2009 in music: Top 30 Albums.

[halo19]

I really could have extended the thing further, but I wanted to make as many entries as possible here. It's kind of too late for guessing game time, since we're nearly a full 1/3 way into 2010.

Here goes...

175. AFI - "End Transmission"
(Didn't get a real appreciation of this until seeing them about a couple months after the album's release, which was right before my cutoff.)
174. Jay-Z - "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"
(But then he releases a single with the use! )
173. Far - "Pony"
172. The Gaslight Anthem - "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues"
(Not a bad song from the album. We don't quite get all the songs here, but we get a few album cuts in.)
171. Maxwell - "Cold"
(Didn't get to hear a whole lot of "Pretty Wings" or even the follow-up, and the former finally grew on me earlier this year when I listened. Had a promo single from Best Buy.)
170. Brand New - "Bought a Bride"
(Will carry over, obviously, but would have been much higher had I acquired the album upon its release.)
169. The Dead Weather - "Hang You from the Heavens"
(Musically, standard Jack White fare. I wish I could have heard the Kills' "Black Balloon" more, as that song was really great. Better than this or "ICLaB".)
168. Linkin Park - "New Divide"
167. Green Day - "Know Your Enemy"
166. AFI - "Torch Song"
165. Santogold - "You'll Find a Way"
164. Drake f/ Kanye West, Eminem & Lil Wayne - "Forever"
163. Creed - "Overcome"
(For some reason, the chorus reminds me a bit of Sevendust's "Denial".)
162. TV on the Radio - "Red Dress"
161. Silversun Pickups - "There's No Secrets This Year"
160. Silversun Pickups - "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone"
159. TV on the Radio - "Lover's Day"
158. The Gaslight Anthem - "The Patient Ferris Wheel"
157. Eminem - "3a.m."
156. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Skeletons"
(At least ended up international single #3. This will be significantly higher this year for the fact. Actually, a 7-inch is being released during Record Store Day.)
155. Neko Case - "People Got a Lotta Nerve"
(Has a nice animated music video that semi-resembles the cover art. The way she sings really grabs my attention.)
154. VAST - "Slow"
(Man, this song is amazing. Electronic and ethereal, slightly downtempo. I kind of slept on it last year, but after seeing this year's show, I gave the EP more attention and really love it now.)
153. Nickelback - "Gotta Be Somebody"
(Actually, I think this is my 2nd favorite Nickelback song after "HYRM". You have to keep in mind that they're not really an A-list of something I appreciate these days.)
152. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Hysteric"
(Just about as catchy as the two main singles, really. Fine indie pop song.)
151. Coldplay - "Viva la Vida"
----
150. Innerpartysystem - "What We Will Never Know"
(Great ballad from the album.)
149. Phoenix - "1901"
148. TV on the Radio - "Love Dog"
147. Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson - "Relator"
146. Keri Hilson f/ Lil Wayne - "Turnin' Me On"
145. Santogold f/ Trouble Andrew - "I'm a Lady"
(Her muse is the featured artist, albeit existing just on the bridge. He was a professional snowboarder before he recorded any music.)
144. Thrice - "Daedalus"
(Got some points toward this year.)
143. Thrice - "Talking Through Glass / We Move Like Swing Sets"
(Beggars was no slouch for me. This former title is the most heavy song from the album.)
