Thistle's best favourites of 2009

‘Sup my twine suckas? In light of some hefty essays and finals that I will be (and am) engulfed in for the next couple weeks, I think it is safe to say that I won’t be seeking out any new music in 2009 before it comes to a close. Fortunately, I have already listened to pretty much everything that has been released this year (except for most of it) so I think I am pretty well ready to get this over with. Also, no blurbs. Everything on here (with the exception of one album) has been reviewed on Forest Gospel this year, so if you’re curious just look them up. Plus, I’ve already done enough blurbing for my end-of-decade list (which is also on the horizon). So here they are, my best favourite albums of 2009:

50) Clark - Totems Flare
49) Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
48) Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
47) Why? - Eskimo Snow
46) James Blackshaw - The Glass Bead Game
45) Black Dice - Repo
44) Anduin - Abandoned in Sleep
43) Mark Templeton + aA. Munson - Acre Loss
42) Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
41) Mountains - Choral
40) Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic
39) Giuseppe Ielasi - Aix / (Another) Stunt Ep
38) Bear In Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
37) Blackout Beach - Skin of Evil
36) The Antlers - Hospice
35) Zs - Music For the Modern White
34) Smith Westerns - Smith Westerns
33) Julianna Barwick - Florine
32) Sparklehorse + Fennesz - In the Fishtank 15
31) Millipede - Death Mountain / Sand & Surf 7"
30) Braden J. McKenna - Gigantic Monster Cave
29) Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem
28) Califone - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
27) Ekkehard Ehlers + Paul Wirkus - Ballads
26) Bad Hangin' Out - Bad Hangin' Out
25) Atlas Sound - Logos
24) Animal Hospital - Memory
23) Grizzly Bear - Veckematist
22) Burial + Four Tet - Moth/Wolf Cub 12"
21) Swan Lake - Enemy Mine

20) A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar

























19) Leyland Kirby - Sadly, the Future is No Longer What It Was
























18) The Hunches - Exit Dreams
























17) John Wiese - Circle Snare

























16) Fever Ray - Fever Ray
























15) Axolotl - Of Bonds In General

























14) Prefuse 73 - Meditation Upon Meditations


























13) Caboladies - Crowded Out Memory / Constellation Deformity cs
























12) Ben Frost - By The Throat



























11) Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights

























10) Sam Hamilton - Sooty Symposium
























9) DM Stith - Heavy Ghost






















8) OOIOO - Armonico Hewa

























7) Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer

























6) Animal Collective - Merriweather PostPavilion

























5) A Faulty Chromosome - Craving To Be Coddled So We Can Feel Fake-Safe



















4) Evangelista - Prince of Truth


























3) Andrew Douglas Rothbard - Exodusarabesque
























2) Dragging An Ox Through Water - The Tropics of Phenomenon





















1) Grooms - Rejoicer

Anduin - Abandoned in Sleep

Anduin
Abandoned in Sleep
(2009, SMTG Limited)
RIYL = Jasper Tx, Ben Frost, Tim Hecker

Following up his debut outing last year along with a collaborative release with Jasper Tx earlier this year, Anduin (AKA Jonathan Lee) sounds like he’s has finally achieved something really incredible with Abandoned in Sleep. That’s not to say that his previous output wasn’t good. Anduin seems to be defined at this point by impressive textures and colossal drones. Yet, it has only been with this newest release that I have really been taken aback by and become truly engaged with his work. In terms of 2009 releases, Abandoned in Sleep is most similar to Ben Frost’s By The Throat. On his sophomore release, Anduin has achieved a similar minimalist danger and psychological tension to that of Frost. What is possibly more importantly of note here is, despite the album’s similarities, Abandoned in Sleep's ability to stand so closely and competitively with Frost’s work without losing any of its individual edge or primal energy. The message here is this: if you enjoyed By The Throat in any measure, you’re going to love Abandoned in Sleep. There is a magnificent claustrophobia present on the album that feels muted and heavy, encroaching steadily on the space left in your mind. Heady stuff for headphones and speakers alike, though I would most encouragingly recommend an isolated listen with the nicest set of headphones that you can get your hands on; the textures Anduin has created reward sophisticated headgear. I think that the generous improvement Anduin has made in terms of this record and his last is the diversity and mobility of his compositions. His debut set a standard for textures, but remained relatively stagnant after achieving said textures. On Abandoned in Sleep you can tell that Anduin has taken efforts to make his sounds live and breathe. There is a heart pumping within this record, slowly and assuredly, masking the intents of the beast it supports and its intent on devouring its listener whole. To the extent that being devoured by music can be enjoyable, Abandoned in Sleep is exceptionally gratifying.

