Finally, it’s time for the annual playlist that caps off my countdown. Rather than do a ranking of favorite songs, I choose to compile what I think is a good representation for the year in music, all on an 80 minute CD-R. This year, many of my favorite songs were just too long to fit on this mix, (“Pyramids”, “Wasted Days”, “Hey Jane”, “Nothin’ But Time”, etc…) and of course I always have to leave off some of my favorites because of dead time in the track due to production techniques of its respective album.
Other notes: I managed to squeeze 20 tracks onto this years mix, up one from 2011. The lowest ranked album that has a song appear on the mix comes from an album I didn’t really care for, Port of Morrow by The Shins which was my #63 album of the year. In addition to that track, there are 3 other songs coming from albums outside my top 25. There are nine tracks representing my #11-#25 albums, and 7 tracks from my top 10 albums. As usual, the order of the Mixtape is not a ranking, but rather an order based on how the song appears on its respective album.
Below, you’ll see the tracklist, and after the jump you can listen to every track if you so choose. If you happen to be a Spotify user, I’ve also created a Spotify playlist of my Mixtape (not including “Wildest Moments” and “Tallulah” due to them not being available on Spotify), which you can link to below. Also included is a link to my Amazon.com list which has my entire top 25 albums of the year, nice and neat in a one page form (as well as access to my all my lists since 2001). And finally, for the 5th straight year I give thanks to Amy Boyd for providing me with the album art for my Mixtape. She’s now a Pentagram employee, making this album art the most legit thing on my blog right now.
So, there you have it for 2012. I’m already 3 albums into my 2013 releases, so if you’ll excuse me I’ve got some listening to do.
#10) Passion Pit – Gossamer [Columbia; released 7/24/2012]
“I won’t let you go unless I’ll be alright.”
“I’ll Be Alright”
What sets Passion Pit apart from their electro-pop peers is their ability to create seemingly superficial songs that when unpacked reveal so much more about its authors. This is no more evident than on Gossamer, the Massachusetts band’s sophomore album, which is chock full of songs that can be easily enjoyed on the surface, but when delved deeper into become the revelations of a man battling his own personal demons. Once you get past opener “Take A Walk” which is a pretty straightforward radio pop song with some pretty weak lyrics, the journey inside lead singer Michael Angelakos’s mind begins and the true soul of Gossamer comes to the forefront. Angelakos is currently battling a severe bipolar disorder, something he has been struggling with since the age of 18, and his interview with Pitchfork is an eye opening look into his depression which puts this album in a new light. It’s a wonder Gossamer was even made at all, but when listened to in the context of what a painstaking process it must’ve been, we can enjoy this album (and band) for the elegance of its voice and not just music.
[“I’ll Be Alright” – Gossamer]
#9) Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan[Domino; released 7/10/2012]
“I haven’t found it, but I will keep dancing until I do.”
“Dance For You”
Here’s a fun fact: Ferdinand Magellan himself never actually circumnavigated the Earth, yet he is still given credit for being the first to accomplish the feat. (His expedition made it, but he was killed prior to making it back to Spain.) It’s still an important moment in our world’s history and one that deserves accolades, but also something that we can only fully appreciate once we dig deeper into finding the whole story. With Swing Lo Magellan, Dave Longstreth’s brand of avant-garde rock is getting credit for being his most accessible album to date, which is probably true, but I’m here to tell you, this is still a very complex and weird album, one that doesn’t require deeper listening to enjoy, but can be appreciated all the more when doing so.
[“Gun Has No Trigger” – Swing Lo Magellan]
#8) Tame Impala – Lonerism [Modular; released 10/9/2012]
“I just don’t know where the hell I belong.”
“Mind Mischief”
You know Australia, all tucked away down there? That’s where Tame Impala, the psych-rock project of Kevin Parker, calls home – Perth, more specifically. And judging by the themes of loneliness seen throughout his fantastic sophomore release, the aptly titled Lonerism, Australia’s isolation to the rest of the world is wearing a bit on Parker as his introspective thoughts serve as a perfect backdrop to an album that so perfectly captures a sense of alienation and what it really entails. Appropriately enough, Lonerism is a headphones album, one to be enjoyed in the joy of your own solitude and not really in the car with windows down and hair blowing in the wind. However, this is still an accessible album, full of rich melodies channeling 70’s pop with too many influences to name, best exemplified in “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” and “Elephant”. Whereas a song like “Mind Mischief” creates an almost atmospheric listen thanks to the hypnotic grooves that close out the track. Introversion has never been more mesmerizing.
