The Best Albums of 2009 (Part 1)

This year was a game-changer for me.  Every cliche about parenthood is true: it is the greatest thing ever and you lose a lot of sleep; those are the only two right? Bingo and bulls-eye.  I actually kinda figured I'd have given up on music and any real normal adult pursuits by now but surprisingly, I actually listened to a metric ass-ton of music and saw more shows that any new dad could expect to.  What follows is a smattering of albums I liked in 2009, not a definitive list by any stretch, but stuff I enjoyed.

Tinted Windows - S/T - To crib from my own (radio) audio review of the supergroup's debut (and likely only) album: I honestly had no idea who the lead singer of this band was at first, I just knew he was handsome and had a great voice.  I later learned it was that kid from Hanson, that's awesome! I was already a Cheap Trick, Fountains of Wayne and Smashing Pumpkins fan, why not like Hanson too?  Kid's got vocal shops and stage presence (see Best Shows of 2009, here, TBA).  Sign me up, I'm a Tinted Windows fan.

Bell X-1 - Blue Lights on the Runway - I'm sorry but any band named for Chuck Yeager's sound-barrier-breaking airplane should be reaaaaaly loud or fast--or both--Bell X-1 is neither. However, they write really great songs, so all is forgiven. Their runaway hit of the summer was "The Great Defector" which sounds like a long-lost Talking Heads song but isn't but even better is the slow-burn, "How Your Heart is Wired".

The Damnwells - One Last Century - Hey Radiohead, you sold you last album in a 'revolutionary'  name-your-own-price concept? That's pretty easy when you've already sold millions and have legions of fans who will still pay the going rate to hear you. Sure, some will download it for free or pay a quarter but you still made back what you paid for it and then some, right?  How about a band who never sold more than 25K of ANY of their albums just gave their third album away? A free download (256K bitrate) of One Last Century easily put it well above any of their purchasable records in terms of 'units moved' but also exposed them to legions of new fans.  One of the most criminally underrated bands of the last decade. They also have a fetish involving the word 'bastard'. SEE the documentary Golden Days, heartbreaking.

Cheap Trick - The Latest - Every time a heritage artist releases a new record, some critic will step up and compare it to their last great triumph and others will decry it as a failure to match the expectations of the past.  The Latest (clever title even) surpasses even the 'comeback' CT album of 1997.  And if you haven't seen them live in the last decade, you're missing out, still. 

Miles Nielsen - S/T - The apple doesn't fall far from the tree but far enough that it seems like a different fruit. Sure there are hints of Miles' dad's band here but you could listen to this record a dozen times, loving every listen, before realizing that--oh yeah--there's a flanged/distorted power chord here or a doubled vocal dripping with urgency that seem familiar.  When the Hammond B-3 and pedal steel come in though, you realize you're in a different orchard altogether.

More (non Cheap Trick related) albums to follow.  Prolly next week.  Followed by shows.

Happy New Year!!

Comments

[Helen]

Thanks, Ken! I think I'm now in love with Bell X1 (if not the band's name). I need to follow your blog more often.

[Ben]

Great call and analysis on The Damnwells. Hands-down the best band no one's ever heard of and the newly released documentary is both hilarious and touching.

[Bob Smith]

Ken, Sloan's Parallel Play was a 2008 release. Very good record, of course. Did you hear Tommy Keene's In The Late Bright? Check it out if not (and play it on 'XRT)!