more best of 2009 staff lists
(photo by zoom lens)
Our countdown continues on eMusic, and we unveil The Best Audiobooks of 2009. As if that’s not enough, we’ve got even more eMusic staff lists today below the jump!
It’s been fun seeing your lists, so keep them coming — my ‘Save for Later’ is growing by the day!
The lists below, with our picks for great books, songs, films and food from ‘09…
Maris Kreizman, Audiobooks Editor
Best Fiction of 2009
1. Ron Currie, Jr., Everything Matters
2. Victor Lavalle, The Big Machine
3. Kazuo Ishiguro, Nocturnes
4. Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin
5. Alice Munro, Too Much Happiness
6. Lorrie Moore, A Gate at the Stairs
7. Wells Tower, Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
8. Abraham Verghese, Cutting For Stone
9. Paul Harding, Tinkers
10. Lauren Grodstein, A Friend of the Family
Other Books I Read and Loved in 2009
Ron Rash, Serena (2008)
Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge (2008)
Margaret Atwood, Cat’s Eye (1997)
Elaine Dundy, The Dud Avocado (1957)
Kate Christensen, The Great Man (2007)
Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep (1939)
Carson McCullers, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940)
Best Songs of 2009
1 Florence and the Machine, “Hurricane Drunk”
2 Stricken City, “Small Things”
3 Camera Obscura, “Honey in the Sun”
4 Kelly Clarkson, “All I Ever Wanted”
5 The Shivers, “Just Didn’t Need to Know”
6 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “Young Adult Friction”
7 Ida Maria, “Queen of the World”
8 The Avett Brothers, “I and Love and You”
9 Annie, “Heaven and Hell”
10 Music Go Music, “Light of Love”
11 Bat for Lashes, “Sleep Alone”
12 Jay-Z, “Empire State of Mind”
13 Girls, “Lust for Life”
14 Jay Reatard, “I’m Watching You”
15 The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, “Stop!”
16 The Love Language, “Gray Court”
17 Magic Kids, “Hey Boy”
18 Metric, “Help I’m Alive”
19 Thao, “When We Swam”
20 Miley Cyrus, “Party in the USA”
21 PJ Harvey & John Parrish, “Blackhearted Love”
22 The Big Pink, “Dominoes”
23 The Breeders, “Fate to Fatal”
24 Gossip, “Men In Love”
25 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Zero”
26 Beyonce, “Single Ladies”
27 Alicia Keys, “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart”
28 Warpaint, “Beetles”
29 The Thermals, “How We Faded”
30 Jenny Owens Young, “Clean Break”
31 Hatcham Social, “So So Happy Making”
32 The Fresh & Onlys, “I’m Gonna Be Your Elevator”
Lars Lindahl, Content Management
Newest and Truest (Songs)
10 St. Vincent, “The Neighbors”
9 Othello & DJ Vajra, “Active Balance (ft. Now On & Mayer Hawthorne [Terry Cole Remix])”
8 Phoenix, “Lisztomania”
7 Blu, “Amnesia”
6 Girls, “Hellhole Ratrace”
5 The Juan Maclean, “One Day”
4 Trek Life, “Long Time Coming (Oddisee Remix)”
3 Real Estate, “Beach Comber”
2 Lee Fields, “My World”
1 Big Boi, “Shine Blockas (ft. Gucci Mane)”
Blasts From the Past (Reissues)
Ofege, “It’s Not Easy”
Brooklyn Express, “You Need a Change”
Betty Padgett, “Rocking Chair”
Sujan Hong-Raphael, Label Relations
Albums and Songs
Animal Collective, “Bluish”
Box Elders, “Alice and Friends”
Camera Obscura, My Maudlin Career
Cass McCombs, “Dreams Come True Girl”
Jeff the Brotherhood, “Bone Jam”
Magic Kids, “Hey Boy”
Mayer Hawthorne, “Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’”
Neko Case, “People Got a Lotta Nerve”
Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The Feelies, Crazy Rhythms (reissue)
The Vaselines, Enter the Vaselines (reissue)
Miscellaneous
Treeless Mountain (movie)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (movie)
Parks and Recreation, Season 2 (television)
Mad Men, Season 3(television)
Chef Kevin Gillespie (television, food)
Farmers Feast Tasting Menu, Blue Hill at Stone Barns (food)
Schnitzel & Things truck (food)
