Best Albums of 2009, Part 5: #10-6

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Part 1 - Rules and Runners Up
Part 2 - #25-21
Part 3 - #20-16
Part 4 - #15-11


#10

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Domino

Animal Collective have been charming indie ears for years with their quirky pop and for months before this album was released, leaks and buzz built it up to be the record of 2009. Inevitably, it's slightly overrated - many tracks just aren't that memorable. On the other hand, the best tracks on the album are, simply put, flawless. Every sound has been honed to perfection and mixed into a Brian Wilson-esque three dimensions. And as with the Beach Boys, the band's warm melodies are gently unforgettable.

Read more from the original RFR review...

How I found it: Only, like, the whole internet
Track picks: "Summertime Clothes," "My Girls"
Link: [MySpace]


#9

Sonic Youth - The Eternal
Matador

It's been a year of changes for Sonic Youth, putting out their first indie label release in twenty years and their first release with bassist Mark Ibold. The addition of Ibold, formerly of Pavement, sends the band in their most rock'n'roll direction maybe ever. With dense, heavy guitars, The Eternal is strikingly direct. For Sonic Youth, the songs are bite-sized, though there are still some sprawling numbers and while this is one of the band's more accessible efforts, it certainly sounds like no one else. To say Sonic Youth pushes boundaries isn't accurate because their music is so uniquely the band's own that it can't be described in relationship to rock's boundaries at all. The Eternal is no exception.

How I found it: N/A
Track picks: "What We Know," "Anti-Orgasm"
Link: [MySpace]


#8

Why? - Eskimo Snow
Anticon

Apparently, during the recording sessions for last year's Alopecia, the band recorded another set of songs entirely disconnected from their hip-hop roots. Eskimo Snow is country-tinged indie rock. And that doesn't sound appealing, at least not to me. However, instead, Eskimo Snow is a staggering accomplishment. Yoni Wolf's lyrics are always personal and always clever, but here, for the first time, the cleverness is never used as a shield - Wolf rips himself wide open. The lyrics reveal the deepest pains of early adulthood, and one astounding melody after another make this album extraordinary. Easily one of the year's best and most underrated releases.

Read more from the original RFR review...

How I found it: several ways
Track picks: "Into the Shadows of My Embrace," "These Hands," "Eskimo Snow"
Link: [MySpace]


#7

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II
Ice H2O

Few albums have been as long anticipated as Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, the sequel to Raekwon's 1995 solo debut. It seemed unlikely that after so many years, Raekwon could live up to expectations - after all, his debut was considered one of the greatest rap albums of all time and the Wu-Tang Clan's prime has certainly since passed. But OB4CL2 is every bit what it should be - inventive, hard-hitting and simply a mess of amazing MCing and production. The credits are mindblowing, featuring the entire Wu-Tang Clan (except U-God, who cares), Busta Rhymes, Beanie Sigel, J Dilla, Dr. Dre and a whole lotta others. The only real problem with the album (other than it being a bit musically incohesive) is that it only fulfills expectations, it doesn't defy them. Nothing here breaks the Wu-Tang mold, but it still blows everything else of its kind out of the water.

Read more from the original RFR review...

How I found it: No great story here.
Track picks: "Broken Safety," "House of Flying Daggers"
Link: [MySpace]


#6

Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Warners

I don't think anyone saw this coming. Sure, Flaming Lips have put out great albums many times over, and they have never stopped evolving, but the appropriately titled Embryonic is a rebirth of sorts. Many bands have sought to stay relevant by incorporating electronics, and Flaming Lips numbered among these with 2002's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. But on Embryonic, the band looks back to roots, making their rawest, grittiest sounds in well over a decade. It's not a move backwards though. Embryonic is as bold a step forward as any the band has made today. The dark, hypnotic psychedelia is the band's most professional album, doing away with any hints of indie quirk in favor of large production and unwavering statements. Soft Bulletin remains the band's masterpiece, but Embryonic opens an exciting new chapter and makes Flaming Lips as relevant in 2009 as they were in the 90's.

How I found it: N/A
Track picks: "Convinced of the Hex," "Powerless"
Link: [MySpace]


NEXT>> Part 6: #5-1

Upcoming Shows: The For Carnation, Fiasco + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
TONIGHT!!! Tuesday, December 15

The Antlers + Sharon van Etten @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!
The Antlers are a very sad trio who make very noisy ambient songs about abuse and loss. Their 2009 album is easily one of the best of the decade. Comparisons to Radiohead, Arcade Fire and Neutral Milk Hotel are in order. [MySpace]

Cold Cave, Small Black @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | FREE!
Since the above show is sold out, try this one. It's free with RSVP, which it's apparently not too late to do (click here). All they ask is your e-mail address so they can stalk you and bombard you with liquor adverts for the rest of your life. But, um, it's free! Cold Cave is awesome, playing despondent electronic music really loudly. Small Black is pretty good too, also using the synthesizers. Check it! [CC MySpace] [SB MySpace]


TOMORROW! Wednesday, December 16

Raekwon @ The Fillmore | Union Square-ish, Manhattan | $23 adv. / $27 dos.
Raekwon is one of the best MCs of the Wu Tang Clan. His long-awaited album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II is one of the best hip-hop albums of the year. His cool delivery sets him apart from most hardcore rappers, but he's as hardcore as any of them.


