Anton's Favorite 98 Songs of 2009

Why 98 you ask...Because I said so. Songs are hard to rank just because of the sheer volume of them, but these songs are some of the ones that made my ears smile throughout the year. Makes for a pretty solid playlist too!

98. Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare – Matt & Kim
97. Relator - Pete Yorn and Scarlet Johansson
96. Never Had Nobody Like You - M. Ward
95. Do You Love Me (Like You Say You Do) - Lee Fields & The Expressions
94. Pon De Floor - Major Lazer
93. Hero - Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros
92. It Ain’t Going to Save Me – Jay Reatard
91. Heavy Cross - Gossip
90. Boat Behind – Kings of Convenience
89. Eid Ma Clack Shaw – Bill Callahan
88. History – Mos Def ft. Talib Kweli
87. Pearl’s Dream – Bat For Lashes
86. Good Golly - Drummer
85. Percussion Gun – White Rabbits
84. Summer Song - YAT
83. Lisztomania - Phoenix
82. Northern Lights - Bowerbirds
81. This Tornado Love You – Neko Case
80. Fresh Air – Brother Ali
79. Keep It Getting Louder – Major Lazer
78. The Sweetest Thing – Camera Obscura
77. Repeater Beater - Mew
76. Satellite Skin – Modest Mouse
75. I Cut Like a Buffalo – The Dead Weather
74. Run This Town – Lil Wayne
73. House of Flying Daggers - Raekwon
72. Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat - Beck
71. Lalita – The Love Language
70. Come Saturday – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
69. Even in The Rain – The Fiery Furnaces
68. Collect Call - Metric
67. Give Blood – Rain Machine
66. DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshakes – Art Brut
65. So Far Around The Bend – The National
64. Drumroll (We’re All Thirsty) – P.O.S.
63. Actor Out of Work – St. Vincent
62. Walkabout – Atlas Sound ft. Noah Lennox
61. Epilepsy is Dancing – Antony & The Johnsons
60. Jealous of Roses - Bibio
59. And The Hazy Sea – Cymbals Eat Guitars
58. Stillness in The Move – Dirty Projectors
57. Woods – Bon Iver
56. Silver Trembling Hands – The Flaming Lips
55. Wilco (The Song) - Wilco
54. Deadbeat Summer – Neon Indian
53. 1901 - Phoenix
52. Tenuousness – Andrew Bird
51. Bear – The Antlers
50. Beach Comber - Real Estate
49. Quite Dog Bite Hard – Mos Def
48. Happy Up Here - Royksopp
47. Apollo and The Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna – Sunset Rubdown
46. VCR – The XX
45. Radio Kaliningrad – Handsome Furs
44. Hearing Damage – Thom York
43. Laura - Girls
42. Yours Truly, The Commuter – Jason Lytle
41. To Save Me – M. Ward
40. Still – Volcano Choir
39. The Wind and The Dove – Bill Callahan
38. Triumph - Wale
37. What Would I Want? Sky – Animal Collective
36. Feel it All Around – Washed Out
35. Mimizan - Beirut
34. Soft Shock – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
33. Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys
32. Daylight – Matt & Kim
31. Drain The Blood – Rural Alberta Advantage
30. Ecstasy - JJ
29. I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris – Morrissey
28. Deli – Delorean
27. People Got A Lotta Nerve – Neko Case
26. Revenge – Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse ft. The Flaming Lips
25. This is Not My House – Alec Ounsworth
24. Snookered – Dan Deacon
23. New Wu - Raekwon
22. Sylvia – The Antlers
21. Marrow – St. Vincent
20. The Field – Mason Jennings
19. Young Hearts Spark Fire - Japandriods
18. Islands – The XX
17. Young Adult Friction – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
16. Island, IS – Volcano Choir
15. Legal Tender – Handsome Furs
14. Summertime Clothes – Animal Collective
13. Modern Girl (…With Scissors) – Alec Ounsworth
12. Zero – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
11. Don’t Haunt This Place – Rural Alberta Advantage
10. Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear
9. These Are My Twisted Word – Radiohead
8. Cannibal Resource – Dirty Projectors
7. French Navy – Camera Obscura
6. Lust For Life - Girls
5. Daniel – Bat For Lashes
4. Crystalised – The XX
3. Yeasayer – Tightrope
2. Animal Collective – My Girls
1. Grizzly Bear – While You Wait For the Others


