2009 in Review
I was going to make a Best of 2009 and the '00s post, but my computer crashed last week and I haven't been able to get it back up and running. Of course, this was just as I was listening to all the albums I missed that have shown up on lists all over. Out of the few I listened to, the ones that stood out were the Big Pink, jj, and the xx. So, I guess this means I'll just have to go by memory. Also, take note: no surprises here.
Top Five Albums
5. Yo La Tengo - "Popular Songs"
4. Let's Wrestle - "In the Court of the Wrestling Let's..."
3. Girls - "Album"
2. Dinosaur Jr - "Farm"
1. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "s/t"
PoBPaH are easily my new favorite band. I've seen all these people acting like they aren't supposed to like them because they sound just like older music, but I think their songs are downright fantastic and the sound is exactly the kind of music I like. While the album grabbed me right away, the Higher Than the Stars EP blew me away even more. "Falling Over" was a grower, but "Twins" is everything I could ever want in a guitar-based song. It is perfect.
Top Five Songs (not including anything from the Top Five Albums)
5. Thom Yorke - "All for the Best" (Miracle Legion cover)
4. Japandroids - "The Boys Are Leaving Town"
3. Hunx and His Punx - "You Don't Like Rock and Roll"
2. Jason Lytle - "The Ghost of My Old Dog"
1. Weezer - "The Prettiest Girl in the Whole Wide World"
Now, as you may have noticed by looking at this blog, I am a Weezer fan. I don't necessarily hate everything post-Pinkerton, but it's just not the same. You all know that, obviously. The band is basically a part of my life, probably to an unhealthy degree (I am on at least three boards and have at least two versions of every album, even ones I don't particularly care for). "Prettiest Girl..." is an older song, from around 1998 when Rivers Cuomo was playing in Boston with his band Homie. The live version that I grew accustomed to has an excellent bass line and was, for a long time, my favorite Weezer-related bootlegged track. When I heard the song was going to be brought back for Raditude, I was a bit worried as to what might happen to it. But alas, it was wonderful. While it didn't have the heavy bass line, the second verse which is just the vocals (lead and harmonies) with an organ brings so much joy to me. It reminds me why I am so obsessed with the band (just as the last segment of The Greatest Man... did in 2008).
Top Five Shows
5. Built to Spill / Beaten Awake
4. Yo La Tengo / Cheap Time
3. Dinosaur Jr / Lou Barlow and the Missingmen
2. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart / Girls / Champagne Socialists
1. Los Campesinos! / Girls / The Smith Westerns
The only thing I was expecting at the LC! show was an annoying crowd. I had seen Girls in Portland a few weeks earlier, and they were fantastic then, so there was that to look forward to. I didn't even know who the Smith Westerns were (I guess their album was released the next day?), but was intrigued when the lead guitarist hit a pedal that made confetti pop out all over him as he played a solo while making the most Bolan-esque movements he could. They were pretty good, and I ended up really liking their album. I now hope to see them around here again sometime. Girls were excellent, again. As usual, I was annoyed with the crowd; this time, because a group of kids were acting out all the lyrics and talking loud enough where I had trouble hearing the band, even with earplugs in. Then LC! came on and blew me away. Before this, I had only really listened to their first album and EP, and my favorite song was their cover of "Frontwards". And throughout the set, I was only sure of which song was being played a few times (one of which was "Box Elder", so that barely counts), but I didn't care because it was so much fun. And while I usually hate fun and excitement and all that, this was an exception. Gareth and Tom or Neil (I'm sorry, I don't remember who) came out into the crowd, with the guitarist ending up on top of the bar at the Grog Shop.
It was wonderful.
Anyway, I'll post my Best of '00s eventually, maybe.
And of course, I recommend you support all of these artists (on vinyl, if at all possible).
So buy some records!
Top Five Albums
5. Yo La Tengo - "Popular Songs"
4. Let's Wrestle - "In the Court of the Wrestling Let's..."
3. Girls - "Album"
2. Dinosaur Jr - "Farm"
1. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "s/t"
PoBPaH are easily my new favorite band. I've seen all these people acting like they aren't supposed to like them because they sound just like older music, but I think their songs are downright fantastic and the sound is exactly the kind of music I like. While the album grabbed me right away, the Higher Than the Stars EP blew me away even more. "Falling Over" was a grower, but "Twins" is everything I could ever want in a guitar-based song. It is perfect.
Top Five Songs (not including anything from the Top Five Albums)
5. Thom Yorke - "All for the Best" (Miracle Legion cover)
4. Japandroids - "The Boys Are Leaving Town"
3. Hunx and His Punx - "You Don't Like Rock and Roll"
2. Jason Lytle - "The Ghost of My Old Dog"
1. Weezer - "The Prettiest Girl in the Whole Wide World"
Now, as you may have noticed by looking at this blog, I am a Weezer fan. I don't necessarily hate everything post-Pinkerton, but it's just not the same. You all know that, obviously. The band is basically a part of my life, probably to an unhealthy degree (I am on at least three boards and have at least two versions of every album, even ones I don't particularly care for). "Prettiest Girl..." is an older song, from around 1998 when Rivers Cuomo was playing in Boston with his band Homie. The live version that I grew accustomed to has an excellent bass line and was, for a long time, my favorite Weezer-related bootlegged track. When I heard the song was going to be brought back for Raditude, I was a bit worried as to what might happen to it. But alas, it was wonderful. While it didn't have the heavy bass line, the second verse which is just the vocals (lead and harmonies) with an organ brings so much joy to me. It reminds me why I am so obsessed with the band (just as the last segment of The Greatest Man... did in 2008).
Top Five Shows
5. Built to Spill / Beaten Awake
4. Yo La Tengo / Cheap Time
3. Dinosaur Jr / Lou Barlow and the Missingmen
2. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart / Girls / Champagne Socialists
1. Los Campesinos! / Girls / The Smith Westerns
The only thing I was expecting at the LC! show was an annoying crowd. I had seen Girls in Portland a few weeks earlier, and they were fantastic then, so there was that to look forward to. I didn't even know who the Smith Westerns were (I guess their album was released the next day?), but was intrigued when the lead guitarist hit a pedal that made confetti pop out all over him as he played a solo while making the most Bolan-esque movements he could. They were pretty good, and I ended up really liking their album. I now hope to see them around here again sometime. Girls were excellent, again. As usual, I was annoyed with the crowd; this time, because a group of kids were acting out all the lyrics and talking loud enough where I had trouble hearing the band, even with earplugs in. Then LC! came on and blew me away. Before this, I had only really listened to their first album and EP, and my favorite song was their cover of "Frontwards". And throughout the set, I was only sure of which song was being played a few times (one of which was "Box Elder", so that barely counts), but I didn't care because it was so much fun. And while I usually hate fun and excitement and all that, this was an exception. Gareth and Tom or Neil (I'm sorry, I don't remember who) came out into the crowd, with the guitarist ending up on top of the bar at the Grog Shop.
It was wonderful.
Anyway, I'll post my Best of '00s eventually, maybe.
And of course, I recommend you support all of these artists (on vinyl, if at all possible).
So buy some records!
Labels: 2009, girls, Los Campesinos, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
posted by Tad Rifle at 1:44 AM
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