Vinay Kini 2009 List

2009 albums (best song in parenthesis)

dj/rupture and matt shadetek - solar life raft (shield dub)
raekwon - only built for cuban linx II (10 bricks)
fever ray - fever ray (if i had a heart)
the xx - xx (crystalized)
zomby - where were u in '92 (euphoria)
mos def - the ecstatic (auditorium)
bat for lashes - two suns (daniel)
fuck buttons - tarot sport (olympians)
the horrors - primary colours (i can't control myself)
dm stith - heavy ghost (pity dance)
aether - artifacts (caparra)

2009 songs (not listed above)

burial & four tet – moth
junior boys – parallel lines
the thermals – when we were alive
the-dream – rockin that shit (rap remix)
the crocodiles – soft skull (in my room)
major lazer – keep it goin louder
dj mujava – township funk (radioclit remix)
darkstar – aidy’s girl’s a computer
jon hopkins – vessel
tanya morgan – alleye need
japandroids – young hearts spark fire
future of the left – arming Eritrea
moderat – rusty nails
health – die slow
bear in heaven – lovesick teenagers
joker - digidesign

D. Lucas Landis Year-End Lists

Albums of the Year

1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2. Bear In Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
3. Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
4. Discovery - LP
5. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - It's Blitz
6. Real Estate - Real Estate
7. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
8. Passion Pit - Manners
9. Atlas Sound - Logos
10. The xx - The xx

Songs (In no particular Order)

Empire Of The Sun - Walking on A Dream
Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls
Girls - Lust For Life
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
Andrew Bird - Fitz and Dizzyspells
Atlas Sound - Walkabout
Basement Jaxx - Raindrops
Discovery - So Insane
Handsome Furs - Evangaline
Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
Late of The Pier - Space and the Woods
Matt and Kim - Daylight
Muse - Uprising
Neon - Deadbeat Summer
Passion Pit - Moths wings
Phoenix - 1901
Pictureplane - Goth Star
Raekwon - 10 Bricks
Sleigh Bells - Crown on the Ground
Washed Out - Feel It All Around
White Rabbits - Lionesse
Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - Zero
Cass McCombs - You Saved My Life
Dirty Projectors - Two Doves
Kurt Vile - Freeway
Memory Tapes - Bicycle
MSTKRFT - 1000 Cigarettes
Trus'Me - Can We Pretend
The xx - Intro

Matt Wiens

ALBUMS

J. Tillman - Vacilando Territory Blues ("Firstborn")
The Fleet Fox drummer released two folk albums this year–the other, Year In The Kingdom, is also good.

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amedeus Phoenix ("1901")

Fanfarlo - Reservoir ("Harold T. Wilkins")
Like Arcade Fire but hookier and not so depressing all the time.

Roman Candle - Oh Tall Tree In The Ear ("Why Modern Radio Is A-Ok")
A present-day Whiskeytown from Chapel Hill, NC.

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca ("Ascending Melody" - from Temecula Sunrise EP)
Brooklyn, represent.

Amadou & Mariam - Welcome To Mali ("Djama")
Absolutely solid through all 16 tracks.

Discovery - LP ("Carby")
I don't seem to get tired of this album.

Micachu & The Shapes - Jewellery ("Golden Phone")
Not an easy listen, yet extremely catchy. See also tUnE-yArDs.

White Denim - Fits ("Say What You Want")
Unpredictable Texas garage-rock.

St. Vincent - Actor ("Marrow")
Brooklyn, represent.

Real Estate - Real Estate ("Fake Blues")
New Jersey band with a great, mellow vibe.

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest ("While You Wait For The Others")
Brooklyn, represent.

SONGS

Brendan Benson - "A Whole Lot Better"
Julian Casablancas - "Glass"
Surfer Blood - "Swim" (whole album is good, too)
The Low Anthem - "Charlie Darwin"
Mos Def - "Twilite Speedball"
The-Dream - "Put It Down" (key lyric: I'm all up on you / like a monster truck...)
Animal Collective - "Brother Sport" (Brooklyn, represent)
A.A. Bondy - "When The Devil's Loose" (like good Ryan Adams)
Andrew Bird - "Fitz & Dizzyspells"

DECADE ALBUMS

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People
The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine
Radiohead - Kid A
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
The Strokes - Is This It
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Janneken Smucker

Janneken has also gone above and beyond. Below are her favorites in Motion Pictures, Television and Music.