Thursday, December 17

The For Carnation @ Knitting Factory | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $15
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS SHOW!!! The For Carnation is the band of Brian McMahon, ex-Slint and Squirrel Bait. McMahon brought us two of the most original and important bands of the late 80's/early 90's and you should go see him play (even though it's a little expensive).

Big Troubles @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $7
Big Troubles just played my showcase on December 4. They are a newish band from New Jersey who aren't too cool to admit they like the Smashing Pumpkins and who play REALLY REALLY LOUDLY. Highly recommended, but for that it means missing The For Carnation. [MySpace]

Pterodactyl @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Pterodactyl are one of the most innovative bands in the NYC scene right now. Their music is fast and complex but melodic, and their live show is outstanding. But you should still go see The For Carnation instead. [MySpace]


Friday, December 18

Fiasco @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Fiasco are an awesome hardcore/post-hardcore band. They are really young, but they are really great at their instruments and perhaps it's their youth that prevents their punk/speed metal from getting to big a metal:punk ratio. They are one of the best bands I've heard live recently. [MySpace]


Saturday, December 19

False Prophets @ ABC No Rio | LES, Manhattan
MATINEE! Classic hardcore punk.

Eric Bachmann (ex-Archers of Loaf) @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $12
Eric Bachmann was in Archers of Loaf, which means he's a hero to everyone who ever loved 90's indie rock.


Monday, December 21

Nymphets @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $8
The Nyphets are a minimal poppy DIY punk lo-fi garage [insert adjectives and genres here] band. They are a good time. [MySpace]


Tuesday, December 22

Whatever... Holiday Party: True Womanhood, Drink Up Buttercup + more @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
My new friends at the "Whatever..." blog are having a little party with - of course - awesome bands playing. True Womanhood are creepy, experimental, ambient-inspired rock and Drink Up Buttercup are more straight-forward indie rock. Both are good! [TW MySpace] [DUB MySpace]

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

December
23
Fiasco, Shapes @ Shea Stadium

29-30
Patti Smith @ Bowery Ballroom (Sold Out)

31
Titus Andronicus + So So Glos @ Mercury Lounge
Patti Smith @ Bowery Ballroom(Sold Out)

January 2010
2
Mattress @ Death By Audio

13
The Drums + Surfer Blood, Depreciation Guild @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

15
Gang Gang Dance, DJ/Rupture @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

16
Dinosaur Jr @ Bowery Ballroom (Sold Out)

17
Dinosaur Jr @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

25
Cheap Trick @ The Fillmore

29
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Les Savy Fav, Vivian Girls (yick) @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom

30
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom

February
3
Atlas Sound @ Bell House

4
Cold Cave @ Mercury Lounge

5
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Ra Ra Riot, the Antlers @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

6
Don Giovanni showcase: Shellshag, Screaming Females, Jeff the Brotherhood + more @ Bowery Ballroom

9
The Residents @ Webster Hall

13
The Magnetic Fields @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

19
Fucked Up @ Europa
Andrew W-K @ Santos Party House

March
5
Muse, the Silversun Pickups @ Madison Square Garden

12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Album: Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II

Album: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II
Ice H20, 2009
Rating: ********* (9/10)

The world has been waiting fourteen years for this follow-up to Raekwon's 1995 solo debut, which was hailed as one of the best rap albums of all time. Raekwon, who got his start in the Wu-Tang Clan, is known as Raekwon the Chef, and OB4CL I chronicled the drama of trafficking coke in intimate detail. Unsurprisingly, OB4CL II returns to these themes, with unsubtle song titles like "Pyrex Vision," "Baggin Crack" and "Ten Bricks."

However, the album seems more linked to the Wu-Tang debut 36 Chambers than to Raekwon's earlier opus. References to the themes and lyrics of that album abound. The entire original Wu-Tang Clan except U-God appears as well - even Ol' Dirty Bastard makes a posthumous appearance on "Ason Jones," a startlingly frank and loving tribute to the WTC founder. (The beat was also laid down by hip-hop master J Dilla before his own untimely death in 2006.)

OB4CL II features relatively few surprises - it remains in the general Wu-Tang style and, as expected, features some of the best hardcore rapping ever recorded. At twenty-three tracks, you'd expect some filler and the types of interludes used by Wu-Tang in the past. However, all two dozen tracks are full-fledged songs, if not all of consistent quality.

When I first listened to the album, the first two tracks didn't play and I didn't notice, so I started with "Sonny's Missing," an extremely (perhaps gratuitously) violent song with a spare, deep, dark beat and naked vocal attack. When I discovered the album actually followed the WTC tradition of including an introductory track, I was disappointed to learn OB4CL II hadn't broken the template at all. The album is simply and sadly not earth-shattering, no matter how good the tracks.

The second song, "House of Flying Daggers," features WTCers Inspectah Deck and Method Man in a well-executed throw back to 36 Chambers, made even edgier, darker and more aggressive. Unfortunately, some of the later WTC-centered tracks grasp less successfully for this hard-edged sound, ending up muddled or stale - "Black Mozart" and "Kiss the Ring" seem confused and overwrought, while "New Wu" slightly misses the (admittedly high) mark.

With over a dozen credited producers, the tracks lack some cohesion. Marley Marl's lazy, minor-key guitar loop on "Pyrex Vision" is followed by Icewater's overdone, orchestral production on "Cold Outside." Scram Jones's melodic sense makes a poor chaser for Allah Mathematics' "Mean Streets" and Dr. Dre's chilled out grooves rest uncomfortably in the midst of a distinctly East Coast album.

The more melodic songs are the most incongruous on the record. "Cold Outside" is a beautiful tune, but trumpets and grandiose production cost it its edge. The female R&B vocals on "Have Mercy" seem half-baked. In general, Icewater-produced songs seem greatly overdone in their heavy orchestration - part of WTC's appeal, and indeed part of the appeal of hardcore rap in general, is its raw minimalism. While the richer backing tracks work in a few places, like the highly dramatized "Canal Street," they mostly just gum up the works.

Better are the stripped, straight-forward beats of "Penitentiary" and "Broken Safety." The former builds painful levels of tension with a fast, high piano pulse on a single uncomfortable interval throughout the entire song. The latter rests on a scraping, metallic bass on the upbeat and little else. "Surgical Gloves" is also worthy of note - the Alchemist's production features cold chiming as if from a video game.

Though most of the songs on the album are excellent, "House of Flying Daggers" and "Canal Street" are both stand-out tracks with enough pop appeal to stick in your memory but enough edge to stand with the WTC's best. "We Will Rob You" is not the best song by any stretch, but the clever humor of the lyrics and the ability to recall the referenced rock song while still sounding like a Raekwon album are certainly worthy of note.

The single strongest track is probably "Broken Safety," which distills the spirit of East Coast rap to its purest form. Guests Jadakiss and Styles P share Raekwon's mic and prove themselves worthy of the role. Straight-forward, unembellished and in your face, "Broken Safety" represents the best of its genre.

"Kiss the Ring" makes for a poor closer, burying talent bellow a jumble of half-articulated ideas. Luckily, the album's bonus track, "Walk with Me," makes a much better finale. The ethereal singing and sparkling wind chimes in the background certainly set it apart, but all the components come together to make a cohesive and powerful statement.

After the disastrous 8 Diagrams, Wu-Tang members have been trying to prove they still have balls. Some of the graphic lyrics in OB4CL II seem unnecessary, especially as Raekwon has nothing to prove. Still, this is probably the heaviest Wu-Tang project to date and in this case, that's a very good thing. As "Broken Safety" explains, "Fuck savin' hip-hop, we bringin' the streets back."

Wu-Tang Forever.

Upcoming Shows: Raekwon (!!!!!!) + more

TOMORROW! Wednesday, September 2

Titus Andronicus, So So Glos @ Secret Project Robot | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $9
Hardcore punk updated for 2009. Two of the best and not at all mean folks. [SSG MySpace] [TA MySpace]


Thursday, September 3

Darlings @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $7
Darlings are some crazy mothafuckas who play messy, unpredictable, loud indie rock/punk. I reviewed them in July. [MySpace]


Saturday, September 5

Phosphorescent @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Wmsburg, Brooklyn | $13
Ages ago, I accidentally went to a Phosphorescent show. I'd never heard the name, but I liked the music. It's got a rootsy feel that points to southern roots, but it's also got a lot of drunken-ish yelling and noise, with some great melodies that could fit in with the best of late 90's indie rock (which was a good era for melodies in indie rock, if you were wondering). [MySpace]

Grooms @ 502 West 25th Street | Chelsea, Manhattan
Less Artists More Condos was one of NYC's best DIY operations and one of many DIY venue casualties in recent months. But the mastermind of LAMC is carrying on with his booking operations and has set up this lovely night with up-and-comers Grooms (fka Muggabears), who blend dark, experimental guitar sound with memorable melodies. The band's debut album, due out later this fall, is sure to make a splash. [MySpace]


Tuesday, September 8

Raekwon w/ special guests @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan | $30 SOLD OUT
In a night hosted by P Diddy, Wu-Tang member Raekwon will celebrate the release of his LP Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, perhaps the most anticipated rap album of the decade. It's predecessor, released fourteen years ago, was hailed as one of the best and most influential gangsta rap albums ever. Raekwon will be joined by fellow Wu-Tang alums Ghostface Killah and Method Man and legendary rap artists Talib Kweli and Busta Rhymes, among others. Shockingly, this doesn't seem to be a private event. Unsurprisingly, tickets sold out earlier this afternoon (while I was putting this post together, sorry). If you can score tickets, just remember these rappers aren't joking - they and the members of their inner circle not only lived the gangsta lives they describe, they still live it. In a venue this intimate, you should be prepared for an experience that stands in contrast to, say, your typical indie rock show.