Top of 2009 lists

amclark2amclark2
edited December 2009 in General
Top of 2009 lists are starting to show up... anybody have any comments?

emusic

pitchfork

Ok so: (1) I got old this year I think - I have 4.2 off the emu list so far (that's 4 albums plus five np's from the 24 np Da^m Funk) and 2 off the pitchfork list so far. (2) at emu, Schubert seems to be this year's Mahler and (3) MF Doom makes both lists, but I really felt like all the reviews were pans - maybe I misread them?

Ok, go.
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Comments

  • NereffidNereffid
    Wowwwwwwwwwwwwww (is that how you spell it?). Four classical albums in the eMusic UK/EU list, and we haven't even got to the top 12 yet! Glad to see Imogen Cooper in there - shows someone in eMu is paying attention. The Padmore/Lewis Winterreise is no surprise, nor the David Lang. Adams's Nixon in China at #22 is a surprise on one level (I haven't heard it, but reviews seem to say it's good but the original recording is better) but on another level it's no surprise - the music's "hip" enough to qualify for an eMu list. But surely if you were going for one Marin Alsop performance this year, it would be Bernstein's Mass?
    Anyway, if you want a better perspective on the year's classical albums, you'll have to wait for the 3rd Annual Nereffid's Guide Awards next month, LIVE from the Dorothy Nereffid Pavilion.

    Incidentally - an annoying bug/feature of the new eMu is that US-related features are often inaccessible from over here. I just get the Ooops! message for a lot of them. I suppose eMu doesn't approve of us furriners pressing our noses against the glass and sighing wistfully at all that 2-year-old Sony material in the 2009 list...
  • amclark2amclark2
    on 17dots Mmarsupilami posted this link to a list voted on by 37 french languauge blogs. I don't parle, but it's still interesting to scroll through.

    here's the tiny mix tapes list. No Eureka! list this year, but a very good explanation of why not is at the top of the list.
  • thomnottomthomnottom
    Great to see Carboniferous get some recognition.
  • Bad ThoughtsBad Thoughts
    edited December 2009
    15 albums that fall outside popular genres, I think. This doesn't look like tokenism (though I find the even distribution throughout the list suspicious). I'm not surprised the Ghana collection ranked so high, given last year's Nigeria comp was so well loved and this one received as similar editorial push. It also seems that the efforts of eMu users helped to get Infernal Machines and Trombone Tribe noticed. On the other hand, not one album of traditional music--all those slots are taken by rock hybrids.
  • cafreemacafreema
    Girls is #1. Surprise, surprise. I really don't care for that record, and am also not a fan of the St. Vincent one at #2 (although I can understand why that one is liked).

    Bummer to me that Wild Beasts didn't make the list anywhere. I realize the falsetto doesn't do it for everyone, but not even top 60!?!

    Craig
  • cafreemacafreema
    Holy shnickies. I have 19/60 on the eMu list. Most I got at Amie for practically free though.

    Craig
  • mommiomommio
    You wanna talk old? I have only two - Avett Brothers and Andrew Bird. That Nixon thing intrigues me -- my ATSC/HD brother was on that 1972 trip to China.
  • MuggsyMuggsy
    I have three on each list. From eMusic's list, Cass McCombs and Kurt Vile, both of which I got free at Amie, and Andrew Bird, which I got on sale at Amazon. From Pitchfork's list, Neko Case (Amazon sale), Dinosaur Jr. (eMusic before my subscription expired) and Cass McCombs again. Of those, I know I like the Dinosaur Jr. and Neko Case. The jury's still out on the others.
  • cafreemacafreema
    22/50 on Pitchfork. I'm such a hipster.

    I must say I agree with the Pitchfork list a lot more.

    Craig
  • amclark2amclark2
    6.2 (ok I'll call it 7) /60 on emu.

    7/50 on Pitchfork.

    and 8/50 on TMT.

    TMT is the one I will most likely hit for things in the future, although there are a couple interesting looking things on the emu list, like Georgia Anne Muldrew and Hymns from Rhodesia that I would like to check out.
  • BigD-BluezBigD-Bluez
    Old...I'm so old I only got 3 off eMu - Ghana Special the only one I bought there, Kurt Vile and the Mountain Goats I got on Amie when they were free. Pitchfork only those last 2, Dinosaur Jr. I bought at eMu, and Neko who I pre-ordered from Amazon. Neko and Gillian Welch are the only things that keep me hip at all, boo hoo.
  • Bad ThoughtsBad Thoughts
    14tracks, the blog for boomkat, has it's own review of the best electronica tracks (in three parts). I already like what I hear from Roj, Kreng and Oneohtrix Point Never (all at eMu).
  • amclark2amclark2
    Anybody in the U.S. ever purchase downloads from Boomkat? They have a couple of things I can't find at good prices elsewhere, but no one seems to be able to cross the non-existent regional barriers with download purchases.
  • bluesboybluesboy
    2 on emu, 2 on pitchfork, and I've gotta say that the one that I have on both lists (Grizzly Bear) I'm not that fond of.

    Speakin' of Neko, did anyone see her on this week's "Spectacle"? She got over-shadowed by the already over-hyped Sheryl Crow.
  • NankerPNankerP
    I have 1 in the eMu list (the Ghana comp) and a big ole zero from Pitchfork. I seem to have completely missed the eMu members voting this year. Oh well.
  • Daniel, Esq.Daniel, Esq.
    edited December 2009
    I have a lot of the eMusic Top 60 and Pitchfork Top 50, tbh (24/60 and 28/50, respectively). Just got a lot of music this year, incl. more classical and jazz (largely thanks to this board, so thanks).
  • amclark2amclark2
    The Other Music. I like when re-issues are given their own separate list.
  • hoosfooshoosfoos
    9 / 60 on emu.
    10 / 50 on pitchfork.
    12 / 50 / on TMT.

