2009 Wrap #13: Michael Lahey

Looking upon the completed version of this “best of” list, I realized that I’ve moved on.  Already ready to proclaim the Beach House, Lindstrøm & Christabelle, Charlotte Gainsbourg, King Midas Sound, and Tracey Thorn (revisit) that I’m listening to right now to be my “favorites” of the moment.

But I guess that is the point: media moves fast, right? How can your favorite of yesterday possibly compete with the deluge of newness that streams through my broadband connection every day? Luckily for this list, most of these “releases” are 2010 material. That being said, I was still trying to find a way to create a list of my favorite musical releases of 2009. So, I went to my last.fm account (which aggregates, slices, dices, and reassembles my musical tastes) and asked, “What 2009 releases did I listen to the most this year?” The fact that I listened to these releases more than the perfunctory “once-through” has to mean something. So, here goes, in alphabetical order. Some of my favorite and most listened to albums and songs: 

Air Love 2. Apparently a lot of people thought this album was “cheesy.” My response was, “Uh, yeah, you know you’re listening to Air, right?” I genuinely love Air, getting into them during my awakening to electronic music in late high school/early college. I tend to like all their stuff from the pop to the stuff that experiments with pop structures more (note: not experimental). “Tropical Disease” sounds like a Sebastien Tellier song (who already sounded like a wacky, drunk libertine version of Air to begin with). High on musicianship, low on crap music.

AtomTM Liedgut. Maybe my favorite album of the year. No real sustained use of pop song structure to be found here (as most people gag themselves with spoons). That being said, the album is full of evocative and immersive elements for me, like the slowly fading robot voices in “Wellen und Felder II.” Would often lay in bed or on the couch, listen to this album and just think/dream.

jj jj n° 2. Overhyped with a “so cute it could only be thought of by hipster shits or a corporation” album cover. Oh wait, I actually really enjoy the music. Easy listening for young people (and that’s not a bad thing). Perfectly paced and not long enough to get bored of. I found myself listening to this album over and over and over.

Maxwell BLACKsummers’night. Man, I didn’t realize how much I missed Maxwell. All that’s needed now are albums by Lauryn Hill and D’Angelo so we can have a neo-neo-soul music revival. Perfectly paced and while I enjoy each song (esp. “Help Somebody“), it’s best experienced patiently as an album (a foreign concept today). Also, I just plain love R & B and if you don’t you suck.

Nisennenmondai Destination Tokyo. Spectacular album cover. Indie dude musical wet dream. I guess you could describe them as a Japanese female version of Battles or something like that. The only difference to me is that I always felt Battles was like a joke I didn’t get. That as soon as I started to really groove with it, Tyondai Braxton was going to hit me with Blue Steel. This is, of course, an illogical association and I have no legit reason why I feel this way, I just do. All the same, I get that taut, propulsive sensation from Nisennenmondai without the “Blue Steel” feelings.

Nosaj Thing Drift. This is often referred to as “instrumental hip-hop.” I guess anything that has no lyrics and a beat is called hip-hop. Someone is going to have to explain that to me someday. All the same, this shit is great. It has a real landscapey feel it to, like the sound is both in front of you and expanding out into forever. I especially enjoy the song “Lords” and will often bump it while in my car (fuck, I guess it is hip-hop). Someone with acid and time on their hands did this. Fun.

Soap & Skin Lovetune for Vacuum. Maybe it is my not-so-secret love of overwrought piano-based musicians (Fiona Apple’s When the Pawn is pretty great, right? crickets…crickets…silence) that draws me to this release. Why does the melodrama that I try to avoid in my everyday life work so damn well in song? Whatever the case, this dark mix of wailing, singing, piano, and electronic gadgetry really does it for me. Apparently she is only 19, which I refuse to believe. Also, file this under: Why I never want to hear artists talk about themselves or their work.

Speech Debelle Speech Therapy. I was originally drawn to this when I heard that Wayne Lotek produced it (he worked on one of my favorite albums, Roots Manuva’s Brand New Second Hand). I was a bit wary of Speech at first, but, over time I fell in love with her. Just an enjoyable album throughout.

Violens V. I listened to this EP A LOT. 4 catchy, infectious songs. If I ever get caught speeding in my car, I will simply explain to the officer that I was listening to Violens. S/he will understand. It is exhilarating music. As pop as pop gets. Also available for your listening pleasure is a Winter Mixtape comprised mostly of Violens stuff.

Warp20 Unheard material. So, Warp Records just released a mega box set to commemorate 20 years of making some of the finest electronic music around (or at least 15 years of it before they started to release a mishmash of mostly boring and shitty stuff aimed at an “indie-ish” market). Present on this disc of previous unreleased material are many of the heavy hitters like Boards of Canada, Autechre, Plaid, Broadcast, Elecktroids, Nightmares on Wax, et cetera in top form. Not only are the songs good (especially Broadcast’s cover of Nico’s “Sixty Forty” and Plaid’s “Sam Lac Run”), but it is also well-sequenced.

Finally, here are some of my favorite songs of the year, in alphabetical order: Ape School’s “Be An Encore (Keith Sunset Remix)“, Basement Jaxx’s “D.I.S.tractionz“, Cyne’s “The Runaway“, El Perro Del Mar’s “Heavenly Arms” (although I always feel like I’m about to join a cult when I listen to her. Kool Aid, anyone?), Mock & Toof’s “Radio“.

Michael Lahey lives in Bloomington, IN and will someday write a dissertation.  Although he mostly writes and teaches about TV, new media, and advertising, he has this crazy paper about Cat Power that he wants someone to read. He also occasionally blogs at The Dwight Gooden Poster and enjoys talking in a Ricky Henderson-esque third person.

Filed under: 2009 Wrap  Air  Ape School  AtomTM  Basement Jaxx  Cyne  El Perro Del Mar  jj  Maxwell  Michael Lahey  Mock Toof  Nisennemondai  Nosaj Thing  Soap & Skin  Speech Debelle  Violens  Warp