Amoeblog > Tag > 2009 list

Black Light District's Top Dark Music Albums of 2009

Posted by Aaron Detroit, December 16, 2009 01:22pm | Comments (1)

Folks at Amoeba Hollywood like to refer to the area in the store where the Goth/Industrial and Metal Sections reside as the "Dark Corner." Black Light District is sort of a virtual extension of The Dark Corner (as well as its former resident, the Experimental section), so the year end lists here reflect those flavors and also include those darker-leaning titles from the creepier nooks in the rock section. Next week, we'll examine the 20 best of the decade. Now without further adieu...2009's greatest from the darker realms....

1. Cold Cave - Love Comes Close (CD/LP) [Heartworm/Matador]

Love Comes Close is an infectious slab of 9 inspired dark-wave and synth-pop anthems. Cold Cave couldn't have timed their debut any better either, with synthpop bound for a big comeback with the release of BBC's stellar documentary Synth Britannia. Read my review of Love Comes Close from earlier this year here.

Listen: Cold Cave "Heaven Was Full"

BEST 11 FILMS OF 2009

Posted by Charles Reece, December 16, 2009 10:31am | Comments (4)

* THE 11 BEST *

Without Qualification

inglourious basterds poster unused drawn

Top Forty World Music Releases of 2009 Vol-1

Posted by Gomez Comes Alive!, December 16, 2009 01:39am | Comments (1)

40. V/A-Legends of Benin

There is fallout from all the African funk compilations that have been released over the last couple of years and it’s that they are all too much for most African music listeners to keep up with. What differentiates Legends of Benin from rest is that it concentrates on songs over funky beats, with each song being full of melody as well as danceable. Analog Africa, the label who brought us African Scream Contest last year, has another gem on their hands.

39. V/A-Back To Peru Vol.2

Back To Peru Vol. 2 is chock full of nuggets from the golden years of Peruvian Psychedelic and garage music with a heavy emphasis on the early 70’s period. Peru’s rock bands are raw in comparison to most groups in Latin America that were around during this time and this compilation captures that spirit with plenty of fuzz guitar and snotty anti-establishment anthems.

38. Os Mutantes- Haih Or Amortecedor

A misunderstood album I thought. I think people expected the Mutantes of old to magically reappear after many years on hiatus. Original member Sergio Dias' songwriting and musicianship has preserved well over the years, only his energy has been transferred. Yes, it has modern instrumentation and a new batch of musicians but it also retains much of that great prankster spirit of the original group. This is one I hope people revisit as time goes on.

my top 50 albums of 2009...

Posted by Brad Schelden, December 15, 2009 01:20pm | Comments (8)

#1
Thieves Like Us - Play Music (Shelflife)

This was one of those albums that I was excited about before I even heard it. I knew I would be falling in love with this one from the review alone. And the love only got stronger as time went on. I couldn't get enough of this one! It may not seem like much at first, but it truly is fantastic. I still don't know too much about this band. All I know is that they are from Sweden and they like New Order. The album is that sort of dark and new wave style but it doesn't really fall into one genre alone. Favorite songs on the album are "Fass," "Miss You," and "Drugs in My Body." The label Shelflife has put out good albums before, but nothing as good as this. I had really big hopes for this band this year to catch on in America but I don't think they ever really got that big here, which is the fate of many bands that I have fallen in love with before. They might just be a bit too weird or dark and slow. The album does not hit you over the head at first but it does get under your skin and the songs are catchy in their own special way. I highly recommend it. They do remind me a bit of the album by The Teenagers that I fell in love with last year, just without the silliness. A fantastic little album.

(In which Job picks his favorite album of 2009.)

Posted by Job O Brother, December 14, 2009 12:13pm | Comments (1)

Aloha, humanity! I’m back from my all-too-brief vacation on the Islands of Hawaii, about which I will tell you soon, but not now, as the time has come for my contribution to the Amoeblog Best of 2009.

As many of you know, I don’t exactly ride the cutting edge of the music scene, and most of the music I listen to was made by people who either died of a smack overdose on the balcony of some plush hotel over twenty-five years ago, or they died trying to free their brothers and sisters from Southern slavery, or they were assassinated in the French Revolution. These are roundabout ways of saying I listen to dead people.

So when I’m in a position to name my favorite picks from the current year, I’m normally a deer in headlights, hoping I can somehow convince people that Helen Kane didn’t actually die in 1966, and has just released this awesome new single…

Really! Morrissey produced it. I know, it sounds like it was recorded decades ago, but that’s because… of… things and… stuff.

This year, however, I am happy to report I have a favorite album that really was released in 2009 by someone who’s really alive and the album is really good!

The album is Get Reasonable and it was recorded by Golden Shoulders, a poetic name that cloaks the identity of Adam Kline – the brains behind the outfit.

"So delicious! And nutritious!"

Get Reasonable is the natural progression of music that blossomed from the ashes of grunge; it is rock music and it is sincere. While a huge swath of people have invested in acts that are devoutly escapist, such as Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, or the cast of Glee, Golden Shoulders has amassed a loyal following of music enthusiasts who value craftsmanship over craftiness and witty lyrics over easily learnable ones. Golden Shoulders’ sound is fresh, inventive, smart and completely devoid of so many of the production gimmicks that plague the airwaves currently.

BACK << 1 2 3 4 5 >>