Nick's Blog #019: Favorite Albums of 2009

So here we are again at the end of December! Crazy isn't it? I've actually been waiting pretty impatiently to make this blog post because there were so many albums that came out this year that I absolutely loved. Almost all of which came out after we released our second album Autumn in the Evening. I personally had both been really immersed in the recording and mixing process that I felt like I hadn't had time to really just sit and enjoy some good music for a long time. And it seemed like once we released our album there was like one really great album a month that came out. So it was a really great year for music for me!

Anyways, these are my favorite albums of the year. Not necessarily the albums that I think are the best (although often the two come hand in hand) but just the albums that I enjoyed listening to the most this year. Hopefully you will find something you like or rediscover one of your favorites! Enjoy.

10. Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything to Nothing
Released on April 27th, 2009

More info at Last.fm"So I prayed for what I thought were angels, ended up being ambulances" Manchester Orchestra put out, what I think to be, the most original sounding album in the indie/pop-rock genre this year. Combining the sounds of bands like Foo Fighters, Brand New, and even Nirvana and adding a whole bunch of a sound that is all their own. Mean Everything to Nothing is a series of peaks and valleys, aggression and silence, white noise and soft melodies. All of these elements are smeared over super catchy pop songs which makes for a really cool and original sound. Almost every song on this album is great but in particular I enjoy I Can Feel a Hot One, The Only One, and I've Got Friends.

9. The Lonely Island - Incredibad
Released on February 10th, 2009

More info at Last.fm"Three-way climax! Best friends forever! What a blessing to have lost our virginities together!" This album is fucking funny as hell. Damn near comedic genius on some specific songs if you ask me. Being a pretty big fan of Saturday Night Live over the years (even though the show has had some atrocious seasons in the past decade) I was stoked for this album to come out. But as the show SNL rarely has as of late, this album fully exceeded my expectations. It's a type of comedy you either get, or you don't. But it just happens to be right up both Easton and I's alley. Do yourself a favor and listen to the song We Like Sportz, if you get it, you will love this album. My favorite tracks include The Old Saloon, Space Olympics, We Like Sportz, and Incredibad.

8. Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
Released on August 21st, 2009

"Guess I'll lay my head against my elbow and the window, and watch the wheels go, watch the wheels go" Conor Oberst has been on a roll these past few years, but in my eyes it's not Oberst who necessarily excels on this album. The real greatness on this album comes from Jim James and M. Ward. In case you are unaware Monsters of Folk is a sort of super-group consisting of Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and M. Ward. If you are looking for gems with Oberst taking center stage you may be better off checking out last years album entitled Conor Oberst. James and Ward bring the freakin' heat on this album with songs such as Slow Down Jo, The Sandman the Brakeman and Me, and His Master's Voice. If you happened to miss this album definitely give it a listen.

7. Fireworks - All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion
Released on March 24th, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"Wha-oh-ah-oh! YOU DON'T NEED MAPS! WHEN YOU KNOW WHERE THE SIDEWALK CRACKS!" This album fucking rips through eleven awesome pop-punk songs, all of which sound like they could have come straight off of an early 2000's New Found Glory album. I highly recommend checking this album out if you are a fan of that (now old-school) pop-punk sound that NFG or The Movielife did so well early in the decade. Some favorite tracks of mine are Holiday, I Support Same Sex Marriage, and Detroit.

6. Cassino - Kingprince
Released on November 12th, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"The boat that failed it's only sail, is burning in the river, it's heating up the water mains, while the rest of the house just shivers" I cannot say that I was not a bit let down by this album. I had been waiting for a follow up to Sounds of Salvation since it was released in 2007. In one word it's a bit "boring". After a few listens the songs tend to mush together. But this is the extent of my complaining as I still think this is a fantastic album with some brilliant songs. If you have never heard Cassino I recommend checking out both this album as well as their debut album Sounds of Salvation. I will admit that maybe I put some unrealistic expectations on this album, basically planning on it being my number one album of the year before I had even heard it. Instead it sits at six on my list, which means that I will probably wait just as impatiently for a third Cassino album and most likely build expectations just as high. If you are new to this album I recommend checking out Djom, Kingprince, and The River. All three are absolutely beautiful songs. If this was their first album it probably would have been much higher, but don't get it twisted, this is a great album.

