2009
While most journalists like to end the year in October with their best of, I’m a serial procrastinator and leave it until New Years Eve. My favourite albums of the year because I love them and the worst because I love hating them. Here’s last years list.
Best
The Horrors - Primary Colours
This is exactly what you want in a Shoegaze pop album. Brooding vocals, synth riffs and tight pants.Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
Animal Collective have proven many times that they can construct a great pop song, but it’s the textures and palette of beautiful samples that sold it.Dan Deacon - Bromst
Converting the dense textures of Spiderman Of The Rings into a more atmospheric, crescendo-ing masterpiece via a marimba, a player piano, and an ensemble of samples.Mika Miko - We Be Xuxa
Los Angeles ramshackle punk that captures a girl band having fun makingYACHT - See Mystery Lights
Jona Bechtolt’s first album was a tedious affair. This year he decided to make dance music instead.
Worst
k-os - Yes! Lazy, near offensive Canadiana wrapped in tired beats and borrowed time. Rap white people like, but not even. Rap stupid, racist people like.
Owl City - Ocean Eyes
YouTube music.U2 - No Line On The Horizon
If they’re going to tour all over the world with a giant television screen, choking up the stratosphere, they could at least stop being the most boring band in the world.Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Why is my Bjork record out of tune? Minimalism at the cost of music.Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz
Their early work put through this sterile, sequenced formula looking for a style of electronica that’s already tired. Put away the synthesizer and turn the guitar back up.
