't. The band's latest album shows great promise, and their show at the Holocene was absolutely insane (thanks for the birthday present guys). But, in the end, the album wasn't as diverse as the rest of the albums on this list. So while BMSR remains one of my favorite groups, and Eating Us one of my favorite albums, I couldn't, in good faith, include it. Sorry. It's worthing buying though, find it where you can.
If you want a grip of free, live tracks from some of the best bands in Portland, then visit BananaStandMedia.com, where you can find over 50 free tracks, many recorded in 2009.
