UPDATE: There were some issues with the Silverlight app before but they’ve been fixed. I was using a custom MP3 encoder to get live audio visualizations in the app but it was crashing in certain browsers. Everything should be working now (sans visualization), but don’t hesitate to let me know if you’re running into issues. The source, by the way, still includes the audio visualization and if someone can see where I’ve messed things up I’d love to know about it!

I realize that 2010 is officially 1/12 over and so any excuse about waiting until the last minute to allow for late breaking slam dunks is going to seem disingenuous. The truth is that over Christmas vacation, I compiled most of the list and even wrote 90% of a Silverlight app for showcasing it. I made the mistake, though, of including a place for a “blurb” about each album in the app and it’s taken me until tonight to write all of those. Well, without further ado, here it is: my best albums of 2009.

This is (as I mentioned) a Silverlight 3 app. You’re welcome to download the source (here) and do with it as you please. It uses the completely awesome Saluse Media Kit to create the playback visualization bars (in conjunction with the must have WriteableBitmapEx extensions for WriteableBitmap). If you have your own list of 25 albums, it would be easy to reuse this. It’s driven by an XML file. Expect more lists from in the near future (including the already compiled best albums of the decade which just need blurbs now).

With the MacWorld keynote come and gone you’re probably wondering which day on your calendar you should circle next.  Let me help out: Jan. 20.  That’s the day we get new music from both Andrew Bird and Bon Iver and, from what I’ve heard, I’ve got high hopes for both!

Bon Iver was my number one album last year and this is his third mention on the blog.  I’m always a little nervous about a follow-up album (or even a 4-track EP) in this kind of situation.  The first was so good but a bad second could taint it.  The last thing I want is for my three-blog-mention allstar of 2008 to wind up as a one hit wonder.

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Good news.  So far, I’m disappointment free.  The first single, Blood Bank, manages to keep the warm “folk + reverb” that we came to love in “For Emma, Forever Ago” but supplements it with a band and an ever more confident vocal.  Check it out below!

Second is a full-length album from the prolific Andrew Bird (who snuck a full 8 songs into 2008 without me noticing! Thanks Nate/Jonathan for the heads up).  You can hear the whole album streamed from NPR.  Seriously?  NPR.  Not sure if that makes him seem more or less cool…it doesn’t change the fact that this is a great listen though.  I guess it makes sense that a guy who can rhyme “closeness” with “mitosis” would show up on NPR first.

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I woke up today and realized that I never got my best albums post posted!  I kept waiting, thinking I might discover a last minute fav that would bump somebody else off the list.  Well, it’s 2009 now and time to move on.

Truth is that 2008 was not an easy top 10 to compile.  There were plenty of good albums, but it was hard to find 10 that the kind of game changers that you want to have forever.  I’m pretty confident about the first half of the list but by about number 7, things start to get a little tougher.  Well, without further ado, here’s the list.  Happy New Year and happy listening.

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Honorable Mentions

In spite of having a tough year finding great albums, I found a lot of good ones.  More, in fact, than fit into the top 10.  Here are some other great finds for the year:

Deathcab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs
Neil Halstead, Oh Mighty Engine
Flight of the Conchords, Flight of the Conchords (the album is good but series is GREAT)
Santogold, Santogold
Blind Pilot, 3 Rounds and a Sound
Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue
Raphael Saadiq, The Way I See It
Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours

Really, after 10 any of these could have probably filled the last three stops.  Some of them are just great listening not necessarily critical successes (like the Neil Halstead album).  The Deatchab album would be a top 5 if it were a first release from them.  Instead, it sounds a little too familiar.  Santogold is great, but not a great album…just a couple of great singles.

I’ll keep the honorable mentions list running.  I’m sure I’ll remember other great listens from the year.  Let me know if you found something you think I’d like!

(Updated with working audio!)

If you’re not already a Sufjan (pronounced soof-yun) fan then I’m about to knock your socks off (or else leave them squarely on your feet if you’re more of a GNR person…in fact, feel free to skip this one, too much banjo for you).

