2009

#20. John Frusciante –

The Empyrean Even with a lengthy discography to his name you still can‟t

really talk about this record without calling it a solo album,

and that‟s a shame because it bears absolutely no

resemblance to Frusicante‟s work in RHCP1. This is a

record full of thoughtful and thought-provoking tracks

played and sung soulfully by a man unafraid to pour his

heart out on tape. Before you get to that however there‟s

the sublime „Before The Beginning‟; essentially a nine

minute guitar solo it‟s a virtuoso performance and sets the

tone beautifully for an album in which Frusciante allows

tracks the length and depth they need to unfold without

ever outstaying their welcome.

Frusicante‟s voice is not his strongest weapon, but he

knows how to use it. Multi-tracked and deadpan vocals are

nicely balanced with some louder moments and a lot of

melodic vocal lines nicely compliment superb guitar

playing throughout.

1 Since the time of writing Frusciante has reportedly left RHCP.

#19. Muse – The

Resistance Although Black Holes & Revelations didn‟t make The List it

has grown on me somewhat since and I had high hopes

that Muse would be sitting in the upper reaches again this

year. These hopes were bolstered when I first heard

„United States of Eurasia‟ and got swept up in its majestic

lunacy. Alas, it was not to be. This is now a stadium band

making stadium albums, and whilst there‟s nothing wrong

with that for what it is, it feels to me like an important part

of what once made Muse great (circa Origin of Symmettry) is

now missing: something intimate and angry and

uncomfortable. The heart of Muse for me will always be

„Stockholm Syndrome‟ and „Hysteria‟, and those guitar-led

riots are missing from The Resistance, replaced by grandiose

ballads and the continuation of the disco-rock-stomp line

which arguably began with „Supermassive Black Hole‟.

There‟s still a lot to enjoy here, including some outstanding

musicianship – no one could ever say that these boys don‟t

fully command their instruments – and they keep hitting

that outlandish kitsch note right on the money, the

equation just feels like it has fallen out of balance to me

now; Muse have become too comfortable as stadium giants

to retain the urgency of those early records.

#18. Nisennenmondai –

Destination Tokyo Here‟s something which came out of nowhere this year

and deserves a place on The List just by virtue of having

taken up so much time on my iPod. A trio from Tokyo

who seemingly learned their craft from listening to a CD

player with a serious skipping problem and a radio tuned

to static... they sound like nothing else I‟ve ever heard.

Actually they sound like everything I‟ve ever heard, all

rolled into some kind of giant Katamari-esque ball and

then shot through the Large Hadron Collider.

One listen to the 13 minutes of intense noise that is album

opener „Souzousuru Neji‟ will reorientate your entire

musical landscape – to me it sounds like untrammelled

exuberance and it‟s easily the newest sounding thing I‟ve

heard all year.

#17. Lady Gaga – The

Fame In a year when the most impressive live show I saw was

Britney Spears at the O2 this album sat in my CD player

for a long time.

My favourite of this year‟s crop of synth-flavoured female

solo artists Gaga‟s record is blatant, shameless, shallow and

riotously so. There‟s so much fun to be had here, from the

twisted romance of „Paparazzi‟ to poverty anthem

„Beautiful, Dirty, Rich‟ by way of all the other (justified)

hits: „Poker Face‟, „Love Game‟ etc which you are probably

sick of hearing everywhere if this album didn‟t hook you

like it somehow did me.

#16. Bat For Lashes –

Two Suns Natasha Khan had me from that Donnie Darko-esque video

for „What‟s a Girl To Do?‟: eerie, beauitful, subtle and dark

it mirrored the best attributes of the song perfectly and led

to me picking up an album which explored all of those

qualities and which I enjoyed very much indeed. No

surprise to find the follow-up making The List this year as

it pretty much picks up where the previous album left off

and refines Khan‟s ideas whilst expanding her sound.

