My Early Picks for Indie Pop Best of 2009
October 28th, 2009 | 1:10 pm est |
Yeah, it’s too early for year-end lists, but I’m getting it together now to avoid being rattled by the holiday rush. Careful followers of the blog (both of you) may remember I did the same kind of thing last year (with the usual mixed results), and this time I’m limiting it to my favorite indie pop albums of the year (so far). There might be a couple upcoming releases that may sneak in later (Pants Yell! chief among them) but I feel pretty secure with these choices. They are the records that made me smile, kept my heart warm, and delivered the pop thrills I need without fail. If there’s anything you think should (or shouldn’t) be here, let us know in the comments.
Burning Hearts – Aboa Sleeping
“I Lost My Color Vision”
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“Close to Her”
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Summer Cats – Songs for Tuesdays
“Wild Rice”
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“Waking Up”
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Cola Jet Set – Guitarras y Tambores
“El Sueño de Mi Vida”
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“Subidubi”
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The Pastels & Tenniscoats – Two Sunsets
“Song for a Friend”
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“About You”
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Bricolage – Bricolage
“Plots Are for Cemeteries”
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“Turn U Over”
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Giorgio Tuma – My Vocalese Fun Fair
“Saltamontes”
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“Coney Island Memories”
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The Clientele – Bonfires on the Heath
“Jennifer and Julia”
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“Three Month Summers”
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The Bicycles – Oh No, It’s Love
“Walk Away (From a Good Thing)”
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“Once Was Not Enough”
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Get Back Guinozzi! – Carpet Madness
“Where Are You?”
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“I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone”
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Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
“You Told a Lie”
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“My Maudlin Career”
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I agree that it’s chomping at the bit for a year end but I too feel pretty confident with my choices so far.
Animal Collective-Merriweather Post Pavilion
Bill Callahan-Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Camera Obscura-My Maudlin Career
Cryptacize-Mythomania
Destroyer-Bay Of Pigs
Dirty Projectors-Bitte Orca
Fever Ray-S/T
jj-jj 2
Mount Eerie-Wind’s Poem
Nurses-Apples Acres
Pains Of Being Pure At Heart-S/T
Peter Bjorn & John-Living Thing
Pink Mountaintops-Outside Love
Taken By Trees-East Of Eden
Thee Oh Sees-Help!
The Very Best-Warm Heart Of Africa
Wax Mannequin-Saxon
By January 2010 I’ll have it wittled down to ten but so far all these albums make me happy on a pretty regular basis.
I agree with you both, but I think you forgot a few titles:
XX – XX
Wild Beasts – Two Dancers
Wilco – Wilco
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
Glossy Jesus – The Pale Face of Johnny McDowd
White Denim – Fits
Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk
Flaming Lips – Embryonic
These are the albums of 2009 for me at the moment, as well as a few you mentioned above.
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Wavves – Wavvves
Dan Deacon – Bromst
Major Lazer – Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do
Girls – Album
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Its Blitz
Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms
Fiery Furnaces – I’m Going away
St. Vincent – Actor
I have yet to hear a bulk of what was mentioned in the first two posts, sure it is pretty legit. I liked the Wilco and PB&J albums, but didn’t really think they were among the years best. Grizzly Bear album was awesome, but just a little slow for my taste. The Oh Sees, couldn’t stand the sound of that guys voice, but I still kind of liked it despite that. I think I need to spend some more time listening to the Flaming Lips new album, seems like one that takes more than a few listens to really get into.
INDIE POP! Your lists are nice but I’m talking the narrow and insular field of INDIE POP only! No Major Lazer or XX or Animal Collective – though all are prob. going to be on my overall year end list. Just to make it clear again…INDIE POP!!
Lake Heartbeat – Trust In Numbers
What is your definition of Indie Pop? I think the majority of indie music could be considered pop these days. I consider Merriweather Post Pavillion to be indie pop. It’s catchy, its played on the radio, you can dance(or at least bob your head) to it, and Animal Collective is one of the biggest names in indie music because of it. I’ll admit, I am just some schmuck and not a music expert so if I am way off base, please let me know.
here’s a pretty good def. of Indie Pop:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=77:4557
Indie-pop, intricate art-rock, and a little bit of blues were the mainstays this month, featuring a bunch of new faces apart from Sunset Rubdown. Their new album, Dragonslayer, is fantastic and their track on this month’s best-of is one of the best Krug has ever written, which is quite complementary considering his prolific work ethic.
