Albums of 2009 Part II

10. It’s Blitz! – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

‘Zero’. How fucking good is ‘Zero’? My favourite Yeah Yeah Yeahs memory of 2009 was watching them perform as opening act to Sting – Sting - from the city walls of Quebec. I never really bought into the ‘Fever To Tell’ era – ‘Maps’ apart – but ‘Show Your Bones’ showed that the band had lost the art rock pretensions and embraced a more coherent sound. ‘It’s Blitz!’ was the perfectly logical next step for the band and finally saw them put together a thrillingly complete record.

9. ‘Klamath’ - Mark Eitzel

Legend has it Eitzel made a Bon Iver style retreat to the banks of the Klamath river when composing the songs which made up this record. His last great record was 2001’s ‘The Invisible Man’, so clearly even Eitzel felt that he had to reinvent - or at least reconnect - with himself somewhat and whilst ‘Klamath’ doesn’t scale the heights of past glories, there’s enough substance here to suggest that Eitzel as a solo entity (his band American Music Club are producing some of the finest records of their career) has still much to give. ‘I Miss You’ and ‘What Do You Got For Me’ both showcase Eitzel’s innate ability to create perfectly crafted songs. ‘The Blood on My Hands’ calls to mind the bitterness of ‘Patriot’s Heart’ and ‘Like A River That Reaches The Sea’ with its synthesised backing would not be out of place on ‘The Invisible Man’.

8. ‘Popular Songs’ – Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo haven’t truly released a consistently wonderful record since 2001’s ‘And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out’. Recent releases have had some quite beautiful songs but stretching that mish-mash of styles which has become the Yo La Tengo signature into a coherent album has been beyond them of late. The problem frequently lies in Yo La Tengo’s modus operandi – each record contains an array of styles including straight down the middle indie pop/rock, Motown, garage and funk amongst others. That they pay homage to each of these genres on every record is testament to their encyclopaedic musical knowledge but doesn’t always make for the best records. Think of them as a musical Quentin Tarantino – geeky enough to reference an obscure Motown B-side and equally determined to incorporate it in their oeuvre. ‘Popular Songs’ largely manages to channel this eclecticism, however, resulting in one of the better Yo La Tengo albums in recent times and one of this year’s better records.

7. 'Tarot Sport' – Fuck Buttons

Sporting one of the worst album covers of the year perhaps, but with their sophomore effort this Bristolian duo served up a perfectly pitched record of giddy psychedelia married to blissfully euphoric electronica. Ten minute opener ‘Surf Solar’ sets the tone for this frequently beautiful record right through to the anthemic ‘Flight of the Feathered Serpent’, by which time the band have combined their beat driven noise with an innate sense of ........... oh bollocks, it’s just a great fucking record.

6. ‘Dark Was The Night’ – Various Artists

It says much of this record that in a year when Yo La Tengo released their very own ‘Popular Songs’, ‘Dark Was The Night’ contains their most beautiful song of 2009 – ‘Gentle Hour’. Lovingly put together by The National’s Dessner brothers, and unlike the promising yet ultimately incoherent ‘Dark Night of the Soul’, ‘Dark Was the Night’ proved to be one of the finest records of the year simply by featuring some wonderful performances from a vast array of artists across two discs and 31 songs. Sure there’s an almost incestuous indie rock love-in feel to it but when it’s this tastefully done it would be churlish to quibble. There’s the pop rush of ‘Hey Snow White’ by The New Pornographers, a remarkably coherent Dirty Projectors abetting David Byrne on ‘Knotty Pine’ and two contrasting yet compelling reasons to celebrate Feist. Highlight of the entire project however is Antony’s version of Bob Dylan’s ‘I Was Young When I Left Home’, proving that when he’s not flagellating himself in the midst of another existential crisis, he is capable of conjuring compellingly beautiful music.