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But Mac, what about.....?

Posted at 1:22 PM on December 18, 2009 by Mac Wilson

Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion & Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca

There is some unmistakable genius on display over the course of these two albums, but only in pieces. The four best songs on the two records combined happen to be the 4 songs we've been playing on the Current (DP's "Cannibal Resource" & "Stillness Is the Move" and AC's "My Girls" & "Summertime Clothes"); the rest ranges from cerebral to abstract to wankery. I appreciate what both bands are trying to do, but neither of them hooked me in with their respective albums. I would rather be called an idiot for not including them than to include them just because everyone else loves them.

Girls, Album
A wonderful little debut that mixes classic '60s songwriting with modern alternative. If I started a band, it would probably sound like this. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

The XX, xx
Another strong debut that nonetheless feels like that: a debut. Give them some time, and they'll live up to the hype in earnest. I do appreciate any band that can make proper use of space, which is something the XX certainly do in their minimalist songs.

The Flaming Lips, Embryonic
I've never been a fan of their ouevrem, finding their music to be both precious & obnoxious. What better way to turn off their new fans than to revert to their experimental phase, burying Wayne Coyne's voice in the mix and freaking out for extended passages? Naturally, I wound up liking it more than anything else they've ever done.

The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love
The most interesting characters in the plot are the Rake and the Queen. Disappointingly, they're each relegated to cameo roles, with just one or two show-stopping piece each. The rest of the story is mostly the hero & heroine frolicking in the forest or simply making goo-goo-eyes at each other. I don't have a problem with storyline-based albums, but if you do it, you need to have a compelling storyline. But back to the good: does Shara Worden have a set of pipes or what? She was the undoubted highlight of Rock the Garden 2009. If I had to make a list of Best Female Vocal Performances of 2009:

1. Amber Coffman, "Stillness Is the Move" (Try singing along from the start. By the time you reach the chorus, your vocal chords will be in tatters)
2. Robyn, "The Girl and the Robot" (Wound up eerily presaging the Tiger Woods/Elin Nordegren marital debacle)
3. Shara Worden, "Repaid" (I find myself secretly wishing for Colin Meloy to shut up, just so Worden can bellow at him some more)

P.O.S., Never Better
On Musicheads, we kept going on & on about how abrasive this was, yet I listened to it more & more as the year went on. In a crowded field of local hip-hop this year, P.O.S. stood above the rest.

Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I said in January that this was the album I most looked forward to this year. Phoenix were a breakout hit this year, and they couldn't have deserved it more, riding the coattails of "1901" and "Lisztomania" to Cadillac royalties, a Grammy nomination, and spots on countless year-end best-of lists. Alas, two great singles does not a great album make. Take a step back, and you'll realize that the album tracks are weaker than anything since their debut United. With the exception of "1901" and "Fences", I found the other songs to be uncharacteristically bland & soundalike. They have better albums in them. But let's take one more look back at their run of singles this decade:

* "If I Ever Feel Better"
* "Too Young"
* "Everything Is Everything"
* "Run Run Run"
* "Long Distance Call"
* "Consolation Prizes"
* "1901"
* "Lisztomania"

Holy smokes. Along with the Killers, Phoenix may have been the singles band of the decade.

Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse, Dark Night of the Soul
For never getting an official release, it sure wound up making the rounds. I listened to it again a few weeks ago and liked it even more than I did last summer. Then again, I'm a sucker for anything Danger Mouse does. I'm looking forward to hearing his collaboration with James Mercer, Broken Bells, in 2010.

Weezer, Raditude
When it comes to late-period Weezer, you'd have to rank it with the Green album & Maladroit. Deep inside, you know I'm right.

Rivers Cuomo and Lil' Wayne couldn't stop partyin' in 2009, but the inexorable march of time means that 2010 is almost upon us. I sure enjoyed the music of 2009, but have even higher hopes for next year. I'm already dreaming of next year's list.

Happy holidays.

December 2009
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