The Bloglin’s Best of 2009: Best Albums, #60-41

We’re at part three of our five day wrap up of the years 100 best albums! Yesterday we counted down #80 through 61 leaving things off with Tor Lundvall’s Sleeping and Hiding. We hope you’re all keeping track and picking up some of these records along the way.
• For #100-81 of The Bloglin’s Best Albums of 2009 (Click Here)
• For #80-61 of The Bloglin’s Best Albums of 2009 (Click Here)
—–

60) Simian Mobile Disco – Temporary Pleasure [Wichita]
A subtle disco undercurrent connects an abundance of guest vocalists with enough polish and complexity to avoid disparity on SMD’s followup to 2007′s Attack Decay Sustain Release. Temporary Pleasure draws heavily from James Ford’s pop production skillset, resulting in a dance-pop album that’s more mature than it is bubblegum.
Not originally reviewed on the Bloglin
—–

59) Wolves In The Throne Room – Black Cascade [Southern Lord]
Black Cascade is ambiguously situated within the Black Metal time-line. Mixing spiritualistic and eco-friendly lyrics with organic melodies and brisk collapsing breaks, this album would cater to the post-rock and post-metal crowds as well as the die-hard Black Metal crowd. No blast beats and no peaking moments of brutality, just somber and melodic Black Metal.
—–

58) //TENSE// – Memory [Desire]
I’ve been waiting a good long while for a band to come along and revive the true sound of EBM. Houtson, Texas’ //TENSE// is that band, and my god is it about time. Memory is the sort of industrial dance album that not only masterfully brings back a long forgotten sound, but fits pretty comfortably between spins of Front 242 and A Split Second.
Not originally reviewed on the Bloglin
—–
57) Japandroids – Post-Nothing [Unfamiliar]
Anyone who grew up on bands like Mineral, Cap ‘N Jazz, or Jawbreaker will find Japandroid’s Post-Nothing a most welcome homecoming to their adolescence (good and bad). This may be little more than musical nostalgia, but this record is just too damn good at just that to fault it.
—–
56) Part Chimp – Thriller [Rock Action]
Hailing from Camberwell in the UK, Part Chimp is the best kept secret in rock (along with a pretty wicked live act). Thriller ups the ante in an enveloping blanket of shoegaze fuzz, and Post-Hardcore aggression. Fun fact: Originally slated to be called The Dark Side of the Moon, Part Chimp decided to re-name their album Thrller after Michael Jackson’s death.
—–
55) Little Claw – Human Taste [Ecstatic Peace!]
Somewhere between the dark and raucous soundscapes of The Cramps Psychedelic Jungle and Sonic Youth’s Bad Moon Rising lies Human Taste, Little Claw’s third full length is their most realized album to date. A spellbinding conflict between dissonance and melody.
—–
54) Sacrifice – The Ones I Condemn [Roadrunner]
Pure Canadian metal. Sacrifice has been around for quite some time and The Ones I Condemn marks a triumphant return for the band after a 16-year absence. One of the best thrash albums of the year and it makes you wonder how long they worked on it? 16 years is a long time!
—–

53) Hudson Mohawke – Butter [Warp]
Glasgow producer Ross Birchard aka Hudson Mohawke drops his hotly anticipated debut, Butter. Which ends up being the musical equivalent to a Lisa Frank folder. Chaotic, ultra-bright neon that sends your head spinning in a deliriously happy sugar rush. yes we mean this in a good way, a very good way.
—–
52) Rome – Flowers From Exile [Trisol]
Rome returns with another exotic mix of gentle acoustic guitars, atmospheric tape-loops and deep baritone vocals. However it’s Rome’s willingness to let Flowers in Exile transcend being simply another Martial act gives way to not only an esoteric depth but the sort of haunting charm that’s long been lost from bands mining this sound.
—–
51) Isis - Wavering Radiant [Ipecac]
Wavering Radiant is continues Isis’ career long pursuit of finding the balance between beauty & brutality. The tension is thick as the years of growth and refinement pushing and pulling until finally hitting the sort of creative crux whose intensity makes this not only Isis’ most accessible album, but one of their most rewarding ones as well.
—–
50) The Big Pink - Brief History of Love [4AD]
There are hundreds of ways to describe London duo The Big Pink and their much-hyped debut—among them, of course: My Bloody Valentine-esque, nu-gaze, intense, atmospheric, blah, blah, blah—but perhaps the most applicable is massive. From the seemingly endless UK hype machine to the climactic tracks on A Brief History Of Love, TBP simply feels larger than life, regardless of how popular they have yet to become.
—–
49) Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day [G.O.O.D.]
One of the most hotly anticipated albums of the year is (no surprise) also a very divisive one. Man on the Moon is a bold and accessible break from what we’ve come to generally accept as Hip Hop that has people drawing a line in the sand. This is as far away as you can get from Boom Bap, and truthfully there isn’t anything wrong with that.
—–

