sun is high

25 Favorite Albums of 2009

Rating: 0

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz
Listenable from start to end. They have finally achieved their full potential.

2. Viva Voce – Rose City
A great guitar album. Catchy, with just the right amount of loud.

3. Annie – Don’t Stop
One of my favorite Norwegian’s (yes, I am biased) returns to pick up where Kylie left off. This is too long coming.

4. Engineers – Three Fact Fader
Surprisingly great followup to a great first album. Some of the mellow elements are gone, but it’s a nice evolution.

5. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I always enjoy these guys, but this time they knocked it out of the park.

6. Atlas Sound – Logos
This dude has always weirded me out a bit, but this album reminds me of an update of 50s/60s pop, which is surprisingly accessible.

7. Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer
Craziness, but some truly great melodies scattered throughout.

8. Julian Plenti – Julian Plenti Is…Skyscraper
Enough to hold me over until Interpol returns again.

9. Metric – Fantasies
I want to love this album, but I think it’s missing the guitar of the previous albums that I liked so much. Still a great/underrated album though.

10. The Postmarks – Memoirs At The End Of The World
Inspired by James Bond/spy flick soundtracks, and a nice divergence from the usual fare.
Listen: The Postmarks – No One Said This Would Be Easy

11. The Raveonettes – In and Out Of Control
Disappointing from a lyrical perspective, but still strong musically.

12. Bombay Bicycle Club – I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose
There was a lack of British bands this year, but this was one of the standouts.

13. The Legends – Over And Over
Interesting blend of Jesus and Mary Chain sounds with his almost twee vox. Some of his early stuff is more accessible.

14. The Wooden Birds – Magnolia
I’m not sure where things stand with American Analog Set, but Andrew Kenny still manages to put out simple, enjoyable acoustic songs no matter who it’s with.

15. Air – Love 2
Some of the best work they’ve done in a while.

16. Junior Boys – Begone Dull Care
17. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
18. Valerie and Friends – S/T
19. The XX – S/T
20. The Dead Weather – Horehound
21. Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs
22. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
23. Deastro – Moondagger
24. Royksopp – Junior
25. Sorcerer – Neon Leon

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15 Favorite Tunes of 2009

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero
This song reminds me of a laser beam, or an 8-bit racecar game. I can’t decide which.

2. Viva Voce – Red Letter Day
Like a long lost song from an Ennio Morricone spaghetti western soundtrack.

3. Engineers – Sometimes I Realise
The hardest rocking song of 2009. Period.

4. Sunset Rubdown – Idiot Heart
A three part opus on life.

5. Bat For Lashes – Siren Song
My favorite track off one of the more interesting releases of 2009.

6. Phoenix – 1901
In all likelihood you’ve already heard this.

7. Metric – Gimme Sympathy
The best use of synth I’ve heard in a while.

8. Bombay Bicycle Club – Always Like This
Awesome boy/girl harmonies at the end of this one.

9. Atlas Sound – Walkabout
“What did you want to be when you grew up?”

10. Andrew Bird – Tenuousness
The whistling on this will get stuck in your head.

11. Lovers – Wrestling Horses
This song reminds me of some of the better moments of 90s pop.

12. The Raveonettes – Bang!
I’m glad there’s always the Raveonettes keeping twang alive and well.

13. Neko Case – This Tornado Loves You
Middle Cyclone didn’t impress me as much as some of her past work, but this track is great.

14. St. Vincent – Actor Out Of Work
Probably the best new female vocalist I heard this year, even though she has been around for awhile.

15. Yo La Tengo – Here To Fall
The best thing they’ve done in years. Epic.

Some you may not have heard, but worth a listen:

Miami Horror – Sometimes

Generationals – When They Fight They Fight

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Best Shows Of 2009

2009 was a really slow year in terms of shows. As I recall the tours that came through town, it seems to me that the recession was not good to Nashville in terms of concerts. In fact, it was downright sparse. I can’t really say I’m complaining all that much though. I am finding I am much more selective these days.

1. Andrew Bird and St. Vincent – Ryman Auditorium
This was probably the best concert I think I’ve seen at the Ryman. I’ve seen a lot of good acts there. Interpol, The Strokes, Belle and Sebastian and a few others. For some reason though, Andrew Bird seems like the perfect fit for that venue. The lightness and delicacy of his music seemed to carry perfectly through the 118 year old building. I had never really even listened to his music prior to this concert, and I actually prefer it that way. Annie Clark was also surprisingly great. Again, another musician I’d never really paid much attention to, but her vocals live are terrific. All in all, a great evening of music. If you want a taste:

2. School of Seven Bells (and BMSR) – Exit In
Black Moth Super Rainbow headlined this show, but I was there to see the Secret Machines offshoot SVIIB. Their debut album had steadily grown on me, and I’m glad I went to this. It provided one of the most thorough washes of sound since I had seen the Raveonettes. Another perfect blend of melody and distortion. I’ll be curious to see what direction the next album takes.

