Favorite Albums of 2009

So, 2009. You know, I didn't get "out there" as much this year as I have in the past. From June 25th on, I basically only listened to Michael Jackson. And before that, I was stuck on an island with only a few albums that Audrey had mailed me (one of which made this list). And on top of all that, I lost a bet, which prevented me from listening to any bands from Versailles whose name starts with "Phoeni-." Okay, not really.

______________________________

20. mountain goats - the life of the world to come

______________________________

19. mos def - the ecstatic

______________________________

18. smith westerns - dye it blonde

______________________________

17. girls - album

______________________________

16. st. vincent - actor

______________________________

15. shabazz palaces - shabazz palaces / of light

______________________________

14. local natives - gorilla manor

______________________________

13. vetiver - tight knit

______________________________

12. megafaun – gather, form & fly

______________________________

11. bonnie 'prince' billy - beware

______________________________

10. the dead weather - horehound

This was a weird pick for me, because I didn't exactly fall in love with it. To be honest, I didn't really fall in love with very many releases this year - at least not as many as I usually do. However, I did love screaming "M-A-N-I-P-U-LATE!" at the top of my lungs while driving past Third Man Records on my way home from a frustrating day at work this fall. That alone is enough for this to crack my top ten. If I wasn't currently involved in a 7-year-long torrid love affair with Ryan Adams, I would say Jack White is the man of the decade, musically speaking.
______________________________

9. grizzly bear - veckatimest

Absolutely gorgeous and complex, but I still find myself pining for Yellow House. I'm thinking I desperately need to see these songs performed live to gain full appreciation.
______________________________

8. neko case - middle cyclone

This was the record that Audrey mailed me in St. Croix. I fell asleep to it almost every night there. It was one of those releases that really gave me a greater appreciation for the artist. I went back and revisited Blacklisted and Fox Confessor so much that I may have actually played them more than this one over the past year.
______________________________

7. port o'brien - threadbare

The guy and girl that form Port O'Brien don't actually do music full-time. He spends his summers on a fishing boat off the coast of Alaska. And she spends her summers working in a bakery in a tiny port town in Larsen Bay (very close to Port O'Brien, Alaska). I thought that was a good enough reason to check it out. Listen to the track "My Will is Good."
______________________________

6. bill callahan - sometimes i wish we were an eagle

This gets my vote for the most beautiful release of the year. This is another one that I spent a good part of the year falling asleep to. I have always been a sucker for guys with bass-y vocals (think Stephen Merritt, Jens Lekman, or Will Oldham). They all lull me in the best way.
______________________________

5. devendra banhart - what will we be

This one is definitely still growing on me, and its already at number five. I think this might be his best.
______________________________

4. passion pit - manners

A blurb from Wade Holmes that can't be beat: "The song 'Little Secrets', or 'The Sunny Day Playground Jump Rope Song' as I like to call it, is a three minute and fifty-eight second summer day party, complete with frozen Jumbo Jet Star Pops from the Ice Cream Man and chalk drawn games of Tic-Tac-Toe displayed on the sidewalk. So, throw on some S.P.F. 45, hop on your bike and call all the kids in the neighborhood… because there’s a party going down and you’re all invited."
______________________________

3. the pains of being pure at heart - the pains of being pure at heart

This is what I like to imagine I would have been a fan of if I had been a teenager in the late 80's/early 90's. That shoe-gaze fuzz gets me every time. And when it is coupled with pop perfection - look out. For my heart beating out of my chest. Because I love it.
______________________________

2. joshua james - build me this

This came out of nowhere. Well, Utah isn't exactly nowhere. But I had never even heard of this guy until one day when I was browsing in Grimey's and the cover jumped out at me. Apparently enough for me to slap down some cash and take it home. I would have never discovered Joshua James if it weren't for the good old brick & mortar. Internet, you let me down on this one.
______________________________

1. dirty projectors - bitte orca

I listened to this on a sunny day in June on a long drive down the Natchez Trace Parkway, and it clicked SO hard. And I haven't stopped playing it since. This was the easiest number one pick for me in a long time.
______________________________

my top 20 films of the decade

What did I leave off? Tell me in the comments.