Top 5 guilty pleasure songs of 2009
5. I'm on a Boat - The Lonely Island
4. My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson
3. You Belong to Me - Taylor Swift
2. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
1. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

Best Albums of 2009

Before I started to put together this list I was thinking 2009 hasn’t been that great of a year for music, sure there have been a few stand out albums but all and all nothing too exciting. I started writing out every new album I’ve listened to this year which was 70+ albums. After weeding through the good and the bad I came up with a pretty big list of albums I thoroughly enjoyed. Looking at the list, 2009 was maybe a little more about quantity than overall quality, but that’s not a bad thing.

When deciding where to rank an album I consider the following.
· How good it is (obviously)
· How heavy of rotation it gets on my IPOD
· Will I go back to it in a couple years?
· Would I pay to see them live?

Every album on the list is an album I enjoy and would recommend. So they are not ranked from bad to great, they are ranked from good to great.

Anton’s favorite albums of 2009

Recommended
46. Mew – No More Stories are Told Today
45. Modest Mouse – No One’s First and You’re Next EP
44. Matt & Kim – Grand
43. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
42. Brother Ali – Us
41. Art Brut – Art Brut vs. Satan
40. Bon Iver – Blood Bank EP
39. jj- jj No. 2
38. Mason Jennings – Blood of Man
37. Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish I Were an Eagle
36. Lil’ Wayne – No Ceilings Mixtape
35. Washed Out – Life of Leisure EP
34. Atlas Sound – Logos
33. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
32. P.O.S. – Never Better
31. Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms EP
30. Real Estate – Real Estate
29. Jay-Z – Blueprint 3

Highly Recommended
28. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
27. Wale – Back to the Feature Mixtape
26. Delorean – Ayrton EP
25. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
24. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
23. Sunset Rubdown – Dragon Slayer
22. St. Vincent – Actor
21. Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There are Mountains
20. Mos Def – The Ecstatic
19. Antony and the Johnsons – Crying Light
18. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
17. Girls - Album
16. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
15. Animal Collective – Fall Be Kind EP Girls – Album
14. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
13. The Antlers – Hospice
12. Various Artists – Dark was the Night
11. Raekwon – Only Built for Cuban Linx…Pt. 2

2009 Must Own Albums

10. Dan Deacon - Bromst

I have a feeling if Dan Deacon gets any more popular he has a good chance of putting the illegal speed narcotics business out of business. I've heard Deacon described as Hyper-pop and I couldn't agree more, I actually feel like I am losing calories listening to him. Bromst's arrangements are layers upon layers of fast dance beats, simple electronic tones, Phillip Glass-esque loops and vocal harmonies.

9. Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns

The Rural Alberta Advantage (RAA) is acoustic rock done right: Heavy strumming, two part harmonies, raw vocals and amazing drumming throughout. RAA have given me a reason to be ok with the fact that Neutral Milk Hotel will never do another album, because you can hear their influence in "Hometowns.”

8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz

Usually I don't like when a band that is known for their raw sound puts out a heavily produced and polished album but” It's Blitz!” is an exception. Yeah Yeah Yeahs 3rd album is synth heavy and danceable which is contrast to “Fever To Tell” which was completely guitar driven. Karen O has never sounded better.

7. Japandroids – Post-Nothing

Japandroids is a two-man rock fest. Lo-fi guitar, simple song structure and basic lyrics about stuff I can relate to. I think what I love about so much about "Post-Nothing" is it sounds like something I could make. These may sound like criticisms but Japandroids is exactly what I needed this year. An album I can put on rock out to and not have to think about it. "Post-Nothing" is like baby bears porridge, just right!

