A new decade cometh

Okay, I don't tend to place much weight in the concept of calendar years being a new start or a fresh, stinky baby or whatever. I mean I've never made resolutions (that I intended to keep), and I don't start on my taxes until well into the first quarter of the year. That being said, New Year's Eve remains a fantastic opportunity to start the year with a hangover. There's also the top 10 list. It's long been the tool of Late Night TM to amuse us with topical humor, as well as the list fetishist for masturbatory material. Being neither of those and having written absolutely nothing in the past year, it is my feeble opportunity to tell a bunch of people (or like, 3) what I thought done good. So without further ado (except this one: ado), here is my first
BEST OF 2009 REGULAR OL' MUSIC EDITION (Part One)
In which I find stuff (18 stuffs) I liked that can also be played in a public setting

18. Why? - Eskimo Snow
At the show in 2009 at Cat's Cradle, marking the third time I've seen Why?, the place was packed. Possibly not sold out but... I have no idea how they went from opening at 8:00 to (the horrible) Islands to headlining a show in Carrboro. Anyway, being the super awesome fan that I am, I sang along like a total tool bag (that is, a bag full of tools). This is some poppy, whiny stuff, friends. Eskimo Snow is actually far from being my favorite. It seems each album adds another dude to their band, and the sound is beginning to get crowded in my opinion. See, in the beginning, during his CloudDead days, Yoni Wolf was known as Why? by himself. It was a... rapper name? But while the ranks grow, Yoni continues to grace us with his occasionally shocking, often hilarious lyrics with a distinctive hip-hop delivery. Give 'em a chance, but I'd say start with Elephant Eyelash.

17. Bon Iver - Blood Bank
Another male vocalist who keeps it up there in the falsetto steps into the scene. Along the lines Jens Lekman, Beirut... and hell, I'll even throw in Antony (of Antony & the Johnstons). Delicate melodies and heartbreaking vocals dominate his works, & you'll see he made my list again a couple spots further up. Maybe if he weren't so busy doing side projects (like the Twilight soundtrack for god's sake), he could put out a proper full length.

16. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
The past couple of years have been dominated by heavy doses of jarring electronica. From the now super popular Girl Talk to the web prominence of mash-ups (Best of Bootie anyone?), I've seen stuff rise to the surface that I wouldn't have imagined could... 5 years ago even. It's a stretch to call this playable (even the name is tough to say in a crowd), and that's probably why it's not higher up on the list. There's certainly more accessible stuff out there that won't, you know, make your head want to explode, but there's plenty of bang here. I'd like to say more, but I truthfully haven't listened to the record enough times. Give me a couple of weeks!

15. Volcano Choir - Unmap
Another one I've regrettably given too few listens. The subtlety on this record makes it difficult to enjoy with the casual listen a coffee shop (or even the car) would afford. If you weren't aware, this record is pretty much a side project of a side project. Collections of Colonies of Bees, who are also members of the post-rock group Pele, team up with Justin Vernon, also known as Bon Iver. Both sides of the equation balance each other out with competitive minimalism. You won't find much here that's... disagreeable though.

14. Girls - Album
This variety of... I'll call it "garage pop," is typically not my style. Several recommendations and critical acclaim forced my hand, and I bought it. Part of my intrigue lay in reports of unusual origins for the band's lead, and his troubled past is reflected in the music. The lyrics, well, they tend to be your standard fare & occasionally trite, but I mean the music. Maybe it's just because I'm aware of his history that I sense a challenge in the simple and often repetitive melodies. Still, I find myself singing along in the car, particularly to the nearly seven minute long "Hellhole Ratrace." "I don't wanna cry / my whole life through, / I wanna do some laughin' too / so come on, come on, come on, come on and laugh with me. / And I don't wanna die / without shakin' up a leg or two, / yeah I wanna do some dancin' too / so come on, come on, come on, come on and dance with me."

13. Woods - Songs of Shame
This will not be the only lo-fi folk item on this list, surely. It probably would have ranked higher were it not for the psych-out right in the middle of the album. There is so much poppy, delicate goodness in there that this rambling section has me skipping it more often than not. Anyway, you'll find some fine nuggets on this record. I found the group gives me a feeling of intimacy not found in the other new editions of the lo-fi genre like Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti (with his oddly forced conceit) or even Neon Indian, whom I rate higher on this list. That's not to say the songs are sappy or that they have a narrative strain (like the critical favorite Girls Album), but something about their sound gives the impression of being in the same room with them.