Ballard's Best

2009 Music (a little late)

I highly recommend using www.allmusic.com for album reviews and artist biographies. Their bios of classic bands are great. Read the first paragraph(s) of Van Morrison, Elton John, Beatles, and others for examples.

Here was my 2009 list that I sent to some friends

Albums
I put song suggestions if you want to try before buy.
- American Music Club – The Golden Age – slow music, a great one by SF legends (for flavor, listen to “The Sleeping Beauty”” or “Who You Are” or “The Dance”). This one is 18 months old now, but I still have it in regular rotation
- Black Crowes – Before the Frost / Until the Freeze – best of their career and truly two amazing albums. May be my favorite of the year. (listen to “Been a Long Time”, “I Ain’t Hiding” or “Garden Gate”)
- Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul – companion CD to a photo book by David Lynch. Psychedelic with lots of guest singers. (Listen to “Revenge” or “Daddy’s Gone”) Record company held it back so it is unreleased but you can download it free here: http://onethirtybpm.com/2009/06/11/danger-mouse-and-sparklehorse-dark-night-of-the-soul/
- Pearl Jam – Backspacer – clearly their best album in ten or fifteen years
- Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Pop band. Their music is everywhere this year, album is good (“Lisztomania” or “1901”)
- Soundtrack of Our Lives – Communion – Double album, band from Sweden. Classic rock sounds like it is the 60s or 70s (listen to “Flipside” or “RA 88”).

Songs
- Black Moth Super Rainbow “American Face Dust”
- Brendan Benson “Feel Like Taking You Home”
- Elbow “Grounds For Divorce”
- Iron & Wine “Peng! 33” and “Such Great Heights” and “Communion Cups and Someone’s Coat” and “Waitin’ for a Superman” and “Belated Promise Ring” and “Arms of a Thief”
- Jay-Z “Reminder”
- Monsters of Folk “Man Named Truth”
- Simian Mobile Disco “Audacity of Huge”
- Yo La Tengo “Here To Fall”

On top of that, here are some albums from the 00s that are Must Buy status - off the top of my head. You prob know some or all. I would put the AMC album above in with the best of the decade. I figured that Radiohead is already on everyone’s radar.

- Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger (straightforward pop/rock with some twang, try “Everybody Knows”)
- Brendan Benson – Lapalco (pop singer-songwriter, first six songs here don’t have a weak spot. Try “Metarie”)
- Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (old time country torch songs? Best voice of the decade. No autotune here. Try “Star Witness”)
- The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike (you’ve never heard anything like this. Try “Ladyflash” Allmusic review says it all http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:j9fexqesld0e )
- Iron & Wine – Creek Drank the Cradle (quiet acoustic stuff. His first three albums are all must-buy, but start with the first. Try “Lion’s Mane” The development is evident when you compare to his songs listed up above)
- Interpol – Turn On the Bright Lights (if you don’t know them already, think of them as Joy Division performing songs by Echo and the Bunnymen. Try “Stella Was a Diver”)
- Muse – Black Holes & Revelations (best video of all time at http://www.hulu.com/watch/116458/muse-knights-of-cydonia which also gives you an idea of how seriously they take themselves)
- My Morning Jacket - Z (rock & roll with some soul and some Radiohead, try “Gideon”)
- New Order – Get Ready (less synth, more guitar, their best album from a songwriting standpoint. Try “Crystal” )
- Oasis – Dig Out Your Soul (great career capper, best album since 1st . Try “Shock of the Lightning”)
- Soundtrack of Our Lives – Behind the Music (this is another great album of classic rock in addition to the 2009 one listed above. Try “Sister Surround”. See them live if you can, as their show is hilarious and awesome)
- Sparklehorse – I can’t decide between Dreamt for Light Years or It’s a Wonderful Life. Both amazing, though the first is somewhat less ‘experimental’. Slow dreamy psychedelic pop. Try “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Shade and Honey”