6. Volcano Choir – Unmap

Volcano Choir is Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) teaming up with instrumental rockers Collections of Colonies of Bees. "Unmap" is beautifully weird short little album that needs to be listened start to finish. Vernons voice is used more as an instrument than focusing on lyrics. Most of the songs don't have your typical verse/chorus structure, "Island, IS" being the exception. This is a hard album to write about because I feel different about it every time I listen to it. Get it and do your own review.

5. Handsome Furs – Face Control

"Face Control" is the 2nd release from husband and wife duo Handsome Furs. To be honest with you I haven't even listened to their first release but I almost don't want to because it can't possibly be better than this album. Singer and guitarist Dan Boeckner (who is also the singer of Wolf Parade) has a great and unique rock voice that give the songs a little extra something. "Face Control" is an energetic rock and roll dance party so get ready to shake a leg!

4. Alec Ounsworth – Mo Beauty

"Mo Beauty" has finally given me what I've wanted from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Ounsworth's Band), a great album from start to finish. The first two CYHSY albums were like 60% amazing and the rest just seemed like filler. On "Mo Beauty" Ounsworth heads to Louisiana to record and work with a handful of local musicians including the bass player from funk legends The Meters. If you're not familiar with Ounsworth's voice it is somewhere between David Byrne and a dying cat, you love it or you hate it.

3. The XX – XX

It's baffling to me how 4 twenty year olds can make such an incredible album. On first listen I knew "XX" was a really good album but with every additional listen I kept hearing more and more. For such a simplistic sounding album the depth in the songs are amazing. Everything about this album is chill from the soft-pop vocals, smooth bass lines and looping guitar riffs. I am extremely excited for the future of this band.

2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

I think I can safely say that no other band sounds likes Animal Collective and no other band could make an album like "Merriweather." Animal Collective’s two vocalist's voices combine perfectly like a tasty peanut butter and jelly sandwich laced with LSD. Musically Animal Collective is almost indescribable. It's mainly electronic, at times taking sounds I would probably find annoying on their own but somehow making them beautiful by adding impressive beats and those great vocals I mentioned earlier. “Merriweather” came out in January this year and I haven’t tired of it yet.

1. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

An all around amazing album. Perfect harmonies, inventive instrumentation and great song structure is what you are in store for. The songs "Two Weeks" and "While you Wait for the Others" are near perfect songs. I am equally impressed with Grizzly Bear live having seen them twice this year. This is one of those albums I will never tire of, whether it's 10 weeks, 10 months or 10 years from now.

Return of the Wigwam

Hello all,

So I've been slacking and not updating. New updates coming soon! Including everyone's favorite, Year End Lists!

Anton

July Album Reviews

Lee Fields and the Expressions: My World, Rating 7.1

I first heard of Lee Fields when he was featured on the song "Stranded" on a Sharon Jones and the Dapkings record and I really enjoyed his soulful voice. After doing a little research on Lee i found his voice has been featured in tons of songs in the 60's and 70's Soul and Funk era but never anything solo. Well 2009 is finally Lee's year. My World is a strong soul record that fits nicely into my collection. Fields' voice can goes from nice and smooth like Sam Cooke to rough and dirty like Otis. This album is was a refreshing surprise for 09.

Delorean: Ayrton Senna EP, Rating 7.2

This four song EP by Delorean is nicely put together little dance party that leave you wanting more. Good beats, good vocal loops, good guitar work and great hand claps drive Ayrton Senna. At first listen I wasn't that impressed with Delorean but I wasn't giving it the attention it needs. Listen to this on a nice stereo and good head phones and you'll hear all the layering and it makes it so much better.

The Fiery Furnaces: I'm Going Away, Rating 6.4

Too be honest The Fiery Furnaces have never really won me over. I find them interesting enough to continue to give their albums a listen and I usual find a few tracks that will make it to my iPod. "I'm Going Away" is no different. This is probably their most mainstream or "listenable" record which I know has upset a lot of true fans.

The Dead Weather: Horehound, Rating 7.9

Jack White does it again! He is the golden child. I am always a little worried when so called "super groups" are created but this one just seemed to make sense. With members of The Kills, White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age and Raconteurs how can this band not rock hard. And it does just that. White is all over this album, drums, vocals and guitar. A must for any fan of the White Stripes or The Kills.

