Best Music of 2009: #10-6

#10. Freelance Whales: Weathervanes (listen to it here or buy it here for $6)
This album can classify as '09 or '10, but I'm placing it in the former because it wouldn't make the top 20 in the latter (and I actually meant to place it at #11, but I messed up).  Whales owe serious debts to Postal Service, but they aren't derivative rip-off artists like Owl Crappy (that's the PG version).  They implement a banjo and a glockenspiel on several songs that pay homage to Sufjan.  At first, Whales struck me as a bit too saccharine (as indicated by their album cover) but there's a cleverness to the lyrics that move them past simple sweetness ("Shut me up with your long tube socks, / They don't scream, 'Hey, let's just be friends.'").  Beyond that, they make several fantastic analogies to being a house, being objects in a house, or being a ghost exploring a house ("Oh, you caught me sleeping in the power sockets, / You caught me mildewing the tiles of your bathroom.").  Don't let their sweet sound fool you; there's some deep and dark stuff going on therein.  Here's a fan-made video of "Starring," one of my favorite tracks:


#9. Various Artists: Dark Was the Night (buy it)
This double album reads like a who's who of indie rock: Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, Andrew Bird, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, The Decemberists, Ben Gibbard (Death Cab), Iron & Wine, Feist, Spoon, Arcade Fire, Beirut, etc., etc.  There are more than a few throwaway tracks (even from some of the aforementioned bands), but when you've got 31 tracks, you can afford to have a few swing-and-a-miss efforts (plus it introduced me to Sharon Jones).  And not only was this a good album, its proceeds went to help promote AIDS awareness, thanks to the Brothers Dessner (The National).  Sufjan's track is beyond epic, but this song is probably the album's most beautiful (yet, in Bon Iver style, tragic and haunting to boot) [warning: explicit]:


#8. Other Lives: self-titled (listen to it here and buy it here)
The band formerly known as Kunek changed their name and didn't miss a beat.  If you like melody-driven piano rock, then look no further than Other Lives.  The Oklahoma quintet is what Coldplay might have been had they not hopped aboard the crazy train of popularity and radioplay.  Viz:


#7. Jaydiohead: Jay-Z x Radiohead (legally download it for free here)
I'm not a huge mash-up fan (never really liked The Gray Album), but this thing is awesome and rivals volume 1 of the Ratatat Remixes (but not killer vol. 2).  I'm not a Jay-Z fan, at all, but his lazy and laid-back rapping style fits well with most music (as Danger Mouse and Ratatat have both proven), and the Radiohead tunes -- from throughout the catalog, including Yorke's solo career -- are almost a pitch-perfect fit.  Enjoy [warning: explicit]:


#6. Port O'Brien: Threadbare (listen to it here or buy it here)
I wrote about this one previously, so you can visit it if you so choose.  But just trust me that I underestimated this album's power back then.  It's a grower, that's for sure, and I think it's in a sonic class of its own (hard to find a comparison for these guys).  And these guys have a great energy on stage and put on a good show, so see them if you get a chance.

Best Music of 2009: #15-11

#15. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion (listen to it here and buy it here)
This album had a lot of hype on its release and had several critics calling it 2009's best album before February even began.  That's just crazy.  I waited until March or April (of '09) to [legally] download it and I enjoyed it.  It's not my favorite album of the year, but it's good and "My Girls" was one of my favorites from the year (as I listened to it about 200 times):


#14. David Gray: Draw the Line (listen to it here and by it here)
I've been a big DG fan since White Ladder -- which isn't saying much since he had some great albums before that -- but Draw the Line was a Gray's first album since 2005 (Life in Slow Motion) and far better than 2002's New Day After Midnight.  I'm not sure if Gray will ever recapture the magic of Sell Sell Sell (my personal favorite), but DtL is a decent record and I hope Gray continues to make music like "Jackdaw":


