It’s December 29. That’s officially the happiest day of the year. Or one of the most depressing. Back to work, soon, you know.
But not yet, so why not escape the company of those who you’ve grown to resent by reading what sort of music a bunch of uppity young turds have decided to force up your bumholes to show much cooler than you they are. That’s right, it’s the annual rundown of hecklerspray’s favourite albums!
Oh look excited, for heaven’s sake. And add your own below…
I spent half of this year mentally preparing to write a long, gushing piece on how much I love the Phoenix album, but then two things happened. 1) I ended up hearing it so much – at home, outside, on the radio, on TV shows – that the charm wore off slightly. 2) I heard Kings And Queens by Jamie T – which manages to be a Great British Album in the vein of Parklife or The Village Green Preservation Society or All Mod Cons and dazzlingly modern all at once. It's turned me into an annoying Jamie T evangelist, so I'll pick that. Also, well done to Devendra Banhart for making the third best album of the year. Again.
Shawn Lindseth
Ahh 2009, you were a great year for music. You started out with …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead shaking the very foundation of rock n’ roll (yet again) and you pretty much wrapped up with Julian Casablancas spraying us all down with some eighties-cool. And that’s not all. In the interim Eels howled at the moon, fun. tried to push peacocks onto the endangered species list, and Marcy Playground surprised us with a brand new album of impeccable quality.
But the best album…the greatest thing to digitally plunk out of my iPod – was Say Hi‘s Ohhs & Aahs.
Matthew Laidlow
Oh I can't pick just one album, that's just way too hard. It's like asking a mother to pick one of her children from a burning fire. There has been plenty of amazing stuff this year that has entertained my ears and pissed off commuters on the bus. To be fair, Animal Collective kind of had the title of record of the year sown up in January with their ‘winning over the masses’ album Merriweather Post Pavilion. Honestly, it's bloody great and if you like buying CDs in shops; it comes with some brilliant trippy artwork. The track My Girls is the highlight and is six minutes of disco meets electronica heaven. But my favourites of the year? Well if you care, they?d have to be Ambivalence Avenue by Bibio and If You Were Fruit by The Lovely Eggs. Both albums are completely different in terms of their genre and style but make a record that you\’ll listen to again and again. I do anyway.
Chris Laverty
Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster Deluxe Edition – Not since Madonna could flex her biceps without also batting her eyelids has a pop star married the world of fashion and music with such gender bending confidence and downright dirty attitude as Lady Gaga. It is fair to say that most people couldn't give a stuff about this sort of thing and just like their musicians to play a tune and upload as a pretty picture on their iPod. Gaga is perfect here too. Her songs are so catchy you will get on your own nerves singing them. Plus she rocks a bin-bag dress or lampshade bodice like nobody else before her. More interesting and cool than 99% of the regurgitating dance meets R&B meets electro acts out there, Lady Gaga has released a new album every bit as potty as you expected it to be. The clue is in her name, see. While copycat Rihanna pouts and frowns, Gaga just gets on with enjoying herself dressed as Minnie Mouse and singing songs in gibberish. All we need now is a duet with Michael Bubl? and the greatest musical achievement this side of Wings awaits us.
Amy Grindhouse
My tastes are too eclectic to sum up in one word – other than the word eclectic. Let me try that again. My random taste in music sees me listening to everything from Johnny Cash to Alicia Keys. My favourite album for this year would probably be The Fame by Lady GaGa. Yes, really. It is a bundle of weirdness with just enough random pockets of ‘What the hell is this I’m listening to, eh?’ to keep someone like me interested.
Josh Burt
Being one of those awful angular types, who can’t possibly know anything about new music without feeling outed and self-conscious, I couldn’t name a good album from 2009. Perhaps Susan Boyle or Coldplay? I just bought this record on eBay, but it’s totally depressing and well old. My record of the year though, because I found it in 2009.
Paul Gibson
A New Tide by Gomez. First studio album since 2006’s quite wondrous How We Operate. It’s more pastoral than their previous works, with a lot more acoustic songs and a lot fewer rambling blues jams. That could upset some fans, but I think it works perfectly as a snapshot of the band’s current mental state. The boys are settling down (houses, wives, children) and becoming adults. This could be the beginning of their musical Second Age.
Keith Emmerson
A Camp – Colonia
While I could quite easily favour this album because of the heavenly beauty of Nina Persson alone, that’s not really it. I loved this album from the first listen, the opening track, The Crowning, teases you in with a gentle piano intro then builds more and more layers until you’re in the middle of a deep, warm and surrounding sound. Before you know it you’re at the melancholic but uplifting conversational duet Golden Teeth and Silver Medals. This is one of the few albums I’ve come to appreciate more after experiencing live, I’m going to listen to it some more now.
Louise Scodie
Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun
I first heard Empire of the Sun one night when I was feeling morose yet defiant. I was listening to Radcliffe and Maconie on Radio 2. The loveable duo burbled about prog rock for a bit and then played Walking on a Dream, Empire of the Sun?s first hit. I fell in love with it instantly because Empire of the Sun also sounded morose yet defiant. Their album, also entitled Walking on a Dream, is beautiful, melodic and petulant. We Are The People, its standout track, makes me want to run about, get drunk and hug people. Buy this album!
David Scarborough
Muse ? Uprising
Unsurprisingly, Muse yet again return with another piece of audio mastery. Not their best album but it is probably the best rock record of the year. I can't wait to see what they do next!
Robyn Wilder
Hold up, Granddad ? album? Album? I don't do albums man, I don't have time! I'm a child of the future, I'm too busy cloning myself and pimping my hoverboard. I do have a favourite song, though. It is, predictably, She-Wolf by Shakira, for these reasons:
-????????? Awooooo!
-????????? The lyric ?darling, this is lycanthropy.?
-????????? The viral campaign
Its AWESOME parody video. Actually it's better than the original.
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Shooty* says
Thanks for making me realise how old I am.
Happy f**king new year to you too.
Thirteen says
You people are strange :) Seriously – Lady Gaga? I still love you though.
For me album of the year is Rammstein “Liebe ist f
clive onion says
i am still trying to find an album of the year list that has more than one that i have on mine. i infer from this that i am the coolest onion head on the planet.
check the list on
http://www.cliveonionpresents.co.uk
and fall in love with veg.
halo says
white lies, white lies, white lies, white lies
did I mention the WHITE FREAKING LIES!!!!!!!!