Sure we may all spend our spare time contributing to the same blog, but us SubEx-ers are a diverse set. Never the type to settle on trying to come up with some sort of amalgamated top 10 list that could somehow simultaneously encapsulate all of our collective tastes we have instead opted to churn out separate lists. Really it just means lists for you to peruse and/or scoff at. Enjoy.
CORY GRAVES' LIST10. Dead Weather – HorehoundSinister heavily rocking blues from one of 2009's MANY supergroups. If live shows were taken into consideration they’d definitely be much higher on the list. As it is though, Horehound is still one of the darkest, dirtiest albums of 2009 and retains a mean sexiness that put it over the edge.
MP3:
Treat Me Like Your Mother9. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus PhoenixSee Passion Pit’s “Manners”. I couldn’t go anywhere for awhile without hearing “Lisztomania,” but hey that song was pretty BA. I saw these guys live in NY this summer and they also turned out to be one of the tightest live bands I’ve ever seen. Period.
MP3:
Lisztomania MP3:
Don Diablo x Phoenix x Jay -Z - 99 Fences8. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures2009 has been the year of the supergroup (I was
this close to having 3 in my list) but Them Crooked Vultures were simply on another plane. It wasn’t really a surprise to anyone that one of the godfathers of metal, John Paul Jones, could collab with one of grunge’s founders (Dave Grohl) and one of the quirkiest guitar players of the aught’s (Josh Homme) without it turning out to be the extraordinary and heavy work that it did.
MP3:
Mind Eraser, No Chaser7. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin CareerOrch-pop (and it’s offshoot Baroque-pop) have been pretty big the past year -and-a-half, but nobody quite does it as well as Camera Obscura. After all, who can’t appreciate a band that infuses inspired classical arrangements with such spot-on pop sensibilities?
MP3:
French NavyMP3:
My Maudlin Career6. Passion Pit – MannersIn today’s one music climate one surefire way to measure an album’s greatness is to just take a look at how many remixes it spawns. If this were the only criteria Passion Pit would be the far and away #1 album on everybody’s top albums list this year.
MP3:
Little Secrets (LehtMoJoe Remix)MP3:
The Reeling5. St. Vincent – ActorTo me Annie Clark is the perfect conundrum; porcelain features with darkly anxious lyrics, her gentle coo over distorted syncopated strings, electronic affectations to more classical arrangements. When all of these elements come together the result is one of the smartest and freshest albums of the year.
MP3:
Marrow4. Grizzly Bear – VeckatimestThe sheer brilliance of this album earned the boys a diverse following from people like Jay-Z to Michael McDonald. And for good reason, this disc has it all. Although brilliantly orchestrated throughout there are still moments that can make your head bob –which explains why The Hood Internet were able to mash “Two Weeks” and Dead Prez’s “Hip Hop” so seamlessly.
MP3:
While You Wait For The OthersMP3:
Grizzly Bear vs Dead Prez - Two Weeks of Hiphop3. Nurses – Apple’s AcreThe Nurses somehow create psychedelic, kaleidoscopic pop while remaining extremely minimalist. The primal simplicity of the percussion adds just enough to make the whole thing rhythmic without add too much clutter. I’m really surprised I haven’t seen more people talking about this record this year.
MP3:
Technicolor2. Paper Chase – Someday This Could All Be YoursAll I have to say about this album is that it is utterly brutal. This is one of those take no prisoners albums that will be glad to deliver a personal ass-kicking whenever the listener feels like they need it.
MP3:
What Should We Do With Your Body1. A.C. Newman – Get GuiltyEvery musical idea has its purpose on the New Pornographer’s latest solo effort, and despite somewhat grand orchestrations, the album manages to maintain its intimacy. The disc’s standout track "Changeling (Get Guilty)" best exemplifies this idea, with its palm-muted pre-chorus that make the astonishingly explosive wail of "Change your mind…" in the chorus even more overtaking.
