The Oshkosh West Index - Looking back on most impressive, provocative albums of 09

Volume 106, Issue 4

Online Features

Looking back on most impressive, provocative albums of 09

By Luke Harrison
posted January 26, 2010

Matt & Kim- Grand

10

Blissed out synth-pop minimalists, Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino craft outrageously catchy elctro-beats with a youthful vigor and innocent exuberance unseen in today's musical landscape. With their second full length album, the lively Brooklyn duo hone their melodic chops, tightening their low-fi sound without losing their DIY appeal. Featured on a recent Bacardi commercial, the breakout single, "Daylight," epitomizes Grand's sparse, ghostly resonance and quirky romanticism. Discontented with reveling in indie-pop mediocrity, Matt & Kim inject their dreamy melodies with sharp punk-edged snare snaps and occasional jaunts of jagged atonality. A refreshing splash of carefree optimism transposed onto the bustling New York club scene, Grand offers dance friendly rhythms and bright, Sunday morning listenabilty.

Mastodon- Crack the Skye

9

Ambition: noun, to write a narrative album revolving around intergalactic space travels, tsarist Russia, Steven Hawking, and Rasputin. Mastodon's fourth studio album, Crack the Skye, is by far the most eclectic and ambitious album of 2009. Continuing their string of concept albums, Mastodon have crafted their most intricate and stunningly graceful album to date. However, by no means do the Atlanta prog-metal quartet let up on their sonic assault. In fact, Crack the Skye lays down some of the most brutal riffs and crunching distortion of their career. Brent Hinds' voice reverberates throughout the album, grabbing listeners by the shirt collar and bellowing in their faces with the deep, rasping fury of a pissed off prophet of doom.

Raekwon- Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II

8

Almost 14 years since the release of Raekwon's celebrated Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, the Wu-Tang vet unleashes his long awaited sequel. Reprising his role as a gun toting, crack dealing, lyrical assassin, Raekwon brings back a gritty street mentality that has been markedly absent from rap. A fitting accompaniment to the hard-pressed economic conditions of 2009, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II's raw and vicious lyrics are complemented by an all-star cast of producers including RZA, J Dilla, and Dr. Dre. Featuring signature Wu-Tang production, old soul collections are artfully raided and seamlessly woven into the tracks along with Kung-Fu voice-overs, and some of the most unique beats of the year. Flexing his lyrical dexterity, Raekwon picks up exactly where he left off, chopping off heads like Clinton was still in office.

Telepathe-Dance Mother

7

With dark synth soundscapes for a post-apocalyptic rave-wake, Telepathe's Dance Mother sounds like Blade Runner on even more acid. However, instead of Ridley Scott at the helm of this gothic amusement park ride, Brooklyn girl power duo, Bussy Gangnes and Melissa Livaudis take the reigns with their debut album. Combining the technical genius of airy techno sprawl with the dead pan delivery of The Velvet Underground, Telepathe have cornered the market on effortless cool. Too slow to be conventionally club friendly, Dance Mother is an atmospheric meditation on dark, urban existence. Produced by T.V On the Radio's David Sitek, the sheer level of avant-garde hipness on this album is enough to make Andy Warhol feel hackneyed.

Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest

6

One of the most eccentric and critically acclaimed albums of 2009, freak folk quartet, Grizzly Bear, take a step forward with their fourth album, Veckatimest. A masterpiece of acoustic orchestration, complex time signature changes and dissonant arrangements are juxtaposed against simple vocal harmonies and plunky spartan piano runs. An icy breeze runs through the album's open and exposed sounds, winding its way in and out of the nuanced melodies creating an eerie North woods vibe. The most adventurously pretty album of the year, Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest sits firmly atop the year's long list of falsetto laden indie-pop.

Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

5

Putting the glitz and glamour back into rock, French ensemble Phoenix puts up a valiant effort, mixing together larger than life guitar fuzz bombs with bouncy electro-baselines to make Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix the feel good dance album of the year. With the early release of the singles "Lisztomania" and "1901," Phoenix's fourth album was billed as the triumphant return of alternative rock. From start to finish, Phoenix avoids unnecessary filler, wringing every drop of energy out of each track with a seamlessly endless supply of devastatingly catchy and unique hooks. Despite Phoenix's instrumental pop-sensibilities, vocalist Thomas Mar belts out a surprisingly subversive slew of esoteric word play, ranging from the sexual prowess of Hungarian piano virtuoso Franz Liszt, to the 20th century decline of Paris as a cultural hub.

