a.m.p.m.'s Best of 2009

Like Marc, my initial 'best of' playlist for 2009 was big enough for two albums (and then some). After painstakingly cutting selections to narrow it down to a sub-80 minute collection, here's what I came up with. I think it works pretty well in the order presented, but that's just personal taste. Click on the artist for the MySpace page, the track name for the mp3.

1. jj - things will never be the same again

2. Japandroids - Sovereignty

3. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Young Adult Friction

4. Wild Beasts - This Is Our Lot

5. Lightning Dust - Wondering What Everyone Knows

6. Bibio - Lovers Carvings

7. Mew - Beach

8. St. Vincent - The Strangers

9. Julian Casablancas - Glass

10. The xx - Crystalised

11. The Very Best - Kamphopo

12. Girls - Lust For Life

13. The Antlers - Sylvia

14. Mos Def - Priority

15. Animal Collective - My Girls

16. Fever Ray - Seven

17. The Cribs - Cheat On Me

18. Grizzly Bear - While You Wait for the Others

19. Phoenix - Armistice

20. Handsome Furs - Radio Kaliningrad

21. The Rural Alberta Advantage - In the Summertime

Grab the whole thing here as a zip file.

I'll post the runners-up as a separate mix shortly.

Friday Five

2009 is shaping up to be a banner year musically. Some selections from noteworthy recent releases:

Fever Ray - Seven
Sure, Sweden's The Knife may currently be "on hiatus", but for me Karin Dreijer Andersson's debut solo album as Fever Ray is The Knife's new album.

Metric - Waves
Although I really enjoyed Emily Haines' 2006 solo effort Knives Don't Have Your Back I've had high hopes for a new Metric LP for almost 4 years now. Released this Tuesday, Fantasies was worth the wait. 'Waves' is not actually on the album itself but was made available as a bonus when ordering from www.ilovemetric.com.

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Cold Spring
Yet another NYC indie rock band, Cymbals Eat Guitars released their debut album Why There Are Mountains independently in January and have since received praise from just about every indie music media outlet and countless comparisons to Modest Mouse and Pavement. They deserve the praise (if not the comparisons) - the album is fantastic.

Junior Boys - Work
Album number three from Hamilton-based electro duo Junior Boys was released on March 24th and after a few cursory listens is standing up pretty well in comparison to 2006's excellent (and Polaris Prize nominated) So This Is Goodbye. 'Work' is easily my favourite track.

Camera Obscura - Honey in the Sun
My Maudlin Career, the fourth album from Glasgow's Camera Obscura, will officially be available on April 20th but unsurprising leaked a few weeks ago. The single (and first track) 'French Navy' has already been getting decent exposure here in the UK and is set for release on Monday. It's stellar, but then the album is filled with highlights including the title track, 'You Told A Lie', and closer 'Honey in the Sun'.