The End of Year Review II : Music 2009

2009 was supposed to be the year of excitement.  Most of my favourite bands were releasing new albums and I couldn't wait!

Then everyone released their albums and they all mostly sucked.  Big time.  This is a very sad list to make but things need to be ranked and bitched about.

There are a couple of albums that were not released in 2009 but I listened to them this year and they will be counted.  I realize I usually do this and while unfair, meh...ask me if I care too much.

Also this year, I tried to do a 'mathematical equation' to get results suited to best and worst albums.  I ranked songs out of five and added the total - obviously this experiment failed for the most part as not every album has the same number of songs but it did force me to listen to each song individually and make a determination as to which songs really were great, horrible or just okay.  In that sense, my stupid method was successful because 1 great song does not make 1 great album.

11. U2 - No Line on the Horizon

U2, WTF? For the first time in our lives as U2 fans, we can honestly say that they have an album that's unlistenable.  For many people, those albums were Pop and Zooropa (why? I continue to question...those albums are fantastic!), but for the HOchieS it was definitely this latest.

There are many words to describe this album: recycled, lazy and boring.

Anyone who tries to tell me this is experimental, needs a slap.  This is not experimental - it's bad.  I can hear a lot of old and new U2 merged into one and somehow it managed to be crap.  Maybe that's due to the fact that they ripped off themselves? I expected more.

So great was the disappointment after the whole Giants Stadium debacle that I have self-imposed a ban on U2 songs for the rest of the year.  I refuse to listen to anything by them!

Also, I have re-named this album to something a bit more suitable: No Hope on the Horizon.

Best Songs: Any? Yeah, okay.  There was at least one.  Maybe two? Two too many! "No Line on the Horizon" was a decent one, for H1 it was probably "Moment of Surrender".

Album Cover Review: Grey and dull, much like the music.  Ha.  Truthfully, though, I like this cover.  "B".

H1 vs Or 2 = 5 > 6.  H1 wins.

10.  Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown

After the awesome album that was American Idiot, Green Day decides to follow with a WTF.  If only that were the title of the album and it was good.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  I was wise to GD's tricks...  The album had over 20 tracks but quantity does not translate to quality.  That was a failed cover up, GD.  It really was.

The songs were much more appreciated in concert but that does not save this album in any way.

Best Songs: "Peacemaker", "East Jesus Nowhere", and "Song of the Century".

H1 vs Or 2 = 5 > 6. H1 wins.

Album Cover Review: As BH would say, "boring".  I really dislike this cover.

9. Illinois - The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe

Ever since they opened for The Fratellis at the Roseland Ballroom, I have been anxiously awaiting something from this band.  It may be that they translate better live but this was just a  decent album.  The vocals can be odd, the lyrics are more put together but not really all that fun as with "What The Hell Do I Know?" for many of the songs and the music was still uniquely arranged for a bit of it but a bit 'mainstream' on most.  Well, I still love the banjo!

Best Songs: "Old Saloon", "An Open Door", "I Hate Love" and "Kid Catastrophe".

H1 vs Or 2 = 5 < 6. A winner is me.

Album Cover Review: Designed by a fan (or fans), I think I like the entire series, kind of.  "B-"

8. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

I never would have picked this up on my own but two degrees of separation away from the band, and a free album - keyword being "free", the least I could do was listen.

Never a fan of Bruce Springsteen (GA has been compared to him) and certainly never a fan of NJ (yes, they hail from none other), I listened with reservations but was not offended by what I heard.

While I have not been converted as I will not seek out anything in a similar style or maybe any follow up albums by them, I can still admit that this album is not bad at all actually.

Best of Songs: "Here's Looking At You, Kid" (a song I quite love, really), "Casanova, Baby!" and "Great Expectations".

H1 vs Or 2 = 5< 6. A Winner is me.

Album Cover Review: Blargh.  Why do I need to look at you? "F."

7.  TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain

Having only discovered TVotR last year thanks to their incredible Dear Science, I had to get this album.  I did not love this as much as the aforementioned third album but respect that this was very solid.  I felt it was a bit too similar between songs in a way but not dull by any means.  Far from it, really and a great introduction to a really good band.

