When I review a new release, I also give the album a score based on the quality of each individual track and the album as a whole. Sure it’s only March, but it’s never too soon to start tracking the Top Albums of 2009. The list will be up 20 soon enough, but for now here are the 15 best albums I’ve heard so far this year (Note: To be eligible for this list the album needs to be released in the U.S. between December 1, 2008 and November 30, 2009):
1. Psapp The Camel’s Back (Domino)
2. M. Ward Hold Time (Merge)
3. Neko Case Middle Cyclone (Anti-)
4. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Lightning Rod)
5. Franz Ferdinand Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (Domino)
6. P.O.S. Never Better (Rhymesayers)
7. N.A.S.A. The Spirit of Apollo (Anti-)
8. Heartless Bastards The Mountain (Fat Possum)
9. Lily Allen It’s Not Me, It’s You (Capitol)
10. Morrissey Years of Refusal (Attack/Lost Highway)
11. Matt & Kim Grand (Fader)
12. U2 No Line On the Horizon (Interscope)
13. Cursive Mama, I’m Swollen (Saddle Creek)
14. A.C. Newman Get Guilty (Matador)
15. The Bird and the Bee Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future (Blue Note)
Could shoot holes through each and every album on this list.
I’ll only do a couple:
No.10 - Morrissey - He is surviving on pure nostalgia. Dead to everyone else.
No.5 - Franz Ferdinand - Shocked that this band even bothered to come back with a new album. Really poor. Lead singer is crap and their sound never changes.
Think Lily should be higher on your list…
Morrissey’s certainly not dead to his enormous, new Latino fanbase.
So other than Lily Allen is there any album you actually feel warrants merit? Usually when suggesting everything else sucks, it’s useful to cite some examples of what doesn’t suck.
Well, I did cite an example of what didn’t suck: Lily Allens album.
Psapp as number one makes me nervous because it lacks “bite” - you know - energy. That’s just my opinion.
And yes, Morrissey is dead. Taste has moved on…