Top40: The Best of 2009

Top40-Charts presents the 40 best albums of 2009

11. 21st Century Breakdown - Green Day
We've read several reviews saying it takes 2-3 listens to get into this album, but we were hooked the first time. They have grown musically at about the same pace as we have! They do a great job mixing the fast songs with the ballads (often in the same song as bands like Journey / Chicago etc). Many of our readers were 15 when Dookie came out and they are 30 now.
With 21st Century Breakdown, they really seemed to capture the best elements from American Idiot and go with a similar concept once again. What sets "Breakdown" apart, however, is how well they were able to make such a long, epic album again but manage to pay homage to a lot of their older sounds. Don't get us wrong, this is definitely another stadium-ready rock opera, but done so in a way that all of Green Day's classic pop-punk aggression and melodies shine through and carry you from start to finish.
In summary, if you liked American Idiot you will definitely get into this one. A couple more albums like these last two would probably seal their induction into the Rock n Roll hall of fame. Rock on!

12. Battle Studies - John Mayer
For John Mayer fans, this album is a familiar continuation of the work he has released throughout the decade. Although different instruments are occasionally added to the mix and various styles and influences filter in throughout, the real feature remains his guitar. For Battle Studies, the concentration is clearly on tone.
There is no greater example of this than on his cover of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads." For any blues guitarist, "Crossroads" is almost a required cover, a Fender player's coming of age celebration. John Mayer's cover is significantly slower than Eric Clapton's famous rendition of the track with Cream and resembles Robert Randolph's funk infused style more than the original Robert Johnson recording, but when Mayer opts to solo, the notes are crisp, clear, and distinctly his own. Instead of showing off with notes, he maintains the respect of his followers with the sound he produces from his instrument. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd was famous for the same.
Battle Studies may not be John Mayer's greatest achievement, but it's a worthy addition to his already impressive repertoire. With many of his idols still producing music today, it's safe to say we can expect even more great things from this phenomenal guitarist and songwriter for many years to come.
Overall, as with all of Mayers works, its as if you are reading a chapter of his diary. Deep, soulful, thought provoking, very enjoyable.

13. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Phoenix
Phoenix are one of the greatest bands to come out of France in the last 15 years (along with Daft Punk and Air and several other bands that formed around the same time), and they are finally receiving some well-deserved attention.
We think all Phoenix fans will enjoy this amazing album, by far their best to date. If you most enjoyed Alphabetical, you'll love WAP's crisp, return-to-synth beats. By contrast, if you preferred the rougher sound of INBLT, you'll appreciate WAP's rock richness.
Perhaps most importantly, Wolfgang comes off as a very vibrant, modern-sounding record. Songs like the "Love Like A Sunset" duo and "Big Sun" sound like the stereophonic equivalent of a rainbow, full-bodied compositions that embrace a Wall-of-Sound production style but maintain Phoenix's dedication to keeping it relatively danceable, resulting in something fresh in the group's rather tired oeuvre. "Love Like A Sunset," in particular, is about as experimental as Phoenix are likely to get, the first part coming off as what a band like Explosions in the Sky might sound like with a more defined sense of rhythm and an interest in '80s pop while the second resolves all the tension in a potent wave of major-key harmonies.
Very highly recommended, even for fans new to Phoenix. Absolutely brilliant work, this album.

14. Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear
If you are a Radiohead fan, this will be an easy band and CD to fall in love with. Thick haunting atmosphere, lots of bleeps and beeps, intense melodies, beautiful vocals and mystery-vailed lyrics (notably more optimistic than Radiohead's). A bit darker than the band's previous CD "The Yellow House."
At first listen the CD seems far too slow and thick to get through.
But we've grown to love it eventually and still listen to it a lot several months after purchasing.
Describing the sound on this album is a bit difficult, but we would call it a rustic, ethreal, pop-folk. But we believe that the enjoyment comes not from whatever genre you want to call it, but at appreciating the meticulous song craft that creates what is, for us, one of the most memorable album in years.

15. La Revolucion - Wisin & Yandel
We've been listening to reggaeton from many artists for over 7 years now, the fact of the matter is that reggaeton is evolving to electroflow, there are more electronic sounds than dembow in the songs that are "reggaeton" hits this year: alexis & fido's sobrenatural, IDon, and some of Daddy Yankee's Talento de Barrio are mostly composed of electroflow.
This is all fine because music evolves, but there has to be a link back to the original genre and this cd of W&Y has this link to reggaeton; the slow parts by Yandel, and the rap parts by Wisin characterize most of their music, way back to the early 2000's. The intros and outro's of each song that state the artists of the song and some other nonsense are part of almost every song in reggaeton, and this album has that.
The good beats are here, the lyrics are here, the versatility of the genre shows here with love songs (gracias a ti, como quieres que te olvide), sex related songs with a rap beat and rap parts by Wisin (ahi voy, ella me llama, quitame el dolor, etc), collaborationss also, are here too with Wisin, Yomo, Ednita nazario, Yaviah, and 50 cent.

16. It's Not Me, It's You - Lily Allen
It's Not Me, It's You, is the follow-up to Lily Allen's critically acclaimed 2007 debut, Alright, Still. The album finds Lily in top form, creating a record Blender's recent "In The Studio" feature described as "part God, part country and all middle finger." Allen wrote and recorded the album's 12 songs with producer Greg Kurstin (the bird and the bee), who worked with her on three songs for Alright, Still - "Everything's Just Wonderful," "Alfie" and "Not Big."
On It's Not Me, It's You, Lily's characteristically sharp observations find expression in a variety of musical styles, with influences ranging from the Jazz Era to country and western to dance music. "Highlights include 'Everyone's at It,' a synth-pop song about prescription drugs that features Allen on xylophone; 'He Wasn't There,' which matches emotional lyrics about her absent father to a jazz groove; and 'Not Fair,' a saucy country song about an inadequate lover," said Rolling Stone.
"We decided to try and make bigger sounding, more ethereal songs, real songs," says Lily, who will be touring the U.S. in the spring. "I wanted to work with one person from start to finish to make it one body of work. I wanted it to feel like it had some sort of integrity. I think I've grown up a bit as a person and I hope it reflects that."

