The 411 Music Top Five 12.08.09: Top 5 Favorite Albums From 2009

Posted by Ben Czajkowski on 12.08.2009

This week, the 411Music Staffers look back at a year of good albums and filter through what floated for the top for them. They discuss everything from Eminem's Relapse to Jay-Z's Blueprint 3, Alice In Chains' Black Gives Way to Blue to Dave Matthews Band's Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, and Camera Obscura's My Maudlin Career to Mastodon's Crack the Skye! Stop in, read the lists, and leave your favorite albums of the year!

Michael James

Honorable Mentions:

Wale- Back to the Feature mixtape; Devendra Banhart- What Will We Be; Jay Z- Blueprint 3; Zee Avi- Zee Avi; Ghostface Killah- Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry

5. The Veils - Sun Gangs.

The Veils is an underrated British rock group.  Their first two albums, The Runaway Found and Nux Vomica were stellar in their own right, and this year's Sun Gangs is an excellent addition to their catalog.  Lead singer Finn Andrews' vocals gives songs like "The Letter" and the brooding "It Hits Deep" a dramatic and epic feel.  Another highlight is the punky, White Stripes-esque "Killed by the Boom".

 

4. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career.

I had actually never listened to Camera Obscura until recently when this album was listed by one of my fellow 411 staffers as a recommendation in preparation for our upcoming Top 30 Albums of 2009.  I've always been a fan of female vocalists, so I was instantly hooked.  Tracyanne Campbell's vocals have an innocent quality which makes tracks like "The Sweetest Thing" feel like ambitious outtakes from a 50's pop starlet.  Another highlight is the album opening "French Navy," a broad pop song which features a layered and complex instrumental featuring horns and a string section.

 

3. Skyzoo - The Salvation.

You can read my more in depth thoughts on this album in the full review I wrote a few months back.  The Salvation is a throwback album of straight no frills hip-hop (in the best possible sense).  Skyzoo's flow is tight and spits believable and relatable lyrics from a variety of perspectives.  The album's best tracks include the foreboding "The Shooter's Soundtrack" and "The Beautiful Decay."

 

2. Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts.

I listened to the Noisettes' 2007 debut and didn't get the hype.  However, I've been converted by this year's Wild Young Hearts.  Singer Shingai Shoniwa has a weathered rasp which resembles a more restrained Amy Winehouse.  However, where Winehouse sticks to retro soul, the Noisettes traffic in a variety of styles from the acoustic pop of "Sometimes" to the disco-inflected dance track "Don't Upset the Rhythm".  Nearly every song has an infectious hook which is simultaneously familiar and fresh.

 

1. Joe Budden - Escape Route.

Joe Budden is one of music's post hype all-stars.  After his 2003 hit "Pump It Up," he proved ill-suited for a career making crossover hip-hop hits.  After an extended absence, Budden reemerged with the Mood Music series of mixtapes.  2009 truly announced his comeback, as he stood out on the critically praised Slaughterhouse project and released two solo albums, Padded Room and Escape Route.  On Escape Route Budden spits aggro-rap like a man possessed.  "Never Again" is a standout an on album full of them, as it features a breathtaking sample of Radiohead's "Street Spirit".

 

Jeff Modzelewski

5. Devildriver - Pray For The Villians.

Devildriver's fourth album is a solid continuation of their work.  They've really become one of the top metal acts in the country, and this album helps show why.  They're a great band, both live and in studio.  

4. Chimaira - The Infection.

Chimaira's most recent effort isn't quite as good as Resurrection, but it's still the best metal album of the year, in my opinion.  It's heavy and brutal.  My only problem with it is that it's much closer to death metal than their previous efforts.  

3.  Umphrey's McGee - Mantis.

Mantis is one of my favorite surprise albums of the year.  Umphrey's McGee has always been known as a great improvisational band, and their previous studio albums have primarily been songs that the band can use to improvise around in concert.  With Mantis, I really felt that the band put together a great front to back studio album, which they haven't done before.  This album didn't get the credit it deserved this year.

2.  Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue.

After over a decade off, I didn't know what to expect out of these guys.  AiC was my favorite grunge band from the 90's, and I was worried about how they would do with a new singer, especially after so long.  I never expected this album to be as good as it ended up.  DuVall works very well with the band, and was an ideal replacement for an iconic frontman.  Can't wait to hear more from these guys.

1. Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King.

This was absolutely the album that this band needed to release.  They had released three sub-par albums in a row, including the terrible Stand Up album.  Then founding member LeRoi Moore passed away.  While he wasn't a primary songwriter, he was one of the main arrangers for the band's music.  They really could have just thrown in the towel right there.  Instead, they went on to release an album that is every bit as good as the stuff they did in the 90's.  This album has a great chance of winning "Album of the Year" at the Grammy's, and, after everything that the band has been through, they deserve the recognition.

Fred Richani

5. Brother Ali – Us.

Just an excellent album overall. Great lyricism, hot beats, from everybody's favorite albino rapper. For those that don't know Ali, he comes from Rhymesayers, a.k.a. home of independent rap darlings Atmosphere. Dare I say this is better than Atmosphere's When Life Gives You Lemons...?

4. Eminem - The Relapse.

Seriously, do I really have to explain this one? It's Eminem's first studio album in since 2004 and he comes back with a vengeance. I had the pleasure of reviewing this album, so allow myself to quote....myself:

Relapse includes great lyricism, humor, and top-notch production by Dr. Dre that fans of Eminem have grown accustomed to. The album brings Eminem back to the forefront of the hip-hop spectrum and media circus. It's not just a comeback, it's a very good to great album that any rap fan, who is or is not familiar with Eminem should absolutely check out. Easy recommendation.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

3. Ghostface Killah - Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City.

Ghostface Killah continues to lack the commercial promotion his Def Jam counterparts receive, but that doesn't stop the Wu-Tang Man from doing his thing of Ghostdini. I love this R&B-inspired album because it displays Tony Stark's soft side, but is not a soft album. A lot of the tracks are very mature such as "Baby" featuring Raheem DeVaugn. If you like great rap and R&B, this is a nice mix from a longtime veteran that's still one of the best in the world today.

2. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3.

I kind of got mad at myself after I reviewed this album because I gave it an 8/10. It probably should have been a 9/10 as I look back. It's a great work of art by the man they call Hov: stellar production, good lyrics, and catchy hooks. Unfortunately, it is bogged down by "Reminder" and "On to the Next One", but that doesn't stop Blueprint 3 from being a standout album in Jay-Z's discography. Sadly, many of the songs, at least in the NY/NJ area that I live in, are ridiculously overplayed. That being said, tracks like "Empire State of Mind," "D.O.A.," and "Run This Town" are ones that will last a lifetime in hip-hop lore.

Those tracks couldn't make B3 my number one, though. Not this year.

1. Kid CuDi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day.

Kid Cudi is an amazing artist. If you don't believe me, listen to Man on the Moon. It is the Illmatic of this hip-hop generation and you can quote me on that. The album is so different and original from anything you will hear. Forget the hardcore hipster stuff. The Cool Kids are good. Kid Cudi is on another level. Make that 10 other levels. Cudi is the best rapper to come out of Cleveland, Ohio since Bone Thugs-N-Harmony! And that's saying something. Man on the Moon will change the way you listen to hip-hop and make you wonder why every new artist can't be this hungry in their debut album. This has swag, style, out of this world beats from producers you've never heard of, and thoughtful, deep, introspective lyrics. Every new rapper seems to want to make the quick buck. Cudi didn't just make a buck, he gave a....okay well you get the point. Listen to this album now!  You won't hear anything as good. Guaranteed. You don't have to like Cudi and his style, but after listening to Man on the Moon, you'll have no choice but to respect him.

Paul Hollingsworth

Honorable Mentions:

The Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand, Monsters Of Folk - Monsters of Folk, Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains

5. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic:

The Lips have never made a bad album, although a few may be fairly called uneven. Fortunately, Embryonic, which at times is abstract and abrasive, is never boring or predictable. There are hints of the band's (now lengthy) past, ("Convinced Of The Hex"), and occasional nods to heroes Pink Floyd, ("Apex"), but the album represents a growth in the band and its musical direction. It's rare when a band takes you by the hand from one musical period in its career to the next, but The Lips accomplished that (and more) on this album.

