17 Seconds Records’ Top 75 Albums Of the Year 2009
Well, here it is folks…my Top 75 albums of the year.
DISCLAIMER: Please note: due to having a)an opinion of my own; b) a limited number of hours in the day (still only 24, despite my requests for more) and c) having to do other things from time to time other than listening to music, it has not been possible to listen to every single album released this year. I have listened to about 180 plus compilations, re-issues etc..so I have done my best. By all means agree, disagree but be respectful.*
Top 75 albums of the year 2009
1.Broken Records Until The Earth Begins To Part
2.Telefon Tel Aviv Immolate Yourself
3.The Very Best The Very Best
4.Luke Haines 21st Century Man
5.Mono Hymn To The Immortal Wind
6.Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion
7.Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern Pram Town
8.The Gothenburg Address The Gothenburg Address
9.There Will Be Fireworks There Will Be Fireworks
10.Fuck Buttons Tarot Sport
11.Blueflint High Bright Morning
12.The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
13.Paul Haig Relive
14.The Pastels/The Tenniscoats Two Sunsets
15.Phantom Band Checkmate Savage
16.The Horrors Primary Colours
17.Sonic Youth The Eternal
18.Nathan Fake Hard Islands
19.Money Can’t Buy Music The Universe For Beginners
20.St. Vincent Actor
21.Do Make Say Think Other Truths
22.King Creosote Flick The Vs
23.TV21 Forever 22
24.Sunn O ))) Monoliths & Dimensions
25.Super Furry Animals Dark Days/Light Years
26.Bike For Three More Heart Than Brains
27.James Yorkston Folk Songs
28.Horace Andy/Ashley Beedle Inspiration/Information 2
29.The B of the Bang Beginning. Middle. End
30.Girls Album
31.Six Organs Of Admittance Luminous Night
32.Cave Singers Welcome Joy
33.Cheval Sombre Cheval Sombre
34.Morrissey Years Of Refusal
35.Malcolm Middleton Waxing Gibbous
36.Zoey Van Goey The Cage Was Unlocked All Along
37.Times New Viking Born Again Revisited
38.Yo La Tengo Popular Songs
39.Jesus H. Foxx Matter
40.Malcolm Ross and the Low Miffs Malcolm Ross and the Low Miffs
41.Camera Obscura My Maudlin Career
42.Wake the President You Can’t Change That Boy
43.Franz Ferdinand Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
44.Bricolage Bricolage
45.Idlewild Post Electric Blues
46.Julian Plenti Julian Plenti is…Skyscraper
47.Wojtek Godzisz Wojtek Godzisz
48.Lord Cut-Glass Lord Cut-Glass
49.New Model Army Today Is A Good Day
50.Future Of the Left Curses!
51.Trashcan Sinatras In the Music
52.Raveonettes In and out of control
53.Muse The Resistance
54.Liam McKahey and the Bodies Lonely Road
55.Aidan Moffat and the Best-Ofs How To Get To Heaven From Scotland
56.Le Reno Amps Tear It Open
57.John Parish and PJ Harvey A Woman A Man Walked By
58.We Were Promised Jetpacks These Four Walls
59.Yeah Yeah Yeahs It’s Blitz!
60.Neon Indian Psychic Chasms
61.39 Steps Coming Clean
62.Brakes Rock Is Dojelick
63.Vivian Girls Everything Goes Wrong
64.HEALTH Get Color
65.Cuddly Shark Cuddly Shark
66.Zu Carboniferous
67.Placebo Battle For The Sun
68.Peaches I Feel Cream
69.Pet Shop Boys Yes
70.Flowers Of Hell Come Hell Or High Water
71.My Latest Novel Deaths and Entrances
72.George Pringle Salon Des Refusés
73.Subway Subway II
74.Indigo Girls Poseidon and the Bitter Bug
75.Florence and the Machine Lungs
Re-issues and compilation chart to follow.
A selection of LEGAL mp3s relating to the album chart:
Broken Records -’If The News Makes You Sad, Don’t Watch It.’ mp3
Blueflint -’High Bright Morning.’ mp3
Jesus H. Foxx -’I'm Half The man You Were.’ mp3
St. Vincent -’Actor Out Of Work.’ mp3
Yo La Tengo -’Nothing To Hide.’ mp3
Vivian Girls -’Can’t Get Over You.’ mp3
Neon Indian -’Should have Taken Acid With You.’ mp3
Camera Obscura -’French Navy.’ mp3
Money Can’t Buy Music -’Love Will Break Your Heart.’ mp3
* Frequent grumps…
Q: Why is there not any dance or electronica? It’s all indie!
