Favourite albums of 2009 (part the second)

In case you missed it, part one is here!
It's only a little late, but I finally got caught up on my backlog of albums from 2009 I wanted to review. I think I did just about every new album I picked up during 09 -- which was over 50! -- so now I might as well post my favourite twenty albums. And yes, that is "favourite", not "best", so while something may be technically "better", these were the ones I liked the most. Also, they are in order of release date, as I am terrible at numbering things.
Were I a more organized person, I would have sat down this long weekend and listened to all 20 albums and come up with something new and exciting to say for each, but with my laziness school term coming to a close, I just didn't have the time, sadly. But I have included links to all the previous reviews I did on the albums, which are still as valid now as they were then.

In A Quiet World by We Are The City (original review)
superb debut

"Fathers" EP by Black Hat Brigade (original review)
an EP with more substance than most full lengths

Dragonslayer by Sunset Rubdown (original review)
this is why SR is my favourite of all Spencer Krug's bands

Nice, Nice, Very Nice by Dan Mangan (original review)
the acclaim is much deserved

Bay of Pigs EP by Destroyer (original review[ku])
more proof of Bejar's musical genius

Monsters of Folk by Monsters of Folk (original review)
could've been messy, ended up awesome

Friends & Total Strangers by The Trews (original review[ku])
live & acoustic, shows their true talent

Vancouver by Matthew Good (original review)
favourite album of the year (surprise)

Islands Disappear by Said The Whale (original review)
possibly perfect power pop

Tic Toc Tic by The Zolas (original review)
insanely catchy


So, what do you think overall? Agree? Disagree? Think I missed something major? Just like to complain? Let me know!

"Fathers" by Black Hat Brigade

Wolf Parade. It seems that everyone that talks about the new Black Hat Brigade album is legally required to make one reference to that band, so that is the first and last time I will mention that name. The comparison is not completely out there, since there are indeed some similarities, especially in some of the vocal stylings... but BHB is more than a ripoff band. Much more.
"Fathers" is billed as an EP, and while it is only seven songs -- eight, if you could the separate-track reprise of the last song, Vera -- it clocks in at about 32 minutes; almost as long as some other full length releases I have picked up recently. And those 32 minutes are packed with some of the best and most unique music I have heard so far this year.

From the opening track, the anthemic Kitchen Party, you get a sense of the awesomeness to come, and then the first single, Zombie City Shakes, just blows the listener away. Catchy as hell, with a spooky theremin (or theremin-sounding device) dropped in, this song alone is what prompted me to pick up the album. "Fathers" is a short piece, almost an interlude before the epic Signal Fire, which has a Maritime-y, evil-sea-shanty vibe and goes from calm to chaotic at the drop of a (high) hat. Castlevania is my favourite off the album and, as you might guess from the name, features some brilliant 8-bit-esque sounds that seem ripped straight from a haunted castle level in Super Mario with vocals added on. It's a song that easily could have sounded ridiculous, in the hands of a lesser band, but they not only pull it off, they make it superb. From this point, with Lost Boys, the album slows down a bit with the last two songs, showcasing the bands softer side and giving them even more depth. Finally, the captivating duelling vocals on Vera build the song to a climax and leads into the albums final track, Vera (reprise), which is soft and piano based, and turns out to be a perfect epilogue for the whole album.

Behind the incredibly catchy -- and insanely dancible -- melodies and hooks, however, are dark (and sometimes even gruesome) lyrics. The songs are deep and layered, both musically and lyrically, and finds the perfect balance and shows you don't have to be simplistic to be catchy, or pretentious to be complex. There is more substance to this 32 minute EP than albums I have heard from albums twice as long.
Forget calling this my favourite EP of the year, there is a very good chance of it being one of my favourite albums overall.


download Signal Fire

Download Castlevania

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