Best of 2009: 20 - 11

More great albums!

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20: Fanfarlo - Reservoir

Newcomers Fanfarlo are off to a very hot start with Reservoir, an epic indie-rock album that I think was criminally overlooked this year by most everyone. Between the strings, the horns, and the anthematic choruses, it's about impossible to find something to dislike in the well-crafted songs on their debut. (More from me)

Mp3s via Obscure Sound

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19: Sissy Wish - Beauties Never Die

Norwegian singer Siri Ålberg, or Sissy Wish, is another of those artists I feel has been criminally overlooked in 2009. Beauties Never Die showcases her inventive pop style, covering a variety of territory over ten tracks that add up to one of the best pure pop records released this year. (More from me)

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18: Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains

Though sometimes reminiscent of groups like Pavement and Built to Spill, Cymbals Eat Guitars have established their own remarkable identity on their debut, Why There Are Mountains. It's an indie rock record like they used to make 'em, but with a decidedly modern twist - and it's great. (More from me)

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17: Romona Falls - Intuit

I didn't hear this until late in the year, but Intuit, the first effort from Ramona Falls (the side project from Menomena member Brent Knopf) is an absolute stunner. The exquisite arrangements and spectacular melodies show Knopf has plenty to offer both with and without his bandmates.

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16: Miranda Lambert - Revolution

So I'm not typically much of a country fan, but it's impossible to deny that Miranda Lambert's Revolution is anything but an outstanding record. Her gorgeous voice and strong songwriting makes this 15-track sprawl of her latest work (and work very well) in all its excess and eclecticism.

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15: fun. - Aim and Ignite

Ex-Format member Nate Ruess' new band is one I suspected I'd like just fine, but I'm now certain that Aim and Ignite is the best work Ruess has yet done. The orchestral indie music comprising this debut more than lives up to the goofy band name, with ten unabashedly sunny pop tunes. (More from me)

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14: Will Stratton - No Wonder

Singer/songwriter Will Stratton has released his second great album in a row at the age of only 22, establishing himself as a genuine and bright new talent. His writing is superb, his delivery mature and poised, and his musical talent quite apparent on the beautiful No Wonder (More from me)

Who Will (MP3)

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13: Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

I still think I prefer Phoenix's previous effort, It's Never Been Like That, but the many strengths of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix makes that difficult to say definitively. Besides sporting a couple of this year's biggest singles, the entire album fits together smoothly for one great pop-rock record. (More from me)

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12: Mos Def - The Ecstatic

Mos Def's The Ecstatic is a wealth of ideas and styles, but in many ways it seems to be without many distractions, a pure rap album with a clear sense of purpose. Sure it has 16 tracks, but it's still lean, mean and wholly absorbing - a near masterpiece as far as I'm concerned.

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11: Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

Neko Case has been so solid this decade, and Middle Cyclone is yet another example of her genuine talent and inimitable style. With an impressive supporting cast, Case offers a varied and consistently enthralling set of folk-r0ck tunes that compare well with her best work. (More from me)

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Three for...Tuesday: Sissy Wish, Rose Melberg, A Hawk and a Hacksaw

Sissy Wish -

Siri Ålberg is Sissy Wish, a Swedish Singer/songwriter with a knack for danceable melodies and engagingly experimental music. I hadn't heard a thing about her until recently when I came across her new album, Beauties Never Die, and now I can't stop listening. The record is infectious and fun, hopping genres and combining them over the course of ten tracks, with Ålberg's uniquely high voice (almost whiny at times, really, but it works for her) confidently and eagerly spouting everything from pop ditties to dance anthems to lovely ballads. She fills her music with all sorts of instrumentation including unique percussion, layers of synth, and sweeping strings among the more standard guitar, bass, and keys. Each track is great, but the last three are particularly amazing: the punchy, funky "Dependence," the sparsely beautiful "Music On the Radio" and the fantastic, retro-pop-imbued "Book" for the grand finale. Beauties Never Die is among the best pop records I've heard this year - listen up.

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Rose Melberg -

Folk songstress Rose Melberg has been a part of several bands I've not yet had the pleasure of hearing, including Tiger Trap, Go Sailor, and The Softies. If you're a fan of any of those groups, I suppose a new solo album from Melberg is great news, but even for those of us who haven't been introduced, Homemade Ship is very much worth a listen. Melberg's gentle, warm voice and intimate songwriting style over sparse, acoustic instrumentation makes for plenty of genuinely gorgeous moments on her new record and for folk junkies like myself, her charm is impossible to resist. Opener "Things That We Do" is a perfect example of her style, with only her acoustic guitar beneath her voice, occasionally double tracked for an ethereal effect, and a melody that's simply captivating. In fact, vocals and guitar are (with very few exceptions) the only noticeable instruments throughout the album's brief 32 minutes, but Melberg manages to keep things interesting for the record's duration by conveying a convincing array of emotion and depth. Other highlights are "Old Days," "Moon Singer," and "The Whistle Calling You," but each tune is worth your time.

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A Hawk and a Hacksaw -

For many, A Hawk and a Hacksaw is not a new name, especially as it's been the main project of former Neutral Milk Hotel drummer Jeremy Barnes, but I imagine there are plenty of others who haven't yet actually heard the group's work and still need an introduction. Barnes and his collaborators make mostly instrumental music with a decidedly Eastern European feel, using accordion, violin and trumpet among other instruments I probably wouldn't be able to accurately identify. Their new record, Délivrance, may be the best I've heard from the band, a thoroughly entertaining display of virtuoso musicianship and progressive musical ideas combined with traditional European influences. The few vocal tracks on Délivrance are less interesting than when the group just let their instruments do the talking; the fiery, twisting "The Man Who Sold His Beard" and the quick stomp of "Turkiye" are particularly excellent. If you haven't before, now's the time to hear A Hawk and a Hacksaw.




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