    Agreed that the TMT list is worth more exploration. Of the three, it has the most left field entries. I even noticed that one of the reviews is written by Elliott Sharp.

    I've been reading Other Music's weekly updates for the past several months and discovered some good things from it. They always do a good job of including some left field entries that I'm disappointed in their top 25. It's largely a "me too" list with few interesting items.
  • Bad ThoughtsBad Thoughts
    edited December 2009
    Doubtful as a vehicle for judging the whole year, Independent Weekly's "2009 Top 10 Triangle Albums" (that is the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region) has some great albums that can all be streamed. 40 songs can also be downloaded from Piedmont acts.

    NO. 1: MEGAFAUN, GATHER, FORM, & FLY
    NO. 2: POLVO, IN PRISM
    NO. 3: BOWERBIRDS, UPPER AIR
    NO. 4: THE KINGSBURY MANX, ASCENSEUR OUVERT!
    NO. 5: RED COLLAR, PILGRIM
    NO. 6: BOMBADIL, TARPITS AND CANYONLANDS
    NO. 7: THE LOVE LANGUAGE, THE LOVE LANGUAGE
    NO. 8: HORSEBACK, THE INVISIBLE MOUNTAIN
    NO. 9: MIDTOWN DICKENS, LANTERNS
    NO. 10: DEX ROMWEBER DUO, RUINS OF BERLIN
  • cafreemacafreema
    They've started the eMusic User list:

    http://www.emusic.com/features/hub/userspoll_09/index.html]Link.

    I have 8.1/10 on the list so far. When the reveal the Top Ten I may be too embarrassed at how many I have to say publicly.

    Craig
  • amclark2amclark2
    3/10 so far. A little better (or worse?) than my editor's list average so far.
  • amclark2amclark2
    So what didn't you have Craig? I'll guess Mos Def and Metric. If I'm right you owe me 15.734 imaginary credits.
  • thomnottomthomnottom
    Wow, only have 3/10 from user list so far and 1 was purchased physically. To be fair I already decided I should get the Metric album and there's another 1 or 2 that interest me. The Mos Def album probably proves that I should stay away from hip-hop - even when I like it I can tell it's just not going to get played much.

    Only 16 on the editors' list. A lot on there I hadn't heard of but also a few I was already interested in. Gotta figure things out for my last month and a half there...
  • cafreemacafreema
    You're oh so wrong. I don't have Girls and most of We Were Promised Jetpacks. WWPJ is on my SFL though. Now that I think about it, though, I do have "Hellhole Ratrace" so I guess I have at least one track off all ten.

    Actually at this moment I'm lisenting to Mos Def (although it's Black on Both Side and not The Ecstatic).

    You owe me 15.734 imaginary credits.

    Craig
  • amclark2amclark2
    Here they are [credits]..............,[/credits]. I thought from some of your comments about Album that you had, and didn't care for Girls, and I thought I remembered you raving about Jet Packs at some point... Oh well. That's one less imaginary album for me this month.
  • cafreemacafreema
    I've heard Album, but because I haven't cared for it I didn't pull the trigger. On WWPJ, I remember thom raving about it once and I mentioned it was on my list.

    I hate to take away one of your imaginary albums, so let's go double or nothing on the three you have. I'll go with: Sunset Rubdown, M. Ward, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

    Craig
  • amclark2amclark2
    You got one out of three - I have Album (on the fence about it - sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't; the backstory is a very negative factor for me, although I don't know exactly why - I really like both singles though - I think the 2 b-sides are better than anything on album), Japandroids (I got this off Amie street at full price but with half off credit - I liked it at first, but it seems to be worn out already - it's like No Age (who I love) lite), and the Pains, which I think may still grow on me a little bit if given half a chance.
  • cafreemacafreema
    D'oh! I was torn between M. Ward and Japandroids. Oh well. Here's your [credits].............,[/credits] back.

    The comments on 17dots were that the backstory isn't an issue on Girls, but I still think it's a large part of the reason why they are popular. The music is fine, but I honestly hear nothing in them to make them stand above a crowd, let alone make Album #1 for the year, so I just can't image the story isn't at least a subconcious part of it.

    I have yet to hear more than clips of No Age. One of these days I need to get around to them. They did play Husker Du songs with Bob Mould at ATP after all. That alone should have pushed me over the edge!

    Craig
  • amclark2amclark2
    Yeah, the first thing I read about them (on 17dots) compared them to New Day Rising era Husker Du, and I never looked back.
  • Daniel, Esq.Daniel, Esq.
    edited December 2009
    The comments on 17dots were that the backstory isn't an issue on Girls, but I still think it's a large part of the reason why they are popular

    Definitely. Tho at eMusic, I imagine there's some extra layers of pride at work regarding Girls.(n.1) They were the act that eMusic most loudly hyped when the Selects compilation was released earlier this year, and Girls' success a great example of a home-grown/promoted product breaking through to wider critical acclaim. Nothing wrong with that.

    _______________________________________
    (n.1) I think many, if not most, of the comments on 17Dots that you're referring to came from eMusic staff or contributors.
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