142. Rise Against - "Audience of One"
141. Britney Spears - "Radar"
(As far as I know, really a carry-over from her previous album, but it's kind of disappointing that an actually good song of hers is what ended up stalling.)
140. The Dead Weather - "I Cut Like a Buffalo"
139. John Legend - "Everybody Knows
(Interestingly, I think Music Choice's Triple A station played this. I also heard it at Starbucks sometimes.)
138. Rancid - "Last One to Die"
137. Pink - "Sober"
(Didn't come around until after "PDLM".)
136. Jay-Z f/ Alicia Keys - "Empire State of Mind"
135. TV on the Radio - "DLZ"
(I remember there was a topic for it on Pulse, but that was created by Artie and the guys didn't perform it on SNL . I guess the disaster sound quality didn't help, either.)
134. U2 - "White as Snow"
133. Incubus - "Love Hurts"
132. Thrice - "Circles"
(Obviously, I far prefer it to Soul Coughing's title. )
131. Chevelle - "Jars"
(Maybe if I would have listened to the radio, this would have been considerably higher.)
130. Thrice - "Great Exchange"
129. Madonna - "Celebration"
128. Moby - "Pale Horses"
127. Anberlin - "Breaking"
126. Lifehouse - "Broken"
125. The Gaslight Anthem - "Here's Looking at You, Kid"
124. Kelly Clarkson - "Already Gone"
123. U2 - "Moment of Surrender"
(At least an international single, I believe. I think there was a topic for this on Pulse's Hot AC forum, and I think I heard it multiple times outside listening to the album. One time I was at an IHOP and heard it.)
122. Kaiser Chiefs - "You Want History"
(Had I not used "Spanish Metal" as my unofficial second single, this would have been it. I caught it playing a few times on the college radio station(s).)
121. White Lies - "To Lose My Life"
(Likeable, but had a short shelf life for me since it's been done so many times before.)
120. Paramore - "Ignorance" (Though I wasn't big at the time, my later appreciation for "Decode" kind of helped this for me, I feel.)
119. Incubus - "Let's Go Crazy"
118. Mat Kearney - "Closer to Love"
117. Pet Shop Boys - "Love, Etc."
116. Lady Gaga f/ Colby O'Donis - "Just Dance"
115. T.I. & Jay-Z f/ Kanye West & Lil Wayne - "Swagga Like Us"
114b. Gossip - "Heavy Cross"
114a. Weezer - "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To"
(Sort of ended up growing on me after a little while. Still, I don't know why the guys bothered to make a follow up album so soon. These last two have such minimal shelf life, too (though I didn't buy this one).)
113. Santogold - "L.E.S. Artistes"
(Wow, quite a bit of songs that appeared really high last year apparently carried over. This, VLV and Paper Planes being examples.)
112. Shiny Toy Guns - "Blown Away"
(I know there was "Money for That" that didn't quite get promoted, but to me this was way too good to just be an album song. However, I felt that way about last album's "Chemistry of a Car Crash." My clear SoP favorite.)
111. New Boyz - "You're a Jerk"
110. The-Dream f/ Kanye West - "Walking on the Moon"
109. Chris Cornell - "Ground Zero"
108. Carolina Liar - "Show Me What I'm Looking For"
107. VNV Nation - "The Great Divide"
(Great track from the new album, that I was lucky enough to hear individually. Heard the album just once though.)
106. Ludo - "Go-Getter Greg"
105. Jet - "She's a Genius"
104. White Rabbits - "Percussion Gun"
103. Blue October - "Say It"
102a. The Lonely Island - "Jizz in My Pants"
102. TV on the Radio - "Family Tree"
101. Paramore - "Decode"
(Now my favorite Paramore song. I also quite enjoy TWYG and BbBB, too.)

