DayBowBow

The Five Albums I Listened to the Most in 2009

14 Dec
By Jesseca Bagherpour

I’m not sure if I’ve complained enough (on this blog) about how much I hate writing lists where I rank, well, anything. So rather than write a list of the top albums of the year, I wrote a list of the albums I listened to the most this year. Most of them weren’t even released this year (one isn’t from this decade, for that matter). But they’re the ones I played the most, for whatever reason. In the spirit of my hatred of lists, I have placed them in alphabetical order, according to album title. Bonus: the last two records on the list are my breakup albums for 2009 (and may therefore appear on another list later this month)!
George Harrison- All Things Must Pass

(1970, Apple/EMI)

What can I say about this album that hasn’t been said in the almost 40 years since its release? It’s an innovative, influential masterpiece from my favorite Beatle and one of the greatest musicians in history. I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflecting this year, pondering relationships, careers and my place in this world. This has probably been my most introspective year, and I think that’s why All Things Must Pass hit me the way it did. I’ve always realized it was a great album, but now I think I understand it on a deeper level. “My Sweet Lord”, “Isn’t It A Pity” “Wah Wah”, “If Not For You” and “Let It Down” got the most plays.

Watch George Harrison (and friends) perform “Wah Wah” at The Concert for Bangladesh (another brilliant release of his):
Liam Finn- I’ll Be Lightning

(2008, Yep Roc)

Son of famous Kiwi musician Neil Finn (Crowded House, Split Enz), Liam Finn is an exciting young (just two weeks older than I am, in fact) artist who has earned acclaim in his own right. I first happened upon Finn on mtvU, when his video for “Second Chance” was getting repeated plays. I got hooked on the video.

But for some reason forgot about his music (and his beautiful beard) until I saw him open for Wilco in October. Playing with just Aussie Eliza Jane Barnes to accompany him, Finn kept the attention of almost everyone in the packed Palladium ballroom. His vocals are striking and he’s a fine guitarist, but he’s, well, a complete badass on drums. His music is reminiscent of his father’s, with some alt-country elements and his own experimental streak. My favorite songs from the album are “Better to Be”, “Second Chance”, “Lead Balloon” and “Fire In Your Belly”.

Here’s Finn doing a solo rendition of “Second Chance” (click link for song download), because you have to see him wail on those drums to truly get it:
Apples in Stereo- New Magnetic Wonder

(2007, Yep Roc/Simian/Elephant 6)

I’ve been listening to this album repeatedly for the past few weeks. I’ve listened to it while writing, reading, driving, walking, shopping and working out. What with my recent obsessions with psychedelic music and ELO (Electric Light Orchestra, if you’re not aware), it’s an obvious choice.

Why didn’t this album grab me in 2007? Probably because I was still mocking ELO at that point. But I have since seen the light. Wonder album was the first release from Apples-obsessed Elijah Wood’s Simian label (he also directed the video for the first single, Pepsi anthem“Energy“).

The entire record is chock full of infectious, retro pop vibes. “Can You Feel It?” is a superbly chosen opener, “Skyway” is a cool, 60s rock tune and “Same Old Drag” (by far my favorite) is the most ELO-esque song on the record, complete with dominant keys/synthesizer, robot vocals and vocode-filtered backing vocals. Then, of course, there’s “Energy” (click for song download), the first single, which has an almost irritatingly upbeat and catchy hook.

Here’s the video for “Same Old Drag” (this one isn’t the official video, which I thought was creepy, but instead a video of the band lip syncing to the song in their van):
The Thermals- Now We Can See

(2009, KRS)

The Thermals have been around since 2002, but I only became addicted to them after the release of Now We Can See. What’s ironic is I’ve always loved their hyperactive punk-pop and Now We Can See is a departure for the band, having a more subdued sound (with much of the punk being present in spirit only). The band has a knack for writing songs that put the listener in a great mood, and Now We Can See continues that tradition. Stand-out tracks include “My World”, “I Let It Go” and “Now We Can See” (my choice for download), but I love the whole album.

I would say more about it, but I would have to get into some personal issues to fully explain what the album meant to me this year. So I’ll let the music do the talking. You can watch The Thermals performing three of their songs in a graveyard in Edniburgh (for Off the Beaten Tracks) here.

And download the title track here:

The Thermals- Now We Can See
Wilco- Wilco (The Album)

(2009, Nonesuch)

I know, I’ve only written a handful of posts for Daybowbow so far and my love for Wilco is already apparent. But music bloggers aren’t exactly known for objectivity, so deal with it. Were I to make a list of the top albums of 2009, this one would probably be at the top. But I didn’t, so it’s not.

It’s hard to admit this as a self-proclaimed Wilco fanatic, but I didn’t like this album when the band streamed it in May. I hated the title (which I now realize is tongue-in-cheek, like the 90s-esque album cover)–real creative, guys! I thought they had gotten too poppy (and that’s a lot coming from me) on some songs and too sappy (entering Sky Blue Sky territory) in others. And a female vocalist (Feist, no less … I know she sang our track of the day, but I can’t hide my ambivalent feelings towards her)? Blasphemy.

But once I gave it a few more listens, I was hooked. : “Wilco (The Song)”, “One Wing” (for reasons stated in the opening paragraph) and “Bull Black Nova” (the Television influence really comes out here) are my favorites, but I haven’t tired of any of the songs so far. And “You And I” (the aforementioned duet with Feist) is lovely and great to sing along to. When I saw the band this fall, I still got more excited hearing their older songs, but when Wilco opened with “Wilco (The Song)”, I freaked out like a 14-year-old girl seeing The Beatles in 1964.

Watch this not-too-horrible video (the sound is better than the picture) of Wilco performing their eponymous track:

Also, download “Bull Black Nova”, my top pick from the album.

Wilco- Bull Black Nova