A:Telefon Tel Aviv, Fuck Buttons and Animal Collective are in the Top 10 alone.
Q: Why is it all just British and American groups?
A: Bike for Three are a Belgian/Canadian collaboration, Mono and The Tenniscoats both come from Japan, Zu are Italian and The Raveonettes are Danish for starters…
Q: You’ve just focused on new bands - why have you forgotten about more established acts?
A: Franz Ferdinand, Morrissey, Horace Andy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, PJ Harvey…
Q: Did you not hear the Grizzly Bear album, Vecktamest?
A: I did. I bought it. Played it a few times, including yesterday. There are at least eighty albums better than that this year.
Q: Why have you not supported scottish acts? You’re a scottish blog, after all…
A: Go back and check the list. Starting with the #1 album…
Phew… a fine list. Well done Ed!
oh your gripes list made me laugh out loud. excellent stuff!
Thanks Ken, glad it made you laugh, Helen!
Ed
Damn, last year I’d listened to 12 of your list, but this time round I’m down to 7. I’m getting old!
You need spotify!
Evidently I heard next-to no new albums this year. Maybe the urge to hear more sound diminished w/ so many live gigs?
I can’t think of too many albums I enjoyed repeatedly the whole way through: Bill Callahan ‘Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle’ certainly.
Horrors was a laugh too.
I only just got the Correcto album - but i think that’s from another time.
Anyway, it’s good to see Telefon tel Aviv up there. Knowing that makes me want to pay attention to your list where I’ve ignored all others thus far.
Have a good Hogmanney
i didnt buy 75 LPs this year…..
you clearly have too much time on your hands young man!
Ben - love the TTA; it was a close call between that and Broken Records
JC - I get sent most of these or get them on eMusic. As for too much time; have now been signed off work for eight months (GRRR…) so gives me something to do…
Thanks for choosing BOTB at no. 29
New Dawn Chorus album will be headed your way soon-ish. Happy new year from all Jelly Maid.
No worries - it’s a very good album!
No mention of the XX, Japandroids, Bonnie Prince Billy, Wild Beasts or Springsteen and yet Muse still manage to get a mention as do the Pet Shop Boys. Is there any justice in this world???? Not sure about the no.1 spot either, a solid album but is it really the best album on the list? Some great shouts here tho - nice to see Mono get such a prestigious spot. Congrats on another bloody good effort! Even the thought of attempting such a feat makes me feel queasy!
God, there’s always one isn’t there?!?! in this case, my business partner!
Did I really read the word ‘Springsteen’?
I think you did…though to be fair, I have a lot of time for some of his stuff, as does matthew over at Song, By Toad. Indeed, I feel that if Springsteen came from seattle instead of Noo Joizee, had a chronic drug habit and had sold virtually no rcords but sounded exactly the same, the hipsters would froth about him.
Ah well…
What, no albums of throat singing? Damn you indie types!
Also, that Springsteen album is, although not brilliant, really pretty good.
Ha! So the cryptic cyber-name gave me away this time!
Jim -well, guess I will have to check it out, only just got Spotify, so not heard as much as I might have done if it had been on the computer since June.
Laurent - yeah, it gave it away becauise you always sign in like that! ; )
Well, Ed, 10 out of 10 for sticking with a very personal list this year. Very eclectic & genuinely ‘real’ in terms of what any ‘normal’ person would listen to over the course of a year, governed by nothing more than personal enjoyment.
Although, saying that, I’m really unsure about your #1 — I thought it was a very weak album let down by overly bombastic production & repetitious arrangement — & isn’t “Matter” an EP rather than an LP?
:oP
DC - aye, I try to be honest, and real; I genuinely love the Broken Records album, it has had many plays, so it made the top.
As for’Matter’ I su[[ose it is technically an EP, but it has six tracks, and last year ‘Another World’ by Antony and the Johnsons made the list and that’s afive track EP, so that was sort of being consistent…!
Hope you are well, Ed