I'll get the rest going later, probably 100-51.

[halo19]

And here we continue...

1h. Silversun Pickups - "Substitution"
99. Jay-Z f/ Santogold - "Brooklyn Go Hard"
98. Common f/ Pharrell - "Universal Mind Control"
97. Company of Thieves - "Oscar Wilde"
96. TV on the Radio - "Halfway Home"
(Interesting how it was overshadowed on weekly charts, possibly by some of their own songs, when it's at least my 3rd favorite on the album.)
95. The Veronicas - "Untouched"
94. Santogold - "Say Aha"
(International single & in '08, the one that really made me want to get the album.)
93. The Raconteurs - "Consoler of the Lonely"
(If I ever need to hear just one Raconteurs song, I'd make it this one. Too bad it didn't really catch on, which is why it was so low. Also, sort of being from '08 did it.)
92. Muse - "Undisclosed Desires"
(I'm really hoping this will be the third radio single. My favorite moment by far on the album.)
91. Bat for Lashes - "Pearl's Dream"
(Underexposure killed this one, too.)
90. Depeche Mode - "Miles Away/The Truth Is"
(Admittedly, I wasn't real blown away by the latest DM album. It's alright, but none of the songs are really amazing. Most of their albums at least have that.)
89. Pete Yorn - "Don't Wanna Cry"
88. Kings of Leon - "Sex on Fire"
87. Kings of Leon - "Use Somebody"
(Both of these burned on me pretty badly; fast rise/fall in both cases. The former was really more successful on my chart though, appearing higher the previous year.)
86. TV on the Radio - "Golden Age"
85. Lily Allen - "The Fear"
84. Thrice - "The Weight"
(This sounds better live than on record. )
83. Kanye West - "Heartless"
(Burnout that was at the time worse than KoL. I actually sort of like the Fray's version more (but I never really heard it much).)
82. M.I.A. - "Paper Planes"
(Referenced earlier. It really wasn't done yet by the turn of the year for me.)
81. Green Day - "East Jesus Nowhere"
80. Shakira - "She Wolf/Loba"
79. Thrice - "At the Last"
78. Cage the Elephant - "Back Against the Wall"
77. Keane - "The Lovers Are Losing"
76. Kaiser Chiefs - "Spanish Metal"
75. The Airborne Toxic Event - "Sometime Around Midnight"
74. Dave Matthews Band - "Funny the Way It Is"
73. Thrice - "Wood & Wire"
(I felt I didn't really do it justice in its run, but we'll see kind of a turn. Of the quieter fare, this is by far the one that does it for me. Beautiful.)
72. Kid Cudi - "Day N Nite"
71. Lady Gaga - "Paparazzi"
("Just Dance" was split-year and I wasn't real huge on it, though I easily still prefer this and "Poker Face." This would have been a lot higher had I began hearing it more regularly maybe even a couple months earlier.)
70. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Little Shadow"
("HWR" was still getting steady play, but I needed to catch on to another YYY's song by then. Wonderful.)
69. Kanye West - "Love Lockdown"
68. Kaiser Chiefs - "Like It Too Much"
(Music Choice played this one quite a few times.)
67. The Killers - "Human"
("...of flesh and blood I'm made..." Oh, not that "Human" )
66b. Linkin Park - "Leave Out All the Rest"
(My pop station was one of them playing this around the '08/'09 time when it hovered around the bottom of the chart there, and this song was still doing well enough by then to do quite well for the next year.)
66a. The Lonely Island f/ T-Pain - "I'm on a Boat"
65. Anberlin - "Feel Good Drag"
64. Alanis Morissette - "Not as We"
63. Brand New - "At the Bottom"
(But as a late-comer to the album and not in real high exposure of the song, it'll split well for the next year, if not maybe do a bit better.)
62. AFI - "Medicate"
61. People in Planes - "Last Man Standing"
60. VAST - "Lift Me Up"
59. Alanis Morissette - "Citizen of the Planet"
(I wouldn't expect an Alanis song from 2008 to sound like this. Album was produced by Guy Sigsworth, if that gives an indication. Kind of "world"-ish sounding verses, with kind of hard rock-ish chorus.)
58. The Used - "Blood on My Hands"
57. Thrice - "Doublespeak"
56. Rise Against - "Savior"
55. Coldplay - "Lost!"
54. Jupiter One - "Platform Moon"
53. Thrice - "Beggars"
52. Thrice - "In Exile"
(Fan-voted choice for song to record a video from the album. It premiered on Myspace the Thanksgiving week IIRC. Still streaming on AllAccess.)
51. The Gaslight Anthem - "Old White Lincoln"
(Oddly, the instrumentation reminds me a bit of something that could come from a Cure song.)

[a Nick O!]

Fascinating read so far. Seeing lots of stuff that I probably would've charted and/or ranked higher if only I'd heard it as much as you did.

You piqued my curiosity about VAST's "Slow." Where is that from? I guess VAST is too underground in 2010 for that song or even information about it to be too accessible.

Also, I've always thought "Old White Lincoln" musically sounds like the Cure. Probably because the bass line is heavily reminiscent of "Just Like Heaven."

[halo19]

I've added 3 more entries that I realized were "glaring" omissions; 2 were from the same artist, interesting enough. None from the Top 50 was different, though.