3. The Bad Plus – Highline Ballroom – NYC
I enjoyed this show for a wide variety of reasons. First, it was an exposure to some quality music in a style that I never listen to, progressive jazz. Second, it was in a super nice music club in New York City. The combination of the two made for an unforgettable evening. I felt like I was transported to 1950’s New York, and I was living in a movie where guys still for ties and fedoras to work. The band themselves are some of the most skilled musicians I think I’ve seen.

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Beirut – Cheap Magic Inside

So good…..

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Kids Say The Darndest… (Things I Apparently Missed in 2009)

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Phoenix on La Blogotheque

La Blogotheque has another take away show out, this one featuring Phoenix, which put out one of the best albums of the last year. If you haven’t gotten it yet, you should. Enough said…

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Fear of Tigers – Cossus Snufsigalonica (Free Album)

From the Valerie Collective comes another release from one of their members, Fear of Tigers. Another terrific neo-80s electronic wash of sound. The best part, of course is that it is free. I highly recommend giving this one a go. I’ve been digging some of the singles on this album for awhile, and I am glad to see they’ve put together an entire album. (and don’t judge it by the album cover)

Download it here

Or if you want to take a spin before downloading: http://www.myspace.com/fearoftigers

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blur – No Distance Left To Run

Discovered this today. Looks like a promising film about one of my favorite bands of all time. While Oasis managed to churn out the same album every few years under different packaging, blur were constantly reinventing themselves, and I’d argue that they were the most important band to come out of the UK in the 90s. Their songs still hold up. If you are new to them, I’d recommend picking up the new compilation album, Midlife, rather than the older “best of” album that came out several years ago. It’s got a better selection of songs. The other things I like about this band is that many of their songs take quite a while to grow on you, but once they do, they never seem to get old.

Also, somewhat related, Damon’s other project Gorillaz, has an album about finished up. There was a film that came out earlier this year regarding how that project came together called Bananaz. It’s also pretty interesting.

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Las Vegas – MS SharePoint Conference – October 18-22

A lot of the work I do is associated with a product from Microsoft called SharePoint. It’s a web based product designed for content management. It’s also a lot of other things too. I have been to a few technical conferences now, and I have to say, Microsoft certainly puts on the best ones. Great information, top notch food and events, nice locations. All that to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this conference and got a lot of good information out of it. This isn’t very suprising, since a good majority of the people giving the presentations are the ones who actually work for Microsoft and built the product.

The conference was at the Mandalay Bay. I had made an early reservation and also gotten a room there. It had been at least 10 years since I had been to Las Vegas, and some things seem like they have changed there, and others not so much. The hotel was certainly nice. I was a bit bummed I didn’t have a chance to go out and make use of the pool because the conference went through the whole day every day, but never the less, my room was quite spacious, and a nice place to relax. I got in late Sunday night, and by the time I got to the hotel it was around 10ish. I still hadn’t eaten, and there wasn’t much to choose from at the hotel other than nicer restaurants. I ended up opting for take out tacos from an upscale Mexican place in the hotel. $27 for pork tacos. It’s safe to say that’s the most I have ever spent on a Mexican meal. Food in Vegas is expensive! At least at the nicer hotels it is. I did find a Baja Fresh at the Excalibur that I hit up a couple times, which was a bit more affordable. Of course I wasn’t paying for any of this out of my own pocket, but dining in some fancy restaurant alone wasn’t really my style.

My brain was a bit overloaded from the conference with all the information I ingested, however I did manage to get out a little bit and see a few things. I walked the strip the second night I was there, and managed to arrive at the Bellagio just as the fountains were going off, so fortunately I didn’t have to wait half hour. The highlight of the trip was when I caught Cirque Du Soleil – Ka at the MGM. That show was truly mind blowing, probably one of the best ones I have ever seen. Given that the theater alone cost $220 million dollars, it is not surprising that there are some special effects that are unreal. I highly recommend checking that out if you are ever in Vegas.

Microsoft also hired Huey Lewis and the News to play a private show for the conference which was kind of fun. They threw an 80’s themed party to coincide, complete with neon sunglasses, slap braclets, and rubix cubes. The band still sounded pretty good, and were fun. I don’t know I would have gone out of my way to see them if they were passing through my neck of the woods, but it was nice to see them for nostalgic reasons. I was kind of surprised that I only know like 4 of their songs.

Overall, I did enjoy my time in Vegas, even if it was alone. I don’t think I would have cared to stay any longer though.

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Tilt-Shift Magic Kingdom

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