Music in 2009

Normally I like to make some sort of top 5 or 10 list of the previous year before I look to the next. But such a list would look alarmingly sparse. That's mainly because I've been out of the loop musically. Looking at Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums made me feel really out of touch. I hadn't heard of many of those listed, and the albums/bands I had heard of I hadn't actually heard. The bulk of my most recent eMusic downloads were me catching up on last year's music, and even some older than that.

I partly blame this on my favorite musicians. They didn't crank out any albums this year, which prevented me from going to the record store or Pitchfork etc., which in turn prevented me from being exposed to new music. So I end 2008 knowing that I really liked Duffy's "Rockferry" and was delighted by R.E.M. comeback of an album, "Accelerate," but I can offer little else.

But this year will be different, because in the coming 12 months we can expect new albums by Andrew Bird, Lily Allen, Regina Spektor, N.A.S.A., Madlib, Public Enemy, Animal Collective, Robyn Hitchcock, Antony and the Johnsons, Bell Orchestre, Neko Case, Mirah, The Decemberists, aaaaand (oh sweet cuppin' cakes I might actually pee my pants!) the recently reunited Anti Pop Consortium. Oh bliss!

Since I can't detail each and every detail of each and every performer listed here, I thought I could make myself a little top 5 list... as in the top five albums I'm excited about for this coming year.

5. Mirah - (a)spera
Mirah cranked out one okay album, then a better album with one amazing, stand out track. "Cold, Cold Water" took a well-written song and excelled it into greatness with a Spaghetti Western theme. I listened to this track over, and over, and over again on the biggest speakers I could find. On her last album, C'mon Miracle she took every sonic lesson she learned from that song and stretched it over an album. It was a career plateau that showed her song-writing and production deserved each other and benefited in the long run. All that leaves me super excited for where she goes next. Come March we'll know.


4. Regina Spektor - unknown
The singles that led Spektor's last album into popularity were deceiving. Entirely accessible and amazingly catchy, "Fidelity" and "On The Radio" convinced the listener that here was a songwriter not unlike Feist, but unable to produce a full album of similarly winsome tracks.
Both songs sound fantastic, but give you the worry that they are as good as the album gets. I was very wrong on this presumption. Every track on the album was my favorite at some point. The first tracks I heard don't get old, and each other track slowly grows on the listener as you become tuned in to each intricate change in timbre and dynamics. I'm looking for more of the same on whatever she gives us on 2009's rumored release.

3. N.A.S.A. - The Spirit of Apollo
This is the only band on my list that's entirely new to me, but they have teased the world of bloggers and music journalists for well over a year now. Hip-hop producers Squeak E. Clean (a.k.a. Spike Jonze's brother) and DJ Zegon make up N.A.S.A. (aka "North America/South America"). But the guest list on their forthcoming album is what first grabbed my attention: Kanye West, Chali 2na, George Clinton, M.I.A., various members of the Wu Tang Clan, Tom Waits, David Byrne, Gift of Gab... the list goes on, and on, and on. What samples we've heard sound fantastic. Sure to be one of my favorite hip-hop releases of the year.

2. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast/Useless Creatures
I pre-ordered the album 52 days before its Jan. 20th release. I got the deluxe edition which includes a second album of instrumental works called Useless Creatures. I am ready for some serious Andrew Bird this January.
What makes this album special (besides being by Andrew Bird, *swoon!*) is that he returns to producer Mark Nevers. Nevers' style is amazing, and he helped shape Andrew Bird's sound into what it is today with the seminal Weather Systems, an undisputed turning point in Bird's musical career. Nevers is also the producer for the entirely beautiful Is A Woman by Lambchop. There is absolutely nothing to not be excited about here.

1. Anti-Pop Consortium - Fluorescent Black
APC's breakup was disappointing even with the massive number of side projects and solo releases that followed. Airborn Audio, featuring APC emcees M. Sayyid and High Priest, was certainly welcome, but without Earl Blaze's fractured beats, the whole release just seemed disappointing. I would have preferred hearing the album as an entirely new group I've never heard of. On the tails of APC's pre-breakup release Arrhythmia it just paled. Pitchfork's review of the album summed it up best when it said, "Can I get a 'Silver Heat', please? How about a 'MEGA/MEGA/MEGAAAAAA!!!!'? No?" Sadly, no.
But with APC back together, and an album in the works, I hope we're able to pickup right where we left off.

Not listed directly on my top 5, but worth noting, Lily Allen, Animal Collective, Antony and the Johnsons and Bell Orchetre will be releasing music this year as well. And as happens every year, Chali 2na will promise us an album and some publisher will promise to release a new book by J. D. Salinger. Neither of these things will occur.

For some good summation of 2008, visit MetaCritic's compilation of top 10s. Our peeps in Germany also summed up their favorite soul music of yesteryear that they heard this year. And Pitchfork has a pretty complete list of new music coming out this year.