[“Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” – Lonerism]
#7) The Men – Open Your Heart [Sacred Bones; released 3/6/2012]
“I wanna see you write a love song. I wanna see you going down. I wanna see you when you try so hard. I wanna see you when you turn it around.”
“Turn It Around”
The Men are a quartet out of Brooklyn, which is part of what makes Open Your Heart so refreshing, because it absolutely rocks – a quality that’s been missing from the Brooklyn music scene, which churns out band after band of innovative indie-rock groups. These songs are loud, heavy, full of hooks, and completely lacking pretention, something that can’t be said of many of The Men’s Brooklyn counterparts. In a year where I found myself bored by much of the same, Open Your Heart was an album necessary to reinvigorate a genre in need of a jolt.
[“Open Your Heart” – Open Your Heart]
#6) Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city [Aftermath; released 10/22/2012]
“I am a sinner who’s probably gonna sin again.”
“Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
This is the highest I’ve ever had a rap album place on my albums of the year list, which should give you an idea of the quality of good kid, m.A.A.d. city, Kendrick Lamar’s sophomore album and major label debut on Dr Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. Lamar subtitled this album “A Short Film By Kendrick Lamar” and it’s in that narrative where it really gains its power, not just the subtle, down-tempo beats and restrained production. This is a semi-autobiographical story of Lamar’s upbringing in Compton, CA and it offers a fascinating look at how family, religion, gangs, drugs, and even hip-hop can all tug a kid in different directions growing up in the streets. This album is a tour de force in creating a concept album and having it remain grounded in its own reality. It’s an album best appreciated as a true album, as the songs lose some of their power when not listened within the context of the story Lamar is developing. Case in point is “Backseat Freestyle” which taken on its own falls into the typical hip-hop tropes of money, power and misogyny, but in the context of the narrative, it becomes a satirical look at hip-hop and the dreams it promises young kids hoping to break into the industry. Kendrick Lamar has created as remarkable of an achievement I can ever recall hearing out of a concept album and one whose significance in the rap community really shouldn’t be understated, ya bish?
Now that the countdown is complete, all that is left is to present my 2009 Mixtape, an annual mix of the songs that helped shape the past year in music. This is maybe becoming my favorite part of my yearly top albums tradition because it’s fun to see what tunes I can pack into an 80 minute disc. I started doing this on my own just to make a mix cd of some of my favorite songs of the year to keep for listening in my car, but it has evolved into a way for me to kind of summarize the best music of the year in just a “mixtape” form, especially since I find it pretty impossible to do a ranking of the best songs of the year. And people seem to enjoy it, so here we are again. By the way if you want to see my complete top 25 Albums of 2009 on one nice, put together page, head on over to my Amazon.com list to give it a look.
So, here’s some stats about the mix. This year I packed 19 songs on the disc (down one from last year’s 20), but as usual this does not necessarily mean these are my 19 favorite songs of the year. There a plenty of songs that I had to leave off because they were too long, or maybe they just didn’t fit with the mix. Also, as usual the order here is how they appear on my mix, but it is not a ranking. The songs are placed based on how they appear on their respective albums. For this year, 9 of the songs are off albums in my top 10 (Antony & the Johnsons is the only top 10 album not represented). Five of the songs are from albums in my #11-#25 range and two songs come from albums outside my top 25. The lowest ranking album with a song in the mix is Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free by Akron/Family (ranked #44) with “River”. And finally, three songs (“Blood Bank”, “My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille”, and “It Gets Your Body Movin'”) are songs off of EPs, and thus came from albums not eligible to be in my rankings. Most of these songs have been featured somewhere on this blog in the past, or in the top albums countdown, but now here they are all in one place!
The picture above is thanks to Amy Boyd, who for the second year in a row has provided me with the album art for the Mixtape. Another fine job indeed. Today is her birthday (as well as Zooey Deschanel’s) so she also has that going for her. Enjoy!
