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Amazon's 100 Best Albums of 2009- What Is Missing?
Amazon recently posted their list of the best albums of 2009. Nice to see Neko at #1 and Avett Brothers at #5, although I would argue that these most recent records aren't their best. Still nice to see them both getting the commercial success they deserve.
What surprised you on this list? What is missing?
1. Middle Cyclone by Neko Case
2. It's Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix
4. The Pains Of Being Pure at Heart... by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
5. I And Love And You by The Avett Brothers
6. Album by Girls
7. Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective
8. Troubadour by k'naan
9. The Blueprint 3 by Jay-Z
10. My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura
11. Fantasies by Metric
12. Wilco [The Album] by Wilco
13. Manners by Passion Pit
14. Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
15. Strict Joy by The Swell Season
16. Townes by Steve Earle
17. Song Up In Her Head by Sarah Jarosz
18. Welcome to Mali by Amadou & Mariam
19. Live In London by Leonard Cohen
20. Primary Colours by The Horrors
21. Crack The Skye by Mastodon
22. Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation) by Various Artists
23. Around The Well by Iron & Wine
24. Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future by The Bird And The Bee
25. The Crow: New Songs for The 5 String Banjo by Steve Martin
26. Get Lucky by Mark Knopfler
27. Roadsinger by Yusuf (The Artist Kno...
28. La Roux (Amazon MP3 Exclusive version) by La Roux
29. Welcome Joy by The Cave Singers
30. Ellipse by Imogen Heap
31. No Line On The Horizon by U2
32. Get Guilty by A.C. Newman
33. Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper by Julian Plenti
34. Preliminaires by Iggy Pop
35. The Crying Light by Antony & The Johnsons
36. Together Through Life by Bob Dylan
37. Catacombs by Cass McCombs
38. Swoon by Silversun Pickups
39. Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
40. Actor (Amazon Exclusive) by St. Vincent
41. Fondo by Vieux Farka Touré
42. It's Not Me, It's You by Lily Allen
43. Creaturesque by Throw Me The Statue
44. Beware by Bonnie "Prince" Billy
45. Born Like This. by Doom
46. Wild Young Hearts by Noisettes
47. A Strange Arrangement by Mayer Hawthorne
48. Know Better Learn Faster by Thao with The Get Down Stay Down
49. 11:11 by Rodrigo Y Gabriela
50. Incredibad [Explicit] by The Lonely Island
51. Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band by Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band.
52. Time To Die by the dodos
53. Hold Time by M. Ward
54. Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do by Major Lazer
55. Elvis Perkins In Dearland by Elvis Perkins In Dearland
56. Over And Over by The Legends
57. Popular Songs by Yo La Tengo
58. Give Up The Ghost by Brandi Carlile
59. Heartbeat Radio by Sondre Lerche
60. Sainthood by Tegan And Sara
61. A Brief History Of Love by The Big Pink
62. Six by The Black Heart Procession
63. ...For The Whole World to see by Death
64. LP by Discovery
65. God Help The Girl by God Help The Girl
66. The Ballad Of John Henry by Joe Bonamassa
67. Where The Wild Things Are by Karen O And The Kids
68. Closer To The Bone by Kris Kristofferson
69. American Central Dust by Son Volt
70. The Sun Came Out by 7 Worlds Collide
71. A Pipe Dream And A Promise by Finale
72. All I Ever Wanted by Kelly Clarkson
73. Fork In The Road by Neil Young
74. The First Days Of Spring by Noah and the Whale
75. Songs In A&E by Spiritualized
76. Kundalini Meditation Music by Various Artists
77. Lost Highway by Willie Nelson
78. xx by Xx
79. Divided By Night by Crystal Method
80. Grand by Matt & Kim
81. Heart To Elk by Point Juncture Wa
82. The Rose Hotel by Robert Earl Keen
83. Double Booked by Robert Glasper
84. White Water, White Bloom by Sea Wolf
85. Crossing The Rubicon by The Sounds
86. Curse Your Branches by David Bazan
87. Lungs (Deluxe Version) by Florence + The Machine
88. Fortress 'round My Heart by Ida Maria
89. The Resistance by Muse
90. Reservoir by Fanfarlo
91. No Nations by Jets Overhead
92. Hello Hello [Explicit] by Midival Punditz
93. WPA by Works Progress Administration
94. Between My Head And The Sky by Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
95. Amesoeurs by Amesoeurs
96. Still Night, Still Light by Au Revoir Simone
97. Heartbreak On Vinyl by Blake Lewis
98. Blood Bank by Bon Iver
99. Scary Fragile by Butterfly Boucher
100. Roadhouse Sun by Ryan Bingham
Here's a link to the Amazon page where you can click through to the album page for each listing and hear 30 second clips of each track.
What surprised you on this list? What is missing?
