2009 - PauLo's Review of the Year
The review of the year that may just be untouchable
2009 has been an absolutely brilliant year for music. I seem to say this every year, but it doesn’t stop it being any less true. It took me a very long time trying to sort out what was going in my top 10. In fact, it took me so long that, in the end, I decided to do a top 20 instead! There were so many albums that I thought needed mentioning, I couldn’t bare to leave them out! Also, this year, I thought I’d do a top 5 for all the EPs, mini albums and 12” that have graced us this year. Each of which proving, without a shadow of a doubt, that 2010 has got a hell of a job in beating this year.
Top 20 Albums
20. Eels - Hombre Lobo
E, AKA the happiest guy in music is back with album number 7. A collection of probably there most straight forward rocks songs E has ever written, it’s a welcome return and shows that when it comes to American indie rock, there aren’t many better than Eels.
19. J-Dilla - Jay Stay Paid
Having produced songs for at least 3 of my top 20 artist and influencing countless others, it was inevitable that the great man’s own work would show up on this list. Collecting tracks that many thought would never be heard, it showcases just how much of an influence the man has on the current wave of beat makers. Sorely missed.
18. Diamond Watch Wrists - Ice Capped At Both Ends
If someone asked you to name two artists that you think will never work together, Prefuse 73 and Zack Hill may well have been one of your answers. Well, you can take them off that list thanks to this superb effort. Mixing Hill’s eclectic drumming with Prefuse’s electronics is as interesting as it sounds and couldn’t be further away from what either of the guys are known for. Impressive.
17. Russian Circles – Geneva
Returning with album number 3, Russian Circles continue to produce some of the best quality metal infused post rock that has been released in the past 10 years. Adding other elements to their sound (bagpipes being one of them), they also prove they’re no one trick pony.
16. To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie – Marlone
With their first album sounding like a noise band covering Portishead, it was surprising to here a mellower side of them for album number two. Mixing post rock subtleties, ambient soundscapes and pop sensibilities, they prove that the difficult second album syndrome is merely a myth.
15. Keaver & Brause - The Middle Way
Hip hop in the UK has had a bit of a resurgence recently thanks to the rise of ‘wonky’ (or whatever it’s being called at the moment) and no one encapsulates what it’s about better than Keaver & Brause. Squelchy synths, off beat drums and a perfect use of samples, this album shows electronic producers how it’s supposed to be done.
14. Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country
Ambient music is a genre that is vast and, for the most part, largely forgettable. Thank god for Tim Hecker then, who can create beautiful pieces of electronic ambience that are impossible to forget. This is music to pay attention to, not to have on in the background.
13. 2562 – Unbalance
Further proof that dubstep is currently in a very healthy run of form, Belgium’s 2562 second album was a big step up from his last effort. Proving that he is not a one trick pony, he mixed in melody to his normal techno inspired dubstep to create a truly individual album.
12. Mono - Hymn To The Immortal Wind
It’s funny what can happen in a year. In March, I was proclaiming that it would take a lot to knock this off my top spot for album of the year. Well, it did take a lot! Not knocking this album, but this year has been so good for music. I’ve certainly learnt that you can’t make statements like that so early in the year!
11. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
I’ve always liked Mos Def. His rhymes are always tight and flow is chilled out and fun. Yet, he nearly always (with some exceptions) rapped over sub standard beats. Until now. Enlisting the likes of Madlib, Oh No and Mr Flash, he has finally produced an album that really showcases his talents.
10. Raekwon - Only Built For Cuban Linx II
Over 10 years since the release of the first ‘… Cuban Linx’ album, the Chef returned to the kitchen and served up one of the best albums any Wu Tang member has released since the first one. Choc full of ridiculous beats and guest appearances, it was well worth the wait.
9. DOOM - Born Like This
With the ‘MF’ officially dropped for this release (you’ll have to ask the man himself why), DOOM returns with the follow up to 2004’s MM..Food with his normal trademark gruffness over beats that are, SHOCK HORROR, not all his. Well, some of them are. But with producers like Jake One and the late, great J-Dilla providing some of the beats, you know the man is in safe hands.
8. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
Another album that will well and truly batter your ear drums, Fuck Buttons sophomore effort is the closest thing your going to get to a drone/noise/ambient album that you can dance to. Blows their debut album completely out the water.
7. P.O.S. - Never Better
When this album was released at the beginning of the year, everyone was touting it as an album of the year contender. They’re not wrong either. Only a disappointing last quarter really stopped this album being higher in the chart.
6. Ben Frost - By The Throat
A mix of drones, live instrumentation and various electronics, this album is a real sonic tour de force. The noisiest album I’ve heard this year and also, quite possibly, the scariest album I’ve heard this year. Highly recommended.
5. Brother Ali – US
It says a lot about the quality of the albums released this year when a Brother Ali album can only make it to number 5 in my chart. Easily his best work to date, his lyrics are uplifting and the beats (courtesy of Ant from Atmosphere) will make you smile wider than the Cheshire cat.
4. Mount Eerie - Winds Poem
Another surprise entry into my top 20. This album is described as his ‘black metal album’ and, as the stuff he normally plays is lo-fi/indie/folk, I was immediately interested. Mixing all those elements together can be a tough job, but Mount Eerie does it with ease. Excellent album.
3. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
Every year there is an album that surprises me how high it is in my chart. This year it’s Bibio. I’d previously checked out his older work and his experimental acoustic guitar noodlings were not really to my liking. With this album, he’s gone part folk, part post-Dilla hip hop, which makes for a very interesting and addictive mix.
2. Felt – Felt 3: A Tribute To Rosie Perez
When it was announced that Aesop Rock was to produce the third instalment of Slug and Murs’s Felt collaboration, I nearly pee’d myself. Little did I know that it was going to be even better than I had thought it could be. Aes’ production combined with the guys rhymes put it miles ahead of any other hip hop record this year.
1. Silkie - City Limits Vol. 1
An album that single handedly changed how I listened to dubstep. With it’s use of infectious bass, half step rhythms and a variety of different instruments, this album stands head and shoulders above anything else released this year.
Other worthy contenders that just missed out:
Gallows - Grey Britain
Oh No - Ethiopium
Martyn - Great Lengths
Caspian - Tertia
Wax Tailor - In The Mood For Life
FaltyDL - Love Is A Liability
Eyedea & Abilities - By The Throat
Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – Here Be Dragons
ISIS – Wavering Radiant
Ras G – Brotha From Another Planet
Julian Plenti – Julian Plenti is… Skyscraper
The XX – The XX
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Top 5 EP's
5. Blue Daisy – Strings Detached EP
UK beat makers are always compared to their US counterparts, so it was almost inevitable that Blue Daisy was compared to the likes of Flying Lotus, J Dilla etc. Sure, there are similarities, but Blue Daisy is so quintessentially English sounding, the comparisons end there. Championed by Queen Mary (Anne Hobbs), this boy will only get better.
4. James Blake – Air And Lack Thereof/Sparing The Horses 12”
This guys music excites me. Before this release, he was more widely known as the unofficial 3rd member of Mount Kimbie. But with this 12” (as well as the amazing remix work he did for Untold), he has broken away and looks to blow up in a big way in 2010. Another artist pushing the boundaries in dubstep can only be a good thing.
3. Atmosphere – Leak At Will
It’s been a quiet year for the Minnesotan pair. The only thing to come from their camp was this mini album and, as usual, it’s just as good as anything they release on their full lengths. The best thing about it? It was free. 7 awesome tracks for nothing. Thank you Atmosphere, we love you.
2. Mount Kimbie – Sketch On Glass EP
See below! This release, whilst not as note perfect as ‘Maybes’, is still pretty damn special. With a more upbeat vibe to it, it’s definitely one to dance to. Essential for anyone who wants something different.
1. Mount Kimbie – Maybes EP
2009 was definitely the year of Mount Kimbie. Releasing 2 EP’s and remixing for the likes of The XX and The Big Pink, their glitchy post-dubstep sound was one of the freshest things I’ve heard in a long time. Their first EP ‘Maybes’ was the stand out release and, with an album due sometime in 2010, it’ll most likely be another good year for them.
And that's it. Come on 2010, GIVE IT YOUR BEST SHOT.