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[“French Navy” – Camera Obscura :: My Maudlin Career]
———-
[“Blood Bank” – Bon Iver :: Blood Bank]
———-
[“1901” – Phoenix :: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix]
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[“Two Weeks” – Grizzly Bear :: Veckatimest]
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[“River” – Akron/Family :: Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free]
———-
[“My Girls” – Animal Collective :: Merriweather Post Pavilion]
———-
[“Young Adult Friction” – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart :: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart]
———-
[“Crystalised” – The xx :: xx]
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[“Funeral Singers” – Califone :: All My Friends Are Funeral Singers]
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[“Now We Can See” – The Thermals :: Now We Can See]
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[“Stillness is the Move” – Dirty Projectors :: Bitte Orca]
———-
[“Don’t Haunt This Place” – Rural Alberta Advantage :: Hometowns]
———-
[“Never Seen” – Lightning Dust :: Infinite Light]
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[“Home” – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros :: Up From Below]
———-
[“Two” – The Antlers :: Hospice]
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[“My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille” – Beirut :: March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland]
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[“Marrow” – St Vincent :: Actor]
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[“Sleepyhead” – Passion Pit :: Manners]
———-
[“It Gets Your Body Movin'” – Suckers :: Suckers EP]
So now it’s time to get to the actual rankings. Today I’m unveiling the 15 albums that make up #11 through #25 in this year’s rankings. I’m only including a little blurb and a track for albums that I haven’t already blurbed about on the blog. For the others, click on the band name to link to its write up.
#23) Thao with The Get Down Stay Down – Know Better Learn Faster
Know Better Learn Fasteris a joy to listen to, full of 13 bubbly and infectious tunes from Thao Nguyen and her backing band. Thao’s lyrics are sweet but pack a sense of feminine empowerment with their straightforward approach with lines like “I disarm you in the morning” in the title track and “What am I, just a body in your bed?” from the handclapping and horn driven “Body”. The songwriting is exquisite and by the second track and my personal favorite “Cool Yourself” you’re instantly drawn in and before you know it 37 minutes has flown by with not a dull moment to be found.
If this album had been released 10 years ago, it very well could have been thrown in among the late 90’s emo/indie scene, but thankfully in 2009 it gets to stand on its own despite being picked up and re-issued by renowned “emo” label Saddle Creek (Cursive, Bright Eyes, The Faint). Hometowns is unapologetically raw album brimming with confidence from the Toronto based trio complete with emotional, yes emotional, vocals and personal lyrics. The musicianship is simple but inspired as the drums really carry the songs but not to be outdone by the subtle orchestration from strings and keyboards. Hometowns is a very refreshing and surprisingly fantastic debut that from a group overflowing with potential.
[“Don’t Haunt This Place” – Hometowns]
#19) The Mountain Goats – The Life of the World to Come
Just a quick glance at the tracklist of The Life of the World to Come can be quite a headscratcher with every song title named after a Bible verse. However, inspiration can come from anywhere for frontman John Darnielle. The Mountain Goats has never been, and never will be a Christian band, but John Darnielle, despite being a non-believer, is an avid reader and lover of the Bible, as he professed on his Colbert Report appearance. The Life of the World to Come is not a religious album by any means, as Darnielle takes the lessons from these 12 Bible verses and applies them to his usual 3 or 4 minute long epics. This album does nothing to change Darnielle’s reputation as one of the 100 greatest living songwriters; it probably only strengthens that belief.
[“Genesis 3:23” – The Life of the World to Come]
#18) Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy
A band like Built to Spill has to look at the current state of indie rock and glow with pride. Becoming one of the first indie rock bands to jump to a major label back when Warner Bros signed the band back in 1997, BTS returns with their 5th major label release and 7th overall with There is No Enemy, another excellent album for the Built to Spill catalog. As a follow up to 2006’s You in Reverse, There Is No Enemy is a more polished effort but recaptures some of the heart that You in Reverse was missing. Doug Martsch has to be considered a Godfather of current indie rock and he has hinted that this could be Built to Spill’s final release. If so, they have gone out in very fine fashion and left another album for up and comers to look up to.
Back with their second album since their reunion, Farm picks up right where 2007’s Beyond left off but manages to trump it in every facet. Farm is overflowing with the guitar drenched catchy tunes full of riffs and solos everyone would have expected Dinosaur Jr. to put out back prior to 1988, when the original lineup disbanded. While it’s predecessor was successful possibly because of the excitement of a reunion, Farm can truly stand on it’s own as one of Dinosaur Jr’s finest.