Fair enough Tim. I agree with Patrick and personally I am hard pressed to categorize some of my selections as one genre or another, but this is your blog and under the narrow definitions provided I would think only three of my selections fit in. Camera Obscura, jj and Taken By Trees. As an aside, I would like to add the new El Perro del Mar-Love Is Not Pop. The world is well aware that Sweden produces indie pop like IKEA produces furniture, so it should come as no surprise that three of my four selections are Swedish (and My Maudlin Career has arrangements by Bjorn Yttling of Swedes Peter Bjorn and John.) Interestingly, having travelled throughout Scandinavia I can’t quite figure out how Sweden seemingly dominates the pop landscape over its neighbours Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland. It’s like ABBA set the standard by which all must follow, like modern day pop vikings…wow, I just re-read that statement, I must be hallucinating again, ha ha aha…
Is it me, or don’t most of these records have a breezy summer 60’s feel to them? Not that that’s a bad thing, but no diversity.
And how come I never see Outer South by Conor Oberst and the MVB mentioned in these best-of 2009 releases? I’m not usually a fan of Oberst’s style of music, but this album surprised me!
I’m interested, which records have a breezy summer 60’s feel? The records listed in Tim’s picks or records listed in the comments section? Pointing out a lack of diversity in a blog with restricted musical parameters focusing specifically on a genre of pop music with conscious or unconscious influences from light and breezy 50’s and 60’s pop music seems odd to me. To be clear, and certainly not to be a prick, isn’t that the point of Tim’s list? The narrow and insular world of indie pop?
I love how everybody starts throwing Animal Collective. I can´t wait to see a complete list.
I would like to say that The reissue of the Vaselines “Enter the Vaselines” was a Godsend, yeah, not exactly fair, but it came out this year, so there it is.
Also, St. Vincent´s “Actor”, “Personal Train” by Fitness Forever (wich btw, I got because of a video jam by Mr. Sendra). Au Revoir Simone´s “Still Night, Still Light”…did not liked it very much the first time, but it grew on me, a lot. Camera Obscura´s My Maudlin Career and A.C. Newman´s Get Guilty.
That “Carpet Madness” album cover, great. Gotta check lots of this releases now, Oh my wallet.
thanks for this info ! It was really usefull !
Could you provide me more information regarding this subject?
Some tracks I would add (do you qualify any of these as “indie pop”?:
“Rich Doors” New Villager
“Harold T. Wilkins” Fanfarlo
“Walkabout” Atlas Sound
“Velvet” Big Pink
“Psychic City” YACHT
Merriweather Post Pavilion was Animal Collective’s best release since Strawberry Jam
…is mentioning Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix too obvious?
Merriweather Post Pavillion is obvious but definitely needed. What an album. Glad to see alot of people loving.
where’s the Neko Case love? Middle Cyclone was awesome.
IMHO, Patrick Watson’s Wooden Arms has to be in 2009 Indie Pop list
The Antlers – Hospice
Bill Callahan – Sometimes I wish I were an Eagle
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
My 3 favourites
I haven’t heard half of your picks (yet) but put forth for consideration:
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes – Up From Below
The Dodos – Time To Die
Mayer Hawthorne – A Strange Arrangement
fun. – Aim and Ignite
St. Vincent – Actor
Bishop Allen – Grrr…
Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
Metric – Fantasies
Super Furry Animals – Dark Days/Light Years
Lacrosse – Bandages for the Heart
Why is there such a lack of Canadian music on these lists. I like the mention of Patrick Watson and Metric, both great albums. We should look outside the pool of American and Scandinavian pop. Not to say that’s all that has been mentioned but it does seem to be a trend.
A few I would consider (not all Canadian):
Weezer – Raditude (far from Indie I know but their best in a while)
Built to Spill – There is no enemy
Soulsavers – Broken
You Say Party We Say Die – XXXX
Jets Overhead – No Nations
K’Naan – Troubadour
Joel Plaskett – Three
That’s all that comes to mind for now. I don’t know if they all really classify as “indie pop”. Hard to say these days anyways.
Man, you forget about Jason Lytle 2009 Your Truly, The Commuter…