Best Albums of the Decade


1. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend (2008)
2. Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
3. Sufjan Stevens, Come on Feel the Illinoise (2005)
4. Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
5. Spoon, Kill the Moonlight (2002)
6. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible (2007)
7. Kanye West, Late Registration (2005)
8. M.I.A., Kala (2007)
9. Outkast, Stankonia (2000)
10. Radiohead, In Rainbows (2007)
11. Beck, Sea Change (2002)
12. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver (2007)
13. PJ Harvey, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000)
14. The Shins, Chutes too Narrow (2003)
15. Dengue Fever, Venus on Earth (2008)
16. Amy Winehouse, Back in Black (2006)
17. Rufus Wainwright, Poses (2001)
18. Camera Obscura, Let’s Get Out of the Country (2006)
19. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes (2008)
20. Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat (2006)

Best Movies of the Decade


1. Lost in Translation (2003)
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
3. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
4. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
5. No Country for Old Men (2007)
6. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
7. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (2007)
8. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
9. In the Mood For Love (2000)
10. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
11. Zodiac (2007)
12. Om Shanti Om (2007)
13. The Departed (2006)
14. Little Children (2006)
15. The Squid and the Whale (2005)
16. High Fidelity (2000)
17. Traffic (2000)
18. Once (2007)
19. Monsoon Wedding (2002)
20. Old Joy (2005)

Best Television Programs of the Decade



1. The Wire (2002-2008)
2. Arrested Development (2003-2006)
3. The Daily Show with John Stewart (1999-present)
4. The West Wing (1999-2006)
5. Friends (1994-2004)
6. Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009)
7. Mad Men (2007-present)
8. 30 Rock (2006-present)
9. Lost (2004-present)
10. Project Runway (2004-present)
11. Friday Night Lights (2006-present)
12. Sex and the City (1998-2004)
13. The Office (BBC version, 2002-2003)
14. Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
15. Dr Who (2005-present)
16. Six Feet Under (2001-2005)
17. Extras (2005-2007)
18. Big Love (2006-present)
19. Weeds (2005-present)
20. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-present)

Vinay Kini

hey, here's my decade list. couldn't trim it any shorter than 13.

radiohead - kid a
cannibal ox - the cold vein
luomo - vocalcity
interpol - turn on the bright lights
ghostface killah - fishscale
kanye west - late registration
beck - sea change
sufjan stevens - come on feel the illinois
the faint - danse macabre
lil wayne - da drought 3
arcade fire - funeral
gorillaz - gorillaz
ugk - underground kingz

Lucas Landis Albums of the Decade

I reserve the right to make tweaks to this list prior to the end of the decade, however, the list below will not substantially change and can be interpreted as my sincere favorites of the 00's. The list is a little boring and predictable:

1. Kid A - Radiohead
2. Wilco - Yankee Foxtrot Hotel
3. M.I.A. - Arular
4. Spoon - Kill the Moonlight
5. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
6. Beck - Sea Change
7. TV On the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
8. Coldplay - Rush of Blood to the Head
9. Postal Service - Give Up
10. Daft Punk - Discovery

Best of the Rest: U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind, Shins - Chutes Too Narrow, Outkast - Stankonia, Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast, MGMT - Oracular Spectacular, Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary, Sufjan Stevens - Illinois, Jay-Z - The Black Album, The Avalanches - Since I Left You.

Ryan M. Osborne's Albums of the Decade

Albums of the Decade

"In Rainbows" -- Radiohead
"A Ghost is Born" -- Wilco
"Give Up" -- The Postal Service
"Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" -- Spoon
"Heartbreaker" -- Ryan Adams
"Simple Things" -- Zero 7
"In Ghost Colours" -- Cut Copy
"The College Dropout" -- Kanye West
"Kill the Moonlight" -- Spoon

Ryan M. Osborne 100 Songs of the Decade

Going above and beyond the call of duty, Ryan has submitted for our reading pleasure his top 100 songs of the Decade.

