It's Been A While (10-6)

Sorry for the terrible Staind reference, but seriously, I have become lax as shit with regards to this blog. So I thought, as the year draws to a close, I should do a little summation of my top 10 albums of the year. Because everybody else seems to be doing it and it's piss easy :)

10) Converge - Axe To Fall

Ok, so hardcore's always going to be a divisive musical genre, but that's really the point. Anyone who has any sort of inclination can appreciate that Converge are one of the most intense and passionate acts in the past 20 or so years. 'Axe To Fall' is, to my mind, their finest piece of work, their magnus opum if you will. The brutality of each song in no way overshadows their skill as musicians, and the level of craftsmanship into each song, each breakdown, is something that should be revered highly. Yes, it's an assault on your ears, but this may be the best album to get you pumped up since Rage Against The Machine re-invented swearing in songs. And Jacob Bannon sings, which is surely one of the most intriguing developments in the scene ever.



9) Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Perhaps the unrivalled darlings of 2009, Animal Collective have a definite sound that can only be theirs, and on the new album channeled their psychedelic hybrid of folk and electronica into new, unchartered waters that will inevitably lead to many imitators, but few who can match the level of intensity. Lead single 'My Girls' is the world's greatest drug come-up put to music, and throughout there are definite signs that the outfit really have put thought into their product. Considering so many 'indie' bands are now relying on keyboards and electronic music to take their music to new levels, it is thoroughly refreshing to see a band that achieve this experimentation with such ease and aplomb.



8) Volcano Choir - Unmap

Folk has certainly been one of the big hitters of the past year, with Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Mumford and Sons all achieving high degrees of both commercial and critical success. Volcano Choir, a meeting of minds courtesy of Justin Vernon (who is, to all extents and purposes Bon Iver) and underground heroes Collections Of Colonies Of Bees, provided one of the most pleasant and ethereal albums, if not of 2009, then perhaps of the entire decade. Taking an obvious nod from nu-folk archetypes Sigur Ros, the use of vocals as instrumentation as opposed to narrative produced a sonic-landscape that many have tried to accomplish, but few with such grace and charm.



7) Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand

If one band was guaranteed to get you into the right parties and give you the best drugs, Black Lips would be that band. The raukos 'flower-punk' has gained them a notoriety that most bands employ people to achieve, and their most recent release shows that the band have no intention of slowing down or changing tack. Equal parts overdose-meets-Stooges-meets-Velvet Underground, the careless approach and often shambolic guitars convey images of what the Libertines might have sounded like if they replaced crack with acid and had been born during Woodstock. Oh, and 'Drugs' is, not surprisingly, one of the best songs to tackle the subject since Andy Warhol died.



6) The Dead Weather - Horehound

When I first heard that Alisson Mosshart and Jack White were recording a collaborative album, I won't lie, terrible, unimaginable things happened in my pants. Two of the most original acts of the past decade, based around Mosshart's modern day Nico meeting Jack White's pioneering garage/blues credentials, the album certainly didn't disappoint. A dark, whiskey swagger and haunting keys made the album the best thing to happen to leather jackets and dark sunglasses since heroin. As a mark of how good this album was, one of my very dear friends, Polly, had 'Cut Like A Buffalo' tattooed on her. And Polly's awesome. She got me into weed and hairspray.



N.B Numbers 5-1 to follow soon.