Best of 2009

1. Pomegranates - Everybody, Come Outside!

From the first few seconds, it was clear that this was the album where Pomegranates went from promising to amazing.

2. Grant Hart - Hot Wax

Knowingly or not, Grant Hart went back and explored the influences that he poured into his work with Hüsker Dü. The results are astounding.

3. Rachel Taylor Brown - Susan Storm's Ugly Sister and Other Saints and Superheroes

Rachel Taylor Brown discusses righteousness, asceticism and joy in a way that goes straight to the soul.

4. Dead Weather - Horehound

How is it that Jack White can have move in so many artistic directions and never stumble? He and Alison Mossheart are a natural fit.

5. The Slits - Trapped Animal

Reunion albums are tricky at best, but the Slits return to form as if they'd never been away.

6. Shirock - Everything Burns

On the surface, this one might seem a little too much like a mix of U2, alt rock and emo. However, there is a love here that elevates the album from being good to being a blessing.

7. Paul McCartney - Good Evening New York City

McCartney has done some of his best post_Beatles work late in his career, but he's yet to release a live album that captures the energy and excitement of his current work as well as past classics...until now. The track selection is Beatle-heavy, but he mixes things up with fresh arrangements and newer songs that make this a really fantastic live release.

8. Admiral Browning - Magic Elixir

Without abandoning the essential slow, heaviness of stoner rock, Admiral Browning find a way to make it dynamic in a way that only the very best in the genre do.

9. Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane & Sugarcane

Elvis Costello has the unique ability to insert himself into any genre seamlessly while still maintaining his own very unique identity. Here, he works with distinctly American folk, country and bluegrass to make his best album in years.

10. Elin Palmer - Postcards

Few albums tell a story this well in the lyrics, but Elin Palmer does it with the music.

11. The Mars Volta - Octahedron

It's not TMV's best effort, but still makes the top ten. At very least, I really respect how they don't just do what's expected even if I would have loved another album in the vein of Amputechture and Bedlam in Goliath.

12. Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) - What It Takes to Move Forward

Strange as it may seem, one of emo's best records came out just when you thought the genre was dead.

13. Girl in a Coma - Trio BC

Girl in a Coma draw on a much broader set of influences for their sophomore album and open up limitless possibilities.

14. Sepultura - A-Lex

Now Cavalera-less, Sepultura still show they have both bold artisitc goals and tons of energy.

15. Latin for Truth - We Are Sick of Not Having The Courage To Be Absolute Nobodies

These three songs have great melodies, wild rhythms and more heart that you hold onto.

16. The Cold Beat/Movers & Shakers split 7"

Two fine, organic punkish tunes from each band make for a nice EP. Movers & Shakers channel early Elvis Costello.

17. Incite - The Slaughter

Being fronted by Max Cavalera's stepson, Incite are inevitably forced into the daunting task of surviving Sepultura comparisons, but they perform admirably.

18. Tia Carrera - The Quintessential

This isn't quite as heavy as their past material, but Tia Carrera keeps just enough control of their psychedelic meanderings to keep the FDA from classifying the album as a controlled substance.

19. Carcrashlander - Where to Swim

How can an album be this stylistically diverse and yet so cohesive? Cory Gray once again finds a way. Amazing.

20. Rapid Cities - Machinery Saints

This is mathy post-hardcore played with such abandon that its source is more in the heart than the head.

21. The Reptilian - Boys' Life

Quirky and clever, The Reptilian's brand of post-hardcore makes no compromise in intensity.

22. JFA - To All Our Friends

While their name (Jody Foster's Army) might be lost on those too young to remember the Reagan years, their high-energy skate rock can still connect with any age.

23. Victor! Fix The Sun - Person Place or Thing

Victor! Fix the Sun takes post-punk to wider vistas as they explore genres near and far along the way.

24. Thieves and Liars - American Rock n Roll

Less bold artistically than their debut, Thieves and Liars' second offering is a more concise hard rock album that walks on the path of the righteous.