Wale: Back to the Feature, Rating 8.1

Another great mixtape from rapper Wale. Last years "Mixtape about nothing" a Seinfeld themed hip hop album by Wale quickly became one of my favorites. This time Wale teams up with 9th Wonder and he hits it out of the park again. If he's saving his best stuff for his first official album, it scares me to think how amazing it has potential to be.

The Rural Alberta Advantage: Hometowns, Rating 8.0

Rural Alberta Advantage (RAA) is the band that keeps on giving. They've given me a reason to be ok with the fact that Neutral Milk Hotel will never do another album, because you can hear their influence in "Hometowns." They've given me a reason not to have to listen to The Decemberist's again, because they are similar in style but better. Now both bands I've mentioned have singers that people tend to love or cringe when hearing them and RAA is no different. Acoustic rock done right.

Ever been to a hipster renaissance festival?

Last Friday a friend and I went to see "Bat for Lashes" at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown. This was their first stop on their 30 day US tour. They sounded great live. Natasha's voice was just as strong as it is on the album and her band sounded good as well. The show was full of songs about wizards and wolves. They played a good amount from their new album which was good for me because I find it considerably better than their first. After their US tour ends I think they head to Middle Earth.

Chicago Adventures and Pitchfork Music Fest

Recently Mary and I took a nice long weekend trip to Chicago to see the city and the 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival. Our good friends Pete and Kelly joined us for the journey. We were pretty excited to experience Chicago seeing that Mary has never been and I've only been once when I was a child.

Thursday 7/16

We flew into Chicago and arrived in the early afternoon. We checked into the Hyatt hotel right on the loop downtown and were impressed with our room, especially since we got a steal of a deal on Priceline. $65 a night, say what! After a little travel decompression it was time to wounder the city. We walked down to Millennium Park to view the sculptures and the scenery. This is truly an amazing area, they were setting up a concert at the amphitheater and families were sitting on the beautiful lawn enjoying a picnic dinner, wine and all. After seeing "The Bean" and the spitting sculptures we walked over to Grant Park. Unfortunately it started to down pour but I think it was natures way of saying..."You are on vacation, quit walking around, look to your left...see that bar? yeah, that bar! Go sit down and have a beer, take a load off" so that is exactly what we did. By the time the glasses were empty the rain stopped (for a little while).



For Dinner we made our way over to Greek Town and had an amazing meal at Athena's. Pete having grown up near Chicago and his moms side of the family being Greek insured us that this will be some of the best Greek food we've ever had. I'd have to say I agreed. We finished the meal with some baklava and a little ouzo to wash it down.

After dinner we met up with a friend of Kelly's from law school at a bar call Wells on Wells in Old Town across the street from the Second City Theater.

Friday 7/17

We started our day with an amazing breakfast at this little place called "Orange" which came highly recommended from a couple different people. We all enjoyed our meals but we came to the conclusion that Mary had the best breakfast, the Coconut-infused French toast skewered with fresh strawberries and pineapples, topped with honey and served with coconut-mango salad. I will now be one of the people highly recommending this place!



In the afternoon we took a really cool and informative architectural cruise down the river through downtown. The cruise was about an hour and half and supplied us with some amazing views of the city and loads of history for each building. Even though it's touristy I'd recommend this tour. Heck it was Pete's 3rd time on the tour and he enjoys it every time.



After the Cruise we walked down to the Original Gino's Pizzeria for some true Chicago style deep dish. We tried a couple different pies and they were very good. Nothing but loads of cheese, sauce and crust. As usual our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we waddled our way to the train to head towards to the White Sox game.



It's no secret that I hate the White Sox but I love outdoor baseball. Unfortunately the Cubs were away so you have to take what you can get. I kind of felt like I was cheating. But all in all it was an entertaining game and I was glad to see the ballpark.

Saturday 7/18

Saturday morning was filled with shopping on Michigan Ave and State Street. We went to the State Street Macy's which used to be one of the Marshall Fields I support at work. It was fun to finally see the place after hearing about how large it is.

