Ohmpark Mixtape #13: Our Favourite Songs of 2009

ohmparktop102009_2

If you’ve been paying attention around here this year, there is no doubt you will be familiar with everything on this list, and perhaps even a little burnt out on some of these tracks. But each of these songs are strongly linked to different moments and memories I have of 2009, and they make up the ultimate soundtrack to an amazing year in music. So jam them out one last time:

Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse w/ Wayne Coyne : Revenge
Animal Collective : My Girls
Atlas Sound w/ Noah Lennox : Walkabout
The Dirty Projectors : Useful Chamber
Grizzly Bear : Two Weeks
Bat For Lashes : Daniel
Andrew Bird : Anonanimal
Here We Go Magic : Fangela
Loney, Dear : Airport Surroundings
Mew : Introducing Palace Players
St. Vincent : The Strangers
Do Make Say Think : Do
Phoenix : Lisztomania
Nomen Novum : Miracles Come True

Hott Summer Traxx

During the summer great albums always drop like rain and I usually seem to have less time to talk about them, so here is a superpost full of tracks from the records I’m loving right now accompanied by a nano-review:

Dark Night Of The Soul

It seems Danger Mouse’s best work is destined to be illegal, and this teamup with Sparklehorse and a vast cast of music superpowers is going to give the other “dark night” record a run for its money as best compilation of 2009:

Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse : Revenge
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse : Little Girl
Dark Night Of The Soul website

Bibio

Bibio takes his ’60s folky electronica into a J Dilla direction creating maybe the best summery album of the year:

Bibio : Fire Ant
Bibio : Lovers’ Carvings
Buy Ambivalence Avenue
Bibio myspace

Sonic Youth

The greatest band of the last three decades drops yet another gem that holds up to their cornucopia of a discography, this time showcasing their mastery of extended guitar jams:

Sonic Youth : Antenna
Sonic Youth : Walkin Blue
Buy The Eternal
Sonic Youth website

DD/MM/YYYY

Canadians get mathy with this intricate record that surprisingly sprawls into a lot of different territory in 35 minutes:

DD/MM/YYYY : Bronzage
DD/MM/YYYY : Sirius b
Buy Black Square
DD/MM/YYYY myspace

Woods

Folksy, psychedelic rockers that are too good for their lo-fi branding, and this album allows them to display their proclivity for writing great, succinct pop songs and occasionally letting lose a long meandering jam.

Woods : The Number
Woods : Military Madness
Buy Songs Of Shame
Woods myspace

Sunset Rubdown

Spencer Krug’s most consistent outlet produces yet another “grower” album that I love more and more with each listen.

Sunset Rubdown : Black Swan
Buy Dragonslayer
Sunset Rubdown myspace

The Mars Volta

TMV take a left turn from the velocity of their career so far, and it turns out they do soft, down-tempo and nuanced just a good as they do everything else.

The Mars Volta : With Twilight As My Guide
Buy Octahedron
The Mars Votla myspace

Live Review and Photos: Sparklehorse (3-4-07) Variety Playhouse

Last Sunday’s Sparklehorse show was short and sweet, like this review. First up (since Deerhunter dropped out) was Jesse Sykes and The Sweet Hereafter. The band was not bad for an opener but not too impressive either. I’m always kind of put off by a name that’s “Somebody” and “the other guys’ band name”. I mean it’s one thing when you’re a music legend from some other band, but when you’re not even the best musician in your band and the band is backing you, well, it just doesn’t feel like they’re in it for the music.

Sparklehorse came out and rocked hard and concisely. The set contained only a few songs off the latest Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain(#14 of 2006), but was very entertaining and i just really love this band. The drummer’s daughter was dancing around on the stage most of the set and even had her on a piano or something to play during the show. Biggie C got some great photos as per usual: (click to enlarge)

Check Out Sparklehorse

Sugarkane’s Top 50 Albums of 2006

2006 was a great year for me, and the main reasons are mostly related to music. I decided to do this list in December because i wanted to learn about as much music as possible, and what I thought would take a few days ended up taking almost 2 months, but it was extremely educational for me and i feel very good about this list. There were so many albums that I would like to give props to and cutting it down to 50 was hard. On a technical note, I went by U.S. release date with the exception of Laura’s Radio Swan Is Down (It was released in Australia over a year ago and has no U.S. release date). Feel free to blast it:

Click here to read the entire post…