25. Brian Bond - Fire & Gold

Folk for punks? Punk for folkies? Either way, it's a fine record.

Best of the 2000s

Well, these are kinda, sorta in order. Well, after the top 20 or so, you can probably take the order with a grain of salt actually. The point, though, is that these are all albums from the last ten years that are worth hearing.

1. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism (2003)
2. The Velvet Teen - Elysium (2004)
3. Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound (2008)
4. Bigelf - Cheat the Gallows (2008)
5. Frontier Folk Nebraska - The Devil's Tree (2007)
6. Bedouin Soundclash - Street Gospels (2007)
7. Pomegranates = Everybody, Come Outside! (2009)
8. TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (2004)
9. The Decemberists - Picaresque (2005)
10. Rum Diary - We're Afraid of Heights Tonight (2006)
11. The Drift - Noumena (2005)
12. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (2007)
13. The Baseball Project - Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails (2008)
14. The Mars Volta - Amputechture (2006)
15. Ted Leo/Pharmacists - Tyranny of Distance (2001)
16. Twilight Hotel - Highway Prayer (2008)
17. Fu Manchu - King of the Road (2000)
18. White Stripes - Elephant (2003)
19. Jurassic 5 - Quality Control (2000)
20. Chuck Ragan - The Blueprint Sessions 7" club (2006-2007)
21. Kimya Dawson - Knock, Knock Who (2004)
22. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O. (2002)
23. Various Artists - Down Home Saturday Night (2007)
24. Tippy Canoe and the Paddlemen - Parasols and Pekingese (2008)
25. Grant Hart - Hot Wax (2009)
26. The Clash - Live at Shea Stadium (2008)
27. Tanya Tagaq - Auk ~ Blood (2008)
28. Robert Plant - Dreamland (2002)
29. Against Me - Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy (2003)
30. Papermoons - s/t 7" (2007)
31. J Church - Society is a Carnivorous Flower (2004)
32. De Novo Dahl - Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound (2008)
33. Spitfire - Cult Fiction (2008)
34. Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (2003)
35. Pama International - Float Like a Butterfly (2005)
36. Tia Carerra - You Are the War 7" (2007)
37. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (2004)
38. Postal Service - Give Up (2003)
39. Avett Brothers - Emotionalism (2007)
40. Dag Nasty - Minority of One (2002)
41. They and the Children - Home (2008)
42. Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) - What It Takes to Move Forward (2009)
43. Growing - Color Wheel (2006)
44. Thrice - Alchemy Index Vols I-IV (2007-2008)
45. Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death (2006)
46. Mad Tea Party - Found a Reason (2008)
47. Caleb Klauder - Dangerous Me's and Poisonous You's (2007)
48. Common Rider - This is Unity Music (2003)
49. Mighty High - Drops a Deuce (2009)
50. Hanoi Rocks - Street Poetry (2007)
51. Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles - Diamonds in the Dark (2007)
52. Chuck Dukowski Sextet - Reverse the Polarity (2007)
53. Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won (2003)
54. The Strokes - Is This It (2001)
55. Mudhoney - Since We've Become Translucent (2002)
56. Logan Whitehurst and the Junior Science Club - Goodbye, My 4-Track (2003)
57. The Evens - s/t (2005)
58. Birmingham Sunlights - In the Garden (2004)
59. The Tim Version - Floribraska (2003)
60. Rumbleseat - Is Dead (2005)
61. This Bike is a Pipe Bomb - Three Way Tie for a Fifth (2005)
62. Boy Hits Car - s/t (2001)
63. Detroit Cobras - Life, Love and Leaving (2001)
64. Fall of Troy - Doppelganger (2005)
65. The Kills - No Wow (2005)
66. Report Suspicious Activity - s/t (2005)
67. Heterogene - am-pm (2006)
68. Thee More Shallows - More Deep Cuts (2005)
69. Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone (2007)
70. Turnbull ACs - Small Town Parade (2007)
71. Towers of Hanoi - Paranoia for the New Year (2007)
72. Strangers Die Every Day - Aperture for Departure (2008)
73. Shirock - Everything Burns (2009)
74. Titan - A Raining Sun of Light and Love for You and You and You (2007)
75. The Kingdom - Unitas (2005)