50. Oasis - “I’m Outta Time”
(It’s a wonderful song that Liam wrote. So good that I decided to hear & then buy the album. Some of the older fans may scoff, but I actually kind of like it more than the debut (but not WTSMG, but who could’ve expected them to top that one).)
49. Rancid - “Up to No Good”
48. Alice in Chains - “Check My Brain”
(I’ve always really enjoyed that main riff. I’m glad they got a big enough hit with this.)
47. VAST - “Loneliness Is Fine”
(Highlight from the ’08 EP, for my money. And I quite enjoyed that one, particularly since it's not really melancholy like most of the releases and has everything that the two surrounding LP's were missing - though I still love April.)
46. Cage the Elephant - “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”
45. Silversun Pickups - “Growing Old Is Getting Old”
44. Coldplay - “Life in Technicolor ii”
43. Keane - “Spiralling”
(Nice change of pace from the group. The “whoo”’s are pretty fun, actually.)
42. Kanye West - “Paranoid”
(I really wish this would have caught on, as it’s easily my favorite 808s single song.)
41. Pink - “Please Don’t Leave Me”
(Sometimes it seems amusing to hear lyrics like this on the AC station, which they played it quite often.)
40. Innerpartysystem - “Heart of Fire”
(I really loved this one when I heard the album, and while being a single didn’t do much, it sort of meant something to me. Without them or Thrice, I probably wouldn’t have gone to go see Warped last year.)
39. Taylor Swift - “You Belong with Me”
(Easily my favorite TS song, never got old for me.)
38. TV on the Radio - “Stork & Owl”
(Beautiful, soulful ballad from the album.)
37. Franz Ferdinand - “No You Girls”
(It seemed like a big payola song, even though its steady recurrent play might disagree. I can enjoy it, but I don’t know if it’s so good that it’s career-sustaining. Like half of their output, basically a re-write of Bowie’s “Fashion.”)
36. Passion Pit - “The Reeling”
(Would’ve been much higher if not being in between the years. I bought the album for $8 on Thanksgiving weekend and will see them live in the summer. And a few other songs of theirs will count for this year.)
35. Kaiser Chiefs - “Never Miss a Beat”
(If the average “Ruby” can make the Top 20 on Alternative, I can’t see why this couldn’t at least do that. Then again, that seemed to compensate the underwhelming level of U.S. success for the first album.)
34. John Legend f/ André3000 - “Green Light”
(Glad he got a crossover song, and something I found different from what else was on the CHR/Rhythmic stations.)
33. Peter Bjorn and John - “It Don’t Move Me”
(About as good as that whistle-hook song.)
32. U2 - “Get on Your Boots”
(f*** the backlash; that’s all I had to say.)
31. Keri Hilson f/ Kanye West & Ne-Yo - “Knock You Down”
30. Blue October - “Dirt Room”
(I’m surprised that I enjoyed this as much as I did. However, got to #4 sort of because it was a weak time.)
29. Muse - “Uprising”
(Let's wait for this to be Mediabase's next premature "recurrent" above #20. )
28. Bat for Lashes - “Daniel”
27. Innerpartysystem - “Don’t Stop”
I wish it would’ve caught on a lot more nationally.
26. Shiny Toy Guns - “Ghost Town”
25. Franz Ferdinand - “Ulysses”
24. Metric - “Gimme Sympathy”
(I believe it was at least a Canadian single and I saw its music video.)
23. TV on the Radio - “Dancing Choose”
(Did better in '09, with more time for the song. The album's no Return to Cookie Mountain, but nothing really is.)
22. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - “Soft Shock”
Sort of reminiscent of “Maps.”)
21. Santogold f/ Spank Rock - “Shove It”
(Excellent reggae/ska song from the album.)
20. The Gaslight Anthem - “The ’59 Sound”
19. U2 - “No Line on the Horizon”
(Highest-charting album cut on the chart.)
18. Green Day - “21 Guns”
17. Mute Math - “Spotlight [Twilight Mix]”
(Music Choice played the song enough and I watched the music video a few times. This one really should have caught on.)
16. Santogold - “Lights Out”
(This one did remarkably on my chart, considering most songs split between the years did not end up as high either year. A nice laid back pop song.)
15. The Dead Weather - “Treat Me Like Your Mother”
I bought Horehound after hearing this one. If it had more time, this would've been maybe Top 5. Also in its way was a follow-up single that came not much later.)
14. Metric - “Help, I’m Alive”
(I kind of ignored them and the previous album wasn’t as warmly received as the first. So it was cool that this song was a success, but it also paid off that it was such a good song.)
13. Thrice - “All the World Is Mad”
(Used as a free Guitar Hero download song and a track from a recent edition, this is a song I would’ve heard even without a leaked album. It came in 2 months before the rest of the accompanying album, as an example of how even that much time can enhance its chart performance. That bass intro doesn’t remind me of anything they’ve done.)
12. Innerpartysystem - “Die Tonight Live Forever”
(The song that inspired me to buy their album and made me become a fan. Another group to be dropped from Island.)
11. Depeche Mode - “Wrong”
(The music video was really awesome and unlike what they usually do. Far from my favorite DM song, but I was celebrating its success.)