Best Songs: "Playhouses", "Wolf Like Me", and "Dirtywhirl".

H1 vs Or 2 = 5 > 6. H1 wins.

Album Cover Review: Hmm...it looks like a giant nest and I don't really see any cookies... "B".

6. The Horrors - Primary Colours

Things that throw me off - bands that turn 180 degrees.  I enjoyed the Brit. goth trashiness of the first The Horrors album a lot.  It was scarily 'bad' and incredibly entertaining.  I liked the fast pace nonsense, and the electronica.  I was happy to discover they would be releasing another and lo and behold, I questioned whether or not I was listening to the same band.

What's this? Songs that aren't creepily dark? Songs that aren't fast? Songs that....sound well-thought out?! Oh the horror! Umm...sorry.

But you know? It's not so bad.  In fact, it's a pretty good listen.  But I still feel betrayed and cannot accept the fact that it's all so sullen with cleaner arrangements.

Best Songs: "Scarlet Fields" (ooo, one of my favourites all year!), "Sea Within a Sea", "Three Decades" and "I Only Think of You".

H1 vs Or 2 = 5 < 6. A Winner is me.

Album Cover Review: "B-" They're there yet not.  I like it.

5. Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

This was a pretty huge disappointment for me for the most part.  I must have listened to it briefly once when I first got it and had to force myself to listen for this review.  It turned out not as horrendous as I initially thought and still not bad enough to be at the bottom of the list but it really is a bottom of the list as far as FF albums go.  It should not even be on a list from them as it is that embarrassing.

The songs are not as clever as their other work and that is the charm to FF.  That charm is mostly gone as they created a dumbed down 'club' collection of songs with annoying sounding bits.  What happened to my smart Scots?

Best Songs:  "Dream Again", "Ulysses", "Lucid Dreams (original)", and "Bite Hard".

H1 vs Or 2 = 5 < 6. A winner is me.

Album Cover Review: "C-" While I do not mind having to see them, I do appreciate their trying to avert my eyes from a horrible album but if only they would have done more to block my ears when I really needed them to.

4.  Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

There are so many hateful things I can say about this album.  This year was so bad for music that even Arctics with their crap third album they still managed to make it as high as number 4.  Truly, this is a mostly crap album.

Why is it so crap? Let me point some fingers -

Alex Turner and his happiness from that stupid girl.  Where's your wit, AT? I'm glad the boys are comfortable with who they are and what they do.  H1 and I have 'watched' them grow up but it doesn't really make me too happy that is the end result.  This album was supposed to have been the one I listened to a million times by now but that is not the case at all.  It saddens me how boring it is.  Not enough biting wit, lyrically not as challenging and sharp if at all, and 'boring' musically.  Matthew always needs to shine and he doesn't.

I am pointing the finger at Josh Homme.  You, J.H. need to stay the eff away from Arctic Monkeys.  They did not need a desert experience.  As a producer, J.H.'s signature is all over that shit.  It SOUNDS like Queens of the Stone Age a bit.  And I don't even LIKE them (save Era Vulgaris, which was just stellar), in fact, it is safe to say that I am close to 'really hating' QOTSA.  His insistence on producing AM pushes me of the edge to taking out the "really" in that 'really hating' phrase.

::sigh::

Best Songs:  "Pretty Visitors", "Potion Approaching", "Secret Door", and "Cornerstone".

H1 vs Or 2 = 5 > 6. H1 wins.

Album Cover Review: "D".  There's not enough Nick! Where is he?! I do see Matthew though and Alex looking like a hipster.  Ugh.  The Cookie I can do without.  'cary.

3. The Killers - Day and Age

It's been a long time since I listened to an album by this band that I liked.  Okay, so maybe there was only one in between their first and this but considering I had an O.D. of The Killers, it was amazing I even decided to give this one a spin.  It came out in December of last year and I had every intention of avoiding but Rock Band has on more than one occasion forced me to buy a song or listen to a band for their often excellent song selection.