5. Brand New - Daisy
Released on September 22nd, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"And there's a lake, and at the bottom you'll find all our friends, they don't swim 'cause they're all dead, we never are what we intend, or invent" Oh, look. Brand New has a new album coming out this year. Will they continue the bi-polar rampage that we heard on 2006's The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me? Will we hear them revert to their epic melodic hard-rock sound that they displayed on 2003's Deja Entendu? Or will they return to their roots and release a full on pop-punk album in the vein of 2000's near legendary album Your Favorite Weapon? The answer of course is none of the above. Brand New's Daisy sounds only like Brand New's Daisy. From the first time I listened to this album I loved it. I guess you could say that Daisy is more experimental, but in all honesty what Brand New album isn't experimental? This album needs to be heard in order to fully understand it. But you should know if Daisy is for you about one minute and thirty seconds into the first song. Some favorite tracks of mine include At the Bottom, Gasoline, and Bought a Bride but in my humble opinion the main highlight of the album is the seventh track Sink.

4. Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
Released on August 17th, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"Give me back my photos will you? You fucking whore I'll kill you!" There really isn't much I can say about Third Eye Blind that I haven't said a million times before. After nearly five years will almost no action from this band they emerged last year playing sporadic shows which quickly turned into frequent shows. Then in August of this year they released their first album since 2003's Out of the Vein. When Out of the Vein was released I was a freshman at USC. I've now been out of college for a few years and I can honestly say that I get the exact same feeling from Third Eye Blind's music now as I did way back then. This is a great album that I'm sure I will enjoy for the next six years until Third Eye Blind releases Ursa Minor. Yeah, I said it. My prediction: Ursa Minor, 2015. I am taking my time with this album. Pacing myself not to burn out on it too quickly. Otherwise it may have been higher on this list. But I can almost guarantee you that I will be listening to this album long after the others on this list have faded into the background. Favorite songs on the album are Don't Believe A Word, Dao of St. Paul, Sharp Knife, and Summer Town. "I WISH I WAS A SPRAY CAN!" :)

3. Sherwood - QU
Released on October 13th, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"I could have seen it all coming I guess, I'm sleeping out on the couch, you in your half of the bed" I saw Sherwood live early last year sadly it was a snooze-fest. I'm not sure if I was just reeling, punch-drunk from the amazing set I had just seen performed by The Matches or if they are just a boring live band. In either case after having QU for a couple of months now I can't wait to give them another chance live. I only bring this up because of the stark contrast between how I perceived the live show and what I hear recorded on their albums. Both QU and A Different Light are packed with bright, energy filled pop songs. It could be forty-five degrees and raining outside... pop in a Sherwood album and you are immediately transported to mid-June where the weather is great and everyone is happy to be alive. It's that good. I actually envy them a bit as it's a certain quality that I think me and Easton strive for in a lot of our songs. But when it comes to translating into audio form what it feels like to be in Southern California in early summer, in my opinion, Sherwood is king. I will most definitely be pulling this album off the shelf throughout this winter just to get a taste of warmer times.

2. Say Anything - Say Anything
Released on November 3rd, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"Life is not a spark in space, an episode of Will & Grace, controversial yet mundane, Debra's 'Messing' with your brain" Honestly I don't know how this happened. Before this album came out I don't think there was a band whose music irritated me more than Say Anything. Unintentionally fueling my distain for this music was my college roommate Adam, who has been an admitted Say Anything super-fan since day one. It wasn't his fault. I could see the appeal and I could hear the talent in this band I just could not, for the life of me, grow to like it. Fast forward to 2009 and Say Anything releases their self-titled album. I have just one question. Where the fuck was this album when I was living with Mr. Adam Fox? I absolutely love Say Anything's self-titled album. I can't understand it. I don't want to understand it. All I know is this is great album. Now if I could only get the years and years of that damn Pinocchio album out of my head... Adam, all I can say is... I guess you were right all along!

1. fun. - Aim and Ignite
Released on August 25th, 2009

Listen at Last.fm"I'll bet I'm coming home alone tonight. I don't need to be reminded that this is how it was, I moved on, I passed a billboard down my block. It asks if I've had enough, and aloud I say 'I've had too much', when the truth is, I'm just getting started" Fun.'s debut album may very well be the greatest debut album I have ever heard. But is it really a debut album? It does seem that Nate Ruess, formerly of the band The Format, has picked up right where Dog Problems left off. Whether Aim & Inite is considered a brand new band's creation or a continuation of The Format's work it is an amazing album. There is nothing that I can write that will do justice to this album. Just listen to it. Every song is amazing. This album is by far my favorite album of 2009 and most likely will live as one of my favorites of all time. Go fun.