The Best Album(s) You've Heard Quest'anno?

[cobl04]

I'm asking what is the best album you've heard this year. This means that it is not limited to albums released in 2009. I'm young and always getting new albums, and I've heard a few crackers this year. When I've got more time I'll list what I've heard, but I think the album that takes the title for me is Steely Dan's Aja.

When I downloaded it (I was that enamoured with it I purchased it not long after, as opposed to Green Day's latest, which I only got halfway through) I was hoping for some really jazzy tunes that still had a rock feel to it, as I'd been after some jazz for a while.

And I knew I'd found exactly what I was looking for after just two seconds of Black Cow. Terrific album.

I think this should produce some interesting results!

 

[LemonMelon]

Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel of Love
Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
Peter Gabriel - III
The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Gilded Palace Of Sin
Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
Silver Jews - American Water
The National - Alligator
Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Joni Mitchell - The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones

All of these albums are fantastic, and I cannot recommend them enough. Several are deeply stitched into the fabric of the year 2009 for me, and I have a strong emotional attachment to them, so there's admittedly some bias involved, but seriously, they're amazing.

 

[Bonoandboss99]

My dad produced a few shows with Chris Hillman of Flyring Burrito Bros. He is truly a wonderful and genuine guy. Tunnel of Love......In my Top 5 Springsteen albums.

 

[Bonoandboss99]

For me though-

Vampire Weekend-Vampire Weekend
Eels-Hombre Lobo
U2-NLOTH
Bruce-Working on a Dream
Billy Joel-52nd Street
Billy Joel-The Stranger
Billy Joel-Turnstiles
Gaslight Anthem-59' Sound
Kaiser Chiefs-Employment
Kaiser Chiefs-Off With Their Heads
Kaiser Chiefs-Yours Truly, Angry Mob
Fleetwood Mac-Rumours
Fleetwood Mac-Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac-Tusk
She & Him-Volume One

 

[LemonMelon]

My dad produced a few shows with Chris Hillman of Flyring Burrito Bros. He is truly a wonderful and genuine guy.

Wow, really? That's a fantastic opportunity. I'm a huge Byrds fan (should have added Fifth Dimension to my list, come to think of it ), so I discovered the band through Gram Parsons' work with them. So glad I gave it a chance, country is definitely not my thing, but those songs are gems.

 

[Bonoandboss99]

Hell yeah. Even the Beatles were influenced by the Byrds, and unfortunately they are so very underrated. And I'm not a big country fan myself, but those Burrito Brothers tunes are out of this world!

 

[Bonoandboss99]

And yeah, every time my dad did a show with him he played Eight Miles High on MANDOLIN.

 

[bono_212]

The one album I think that's stuck with me a lot this year would be The Crossing by Big Country. Just can't get enough.

 

[IWasBored]

sinners & saints - the sky is falling

been listening to it a lot again lately, still my favorite.

 

[Wild__Honey]

John Frusciante - The Empyrean
U2 - NLOTH
Brendan Benson - My Old Familiar Friend
White Lies - To Lose My Life
Peter Doherty - Grace/Wastelands
Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

 

[cobl04]

Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die
Architecture in Helsinki - Places Like This
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
The Beatles - Love
Bloc Party - Intimacy
Brian Eno - Ambient 1/Music for Airports
Brain Eno - Another Green World
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
David Bowie - Lodger
Deadmau5 - For Lack of a Better Name
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing...
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Hilltop Hoods - State of the Art
Hot Chip - The Warning
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
Led Zeppelin - I
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
Passion Pit - Chunk of Change EP
Passion Pit - Manners
Paul Dempsey - Everything is True
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Radiohead - Amnesiac
Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
Radiohead - Kid A
Steely Dan - Aja
The Temper Trap - Conditions
U2 - No Line on the Horizon
The Who - Quadrophenia
The Twelth Man - 12th Man Again!

is the list of albums I've heard this year. I could have sworn it was more, but I guess not.

Quadrophenia, Aja and Kid A have probably been the pick of the lot.

 

[Bonoandboss99]

Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die
Architecture in Helsinki - Places Like This
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
The Beatles - Love
Bloc Party - Intimacy
Brian Eno - Ambient 1/Music for Airports
Brain Eno - Another Green World
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
David Bowie - Lodger
Deadmau5 - For Lack of a Better Name
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing...
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Hilltop Hoods - State of the Art
Hot Chip - The Warning
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
Led Zeppelin - I
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
Passion Pit - Chunk of Change EP
Passion Pit - Manners
Paul Dempsey - Everything is True
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Radiohead - Amnesiac
Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
Radiohead - Kid A
Steely Dan - Aja
The Temper Trap - Conditions
U2 - No Line on the Horizon
The Who - Quadrophenia
The Twelth Man - 12th Man Again!

is the list of albums I've heard this year. I could have sworn it was more, but I guess not.