10. The Gaslight Anthem - “Great Expectations”
(Excellent lead track from the album that seemed like a good single choice.)


09. U2 - “Magnificent”
(This one had a real beautiful music video and that intro is just badass. Given how well-received the song was, it was stupid for radio to reject it quickly. Radio=reflection of popularity my ass; see a later entry for further proof.)


08. Manchester Orchestra - “I’ve Got Friends”
I later heard “Wolves at Night” (which topped at #55 at Mediabase) and kind of wish that would have been their breakthrough. At the same time, I caught on to this one pretty well and it was nice to have as a breakthrough hit.


07. Lady Gaga - “Poker Face”


06. T.I. f/ Justin Timberlake - “Dead and Gone”
(Never really grew tired of either song, despite how big they became. I didn't think either song was overrated, either. This one was kind of immediate with me though, as I didn't really like "PF" the first 3 or so times.)


05. U2 - “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”
The Hot AC station(s) here played this one. If not for the disaster “promotion” for the singles, this could have maybe been a big cross-over, as it’s written all over this song. I have to admit that I was disappointed when I first learned that a song of this title was really a more “Beautiful Day”-type song.)


04. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - “Zero”
(This one was a pleasant surprise and blew me away immediately. I kind of wish that both of these It's Blitz! singles could have had “Maps”-like success. I mean, they’re an A-list band of what they do and the album got good reviews and fans loved the album.)


03. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - “Heads Will Roll”
(This is a song that might have actually been #1 if you combined both years (still Top 15 by last “2009” published chart). (Well, maybe "Lights Out" could have.) It (like “I’ll Go Crazy”) had the advantage of being a charting album cut well before becoming a single release, and while it didn’t do much nationally, it had pretty steady play and an excellent music video to accompany it. As blown away as I was by “Zero,” I think I came to like this one even more. Too bad “alternative” radio only cares about one YYY’s song per album. “Date,” “Y Control,” and this deserved considerably more attention.)

You’d think we’d get to the end in

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1…”


02. MGMT - “Kids”
(Came very, very close to #1. Unlike the song that was there, the song’s entire chart run counted for the year, and it spent over 40 weeks and had 5 of ‘em at the top. This one never got old for me and the promotion was fairly steady, so that didn’t kill the song at all. Nor the fact that I didn't hear it until about December of '08. )


01. Silversun Pickups - “Panic Switch”
(Was completely blown away immediately by this one. I still get excited when I hear it.)

[halo19]

Apr 11, 2010 15:53:38 GMT -4 a Nick O! said:

You piqued my curiosity about VAST's "Slow." Where is that from? I guess VAST is too underground in 2010 for that song or even information about it to be too accessible.

"Slow" is from 2008's Relay EP, also credited as its "alter-ego" project Bang Band SiXXX. Actually, it's kind of a soundtrack to a book that Jon wrote. The EP appears on Amazon (I saw the release date there is Jan. of '09: OK, so it'll be a rare instance when I put an album on a best-of list twice).

I couldn't find "Slow" on YouTube (or Myspace, and later last.fm), but found other songs from that EP: "I Know How to Love," "LMU," "Loneliness" and "It's Been So Long." The former is on the profile page.

I realize VAST is fairly underground, but Jon is no stranger to the digital format. (Warning: tangent.) Nude was actually two demo albums (fairly cheap legal) where the chosen "best" songs by fans decided what would get re-recorded for the album. That was 2003, before the prominence was really coming. He also released a "teaser" version of April in the spring of '06 and "solo" and with "full band," released the Generica series. And digital files of his demo stuff (albeit at different speed and quality) were leaked and thrown around online earlier on.