1. Gorillaz -- "Feel Good Inc."
2. R. Kelly -- "Ignition (Remix)"
3. Usher -- "Burn"
4. Gnarls Barkley -- "Crazy"
5. Spoon -- "Black Like Me" "Finer Feelings"
6. Dizzee Rascal -- "Dance Wiv Me"
7. M.I.A. -- "Paper Planes"
8. The Game [ft. 50 Cent] -- "Hate It or Love It"
9. Justin Timberlake -- "Cry Me a River"
10. The Postal Service -- "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight"
11. Ryan Adams -- "My Winding Wheel"
12. Robyn -- "With Every Heartbeat" "Dream On"
13. Beyoncé -- "Irreplaceable"
14. Kelis -- "Bossy" "Lil Star" "Living Proof"
15. Sufjan Stevens -- "Chicago" "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!"
16. MGMT -- "Time to Pretend"
17. Lupe Fiasco -- "Kick Push"
18. Enrique Iglesias - "Escape"
19. Rihanna -- "S.O.S."
20. Spoon -- "I Summon You"
21. Feist -- "Inside and Out"
22. Gwen Steffani -- "Sweet Escape"
23. Kanye West -- "Heard 'Em Say"
24. Junior Boys [ft. Andi Toma] -- "In the Morning"
25. Spoon -- "The Way We Get By"
26. Cut Copy -- "Hearts on Fire"
27. Wilco -- "At Least That's What You Said"
28. U2 -- "Walk On"
29. Justin Timberlake -- "Rock Your Body"
30. Coldplay -- "Shiver" "Sparks" "Trouble" "Shiver"
31. Death Cab for Cutie -- "A Movie Script Ending"
32. Ringside -- "Tired of Being Sorry"
33. Junior Senior -- "Move Your Feet"
34. Beyonce [ft. Jay-Z] -- "Crazy in Love"
35. Patty Griffin -- "Rain"
36. Stars -- "14 Forever"
37. Beck -- "Lost Cause"
38. R. Kelly -- "Trapped in the Closet"
39. Sugababes -- "Push the Button"
40. Westside Connection -- "Gangsta Nation"
41. The Avalanches -- "Since I Left You"
42. Rihanna ft. Jay-Z – “Umbrella”
43. Röyksopp -- "Royksopp's Night Out"
44. Iron & Wine -- "Sodom, South Georgia"
45. Radiohead -- "House of Cards"
46. Madonna -- "Don't Tell Me" " Like it or Not"
47. Travis -- "Sing"
48. Kylie Minogue -- "Cant Get You Out of My Head"
49. Justin Timberlake [ft. T.I.] -- "My Love"
50. The Streets -- "Dry Your Eyes"
51. Camera Obscura -- "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken"
52. The Arctic Monkeys -- "Fluorescent Adolescent"
53. Alphabeat -- "10,000 Nights"
54. Goldfrapp -- "A&E"
55. Alicia Keys -- "You Don't Know My Name"
56. Damien Rice -- "Blower's Daughter"
57. No Doubt -- "Running"
58. Nelly Furtado -- "Say it Right"
59. Kelly Clarkson -- "Breakaway"
60. Usher [ft. Young Jeezy] -- "Love in This Club"
61. T.I.-- "Why You Wanna" "Big S*** Poppin"
62. Juanes -- "La Camisa Negra"
63. Phoenix -- "Lisztomania"
64. Robbie Williams -- "Tripping"
65. Alicia Keys - "If I Ain't Got You"
66. Feist -- "Mushaboom"
67. Sade -- "By Your Side"
68. Jimmy Lafave -- "How it Must Remain"
69. Old Crow Medicine Show -- "Wagon Wheel"
70. Elbow -- "One Day Like This" "Weather to Fly"
71. Girls Aloud -- "The Promise"
72. Sia -- "Breathe Me"
73. The Roots – "Don't Feel Right"
74. Leona Lewis -- "Bleeding Love"
75. Pussycat Dolls -- "Don't Cha"
76. Faithless – “Music Matters”
77. T2 -- "Heartbroken"
78. Common -- "The Light"
79. Sophie Ellis-Bextor -- "Murder on the Dancefloor"
80. New Pornographers -- “My Rights Versus Yours”
81. Jose Gonzalez -- "Hand On Your Heart"
82. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss -- “Please Read the Letter”
83. Natasha Bedingfield - "These Words"
84. The xx -- "Intro" "Heart Skipped a Beat"
85. Ryan Adams -- "New York, New York"
86. Frankie J featuring Baby Bash -- "Obsession (No Es Amor)"
87. Gwen Stefani -- "Cool"
88. Slade Cleaves -- "Broke Down"
89. Scissor Sisters -- "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'"
90. Peter Bjorn and John [ft. Victoria Bergsman] -- "Young Folks"
91. Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson - "The Way I Are"
92. Amy Winehouse -- "Tears Dry on Their Own"
93. Lady GaGa -- "Poker Face"
94. Lupe Fiasco -- "Superstar"
95. Raheem DeVaughn -- "Four Letter Word"
96. Chris Brown -- "Forever"
97. Mariah Carey -- "We Belong Together"
98. Akon -- "I Wanna Love You" "Locked Up"
99. Nelly & Kelly Rowland -- "Dilemma"
100. Yo La Tengo -- "The Weakest Part"

P. Michael Freed's Decade End List

Instead of obsessing about this for the rest of the month (or beyond), I decided to simply go with my immediate reaction. No real surprises. Of course, I can and will alter this numerous times.

