2009: The Albums

Well, I'm happy to say that 2009 was a significantly better year for me that 2008 was. Although I managed to say away from really bad news for the most part, I did have to step up my work schedule quite a bit for mildly unfortunate reasons, which meant that the opportunities to take part in this here blogging hobby of mine had to suffer, just a little bit. Whenever I did find a moment to post something, there was usually a belated show review that I had to get to, which meant that I didn't get a chance to review as many albums as I have in previous years. This didn't mean that I avoided listening to music every chance I could though, and there have been some pretty impressive things released over the course of the year.

Looking over some of the other lists that have already emerged made me realize that there is a lot of stuff that I just haven't gotten around to listening to yet, but surprisingly, this is the first year that I remember being mostly OK with that. I am quite happy with the albums that made my list, and the fact that I still haven't gotten around to listening to heavy hitters like Fever Ray, Little Boots and even the mighty Neko Case's current releases and it isn't keeping me awake at night the way that these things used to, is making me surprisingly proud of my newfound maturity. I'm growing up kids; I'm growing up. And here's the list:

1. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love (Review)

So if you've been following the blog at all, then you've already seen me gush about this album before, and you've already seen its unusually high position on my 'best of the decade' list and you already knew that this was going to be number one. So, let's move on... (Myspace)

Video: The Rake Song on youtube

2. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

I realize that this is a recent album, but man does it take me back. Every party that I went to between 1989 and 1992 was jammed with this style of melancholy shoegaze-y pop music, and TPOBPAH and I must've been attending the same parties because they've got the sound nailed, and I gotta say that I love them for it. (Myspace)

Download: Everything With You mp3

3. The Paint Movement - Our Eurythmy (Review)

My vote for local release of the year goes to this unassuming group of intense brass rockers who've nailed a sound that I've been waiting approximately 30 years for. That's right, I've been longing for their sound since I was about 6 years old. If you don't believe me, ask my parents! I've looked around and although you could compare them to Broken Social Scene and the like, their lush sounding, jazz tinged indie vibe stands alone and I honestly don't hear anyone else that sounds like them right now. Anywhere. (Myspace)

Download: Knock Knock mp3

4. The xx - XX

By george, I think that The xx have finally got it. Several bands have been trying over the past few years to master the art of creating an unforced Ian Curtis inspired drone and while a few have come close (see Interpol, Editors, etc) others have simply come across as contrived. But The xx have done it! The album is flawless from start to finish, and the fact that it sounds so effortless fills me with the hope that these guys may just have a natural knack for all things droneful and shoegazelike, and if that's the case, the rest of their output will continue to be equally as mindblowing. Here's hoping! (Myspace)

Download: Basic Space mp3

5. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns

I know people that love Bat For Lashes and I know people that hate them. Although I can't really speak for the under 30 crowd, the thirtysomethings among us who find themselves missing the glory years of Kate Bush, have probably latched onto this album with both hands because it captures that sound perfectly. I absolutely loved Kate, so it was a no brainer that this album would speak to me in the way that it has. Absolutely mesmerizing. (Myspace)

Video: Daniel on youtube

6. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career (Review)

Although the album is pretty much just more of the same delicately tortured music that we've come to expect from the Obscura crew, when it sounds this good, why mess with it? The album as a whole may not be their strongest release to date, but even a lesser album by these tweesters is going to be better than most albums by anyone else. (Myspace)

Download: My Maudlin Career mp3

7. Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain Is A Mouth

I used to believe that when it comes to the music that I like, the human voice is probably the least important instrument. Bruce Peninsula have proved me wrong. The vocals and choirs on this album are celebratory to say the least, as this album is probably the most uplifting release of the year. Some have claimed that it doesn't quite reach the heights that their live show does, but if that's the case, then I still have yet to see them perform at their best because to my ears, there's never been an album that harnesses the live sound better than this one. (Myspace)

Download: Steamroller mp3

8. Elbow with the BBC Orchestra - The Seldom Seen Kid Live At Abbey Road

I've always been a big fan of live orchestral reworkings of already established albums. Some would refer to such efforts as a blasphemous form of sacrilege, but I've always thought there was something to be said about making a great album sound larger than life. To be honest, when the original version of this album won the Mercury Prize in 2008, I admittedly didn't fully understand the hype. Not only do I think that this version is better, I think it's absolutely spellbinding. (Myspace)

Video: Grounds For Divorce on youtube

9. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Although this was released all the way back in January, I actually didn't get around to properly listening to it until about three months ago. Having done so, I have to admit that it is fully worthy of all of the praise that it's been receiving throughout the year, and the fact that this album seems to be topping more year end's than any other, does not surprise me. Yes, it's a little bit more streamlined and accessible than previous albums, but it's still just weird enough that it sounds like Animal Collective. Only time will tell, but there's a part of me that thinks that this may be their Pet Sounds. (Myspace)

Video: My Girls on youtube

10. Fox Jaws - At Odds (or Exercises in Separation While United In The Fall) (Review)

And those kids from Barrie have done it again! This album is everything that a sophomore release is supposed to be, and more. It's a definite step up in production (no doubt due to the masterful work of the Nevado crew), it's just experimental enough to stand on its own as a separate entity to their debut, yet it's not so different that everything that made the debut so great is suddenly lost. This album solidifies the fact that Fox Jaws are still one of my favorite bands. (Myspace)

Download: Ahab's Ghost mp3

Honorable Mention #1:
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul

I really really contemplated including this album on the list because quite frankly, it's one of the best albums of the year by far. However, the fact that it was never technically released disqualifies it from the final list. The legal kerfuffle that prevented this David Lynch soundtrack from ever seeing the light of day has been well documented elsewhere so there's no need for me to get into that, but let's just say that it's a confirmation that Suzanne Vega has still got it, Iggy Pop and Black Francis are legendary for a reason and Julian Casablancas has the ability to not be crappy when he's being led in the proper direction by the right people. Add in appearances by Gruff Rhys, Wayne Coyne, Jason Lytle and more and you've got an album that's ... well, need I say more? I don't want to be the one that recommends that you hit them innernets and search this one out but....

