Thom's Lazy Eye

Regi's Top 10

2008 was such a good year for music, Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, and Bon Iver emerged and in 2009I found myself searching for that kind of music again. This year I felt began with a good start. Dark was the Night was released and I was amazed how beautiful and diverse that compilation was and how much talent was on that record. Panda Bear and Co. reinvented the Beach Boys harmonic sound in a modern way, Brooklyn seemed to be the place to be for new music except France, and Karen O pleasantly surprised me. However after February, I could not help but feel a lull in music this year. 2008 was such a good year in music, and I think 2009 just took a little slower for me to find what music I liked and what was out there. There were a lot of new notable artists but I kept finding myself rediscovering older music and reaching for those records more often. Of course I did gradually begin, I think in the fall, to find new albums I liked again.

Honorable Mentions:

Iron & Wine: Around The Well


Sam Beam can lull me to sleep anytime. His whisper coo is a little much on his new album. What I liked about his previous records is that there were dynamics between songs. These are good relaxing songs mind you, but a little too much of the same. Also, two songs off this record are from previously released soundtracks.

Volcano Choir: Unmap



Justin Vernon from Bon Iver has a side project! What it's a choir!??? Oh ok, cool. Mark Mothersbaugh would be proud. Ok, It's actually a pretty record, and I have found myself listening to it when I feel my teenage angst coming out or when I'm around my dad. (Bon Iver did release Blood Bank EP which I love, but it's also an EP.)

The Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca


The use of voices on this record is brilliant, not to mention there are some shredding guitars on some these songs. Lead singer Dave Longstreth has found his two muses, Amber and Angel. The entire record is reminiscent of the Talking Heads and in fact, they collaborated with TH front man David Byrne on Dark Was the Night. I really like this record driving and this almost ended up on my top 10.

The XX: XX



This album is stripped down to just the low pulsating notes and rhythms complimented by Londoner vocalists Oliver Sims and Romy Madley-Croft and it works. These kids are barely twenty but they know all about the importance of minimalism. Think Peter Bjorn and John's whistling song "Young Folks" except with a slower version of New Order. They definitely create an atmosphere I want to smoke to and maybe make out with my wife among other things.

Top 10

10. Thao with the Get Down Stay Down: Know Better Learn Faster


Thao Nguyen invites you to the party on "Cool Yourself" and moves your hips to "When We Swam" then takes you down after everybody's left for a some down time before your second wind. The party must go on! Even if your friends have already left. In fact the subject matter of this album is about failed relationships and Thao's lyrics meets more than the surface. She is able to construct catchy pop songs that don't always sound sad but more of a rally cry.

9. Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest


These guys remind me that the idea of the concept album is still alive. The way they use their voices and instruments at different times creates a story weaved together much like jazz or an opera. It's not jazz or an opera but it successfully tells a story and creates a mood that I find myself really enjoying. Some of their subtle guitar playing and singing is gorgeous and reminds me at times of The Blue Danube. Not to mention "Two Weeks" is one of the best and catchy pop songs since A-ha's "Take On Me."

8. Yeah Yeah Yeah's: It's Blitz!



Karen O, Nick Zinner and Mike Chase make a record that starts off with some strong danceable tracks and then get ethereal and and then danceable again but then end up ethereal. This record is the perfect mix of fun rock/ disco beat heavy songs and then Karen O croons to takes center stage and Zinner and Chase step back to create pretty subtle keyboard and guitar parts. The Yeah Yeah Yeah's reinvented themselves with this record and showed they had more depth to them as a band and proved they could write a ballad or three along the way.

7. Wilco: The Album


Wilco looooves me baby! Wilco have been around the block and this record reminds me that they still put out good music. Sky Blue Sky was a real let down for me with very few songs I liked and it's nice to know they're getting back to doing what they do best, rock and roll and poignant songwriting. I can't help but feel that Wilco could rock out a little more on this album and maybe be a little more experimental and mix a little electronic or synthesized sounds. Perhaps I'm longing for the followup to YHF still and the days of Summer Teeth, but I feel Wilco is headed back in the right direction. I just hope they don't get too old to reinvent themselves.

6. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion


This album starts out so bold and majestic and then winds up with some tracks that are reminiscent of the Sung Tongs days. This is no doubt a great album but was not one of my top 5. This was one of the albums I alluded to earlier that I found myself reaching for older music. I did find myself listening to it on repeat and my favorite part is not just the simple modern Brian Wilson song "My Girls", but the first track, "In The Flowers" about 2:33 in when those synthesized keyboard strings come in roaring and blow you away.

5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart


I love this album and can listen to it anytime. I even saw these guys in concert this summer at the Capitol Block Party in Seattle and they made every hipster want to shake their Ray Bans. This album encapsulates my spring and summer and reminds me how much I love shoe gaze and distortion and even twee 80's pop music. Belle and Sebastian and The Jesus and Mary Chain fans unite, finally. The Cure, no, it's the pain of ...wtf? You need to own this record if you don't already.

4. The Antlers: Hospice


The concept of this album is death and dying and lead singer and founder Peter Sliberman narrates and his band mixes this album perfectly. This album is your introspective album of the year. It made me think a lot about my grandfather's death this year and just the process of death and maybe some Dylan Thomas poetry. I love how this album is constructed and it is so very haunting and lovely. One of my favorite songs of this year is the last track, "Epilogue" where Silberman just sings his beautiful melody from "Bear" over and over finishing the story.

3. Monsters of Folk: Monsters Of Folk


The Traveling Wilbury's then, now it's the Monster of Folk. Jim James of My Morning Jacket, M. Ward, Conor Oberst and the other guy, Mike Mogis, who actually produces alot of good albums for the record label Saddle Creek get together and make wonderful indie folk rock music together. I even like this record more than M. Ward's Hold Time which wasn't bad but I feel M. Ward is channeling his inner Chinese Translator on this one. Almost every song on this album I love, and the last track "His Master's Voice" is so poignant and gorgeous. Theologians beware and take heed.

2. Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix


Phoenix was the band in 2009. They were all over the place and for very good reason. They made their album so catchy and bristling with danceable singable pop. "1901", "Liztomania" "Countdown" and "my favorite "Girlfriend" which I can't stop singing. However, it's the instrumental "Love Is Like A Sunset" which turns into a pretty boisterous ballad at the end that gets me every time. I like those songs that surprise me especially when the end is so beautiful. The more I listen to this album the more I pick up on how the lyrics refer to classical musicians displaying conflict and even existential notions into jangly song. Phoenix definitely surprised me this year of how much talent and arena packed potential they have, and now I'm definitely a fan.

1. Girls: Album




What made this my favorite album of the year was how rock and roll it is. From it's opening number "Lust For Life" you get the idea that you are about to listen to rock and roll songs about heartache and misery (to quote Nick Hornby) and how you really want a beach house. Girls front man Christopher Owens channels the geeky soul of Buddy Holly and Elvis Costello with maybe some 60's surf rock. "Hellhole Ratrace" is the sad song that becomes the rally cry that you can't stop humming. This record is about heartache and the simple things, and the lo-fi raw recording of shoegaze and energy only supports it's theme even more. The thunderous punk guitar riff on Summertime" reminds you of why the Velvet Underground were so good because they were so simple yet not afraid to be experimental much like Girls influences of old time radio. On "Big Bad Mean Motherfucker" you get a taste of late 50's rock and later a little Brian Wilson echo on "Lauren Marie." Much Like Pavement and the Ramones, Girls is just another garage band that knows how to write and play good simple songs about pain, misery, and the beach. Perhaps, my tendency to rediscover older music this year made me like Girls even more, because that's just what they do. They draw from the past to make new rock n roll.

I figure most of you had Phoenix, AC, GB, YYY's and TPOBPAH already so here' some music you may of not heard yet....

Sample of the Best of 2009