You may have thought original Christmas music ended with Paul McCartney or Wham, but Mr. Stevens brings us not just a song or an album but a box set!  Actually, a lot of the music here is traditional but, for me, the originals are the highlights.  All in all he probably wrote 8 or 9 new Christmas songs for the album.  Check out three favorites below.

Come on! Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance!

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Put the Lights On the Tree

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That Was the Worst Chrimstas Ever

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I’m headed to Brazil tomorrow. I can’t wait. It’s no secret that Brazil is my favorite place on the earth, a superlative I’m not afraid of backing up.  So, if you’re in Rio next week, let me know. I’d love to grab a suco with you somewhere and conversar um pouquinho sobre o estado das coisas tecnologicas. Deixe me saber!

In the meantime, I’ll leave with you some Caetano Veloso, which is about as close as you can get to the awesomeness of Brazil without actually being there. These songs are both from his album Tropicalia, a pioneering record and one of the first to define the Tropicalia genre of Brazilian music (which, admittedly, has its hits and misses but know this: David Byrne approves and apparently so does Kurt Cobain). Incidentally, the title of the second song, Superbacana, means "Super Awesome" so there you go.

Caetano Veloso: Eles

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Caetano Veloso: Superbacana

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I rediscovered a classic this weekend.  My brother was in town and we watched (a TV version) of The Royal Tenenbaums (it’s a classic, but not the classic I was referring to).  Well, it reminded me of this incredible album (that one is the classic).

If you saw The Life Aquatic (a different Wes Anderson film, also a classic), then maybe you remember the guy singing David Bowie songs in Portuguese.  Turns out he has a whole album.  To call this album unlikely is an understatement: David Bowie classics, reinterpreted and sung in Portuguese by Seu Jorge to the accompaniment of his (awesome) nylon string guitar.  It’s the best.

I think anybody could fall in love with this album.  It’s quirky and beautiful (much like The Life Aquatic, the movie that launched the album).  I dare say, however, that I love it more than you.  Sorry, but I think its true.

Here’s why: 1) I speak Portuguese.  If you don’t speak Portuguese too, well, I think I just won any potential battle we might have over who loves this album more.  Sorry.  If you do, we should conversar a little (I’d love a reason to go to Brazil!).  These songs seem way too personal to just call them translations.  Not sure if its a bias of the different language or if there really is a different meaning to the lyrics, but these songs (at least to me) are about Brazil, and  2) I used to live in Brazil.

Also, I happen to know that Seu Jorge had a tough life, but one that was typical in Brazil (at least when I was there in the late nineties).  Read a fascinating interview with him here, and check out a translation of his version of Life on Mars here.

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Okay, I just read the Bowie lyrics.  Yeah, these are different songs.  No disrespect to Mr. Bowie, but I like the Seu Jorge version.

Oh, and not to judge an album by its cover, but…come on, with an album cover like that you know this is going to be good.  Yeah, this is one worth owning.

Beck is usually a little more hit than miss for me.  This one is a hit. Even with the misses, I always respect his willing to explore new concepts and start from scratch. He’s a chameleon of sorts, he’s constantly reinventing his craft (both musically and as a performer). That can be dangerous ground as a musician. Inevitably you’re going to alienate someone and ,if undirected, exploration just comes off as fake or precious.

I choose to think that Beck is genuine in his curiosity, though, and I really admire it. It’s tough to jump grooves, but he seems to constantly pushing.

Well, either way, he has a new album and it might be his most accessible since O’delay. I’m a big fan. I think the critical reviews have been lukewarm to full on warm (but probably not hot), but it’s a great listen and if you’re looking for a way to cut your teeth on post-O’delay Beck then this is your chance because it’s all hooks.  Also, that cover is great.

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About a year ago, I began a very short (2 post?) history of blogging about music.  Believe it or not, I’ve actually had requests to pick that up again.  Awesome!  Thanks to those (two) of you who wanted to hear more.