NYC Cravings truck (food)
El Verano Taqueria at CitiField [unfortunately the only good thing about the Mets’ season] (food)
Donuts [Peter Pan, Doughnut Plant, Trois Pommes, etc…] (food)
Marc Balgavy’s Guy Fieri Halloween costume (food, event)
The arrival of Double Trouble (event)
I feel frenzied this time of year. So many lists, sales, new things to discover and process. Ultimately, I have to just survey what I’ve already considered. That means all this is still subject to change. With that caveat, here are my Top 17, in rank order:
• Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
• Animal Collective – MPP
• Rodrigo y Gabriela – 11:11
• Ghost Box – Ritual and Education
• Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
• The Clientele – Bonfires on the Heath
• The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
• Tinariwen – Imidiwan: Companions
• Hyperdub – 5 Years of Hyperdub
• The Raveonettes – In and Out of Love
• Bear in Heaven – Beast Rest Forth Mouth
• Super Furry Animals — Dark Days/Light Years
• Jeremy Udden – Plainville
• Atlas Sound – Logos
• The Mountain Goats – The Life Of The World To Come
• Mount Eerie – Wind’s Poem
• JJ – No. 2
I dont know why, but I’m surprised Dirty P’s is your #1. Like I said, I have no real explanation for that surprise but, there it is.
Totally with you on so many of these others, though I havent heard Ghost Box yet. I got them confused with Ghost Hunter, who I kinda like.
I have nothing but sheer hatred for BItte Orca. I thouhgt it was a jumbled mess of an album, and wannabe pop song Stillness is the Move was the most grating track I heard all year.
I was sort of surprised too, Joe. I was drawn-in — almost against my will (I didn’t like the band before this album) — by the shambling grooves and the lead singer’s guitar work, which sounds like a cross between King Sunny Ade and Jimmy Page.
BTW, any of my top three could have been my No. 1, and none of my top three were on my radar screen as recently as last year. I hadn’t heard RyG until 11:11. And I didn’t like Animal Collective until Sung Tongs (I barely listened to the next two Animal Collective discs, and I fell in love with much of MPP).
You have officially convinced me to go back and spend more time with it, so thanks for that!
Have you heard 11:11? It’s not for everyone — there are few memorable hooks. I’m usually not into mere technical powers, but these two have breathtaking skills, and they mix Latin, metal, prog, rock and jazz vibes together into their pieces. And there’s a rousing, kinetic energy to the performances. Here’s one example from their last album, via YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPhVpIlc1vs
Apologies if I’ve posted this link before. Totally worth the time to watch it all the way through. (Added bonus: Gabriela’s v. cute. My wife suspects she’s the real reason I like RyG so much, but that’s really not the reason (promise)).
My first exposure to RyG was the cover of Ride the Lightning (Metallica b4 they sold-out hard). It’s a friggin amazing version. 11:11 Is amazing for a whole ‘nother reason, each song is based on the “feel/style” of their influances (everywhere from Pink Floyd and Dimebag Darrel (tracks 11 and 10 respectivly) to Palestinian Oud three-piece Le Trio Joubran (track 3) ) it may help your enjoyment to see where each song comes from so read http://www.rodgab.com/1111.html )
Yeah, those references help distinguish the songs, by giving me something to focus on. Sometimes I think the homage is confined to a certain section of the song, e.g., Buster Voodoo, where there a knotted electric guitar sound toward the end, which is supposed to be the “Hendrix part,” I think.
I knew the first track was supposed to be a tribute to Carlos Santana, but mostly it sounds to me like a companion to Diablo Rojo, the best track from RodGab’s debut.