TOP 10 OF 2009

The years winding up and like everyone else i like to sum-up the year with a top 10, i've definately forgotten and left out alot of stuff i was listening to this year but here are some albums that impressed:

10) Health – Get Color

I must admit the first time I heard Die Slow this year I didn’t really want to let it in as I was listening to a lot of folk dreamy surfy summer shit and Health seemed to not fit into this genre in the slightest. If the dudes from Megadeth took pills and got laid more I think they would sound like Health. I can guarantee you a lot of the ‘Get Color’ tracks will soon be appearing in Vampire films.

9) Dinosaur Jr – Farm

The Marshall says FUCK-YOU! The Original line-up bought out the best 90’s alt-rock album never released. Coming to Aus very very soon get tickets.

8) Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

I may be ridiculed by Dan and Pat as to why this isn’t my number one album. I just didn’t listen to it enough...pretty fuckin good but.

7) The Horrors - Primary Colours

I have to say I wasn’t the biggest fan of Strange House the Horrors first full length album, although it seemed to capture the moment pretty well I wasn’t all for the ‘fashion band’ connections they had. All of my doubts were proven wrong with the release of the Sophomore album Primary Colours, from the first track Mirrors Image it takes you into a whirlwind of open flighting soundscapes with the Barrow-Portishead production element on this album clearly audible. I’ve got tickets for their show early next year and am waiting bated, might even wear a polka dot shirt and a tie.

6) Ganglians – Monster Head Room

“Take myself out to pasture, smoke my reefer in the bathroom” are the first lines from Cryin Smoke. I usually hear this song at work once a day and an immense sense of jealousy creeps in as it seems Ganglians are living the life I want to, or at least are writing about it. Laid back acoustic favoured Sacramento sunny-psych. Listen and enjoy.

5) The Black Angels – Directions to See a Ghost

I’m not quite sure if this is a legal entry into the best albums of 09’ as it was released in 08’ but it was late that year and I’m going to bend the rules. Everytime I hear a song off Directions I want to fly to the deep south of America buy an Iron 883 and set off on a cross country voyage of self discovery. Impressive strong driving fuzzed out acid based psychedelia rock that I think impressed Roland S Howard enough to make Pop Crimes.

4) The Veils – Sun Gangs

One of the most overwhelming presences that has graced the toff stage in a while, Finn Andrews and the Veils had everybody talking about them while in Melbourne and I was lucky enough to see their show. Andrews seems to invoke a sense of hurt and absence which is shown in the constant flutter of his eyelashes and awkward crowd interaction. His perfection and intense need for control was seen when half way through ‘the letter’ he stopped declaring that he couldn’t hear the bass, “we could do that much better” and back off into the catchiest opening riff of 2009 he went. Andrews shy demeanour is contrasted by the cocksureness of his voice, so domineering The Veils filled the Toff with astonishment but I think everybody new that this band was going to be something special Sun Gangs and The Veils are definitely that.

3) Thee OH Sees – Help

I went to go and see these guys at the Empress the other night supporting Beaches but even though its literally around the corner from my house I failed, seeing a few more longnecks of Melbourne a better idea than actually going inside and buying a ticket. However I was not alone in not getting in and overheard one quite attractive mid 20ish girl walking out complaining to the other half on the phone how “its bullshit, I guess everybody has got their finger on the pulse these days” in response to your negativity: if you liked these guys so much you shouldn’t of been as lazy as I was and maybe turn up early? Its nothing exceptionally hard to figure out, Thee Oh Sees have fans and are an amazing live band. But I do think I’m pretty good that I have my finger on the pulse. As for Help its amazing and continues my love for Crampish style swagger psych. Destroyed Fortress Reappeared is grand. There are a number of bands pre Thee Oh Sees and definitely worth a listen however this is by far the clearest vision created and executed by Dwyer.

2) Real estate – Real Estate

It was a toss of the coin between Real Estate and Crystal Stilts for #1 with simply the band i listened to more getting the nod. I’ve always wanted to create a dreamy relaxed folk record heavily laden with loops and layers and layers of my voice in different keys, and then I heard Real Estate and pretty much want to copy it. I think if I invited a girl over to my house burnt dinner told inappropriate racist jokes offended her in some horrible way and then played Real Estate she would still fall in love with me. At first listen it seems so simple and it essentially is, Fake Blues so simple but ever effective and builds, builds, and owns 2009 as song of the year.

1) Crystal Stilts – Alight of Night

Garage pop at its undeniable best. It is all to easy to do sounds like but this band has combined so many different bands and sounds that my housemates and I were listening to this past year its hard to pinpoint one; rockabilly, The Doors organ sounds 60’s psych, garage, surf rock, lo-fi, 80’s NZ, Gang of four / Clean drum beats, swooning echo based baritone vocals etc etc. when I stumbled across this band and noteably the song Departure aka Converging in the Quiet I felt like I discovered a little jem that I was more than happy to show everybody who had the time to listen. It was my song on the way to work, at work, and on the travel home, I could escape knowing as soon as that first hooky as fuck bass line hit my ear I was in my own happy head space. The singer Brad Hargett draws comparisons to Ian Curtis’ slow draw type singing style but for fuck sake every singer who has a deep voice these days is thrown into that circle primarily due to Control being such a hit and every tom dick and harry now referencing Joy Division for every catchy garage release the past 2 years. The fact is that Crystal Stilts aren’t the most original band but if it makes me dance around my living room till 4 in the morning i bow my head and say thankyou to unoriginality that can sound like this cause I’m usually passed out by midnight.

Thankyou Stilts.

>>Somehow i forgot to put King Khan in here lets just say he is 1.5<<

Honorable Mentions:

11) Kurt Vile – Constant Hitmaker / God is Saying This To You

12) Atlas Sound – Logos

13) The Smith Westerns - The Smith Westerns

14) Papercuts – You Can Have What You Want

15) Heartless Bastards – The Mountain

16) Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

17) Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

18) The Frowning Clouds – Lovin’ You 7”

19) Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster

20) St.Helens – Heavy Profession

In Conclusion:

Woodsist Records – you owned 2009