MP3:
Submarines of StockholmMP3:
There Are Maybe Ten Or TwelveMORROW'S LIST10. Boomkat – A Million Trillion StarsTaryn Manning, best known for her stair falling performance in that Brintey Spears' movie, and Hustle And Flow. She's got a band with her brother, called Boomkat. They are pretty good. Nothing great here, but I like her voice and the production. That is all, move on.
9. LehtMoJoe – Spaghetti WesternNot just a remixer, this local boy has got some great original material. Electro/pop/hiphop done well.
What do you know?
MP3:
What Do You Know8. Lupe Fiasco – LasersJay Z released the
Blueprint 3 to great fanfare, and failure. Yeah, I said it. 2 strong songs does not an album make. Lupe is as solid a rapper as they come these days. You probobally didn't catch it, but check Fire, flips Hendrix. Interesting take, and I think he pulls it off. "Your flow looks like my bedroom when I was four".
MP3:
Shining Down7. Taken by Trees – East of EdenBeautiful vocals. Features the best cover of "My Girls" this year by leaps and bounds. Pan flutes, sitars and classical spanish guitars elevate this album into a genuinely refreshing aural experience.
MP3:
My Boys6. Muse – The ResistanceMuse continues their Queen VS Yes VS Radiohead ways on this 2009 release. Very large, very epic, sprawling, at times overreaching, but lovely to hear an anti establishment group do well in a market full of puppets and lady gagas.
MP3:
Uprising5. Mr. Oizo – Pourriture EPIt's an EP, get over it. Either you're are into this kind of electro, or you're not. You cannot convert, Oizo is a genre unto himself. Much like a Burger Box number 1, his style remains largely the same as his efforts in the late 90's. Check out the white trash superstar Uffie on Steroids (Mr. Oizo Remix), yes, he remixes himself. BET YOU WON'T!!!!
MP3:
Pourriture 74. Lonely Island – IncredibadSNL's Adam Sandler pt. 2, Andy Sandberg and his seamen at Lonely Island release the funniest album since Silk the Shockers' "Charge it 2 da game". Buyoed by white people favorite " I'm On a Boat", every obnoxious boat owning white person now has a new anthem, move over Sir-Mix-Alot, we gonna fly this boat to the moon somehow.
MP3:
Jizz In My Pants3. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus PhoenixYou've heard it everywhere, and you love it. Don't you. Great pop/funk/electronic music.
2. Bassnectar – Cozza FrenzyDubstep/electro/skitz album of the year. FOOLS. Bassnectar lives up to their name, sake. And if you are listening on anything less than 8's, you are doing a disservice to yourself and local residential district. Plenty of attention to detail on this release, crisp, clear and cool. Won't mix well with your lean, however.
MP3:
Cozza Frenzy1. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked VulturesDave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones. Really, what more could you want? 3 genuine bad asses blend in the best supergroup collobaration this decade. "Scum bag blues" and "No One Loves Me & Neither Do I" lead this riff laden, diverse, and excellently crafted album.
JENNIFER HUDSON'S LIST
10. Deer Tick – Born on Flag DayThe gravelly, tobacco-worn voice of John Joseph McCauley III (multitonal almost to the point of Tuvan throat singing) paired with old-school country beats produces one of the most genuine albums of this year.
9. Amanda Blank – I Love YouAlthough Amanda is not revolutionizing the rap/pop genre by any means, she did put out one hell of a dance album. Not to mention that this is, in fact, her debut effort! AND I know every word to every song...that has to mean something.
MP3:
Might Like You BetterMP3:
Might Like You Better (Radio Krome Remix)8. St. Vincent – ActorLocal-ish girl drops the pretty whitewash and puts out a darkly brilliant album. Fuzzed-out guitar tones and layered techno noise create a hard backdrop for Annie Clark's sweet vocals.
7. Regina Spektor – FarA personal favorite, Regina never disappoints. On her latest, she's taken her trademark pop (one filled with sound-effects-as-instruments, quotable lines and her standout accent-tinged voice) to the next level where there's enough room to contemplate God, frolic at the beach and enjoy a dance number or two.