The first song I heard was „Glass‟ and the instant the

percussion came in properly (00:43) I remembered the

atmosphere I loved from the first record (see also the bass

line on „Pearl‟s Dream‟). I can live without the alter-egos

and symbology, but sometimes you have to look past that

stuff to some great music.

#15. The Mars Volta –

Octahedron Last year‟s The Bedlam in Goliath was the album I‟d been

waiting for The MarsVolta to make since the beginning,

and judging from this it was the phantom they‟d been

chasing too.

Octahedron continues all that was marvously off-kilter about

Bedlam..., with songs too big to contain just one chorus, or

two musical styles or lyrics that make any sense. I have to

believe that Omar and Cedric‟s relationship at this point is

near psychic: it‟s the only way this music could be played

live and probably the only way to commit it to record –

this stuff must just flow out of them when they hit the

studio and turn the amps up. That‟s not to say it comes

across as rushed, or anything less than meticulously

constructed; some of these songs take such tight turns in

unexpected directions that your head almost spins your

headphones off.

Five albums in it‟s difficult to know what else to say about

The Mars Volta. They do what they do and they do it

better than anyone else, not least of all because no one else

is doing this.

#14. Keith Jarrett –

Yesterdays Jazz was big for me this year. For a long time I‟ve been

looking for the correct spot on its beaches from which to

dip in a toe, with the aim of eventually wading on out. This

year I heard an interview with Richard Williams, author of

a book on the legacy of Miles Davis‟ Kind of Blue. As part of

that interview Williams commented to the effect that there

are two jazz records everyone owns: Kind of Blue and Keith

Jarrett‟s Koln Concert recording from 1975. I was missing

the latter so picked it up and found just what I was

searching for: a way in. I picked up numerous Jarrett

recordings this year and he must be one of my most played

artists of the last 12 months.

Yesterdays is a fine example of the piano-led jazz I‟ve come

to like most and there‟s plenty of variety within its nine

tracks. The title track is a little mournful and melancholy;

„Shaw‟nuff‟ gets carried away with itself, leaving drummer

Jack DeJohnette breathlessly cycling the cymbals to keep

up, and „A Sleeping Bee‟ is a nice mid-paced jaunt

exploring some interesting melodic avenues. It‟s by no

means my favourite Jarrett album, and it does showcase his

regrettable habit of vocalising a melody line with odd

grunts and groans, but it‟s sublime stuff nevertheless.

#13. Humcrush – Rest At

World’s End A coincidence that these two ended up next to each other.

Humcrush are a duo from Norway who take experimental

jazz, put it into a blender and then feed the result to a

synthesiser. What you get is choppy, glitchy beats, frenetic

drum loops and bass that threatens to knot up your

intestines. It isn‟t background music but it‟s a wonderful

headphone record to marvel at and disassemble.

Alongside the Nisennenmondai album it has been the

most expiremental long player of 2010 for me and has

helped me get a grasp on the sheer variety of jazz which is

being made right now.

#12. Green Day – 21st

Century Breakdown Amongst my first reactions to this album was feeling sorry

for the band. After the success of American Idiot, which for

all intents and purposes gave them a second lease on their

career, it seemed to me that following up with another

punk-pop “opera” in the same mould suggested that they

felt they had no other choice. Add to that the release last

year of the more free-and-easy, fun-loving, surf-pop tinged

Stop, Drop and Roll!!! under an alias and it feels even more

apparent that Green Day walked into the studio knowing

that “just another album” wouldn‟t cut it with the swathe

of new fans they‟d just won.

First single „Know Your Enemy‟ inspired very little

confidence and remains the least impressive track on the

record. The rest took time to win me over but in the end

the music here still possesses enough charm and energy to

be irresistible on some level. Stand-out tracks for me are

„East Jesus Nowhere‟, „Horseshoes & Handgrenades‟ and

„The Static Age‟ – the last of those outclassing anything on

American Idiot. That album was the #1 on this list in 2004

and the comparatively low placing for this record is

reflective less of a loss of quality than the fact that the idea

no longer holds its novelty value.

