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IT'S TIME FOR THE TOP 10. The links above show you how far we've come, but now, my #10-6 albums of 2009...
It was nearly two years ago now that we first heard "February Air," the debut single from Lights, thanks to an Old Navy commercial. Here we are now at the turn of the decade, and Lights has more than made a name for herself, touring the world, winning awards, and finally releasing her debut LP,
The Listening. Last year, Lights' self-titled EP was so good that it was my #11 album of 2008, despite only being six songs. Quite a few of those songs have been re-recorded and added to the full-length album, along with a number of brand new tracks we haven't heard before. If you're familiar at all with her music, you know Lights was pretty much transported here from the '80s; she "tickles a gnarly synth" in her own words throughout the album, and there are plenty of new wave influences to be found. The old standbys "Ice" and "The Last Thing On Your Mind" are as good as ever on this album, and new additions like "Lions!" and "Second Go" are even better. It's a quality album by itself, but the reason
The Listening made my top 10 is in large part due to Lights' excellent live show. I was able to see her perform at a small club near my hometown back in October. I was literally inches away from the stage, which made it all that much better. Lights put on an amazing show, rocked a keytar for most of it, and proved herself as one of the sweetest and nicest people I've ever met when I spoke with her after the show. I snapped the above photo during that show. Finally, a picture on which I actually own the copyright! Back on track, Lights is delightful, charming, unique, and extremely talented, and her exemplary
The Listening is my #10 album of 2009.
Believe it or not, Tegan and Sara are one of my favorite bands. I bet you never would've guessed that. Their previous album,
The Con, was my #1 album of 2007, and I've been a solid fan of the Canadian indie pop/rock duo since early 2003, when I discovered "I Hear Noises" and "Monday Monday Monday," which would become one of my favorite songs of all time. This year, the T&S returned with
Sainthood, which in their own words is a collection of songs featuring "secular themes of devotion, delusion, and exemplary behavior in the pursuit of love and relationships." It's also the first time they've written songs together instead of separately. In past years, I've had the pleasure of seeing Tegan and Sara perform live a number of times, which really increased my personal connection with the songs on
If It Was You,
So Jealous, and
The Con. I enjoy Tegan and Sara's live shows because they banter back and forth throughout the show and explain many of the meanings behind the songs. I haven't yet had the chance to see them perform songs from
Sainthood, so maybe that's why the album isn't even higher on my list this year, but the fact remains, it's a great album nonetheless. The first single "Hell" and album cut "Northshore" will rock you right out the house. Other tracks such as "Arrow," "Alligator," and the album closer "Someday" also proved memorable. It's another top notch album in the ongoing catalog of one of the best bands in music today.
Sainthood is my #9 album of 2009.
Here we go again with the electro-synth revival. Little Boots is easily one of this year's best discoveries I made in all of music. Her debut album, Hands, is excellent from top to bottom, ranging from that '80s style pop to European-influenced dance tracks and featuring disco-esque numbers throughout. The opening track and first song I heard, "New In Town," is an electro-pop anthem in which Little Boots shouts,
I'm gonna take you out tonight, I'm gonna make you feel alright; I don't have a lot of money but we'll be fine, no I don't have a penny but I'll show you a good time. That's something I can support. The song was apparently inspired by the "seedy side of life" in L.A. and the strange people she met while recording the album. It's one of the best songs of the year. Beyond that, there are just tons of excellent tracks to be found here. I'll avoid the obvious pun regarding "Stuck On Repeat," a track that I played a lot. I love "Remedy," "Meddle," and "Symmetry." The song tacked on to the very end of the album, the title-track "Hands," is so simple and sweet and also one of my favorites of the year. Little Boots is a fantastic singer, talented songwriter, and a pretty great musician on the keyboard as well. What a great collection of songs. This was the year of wonky pop.
Hands is my #8 album of 2009.
Let's take a break from the snyth madness and talk about an artist that ruled 2009 in terms of simple pop/rock and folk pop. From the great state of Ohio, it's Kate Voegele, the musician turned actress (
One Tree Hill) turned, well, musician and actress both. She is yet another artist I discovered because of placement and promotion on the iTunes Store, and she's actually the highest of that massive group on my entire list this year. iTunes released one song from
A Fine Mess once a week for about 5 or 6 weeks leading up to the release of the album, which was really a brilliant move, as it got me hooked on each of those songs, one by one, and made me even more interested in hearing the whole collection. Once I got the album, I knew right away it would be one of my favorites of the year, and sure enough, I kept playing it front to back again and again, most recently just a few days ago. So many tracks on this album are great, so I'll just run through some of my favorites. The opener "Inside Out," the single "99 Times," the charming and infectious "Playing With My Heart," the bonus track "Say Anything," and the stunningly beautiful final track "Lift Me Up" are the best of the bunch. To use the same word again, let me just say this is a beautiful album, full of inspired, thought-provoking, and uplifting songs that anybody could appreciate. I hope Kate Voegele keeps making music for a long time and more people start taking notice, because these compositions are simply wonderful.
A Fine Mess is my #7 album of 2009.
I totally slept on the buzz surrounding critical darling Lykke Li back in 2008, but I made up for it this year after seeing her show up on
Last Call with Carson Daly of all things, believe it or not, in March. She had the whole half-hour to herself and performed a bunch of songs off of her debut album,
Youth Novels. I watched it all in amazement and then nearly instantly rushed to get the album. What I found was one of the best exports from Sweden that the world has ever seen. I guess you could call this album electro-pop as well, much like many others on my list, but something makes
Youth Novels different. It's very much an experience to take in, from beginning to end. Listening to the album was a calming and chilling trip in itself. The nearly spoken-word opener, "Melodies & Desires," is both haunting and hypnotic. The standout tracks from
Youth Novels are the repetitious "Dance, Dance, Dance," the joyous and musically diverse "Breaking It Up," and the best track on the album, "I'm Good, I'm Gone," which has the best verse structure and build-up to a strong chorus that I've heard in a long, long time. It quickly became one of my most played tracks of the year by any artist. Throughout the year, the album withstood the test of time and just kept getting better, making me believe Lykke Li is a true treasure in the world of music, and easily making
Youth Novels my #6 album of 2009.
In just a couple of hours, I will reveal my top 5 albums of 2009 and this whole thing will be over. Join me TONIGHT!
TOP 10 TOP 10 TOP 10 coming in a few hours or less.
