Jim Cantiello's Top 10 Albums of 2009
Jim Cantiello was a day late with his Top 10 Albums of 2009 article for MTV News, so we are posting his list here as he posted it on Twitter early this morning.
JIM CANTIELLO’S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2009
10. Antony & The Johnsons "The Crying Light" Antony & The Johnsons - The Crying Light
The quivering-voiced angel offered a beautiful batch of new songs that touched on familial drama and mortality. Sure, it's not as game-changing as their 2005 masterpiece, "I Am A Bird Now," but it's a solid addition to their frustratingly slim discography.
Standout track: "Another World" is a deceptively simple list of things Antony will miss when he dies. The feedback that sweeps in quietly underneath the lyric "I'm gonna miss the wind" gives me chills every time.
9. Psychedelic Horseshit “Shitgaze Anthems” EP
The Psychedelic rockers put out a lot of music in ’09, but I dug this EP the most. In less than 14 minutes, the Ohio trio prove that genres as varied as lo-fi punk, reggae and 60’s psychedelic rock can all co-exist in a weird, warped blender.
Standout track: “Are You On Glass” is the perfect gateway drug to the band’s shtick.
8. Girls "Album" Girls - Album (Bonus Track Version)
The vibe may recall sunny pop from yesteryear, but the lyrics suggest the music came from a troubled place. What pushes this debut into my Top 10 is Christopher Owens' tour-de-force performance, whose vocals are uniquely expressive. Forget a Grammy (or, more realistically, a Gummy), give this dude an Oscar.
Standout track: For up-tempo you can't go wrong with their single "Lust for Life," and for an epic ballad, try the slow burn of "Hellhole Ratrace."
7. Dirty Projectors "Bitte Orca" Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
The Brooklyn group managed to make their music a hundred times more accessible on album #2 yet still retain the angular oddness that set them apart to begin with.
Standout track: The R&B-inspired "Stillness Is The Move" gets all the press (and the Solange covers) but I'd suggest you try "Useful Chamber" to get a good grasp on the band's raison d'être.
6. Deerhunter - "Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP"/Atlas Sound "Logos"/"Rough Trade EP” Deerhunter - Rainwater Cassette Exchange - EP
I'll admit that I'm a diehard fan of Bradford Cox, the Deerhunter singer behind the Atlas Sound project. The prolific music maker could post an MP3 of a sneeze on his blog and I'd likely download it, listen to it and then analyze it for weeks. That's not to say that Bradford and his Deerhunter band mates don't deserve kudos for honing their craft and delivering exhilarating tunes in ’09. “Rainwater” has the band traveling further down the 60’s-pop-meets-krautrock road they hinted at in 2008, while the most recent EP Cox released in conjunction with his stellar “Logos” LP transforms the bedroom artist as a roaming acoustic troubadour.
Standout track: Deerhunter's "Game of Diamonds" began as a noisy shoegaze blog toss-off and evolved into one of the most gorgeous and focused songs the band has ever recorded.
5. The Flaming Lips "Embryonic" The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Just when I was ready to write them off as past-their-prime rockers coasting on cruise control, they go ahead and release their most ambitious project in a decade. Over the course of a sprawling double-album, Wayne Coyne croons about planets and space and frogs while Karen O occasionally chirps (and barks and shouts) along. It's a long and bizarre trip well worth taking.
Standout track: "Evil" takes my breath away. The calming tones seduce me into a gorgeous world only to have sonic booms thrust me into a nightmare. A beautiful nightmare.
4. "American Idol" Releases
2009 will go down as the year that I actually considered "Idol" albums as artistic statements. The retro-soul found on Season 6's Melinda Doolittle's "Coming Back To You" was well worth the wait and Season 7's Michael Johns' "Hold Back My Heart" offered a similarly cohesive and satisfying sound. But it was Brooke White's "High Hopes and Heartbreak" that ended up resonating with me the most. Surrounded by a loose, live-feeling production, Brooke's 70's singer-songwriter-obsessed persona shines. (Plus, she covered Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" long before the song became ubiquitous. Bonus points.) And then there was the awesome artistry of the Kradison records! Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment" was an addictive romp, Allison Iraheta's "Just Like You" exposed every other teen rocker as a phony and Kris Allen's self-titled disc is the strongest debut album from an "Idol" winner ever. Plus, three cheers for Kelly Clarkson's return to the power-pop throne on "All I Ever Wanted,” as well as Jordin Sparks’ killer “Battlefield” single, which is the rare radio hit that sounds even better on the 400th listen.
Standout track: The jaunty jangle of Jason Castro's "Let's Just Fall In Love Again" is a sunny ode to keeping a long-term relationship fresh. The playful, honest lyrics coupled with an instantly hummable melody makes Jason's ditty one of the most charming, original and exciting debut singles of any "Idol" contestant.
3. Shakira – “She Wolf” Shakira - She Wolf (Deluxe Version)
On paper this album just shouldn't work. Take one of the biggest music stars in the world, strap on some disco shoes, have her howl at the moon and sing about clogged up toilets. What a mess, right? Wrong! "She Wolf" is fun, flirty, idiosyncratic and attention grabbing. Is that an accordion mixed in with a hip hop beats on "Good Stuff?" Yep. Is the Columbian pop princess threatening to steal my clothes and wear them in "Gypsy?" Sounds like it. Did Shakira reunite with "Hips Don't Lie" buddy Wyclef Jean to make a dark track about stalking? Apparently! Did I just hit repeat on this painfully brief album? You know I did.
Standout track: "Men In This Town" has Shakira referencing Matt Damon, cooing like Kate Bush and growling like Cyndi Lauer. It's a batty New Wave song in the middle of an album of sexy booty-shakers. Like the rest of "She Wolf,” it sounds like the craziest idea ever but Shakira's fearless commitment makes it crazy good.
2. Grizzly Bear – “Veckatimest” Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
These Brooklyn audiophiles expanded their meticulous sound by adding an orchestra and a children's choir to the proceedings. As stunning as the production is, it's the songwriting that's worth championing. "Two Weeks," "Southern Point," "All We Ask." The band's never churned out more straightforward rock songs. Well, you know, as straightforward as five-part-harmonies allow.
Standout Track: Breakup anthem "While You Wait For The Others" encapsulates everything I love about Grizzly Bear: quiet-to-loud buildups, overlapping vocals, Nilsson-influences, and cleverly organic studio trickery. (See: the cymbal hits that mimic a clock ticking.)
1. Animal Collective – “Merriweather Post Pavilion” Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
I know, I know. The world doesn’t need yet another “Top 10” list with “Merriweather” perched at the top, but damnit it’s that good. Hailed as the album of the year by many music fans all the way back in January, Animal Collective's seamless, kaleidoscopic opus holds up almost 52 weeks later. It's dense and weird and loopy, for sure, but underneath all the electro-psychedelia is a collection of accessible tunes with hooks aplenty. The beauty of all the gurgling noise is that you'll hear new things with every obsessive listen. From the opening hisses and swirling pianos of "In The Flowers" to the crisp whip-claps of "My Girls" to the bowel-upsetting bass attack of "Also Frightened" to the rattle-and-hum of an air-conditioning in "Summertime Clothes" to... Hell, nearly every song is a never-ending spiral of discovery. Drop the needle on the vinyl and you'll feel like you just dropped a dangerous amount of acid. Say "No" to drugs but "F--- Yes!" to "Merriweather Post Pavilion."
Standout track: The career-defining "My Girls" is a definite must-listen, but lately I've been digging the calypso-boogie of album closer "Brothersport," written to cheer up Noah "Panda Bear" Lennox's brother after their dad died.