[halo19]

Alright, so I kept the Dec.-Nov. thing that I usually have on the albums charts. I deliberately didn't include live albums. (Especially because with Thrice's live album that fits the deadline, there isn't a single song there that didn't appear on their '02-'08 albums, and it's not stuff that's arranged too differently.)

Only two others that I recall hearing during eligibility did not get included (Raditude and the Prince album that isn't up here). Actually, I kind of "cheated" and let stuff I heard up until now get an inclusion, even if that wouldn't have happened had I posted this when it should have happened.

Starting things:


30. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
I really liked American Idiot, but this has a lot of moments that I feel almost work against the album. It happens to be longer than that album, and surely it feels that way. The length almost takes away from some of the better stuff; some of the better stuff is a bit derivative. They were at least willing to give their own spin on their influences last time around. It's actually my least favorite GD album.


29. Prince - MPLSound
His albums this year didn't really impress me at all. I heard at least some of his previous three, and found songs that I could actually get into on all of those. This is far and few between here, and the songs largely feel as though they just exist.


28. The Mars Volta - Octahedron
I give them credit for making something that sounds way more focused this time around. Really, only "Copotaxi" ended doing a whole lot for me; the rest I could take or leave.


27. Chris Cornell - Scream
The spite from everyone and some of what I heard made me want to buy this. I rarely listen to it but I can't say I really regretted buying it, either. Not a highlight for Chris or Tim, but an interesting one from both of their discographies.


26. VAST - Me and You
Finally, I know what it's like when people feel betrayed when an artist they love has sort of abandoned their main sound. But I think that what bugged me more was that it was actually songs that I already actually owned, probably just intended as a version for the public. After seeing VAST live, though, I realized that this sound was so limiting compared to the accompanying tour. Not to mention, Jon/people involved didn't even talk of the album's release on the web site. It did get a cheap digital download recently, as part of a charity. And there are a few quite good songs here.


25. Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall
I didn't end up listening to this one much and honestly I was a bit bored by this one.


24. Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything to Nothing
They have a lot of potential, even if there's some stuff I can't get into here.


23. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Unsurprisingly overrated. Actually, I hear some greatness in their albums, but can never listen to the them without getting antsy; also, love looking at the album art.


22. VNV Nation - Of Faith, Power and Glory
Generally good, I think I like it a bit more than the last album.


21. War Child presents: Heroes
Covers albums are never really perfect and people always hold it up to the originals, as if they're waiting to call blasphemy on their fundamentalism (figurative). The artists doing the covers were selected by the original artists, for a charity. Beck does a great blues-rock cover of "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat," Peaches sings and turns the Stooges' "Search and Destroy" to a badass electro makeover, and these all tend to be respectable versions at the least (I only really dislike Duffy's remake of "Live and Let Die"). TVOTR cover Bowie's "Heroes," and it doesn't top Bowie's version. That's fine.


20. Eminem - Relapse
I really had low expectations. It's alright. I think the album's singles could have done better had the bad stuff not really been released first. Proof that catering to mainstream attention is not always successful.


19. Assemblage 23 - Compass
I don't enjoy it as much as Meta, but maybe if I paid more attention to the lyrics that could change. Well, I think I'll always like that one more. I grade it on the same level as Storm, the other one I have.


18. Depeche Mode - Sounds of the Universe
Eh... my 2 all-time favorite artists may have released albums this year, but they didn't really excite me. There's a lot of good stuff, but not really great stuff. I'm used to that. Martin sings only one song, and that one plods. Dave is starting to write better songs, though.


17. Muse - The Resistance
There's just some stuff I wasn't all that fond of on this one. It could have been a victim of the expectations I had, considering how amazing the previous 3 albums by them are. There are at least a couple songs I like very much. I guess the symphony thing seemed over-the-top for my liking and the rest didn't live up to those highlights for me.


16. Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
I've finally gotten to hear both this and the regular Fame album. Well, I thought that one was longer than it could have been and this one shows promise for her future. But maybe an artist as flashy needed to make it shorter, too. I wasn't as fond of the last 2 songs, but quite enjoyed the rest. I'm actually not as fond of "Bad Romance" as some others are.