-Thistle

Anduin on MySpace

Gareth Dickson, Loma Prieta and Themselves

Gareth Dickson
Collected Recordings
(2009, Drifting Fall Recordings)
RIYL = Nick Drake, David Thomas Broughton, Scott Tuma

The title to Gareth Dickson’s most recent album, Collected Recordings, sounds as if the songs were gathered together from old scraps or off of out of print titles. Unfortunately, I don’t really know much about Mr. Dickson's prior releases, so whether or not this stuff is completely new is unknown by me. However, what I do know is that Dickson has the ability to heal souls with his soothing brand of acoustic guitar work and vocal work. When you first hear his voice, it is impossible not to think of Nick Drake, yet his slow, atmospheric guitar work is more reminiscent of modern folk soundscapist, Scott Tuma. The combination of the two titanic musical figures in Dickson’s work is awe inspiring. Eleven lengthy tracks sliced straight from heaven. Plus, isn’t any album really just a bunch of collected recordings?




Loma Prieta
Dark Mountain 12”
(2009, self released?)
RIYL = American Football, Converge, Pg. 99

Following up their debut from last year, Dark Mountain maintains the exact same aesthetic Last City, which isn’t a bad thing, especially since Last City and Dark Mountain make up about half a album each. Filled with short melodic bursts of post hardcore madness, Loma Prieta are attempting to fill the giant gap in my life where post hardcore, hardcore and punk music should be. Maybe I’m blind, or perhaps not a good enough student of the scene, but Loma Prieta is pretty much the only band in the vein of ‘heavy’ that I have really enjoyed recently. Solid solid stuff from the San Francisco bludgeoners.




Themselves
CrownsDown
(2009, Anticon)
RIYL = cLOUDDEAD, Subtle

Adam Drucker, AKA Doseone and ½ of Themselves, is a vocal magician of around a million vocal personas, and on CrownsDown he seems bent on using everyone. Whether it be his gritty battle rap mode or his more song oriented, multi-layered pop vocals, or everything inbetween - he even uses autotune! In addition vocal styles, Doseone is probably the fastest rapper out there when he wants to be. some of the lightning speed verbosity on CrownsDown is absolutely insane. You have to give Jel credit for keeping up with Dose on every syllable. Together the duo seems bent on making as straightforward a hip hop album the two are capable of. Fortunately for us, Themselves aren’t very good at making straightforward hip hop. In fact, the best moments on the album are when the two veer into experimental pop territory. Take “Daxstrong” for example, the track is probably my very favourite track of 2009 with its down tempo drum beat and vocals that eventually transform into a kind of Tv on the Radio croon. CrownsDown is a fresh change of pace for Doseone and Jel, regardless of whether you like them more in Subtle. Sorry for the sloppy review. I promised myself I'd post regardless of the writing quality.



-Thistle (who else?)

Grooms - Rejoicer

Grooms
Rejoicer
(2009, Death By Audio)
RIYL = Pavement, Sonic Youth, Blood On the Wall