#11. Cursive – Mama, I’m

Swollen Tim Kasher is always foremost in my mind when it comes

to songwriters, and particularly lyricists, whom I admire.

Over the course of Cursive‟s now 12 year, seven album

existence he has penned some exceptional songs and ranks

alongside ex-labelmate Conor Oberst in my mind as a folk-

rock musician whose primary weapon is his words.

Now 35, Kasher has written an album of songs about

encroaching middle age. This is a record for a generation

led to believe by MTV that it was living in one long music

video and who must now come to terms with the relative

drudgery of their day to day lives. In some respects this is

the perfect album for the economic downturn: part

admonishment of consumerism, it is seeking a new set of

ideals like Palahniuk‟s Fight Club was in an angrier fashion a

little over a decade ago.

Quite why Cursive aren‟t huge is a mystery; we‟re lucky to

have Tim Kasher out there putting down our feelings so

eloquently.

#10. Bike For Three! – More Heart

Than Brains

I pretty much worship the ground Richard Terfry walks on.

Ever since I stumbled upon 2002‟s Square and immediately went

back and picked up the entire Buck 65 catalogue I‟ve been

firmly of the opinion that there‟s no one else out there who can

match what he‟s doing in hip-hop. Buck is also a phenomenal

producer and beat-maker, each record comes out sounding a

little different, and it‟s that component which is missing from

this album.

Bike For Three! is a collaboration between Terfry and

Belgian producer Joëlle Phuong Minh Lê, also known as

Greetings from Tuskan. The two have never met, putting this

whole record together over the net, and the result is pretty

different from a traditional 65 album where Buck has complete

control. The lyrics are still top-notch of course, but here they‟re

set to synthy loops and the kind of Casiotone sound palette you

don‟t usually find Buck using. There are a few effects applied to

the vocals here and there and in places the music nods towards

an electronica direction with which it took me a while to come

to terms. Take the percussion on „There Is Only One Of Us‟: it

gets a little Linkin Park at some points and draws the mind away

from Buck‟s lyrics – not the usual power balance on a Buck 65

album where the two aspects are used in complete harmony.

The end result though is a very interesting album from a unique

collaboration.

#9. Pearl Jam – Backspacer

1991-1996: six years, four albums and in my book PJ can

do no wrong.

1998-2006: nine years, four albums and the results are a

little more mixed.

2009? If nothing else Backspacer has to serve as irrefutable

proof that Pearl Jam still know how to do this post-grunge

rock thing. Get past the awful cover art (reminiscent of

Americana era Offspring) and you‟re in for a record which

nicely balances the two eras of Pearl Jam outlined above by

bringing some of those new sensibilities for mid-paced

middle of the road rock to bear on the grunge template of

old – with results less embarrassing that that might sound.

„Gonna See My Friend‟ is a storming statement of intent,

and the one-two punch of „Got Some‟ and „The Fixer‟ is

like a hand held out by an old friend. The slower stuff

works equally well: „The End‟ is their finest ballad since

„Thin Air‟, and „Just Breathe‟ runs it a close second. There

is influence on these tracks from Vedder‟s solo turn on the

soundtrack for Into The Wild and the fact that it can be

seamlessly worked into a PJ release just shows the

effortless range this band is now capable of.

#8. Paramore – Brand

New Eyes When you have a weakness for colossal hooks and power-

chords like I do, sometimes you have to do things that

you‟re not too proud of, such as admitting that a) you

bought the Paramore album, and b) you like it quite a lot

despite it bearing a strong resemblance in places to the sort

of thing Avril Lavigne might put out if she had a good

band behind her.

There‟s not much I can say to defend myself here. This is a

thoroughbred pop-punk album of dubious artistic merit. It

is also crammed full of three-minute gems that get better

each time you listen by virtue of their having laid eggs in

your brain. „Ignorance‟ must be one of my most hummed

songs of ‟09 and that deserves some kind of recognition.