We met up with Pete and Kelly and took the train to Wrigleyville. I finally got to see Wrigley Field...just look at it in all it's glory...why the hell are there giant sized cut outs of Rascal Flatts blocking the iconic Wrigley Field sign...Damn. We had lunch at the Goose Island Microbrew pub. Lunch was good and the beer was better. I sampled 4 Goose Island brews that I have not tried before. The Indian Pale Ale, Summertime, Nut Brown Ale and Harvest Ale. The winner being the IPA.



Finally we are on our way to Union Park for the main attraction, The 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival!

5:15 - Yeasayer. This is the 2nd time I've seen Yeasayer now and they do not disappoint. I will continue to make it a point to see them whenever they come to town. I can't wait for the new album because I am really digging the new songs they have been playing live.

6:15 - DOOM. Alright, so I was super excited to see DOOM (formerly MF Doom) for the first time. I was very impressed with his set. Hip Hop can be very hit or miss live but DOOM sounded great. To my disappointment I later found out in the Chicago Tribune that DOOM was lip syncing the whole set...damn.

7:25 - Beirut. We found a nice relaxing spot to the side of the stage for Beirut, it was perfect for this set. Beirut's heavy instrumentation was very good live and you'd swear we were watching an outdoor concert in Spain or France. It was a nice hour departure.

8:40 - The National. What an amazing show! The crowd of thousands was captivated. I've never heard so much silence in a crowd that large before during the songs. I found myself wishing I would have seen then in Minneapolis the night before we left for this trip.

After the show we took the train back to Wrigleyville for a night cap. Just after we arrived the Rascal Flatts concert got out. The streets were flooded with drunk girls in cowboy hats and jean skirts and polo'd douche bags. We ended up finding a quite tucked away patio at a bar called "The Dark Horse" which was actually quite nice.

Sunday 7/19

Started with a nice self guided walking tour around the Wicker Park Neighborhood. We saw some cool old houses and did a little window shopping. If we could afford to live in this neighborhood I think we would.



Meanwhile, back at Pitchfork...

2:30 Blitzen Trapper. I'm a fan of their album but I don't know...I started losing interest about halfway through their set. I think a setting like The Turf Club or something similar would be better fitting.

3:20 Pharoahe Monch. Set sounded very good live. Tons of energy and he seemed to really have the crowd going. No lip syncing either like DOOM

4:15 The Thermals. Meh, I'm not mad that I watched them but would have been fine not watching them. It gave me some time to just lay down on the blanket and relax. They did a Nirvana and a Green Day cover...kind of lame.

5:15 The Walkmen. Awesome! Vocals sounded great. I would love to see these guys at a club next time they are in town. Solid set list.

6:15 M83. Now I've heard the these guys are extremely boring to watch live from a couple of my friends. Well I would have to completely disagree. They had tons of energy on the stage and looked surprised at how much people were digging them. I wish I didn't listen to my friends and gone to see them when they were at the Triple Rock this spring.

7:25 Grizzly Bear. The band I was the most excited to see. I was a little worried though since they are so harmony heavy on their albums that it wouldn't sound half as good live. Well from the first song on they sounded amazing. These guys are true musicians. I am counting down the days to their show at First Ave. I felt a little bad for them because The Flaming Lips were setting up on the other stage and they kept shooting off confetti and the crowd kept looking over to that stage taking the attention away from Grizzly Bear.

8:40 The Flaming Lips. Umm, wow. What an experience. The show starts with the band walking our through a giant trippy vagina and then Wayne (singer) walking out onto the crowd in a inflatable ball. Pure entertainment. Confetti everywhere, giant balloons and great videos playing on the screen behind them on stage. I would see these guys every time they come to town from here on out.



Monday 7/20

Fly home...Sad

June Album Reviews

Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca, Rating 8.5

The Dirty Projectors are yet another great experimental rock band out of Brooklyn, NY. I swear creativity must flow through tap water there. "Bitte Orca" certainly doesn't fall short of creativity and it demands your attention. Dirty Projectors have 3 amazing singers two female and one male that make some really interesting harmonies. I have a feeling people will give this album one listen and dismiss it. Some of my favorite new bands took a few listens to fully appreciate and then love it such as TV on the Radio and Yeasayer.