Other Honorable Mentions:
Sunparlour Players - Wave North
Dog Day - Concentration
Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
Sonic Youth - The Eternal
Various Artists - Dark Was The Night
Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
The Racoon Wedding - Gather Gather Bones Rattle Rattle Truth
Son Volt - American Central Dust
The Schomberg Fair - Gospel
The Hoa Hoa's - Pop/Drone/Pedals
The Balconies - The Balconies
El Perro Del Mar - Love Is Not Pop

2009's best songs, shows and individual performances will be up next week, along with a review of the wicked awesome Spiral Beach show that I went to last week. Thanks for reading!

Ketch Harbour Wolves - Dead Calm Horizon

A couple of my Toronto Music Blog Collective colleagues have been relentlessly preaching the gospel of the Ketch Harbour Wolves for a few weeks now, so I figured it was high time that I check out this highly praised Ontario-by-way-of-Nova-Scotia-based outfit. To say that they have received high praise around these parts is somewhat of an understatement, as their sophomore EP Dead Calm Horizon has hit the top of no less than three best of 2008 lists. Add to that the fact that they're currently allowing you to download the whole EP for free on their website and you've got yourself a band that is doing everything they can to make sure that one cannot ignore them for too long. So is this a band worthy of such fanatical hyper praise, or should I simply call the Tokyo police this vampire weekend, clap my hands and say yeah, here's another overrated blog band for ya?

Well, overall I'm gonna say nope; Dead Calm Horizon is a very good album that is far and away better than most of the major label albums that you have to pay for. Admittedly, as the first few songs whizzed by, I thought that they were a little bit on the "yep, I was there for XTC and Interpol the first time around" side of the fence, and my enthusiasm was relatively reserved. I think the outrageously cold Toronto weather is turning me into a tougher critic than usual. But all good things come to those who wait and it was about a minute into Gold (track 3) that everything was starting to come together for me. Jonathan Tyrell's vocals are sombre and controlled, which I'd imagine wouldn't be easy to do when the band's playing is filled with such a fiery intensity. Each song gets better than the one before. Midnight Dark Water is the closest they get to rocking out, and it's presented with such an inspirational zeal that it harks back to some of the great punk inspired bands of the early 80's that have since gone on to become great big stadium rock bores. Tyrell should play that song for Bono and remind him of what he used to be. (That's right, I said it.) The last two songs on the album are my favourites. Animals is a lesson on restraint. The song is absolutely epic; not in length, but in style. The potential is there for the song to be lifted well into the stratosphere, with ringing guitars and keyboard solos aplenty, which admittedly would still have been kinda cool. But now that gives us something to look forward to when they perform it live, because the euphoric experience that this song could be on the live stage makes me giddy just thinking about it. And Letters, the last song, is beyond beautiful. It's the kind of song that makes it hard to listen to anything else once the album's finished.

I've listened to the album four or five times this week, and it just keeps growing stronger. KHW have definitely got a good thing going on and it'll be fun keeping track of their progress over the next little while. Do yourself a favour, and download the album now, if you haven't already done so.

Ketch Harbour Wolves are playing Holy Joe's at 651 Queen St West on Thursday January 22nd.

Myspace: Ketch Harbour Wolves
Download: Animals mp3


Download: Midnight Dark Water mp3


Other Stuff:
Left Of Zero is playing The Horseshoe tonight. [Myspace: Left Of Zero]

The lovely and talented Olenka and the Autumn Lovers is playing at Rancho Relaxo on Saturday night (Jan 17th) along with a slightly psychedelic band from Brampton called The Odyssey's and a dreamy band from Ottawa called That's The Spirit. [Myspaces: Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, The Odyssey's, That's The Spirit]

Classic rockers The Joys have just released a video for Storm, from the Unfold CD. It was shot in Toronto at the Lakeshore. [Myspace: The Joys]

U2's 12th studio album is entitled No Line On The Horizon and it's out on March 3rd. The track listing has been revealed, (can be seen on Snob's Music,) as has the news that the first single will be Get On Your Boots, which begins streaming on the website on Tuesday January 20th. I wouldn't normally be very excited about this (and admittedly I'm not, actually) but the album is produced by Steve Lillywhite, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who produced all of their great albums. So, who knows? [Myspace: U2]

Animal Collective played a new song, possibly called Blue Sky at KOKO in London. The song is not on their latest album, the very weird Merriweather Post Pavilion (which can be streamed over at Rhapsody) but it is currently available for download over at Stereogum. [Myspace: Animal Collective]

Ex-band Be Your Own Pet's ex-lead singer Jemima Pearl talks about how fun it is to get in trouble in New York, karaoke-ing David Lee Roth songs and her new solo project over at Pitchfork. [Myspace: Be Your Own Pet]

And finally, this isn't exactly rock 'n roll news, but cinematic great Ricardo Montalban has passed away and Now Magazine has written a pretty interesting tribute to him. You can see his performance in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan at Fox Beaches on Tuesday night (January 20th) at 7pm. Altogether now: Khhhaaaaaaaaannnnnn!!!!