Best Albums of 2008

1. Baseball Project - Vol. 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails
   Just on the surface, this great album about baseball is worth hearing, but what it tells us on a deeper level is its (and baseball's) case for greatness.
2. Bigelf - Cheat the Gallows
   All that's grand gets both celebrated and criticized on this amazingly present retro album.
3. De Novo Dahl - Move Every Muscle, Make Every Move
   The year's most fun record. "Shout" is is pure joy.
4. Tippy Canoe and the Paddlemen - Parasols and Pekingese
   Yeah, she's playing a ukulele and it's amazing.
5. Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
   Why didn't anyone ever realize how well punk and Springsteen went together before this?
6. The Clash - Live at Shea Stadium
   The only band that matters show that even fame couldn't ruin them.
7. Tanya Tagaq - Auk ~ Blood
   This is an album worthy of Mike Patton's contributions, yet strong (and weird) enough not to be overshadowed by them.
8. They and the Children - Home
   The limits of intensity get pushed by this album. Incendiary would be an understatement.
9. Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
   Once again, the Mars Volta give us all that's cool about prog and nothing that sucks. Crazy talent mixes with crazy minds.
10. Sharks and Sailors - Builds Brand New
    The influence of 90s alt rock on this album goes in unexpected directions.
11. Spitfire - Cult Fiction
    Anger can be based on love just as easily as hate.
12. The Drift - Memory Drawings
    The Drift once again makes an indie rock record whose principal influence is Ornette Coleman.
13. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
    Is this the future of rock music? TV on the Radio get more accessible without compromising on innovation.
14. Mad Tea Party - Found a Reason
    Yes, another album which prominently features the ukulele made the list. These are great rootsy tunes with soul and a great sense of quirky fun.
15. Strangers Die Every Day - Aperture for Departure
    Godspeed You! Black Emperor is the best melding of classical and rock. This band is the next best.
16. Thursday/Envy - Split LP
    Thursday is a band that has progressed tremendously and Envy is the perfect compliment.
17. Hours and Hours: A Tribute to Seaweed
    The tribute album concept is old and tired, or so I thought until I heard this. No one, probably even Seaweed themselves, had any idea that their influence spread this widely. This is the way a tribute should be created.
18. The Devil and the Sea - Heart vs Spine
    The Devil and the Sea is another fantastic heir to Black Flag's free jazz approach to punk and metal.
19. Twilight Hotel - Highway PrayerThese Americana (or is it Canadiana) songs tell great human stories.
20. Gypsy Pistoleros - Para Siempre
    Yeah, I know it's essentially a re-release of last year's album, but a big step forward in production and a fine cover of "La Vida Loca" push this one into the top albums of 2008 whereas they just missed the year before.
21. Lady Lovelace and the Calculator Death Machine - Music for Two Musicians
    This has My Bloody Valentine, chamber music and everything in between...and it works.
22. Thao - We Brave Bee Stings and All
    Twee pop can be dangerous ground, but Thao navigates it successfully, making an album of strange, catchy tunes.
23. Buffalo Killers - Let It Ride
    Many of those treading the paths of 70s hard rock forget the soul. Buffalo Killers do not.

I saw a number of fine DVD releases in 2008, but three stand out:

About a Son was simply a series of Kurt Cobain interviews, but it was amazingly well-filmed in his old stomping grounds and rather than fill it with Nirvana's music, Death Cab for Cutie's Bed Gibbard supplies some great tracks that allow the focus to be on Cobain's words rather than the hype of Nirvana.

