The most wonderful time of the year is here YET AGAIN. This years version of the list has been the most fun out of any year to put together. I don't know what that means exactly, but here's hoping it's a good thing.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
- Top 10 Singles/released songs
- Top 5 Comedy albums
- Top 3-5 Music Videos
- Best movie scores
- Top 20something TV shows (unlike past years, it will be an all-combined-genre TV list.)
- Top 30 movies
AND LOOKING TO THE FUTURE!
- Top 5 albums of 2010
- Top 32 Movies of 2010
and maybe even more!
but, the reason why you are in this thread is because of the title: The Top 40 Albums of 2009.
A note: I won't be doing any best of the decade stuff for a few reasons. One, It makes my head spin to think about putting together a huge list of albums/movies/tv shows of the past decade. One year is enough for me! and, the other reason is that I have noticed that other web sites, and likely your very own best of decade lists, will be very similar to what I would come up with. So, it'll just be redundant.
Coming up shortly (within the night) will be the top singles/songs list. Stay tuned!
I couldn't find a gif that properly communicated how DISSAPOINTED I would be if Scott Mescudi wasn't mentioned in this thread. You won't disappoint me, right? I mean, we share the same name so...
I couldn't find a gif that properly communicated how DISSAPOINTED I would be if Scott Mescudi wasn't mentioned in this thread. You won't disappoint me, right? I mean, we share the same name so...
Cudi ain't ****. And you can take that to the bank!
Apparently "within the night" means hours later. Sorry, I took a trip to Pandora for a few hours. But, now i'm back!
A disclaimer: This songs list is the one I spent the least amount of time on. If you ask why *insert single/song * isn't on, when the album by the artist is? I have no good answer, really. Just, that I put together a list of my 10 favorite songs either released as a single or released prior to the release of an album with my gut. I think I did a fairly good job choosing songs that truly were important to me in the year. Your mileage, may of course, vary.
CLOSE CALLS:
Clipse feat. Cam'Ron - Popular Demand (Popeyes)/Kinda Like A Big Deal feat. Kanye West
Animal Collective - My Girls
Girls - Lust for Life
10. Monsters of Folk - Say Please
I'm a sucker for the classic rock/folk aping artists. I just am. Monsters of Folk are a great distillation of what The Traveling Wilburys would sound like in the 21st century, with "Say Please" being the most obvious example of it. More on MOF with the album writeup. Teaser!
09. Mos Def - Casa Bey
A lyrical masters showcase or a rambling show-off session/sing-along? Either one, and you still get the wonderful "Casa Bey", a highlight on Mos Def's absolutely dynamite 2009 album The Ecstatic.
08. Karen O & The Kids - All Is Love
Karen O had a great 2009, to say the least. Not only did her main dayjob release their best album to date, but she, along with the incredible Carter Burwell, scored one of the years best films in Where The Wild Things Are. This was the single released from it, and it is pure joy in less than 3 minutes.
07. Grizzly Bear feat. Michael McDonald - While You Wait For The Others
The original song from Grizzly Bear is one of the best of the year, and the b-side of the single, which has Micheal McDonald singing the exact same song, is even better. The song remains the same, but McDonald brings added nuance to the lyrics. When the song hits its climax, and McDonald gets really into it and starts SINGING it becomes something of wonder.
Note to Indie bands: hire Yacht Rock artists to sing on your b-sides. Animal Collective, please consider Christopher Cross.
06. Yo La Tengo - Here To Fall
This song is a real mother****er. Pardon the toilet talk, but it is. It sounds either like Yo La Tengo ambushed a 1970's Disco recording session, or it sounds like a lost song from Beck's Sea Change album that was scrapped for rocking too hard. Whichever one it is the point stays that this song is incredible. YLT continue to reinvent themselves, and they are aging gracefully. It's why they are, and will remain to be one of the greatest bands there ever was.
05. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
The Yeahs will never top "Maps." I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just that "Maps" hit the zeitgeist at that perfect moment, and that's why it is, and will continue to be, universally beloved. "Zero" is almost like the official sequel to Maps, the sequel that is set 10 years after. Before Sunset? This analogy is ****ed. The point stands that this song was a favorite from early in the year, and it's still one of my favorites now.
04. Rancid - Last One To Die
As documented in past year-ends, I have a great affinity for Rancid. They are the best security-blanket band in the world. Whatever type of mood I am in at that moment in time, Rancid always makes me feel better. "Last One To Die", Rancid's first single since 2003, distills everything wonderful about Rancid in their typically brief-but-not-a-moment-wasted runtime. It's as great of a single as they've ever released. A standard motif for Rancid songs: We are family, we are still around, and we will continue to be around. And yet it never gets old.
03. Beastie Boys - Lee Majors Come Again
Get well soon MCA!
Besides my #1 song, I never felt so much joy listening to a song this year on first listen as I did when listening to "Lee Majors Come Again." It's the Beasties combining their NY hardcore roots with the rapping/DJ-scratching that they later adopted. As a longtime Beasties fan, this song makes me feel really, really good. I hope that's the case with non-Beasties fans as well.
02. Big Boi - Fo Yo Sorrows feat. George Clinton & Too Short
Big Boi - Shine Blockas feat. Gucci Mane
I generally dislike ties, but trying to decide which Big Boi song from this year was better was an impossible task.
"Fo Yo Sorrows" is the Organized Noize produced song that Big Boi and Dre 3000 have done many times before, but never gets old. Add a wonderful, growling, cameo by George Clinton and a typically great guest appearance from Too Short and you have yourselves a real winner.
"Shine Blockas", on the other hand, could (and should) be a monster hit. A song as transcendent as Big Boi has ever done with a nice hat-tip to Gucci Mane (BURR!) who does what he does well on the song.
Basically, the point of this post is that I want Sir Luscious Left Foot out in stores RIGHT NOW.
01. Raekwon feat. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck - House of Flying Daggers
There may have been better, more well-crafted songs on this list, but nothing made me as joyful and happy as "House of Flying Daggers" did. It's such a vintage Wu-Tang song that i'm shocked that it isn't a lost song from 1996. I'm also shocked that the late, great J Dilla produced this song, as it sounds like a RZA production. Once again proving that DIlla could do it all, and imitate many producers amazingly.
What else is there to say? Every rapper on this song demolishes it.. It is heavily reminiscent of classic Wu-Tang posse cuts like "Triumph." This is either a song that you "get" and think is the greatest thing going, or have no idea whatsoever why I placed this above songs like "Zero." I guess that's just the magic of Wu.
So, that's done. Stay tuned for later today for the first part in my Movies of '10 list, and Part 1 of the albums list. See you then!
I love Karen O and the Kids. That whole album is greatness, I'm sure it'll make your top 40 album list. Your song list is different than others, I really enjoy it. Also, I'm glad you liked Monster of Folks, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Mos Def, and Grizzly Bear. Just awesome.
Love your music taste.