 

4. Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue:

Like I said in last week's Top 5, Alice In Chains was my favorite grunge band back in the early 90's. (Nearly 20 years ago. . . damn I am old.) It would have made for a nice story if they had made a good song with the new band, but there's not a bad tune on the entire album. They didn't change anything, didn't tinker with the formula, they just made another solid AiC album, one that is every bit as good as their earlier records.

 

3. Sonic Youth - The Eternal.

SY is easily one of my top five bands ever and this album easily makes it into the top two or three of my favorite SY albums. I was fortunate to see them live this year, and they obviously knew they had a good record to promote, as they played the album almost in its entirety. Complete albums are on life support as an art form, but it's nice to see a band that puts as much into the lead single as they do on all the other tracks, which is  something SY has almost always done, and the hard work paid off with a truly remarkable album.

 

2. Daniel Johnston - Is And Always Was.

Daniel is one of the most interesting musicians in the world today. Although much focus is placed on his mental problems and his bizarre life story, (drawing pictures of the Christian fish symbol on the Statue of Liberty while Sonic Youth scours NYC looking for him is my personal favorite.) his music is what matters the most, not just to his fans, but to himself as well. Buried somewhere in that mind of his is a musical genius, and more often than not, that genius records a great album. Although this one is far from his self-recorded tapes of the 80's, the production doesn't overshadow Daniel's gift of writing great tunes.

 

1. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone.

This is easily the album I've listened to the most this year, by a wide margin. Sure, it came out back in March, but it's yet to wear out its welcome in my car, at work, or on my record player. Neko's voice is about as pure an instrument as I've ever heard, and her songwriting is almost without equal. No other album released this year has as many good lines and good tunes, and I simply can't get enough of either.

 

Ben Czajkowski

5. The Lonely Island - Incredibad.

This was a bizarre one. Kind of came out of nowhere on my radar. Wasn't until I got trapped in a long car ride with a friend. In the awkward silence, he says, "Have you heard, 'On A Boat?' or whatever it's called?" Of course I hadn't. It changed my life forever. Okay, maybe not forever, but this is a solid album of Weird Al level amusement and raunchy comedy ("Jizz In My Pants"). And who can forget about "Dick In A Box," a classic for all occasions.

4. Five Finger Death Punch - War Is the Answer.

High octane machete that just rips through skin and bones, start to finish. FFDP proves that their first album was just a warm-up. War is the Answer is a fantastic sophomore effort that shows several shades of maturity from Ivan Moody and the boys.

3. Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue.

Best comeback album of the year. Maybe ever. Who knows. But William DuVal is a fantastic pickup by the part of Cantrell, Kinney, and Inez. Layne will never be replaced, but DuVal does a fantastic job of mimicry and paying homage to the style and likes of grunge. This is good, start to finish. Seriously, if you haven't picked this one up yet, you should for Xmas. "Check My Brain" is up for a Grammy, too!

2. Dethklok - Dethalbum II.

I've talked about this one before. I'll just let my review speak for me here:

It's hard to find fault with such a black gem like Dethalbum II. Brendon Small has nothing left to prove. Dethklok is the real thing, and this album will blow your mind and your eardrums, as cliché as that sounds. It's almost one hour of some of the most brutally eviscerating lyrics and instrumentals to ever be recorded. If there is one album this year you consider actually buying, make it this one. You won't find one better than this.

1. Mastodon - Crack The Skye.

Wow. I can't speak higher about any album from this year. I've been talking about this album since its release. I've listened to it hundreds of times, either on my iPod or in my head. It gets there and just stays there. It's a beautiful masterpiece of a layered work that takes handfuls of themes and weaves them all together beautifully. And in that depth, there is the sadness for the loss of Skye. The best part about my opinions of this album is that I know I am not alone in how mesmerizing this album can be.

The Final Word

As always, the last thoughts come from you, the reader. We're merely unpaid monkeys with typewriters and Wikipedia. Here's what you need to do: List your Top Five for this week's topic on the comment section using the following format: 5. Artist - "Album from 2009": Why you chose it. 4. Artist - "Album from 2009": Why you chose it. 3. Artist - "Album from 2009": Why you chose it. 2. Artist - "Album from 2009": Why you chose it. 1. Artist - "Album from 2009": Why you chose it.