Tweed's Best of 2009

I made a 2 disc "Best of 2009" compilation for my fellow music fans (hence the 1-18 track numbers). This playlist contains my picks for both the best artists and best songs of 2009. Enjoy!

DISC I
1. Girls - Lust for Life
2. Phoenix - 1901
3. M. Ward - Never Had Nobody Like You
4. Blakroc - Ain't Nothing Like You
5. Miike Snow - Animal
6. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
7. Silversun Pickups - Substitution
8. Wilco - You Never Know
9. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
10. Modest Mouse - Satellite Skin
11. Mos Def - Auditorium
12. Wolfmother - Sundial
13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
14. The Big Pink - Dominos
15. Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire
16. Pearl Jam - The Fixer
17. Morrissey - Something Is Squeezing My Skull
18. The Decemberists - The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid

DISC II
1. Dirty Projectors - Cannibal Resource
2. Atlas Sound - Walkabout (w/Noah Lennox)
3. Discovery - Orange Shirt
4. Jay-Z - Empire State Of Mind (Ft. Alicia Keys)
5. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction
6. Sonic Youth - Antenna
7. Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls
8. Raekwon - House Of Flying Daggers
9. Dinosaur Jr. - Pieces
10. Brand New - At The Bottom
11. St. Vincent - Actor Out Of Work
12. Monsters Of Folk - Say Please
13. Bon Iver - Blood Bank
14. The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
15. The xx - Islands
16. Dan Auerbach - Heartbroken, In Disrepair
17. The Antlers - Bear
18. Animal Collective - My Girls

Tweed's Top 5 Albums 2009:

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

Brand New - Daisy

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

Last.fm - Best of 2009

Last.fm compiled this list based on listener scrobbles, so these artists really are "the hottest & most popular" of the year.  The end result is a pretty organic and unbiased list, yet because of this, it's considerably "poppy".  Still a few gems within this one from Last.fm.  However, much like the SPIN list, you must scroll through each artist one by one.  After viewing so many "Best of..." lists, I'm over it by now.

Excerpt from Last.fm on how this list was created: 
"We compiled the list by looking at scrobbles for albums released between 1st October 2008 and 16th November 2009. We took out live albums, greatest hits collections, EP’s and singles before pulling them together into the lean, mean format you see before your eyes.
We’ve also looked up the top tracks, month-by-month scrobbles and event attendance for every artist in the Top 40, so you can see how you fit in with the global artist listens.

So sit back, turn the volume up to 11, and get ready to salute the Top 40 artists of 2009 based on your scrobbles."

oh and... 

scrobble: skrob·bul (ˈskrɒbəll)

[verb] To automatically add the tracks you play to your Last.fm profile with a piece of software called a Scrobbler

1. If I'm not scrobbling the music I hear, it doesn't count!

Check it out here:

SPIN - The 40 Best Albums of 2009

This list is pretty annoying to navigate.  They don't list the albums with multiple ranks on one page, which means you have to cycle through each album one by one.  Not cool SPIN, not cool.  However, they do redeem themselves somewhat by offering mp3s of the entire album for your listening pleasure.

SPIN's top 5:

01. Animal Collective | Merriweather Post Pavilion

02. Yeah Yeah Yeahs | It's Blitz!

03. Phoenix | Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

04. Grizzly Bear | Veckatimest

05. Girls | Album

Check out the complete "list" here:

Pitchfork - The Year In Music

Pitchfork's Top 5 Albums of 2009:

01 Animal Collective | Merriweather Post Pavilion

02 Dirty Projectors | Bitte Orca

03 The xx | xx

04 The Flaming Lips | Embryonic

05 Raekwon | Only Built 4 Cuban Linx pt II

 Check out the complete list here:

Pitchfork's Top 10 Tracks of 2009:

01 Animal Collective | My Girls

02 Dirty Projectors | Stillness Is The Move

03 Phoenix | 1901

04 Bat For Lashes | Daniel

05 Grizzly Bear | Two Weeks

06 Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Zero

07 Big Boi [ft. Gucci Mane] | Shine Blockas

08 Phoenix | Lisztomania

09 Girls | Lust For Life 

10 Washed Out | Feel It All Around  

Check out the complete list here:

Metacritic - The 30 Best-Reviewed Albums of the Year

Although 2009 is not quite over, I felt it was a good time to post Metacritic's "30 Best-Reviewed Albums of the Year".  I really like Metacritic's way of reviewing because they compile numerous  reviews from various reputable publications and assign 1 average metascore.  Metacritic's mathemtical approach is something I feel creates a seemingly unbiased and honest review.  Anyhow, here are my "agree withs" from this list.   Definitely check these out!

Live At Reading by Nirvana

Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II by Raekwon

Hospice by The Antlers

Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear

Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors

Electric Dirt by Levon Helm

xx by The xx

Post-Nothing by Japandroids

Check out the full list here:

Hear This - 12.19.09 - Brand New

Brand New - Fork & Knife (demo)

This is one of my favorite songs from the 9 untitled demos that were leaked to the internet back in January 2006. Although these songs never came out and were essentially scrapped, Brand New has since re-recorded "Fork & Knife" which was released as a non-album single. However, I prefer this rougher demo version of "Fork & Knife".

Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums and Songs of the Decade

I love this time of year.  Not only for the holiday cheer and whatnot, but for all of these "Best of..." compilations.  They give music fans the opportunity to look back and reflect on what artists have given us this past year or, in this case, decade.  I also like to see what I may have missed out on.  Now, obviously there are going to be fanatical opinion based discrepancies with these lists, but after running through each of Rolling Stone's "100 Best" lists, I personally feel they represent some of the better and more memorable releases from various contemporary artists.  I will be posting more and more "Best of" lists in the coming weeks, but I figured I'd kick it all off with the reputable legend, Rolling Stone.

100 Best Songs of the Decade

100 Best Albums of the Decade

Free iTunes Download - Bob Dylan - "Must Be Santa"

An intersting holiday track from Bob Dylan. This week's Free iTunes download.

Get it here!

 From the album "Christmas In The Heart" - 2009

Noteable New Releases - Tuesday, 12.15.09

Beatles - With Love  [BOX SET]

 

Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind [EP] 

Shiny Toy Guns - Girls Le Disko

Anberlin - New Surrender

Vampire Weekend - Cousins [Single]

This Week's Noteworthy Shows - Boston, MA

-Thursday 17 December 2009-
Raekwon - with Capone and Noreaga, Queen Yonasda - Paradise Rock Club
Fanfarlo - with Freelance Whales and The Painted Lights  -  T.T. the Bear's Place

-Friday 18 December 2009-
stellastarr* - with The Postelles and The Daily Pravda - Paradise Rock Club

-Saturday 19 December 2009-
Thursday - with The Dillinger Escape Plan, Fake Problems and Endless Hallway- The Middle East Downstairs

Review: Them Crooked Vultures - Self Titled

"Them Crooked Vultures" - released Nov. 17, 2009

"New Fang"


"Elephants"


"Mind Eraser (No Chaser)"

"Them Crooked Vultures (abbreviated as TCV) is a hard rock music group that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009. Comprised of drummer Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss) and bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)" - [Last.fm]

Despite a challenging and somewhat hefty 1hr 6min run time, I finally got the opportunity to give this highly anticipated record from Them Crooked Vultures a listen this weekend.  I mean, it's almost impossible not to be excited for an album where John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl come together to rock, right? Well, unfortunately, I was a little let down by this one.  Granted, the hype was pretty intense, so it had a lot to live up to, but I still found it to be somewhat lacking.  I'll admit, I was never a huge fan of Queens of the Stone Age, mostly because I find Josh Homme's voice to be eerily dark, cryptic, and generally unpleasant.  So with Homme posing as the frontman of TCV, my pre-opinion was already negatively skewed.   Anyhow, the other two legends of Them Crooked Vultures were where I was focusing my attention.  Dave Grohl never ceases to amaze me.  Grohl has to be one of the most talented and successful rock musicians of today (have to name drop Jack White as well here.)  His drumming is tight, explosive, and powerful.  It's also clear that even at age 63, John Paul Jones hasn't officially gotten ALL the Led out as he is found driving his innovative pulsing bass riffs throughout TCV's self titled debut.

Overall this ablum does rock and it is definitely unique, but I sense too much Queen's on this record. The "trippy rock" vibe is overwhelming; see "Interlude with Ludes".  Jones and Grohl are what makes this supergroup for me.  If they had Homme strictly on guitar and found another singer, then we'd be in business.  I included a few gems from the record above.

Hear This - 12.12.09 - Wolfmother

Wolfmother - "Sundial"

From the album "Cosmic Egg" - 2009

Wolfmother's critically acclaimed self titled debut (2005) was one of the greatest rock albums I've heard in a long time.  After hearing that due to "irreconcilable personal and musical differences," only the singer/guitarist, Andrew Stockdale, remained in the band, I honestly did not know what to think when Cosmic Egg was released in October 2009.  Well, despite the band's reorganization, I was truly blown away once again with Wolfmother's ability to successfully blend generes of hard rock, metal, and superior song writing into one powerful album.  Yet another "listen all the way through" worthy release from these Australian native rockers.  "Sundial" (track above) is my one of my favorites off Cosmic Egg and I feel it is a good introduction for new listeners into the raw, energetic, rock power this band possesses.  Enjoy.

Iconic Imagery: Neil Young

 

  

 

Today, we remember. The Man. The Ledgend.

October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980

Hear This - 12.07.09 - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - "Glue Girls"

 From the album "Pershing" - 2008

I heard this album this summer (2009) and immediately filed it under "Summer CD."  It's got a happy, indie pop vibe to it, despite some of its more morose sounding lyrics; see "I Think I Wanna Die".  Somehow these guys manage to provide the right amount of distortion to make it rock while still hanging onto that mellow indie sound that makes them so unique.  I also dig what they did on their first album, Broom.  I chose "Glue Girls" to share on Tweed because I played this track pretty much every day this summer and found its happy, care free, pop-rock tempo to be quite infectious.  If you like this song I recommend "Boring Fountain" & "Modern Mystery" off of Pershing, and "Oregon Girl" found on Broom.

Hear This - 12.05.09 - Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros

From the album "Streetcore" - 2003 (released after Strummer's death)

"The Mescaleros were the backing band for Joe Strummer, formed in 1999, which went on to make three albums prior to Strummer’s death in 2002. Musically, the Mescaleros continued the genre mixing that Strummer was known for during his time with The Clash. Elements of reggae, jazz, funk, hip hop, country, and of course punk rock can be found in the three Mescaleros releases." [Last.fm]

This is just a great album.  Craig Finn of The Hold Steady said it best; "Raise a toast to St. Joe Strummer.  I think he might have been our only decent teacher." 'Nuff said.

Check out:
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Redemption Song

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Coma Girl