#7. The Dirty Projectors –

Bitte Orca Ask me what any one of these nine songs is about and I

will look at you blankly, but that‟s not necessarily a pre-

requisite for great music (see also #15). Bitte Orca is a

Rubik‟s cube of an album where the arrangements are

constantly shifting so that you get staccato bursts of

percussion or a blast of horns where previously there had

been softly cooed vocal or plucked strings. Songs like

„Temecula Sunrise‟ seem to tumble over themselves to get

out of your speakers. Not graceful but arresting, this is

music best enjoyed by aiming your full attention at it and

then forgetting all of your preconceptions and just

enjoying the ride.

Only „Two Doves‟ approaches conventional

instrumentation, and it is completely alluring, providing a

welcome respite from the controlled chaos elsewhere. This

is an album barely reigned in, and all the more interesting

for it.

#6. Tegan & Sara –

Sainthood In one respect this is quite a disappointing album: it isn‟t

Earth-shatteringly wonderful in every conceivable respect

like 2007‟s The Con or 2004‟s masterpiece So Jealous.

Held to any reasonable standard though Sainthood is a

brilliant album full of three-minute bursts of spiky pop. It

contains songs every bit as amazing as the best tracks on

those other albums („The Ocean‟ is mature and assured

songwriting making use of two voices that harmonise and

intertwine perfectly; „Hell‟ is one of the best songs they‟ve

ever put out) and continues the winning production

partnership with Death Cab‟s Chris Walla. The problem

perhaps (if it can be deemed a problem) is that to some

extent this feels like The Con 2.0 and that‟s what keeps it

out of the top five. Listened back now to Radiohead‟s

Amnesiac it sounds every bit as inspired as Kid A, but

following a stone-cold classic hurt it in terms of how it was

perceived. To my ears Sainthood sounds like a step sideways

instead of a step forward. That still leaves the Quinns in an

excellent spot, but I have to hold them to a higher

standard.

#5. The Decemberists –

The Hazards of Love There are those who would tell you that Apple has killed

the conventional album structure with the advent of the

shuffle function (though CD players and then multi-CD

players allowed you to do essentially the same thing), and if

one was to make that argument records like The Hazards of

Love should be exhibit A.

Less showy than its “rock-opera” brethren like American

Idiot this is sophisticated storytelling neatly woven into

album form. Multiple voices provided by guest vocalists,

use of leitmotif, reprise and melodies highly evocative of

the emotion behind them all come together to form an

hour of music that it is a shame to listen to in pieces. That

said, there are standout tracks. „The Rake‟s Song‟ -

seductive, dark, powerful and downright creepy - has to be

one of the best songs of the year, and „The Wanting

Comes Waves‟ is maddeningly infectious.

The absence of this album from the AV Club, Pitchfork, Q

and NME end-of-year lists baffles me.

#4. Pure Reason Revolution –

Amor Vincit Omnia There was a point, after a handful of listens, when I really

didn‟t think this record would make The List. The

difference in this album‟s overall sound as versus 2006‟s

The Dark Third was too much for my brain to process at

first and truthfully something of a disappointment. Gone

are the dreamy synth soundscapes and in their place harder

electronic tones have given the new tracks edges and

angles where the earlier material simply flowed.

It took a while but, obviously, PRR won me around.

Although I was saying “it‟s not The Dark Third” to myself

each time I listened to it, I found myself listening to it a

lot. And once I got past the tonal switch I found another

beautiful, complex and hugely ambitious record. „Les

Malheurs‟ and „Deus Ex Machina‟ are the vanguard for

that newly mechanical sound with driving synthesisers and

syncopated cymbals; „Victorious Cupid‟ and „The

Gloaming‟ call back to the previous album‟s tones with

great effect. Regardless of which mode they choose (or

where they go from here) PRR have an uncanny ear for

strange rhythms, Jon Courtney and Chloe Alper‟s voices

still melt together perfectly, and the whole band is

comprised of formidable musical talent.