My Favorite Albums of the Decade:

1. And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out - Yo La Tengo

2. Kid A - Radiohead

3. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco

4. In Rainbows - Radiohead

5. Chutes Too Narrow - The Shins

6. For Emma - Bon Iver

7. Stankonia - Outkast

8. GaGaGa - Spoon

9. Twin Cinema - The New Pornogrpahers

10. Our Endless Numbered Days - Iron & Wine

Amber's Mid-Year List

My list of favorites keeps shape-shifting but here's my list of top 10 songs as of yesterday afternoon:

Top 10 2009 Songs, at June 28th

1. Sabali, by Amadou & Mariam

2. My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille, by Beirut

3. We are The People, by Empire of the Sun

4. My Girls, by Animal Collective

5. Comme des Enfants, by Coeur de Pirate

6. This Tornado Loves You, by Neko Case

7. Witching Hour, by Goddamn Electric Bill

8. Until We Bleed, by Kleerup

9. Two Weeks, by Grizzly Bear

10. Walking on a Dream, by Empire of the Sun

It's too early in the year to list albums, but there are three that are guaranteed space on my top 10:

- Middle Cyclone, by Neko Case

- Walking on a Dream, by Empire of the Sun

- Merriweather Post Pavilion, by Animal Collective

Half-Way List

I just had a root canal today. To help celebrate, I'm sharing with you my half year list of favorite albums and songs. Thus far, I've found that it's been much more of a "song" year than an "album" year. Coming up with the below list of albums was rather difficult since there haven't been a standout crop of cohesive, straight front-to-back good albums. I will say that I have really enjoyed some of the singles and songs found on a number of the albums listed and not. Most likely the result of iTunes and the single song download phase we're in. I would like to note, that I reserve the right to completely change my mind about some of these, here, choices by year's end.

Enjoy - (Novocaine and Nitrous Not Included):

Artist - Album/Song

ALBUMS

1. Discovery - LP
2. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
3. White Rabbits - It's Frightening
4. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
5. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - It's Blitz!
6. Grizzley Bear - Veckatimest
7. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
8. Woods - Song of Shame
9. Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
10. J Dilla - Jay Stay Paid

SONGS

1. Discovery - "So Insane"
2. Empire of the Sun - "Walking on a Dream"
3. Glasvegas - "Geraldine" (I know, technically this came out last year, but I didn't hear it till this year, so live with it).
4. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's - "Zero"
5. Phoenix - "1901"
6. White Rabbits - "Lionesse" (The next best thing to Spoon)
7. Franz Ferdinand - "No You Girls"
8. Grizzley Bear - "Two Weeks"
9. Late Of the Pier - "Space and The Woods"
10. Dirty Projectors - "Two Doves" (The first in the pretty song portion of the list)
11. Andrew Bird - "Fitz & Dizzyspells" (The second)
12. Mono - "Follow the Map" (The third)
13. Matt & Kim - "Daylight" (A great little bouncy number. Nice to listen to while walking in the city)
14. Royksopp - "The Girl And the Robot"
15. Mos Def - "Supermagic"
16. Passion Pit - Moth Wings
17. The Bird and the Bee - "Love Letter to Japan" (sugary, syrupy, pop)
18. The Pains of Being Young At Heart - "Young Adult Fiction"
19. Handsome Furs - "Evangaline" (Makes me miss Wolf Parade)
20. Kurt Vile - "Freeway" (The Fourth and last of the pretty songs)
21. MSTRKRFT - "1000 Cigarettes"
22. Peaches - "Talk To Me"
23. The Dream - "Put It Down" (This song is really quite funny, not intentionally, I don't think)
24. Method Man and Redman - "Four Minutes To Lockdown"
25. Asher Roth - "Lark On My Go-Kart" (Yeah, it's frat-ty. He's probably not that good, but he's local and I like the beat)

There you have it. Hope everyone is doing well and is having a nice relaxing summer.

Charles Mininger

1. The Knux – Remind me in 3 days
2. Kanye West
3. Erika Badu -New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War
4. Q-Tip – the Rennaisance
5. Santogold – Santogold
6. Kanye West 808 & Heartbreaks
7. Made in the Dark – Hot Chip
8. Dear Science- TV on the Radio
9. Miriam and Amadou – Welcome to Mali
10. Vampire Weekend
11. Tha Carter III – Lil Wayne


Best Song: Crying – TV on the Radio
Best Find not 2008: Africando - Mandali