17. The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack - SOUNDTRACK
This soundtrack shocked the indie world. Who would have thought this teen pop culture phenomenon was going to have such a strong indie-centric soundtrack. It is a very downbeat soundtrack with moody songs from moody artists (that we personally love) for a moody movie. You can just feel the fear, impatience, longing, an inadequacy in most of the songs, which are primary emotions of adolescence and most vampire fiction.
Highlights for us were Thom Yorke's (Radiohead) song "Hearing Damage." Anytime we can hear new material from this guy we're happy. We were really excited about hearing the Bon Iver & St. Vincent collaboration because we are obsessed with St. Vincent's album Actor. It definitely sounds more like Bon Iver versus Clarke but her haunting voice adds a lot the song. Also we really like Grizzly Bear's "Slow Life. It has their normal haunting feel with unbelievable harmony.
Overall, this is a great soundtrack and since it's geared toward teens it's an awesome opportunity for them to hear from some of the best artists in music today. It does feel a bit like colliding of two worlds since indie fans typically don't like their bands to "go mainstream." However, we hope twilight fans grasp the uniqueness of so many great artists being on one soundtrack.

18. Fortress Round My Heart - Ida Maria
Born and raised in the icy Norwegian stillness of the Arctic Circle, Ida Maria brought a new cool to the top of the pops when her first single release in the UK, "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" hit No 13 on the national chart and sent her debut album, FORTRESS ROUND MY HEART straight inside the Top 40.
"I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" was officially released as a digital single in the U.S. earlier this week (on February 24th). Ida Maria's song "Oh My God" will be used in all the Gossip Girl promos for next season.
24-year old Ida (pronounced ee-dah) Maria grew up in Nesna, Norway, a university town of fewer than 2000 people north of the 66th latitude. When she moved to the great city of Bergen as a teen, she rubbed shoulders with everyone from metal bands to avant garde jazz musicians and bluegrass singer-songwriters. There she "discovered the inner beast that was hiding in my vocal chords." At the same time, she developed into a formidable songwriter, informed by a benign variant of synaesthesia, a rare condition in which perception in one sense mode arouses imagery from another, so that one can see sounds or hear colors, for example.
The album is rather short and includes ten fast-paced, fun songs. It doesn't give you time to disappoint, and leaves you breathless, wanting so much more. At least she's not going along the boring route of trying to mimic Carly Simon or Dusty Springfield a la Adele and Duffy. And hopefully because of that she'll get more success across a broader spectrum of audiences.
Clocking in at just over a slender 30 minutes in total, "Fortress Around My Heart" is a rollicking, high-energy ride through the life of Ida.

19. The Fall - Norah Jones
Jazz vocalist Norah Jones is the daughter of sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar and Sue Jones, an American concert promoter. Norah has sold almost 40 million albums worldwide, half of them copies of her debut LP Come Away With Me.
Norah Jones cites her early influences as Billie Holiday and Willie Nelson. Norah has taken a new direction on the The Fall, experimenting with different sounds and a new set of collaborators, including Jacquire King, a noted producer and engineer who has worked with Kings of Leon, Tom Waits and Modest Mouse. Jones enlisted several songwriting collaborators, including Ryan Adams and Okkervil River's Will Sheff, as well as her frequent partners Jesse Harris & Richard Julian. Musicians include drummers Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M.) and James Gadson (Bill Withers), keyboardist James Poyser (Erykah Badu, Al Green), and guitarists Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello) and Smokey Hormel (Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer).
Instead, Norah sidesteps the "sweet" almost completely and heads into a more rock-based sound, for which her voice is perfectly suited. The direction is fresh and the pace is easy to settle into (with a pace set by "Chasing Pirates"). Though the album lacks a real kick-in-the-pants sort of song, it certainly delivers some of her best work to date. Expect less piano, more guitar, and the sweetest ending Norah could offer. Wonderful!

20. Two Suns - Bat For Lashes
The music press is abuzz with Natasha Kahn as heir apparent to the genre inhabited by Kate Bush, Bjork and other not-so-easily-pigeon-holed femme fatales. To be sure, comparisons are in order, but only as points of reference. Our first listen to this spell-binding collection reminded us of the first time we've heard Kate Bush's "Hounds Of Love", a percussion driven, minimally orchestrated production that showcased a spectacular vocal instrument. Like Bush, Khan modulates her voice effortlessly from a whisper to a howl, all while achieving a stratospheric range, as in the opener "Glass."
All of the songs share equal merit (a pleasant surprise, considering the abundance of first-four-song fizzles), and each is thoroughly engaging. Her lyrics abound in flights of fancy, allusions to knights in crystal armor and emerald cities. While they could easily sound pretentious and precious, as is the case with some of her contemporaries, she breathes them to life as they intertwine with and inhabit each song.
Natasha Khan's world is full of pride and potential. May those qualities guide her through what promises to be a long and fruitful journey. We eagerly await the next step.

The best of the best for 2009 without music frontiers:

| 1-10 | | 11-20 | | 21-30 | | 31-40 |