With list making season right around the corner for both the year and the decade (for those with the patience to actually wait until the decade ends), Rejoicer is the catalyst for displacement. To say that with this, the Grooms debut, that I’ve saved the best for last would be understatement. But wait, is this a debut? For the ‘Grooms’ moniker, yes; however, with a different drummer the band was formerly called the Muggabears. The decision to change the name was an obvious one. In fact, it is kind of unfortunate that it didn’t happen earlier because now I am going to have to backtrack in order to listen to the three albums that proceeded Rejoicer, but that is neither here nor there. No, what we are here to discuss is Rejoicer and Rejoicer, my friends, is set to unhinge jaws and leave them hanging like some many clouds. The album is simple. Seriously, how many bands could I review with stylistic comparisons to Pavement or Sonic Youth? A million. The beauty of the comparison in this particular situation is that Rejoicer not only contains the straight forward, albeit roughly hued indie rock touchstones of the godfathers of the genre, but also maintains the quality of the same. This is no lie. We all love Slanted and Enchanted and Daydream Nation, right? Well, if you love those albums then you’ll also love Rejoicer. It’s that simple. Ten songs, melodically skiwampus, with both gorgeous and corrosive qualities, that drive chords of joy and fervor straight into your heart. What we have here with the Grooms’ "debut" is an earnest mess of perfectly imperfect guitar tones that often dive off the map, excellent drumming that is focused on rhythmic utility rather than flashy fills, emotive bass undercurrents and everyman vocals that veer and cut endearingly. Rejoicer is it folks, that’s all.

-Thistle

Marina Rosenfeld - Plastic Materials

Marina Rosenfeld
Plastic Materials
(2009, Room 40)
RIYL = Kallikak Family, Alan Licht & Aki Onda, Mark Templeton

I received Marina Rosenfeld’s Plastic Materials without any real knowledge about Rosenfeld’s four previous albums and at least ten years experience as a musician/composer. The truth is, even now I still don’t have much of an clue about her previous work, except I know that it exists. After listening to Plastic Materials I am wondering how this is possible. Rosenfeld’s work is mind bogglingly good. Like, really really great and good and incredibly really super and awesome. The kind of stuff that sends you into fits of gibberish praise just like when you received that new blue bike for Christmas when you were ten. However, other than some of the metallic and ‘plastic materials’ (couldn’t resist), comparing the two is kind of a stretch. Rosenfeld’s work on Plastic Materials is pretty insular and will be undoubtedly alienating for more than a few listeners unaccustomed to experimental works. But for those with an ear for adventure, Plastic Materials is like new snow for making tracks. It's pretty easy praising Rosenfeld’s work, describing it though is another matter. In my imagination, Plastic Materials sounds like an strange autopsy where the deceased is part robot, part creature from another planet and each progressive incision opens new caverns of spiraling innards that are both structurally amazing and kind of freaky. There is even an ever present sterility of steel tables and clean instruments to the whole thing. The album is bizarre in the most fascinating way. Rosenfeld’s doesn’t actually use any knifes in the creation of her work, but still manages her fair share of cutting by the heavy use of turntables and sampled voices (both talking and singing out of tune) cut up with medical precision. In addition to the re-emerging vocals, Rosenfeld has crafted a moody sub-noise aesthetic that incorporates turntable tics and spasms along with other electronic mumbling which flow in and out of piano tinkering and other unidentifiable transmissions. It’s a mystical little album, this Plastic Materials; something inhabiting beauty and austerity in equal measure and definitely a must have for experimental listeners.

-Thistle

Marina Rosenfeld - "I Treated Myself"

Prefuse 73 - Meditation Upon Meditations

Prefuse 73
Meditation Upon Meditations (The Japanese Diaries)
(2009, Beat Records)
RIYL = Bibio, Flying Lotus, Ras G

Guillermo Scott Herren, the mastermind behind Prefuse 73 (among others), has already dropped two albums under the pseudonym this year; the sprawling hyperactive Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian and the mini LP addendum, The Forest Of Oversensitivity. So, I think it is fair to say that Meditation Upon Meditations is an unexpected release. Even more unexpected is its current distribution in Japan only. Now, some might see this information and discard the album as an insignificant dumping of accumulated b-sides; you know, one of those non-essential releases that only completist Prefuse-heads need worry about. Those who make that assumption would be wrong. In fact, it appears that Mr. Herren’s love for Japan exceeds that of the States because Meditation Upon Meditations is the best Prefuse 73 release since One Word Extinguisher. No joke. For this release, Herren avoids the quick snippet, mixtape form of Ampexian in favor of fuller compositions ranging from the three to four minute range and that additional time is Herren’s best weapon. Crouching down in the uber-crowded assemblages, something that has become synonymous with Prefuse 73, Herren's work comes off more complete and the beats and plundered electronics become more grounded. Herren has a way of multilayering beats to oblivion, but still making it sound coherent, and this is explicitly apparent on Mediation Upon Meditations. In the past, Herren used the relief of an occasional MC spot to allow for some breathing room amongst the rubbery bombast, and that is my only wish here. However, even without any guest MCs, Herren performs blissfully, compiling a minced vocal pie amidst the bouncy ball blips and beats. If you have ever had a leaning towards Prefuse 73’s work, it will behoove you to search this album out. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

