This post I cannot claim as my own (although it is so cool I wish I could). My friend Brice, who is also the guy who makes this site go, wrote it. He is a music nut like me (but his tastes are cooler). We share a love for anything Mathew Sweet as well as Ryan Adams‘ good songs. I turned him on to Gina Villalobos and he turned me on to the best band no one has ever heard of – Patty Hurst Shifter. Anyway. Here are his 2009 music picks.
-Bruce
It’s that time of year again, when everyone is assembling a top ten list of “The Best” stuff of the year, be it songs, albums, books, athletes, celebrity meltdowns etc.. I guess it’s a natural human tendency to look back at this time of the year, and I feel that same pull. My problem with most of these lists however, is the use of the term “The Best.” It’s as if these cultural critics actually have the authority to tell the rest of us, by way of a top ten list, what the most important things from this year were. Why is number 6 on your list better or more important than numbers 7-10? Instead, I’d like to take a look back at some of my favorite music from 2009 in no particular order (other than the order they showed up on iTunes when I was assembling this list). Are any of these albums or songs “The Best of 2009”? Who knows…but for me, they certainly helped make this a great year for music.
Wilco – Wilco (The Album); Songs: “You and I”, “You Never Know”
Anyone who knows me well knows that Wilco is my favorite band in America, so it should come as no surprise that their 2009 album Wilco (The Album) made this list. The release of every new Wilco album brings with it a certain level of anxiety for me. Will they top (or at least live up to) their previous albums that I love so much? Will this finally be the album that disappoints me? Fortunately, this one didn’t let me down. While I may not have the same sheer devotion to this one as I do earlier releases, (Especially the epic double-album Being There or their last release Sky Blue Sky) it delivers on what I’ve come to expect from Jeff Tweedy and the boys: imaginative songwriting, impeccable musicianship, and plenty of hooks to keep the songs running through your head the rest of the day. Two highlights are Jeff’s duet with Leslie Feist on the simple love song “You and I”, and the easy-going rocker “You Never Know”.
Roman Candle – Oh Tall Tree In The Ear; Songs: “Why Modern Radio is A-OK”, “A Heartbeat”
This is the second album from this band from Chapel Hill, who seems to always strike such a great balance between smart power pop and roots-tinged rock and roll. Lead singer Skip Metheny’s voice has such a unique sound, full of energy, emotion and irreverence. If I had to make a Top Ten Songs list for this year, near the top would be “Why Modern Radio is A-OK” in which Metheny extols the virtues of mindless pop radio because at least it won’t break his heart…funny and poignant at the same time.
Roman Candle “Why Modern Radio Is A-OK” from Lake Fever Sessions on Vimeo.
Pearl Jam – Backspacer; Songs: “The Fixer”, “Just Breathe”
Speaking of favorite bands who I hope never disappoint me (and haven’t yet), Pearl Jam released their first album in three years. If you haven’t listened to Pearl Jam since the days when flannel shirts and Doc Martin’s were fashionable (I just had a horrible flashback to high school), this is a perfect reintroduction to one of the great rock bands of the last 25 years. “The Fixer” is classic Pearl Jam: full of big guitars, soaring choruses and lots of that energy that makes them such a compelling act. But my favorite song on the album just might be the quiet, contemplative acoustic number, “Just Breathe”:
Yes I understand that every life must end, aw huh,..
As we sit alone, I know someday we must go, aw huh,..
I’m a lucky man to count on both hands
The ones I love,..Some folks just have one,
Others they got none, aw huh,..Stay with me,..
Let’s just breathe.