It feels like was it just yesterday when it was 2009. (Wonk. Wonk.)
You wanted to put it all behind you and move on? Well, 2009 isn't quite done with you yet... Here are some of our favorite LA musicians' picks for last year's best albums.
(Note: Next week, we'll have a forward-looking feature on what's next for all of these acts and which bands they think you ought to look out for in 2010.)
Hunter Curra – The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra
I've had Frankel's "Anonymity is the New Fame" on repeat for months. Avi Buffalo's "What’s in it for" is my favorite single of the year.
Aaron Kyle – Le Switch
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Frankel - Anonymity Is The New Fame
Brendan Benson - My Old, Familiar Friend
The Thermals - Now We Can See
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
The Minor Canon - Emptiness Is Form
Vetiver - Tight Knit
Nick Lowe - At My Age
The Felice Brothers - Yonder Is The Clock
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul
Andy Siara – The Henry Clay People
The Beatles Box Set
Titus Andronicus- The Airing of Grievances
Big Star Box Set
Wilco - Wilco the album
Built to Spill- There is No Enemy
Thermals - Now We Can See
Fol Chen - Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune’s Made
Codpiece - Swiftest of the Big Jungle Cats J
arvis Cocker – Further Complications
Cymbals Eat Guitars- Why There are Mountains
Malcolm Sosa – Rademacher
I have a friend named Vicente Aello, who is a painter. Earlier this year I dropped by his studio to hang out and chat and drink a beer and while we were hanging out he put on the new Wild Beasts record. I listened to that record with him all the way through and enjoyed every moment. It totally made the afternoon way more fun and way more special. I still play a number of the tracks on my itunes, but have yet to buy a copy of the complete album, which is called "Two Dancers", or listen to it in its entirety since, but I am sure it'll still be pretty awesome.
It kinda reminds me of Arthur Russel meets Interpol. If that makes sense.
I still haven't listened to the new Happy Hollows record, "Spells", but I am planning on getting copy next time I run into them. I haven't seen them play in years! Doesn't that seem weird?
I also fell in love with a song by the band called Harlem. They are from Austin. The song is called "South of France" which I play over and over again. I don't know what their record is called.
Generationalists - "Con Law", Built To Spill - "There Is No Enemy", Papercuts - "You Can Have What You Want"
Jordan Huddock – Marvelous Toy & The Henry Clay People
Favorite albums of 2009 would have to be mew's "no more stories" and wilco's "wilco the album." i also really liked yeah yeah yeahs' "it's blitz!" Locally, I really loved fol chen's "john shade" album.
Mary & Eli - The Monolators & The Cobra Lilies
Some local albums from 2009 that we really liked: "Spark. Burn. Fade." by Correatown, "Thracian" by Eagle & Talon, “Bogus Rimshots from the Fourth” by Pizza!,"Shouting At Mountains" by Castledoor. I also want to nominate "Pillar Of Salt" by Kissing Cousins, although, full disclosure, they do cover a Monolators song on there. But I would have voted for it even if they hadn't.
There were also lots of cool EP's and singles--"Summer" by Seasons comes to mind, also Tommy Santee Klaws put out a really cool 7" called Apathetic Dental Technician, you should check that out. Also "Orangufang" by Parson Red Heads! I think I can also mention the "Stranger Things" 7" by Shirley Rolls, even though I play with them sometimes, but I'm not on the record.
Geoff Geis – Pizza! & Big Whup
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - self-titled; Animal Collective - "Merriweather Post Pavilion;" Rainbow Arabia - "Kabukimono;" Hecuba - "Paradise;" Abe Vigoda - "Reviver."
Carl Jordan – The Western States Motel
Embryonic by The Flaming Lips
Jason & Colleen – The Spires
Colleen really likes the new Built to Spill & Atlas Sound records I think the new Flaming Lips record is pretty great but mostly I’ve been listening to older records from The Fall, Durutti Column, Can & Eno. The Fall dominate for sure.
Wendy Wang – The Sweet Hurt, The Californian, & more.
B.R.A.M. - self-titled
Belle Brigade - Everyone Around You
The Bird And The Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future
Robert Francis - Before Nightfall
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz! (w/bonus acoustic tracks)
Riaz – The French Semester
Zorbing by Stornoway The Album by Wilco
Lost Channels by Great Lake Swimmers
God Help the Girl by God Help the Girl
My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura
Popular Songs by Yo La Tengo
Aaron Embry – Amnion
Brian Blade "Mama Rosa"
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes "Up From Below"
John Webster Johns "Light Show"
I listened to a ton of Randy Newman this year. Several friends had tried to explain how infinite their love for him is, and I was always too much of a jerk to sympathize. My loss. I want him to be POTUS someday and watch him wave his irony stick at the superpowers that be.
I've also been woodsheddin boogie woogie piano and have a stack of records that practically had their grooves worn flat- Albert Ammons, Dr John, Professor Longhair, James P Johnson, Art Tatum (crazy man.)
John Graney – The Californian
Grizzly Bear's "Veckatimest"
Dead Man's Bones' "Dead Man's Bones"
Alvin Band's "Mantis Preying"
St Vincent's "Actor"
Ida Maria's "Fortress Round My Heart"
Eels' "Hombre Lobo”
Dirty Projectors' "Bitte Orca"
Julian Casablancas' "Phrazes For the Young"
Fever Ray's "Fever Ray"
Satan's Pilgrims "Psychsploitation"
I think that's a top ten - and I think it's in that order.
Brian: All India Radio "a low high" & Mercury Program "Chez Viking"
Rishi: Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue; Owen - New Leaves; Systems Officer - Underslept; The Mercury Program - Chez Viking
Tim: Signal Hill - More After We're Gone (what!?!), National Skyline -Bliss & Death, Anathallo - Canopy Glow (almost 2009), The Mercury Program - Chez Viking, The Bad Plus - For All I Care (with Wendy Lewis)
Dave: Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career, The Mercury Program - Chez Viking, Iron and Wine - Around The Well, Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue, Tristeza - Fate Unfolds
Drew Denny -- Big Whup
Hecuba "Paradise", Animal Collective "Merriweather Post Pavilion" (which actually lead me right back to "Sung Tongs"), Pizza!'s “Bogus Rim Shots from the Fourth,” and "What Is Happening...," the Big Whup Industries Compilation 001. Heh.
Eric “Cashew” Harding – Eagle-Winged Palace
Not a fantastic year, but you'd really like Converge's new record. Grizzly Bear, Hecuba, and Foreign Born had great new cds too
Josiah Mazzaschi – Light FM
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus
Mew - No More Stories...
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Metric - Fantasies
The Big Pink - a Brief History of Love
Diana Salier – The Ross Sea Party & Automatic Drawing
Noah and the Whale - First Days of Spring The Antlers - Hospice
Castledoor - Shouting At Mountains
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Kenny – Radars to the Sky
The Features - Some Kind of Salvation; Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz; Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus
Timothy Jordan – WALK
We like em all, plus Beacons of Ancestorship by Tortoise and Embryonic by The Flaming Lips.
Photo by Laurie Scavo.
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