Top 10 albums of 2009 - John Lucas

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      Sadly, I lost my copy of the latest Dirty Bear Collective opus before I could give it a proper listen. I’m sure it’s a work of life-altering magnificence, but I had to settle for the following (listed in alphabetical order for your shopping convenience).

      Crocodiles
      Summer of Hate
      If you own a Spacemen 3 album, you’ve already heard every trick Crocodiles’ drone-stoned Charles Rowell and Brandon Welchez have up their sleeves. But, damn it, don’t you miss Spacemen 3?


      Crocodiles' "Summer of Hate".

      Fever Ray
      Fever Ray
      Karin Dreijer Andersson (you know her as that vocal-effects addict from the Knife) scares the shit out of me, but in a good way, and I love her even more now that I’ve noticed that the list of influences on Fever Ray’s MySpace page includes Fugazi, Cyndi Lauper, and Trailer Park Boys.


      Fever Ray's "Seven".

      Future of the Left
      Travels With Myself and Another
      Because every Top 10 list needs at least one record that demands you scream along until your throat is raw, raging against everything or nothing in particular, and because former mclusky nutcase Andrew Falkous is uniquely skilled at making exactly that kind of record.


      Future of the Left's "The Hope That House Built".

      Girls
      Album
      The production could arguably stand to be a little more fi and a bit less lo, and head Girl Christopher Owens looks like a man who could use a sandwich and a bar of soap. All is forgiven, though, thanks to Owens’s seemingly effortless ability to write indie-rock songs with classic pop hooks sharp enough to give Phil Spector a diamond-cutter.


      Girl's "Hellhole Ratrace".

      Jamie T
      Kings & Queens
      He might be a public-school boy in chav’s clothing, but Jamie Treays has hit upon so irresistible a synthesis of hip-hop wordplay and young-and-snotty punk attitude that I’m willing to overlook the fact that he has as much genuine street cred as John Graham Mellor.


      Jamie T's "The Man's Machine".

      Major Lazer
      Guns Don’t Kill People”¦ Lazers Do
      For me, the summer of ’09 was all about blasting Diplo and Switch’s ridiculous but (mostly) killer tribute to Jamaican dancehall. Well, okay, part of it was also about 3OH!3, but I’d rather not talk about that.


      Major Lazer's "Hold the Line".

      Mew
      No More Stories”¦
      I’d type out the full title, but that would seriously cut into my word count. Denmark’s finest musical export (sorry, Aqua) has created a masterpiece of rock music that’s as accessible as it is formally experimental.


      Mew's "Repeaterbeater".

      The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
      The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
      Twee pop that would rather cavort in the sun than mope in its bedroom.


      The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's "Everything With You".

      A Place to Bury Strangers
      Exploding Head
      Brooklyn noise rocker Oliver Ackermann concocts the sickest, most ingeniously skull-splitting guitar tones imaginable, but you’d expect nothing less of a guy who builds his own effects pedals and gives them names like Supersonic Fuzz Gun and Soundwave Breakdown.


      A Place to Bury Strangers' "In Your Heart".

      The Rakes
      Klang
      The recently dissolved Rakes’ swan song consists of 10 bracing tracks of live-wire postpunk shot through with a heady dose of modern discontent, courtesy of whip-smart (and rake-thin) frontman Alan Donohoe.


      The Rakes' "1989".


      More contributors' picks for the best albums of 2009:

      Read John Lucas's picks for 2009.
      Read Mike Usinger's picks for 2009.
      Read Adrian Mack's picks for 2009.
      Read Alexander Varty's picks for 2009.
      Read Steve Newton's picks for 2009.
      Read Jenny Charlesworth's picks for 2009.
      Read Tony Montague's picks for 2009.
      Read Gregory Adams's picks for 2009.
      Read Lucas Aykroyd's picks for 2009.
      Read Martin Turenne's picks for 2009.

      View all ten contributor's picks on a single page.

      Comments

      7 Comments

      Emily Marie Collins

      Dec 11, 2009 at 11:42am

      What a dumb list. I thought Vancouver's entertainment magazine was supposed to at least support some Canadian talent. And your intro immediately made me think you were a fucking loser, after reading that why would anyone want to read the rest? Put this writer in the garbage and ship him to the States.

      D

      Dec 12, 2009 at 1:04am

      Really? What in "top" "10" "albums" and "2009" implies - or necessitates - Canadian? What a douchey comment.

      Also considering that no less half the list is non-north american, and the reviewer's tastes lean pretty heavily brit, its pretty off base to imply some sort of american conspiracy to kill our beloved scene.

      methinks you're rather bitter as you're likely a johnny-come-lately quasi-scenester who's never even heard of spacemen 3 or JAMC or half the bands that influenced the artists on this list. See, I can be a douche too!

      Tyler

      Dec 14, 2009 at 6:37pm

      While the intro to this list is horrendous, the list itself is pretty cool. Not every Vancouver columnist has to put Japandroids on their list, though they probably should.

      QuayLewd

      Dec 14, 2009 at 10:57pm

      @John Lucas

      "I'd also like to point out that she has written songs for Akon, Fergie, the Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears, New Kids on the Block, and Adam Lambert."

      Yep Johnny, "...nothing beats pounding Pabst Blue Ribbon in the men’s can."

      dgjfdkfhkfa

      Dec 15, 2009 at 4:55pm

      john lucas has slightly better taste than mike usinger, but still pretty bad taste.

      John Lucas

      Dec 16, 2009 at 1:24pm

      Dearest random-letter-typing person: You have now posted essentially the same comment on everyone's list without justifying your existence by explaining to us why we all have bad taste. Please tell us what we all missed this year. Put up or shut up, as they say.

      Mr D. Knotts

      Dec 21, 2009 at 3:23pm

      I think dgjfdkfhkfa is just feeling a bit poopy and needs a snack and a time out.

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