#13. Dan Auerbach: Keep It Hid (listen to it here and buy it here)
I love me some Black Keys, so I was excited when I heard Dan was striking out on his own.  His solo stuff is different (rootsier?) than TBK and that's fine (why make a solo album that sounds like your other stuff?).  I still prefer TBK, but Dan's solo work on KIH is good and is worth a listen for any TBK fan, especially to stand-out tracks like "Heartbroken, in Disrepair" (which is one of the more TBK-esque tracks):


#12. Royal Bangs: Let It Beep (listen to most of it here or buy it here)
I didn't come across this until April of 2010, so I'm glad I waited to make this list.  Beep was produced by Patrick Carney, the drummer from TBK.  However, unlike Britt Daniels' influence on White Rabbits, the effort from Royal Bangs sounds nothing like TBK and that's absolutely fine.  They rock out, but there's an electronica aspect that's absent from TBK's sound, with some jam band tendencies to boot.  This album also had some songs that had to grow on me (mental note: catch these guys live!), but "War Bells" was love at first sound:


#11. Choir of Young Believers: This is for the White in Your Eyes (buy it here)
I've already written about this album, so I won't say much more.  I've grown a little tired of it since that post, but I still think these guys are way under the radar and I can't wait to see what tragically gorgeous tunes they produce next if they keep putting out songs like "Why Must it Always Be this Way":

Best Music of 2009: #16-20

Why in the heck is this list being posted when 2010 is more than halfway over?  Well, I've been too lazy for the past 6 months.  I'm deep in the throes of dissertation composition, so I thought this was a good way to get my mind rolling in the write direction (har har, sorry).  And as the blog name indicates, I plan on writing weekly, and hopefully 2-5 times per week.

A few caveats: 2009 wasn't the best year for music -- especially entire albums -- in my eyes.  These albums (#16-20) wouldn't make the top 20 if they had been released this in 2010 (probably not even the top 30), but they are still worthwhile investments if you enjoy music.  Secondly, there are still a few albums from '09 that I haven't purchased yet (this list is only comprised of albums I own), so out of consideration are worthy efforts from Kasabian, Bad Veins, Telekinesis (five bucks!), Timber Timbre (five bucks!), and Telegraph Canyon.

#20. White Rabbits: It's Frightening (listen to it here or buy it here)
Basically, if you like Spoon, you'll like White Rabbits -- mainly because Britt Daniel (lead singer of Spoon) produced this album.  However, it's no substitute for the actual thing.  This is my favorite track and the video shows how their use of two drummers drives the song (and apparently Texas high school football?):


#19. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes: self-titled (listen to it here or buy it here for $6!)
This is a definite throwback to 60s- and 70s-style traveling gypsy bands.  I'm not sure this album would've made the top 20 if I hadn't seen them in concert (which might be a little unfair), but they put on a good-but-not-great live show (too short!), and it made their album better.  My favorite track, by far, is "40 Day Dream" and this video gives you a sense of what it's like to see them live:


#18.  Miike Snow: self-titled (listen to it here or buy it here for $6)
These dudes know how to pump a catchy electrono-beat.  Don't believe me?  Read this and then watch this:


#17. Julian Casablancas: Phrazes for the Young (listen to it here or buy it for $5 here)
This album was a bit of a disappointment, but The Strokes are one of my all-time faves and this hit a little bit of that craving (since they haven't put out an album in almost five years!).  It's admittedly different than most Strokes material -- and purposefully so -- but what keeps it from being higher on the list is the unevenness in several of the songs ... and due to the fact that "11th Dimension" was the advance single from the album and none of the other tracks could really match the expectations that song set; viz:


#16. DM Stith: Heavy Ghost (listen to a few tracks here or buy it here)
I initially resisted the tunes of David Stith because I thought it sounded too similar to Patrick Watson.  However, Mr. Stith is a personal friend of my sister and brother-in-law and they convinced me to give the entire album a few spins.  While I still tend to hear similarities between PW and DM, it doesn't make Heavy Ghost a poor effort; in fact, it's a fine album (which might be even better on shrooms given it's ethereal nature).  "Isaac's Song" is a bit more representative of Ghost, but "Braid of Voices" is my favorite tune on the album (it stands in contrast with the rest of the album -- placid throughout); check it out if you've had a rough day and it will put your soul at ease:

Black Dynamite

It's been four months since I've reviewed anything--and even longer since I've reviewed a film--but I can't think of a better film to jump-start the cinematic reviews than Black Dynamite.