1. Middle Cyclone by Neko Case
2. It's Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix
4. The Pains Of Being Pure at Heart... by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
5. I And Love And You by The Avett Brothers
6. Album by Girls
7. Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective
8. Troubadour by k'naan
9. The Blueprint 3 by Jay-Z
10. My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura
11. Fantasies by Metric
12. Wilco [The Album] by Wilco
13. Manners by Passion Pit
14. Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
15. Strict Joy by The Swell Season
16. Townes by Steve Earle
17. Song Up In Her Head by Sarah Jarosz
18. Welcome to Mali by Amadou & Mariam
19. Live In London by Leonard Cohen
20. Primary Colours by The Horrors
21. Crack The Skye by Mastodon
22. Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation) by Various Artists
23. Around The Well by Iron & Wine
24. Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future by The Bird And The Bee
25. The Crow: New Songs for The 5 String Banjo by Steve Martin
26. Get Lucky by Mark Knopfler
27. Roadsinger by Yusuf (The Artist Kno...
28. La Roux (Amazon MP3 Exclusive version) by La Roux
29. Welcome Joy by The Cave Singers
30. Ellipse by Imogen Heap
31. No Line On The Horizon by U2
32. Get Guilty by A.C. Newman
33. Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper by Julian Plenti
34. Preliminaires by Iggy Pop
35. The Crying Light by Antony & The Johnsons
36. Together Through Life by Bob Dylan
37. Catacombs by Cass McCombs
38. Swoon by Silversun Pickups
39. Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
40. Actor (Amazon Exclusive) by St. Vincent
41. Fondo by Vieux Farka Touré
42. It's Not Me, It's You by Lily Allen
43. Creaturesque by Throw Me The Statue
44. Beware by Bonnie "Prince" Billy
45. Born Like This. by Doom
46. Wild Young Hearts by Noisettes
47. A Strange Arrangement by Mayer Hawthorne
48. Know Better Learn Faster by Thao with The Get Down Stay Down
49. 11:11 by Rodrigo Y Gabriela
50. Incredibad [Explicit] by The Lonely Island
51. Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band by Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band.
52. Time To Die by the dodos
53. Hold Time by M. Ward
54. Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do by Major Lazer
55. Elvis Perkins In Dearland by Elvis Perkins In Dearland
56. Over And Over by The Legends
57. Popular Songs by Yo La Tengo
58. Give Up The Ghost by Brandi Carlile
59. Heartbeat Radio by Sondre Lerche
60. Sainthood by Tegan And Sara
61. A Brief History Of Love by The Big Pink
62. Six by The Black Heart Procession
63. ...For The Whole World to see by Death
64. LP by Discovery
65. God Help The Girl by God Help The Girl
66. The Ballad Of John Henry by Joe Bonamassa
67. Where The Wild Things Are by Karen O And The Kids
68. Closer To The Bone by Kris Kristofferson
69. American Central Dust by Son Volt
70. The Sun Came Out by 7 Worlds Collide
71. A Pipe Dream And A Promise by Finale
72. All I Ever Wanted by Kelly Clarkson
73. Fork In The Road by Neil Young
74. The First Days Of Spring by Noah and the Whale
75. Songs In A&E by Spiritualized
76. Kundalini Meditation Music by Various Artists
77. Lost Highway by Willie Nelson
78. xx by Xx
79. Divided By Night by Crystal Method
80. Grand by Matt & Kim
81. Heart To Elk by Point Juncture Wa
82. The Rose Hotel by Robert Earl Keen
83. Double Booked by Robert Glasper
84. White Water, White Bloom by Sea Wolf
85. Crossing The Rubicon by The Sounds
86. Curse Your Branches by David Bazan
87. Lungs (Deluxe Version) by Florence + The Machine
88. Fortress 'round My Heart by Ida Maria
89. The Resistance by Muse
90. Reservoir by Fanfarlo
91. No Nations by Jets Overhead
92. Hello Hello [Explicit] by Midival Punditz
93. WPA by Works Progress Administration
94. Between My Head And The Sky by Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
95. Amesoeurs by Amesoeurs
96. Still Night, Still Light by Au Revoir Simone
97. Heartbreak On Vinyl by Blake Lewis
98. Blood Bank by Bon Iver
99. Scary Fragile by Butterfly Boucher
100. Roadhouse Sun by Ryan Bingham
Here's a link to the Amazon page where you can click through to the album page for each listing and hear 30 second clips of each track.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by T Hanssen on -
I would have Future of the Left - Travels With Myself And Another in my Top 100.
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Permalink Reply by Arlene on -
I would have Buddy and Julie Miller's Written in Chalk in my top 5, possibly top 3.
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Permalink Reply by hyperbolium.com on -
For starters (and not including reissues) I'd add...
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women
Slaid Cleaves Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away
Caroline Herring Golden Apples of the Sun
Jason Karaban Mayfly
Willie Nile House of a Thousand Guitars
Tanya Tucker My Turn
The Voyces Let Me Die in Southern California
King Wilkie King Wilkie Presents the Wilkie Family Singers
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Permalink Reply by RP N10 on -
If their top 100 picks are as idiosyncratic as their recommendations then the list is no surprise. So many glaring omissions but quite a number of records I'd have expected to be glaring omissions are included. Much as I love Bob D and Neil Young I'm not convinced their records would have been there if they'd not been by name artists.