#3. Crazy Arm – Born To

Ruin How can a band have such an utterly terrible name and

then give their debut album such a perfect title? Just from

those three words you know what you‟re getting and Crazy

Arm deliver it in huge quantities, direct to your brain, time

after time. Riffs that tense every muscle in your body as

they pass through you; choruses that make every hair on

your neck stand to attention... this is straight ahead rock

music from the Reuben school of doing things simple and

direct, and recalls for me Hundred Reasons at their best

mixed with Against Me‟s New Wave.

The standout moments are sprinkled throughout every

track and number almost too many to count. Right from

the first time the riff properly kicks in on opener „Asphalt‟

through the spine-chilling bridge in masterful closer „Christ

In Concrete‟ there‟s so much to love on your thousandth

listen. „Blind Summit‟ is part drinking song / sea shanty

gone wrong; the title track is a heartwrenching call to arms;

the band wear that titular Springsteen influence on their

sleeves on „International Front‟ and „Kith and Kingdom‟

has one of the year‟s best sing-along sections. This is a

masterful album of uncut rock and roll happy to be exactly

what it is.

#2. Manic Street

Preachers – Journal For

Plague Lovers The single album I have listened to the most this year,

including for about three weeks straight when it came out,

something about Journal... caught my attention where other

Manics albums had failed. I own The Holy Bible and like it

very much but by the time I caught up with the band it

seemed that was the sound of their past and they were now

putting out U2-esque chart singles like „Australia‟. Perhaps

I‟m wrong and the albums have always had more to offer

than the singles, but I had never suspected the depth and

the brilliance on display here.

There is a distinct sound of the late-90s about this album,

but without it ever feeling dated or gimmicky. Anyone

coming to this record without any of that baggage would

still find 13 exceptional songs with a lot of range. The

stylistic difference between opener „Peeled Apples‟ and

closer „William‟s Last Words‟ is staggering, but a full play

through doesn‟t feel in the least bit disjointed. Only a band

with 20 plus years and nine albums to their name could

pull this album off in such assured style.

#1. Biffy Clyro – Only

Revolutions I loved Puzzle and I‟d been waiting pretty impatiently to see

where Biffy Clyro went from there. On the release of Only

Revolutions I saw the band described somewhere as

“Scotland‟s Foo Fighters”, and if that‟s the case Puzzle is

their Colour and the Shape and Only Revolutions is the next

step, their There Is Nothing Left to Lose.

All signs pointed in the right direction. 2008 saw the

release of epic-sounding single „Mountains‟ and in early ‟09

we got „The Captain‟ and an EP headed by „That Golden

Rule‟ – all of which did everything that could be asked

from this band and more. Not to belabour the Foo

Fighters comparison but I remember when every Foos

single had b-sides better than other bands‟ album tracks.

That‟s what Biffy are doing at the moment, and it‟s made

all the more interesting by virtue of the fact that they are a

profoundly strange band.

Only Revolutions is full of colossal rock songs both

subverted and rejuvenated by odd twists. The swinging-

pendulum string coda that becomes a huge guitar riff at the

end of „That Golden Rule‟ seems oddly out of time. The

building melody in „Bubbles‟ seems to be missing a note

somewhere. There are plenty of those moments on the

record, where something sounds familiar but just a little

off, where you become aware that any other band would

have done it slightly differently, slightly less strangely.

Using a horn section on your rock album is nothing new,

but through Puzzle and now this album Biffy Clyro have

expanded their sound so much that orchestration has come

to feel less like adornment and more like an essential

component of their sound. This band is now sounding so

comfortable and they are seemingly capable of anything,

including turning out this record in November and it

soaring effortlessly to claim my album of the year.