Partially written by Michael Jai White (the movie's star), Black Dynamite tells the story of Black Dynamite, an ex-CIA operative that is "super cool" and "know kung fu." He is, undoubtedly, smooth with the ladies, but he has little time to fool around once he starts investigating his brother's death. The plot purposefully--and with great hilarity--becomes quite convoluted, with multiple plot twists, and government conspiracies that involve malt liquor, a fiendish scientific genius from China (whose "knowledge of scientific biological transmogrification is only outmatched" by his "zest for kung-fu treachery!"), and of course Richard Nixon.

Sadly (?), I was born post-blaxploitation, so I didn't see those films growing up, so I'm sure a part of Black Dynamite's brilliance is lost on me, but as satire/spoof, it is absolutely legendary (I hadn't seen many (any?) zombie movies when I saw Shaun of the Dead, but I was still able to appreciate it). Black Dynamite is sort of the Hott Fuzz of blaxploitation, but a little goofier... not quite Airplane!-level zaniness, but definitely goofy. However, it's very subtle at times, and the viewer has to work to catch some of the gags. The boom mic making its appearance into the shot is easy to spot, but the red Porche that suddenly turns into an 1960s family sedan as it explodes while going off the cliff is a little more subtle (even though it doesn't sound too hard to notice). The film is, in a way, an homage to blaxploitation, but very different from another recent effort. The filmmakers walk a thin line between trying to make a film purposely bad at parts, but not end up with a bad movie. Without a doubt, they succeed.

Grade: A
Blurb: 2009's funniest film.

Enjoy the trailer:

Port O'Brien: Threadbare

Admittedly, I missed the boat when these guys came out with All We Could Do Was Sing in '08. That album has been stuck in my eMusic queue for a long time, so when Threadbare came out last week, I did a very un-Micah-like thing and picked up the newer album instead of the well-received-but-somewhat-overlooked debut after I gave Threadbare a couple of spins over on their Myspace (yes, you can stream full albums over there sometimes ... which is the only reason to ever go on Myspace).

One thing I knew about Port O'Brien before I picked up Threadbare is that Van Pierszalowski, the lead singer, has worked on his father's commercial fishing boat up in Alaska. I was prepared to be overwhelmed with a bunch of Decemberists-esque nautically-themed tunes. However, thankfully (?), the songs cover a wide array of topics (although there are references to boats, salt water, etc.). The sing-along sentiment, enhanced by Cambria Goodwin's (the other founding member) and others' background vocals, give POB's songs a bit of a fisherman's ship vibe, but the banjo keeps your feet firmly planted on the dock.

Although I don't necessarily know what the single "My Will Is Good" (video below) is about (is he leaving someone or trying to get back with someone?), I really enjoy it. It's sort of got a Funeral-era-Arcade-Fire-meets-Built-to-Spill feel to it. My favorite track, however, is the song that follows "My Will..." on the album: "Oslo Campfire" (video below). Its lyrics are straightforward and heartbreaking: "Living through your past and dreaming through your son / Will get you nowhere fast and leave you f***ed." Again, the background vocals are somewhat reminiscent of those from Arcade Fire's Funeral, but also its own feel. I also need to downplay the Arcade Fire angle because there are plenty of other sounds present on the album (Modest Mouse, Neil Young, The Shins, Built to Spill, Rogue Wave, etc.), and POB definitely rides their own sonic wave (ba-dum-chh). Other standout tracks: "Tree Bones," "Sour Milk / Salt Water," and "Love Me Through."

Blurb: The curse of the sophomore slump doesn't plague Port O'Brien. At all. In fact, Threadbare is better--for my money--than their debut. I wish, however, that some of the slower songs were cut in favor of more upbeat ones, which happen to be the cream of the album.
Grade: B