[“Pieces” – Farm]
#13) Califone – All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
The vastly under-appreciated Chicago group returns with another collection of their experimental folk-rock songs that is again going by relatively unnoticed. Califone consistently releases some of the most interesting albums and All My Friends Are Funeral Singers is no different. The album is the soundtrack to a companion film by the same name that band created and plans to present on their tour and submit to festivals in 2010. However, the album stands just fine on its own and might actually be some of the most tightly constructed songs of the band’s career. The meanings of the songs should become more clear upon viewing the film, but it’s not a necessary viewing to appreciate what an impressive release it is.
[“Funeral Singers” – All My Friends Are Funeral Singers]
#12) Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer
A year just wouldn’t be complete without multiple releases from Spencer Krug, one of the hardest working men in indie rock. After last year’s underwhelming Wolf Parade release, Krug released another Swan Lake album, announced another album from his Moonface project, and managed to slip in his best non-Wolf Parade release yet in Dragonslayer. The album still features Krug’s warbling vocals, but is more accessible than his previous efforts and the backing female vocals absolutely shine on this album like none before. It’s the easiest Sunset Rubdown album to listen to, but still contains all the quirks and ambitions that makes Krug such a brilliant musician.
A little something I like to do every year is dole out some awards for the music up to the halfway point of the year. Nothing too detailed, just a little summary. As usual for all my lists, the only albums I’m including are albums that I own and are currently in my itunes library. And of course all this can change as I listen to albums more, but this is what I’m feeling so far for 2009. Enjoy!
Animal Collective
Best, let’s say, 7 Albums (in order of release date):
Antony & the Johnsons – The Crying Light
It’s a beautiful and affecting listen, which was to be expected from Antony Hegarty. It was the first great release of the year and has stuck around to now. I already mentioned in my 1st quarter of ’09 wrap-up…nothing more to add to that really.
Once again, check my 1Q of ’09 post that mentions this release as well. People are starting to pick up on its brilliance but it will surely gain even more of a following once Frenchkiss reissiues it this August.
The only album of these 7 that I haven’t mentioned on the blog yet. The first 6 songs are hard to top. Longstreth tones down the weird just a bit, and it gets album of the year hype…go figure.
One of my most listened to albums so far this year. It doesn’t deserve any album of the year or even top 10 talk, but I think it deserves more attention than it’s getting.
They left behind their melodic pop hooks that made Peregrine so good, and went back to their post-rock instrumental days with bland results. Best description I’ve heard was that it’s like Explosions in the Sky tried to make an Appleseed Cast album…not what I was hoping for.
I just haven’t put enough time into this one to get a reading on it. Some of it has some early Built to Spill indie feel to it, which deserves my attention.
I’ve been criticized (I won’t name names) for having music tastes that are often devoid of any feel good, singing with the windows rolled down, rockin’, happy tunes, but rather focuses on being different from the norm and usually less rockin’ or poppy than what most would consider instantly gratifying tunes…aka “weird”. This is, of course, a criticism I vehimately deny. I will admit, however, that when it comes to picking my best albums, they are usually albums that do not fit into the mainstream or pop music crowd. This isn’t to say that I don’t like some bands like that, it’s just that I do not consider those albums to be the best albums of whatever year. This is one reason why I always differentiate my year end list by calling it the best albums of the year, rather than my favorite…because those are two different things, however, I will say, oftentimes they are one and the same.
You can think of it in terms of movies. For example, a couple years ago a movie like Transformers was an insanely entertaining and very fun movie to watch and was probably one of my favorite movie going experiences of the year. However, that movie has no business even being uttered in the same sentence as The Academy Awards (unless it’s for a technical category), and this is something that can be said for most Summer blockbusters (Transformers 2 this Summer!!!) and thus I rarely consider to be the best movies of the year however enjoyable they may be. Music is the same way. There are many catchy, fun to listen to albums, but ultimately they lack substance and really are just cheap thrills…and that is something I don’t find much artistic value in. However, every now and then an album comes along that merges both sides of this spectrum. Manners is one of those albums.
It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve come upon an album that is sure to be one of the year’s best (I’m holding off on the Camera Obscura and St. Vincent releases for now until they hit eMusic), but that’s about to change with the upcoming release of Passion Pit’s debut full-length album Manners, set to drop on May 19th. The electronic pop group released their Chunk of Change EP last year that was well received and built the hype for these guys a bit. The first single, “The Reeling” is already streaming on their myspace page, but today Pitchfork featured another one of the tracks on the upcoming album and I just got even more excited for the album’s release.
[“Moth’s Wings” – Passion Pit :: Manners] – to be released on May 19th via Frenchkiss Records
Posted by Hawkins 
A Round of Sound 