6. Those Darlins – Those DarlinsThis, my friends, is a drinking record. Wrought with songs about booze, songs about the problems caused by booze and songs about the adventures had with booze, the self-titled debut is a hard-hitting gem that is eclipsed only by its live retelling. Seriously, if you missed Those Darlins the last time they were in town, that is a grave mistake you aught not to repeat.
MP3:
Red Light Love5. The Dead Weather – HorehoundI must confess. I love the Zepp. And, since Jimmy Paige is being a prick, this may be the closest I come to ever hearing new Zepp material, albeit female fronted material. Plus Jack White is kind of a god.
4. Ida Marie – Fortress 'Round My HeartFun! That's all I've got, and that's all you need.
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!When this rock band decided to exchange lead guitar with a synthesizer, it gave me pause. But, thankfully, the YYYs really brought their A game along with their synth! Never doubt Karen O; lesson learned.
2. Florence + The Machine – LungsA pretty voice made interesting by truly unique sound layering. This formula doesn't lose it's effectiveness from the first song to the very last note.
MP3:
Drumming Song1. Neko Case – Middle CycloneAnd....Neko Case! Besides being one hell of a singer, Neko can write circles around most of today's artist. Her lyrics read like deepy personal poetry without that artificial, cutesy aftertaste that some firsthand accounts create...not to mention that her backing band is an extremely talented group of seasoned professional musicians. She just can't fail!
MP3:
People Got A Lotta NerveCORY COLEMAN'S TOP 10 RECORDS I LISTENED TO MOST IN 2009
Instead of doing a top releases of the year list, I have decided to list the top 10 records that have influenced me, been a part of a certain season of change or simply just something I couldn’t stop listening to throughout the year. It could also be called “Top 10 Records of 2009 That Annoyed Jenn While Riding In My Car.”
These albums, and in one case a different type of “album” altogether, span the years and are not in any way limited to being a new release. Regardless, I believe it to be a quite diverse and thorough list for you all to enjoy. Here’s to another year! And here’s to the sunny slopes of long ago. Cheers.
10. Pedro The Lion – Winners Never Quit Every year has times of happiness as well as its share of sadness. And I’m sure I’m not wrong in saying that for most people, when we are sad, there is a certain record that we sadistically like to listen to and really let the darkness sink into the depths of our spirit. This year, that record for me was Winners Never Quit.
9. Harper Simon – Self-Titled Out of all the music I have heard or records that I have reviewed since writing for SubEx, this was my fav. of the bunch. He’s the son of a musical genius. How could it be bad? Plus he reminds me a bit of me, I guess.
MP3:
The Audit8. Park Family Bluegrass Band – Tradition This was a record my Mimaw picked up at a festival she and my Papaw attended this past spring where they saw this band perform... All traditional songs, of course. She gave it to me, and I let it sit for months. One day I popped it in my car stereo on a whim and was immediately blown away at the talent of this band. I mean… It really is a family band. The fiddle player is an 11-year-old girl for cryin’ out loud! She rips that bow to shreds!
7. Beirut – Gulag Orkestar I came across this fairly recently and was immediately drawn to it. I even wrote a little something about one of the songs on this record a few months back, because it moved me so intensely. There is just something hauntingly beautiful about the Balkan folk sound that really sucks me in.
6. 100 Damned Guns – Musica De Tormento These boys are some good friends of mine and the rest of the Ramblers. We’ve played with them for a few years and even opened up for them for the release show of this record back in March. Their mix of originals and spins on traditional songs are energetic and generally just badass. One of my favorite locals and a really good record.
MP3:
Broken Bottle Blues5. Townes Van Zandt – Live At The Old Quarter- Houston, TX 1973 This record is my favorite Townes record of all that I have ever heard. It’s just him, a guitar and some really ridiculous jokes. Live. His voice is immaculate and the stories he tells for each song really gives a more personal understanding of the lyrics behind them. Who are Loop and Lil? I know.
4. Felice Brothers – Self-Titled Though released last year, I was not made aware of The Felice Brothers until a good portion of this year had already passed by. I first heard these guys on a Catastica trip to Austin with my guitar player Andy. I honestly thought it was some Bob Dylan record I hadn’t heard at first, but really took a liking to their folk ballads and murder songs. Better than the Avett Brothers?