48) Night Control – Death Control [Kill Shaman]
Christopher Curtis Smith’s (CSS) AKA Night Control has just slipped in a real gem right under the Lo-Fi Pop radar. With a knack at channeling the Velvet Underground and Marc Bolan, CSS has a unique gift for weaving his haunting bedroom pop assemblages effortlessly in and out of more ambivalent and cosmically visceral terrain.
—–

47) Zoroaster – Voice of Saturn (2009) [Terminal Doom]
Atlanta’s Zoroaster shows how stoner doom is cooked up down south; fried and crispy. Heavy on the bass and vocals, the doom trio never ceases to impress. Voice of Saturn marks a turning point for the band, earning them much-deserved respect.
—–
46) Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light [Moshi Moshi]
Au Revoir Simone’s third and arguably most sophisticated album is less about what you hear immediately–jaunty little keyboard arrangements, wispy-thin female vocals–than what you really have to listen for. Sugary and optimistic, not only one of this year’s best Synth-Pop releases, but this decades.
—–
45) Washed Out – High Times [Mirror Universe Tapes]
A limited release of 200 cassettes turned into the digital leak that everyone had to get a hold of. High Times was the largely instrumental counterpart to bedroom producer du jour Ernest Greene’s Life of Leisure EP. Found samples wander amongst gauzy beats on the upbeat-leaning cinematic gem that further secures Greene’s footing as a reclusive wunderkind.
—–
44) Moderat – S/T [Bpitch Control]
German electronic giants Modeselektor and Apparat join forces in creating an album that could rival anything in either groups back catalog. Culling together their divergent yet complimentary styles, Moderat unleashes a definitive Tech House album that is as beautiful as it is catchy.
Not originally reviewed on the Bloglin
—–
43) Doomriders – Darkness Comes Alive [Death Wish]
Matured rock for the people who grew up throwing elbows in the mosh pits at Converge and Cave In shows in the late 90′s. Doomriders’ history in the hardcore and punk scene is not forgotten in their newest release Darkness Comes Alive. The title serves as a metaphor for the band’s sound as they bring their sound to a new level. Top it off with some bitching artwork by Thomas Hooper and you’ve got an essential album.
—–
42) Smith Westerns – S/T (2009) [HoZac]
Four teenagers from Chicago craft snotty garage anthems of frustration, angst and fun. They might be a little bit awkward, but their catchy hooks and sneering vocals are absolutely infectious. Their hobbies include getting wasted at house parties and covering venue floors in glittery confetti at their live gigs. What’s not to love?
—–
41) The Horrors – Primary Colours [XL]
An almost unimaginable step forward from their debut album, so much so that the word “Mature” feels inadequate of an adjective to fully explain their sudden turnabout. A sweet and dark marriage of the grotesque with the irresistible, The Horrors have done the unthinkable, dethroned Interpol as the defacto “gothiest” mainstream band.
—–
Stay tuned tomorrow for parts 40 through 21!
- My Pal the Crook






























December 17th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Does every album Mishka reviews make it to the top 100 list? Because it’s not like you guys are putting out dozens of reviews every week…
I got so far in this bunch as Wolves in the Throne Room. Maybe we disagree on our definitions of blast beats. The way I hear it, this album is chock full o’ glorious blast beats. Except for that extra glorious moment in the 2nd track where it slows down a bit around 3:00. So fucking good.
December 17th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
We actually have put up between 5-10 reviews a week and probably had a total of around 400 or so reviews for 2009. So check the Blog more often and so obviously not everything we review makes the top 100.
You have any issue with blast Beats hit up @johnProlly on twitter
December 17th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Thank you Mishka. XOXO
Send people our way.
EBM por vida.
December 17th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
haha. I don’t characterize the double-bass kick background drums in the Wolves album as legitimate blast beats in the sense that blast beats are meant to convey power almost in an overbearing manner.
Sure, the tracks in the Black Cascade do have some blast beats, but it’s not as overpowering as Napalm Death’s early incantations.
When I think Blast Beats, I usually think something along the lines of “Revelation of Doom” off Gorgoroth’s Under the Sign of Hell – where the drums, guitars and symbols dominate the sound. Black Cascade was more about the ambiance and melody (rock) than typical black metal. Now Embrace of Thorns’ Atonement Ritual is another story. I have a feeling they’d eat Wolves in the Throne Room for dinner.
But then again, I’m probably entirely off here.
December 17th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
and there’s a good amount of reviews that make it on the bloglin. At a glance, I’m seeing 372 “reviews”. Those usually only come after we’ve weeded out and selected which albums to review.
December 17th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
I actually check the bloglin daily, love Mishka, and know you devote good space to album reviews. That was a misguided comment. No disrespect.
Prolly, I get what you mean. I’ve always interpreted it as having to do more with pace than tone, but you have a good point. Would you consider Drudkh’s newest album to be blast beat-free? Because it’s got the atmosphere too, but it’s also fast and heavy as fuck.
Regards.