I'll Keep Rolling Along...

Howdy folks, and welcome to our annual Best Of 2009 list.

As ever, this isn't really a list of the Best, since we're in no position to judge what records will hold their own down the line. These are simply the records we found to be our favorites, the records we listened to again and again over the past year. Regular readers will already be familiar with several of these. Perusing through some other Best Of...lists out there, from the blogs to the major music magazines, it seems we had a different take on what were great records than other folks. That's ok. It's a big tent.

We're not gonna do a Best Of The Decade list. We don't have the time, and our memory is notoriously addled. We can barely remember what came out this year.

And here is where we'd normally issue some sort of screed on the state of music, usually a rambling so-called indictment on the music industry. We're not gonna do that this year. For one, nobody cares. For two, we think there are great records coming out all the time. Maybe you won't hear them on the radio (independent and public radio excepted). There's no use getting one's underpants all in a bundle over shit you can't do anything about. Maybe the collective consciousness is over, or focused elsewhere. Maybe we'll never have another all-encompassing song or artist that captures the zeitgeist of a generation. Maybe we will. Time will tell. This is the year we realized it's ok to let things go and groove on what we love.

We bought one (1) CD this year. Everything else we purchased this year was vinyl or digital downloads or albums sent to us by kindly promoters. We got rid of a little over a thousand CD's, ripping them digitally and waving goodbye to the physical copies. Even with that, we found several hundred of those shiny frisbees we couldn't bring ourselves to part with. Such is the nature of collecting.

Some of what we got this year was pretty great. Some, not so much. These things happen.

Now, about the actual Top 50 Records Of The Year List: We're gonna do this over 4 days. Just because. By our count (and we're mathematically challenged) we've got 54 Records, and 46 Entries. Trust us, it all works out. Mostly. About 75% of the list are ripped from vinyl, and we don't feel bad about that. Write-ups on the "bottom" half will be done in short-ish, grammatically incorrect single sentences. Once we hit the really heavy hitters, we'll have a bit more to say.

We realize we're missing a ton of great records, but it's the nature of lists to create discussion (re: argument). Please tell us what we missed, or what y'all think we should take a listen to.

Are we set, then? Ok, let's get this mutha-fucker started. Remember, we're taking 4 days to get this done.

The BRCM Top Albums Of 2009, Part 1

46.

Mountain Goats: Life Of The World To Come

Psalmic smallness, and (a) god in context, life lived between the verses.

The Mountain Goats: Romans 10:9 (mp3)



45.

Hex Dispensers: Winchester Mystery House

Boy/Girl chanted punk rawk, baby, surging electric to yr skull.

The Hex Dispensers: Doomsday Romantic (mp3)

44.

Times New Viking: Born Again Revisited

Louder than god, (out of) tunier than sugar, the future of lo-fi, whatever that is, distilled and seeped in sleaze and gutter glory.

Times New Viking: City On Drugs (mp3)

43.

Cave Singers: Welcome Joy

Back porch stomp'n'strum, the camp fire flickered, delicate and strange.

The Cave Singers: Leap (mp3)

42.

Ty Segall: Lemons

Brat-snot scuzz, cooler than your dad in leather, but mom knows better.

Ty Segall: Standing At Your Station (mp3)

41.

Thomas Function: In The Valley Of Sickness

Dylan on better drugs, popped out punky and ramped up on organ orgy and sloppy seconds.

Thomas Function: How Does It Feel (mp3)

40.

Kid Congo And The Pink Monkeys: Dracula Boots

Psycho-groove splatter trash, monster movie as noir beat.

Kid Congo and the Pink Monkeybirds: Late Night Scurry (mp3)


39.

Bike For Three: More Heart Than Brains

Buck 65 and sonic architect Greetings From Tuskan make desert-blasted end of the world love songs.

Bike For Three: Nightdriving (mp3)

38.

El Jesus De Magico: Scalping The Guru

Sprawled noise-junk, mumbled and mangled.

El Jesus De Magico: Summer of Luhv (mp3)

37.

Michael Hurley and Betsy Nichols: River In The Rain 7"

Snock returns with strangeness and beauty, running through fields in his armchair.

Michael Hurley and Betsy Nichols: Knockando (mp3)

36.

Tune-Yards: Bird-Brains

Trippy and world-watered songs in minor key country/blues/folk for carnivals.

Tune-Yards: Fiya (mp3)

35.

Mama Rosin: Brule Lament

Cajun blues-punk, yep, pogo and shimmy all the way to the fais do-do.

Mama Rosin: J'Vas Mon Chemin (mp3)

34.

Bonnie Prince Billy: Beware

Will Oldham returns to his mother the mountain, yelping strange like Palace of yore.

Bonnie Prince Billy: I Am Goodbye (mp3)

Part Two tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by.