-Thistle

Prefuse 73 on MySpace

OOIOO - Armonico Hewa

OOIOO
Armonico Hewa
(2009, Thrill Jockey)
RIYL = Gang Gang Dance, Boredoms, Ponytail

I understand that the Boredoms are pretty much experimental psych rock deity, but I have to admit that I have always preferred OOIOO (the band which Boredoms drummer, Yoshimi P-We (yes, that Yoshimi), created after the Boredoms kind of evaporated). And OOIOO absolutely, positively kill it on Armonico Hewa. It appears that as we sneak closer to the year’s end things are only picking up speed. The last couple of months have just been stellar. And now we have Armonico Hewa, the pinnacle achievement in a long line of increasingly awesome albums from OOIOO. For those who are unfamiliar with the band, here are some instructions when listening to Armonico Hewa: (1) Blast this thing loudly! The record is the spiritual successor to Gang Gang Dance’s inscrutable Saint Dyphmna and as such benefits from block party volumes. (2) Make sure you do some face exercises because there is a good chance that you will be smiling all the way through this manic, Japanese glee/funk/psych/rock/+ anything-and-everything-else fest. OOIOO’s musical constructions feel borderline Frankensteinian as lumbering monstrosities ever falling into electrified chaos. Proper descriptions are going to fail me here because OOIOO’s polyrhythmic kaleidoscope is too all encompassing. However, some semi-constants amongst the bliss-inducing rock chaos are beautifully wiry guitars that flex your bones, hollow/hallowed krauty pummeling and thick muscle-upon-muscle bass grooves. Oh, and we can’t leave out the vocals (these too being used solely for instrumental effect). I mean, the vocals! They sound like the opposite of a group exorcism, their vowel heavy chanting made for the purpose of opening up bodies for claiming by ghosts (though, only freakin’ sweet ghosts need apply, like Slimer or something). I’m listening to “Konjo” as I write this and the chirps in the background it sounds as if the band is startling puppies by stepping on their unsuspecting tails. It’s absolute confetti hilarity of Katamari proportions on Armonico Hewa. You can see that the album affects me in a somewhat nonsensical way, so it is probably most appropriate to just leave you with a hearty recommendation, as if you didn’t know.

-Thistle

Brilliant Colors - Introducing

Brilliant Colors
Introducing
(11.2009 Slumberland)
RIYL: The Flatmates, The Shop Assistants, jumping on your bed in your room alone.

If Brilliant Colors aren’t immediately hailed as the undisputed champs of girl fronted indie pop I’m going to roll over and die this very second. Sure, Vivian Girls are good, but Brilliant Colors are giving 1986-1993 a run for its money. This is pure unadulterated straight out of the UK (California) twee as can be rock n’ roll. While most twee stars are getting their hearts broken, Colors front woman Jess Scott is out there smashing em. She’s got enough sass to put her in the ranks of Alex Taylor and Debbie Haynes. Seriously, this record is flawless; it’s like a greatest hits collection. Admittedly some earlier versions of a few songs appeared on 7 inches, but when music is this good who cares. If the Pains of Being Pure at Heart didn’t come out earlier this year, this would be the best indie pop record of the year. That said, head over to Slumberland asap and order the vinyl. Its only 8 bucks.

-Big Wooly

Evangelista - Prince of Truth

Evangelista
Prince of Truth
(2009, Constellation)
RIYL = Gowns, Castanets, Valet

I never figured I would find another album this year to contend with Ben Frost’s By The Throat in terms of apocalyptic tension and aural austerity, but Prince of Truth definitely makes a run for it. Album opener, “The Slayer”, embodies just what its title implies, a gnarled, jarringly gritty opus that cuts like a dull axe. Carla Bozulich, the searingly brutal songstress of Evangelista, takes no prisoners again on Prince of Truth (her first no-prisoners conquest taking form in last year’s Hello, Voyager) with her vocal crow. However, Bozulich’s vocals, which waver from brutality to empathy and back again, are matched note for not by the (anti)musicality of the Evangelista band. Of course, this is because Bozulich knows that if your are paving the way for the apocalypse, its best to have the folks at Constellation trumpeting you along. The beautifully instrumental berserker delves in and out of bluesy jazz-inflected bass lines, think chamber strings, acoustic Americana and blistering rock and roll, all rolled variously in tar, nails and feathers. The most beautiful thing about Evangelista as a band is their ability to burn small villages with tracks like “The Slayer” and “You Are A Jaguar” and then turn right around and make you believe they are genuinely sorry on ballads like “Tremble Dragonfly”. Evangelista have not only joined the likes of Jackie-O Samuel L. Jackson, Gowns and Valet in creating a barbed hybrids of Americana, noise and rock, Bozulich and the crew are now the royal family with which all their predecessors should look to for inspiration. I am having a hard time reasoning out why Prince of Truth shouldn’t be my favourite album of the year. And beyond that, why it shouldn’t outrank half of my list for best of the decade, this “wicked flying thing.”

-Thistle

Evangelista - "The Slayer"

A Faulty Chromosome - craving to be coddled so we can feel fake-safe

A Faulty Chromosome
craving to be coddled so we can feel fake-safe
(2009, self released)
RIYL = The Evangelicals, old Built To Spill, “um, hard won warm fuzzies?” (That’s me quoting my mind.)

I have been waiting for this album some time now, periodically checking A Faulty Chromosome’s MySpace page for any digestible new updates like a giddy little girl refreshing the American Girl website every 2 hours in order to be the first to see their newest doll (“follow your inner star”). So, yeah, kinda creepy and overly obsessive (and now trying to figure out why I even know what an American Girl doll is). On Friday I received an email from Eric of A Faulty Chromosomes notifying me of the quasi-release of most recent album and after listening to the album I can now provide proper reasoning for my obsessive behavior. Thankfully, craving to be coddled picks up right where As An Ex-Anorexic… (one of my top ten favourite albums from 2008) left off. A concept record of sorts, craving to be coddled so we can feel fake-safe reminds me a bit of The Antlers’ Hospice, except, a lot less melodramatic and, keeping with the inner (and outer) geek in me, a lot easier to identify with. At any rate, there is an emotional release in craving to be coddled that combines the heart-sick memories of a lost past with a kind of hopeful, innocent beauty. There is a certain retro video game quality to the album that probably inspires a lot of the feelings of childhood nostalgia. A lot of the electronic bleeps and blips and the drum machine percussion feels like it was copped straight from some lost 8-bit NES masterpiece. On craving to be coddled, the band has also added plenty of retro samples which are alternately goofy and kinda creepy (the result of some druggy pitch-shifting). The samples provide a perfect backdrop to the odd reality of an American suburban childhood. It is so weird how the band can so successfully evoke the feelings of nostalgia in all their glory and depression and sentimentality. And it is buried in nostalgia that we get pop perfection. Craving to be coddled filled with perfect pop songs, slightly warped and gleaming with the most beautiful personality. It really is grand experience that you can get lost in playing it over and over and over again, often times right in a row. The band has ever so generously allowed their hard work to be downloaded for free (as well as streamed) from their Virb page, but here is the rub: making music isn’t an end unto itself. Apparently guitars, amps and recording equipment (not to mention time) all cost money and in pouring their souls into this little gem of a release, A Faulty Chromosome as a band has incurred a massive amount of debt. In a ingenious fund raising move, the band has offered an array of equally sentimental rewards for any donations that start with a “friends forever” status between you and the band (“sealed in digital blood”) all the way up to an album inspired by the story of your life. You can check it all out here. It is a pretty worthy effort considering that this album is definitely one of the very best 2009 has to offer.

-Thistle

A Faulty Chromosome on Virb

Atlas Sound - Logos

Atlas Sound
Logos
(2009, Kranky)
RIYL = Deerhunter, Panda Bear

Bradford Cox is on a role. Following up is solid solo debut as Atlas Sound last year along with the magnificent double release from his alpha band, Deerhunter, Logos turns out to be another notch in his steadily growing list of accomplishments. The guy just has a musical Midas touch going on right now. Logos improves heavily on Atlas Sound’s already sturdy debut. This time around the ethereal pop seems to resonate even more, taking cues from Microcastle and his contributors, Cox’s solo work is really coming into its own as an individual entity. I really love the guest spots by Panda Bear and Laetitia Sadier. The whole idea of indie rock guest spots, mimicking the more common occurrence in hip hop, is a terrific trend me think. The albums pacing is magnificent, with each song flowing guilessly into the next. Anywho, I’m not going to waste too many words on this thing. Logos stands for itself and it won’t be long before the album achieves a universal acceptance and critical acclaim. It is really just that great - a fact that simply can’t be avoided.

-Thistle

No Kids + Mount Eerie Show 10/19/2009

I've been burnt out on shows lately. Unless the conditions are perfect I usually end up annoyed, tired, bored, or pissed off at something/someone. I've seen way too many live bands to be impressed by much. So it goes without saying that I have recently been skipping out on shows that a year or two ago I would not have missed for the world. I knew that No Kids could get me out of my funk though. I had complete faith and walking into Kilby and seeing it packed with high school hipster youth decked head to toe in anything Urban Outfitters skeptically eyeing me in my old cargo maternity pants and Cosby sweater being followed by Thistle carrying our little 7 month old son didn't even set me back. I went there to be affected, and I was. No Kids played mostly new songs that after hearing I prematurely evaluated to Thistle "best album of 2010." The grooves were thick and bassy as expected, but an unexpected twist was that No Kids drummer was M.I.A. and Phil Elverum was Philling in (get it?) Phil played primarily the same beats, but added his own flourishes on the few songs that they played off of Come into My House. I love that album and wanted to hear it performed as recorded, but when all was said and sung, Phil's addition was very enjoyable, not better or worse, but different and good. The female vocals were replaced by harmonizing piano and No Kids grooved me right into remembering why I love to see bands live, and it felt gooooood.

Now, Mt. Eerie on the other hand, I was not looking forward to. Don't get me wrong I like Mt. Eerie, but I have seen them 4 times already and figured I would just leave after the first song. But then I saw their setup and thought maybe they would keep my attention. They more than kept my attention. The thing about Phil Elverum is that you never know what you are going to get. I have seen him play a show where he didn't even bring his own guitar and had to borrow someones and then sang songs to a cross legged audience out of a sketchbook that he had just barely written and although the songs were pleasant, they were almost always unfinished, botched and interrupted with giggling. This time around Phil's crew obliterated the tiny Kilby Court with an absolute wave of sound on the first note coming from No Kids on the keys, Phil on guitar and two drummers with intense setups. I'm talking gongs, mallets, wire brushes and the works. Let me just tell you, I am a sucker for two drummers playing synchronized beats and I was smitten from the first crash. Phil is at his absolute best when playing his metal sets. As I mentioned before, our 7 month old child was in attendance and even though he was adorned in his noise cancellation headphones we still felt it was WAY too loud for him. Thistle was outside with him, but it was raining and I wasn't able to enjoy Mt. Eerie's entire set. From what I saw (5 songs) they were playing Wind's Poem in it's entirety, start to finish. It was absolutely mind blowing.

We all know that a good Kilby show is the best kind of show. An attentive crowd in a tiny shack getting attacked by noise emanating from right in front of their faces- I love it. I really needed that show and it delivered more than expected. I feel refreshed, inspired, and ready to take on more live sets now. Bring it on.

-Sassigrass