Mos Def: The Ecstatic, Rating 8.2

Mos Def's debut release "Black on Both Sides" is and amazing album but every since then Mos Def is not doing it for me...then came "The Ecstatic." Mos Def uses music from all over the globe on "The Ecstatic" from India to Iraq to Mexico and American funk. His laid back flow keeps you engaged though the whole album. This could be the hip hop album of the year.

Regina Spektor: Far, Rating 6.0

More of the same from Regina, piano driven quirky songs (including one where she sings like a dolphin) and a strong voice. A few of these songs will make the iPod but all in all not a great album.

Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer, Rating 7.6

Yet another "Wolf Parade" side project. I don't know if these dudes in "Wolf Parade" know what it's like to make bad music, seems like everything they touch is gold. "Dragonslayer" is filled with long epic rock songs that just pull you in. This is one to play loudly in the car, you'll be so sucked into the songs you'll be at your destination before you know it.

Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue, Rating 8.0

This album was a nice surprise from a DJ/producer I've never heard of before. "Ambivalence Avenue" can easily be summed up as an elctro-folk-funk-dance album, haha. An easy listen from start to finish. "Bibio" has the same feel as "Air" or lighter elctro groups. I'd put this album to read a book but might have to get up between chapters to dance.

Wilco: Wilco (The Album), Rating 7.7

Well the name of the album kind of says it all. Wilco's new album almost feels like a journey through their career. Listening to "Wilco (The Album) I find my self saying "oh this song is very "Being There" or I could hear this track on "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel." I'd give this album to someone who was looking to get into Wilco and tell them to let me know there favorite songs. From that I'd be able to tell them what era of Wilco they might more. All in all a solid effort by Wilco, not their best album by far but one of the better ones.

May Album Reviews

St. Vincent: Actor, Rating 8.5

"Actor" is like no other album I've heard before, and I love it. Annie Clark really shows her unique instrumentation on this album. My favorite song "Marrow" Starts with a flute/clarinet flurry and then all of the sudden you are like "when did NIN get a female singer?" Distorted sax, violin and guitar take over to a heavy beat. Then you move to a song like "The Party" which has a nice singer songwriter feel and showcases Annie's voice. I am a big fan of St. Vincent and this album, give it a shot!

Peaches: I Feel Cream, Rating 6.6

What I love about Peaches is I know exactly what I am going to get when I listen to her albums, dance grooves with dirty in your face lyrics. "I Feel Cream" falls right in suit. This album is probably her best as far as production goes and is well rounded from start to finish. "Talk to Me" is a great tune and is possible the first Peaches song that has been able to receive radio play.

John Vanderslice: Romain Names, Rating 7.1

To me John Vanderslice is one of those artist where I'll listen to their album, really like it, move on to a different album and for get about them. I find myself checking my iPod whenever Vanderslice comes on to see who it is because I really like it. Maybe I haven't given Vanderslice the listening time he deserves. "Romain Names" is a solid example of how good of a singer/songwriter Vanderslice is and his instrumentation's are light, bouncy and fun.

White Rabbits: It's Frightening, Rating 7.3

Produced by the lead singer of Spoon Britt Daniels it's easy to hear the similarities and influences of Spoon on "It's Frightening." This percussion heavy album is fun to listen to and has some great heavy pop tracks on it. But I usually find myself about half way through the album wanting to put Spoon on, which isn't a bad thing. If you are a fan of Spoon I am 90% sure you will like this album.

Jason Lytle: Yours Truly, The Commuter, Rating 7.1

"Yours Truly, The Commuter" is the first solo album from Grandaddy's lead singer Jason Lytle. To be honest I hear very little difference between Lytle's solo stuff and Grandaddy which is fine with be because I was bummed when I heard they broke up. I find Lytle's music very cosmic sounding, like it could almost be an alternative sound track for 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Green Day: 21st Century Breakdown, Rating 3.0

It came out, I don't care, it will win lots of grammys.

