By Alex Brenner
While it’s impossible to write about every record that comes out, I found myself reflecting on 2009 as not a great year for music. Looking at the top 10 lists of 2009, I almost wanted it to be 1994 again when people made mind blowing records and alternative was alternative (Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
where are you?). Anyway, I recently stumbled upon these discs from ’09 and just thought I should mention them. Maybe you missed them too.
A.A. Bondy – When The Devil’s Loose
– A friend of mine kept playing this record to death and I figured I would it out and see what all the hype was about. A.A. Bondy really sets himself apart from most of the Americana songwriters out there. Even with his weary voice and dusty sounding songs, he still sounds fresh and new. Think Dylan’s Nashville Skyline but really depressing and you will get the idea. It’s a classic, familiar sound but very cleverly put together with brilliant lyrics and lonely piano and guitar barely keeping time. If you are a fan of David Bazan or early Damian Rice you should really check this out. It’s a great record to spin on Sunday afternoon while you are trying to recover from the night before.
Listen: A.A. Bondy – I Can See The Pines Are Dancing
Lifter Puller – Fiestas & Fiascos (Deluxe Reissue)
– I can’t believe this one snuck by me. A Minneapolis band featuring none other than the Hold Steady’s Craig Finn (this is his prior band). For those of you familiar with the Hold Steady you know that Craig Finn is one hell of a storyteller. The sounds are not that different from his current outfit but they come in short 3 minute bursts and sometimes the songs collide into each other. This album was their last, and possibly best, record in my opinion. While the tales spin about night clubs, drugs and sex in bathroom stalls, Fiestas and Fisacos is amazing the whole way through. With lyrics like “making money with their mouths”, how can you go wrong? This is the rock that was missing from 2009. A must for Hold Steady fans, this is a very exciting record and certainly worth a listen or two. [Available only on MP3, but you can buy it here. - Rube]
The Low Anthem -Oh My God Charlie Darwin
- Where do I begin with this album? I saw them open for Blind Pilot and their somber yet exciting set blew my mind. [Read Alex's review of that show here.] This trio switches between twenty-three different instruments throughout their set. Sometimes it’s a haunting slow number and sometimes a barn burning bluesy stomp. As far as this style goes, which I guess it would be Americana. But this band is quite unique. From the Neil Young-esque “To Ohio” to the burning “The Horizon is a Beltway” The Low Anthem knows how to mix it up and sonically. This record sounds so dusty and raw. There is not a bad track on this record; the songwriting is top notch. On behalf of the A-List, please accept my apologies. I am so sorry I missed this one on my year-end list. Please do not make the same mistake because it’s really worth a listen.
Listen: The Low Anthem – To Ohio
Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy
- After a three year hiatus, Built to Spill returns with a brilliant album true to form. From the opening “Aisle 13″ to the country feel of “Hindsight,” Built to Spill is at the top of their game here. There Is No Enemy is great all the way through. Hooks and soaring guitars propel this record into another instant classic. While lazily paced until “Pat” – a rocked out affair – this band knows how to play on its strengths. It’s everything you’d expect and then some. How this did not make my best of 2009, I will never know.