15. The Dead Weather - Horehound
Fairly good, even though I don't listen to it very often.


14. Moby - Wait for Me
The downtempo thing is kind of what I wanted to hear from him. I like it more than Last Night. Independently released, it seemed like he didn't have to care about pleasing people this time around.


13. Modest Mouse - No One's First, and You're Next
For an album that's essentially out-takes/B-sides, it's quite good. I have no idea how "I've Got It All (Most)" didn't make Good News (I actually like this collection more on the whole). "King Rat" was so much fun. "Whale Song" is nice and the rest is pleasant if unremarkable.


12. Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
"Glass" is jaw-droppingly good. Her voice is beautiful and this kind of electronic pop thing is a good fit for her. Makes me kind of wonder what her first album was like.


11. Porcupine Tree - The Incident
This has some great sounds of PT. Less directly "progressive" than its immediate predecessor, it's got many sounds that are distinctly of the group. "Time Flies" is a classic title.

[halo19]

10. Brand New - Daisy
I don't know about the more hardcore-influenced stuff here; it doesn't seem like a natural fit for the band to me. There is a lot of greatness and sometimes I want to look past the fact, and everything else is done quite well.


09. AFI - Crash Love
The album didn't seem to me as dynamic as its predecessors, so I was less fond of it than their others. This is still quite good, no bad songs but I think it's hard for some of it to compete with their ceiling.


08. The Lonely Island - Incredibad
This one is a lot of fun. I don't tend to listen to it really often, being more novelty, but the songs are really well done. The guests are fun as an addition, too.


07. Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Sometimes I think I might like it more than the debut by now, but it's probably about even. It's kind of dark and sunny simultaneously, which made it a good summer soundtrack.


06. Passion Pit - Manners
This could have done the trick without real darkness! There is a lot of falsetto in the vocals which is an acquired taste for some. It is rather well done. I partially get the MGMT comparison, but this seems less psychedelic and more electronic on the whole. I think I might want to hear the EP, which had good word too.


05. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
Contains some amazing songs from the group, even if sometimes I kind of hope to like their full-length albums a bit more than I do (they're always good, though). Not really the garage rock of the debut or the raw indie rock of Bones, this has a kind of previously-unexpected synth-pop undercurrent and it works well for the group. I'm not as fond of the middle songs ("S&F" could lose the "as", admittedly), but the rest is about as good as you could hope for the group. I have the one that also includes four acoustic versions of the songs at the end.


04. U2 - No Line on the Horizon
This took a few listens to finally grow on me. I think I was disappointed that the album wasn't more in the vein that everybody described that it would be. The addition of Lanois and Eno on the production probably made it as interesting as it could have been, I think. There is always a great emotional depth with most of their songs. Nothing really bad here, my second or third favorite U2 album.


03. VAST - Bang Band SiXXX: Relay EP
From what I recently said about this release:
"There's no acoustic songs.. In spite many of the songs with the theme of love, it doesn't seem overly introspective, but this is refreshing.The music traces back to some older VAST stuff, but is otherwise pretty original... No one would know that Taylor Hanson co-wrote "Lift Me Up" if they just heard it.. " [And I said about one of the others co-writing "One More Day" on April.]
The only thing is that I find the ceiling on the first 3 albums to be higher, but that's hard to do.


02. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
This isn't really quite like what the Lips have done. It actually isn't too uncharacteristic of the band, but a lot darker and not as pop as some could have expected, from more recent works. (In fact, the recently-released video is for "Powerless", a not-at-all commercial song. Sometimes it is easier to think of it on the whole rather than individual songs (but the first track is what made me want to buy this). Currently I like this most from them (but maybe because I have to be in the right mood for TSB).


01. Thrice - Beggars
Okay, so they never really disappoint me. Fans stick with them because they make music that has creativity and a great emotional depth. It isn't quite a radical growth as in Vheissu and The Alchemy Index and isn't as heavy as the earlier stuff, but the songs work well for what they are. "In Exile" is one of my favorites already, and half of it is top-notch. Everything else is quite good. I think it might be my second favorite album from them already.
Oh yeah, I haven't listened to the downloadable stuff yet. 3 new songs (though I heard the "HS" cover live twice) & 2 remixes.