My Faves of '09

As if you all care... I mean I got delisted from Hype Machine in 2009 and posted maybe 20 times total but hey I'm still here and you know gosh-darn-it I still care.

Fave albums - these are selected as stuff I like to listen all the way through, in order and not get tired and then do it again... the songs hang together -- that's why they call them albums or something like that:

1. Embryonic / The Flaming Lips (psyche headphone masterpiece)
2. Transmissions from Sinai / Various Artists (nice collection of art doom metal)
3. For the World To See / Death (literally retro Detroit I-spit-on-you rock)
4. Summer of Hate / Crocodiles (the album NTV should have done)
5. Horehound / The Dead Weather (surprised me, too)

Honorable mention (because not all the songs work): Dark Was The Night compilation album & Steve Earle's cover album of Townes van Zandt songs

Most Over-rated: Grizzly Bear's album that starts with a V

My fave songs tended more towards poppy shit than my fave albums did. Most of these artists had so-so albums lightened up by these great songs and alot of these songs can be found online easily:

1. "Now We Can See" - The Thermals (pictured above)
2. "I Don't Feel So Happy Now" - Personal and the Pizzas
3. "Angela" - Jarvis Cocker
4. "Pine On" - the Obits
5. "Home" - Edward Sharpe
6. "They Done Wrong / We Done Wrong" - White Rabbits
7. "My Only Offer" - Mates of State
8. "The End is Near" - Fiery Furnaces
9. "My Friend" - Bill Callahan
10. "In Our Talons" - The Bowerbirds

Honorable mention: "Wet Wings" - Dan Deacon (I'm so not on this guy's wagon but this experiment worked well on a mix-tape I made)

Favorite Shows I Played or Saw:

1. Pygmy Lush (picture above) at MacRock, Harrisonburg VA (guys blew me away with both their electric and acoustic set)
2. Whatever Brains at MacRock, Harrisonburg VA (insane set)
3. Vetiver at Iota, Arlington VA
4. Soft Power at Black Cat, Washington DC
5. Parade (me on drums) at St. Marks' Church in DC (loved doing this show about Leo Frank and The South)

Most over-rated: The XX on Carson Daly - whatta bunch of moronic deadbeats!