2009 was a year full of fluctuation.The year year itself took the form of slinky on the floor, the sort of demonstration you see in Physics 101. You start the movement in the beginning, your wrist creating a soft snap with a fierce wave following. The wave is mirrored all the way down, only losing momentum, quickly, along the way. 2009 appears to have much of the same image. It was a year started with high expectations, a fiery momentum that eventually lost its speed and course. There were high expectations with an election, high expectations for economic woes, high expectations with LGBT community rights and high expectations for ending a war.
While I don't want to delve into the politics of 2009 (although I already did vaguely) I can only go so far to ambitiously coin, 2009: The Year of the Podcast. Because quite honestly, there were very few musical albums that came out that were solid. Last year we had, Bon Iver, MGMT, Vampire Weekend and Beck. All those releases were strong and solid. In short, they met expectations.
So, while I am fully aware that music may not be as important as human rights, or ending a war, I'm merely using it to signify the relation it has to the year's tonality as a whole. Wilco's album fell flat, Yeah Yeah Yeah's album sounded like everything released before it, Phoenix became an anthem for a car commercial and Yo La Tengo released an album that has received mix reviews (by adoring critics and cult fans alike). Even Neil's new release was a disappointment.
However alas! not all was lost! *drumroll* here's my list of 2009.
Note to reader: (I am missing many, many, many. I admittedly, unlike my at-the-time-boo, am not the keenest, hippest cat around. And everything new is juxtaposed directly with 90's noise and flawed perfection, because that's just who I am. But the 7 albums (in no particular order) are, for the most part, well done and hold an intrinsic place in 2009 and my life, since, I am just hip enough to assign certain memories with music. ..)
*Madeline Adams "White Flag" (the title song "White Flag" touches so many levels beyond description) and with this album, Madeline fought her way beyond the cutesy singer/song writer box.
*Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavillion. It's no "Feels" but its still damn good. If you've never painted to Animal Collective, I'd suggest it. I've also listened to this roadtripping to the Portland area to calm myself.
*Dirty Projectors-Bitte Orca- They were in The New Yorker! (believe me I was just as surprised when I found them, tucked quietly away near the back of the magazine) and this might be, the best album of 2009.
*The Antlers- In the Attic of the Universe- because sometimes, you just need some ambience. Noted, track 8, "Stairs to the Attic"
*The Avett Brothers- And I and Love and You. Apparently, this was all the rage in Canada. I've heard the title track so many times driving to Blaine in the past two months, some of the only time I've had to myself. All I had was open road and my thoughts.
*Jay-z Blueprint III-A Commercial success and still just as solid as the Black Album.
*Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest- Nothing sums up my summer more than the song "Two Weeks." Fish, orca whales,
missing people, post-graduation confusion and seasickness.
So, with a lack of memorable album releases, I coin 2009: The Year of the Podcast. For reasons, unknown but only hypothesized to me, podcasts made a huge increase in download and play.
Mentionable podcasts:
-This American Life- Ira Glass's voice is so sexy and alluring. mmm Ira.
-The Moth-People's stories told live and unedited by a nonprofit in New York. Probably my favorite podcast.
-Storylife-
-Don't Quit Your Day Job-
-For Women. By Women.
-New Yorker: Fiction & Out Loud-
Best album artwork: Camera Obscura (this artwork is AMAZING) & The Antlers (the colors and image fit the songs with a certain natural ease)
Cheers, 2009, the year of the slinky wave.
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