If All Goes Wrong is both a concert and documentary about Smashing Pumpkins two "residencies" in Asheville, NC and San Francisco. Rather than being a rehash of their hits, it is a bold artistic statement and the documentary is an interesting insight into it.

The very best DVD of the year though was The Who's Kilburn 1977, featuring both the Kilburn show as well as a rougher recording from 1969. Both shows demonstrate exactly why the Who was great.

With all this about the best, I should also include at least something about the bad albums. While there were a few real stinkers this year, they all pale in comparison to Judas Priest's Nostradamus. This album of ego-driven nonsense has all of the filler that is often a necessary evil on concept album, yet not a single track that makes the filler worth siting through. It's crap on all levels. Shame on Priest. They should have known better.

For some alternate views of what was great in 2008, check out these sites:
Heavy Metal Addiction
Hard Rock Hideout
Heavy Metal Time Machine
Bring Back Glam
All Metal Resource
Imagine Echoes
Metal Excess
The Ripple Effect
Rock Of Ages
Layla's Classic Rock
Hair Metal Mansion
The Metal Minute

Top 20 (or so) of 2007

I have to say that 2007 was a good year for my ears. I didn't spend a lot of time scouring the pop charts, but there's so much out there that one doesn't have to look very hard to find some good stuff just beneath the surface in just about any genre. (I didn't really stick to 20, because I'd basically be flipping a coin to see who made the list at the bottom. Why should split hairs like that to meet some arbitrary number?)

1. Frontier Folk Nebraska - The Devil's Tree: Of everything I heard this year, this is the album I came back to the most. "Kentucky Girl" is one of the most touching songs I've ever heard.


2. Bedouin Soundclash - Street Gospels: There was nothing wrong with Bedouin Soundclash's previous release, but this is a huge step forward. It's the subtleties that took them from good to great. Not only are the songs catchy, but they have a lot of heart that backs them up.


3. Chuck Ragan - The Blueprint Sessions: The only problem with the album is that it was such a limited release. It seems unfair to keep something this good from the rest of the world.


4. Various Artists - Down Home Saturday Night: Smithsonian Folkways has an uncanny ability to recognize that the connection between a group of songs is much more than stylistic. This one is an album of old school party music, but unlike today, even the party music had teeth.


5. De Novo Dahl - Shout: This record could make you get up and celebrate life even if you'd just lost your dog.


6. Tia Carerra - Heaven/Hell EP and You Are the War 7": Heavy and trippy. No current band is doing fuzzed out psyche better than Tia Carerra. (This is two records, but in their initial release, they came as a package.)


7. Titan - A Raining Sun of Light and Love for You and You and You: Titan puts the rock in progressive rock, correcting the errors of their predecessors.


8. Long Distance Calling - Satellite Bay: Whether you like the term post-metal or not, these guys are one of the subgenre's most adventurous bands.


9. Building the State - Faces in the Architecture: It's as smart as math rock without being too smart for its own good.


10. Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles - Diamonds in the Dark: Sarah Borges recognizes that the road to the roots of rock n roll isn't the express train back to Hank Williams.


11. Pomegranates - Two Eyes: This off-kilter indie pop EP is both gentle and jarring at the same time.


12. Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II: Fire & Water: Concept albums can be scary, but Thrice not only nails the concept, but stretches out musically and fulfills their early potential.


13. Avett Brothers - Emotionalism: The Avett Brothers get lumped in with a thousand other Americana bands, but it's their eclecticism that makes them stands out.


14. Hanoi Rocks - Street Poetry: After watching the genre they pioneered implode on itself and then make a mockery of anything that was good in its heart, Hanoi Rocks return to show not only that they were one of the few great glam bands from the 80s, but that they can actually play in that decimated genre with heart.


15. The New Dress - Where Our Failures Are: Billy Bragg is clearly an influence on their music, but also on their hearts.