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest, Rating 9.4

An all around amazing album. The best Grizzly Bear album and they make really good albums. Perfect harmonies and great song structure. The songs "Two Weeks" and "While you Wait out for the Others" are near perfect songs. This is one of those albums I will never tire of, whether it's 10 weeks, 10 months or 10 years from now.

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Rating 8.7

"Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" reminds me of when I listened to The Stokes "Is This It?" for the first time. It's nothing new but it's done so well it sounds it stands out on it's own. I wouldn't be surprised to see a handful of bands to have that "Phoenix" sound just the we got a bunch of Strokes sound-a-likes in the early 2000's. Every single song on this album could be a radio single, it's that good. Pop-rock can't be done much better than this.

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse: Dark Night of Soul, Rating 7.5

This album that may never be released due to legal disputes with EMI but is available to stream and download online. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse bring together a collection a indie stars such as Jason Lytle, Wayne Kramer (Flaming Lips), Iggy Pop, Black Francis (Pixies) and Julian Casablanca (The Strokes) to sing over their music. Not a great album but a good album. It's a fun mash up of a lot of great artists, it's worth a listen.

April Album Reviews

Hold Steady: Positive Rage, Rating 5.2

As much as I love The Hold Steady and as much as I love seeing The Hold Steady live, a live Hold Steady album really disappoints. I'm not really surprised either. Seeing The Hold Steady live is an experience, one I think everyone should go through sometime in your life. You get to see 5 great musicians that absolutely love what they do and they pull the crowd right into it with them. This experience does not carry over to a live album. True fans put it in you collection just to have, others stay away.

Bat For Lashes: Two Suns, Rating 8.3

If you are fan of artists such as PJ Harvey, Bjork, Kate Bush and early Tori Amos, Bat For Lashes is right down your alley. This album caught me by surprise. I wasn't familiar with the band but thought I'd give it a shot. First listen I was hooked. Amazing voice and some intense dark grooves. The Track "Daniel" will probably be somewhere in my top 5 tracks of the year.

Prince: Lotus Flow3r/MPLSound, Rating 2.1

Hmmm, where do I start. I am a huge fan a of Prince (who isn't). I've even been patient with he last few releases because embedded between a bunch of mediocre songs there are some gems. but this double CD could be the worst material I've every heard from Prince. To be honest I couldn't find a song on either album that keep my attention all the way through before skipping to the next tune. Prince, I would like to tell you the same thing I told Ryan Adams, Fans don't care about the quantity of music you release, it's the quality that keeps us coming back.

Metric: Fantasies, Rating 7.0

Have you ever listened to an album by the band "Stars" and go "Man, I wish this was better. They have the right idea but just can't pull it off"? if so, buy Fantasies by Metric. If you have no clue what I am talking about, buy Fantasies by Metric. You'll like it. It's a great pop album that sounds like it's had it's corners bent a little.

Lady Sovereign: Jigsaw, Rating 6.2

Jigsaw is a whole new feel from British rapper Lady Sovereign. SOV's debut album was a good hip hop album filled with some great tongue in cheek lyrics backed with contagious beats. On Jigsaw SOV takes a more dance/club turn. I would say Jigsaw has 3 or 4 solid tracks the will make the iPod and be played loudly at a party.

Bill Callahan: Sometime I wish I were an Eagle, Rating 8.0

Let me start out by saying this album won't be for everyone. Callahan's voice is one of those you embrace or you hear it once and your done with it. For me his low dark voice fits the instrumentation on this album so well. Each song is a great story pulls you in and then after you are done with it you say "I'm glad Bill is like this so I don't have to be."

Camera Obscura: My Maudlin Career, Rating 7.9

Camera Obscura is probably best summed up as great pop music. I thought My Maudlin Career was decent on first listen but the more I listen to it the more and more I enjoy it. At times it has 50's girl group sound to it but then on the next track might go a little country or maybe a ballad. I hate to say this but Camera Obscura might make me start listening to Belle and Sebastian...eek.