3. The Complete Harry Potter Audiobook Series (Specifically The Half-Blood Prince) I know this is out of the ordinary, but I can’t help but pay homage. A friend of mine, who shall remain Kate DePeety, downloaded this entire audiobook series for me as a Christmas present last year, as I am technologically… Dumb. Best present ever?! Yep.
I was in a music funk. I was tired of everything, and I mean everything on my iPod. This was perfect! Since I work in a cube-farm, it was great for me to put on and just zone out for the eight hours of my daily sentence. Narrated by one of the most talented voice personalities, Jim Dale, I could leave my grey prison cell every day and be the biggest nerd in the muggle world. I literally cycled through all seven of them for about six months straight. Then I found SubEx and found good music again!
2. Raveonettes – Whip It On This album was given to me by a now ex, also as a Christmas present last year. It has been in on of the six slots of my car’s six-disc changer since then. It was great to me at first, but then, as you know through a break-up, it can be painful to hear after that. But having worn out the other discs in the changer to the point of possibly no return, I begrudgingly would go back to it when I didn’t have my iPod. Recently I have fallen back in love with it. Every song is in b minor, and every song has a distorted, driving melody. It’s a quick listen. Maybe 25 minutes? But it keeps your attention for every second.
1. Beachwood Sparks – Once We Were Trees This is, hands down, my record of the year. Again, this was something I got from my guitar player Andy. I sat on it for a while and never really… Well… Having recently written about my Beachwood Sparks beginnings, I won’t retell it here, but I will say that this record is definitely in my top 10 records of all time for sure. It is just a really good Country-folk rock record. I don’t see how anyone could not like this band. Amazing.
MP3:
Silver Morning After-SubEx
Posts
Our buddy Don Diablo has turned the newest single by UK rock outfit Scanners into an epic dance monster with his addition of guitars, strings, and a killer break. The 'Salvation' remix EP is out now via Dim Mak Records. That's the touch of death for all you western-minded kids.
All over the hype machine lately I've been seeing a mashup of that shitty Miley Cyrus song with Biggie's "Party and Bullshit". Isn't this kind of blasphemous? Sure the Notorious one is so BA that he makes even that blonde tart's cheesy synth lines sound decent but that's not the point. Perhaps one DJ just thought he was being clever, with He being the party and she being the the bullshit. But even that bit of solace doesn't much comfort me. Instead I'd like to resubmit the PB&J mashup our buddy (and recent Guestlist participant) Dave Wrangler did last January. After cleansing your pallate with Miley it sounds just as refreshing as ever.
The artwork above pretty much says it all. The 8-A'ed Aziz Ansari alter ego apparantly has some mic skillz and ain't afraid to use em. If you remember the mini-doc Raaaaaaaandy came out with around the time of Funny People's release the only thing we all need to know about him is: "1. Y'all ain't ready. 2. Motherfuckers need to know. 3. Get yo' shit." Well it looks like come February us "punkasses" just might finally be ready.
A familiar song came on my shuffle this morning, and right from the first “note” I knew exactly what it was. “Starfield Road” from Sonic Youth’s Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star record had inched it’s way into the mix. I’ve been in a very nostalgic mood recently, as what happens frequently with the changing season, and I remember that this was one of my very first and most loved records growing up. I felt compelled to immediately go back and listen to this entire record from beginning to end and recall thoughts of the good ol’ life back in ‘94.
Over the last 10 years Dave Wrangler has managed to carve out quite the niche for himself in the world of electronic music. Nary a day goes by where you won't find a Dave Wrangler remix or mashup climbing its way up the Hype Machine's popular music charts. Sure he is recognized annually by various Houston media as one of the top DJ's in the city, but his greatness isn't limited by H-town's city limits; Rolling Stone magazine called his 'Life of the Party' mix a "goldmine". But really the most important thing is that his mixes are a SubEx staple. He's definitely a good, and on a side note we also appreciate the fine example he set by writing an intro to his list.