16. Papermoons - 7" EP: This is a short one, but the songs were so perfect and moving.


17. Awake and Alert - Devil in a Lambskin Suit: Maya Peart's voice is amazing and behind it is music that's every bit as good.


18. Papertrigger - Riot Lovers: Papertrigger make their dark, seedy cabaret tunes rock in the truest sense of the word.


19. Towers of Hanoi - Paranoia for the New Year: They're as challenging as the best post-hardcore, yet as accessible as a hard rock band.


20. 31 Knots - The Days and Nights of Everything Anywhere: Despite being almost completely devoid of hooks, this album walks the fine line between pop and insanity.


21. White Stripes - Icky Thump: What amazes me about the White Stripes is that they keep finding things that work and then push on to something new. They're never satisfied and yet they never fail to please.


22. Paschall Brothers - On the Right Road Now: This Gospel album isn't just R&B that sees the Light, it's a conversion experience.

There were many other releases that also deserve mention. Grayceon's self-titled album created prog that was oddly full of emotion. Magnet School's Tonight We Drink... expanded U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky" into a whole album without seeming like some music geek experiment. The Chesterfield Kings' Psychedelic Sunrise and Len Price 3's Rentacrowd both revived the 60s garage sound without being stuck in nostalgia. A self-titled 7" from Street Smart Cyclist picked up where the Minutemen left off. Picastro created a friend for the sad times with Whore Luck. The beautiful dissonance of Thrushes' Sun Come Undone was a strong contender as well. Even the Gypsy Pistoleros, a band working in the long played out glam genre, made quite a splash with their Latin-flavored sleaze rock. All in all, I'd say it was a fine year for anyone willing to look beneath the surface and find the other stuff that's out there.

Check out some other Best of 2007 lists:
Axeman
Bring Back Glam
Hard Rock Hideout
Heavy Metal Addiction
Heavy Metal Time Machine
Imagine Echoes
Layla’s Classic Rock Faves
Metal Minute
Raise your Fists
Rock of Ages

This one's a little different, because it's not made up of albums that came out this year, just ones Chuck reviewed this year:
Pratt Songs

The Worst of 2007

While I heard a lot of really good music in 2007, the year wasn't without its clunkers. Let's get them out of the way today and be free to enjoy the best 2007 had to offer tomorrow.

5. Mountain - Masters of War:

Why does Leslie West think Bob Dylan needs Mountain to prove his relevance? After this disaster of an album, one thing is completely clear: Mountin is NOT relevant.

4. Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque:

It was a bad year to do Dylan covers. Bryan Ferry commits an altogether different set of crimes against Mr Zimmerman and the results are even worse.

3. Superdude - Pothead Punk:

Spending time on the periphery of Andy Warhol's crowd 40 years ago doesn't necessarily translate to good music. In Superdude's case, it translates to crap.

2. Supagroup - Fire for Hire:

Isn't it bad enough that AC/DC is stupid and boring? Not in Supagroup's mind. They thought it was necessary to regurgitate Angus and company, only duller and dumber. This is perhaps the most moronic record I've ever heard. Maybe it would have been better if they'd spent more time writing and less time fantasizing about underage girls. Probably not.

1. Queensrÿche - Take Cover:

I really struggled with the number one spot. How could anything be worse than Supagroup after all? I think what put Queensrÿche over the top though is that they should have known better. Supagroup is a bunch of dummies, but Queensrÿche, despite years and years of soulless music, should have known better. Even for them, these covers are amazingly heartless and show no real understanding of the songs.

(Dis)Honorable Mention. Sebastian Bach - Angel Down:

While this isn't quite among the dregs of 2007, it was perhaps the year's most disappointing. I had read several good reviews and was expecting it to be decent. Instead, it was just s thin shell of an album and failed to live up to even my limited expectations. It seemed okay on first listen, but when I tried to really dig into it, there was nothing inside.

So, there you have it. The year's worst. Stop by tomorrow for a more positive list that better suits my sunny disposition!