Mos Def- The Ecstatic

4

With the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama, the hip-hop pundit is feeling rather optimistic and proves so with The Ecstatic, his best album since the critically acclaimed Black on Both Sides. Apart from the dramatic shit in tone and temperament from his pervious work, Mos Def continues to produce some of the most original and diverse beats around. Combining elements of bare-bones old-school hip-hop with blasting funk horns, deep soulful vocals, and simmering afro-pop flourishes, the album is as eclectic as it is ecstatic. The Ecstatic, contrary to traditional commercial wisdom, is rather evenly distributed, if not slightly back loaded with many of its most moving and intense tracks positioned towards the end of the album. As a result, The Ecstatic is best enjoyed as a whole, allowing Mos Def's nasally vocals to flow together into one cohesive unit. With an unparalleled mixture of perspectives, the under privileged urban hipster turned successful worldly activist's fourth studio album represents everywhere from his native Brooklyn streets, to bomb scared walkways of Tel Aviv, while still maintaining an undeniably listenable pop sensibility.

Say Anything- Say Anything

3

The reigning bastions of pop punk piss and vinegar, Say Anything strike a more mature chord with their third, self-entitled album. Featuring a broader and more sweepingly instrumental sound, the album crosses genres on multiple occasions, flirting with everything from white hot shout-alongs, to off kilter show tunes, and even sincere love balladry. Lyrically, Say Anything is lead singer Max Bemis' most ambitiously mature, yet comically playful work. Addressing religion, mortality, regret, and unfulfilled potential, Bemis proves that love can be just as deliciously dark and subversive as hate. Trading matrimony for masochism, traditional logic would denote decreased inspiration and an eventual fade into oblivion for a band that cut its teeth exposing the deep seeded self loathing and quirky sexual exploits of its lead singer. However, such is not the case for Say Anything. With what can be considered an adulthood manifesto for aging emo kids, Say Anything's self entitled release gracefully blends the new and the old, creating a dynamic and engaging listening experience. The punk inspired spit fire riffage of Is a Real Boy and the detailed cosmic ornamentation of In Defense of the Genre can be heard at various points throughout the album, but subdued wistfulness courses throughout a majority of the tracks. Arguably the most entertaining album of 2009, Say Anything's unpretentious tongue in cheek delivery and devil may care attitude catapult them to the top of a list filled with frustratingly serious, uptight artists.

The Decemberists-The Hazards of Love

2

The vintage Oregon folk ensemble, The Decemberists go off the deep end with a full-on narrative rock opera pushing an hour in length. Picture Tommy, minus the pinball and played on mandolins and harpsichords. A dark, trippy journey into a magical forest of lust and betrayal, the folk rock opera's plot centers around a woman named Margaret who upon falling in love with a shape-shifting woodland creature named William (the product of a witch's magical spell) begets a litter of children, resulting in unseen complications. The plot, while winding and epic in scope, takes a back seat to the overarching, musically driven depth and tone of the album. Featuring a wide assortment of instruments, when preformed live and in full interchangeable costume, the entire stage comes alive with over 15 different musicians. Mastermind of the fantastical circus, lead singer, Colin Meloy, provides an anchor to reality with his flawed, vowel heavy voice, perfect for the album's earthy A Midsummer Night's Dream vibe. Making frequent guest appearances as both Margaret and the vindictive Witch, Shara Worden's ethereal vocals make for a captivating contrast with the deep drudging chug on many of the tracks. A giant in the increasingly minimalistic world of folk, The Decemberists condense the pomp and circumstance of an arena rock spectacle down to the intimate face to face medium of an acoustic folk set, making for an overwhelmingly potent album.

Brand New- Daisy

1

Unrecognizable since their freshman release of the glorious post-punk masterpiece, Your Favorite Weapon, Brand New completes their transformation with their fourth album, Daisy. Violent and volatile to its core, Daisy is a moving piece of unbridled emotional rage and despair. Lead singer and guitarist Jesse Lacey is in top form unleashing his angst in visceral howls that he some how manages to wrench from his small frame. The album's dark subject matter, a lyrical assortment of cryptic post-modern poetry detailing death, decay and the fear of the undiscovered country of an afterlife, is only made more dank and haunting by the anti-production of Mike Sapone. Distortion heavy at its most pure, the warbled vocals are complimented by jagged piercing guitar blats and an insatiable rumbling bass-line akin to being run over by a funeral precession. Frantic, break-neck art-punk barrages of sound suddenly slam on the brakes and are replaced by lurching prog noodling in a stop and start fashion that keeps listeners off balance. Brand New pulls the proverbial scab off their emotional wounds, letting the festering discharge spill forth into listener's ears. The darkest and most vulnerable record yet produced by Brand New, Daisy takes the place of the best album of 2009.

Back to Top

Reader Comments:

No Reader Comments Yet, Post Your Own Below

Post Your Own Comment:

Post Your Comments

Write a letter to the editor.

Affordable, Free Ad Design, Advertise Today!

© 2006-2007 Oshkosh West Index