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My favourite music of 2009, wherein I list things I like and make pithy comments. See also, from 2008. Not a great year in music, but as always, a bunch of new artists on the scene with a fistful of good tracks – will you remember them next year?

Top 10 Albums of 2009

10. Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian Prefuse 73

Like Flying Lotus’s Los Angeles (2008), Prefuse 73 offers an album suitable for narcoleptics, schizophrenics and those otherwise suffering from attention deficit disorders. Micro-songs chock-full of texture and beats, each its own little rush.

9. Embryonic The Flaming Lips

Sprawling across two CDs, the Lips cover a broad sonic and emotional landscape. Perhaps the the most musically rich and interesting albums of the year.

8. It’s Blitz Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Still darlings of the indie rock world, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs sound less raw in this release, but turn out some well-tuned pop-rock songs with a hint of disco.

7. Sketch on Glass/Maybes Mount Kimbie

Incredibly well-executed electronic music that has elements of dubstep, minimal techno and ambient. One of my favourite discoveries of 2009.

6. Tarot Sport Fuck Buttons

The Fuck Buttons continue their excellent form, following on from 2009’s Street Horrsing. Sit back, turn it up, and let it wash over you. Each track takes you somewhere, sometimes through harsh, brutal terrain, but you are always rewarded for it.

5. Fever Ray Fever Ray

There’s not a whole lot of difference between Karin Dreijer Andersson as “Fever Ray” and Karin Dreijer Andersson plus brother Olof as “The Knife”, but who cares. Distorted, creepy vocals and superb synth work. Also, the best live show I saw all year.

4. Junior Röyksopp

I am at risk for losing my visa if I do not include a Norwegian band, so I’m delighted that Röyskopp released the excellent Junior this year. An incredibly solid pop/dance release brimming with stand-out tracks.

3. The Crying Light Antony and the Johnsons

A little less bombast (by Antony standards), it took me quite a few listens to appreciate the sublimeness of this release. An album that lifts your spirit in parts but still offers lots of opportunity for crashing down in melancholy.

2. First Love Emmy the Great

Another discovery of 2009, First Love is both a hugely under-appreciated release and hugely impressive debut. Singer-songwriter/pop-acoustic kind of a thing, with excellent lyrics, catchy melodies and good production.

1. Merriweather Post Pavilion Animal Collective

No surprises here I suppose as Merriweather Post Pavilion topped most best-of lists for 2009. It indeed includes some excellent tracks, although disappointing as an album. If you ignore some of the filler tracks but bundle in Fall Be Kind which was released later, you can make your own Animal Collective Ultimate 2009 Album.

X. Veckatimest Grizzly Bear

In a rash oversight, my original list of 10 albums omitted Veckatimest. Rather than revise history and replace an album, Vekatimest will have to be at rank X. But anyway, the album: beautifully-crafted, richly-textured soft rock that manages to hold interest for an entire 50-odd minutes.

Best compilations

Also enjoyed were…

Didn’t quite make my top 10, but are worth a listen were:

Overrated

The top three most overrated albums of 2009 are:
1. Actor St. Vincent
2. Album Girls
3. Real Estate Real Estate

Tracks

Some favourite tracks from albums not mentioned above:

Camera Obscura playing at Parkteatret, Grünerløkka, Oslo. October 2009.

The Drones at Garage, Oslo. September 2009.

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing some great live music here in Oslo. When I first arrived I thought I was missing out on a lot since bands will tour Copenhagen or Stockholm but frequently skip Oslo. This is no doubt true, but we still do get some really good smaller acts touring here. For example, a couple of weeks ago I saw Animal Collective, this week Antony and the Johnsons, and next week Squarepusher. That’s a pretty good set of artists by any measure, and bloody good for such a small city.

Norway seems to have a soft spot for Antony either with his Johnsons or in disco mode in Hercules and Love Affair. Or perhaps Antony has a soft spot for Norway. His show was sold out in a matter of hours, and a couple of days later it was announced they’ll be coming back to be part of the Oslo Jazz Festival, playing on top of the new opera house along with support from an orchestra.

By the time I heard that Antony was playing Oslo, the gig was long sold out, so I was bummed out for many months. On the day of the concert, I went to the venue hoping to score a ticket for myself and a friend, but alas, there was nothing to be had. Then, by miracle, literally 30 minutes before the concert, my friend happens across two tickets that her friends can’t use due to stricken with sudden sickness. Score!

The concert was absolutely beautiful. Antony is witty, urbane and intelligent throughout and you really get a sense you are in the presence of skilled musicians. Old songs are played in new ways and the new songs sound fantastic. I don’t normally notice it, but the stage lighting was also very well done; there seemed to be an arc from darkness to lightness back to darkness again, synchronised so that “Daylight and the Sun” was the brightest point. Or maybe that was my imagination. I saw Antony in 2005 when he was touring for the “I Am A Bird Now” LP, and while he is now playing larger venues, there is still a very special intimate environment that you don’t get with many artists. You come away feeling that you’ve had a personal experience. That’s what live music should be about.