Best of 2009: 40 - 31

Continuing the list of the best (read: my favorite) albums of the year:

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40: Delorean - Ayrton Senna (EP)

Spanish dance-rockers Delorean are another group I don't know much about, but this EP, Ayrton Senna, is fantastic. Smooth beats, shimmering guitars, and more hooks than you can count make this an easy choice for this list despite its fairly brief length. (More from me)

Seasun (MP3 via Pitchfork)


39: Visqueen - Message to Garcia

I found out about this album fairly late in the year, but I immediately fell in love with frontwoman Rachel Flotard and company. Visqueen makes big, crunchy guitar rock that spans the past couple decades yet feels fresh despite its familiarity. Put simply, Message to Garcia is an absolute blast.

MySpace


38: The Lonely Forest - We Sing the Body Electric

This is an album that has continually grown on me throughout the year. We Sing the Body Electric is, in some ways, a throwback to 90s alt-rock, but The Lonely Forest provide plenty of their own personalty over the course of 15 eclectic and energetic tunes. (More From Me)

We Sing in Time (MP3)

MySpace


37: Mirah - (A)Spera

Mirah's (A)spera impressed me upon first listen, but nearly got lost in the shuffle for me this year. Luckily, I managed to spend some more time with it later on and remembered immediately why I loved it; beautiful vocals, exquisite arrangements, and fine lyricism. A wonderful record. (More from me)

MySpace


36: Joshua James - Build Me This

Joshua James isn't exactly a local boy, but he did spend quite a bit of time here in Utah while growing his career. He's an amazing performer and gifted songwriter, and on Build Me This, he raises the bar set by his debut with 13 emotionally-charged folk-rock tunes. (More from me)

Magazine (MP3)

MySpace


35: Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem

Ever the adventurous type, Phil Elverum's newest project, Mount Eerie, is perhaps his most ambitious and startling yet. Wind's Poem is something like a metal-folk album, with dense drones and thunderous bouts of noise blended in with more acoustic guitar interludes for a unique and truly compelling experience.

MySpace (I think)


34: Polvo - In Prism

Though 12 years separates In Prism from its predecessor, you wouldn't know it just by hearing the record. Polvo sounds invigorated and inspired, crafting a very strong set of nine rock tracks that should be a delight for both longtime fans and newcomers alike. Would that all comeback albums were this great.

MySpace


33: Roman Candle - Oh Tall Tree In The Ear

Roman Candle's Oh Tall Tree In The Ear is a simple and even modest records in many respects, but the songwriting here is anything but ordinary. The band's earnest brand of pop-rock is straightforward and mostly gimmick-free, with lyrics that provide the assurance that great storytelling can still be found in rock 'n' roll.

MySpace


32: The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come

Josh Darnielle maintains his status as one of indie rock's greatest songwriters on the Bible and faith-based The Life of the World to Come. It's a more mellow record (often, anyway) than most of his previous efforts, but it's no less engaging or powerfully personal.

MySpace


31: jj - jj n° 2

With heavenly female vocals, sunny, relaxed beats, and sharp production, jj n° 2 is a brief but absolutely gorgeous record that effectively puts jj on the map, whoever they are. The anonymous Swedish artists already have another one in the works, so prepare accordingly. (More from me)

Ecstasy (MP3)

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@ In Review Online: Unheard of #4

Once again, if you follow this blog, some of these picks may seem redundant, but my Unheard Of series over at In Review Online is a chance to get some of my favorites a little more time in the spotlight. Check out a small bit on the bands below or head to the full article for free tunes and more info.

Full Article

Bands Featured:

The Lonely Forest - "We Sing the Body Electric...is one of this year's most overlooked rock albums."

A Grave With No Name - "Mountain Debris may seem slight to those who find the band's eccentricities to be less compelling, but for the more adventurous, the finely crafted details of the music become wholly absorbing..."

Boomsnake - "On their upcoming release, the duo embellish and improve upon their best material with additional layers of instrumentation and cleaner production, expanding their sonic palette and capitalizing on teh promise they've exhibited on past recordings."

Keegan DeWitt - "DeWitt has already earned praise for the music he's created for various indies, but this time around he's showing his chops as a singer/songwriter, which, it turns out, well-compliment his compositional skills."

Little Tybee - "Little Tybee stand out amidst the throng of similar experimental indie bands vying for our collective attention."

Introducing...The Lonely Forest

The idea of rock bands being stylistically stuck in the 90s does not, at this point in my life, appeal to me, but when I was recently introduced to The Lonely Forest, I found a notable exception to my rule. The Seattle-area natives released a very solid album earlier this year, provocatively entitled We Sing the Body Electric, a record that brings to mind the alternative rock of a decade (or so) ago blended with more modern 'indie' influences as well as bits of classic rock and psychedelia. The result is a dynamic and exciting set of fifteen tracks varying in speed and intensity but consistently impressing at every turn, which should help to extend the band's influence beyond their home state where they've made quite a name for themselves.

Immediate standout and first single, "We Sing In Time" reveals The Lonely Forest's appeal early in the proceedings. It's a fairly standard alt-rock song in structure, but the band hits all the right sweet spots and turn it into a clap-and-singalong tune of epic proportion. The frantic drums, chugging guitars, and singer John Van Deusen earnestly and melodically wailing one of this year's biggest choruses makes this an easy pick for best track on the album. The band follows a similar pattern on several of the record's tunes, especially the earlier cuts, though they try their hand a variety of stylistic variations with success. "Tomato Soup" is a gorgeous piano ballad and duet, "Borders and Towns" leans toward more straightforward punk rock, and the beautiful closer "Mt. Constitution" opens with a vocal-only intro before transitioning into a drum-heavy march.

We Sing the Body Electric is almost too grand in its ambition at a lengthy 53 minutes, but aside from a couple less than spectacular tracks, the material is very strong and worth taking the time to absorb in its entirety. These guys will definitely be on my radar going forward, and I suggest you get yourself introduced as well. Download "We Sing In Time" from the new album below and visit the group at MySpace to hear more.

We Sing In Time (MP3)