I loved the song "Spaceman".  It's a pretty stupid song and most songs on this album don't make too much sense.  Artfully stringing together some form of pop I can sing along to is one thing The Killers know how to do.  I was also intrigued that the vocals did not sound much like Brandon Flowers to me.  Then I actually listened to the album and found it to be much better than the crappy Sam's Town.  In fact, they were back to form almost (nothing can be better than Hot Fuss)! And I actually wanted to go back on the Almost Pop Drug called The Killers!

That's so wrong of me...

Best Songs:  "I Can't Stay", "Spaceman", "Losing Touch" and "Goodnight, Travel Well"

H1 vs Or 2 = 5 < 6. A Winner is me.

Album Cover Review: "A".  You know, I really like this one a lot.  It's so purple and mosaic like.

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

I never felt that any of the previous YYY albums I could like as a whole.  Collectively, they're good but as stand alone albums they've never been very solid for me.  They have lots of great songs and they're certainly a great band but they never had that one album I salute and hail as all greatness.  The only thing that came close was the Is Is EP. 

And now It's Blitz!

I struggled with my number 1 album of 2009.  This almost made it (and didn't not because I am biased) but as I rated songs, I realised that for the most part, the album had really great songs but mostly mixed with average tracks.

It's an amazing album nonetheless, with the TVotR producer working his magic.  This is a point I wanted to make - when I first got the album, I was amazed at how much influence a producer has because there were elements similar to Dear Science.

The songs are fun, David Chase as a drummer sounded like he had lots of fun, Karen O. has one of the best vocals of all bands these days and I heart Nick Zinner's guitar'ing and experimenting.

Best Songs: "Hysteric" (another fav. of the year), "Dull Life", and "Heads Will Roll"

H1 vs Or 2 = 5 > 6. H1 wins.

Album Cover Review: "B".  I kinda like it; I'm kinda grossed out by it and I can just see the rage against that poor egg.  Be kind to eggs.


1. MUSE - The Resistance

Really, I am not biased.  I can admit when MUSE got crap going on with them! Of the 5 albums, this is probably my 4th liked (Showbiz is still not the greatest to me).  It's pretty good though.  There's a symphony but honestly, while the symphony itself is really good, I am not as impressed with the fact that Matt wrote a 3 part symphony only due to the fact that I listen to a lot of Final Fantasy video game music and Anime music where music often classical in nature and otherwise is so vital to the feel of those forms of art that the music is often guaranteed to be amazing.  It's been done and continues to be done.

The Resistance is grandiose, much more so than Black Holes and Revelations - with more stadium anthems than ever before.  What I do like about this album a lot is how much fun my boys are having.  They're comfortable, doing more than quite well, produced this themselves (and the sound is quite great, actually) and now they're just doing what they want to do and I can respect that.

Song wise, this album is plenty radio friendly with not enough (or any?) killer riffs Matt is known for but despite all of this, it's still MUSE at its core.

Best Songs:  "Unnatural Selection" (THE song of the year for me! followed by Arctic Monkey's "Catapult" from the b-side to "Cornerstone"), "Exogenesis Symphony", and "Uprising".  And yes, I even love "Undisclosed Desires" as pop as it is.  Ugh.  But MUSE also had the WORST song this year that got a big fat zero from me in the form of "Guiding Light".  What a nightmare that was.

H1 vs Or 2 = 5 < 6.  A Winner is Me.  Big time.  H1, you got "Guiding Light" and I do feel sorry for you.

Album Cover Review:  "A+".  For the first time in the history of MUSE album covers, I like this one a lot.  It should have been the first indicator that the album would not be that good, I guess.  Aha.  Next time I'll know...

ANIME and VIDEO GAME Best OST List - 2009

1.  Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
2.  The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
3.  Soul Eater 2
4.  Kuroshitsuji
5.  Sayonara Zetsubuo Sensei (series)
6.  Persona 3
7.  Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou
8.  Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
9.  Rock Band 2 (2009 was a sad year for DLC but did have Queen!)
10. Patapon 2


Currently listening to: "I Think I'm Paranoid" by Garbage.