Those inexcusably missed out - Amy Millan - Masters Of The Burial; Wheat Pool - Hauntario; Visqueen - Message 2 Garcia; Duke & The King - Nothing Gold Can Stay; Immaculate Machine - High On Jackson Hill; Matraca Berg - South Of Heaven; Gretchen Peters & Tom Russell - One to The Heart..; The Renderers - Monsters & Miasmas; and Sometymes Why - Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine. And it runs back to late 2008 which it must do given the timing then Jolie Holland's The Living & The Dead should be in the Top 10.
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Permalink Reply by Jim Werkmeister on -
First, I would put Avett's number 1.
Additions- (as already mentioned) Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women; and Buddy and Julie.
Also- Cracker- "Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey," Monsters of Folk "Monsters of Folk," Eels "Hombre Lobo," Magnolia Electric Co. "Josephine," and Chuck Prophet "Let Freedom Ring."
I'm a huge Neil Young fan, but Fork in the Road really shouldn't have made the list. Oh, and including Kelly Clarkson on the list discredits all of Amazon's picks.
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Permalink Reply by modernacoustic on -
Eilen Jewell's "Sea of Tears" should be on that list.
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Permalink Reply by hyperbolium.com on
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Agreed on Eilen Jewell - thanks for reminding me.
I also forgot John Doe and the Sadies' Country Club, Gurf Morlix's Last Exit to Happyland and Blind Pilot's Three Rounds and a Sound.
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Permalink Reply by Rod Ames on -
I'm surprised but happy to see Popular Songs by Yo La Tengo on the list, let alone at #57, but I am extremely disappointed to see Tom Russell's wonderful Blood and Candle Smoke omitted.
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Permalink Reply by Stu Reid on -
Alright - nothing from my own personal top ten! I'm still... cool? Dumb? A rebel? Old? Ya... old.
1 - Tinted Windows - Tinted Windows
2 - C. R. Avery - The Great Canadian Novel
3 - The Wheat Pool - Hauntario
4 - Leeroy Stagger - Everything Is Real
5 - Miranda Lambert - Revolution
6 - Lucero - 1372 Overton Park
7 - Drivin' N' Cryin' - Whatever Happened To The Great American Bubble Factory
8 - Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle - Let's Just Stay Here
9 - Wendy Bird - Natural Wonder
10 - Lee Harvey Osmond - A Quiet Evil
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Permalink Reply by DEADDRUNKANDNAKED on -
of my top 20
1) Lucero- 1372 Overton Park
2) American Gun- Devil Showed Me His Hand
3) Justin Townes Earle- Midnight at the Movies
4) Leeroy Stagger- Everything Is Real
5) Slaid Cleaves- Everything You Love
6) Dave Rawlings Machine- A Friend of A Friend
7) Todd Snider- The Excitement Plan
8) Sometymes Why- Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine
9) Micah Schnabel- When the Stage Lights Go Dim
10) Sam Baker- Cotton
11) Zach and the Red Wagon- Learning to Drown
12) Guy Clark- Somedays the Song Writes Itself
13) Danny Schmidt- Instead the Forest Rose to Sing
14) Sons of Bill- One Town Away
15) Wrinkle Neck Mules- Let the Lead Fly
16) Patterson Hood- Murdering Oscar (and other love songs)
17) The Takers- Taker Easy
18) Andy Friedman and the Other Failures- Weary Things
19) Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit- S/T
20) Mark Olson & Gary Louris- Ready for the Flood
none made the top 100 :(
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Permalink Reply by Grant Alden on -
Me, I'm surprised (as I have often been these last few years) by how few of the artists on these lists I've even heard of, and by how little I care.
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Permalink Reply by David Haskin on -
Obviously, this is a mixed-genre list that goes well beyond whatever-it-is music. It also seems more oriented toward albums and artists that get buzz, which is understandable given that they're a merchant and would be very sensitive to buzz. But I found it surprising and a bit strange that that Neko Case was number one above, say, the Avett Brothers.
Here's my list of omissions, many of which have already been mentioned by others (In no particular order):
Allen Toussaint: The Bright Mississippi
Sam Baker: Cotton
Gurf Morlix: Last Exit to Happyland
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women (self-titled)
Tom Russell: Blood and Candle Smoke
Buddy and Julie Miller: Written in Chalk
Romi Mayes: Achin' In Yer Bones
Elvis Costello: Secret, Profane & Sugarcure
Paul Burch: Still Your Man
Levon Helm: Electric Dirt.
Lance Mills: Wore Out Shoes. (newcomer of the year, imho)
Lyle Lovett: Natural Forces
Guy Clark: Sometimes The Song Writes You
Kieran Kane: Somewhere Beyond the Roses
Flatlanders: Hills and Valleys
Jason Eady -- When the Money's All Gone
Wheat Pool: Hauntario
The Pines: Tremolo
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