Your favourite album of 2009

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Definitely one of my favorites of this year, God I loved this album.
 
I haven't listened to enough new releases to produce a list I could feel comfortable with. But here are some slabs of music I've enjoyed from this year:


ISIS - Wavering Radiant​

Obviously I'm biased as a big ISIS fan but I'm going to go out on a lirab here and say that nothing I listen to from '09 can possibly top this. While I never expected it to reach the cathartic heights of Oceanic and Panopticon, it comes pretty damn close. ITAOT was a fresh and gutsy progression in their sound pulled off reasonably well but it was still lacking... Wavering Radiant is the next stepping stone in their discography and in my mind what ITAOT should have been. It flows together so well, it feels less primal and more mature but certainly doesn't meander. It's ISIS under the sun but still packed with bone-chilling parts. And as usual, Caxide's bass tone is to die for! Awesome!

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Fat Freddy's Drop - Dr Boondigga and the Big BW​

I have much love for this album and NO-ONE does the modern dub/soul/reggae thing better than Fat Freddy's - they're certainly the best NZ band around nowadays and this is simply a stellar release.

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Polvo - In Prism​

I've only given this one listen so far and I'm already convinced it's a fanfuckingtastic return to form. It's less schizo and fractured than Today's Active Lifestyles and more hypnotic, and quite frankly groovy.

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I also enjoyed the new Morrissey, Porcupine Tree, Lightning Bolt, Maudlin of the Well, Slough Feg and Mars Volta and I still need to hear the new Caspian, Grizzly Bear, Drudkh, Tortoise, MF Doom, Alice in Chains (hey I've heard it's actually pretty good), Om, Riverside and Meat Puppets.
 
Why should he like it just because everybody else thinks it's amazing?

I'm with Alfred on the Grizzly Bear album, for what the album is it has been completely blown out of proportion by the indie press.

People won't remeraber it in 2 years let alone 20 or 30.
 
1. Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest
This is the best album I've heard in a long time.

2. As Tall As Lions- You Can't Take It With You.
I am very surprised by how few people have heard of this band. Highly recommended.

3. MuteMath- Armistice.
Just go see them live. That's all I can say.

4. Raekwon- OB4CLII
The best hip-hop had to offer in 2009.

The Antlers- Hospice.
This is the album that took the longest for me to get into, but it is a very rewarding record.
 
if you want a track list check google.

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Tortoise - Beacons of Ancestorship - After seeming like they were content to cruise on autopilot and substantiate themselves on side projects the merabers from Tortoise dropped this disc earlier this summer and managed to release a collection of tracks that draws just as much from their past as well as their contemporaries while still maintaining their unique approach to music. at times sounding like early atmospheric Aphex Twin, recent harder rocking Squarepusher, and even Radiohead on the closing track, it's a collection of fresh music that always offers something more with each listen.

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Air - Love2 - A return to form for the French pop duo. Just like Tortoise they go back to what works for them without really sounding like they're taking a step back or looking over their shoulder. the looseness of the instrumentals returns and i'm left to imagine how awesome the live jams become (and they DO know how to jam on stage). the romantic nature of the album can almost get overbearing at times, unlike their old method of relying on dark humour to counterbalance the romance the tracks end before becoming too cheesy. as i said in the Air thread, they're like Pink Floyd for lovers and this is the best album they've put out since Moon Safari.
 
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

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1 Wilco (The Song)
2 Deeper Down
3 One Wing
4 Bull Black Nova
5 You and I
6 You Never Know
7 Country Disappeared
8 Solitaire
9 I'll Fight
10 Sonny Feeling
11 Everlasting Everything

A welcome return to their poppier side after a slightly disappointing effort in their previous effort (Sky Blue Sky), which leaned closer to their country-rock side. Wilco did what they do best without being overly experimental.
 
P.O.S. "Never Better"
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I'm not the hugest fan of hip-hop on the planet earth. I do enjoy the odd spin of a random album, but very little actually sticks with me. P.O.S.'s "Never Better" is a glorious exception to the rule. It's like he tailored this album specifically for me. It's clear that P.O.S. takes influence from punk, which to me is a wonderful thing. With minimalist production, in-your-face delivery, conscious lyrics, great vocal melodies, and plenty of shoutouts to the punk scene, this album is everything I ever wanted out of hip hop music. So there you have it: album of the year.

[YOUTUBE]vfo-EGDBEAY[/YOUTUBE]​

Runner Up - Brand New "Daisy"
 
I thought MPP was very good at it's high points. My Girls and Daily Routine are fantastic songs.


I will agree on this though:


It's a shame that Yeasayer did this... they had such a great sound.
 
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an album that i'm guessing the overwhelming majority of rab has never heard of, let alone actually listened to, dam-funk's "Toeachizown" is a triumph of synth-funk. produced with antiquated equipment, recorded in his lush Leimert Park recording studio, known as the Funkmosphere Lab, this album truly speaks volumes about this man's love for funk, music, and sonic explorations.
 
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