20. Primer (2004)














19. Adaptation. (2002)














18. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)














17. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)














16. The Wrestler (2008)














15. Memento (2000)














14. Ratatoille (2007)














13. Eastern Promises (2007)














12. Cast Away (2000)














11. Children of Men (2006)














10. No Country for Old Men (2007)

I am currently in the middle of the novel right now, and reading it is only making me like the film even more. The Coen brothers continue to play in their corner of sandbox all they want if they keep building castles like this one.









9. Amelie (2001)

Before Audrey and I were dating, she spent a month living in Paris. While she was there, I climbed House Mountain and found a good skipping rock and sent it to her in an envelope and told her to find the canal in Montmartre where Amelie skips rocks and to do the same.

And the rest is history.





8. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

It wasn't Bottle Rocket or Rushmore that made me a Wes Anderson fan, it was this. And while Anderson's perfectionism can rub the wrong way with each slo-mo-mid-1960's-Rolling-Stones-song scene or meticulously and symmetrically placed prop and set piece, sometimes it all just comes together and forms the perfect film to watch for Halloween costume inspiration. I mean that in the best way.

Highlight: When Margot steps of the bus to Nico's "These Days"


7. The Visitor (2008)

I don't even remember why I watched this movie. I didn't know what it was about or who made it. But what I saw was Richard Jenkins giving one of the best performances I have seen. All I really want to say is: See This Film.









6. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Somehow, knowing I was going to see the new Tarantino film, I went into the theater not expecting much. Maybe it was the off-putting trailer. Maybe it was Brad Pitt. Maybe it was the swastikas.

But what I saw was the most subversive (in only the best way) film I've seen, maybe ever. I left not knowing how to feel about what I had just seen, and in this case, I think that means Tarantino succeeded in his mission.




5. Almost Famous (2000)

This was my favorite film when I was in high school. When I was 18. Okay, I was 17. I was 16.











4. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco (2002)

While this pick may have something to do with the fact that it chronicles the creation of my favorite record of all time (forever till the end of time), I think it is safe to say that whatever you think of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, this is still a fantastic documentary. Wilco will love you, baby.







3. Into the Wild (2007)

This film, more than any other, was an experience for me. I was right there with Chris the whole time, cheering his desire to get away, burn his money, and live life, man! But when he reads Dr. Zhivago and writes, "HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED," I was hit with the same realization. And it floored me. And I haven't been the same since.






2. Lost in Translation (2003)

Sometimes the big reveal is that there is no big reveal. And sometimes that is brilliant.











1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

This was an easy choice for me. On most days, I have at least one moment where I think, "I kinda wanna watch Eternal Sunshine right now."

12.25.09

Merry Christmas from the soon-to-be Ruckers! Much love to all.

And a thousand thanks to Adam Brimer for the brilliant photos.

music videos in 2009

Like everything else, music videos have gone through very drastic changes over the past several years. As the internet has reigned supreme, and MTV and VH1 have become reality show networks, videos have had to try harder and harder to attain our attention. In 2009, that meant everyone got naked in their video. But only one of those videos was worth watching, if you ask me.

And with the distribution of video editing software to the masses, fans now have a very direct impact on the art: they direct their own videos. And then receive recognition from the band, the label, and other fans. And sometimes the band initiates a contest among its fans to see who can create the best music video. One of those videos is very worth watching.

My five favorite videos of 2009:

5. Dirty Projectors - "Stillness Is The Move" (directed by Matthew Lessner)


4. The Avett Brothers - "Slight Figure Of Speech"

The Avett Brothers - Slight Figure Of Speech - watch more funny videos

3. Matt and Kim - "Lessons Learned" (directed by Taylor Cohen and Otto Arsenault)


2. The Dead Weather - "Treat Me Like Your Mother" (directed by Jonathan Glazer)

The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother

Third Man Records | MySpace Music Videos

1. M83 - "We Own The Sky" (contest winner - directed by Young Replicant)

audrey's and my bedroom

...Someday: