2009: Year in Review for Music

I was originally gonna do a few top ten lists here and there, but I already did the album countdown and every other website does top ten lists so I wanted to switch things up and just offer up my opinions on the music industry as a whole, some of the best acts of the year, some bands I just discovered that you should know and so on and so forth.  How's THAT for a run on sentence?  Without further ado, let's get down to business. 

To begin the article, I want to give a proper R.I.P to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.  His death and subsequent hoopla was easily the story of the year, and he left a mark and an impact on the industry (and world) that will never be duplicated.  Say what you want about the man, but to deny his musical genius would be a crime in itself.  We miss you, MJ.

2009 was the year that I dove head-first into the world of indie rock and never looked back.  Disenfranchised with what I was hearing on the radio, I discovered a whole new world of music to explore and my life has become better for it.  Bands like Phoenix and Grizzly Bear really came into their own this year, dropping critically acclaimed albums and developing a decent following the in the process.  Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's composed a HELLUVA soundtrack for the movie Where the Wild Things Are and if you have not heard it or are unfamiliar with the band, I suggest you get on both of those right NOW.

It was a tough decision, but probably my favorite indie album this year was Metric's Fantasies.  I would compare them to Rilo Kiley's latest works, except they are from Canada, not California.  Lead singer Emily Haines has a voice that just drips with sexuality, especially since most of the songs are about sex, which helps.  The album has a good balance of New Wave-y synths, 80's rock style guitars and catchy as hell choruses.  Songs to check out:  "Help I'm Alive"; "Gold Guns Girls";  "Gimme Sympathy"; "Sick Muse".

Switching gears to more mainstream rock-n-roll, and the landscape is much, much bleaker.  Radio bands like Nickelback, Three Days Grace, The Fray and others continue to pollute the airwaves with their dilluted rock.  "Acoustic douchebag" rock reached sickening levels this year as John Mayer released a new album, Battle Studies, the perfect soundtrack for horny teenage girls and cliche-sensitive dudes.  We also saw Jason Mraz's sickening song "I'm Yours" absolutely rule the radio.  Seriously, I would try to change stations but ultimately, could never escape it.  One Republic, who after releasing a promising debut album, faltered with their 2009 release Waking Up.  Ryan Tedder is a helluva songwriter, but apparently he gave out all his best shit to Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson and Jordan Sparks.  30 Seconds to Mars returned from a four year hiatus with the abysmal This Is War.  I was a huge fan of Jared Leto and company until they unleashed this pile of horse manure, a mixture of all the worst parts of U2 and Muse, diluted further with hints of Auto-Tune and a FUCKING KANYE WEST guest spot.  Go die somewhere, Jared Leto.

As far as major label rock, hands down my album of the year was Brand New's Daisy.  I am a disciple of the songs of Jesse Lacey and Vinnie Accardi and when I first this album, it was tough to swallow.  I thought their previous effort, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me was their best, and this album took an even more moody and minimalistic approach.  After a few listens though, I was hooked and cannot stop listening.  Perfect mood music for those lonely nights with a beer and cigarette, reflections on spiritual and personal struggles, the whole nine yards, this album is beautiful.  Songs to check out: "Bed"; "At the Bottom"; "Noro"; "You Stole".



Finally we come to world of hip-hop, which has definitely seen better days.  This was the year that the dumber and more simplistic you were, the better chances of becoming a mega star you had.  You had moronic hit singles like Dorrough's "Ice Cream Paint Job", Plies "Becky", OJ Da Juiceman "Make the Trap Say", Soulja Boy "Kiss You Thru Da Phone", and the list goes on and on.  We also saw the rise of terry-cloth soft "rapper" Drake who somehow built a huge buzz by offering nothing worthwhile.  A bunch of ignorant southern rappers are off to jail, with Lil Boosie, Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane all behind bars for the forseeable future (thank God).  2009 was the year that Shyne came home, but whether he returns to rapping is yet to be seen.  Ma$e also made a spirited comeback, but we will see where it leads to...

Narrowing down my favorite rap album of the year was a tough call.  You had Cam'ron return from a lengthy hiatus, but while Crime Pays was a solid outing, it was largely forgettable when compared to recent works.  Clipse just BARELY lived up to expectations with Til the Casket Drops, and while it is in heavy rotation for me at the moment, is not on par with their previous works.  Eminem returned to form with Relapse, but the album kinda of blended together for me and was also quite forgettable. Raekwon brought the thunder with his long awaited Cuban Linx sequel, but as always, sequels are never as good as the originals.  So who had the best rap album of 2009?

JOE FUCKIN' BUDDEN.  While the Slaughterhouse album with his homies Royce, Joell, and Crooked I was up there, there was no more complete album in ANY genre for me this year than this one.  A portrait of a mentally troubled man coming to grips with the loss of fame, drug addictions and just life's fuckery in general, Joey spits like a man possessed and at the end of his rope and bleeds raw emotion like it's nobody's business.  Better than Blueprint 3, better than Man on the Moon, Joe Budden continues to be the most slept on MC going today.  Get ya head out your ass and buy this album NOW.  Songs to check for: "Good Enough"; "State of You";  "We Outta Here"; "Anti"; "Clothes on a Mannequin"


Despite all the bullshit, I gotta say 2009 was a great year for music.  Sales might be down, but for every Drake or Nicki Minaj, artists like Lady Gaga and Wale have emerged to give me hope that talent will conquer all.  If not, there's always the underground....just as a music fan, I challenge all of you to buck the status quo and dig a little deeper for music.  There's so much good shit out there, but between radio and MTV, you don't get to hear it all.  Challenge yourself a little bit, because life is so much better with the gift of great music.  Be easy yall....

ARTIST OF THE YEAR:  Michael Jackson
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Escape Route by Joe Budden
BREAKOUT STAR OF THE YEAR: Lady Gaga
WORST ARTIST OF THE YEAR:  Drake
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT:  New Again by Taking Sunday or Elipse by Imogen Heap (tie)
SURPRISE OF THE YEAR:  Strong sales for the under-promoted albums of Jadakiss and Raekwon
FLOP OF THE YEAR: Before I Self-Destruct by 50 Cent