Bon Iver (actually Justin Vernon) is the best way I could imagine kicking that off again.  From what I can gather, we can refer to him as a “him” not a “them” (kinda like Prince or Feist, not like Toto or Pearl Jam).  The album, For Emma, Forever Ago, is the result of a winter spent holed up in a Northern Wisconsin cabin.  That combination proved to be pretty magical and the album is incredible.

I first came across Mister Iver (a.k.a. Vernon) at SXSW.  I was in town for the first evening of the music conference (just as the interactive conference was wrapping up) and he happened to be on the roster for that night.  My badge wouldn’t let me into the show, but I listened through the door for about 15 minutes.  It was enough to leave me hooked.

The track below doesn’t really do the album justice, but no song really would.  It’s a complete experience and a definite top ten for this year.  Check it out.  If you’re in the mood for more sampling, you can get a free track (Skinny Love, another great one) here.

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I had a nice flight and I would attribute that primarily to Van Morrison and Feist.   Both are serious rockers with a friendly side.  So in the spirit of sharing, I did some YouTube research and came accross these videos.

The first is Van Morrison circa 1965.  When I was 14 I was into a song with the lyric “If I should die in a car wreck, may I have Van Morrison on my tape deck.”  At the time, I think the only Van Morrison song I knew was Moondance which is a great song, but left me thinking that Van was a bit of a crooner.  Needless to say, I didn’t relate to the lyric.  Watching this, though, you can understand the ethos of a Van-head.  Van’s got a serious presence.  Also, checkout the size of that guys guitar at the end of the clip.

The second set clip is from Feist’s album The Rememberance which is quickly climbing my personal charts.  My favorite song on the album is I Feel it All and somehow Jimmy Kimmel got her to play it as she drove around on a bus.  Apparently he does that a lot.  He referenced a portion of his web site specifically dedicated to the to the “Pontiac Garage.”  Okay, so it’s a little corny to play music on a bus when you’re actually on TV.  But if ever there were a song that works, it would have to be this one.  The instrumentation is so minimal and Feist’s voice so strong that if you just listen to the clip instead of watching it, you would easily think that it’s a “live” studio recording.  If this song doesn’t get you hooked then, well, stick with Van Morrison.  But just so you know, the rest of album is also this creative.

I’ve been meaning to start a music blog for a long time but clearly I’m kidding myself.  I don’t even moderate comments, much less have time for an entire blog devoted to music.  So, fellow WPF’ers (and Mom), you’re going to have to put up with it here. 

So here’s my first recommendation and it’s a good one.  If you haven’t heard of Will Stratton, you’re not alone.  Apparently few people had until his first album (What the Night Said) hit the shelves a couple of weeks ago.  It’s quiet, thoughtful and slow to get old.  It’s perfect for a drive and full of hooks that, on a first listen, seem familiar but impossible to predict.

The first comparison that comes to mind is Sufjan Stevens (made more obvious by the fact that he gets credited for playing oboe on a couple of tracks).  “Lost the Fear,” and “Oh Quiet Night” are reminiscent of earlier Nick Drake and the drawn out “Sleepwalk” made me think of Mark Kozelek.  I realize that those are big names to throw around in my first music post, but I think they’re justified here. 

To be fair, this album might not be for everyone.  It’s folky, but current, but still folky.  So you’ll have to like (or at least tolerate) some acoustic guitar.  And there is that oboe in a couple of songs.  So, let me know what you think.

By the way, I don’t think my mom really reads my blog.  She’s on her way up the technology ladder but I don’t think she’s discovered blogs yet and has, as far as I know, no interest in WPF (although maybe I should ask…IdentityMine is hiring after all…).  The good news is that her foray into modern computing just got a jolt.  She’s a school teacher and the school gave her a sweet MacBook.  I helped her set it up and among the things I did was install MSN Messenger and add myself as a contact.  That was about 6 months ago and apparently I’m still her only contact because now she’s using her status to send me messages. I came accross this today:

I guess I need to call home.