Quadrophenia, Aja and Kid A have probably been the pick of the lot.

Whats your favorite from Born in the USA? Mine is Downbound Train.

 

[Bonoandboss99]

And glad Pet Sounds found a new listener. My second favorite album of all time.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

The Twelth Man - 12th Man Again!

 

[bono_212]

Huh, It would seem that it was actually this year that I heard The Hurting for the first time, THAT would be the big album for me this year then. Closely followed by The Crossing and then Ocean Rain.

 

[LemonMelon]

Yeah, The Hurting was a nice surprise. Outside of the singles, Big Chair and Seeds Of Love don't do too much for me, so I'll say that's their best album.

 

[cobl04]

Whats your favorite from Born in the USA? Mine is Downbound Train.

Dancing in the Dark most likely, then I'm On Fire.

And glad Pet Sounds found a new listener. My second favorite album of all time.

I haven't really gone back to it... I had a feeling it wasn't going to be everything you read about it, just like Sgt Peppers. My favourite track was a b-side that came with it, Hang on to Your Ego

I love him! I wanna boof him! Get him up here!

 

[The Sad Punk]

I haven't really gone back to it... I had a feeling it wasn't going to be everything you read about it, just like Sgt Peppers. My favourite track was a b-side that came with it, Hang on to Your Ego

I like Hang On To Your Ego too, but you do realise it's basically the same song as I Know There's An Answer, right?

 

[LemonMelon]

After years of owning the album, it took me falling in love to understand Pet Sounds. We all experience music differently, and our perception can be majorly tinted by circumstances like that. In my case, it was wholly positive, and I'll look back on that moment when I listened and thought to myself "holy shit, THAT'S what he meant?" very fondly. It was kinda humbling, because I had kicked the crap out of that album for ages and it finally stuck. Now I find it haunting and often very beautiful.

However, a lot of saccharine love songs still sounded terrible, so it probably won't happen that way for everyone else.

 

[cobl04]

that's awesome man.

 

[dan_smee]

cobl, BEST. AVATAR. EVER - unlike wood or vinyl claddings will never crack. They warp. Well only if you leave them out in the sun they warp. They wobble a bit too. What else is there? Oh yeah, they're fire resistant, but if you put them too close to a flame they burn like buggery.

Yeah, anyway, best album I have heard this year - This may sound REALLY wierd - John Mayer, Heavier Things. Before he went nuts and shit, an album I never appreciated fully until now

 

[Mr. V]

Animal Collective - MPP
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
The Beatles - White Album, Rubber Soul, A Hard Day's Night
Bruce - The Rising
David Bowie - Low
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
DJ Shadow - Entroducing
Doves - Kingdom of Rust
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi
Griz - Veck
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Phoenix - Wolfgang
Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead, Meat is Murder
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
St. Vincent - Actor
The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams, Rules
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz

Most of these are '09, but they're the ones that have had constant rotation this year. Some great ones there.

 

[cobl04]

we're perfect for each other dan. or we would be. if one of us was danielle. i've almost worn out my late show dvds i've watched them that many times.

endtroducing is a pretty cool album. the number song, what does your soul look like...

 

[dan_smee]

we reccommend hosing down!!!!! LOL I totall forgot!

One thing I am dying to show Lauren (and ive lost the disc) is Glengarry Glen Ridge (she loves Glengarry Glen Ross the movie). Can't find it online. Tony Martin as Al Pacino is classic

 

[dan_smee]

we're perfect for each other dan. or we would be. if one of us was danielle. i've almost worn out my late show dvds i've watched them that many times.

endtroducing is a pretty cool album. the number song, what does your soul look like...

or if we were gay....

 

[Mr. V]

endtroducing is a pretty cool album. the number song, what does your soul look like...

Thinking of slotting that into my next DI list...

 

[dan_smee]

ill add

Brand New - Daisy
Athlete - Black Swan
The Devoted Few - Baby, You're A Vampire
The Beatles - Help, Revolver
Obvs U2 - NLOTH

 

[cobl04]

"guys... language... please..."

guess you'll have to break the bad news.

edit - i cracked dan. http://www.u2interference.com/forums/f293/the-late-show-champagne-comedy-202607.html#post6465832

 

[dan_smee]

best thread ever

 

[The Sad Punk]

YouTube - The Late Show: Arnold Schwarzenegger Interview

Wait, this is the wrong thread. Oh, whatever. It's close enough.