Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
Seemingly coming out of nowhere to debut in the Top 10 in the US Billboard 200 chart, Grizzly Bear are, in fact three albums deep, and their ascent has been more of a steady climb than a supernova. While their other albums were cobbled together in a series of writing sessions, Veckatimest was conceived of as an entire album, which allowed the Brooklyn based band the space to tweak this album into pop perfection.
Girls – Album
Girls singer Christopher Owens was raised in the Children of God cult, escaped as a teenager, fell under the guidance of an eccentric millionaire, moved to San Franciso and formed a band. No wonder Owens refers to this album as an overflow of expression. Making something new from quite obvious touchstones (Beach Boys and Elvis Costello) is a hard task, and Owens unconventional upbringing adds a skewed pop sensibility.
The Big Pink – A Brief History Of Love
Taking their cues from the 90s shoegaze scene, and adding the best production ideas from New Order, A Brief History Of Love may seem ambitious in its concept, but it never once over reaches. Hazy pop with washes of guitar and keyboards, The Big Pink have made the kind the kind of record that contains numerous potential radio singles, while sitting perfectly as an album.
Florence & The Machine – Lungs
Smashing out of the London indie pop scene, Florence & The Machine’s debut album Lungs is not an easy pill to swallow with subject matter focused almost entirely on death and violence. 22-year-old Florence Welsh once described her morbid fascination to NME by reasoning what other subject is there? I remember realising that my parents were going to die and weeping. Weeping as if my father had actually died.
The Cribs Ignore The Ignorant
Over three albums, The Cribs wrote a series of catchy guitar songs, with their lo-fi approach and jagged guitar lines betraying more than a hint of The Libertines and The Clash. For their fourth, the band stepped the songwriting up a notch and enlisted guitar God Johnny Marr from The Smiths to add a dose of jangle. The result is their highest selling, most original and most accessible album to date.
Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More
If there is such a thing as a English new folk scene, and most of the band’s said to be involved refute such a notion, then Mumford and Sons are the first to break away from its authentic indie surroundings and into the limelight. The track Little Lion Man broke the band, but it is just one of a series of endearing folk songs on Sigh No More.
Metric – Fantasies
This album was the central argument in a New York Times article that explored the shrinking role of major labels, and it is not hard to see why. The Canadian band self released their fourth album, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart. Fantasies manages to incorporate a new wave sound without ever leaning too heavily on the 80s production style of their past outings. Synthesizers are still there, but guitar is the focal instrument on this album.
Miike Snow – Miike Snow
Miike Snow are a Swedish three piece who created a debut album with a detached emotion that seems to push all the right buttons. Like a lot of great art, it was made with little idea of its ensuing popularity. Said vocalist Andrew Wyatt of the album, don’t think our project was that thought out when we started. We just wanted to make music together. Three people just messing about.
Sarah Blasko – As Day Follows Night
Blasko’s third album was a departure from the baroque pop song featured on her first two platinum albums. Severing ties with her co-writer, she opted for a more stripped back sound, the result being a beautiful album, which won Blasko the J Award, as well as the ARIA for best female artist.
Temper Trap – Conditions
Temper Trap are the Australian overseas success story of 2009. Taking the atmosphere, stadium ready sounds of U2, Radiohead and Prince and applying them to a debut album full of indie pop was a clever move, resulting in a top ten single in UK for the slow building Sweet Disposition, and syncs in Underbelly and 90210. Many international end of year lists name this album close to pole position.
La Roux – La Roux
Featuring four hit singles and more in the wings, this British electro-pop duo (yes, I thought she was a solo artist as well) have had quite a year, debuting at number two on the UK albums chart with this eponymous release. Channelling the spirit of the Eurythmics with their methodical detached pop tunes; La Roux sounds both futuristic, and like a relic from the 80s.
Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions
Following on from the well received Puzzle, Scottish three piece Biffy Clyro have mastered a dizzying mixture of introspection (God Vs Satan) and the explosion and quirk they are better known for (Born On A Horse), a juxtaposition that has ensured their steady rise, as well as the significant step up of this long player. The album mixes radio readiness with a discernable lyrical depth. Mon The Biffy!
Fever Ray – Fever Ray
As one half of The Knife, Karin Dreijer-Andersson is used to messing with people’s heads. Branching out solo however, she’s taken that to a whole other level- murky basslines float over pitch-shifted vocals, childlike lyrics fill the spaces between haunting, Oriental-inspired melodies and Fever Ray reveals itself to be a complex and emotional journey that just gets better with each listen.
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
This was the year that Animal Collective finally reached a mainstream audience, buoyed by the success of their first ever ‘pop’ song My Girls, that reflected a simple wish for familial security and happiness, free from material constructs couched in an effervescent keyboard throb. It set girls hearts on fire and critics blabbing about what we’ve already known for years.
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
We’ll happily concede that it is probably the worst album title of the year, but once those blissful French guitar-pop hooks kick in with the delightfully twee Lisztomania, all is forgiven. It seems that no one is writing better alt-pop songs than Phoenix at the moment, instantly radio friendly, nightclub friendly and picnic appropriate, it’s romantic music for all occasions.
The XX – xx
Moody, disquieting and touching at once, this debut album from these young British upstarts is a captivating listen. With their dual vocals, hushed and breathy delivery set to post-punk basslines and awash with synths, this album revealed itself to be accomplished and innovative all at once. With dance-pop on the way out, The XX have added some gloom back into the genre and made it that much more interesting.
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
You can’t ever accuse Mos Def of not saying what he thinks… lyrically verbose, political and often hilarious, Mos Def is one of the most astute rappers around today. Bypassing all that gangsta bravado and heading deep into the meaning of what it is to be alive in the 21st century, The Ecstatic shows that he isn’t slowing down or mellowing with time.
Daniel Merriweather – Love And War
This is the album Australian’s finally sat up and listened to after long overlooking this home-grown talent for several years, but in scoring the ARIA for Best Male this year, Daniel Merriweather has finally arrived. Showcasing his marvellous pipes, soul and his ability to work with a number of collaborators across multiple genres, Love & War is a mature and thoughtful album that shows a great singer in the making.
Passionpit – Manners
Mashing up shamelessly funky samples, disco beats, chipmunk vocals and hand claps to grand effect, Passionpit put their own spin on mash-up culture while remaining true to their pop sensibilities. They found a rabid fan in John Mayer, who declared on his blog that Moth’s Wings was one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. And hey, who’s to argue with John Mayer?
Lily Allen – Its Not Me, Its You
It seemed like most people were hedging their bets on Lily’s sophomore album being a total bomb, in that she couldn’t follow up the sassy freshness of her debut album with another. Well, Lily Allen went and proved everyone wrong and seemingly, took great pleasure in doing so. Candid, tongue-in-cheek and diverse, it’s an album as much as a sign of the times.
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