and now we’re finally getting to our personal lists. we’ve decided to do a separate post for the each of us, so as to kindly not overshadow one another. for me, 2009 was a hell of a year musically. i discovered a lot of great new artists and even got into some artists i never would’ve never thought i’d be listening to.

i’m glad to say that i didn’t give into any of the overbearing hype of the band that shares my weworemasks pseudonym or any collectives this year, if not only for the principle. i saw a lot of great shows, and it’s safe to say that we’re all ready for 2010. let’s kick the new decade off correctly.

thanks to all the readers and especially all the loyals out there for sticking around after all this time. we’re going to do our best to kill it again this year.

-grizzly

[TOP SHOWS]

10. brand new with thrice // verizon wireless theater // houston, tx // october 2009 [REVIEW]
9. the nah right + the smoking section showcase featuring tanya morgan, curren$y, blu + exile, charles hamilton and b.o.b. // peckerheads // austin, tx // march 2009 [REVIEW]
8. incubus // cynthia woods mitchell pavilion // houston, tx // august 2009 [REVIEW]
7. moving mountains // walter’s on washington // houston, tx // august 2009 [REVIEW]
6. rx bandits // meridian // houston, tx // july 2009 [REVIEW]
5. the gaslight anthem // antone’s // austin, tx // april 2009
4. GZA // fun fun fun fest // waterloo park // austin, texas // november 2009 [REVIEW]
3. manchester orchestra with fun., audrye sessions and winston audio // walter’s on washington // houston, tx // may 2009 [REVIEW]
2. jay-z // the blueprint 3 tour // frank erwin center // austin, texas // november 2009 [REVIEW]
1. the g.o.o.d. music showcase featuring kanye west, common, erykah badu, big sean, kid cudi, mr. hudson, glc, consequence, really doe, fonzworth bentley and tony williams // sxsw @ the fader fort // austin, texas // march 2009 [REVIEW]

[TOP MIXTAPES]

honorable mentions:

rhymefest – the manual
tyga – black thoughts

15. consequence – a tribe called quence
14. the niceguys – the green room
13. currensy & wiz khalifa – how fly
12. lil wayne – no ceilings
11. idle warship – party robot
10. wale – back to the feature
9. blu – herfavoritecolo(u)r
8. quest – broken headphones
7. j cole – the warm up
6. j period x q-tip – the [abstract] best

5. lupe fiasco – enemy of the state: a love story

this guy could write the most prolific or the most nonsensical stuff and i’d cop. lupe is far and away the best mainstream lyricist there is now (did any of you actually LISTEN to the cool?) and i’m glad he dropped this little tape to hold over the fans until LASERS comes. “you might think this is deep as fuck, but this is like my weaker stuff.” nuff said.

4. big sean – uknowbigsean

big sean is G.O.O.D. music’s golden boy, and i’m positive that kanye west himself knows it. the youngin’ is witty and intricate, and can still have the braggadocio that you’ve either learned to love or hate in an upcoming emcee. while G.O.O.D. is currently leeching off of kid cudi’s new found success, we have a star in the making. i have nothing but high hopes and expectations for finally famous.

3. b.o.b. – b.o.b. vs. bobby ray

bobby ray proves time and time again his versatility. what better way to establish, showcase and brag about said versatility by releasing a mixtape that contains two very distinct spectrums of your sound? b.o.b. shows the more streamlined and straightward ATLien in him. and he’s got the lyrical prowess to boot. on the flipside, bobby ray combines synthesizers, electric and acoustic guitars and does a fine job at that as well.

2. drake – so far gone

it’s been about ten months since so far gone was release, and it’s far beyond credible to list drake as a top favorite, right? pay me no mind, i care not for your judgment. truth be told, this “mixtape” turned more heads than any mainstream artist’s studio releases. it’s really strange to think about how big this album would be had it been a retail release. yes, many of these beats are borrowed from other artists. yes, drake has to give it up for lykke li and peter bjorn and john for allowing him to release two of the mixtape’s best songs. but i’ll be damned if there isn’t a world of promise and the very future of mainstream hip-hop here.

1. theophilus london – this charming mixtape

theophilus london’s this charming mixtape is hip-hop’s hidden treasure. after catching his highly impressive set at a sxsw showcase, fanaticism was instant. aside from his name, (which is unbelievable amounts of cool in its own right) there is a very specific UK meets USA feel to his music — like a dizzee rascal meets kid cudi, with theo being a much more capable emcee than both. it’s more than likely due to the completely due to the UK dance-club ready production by machine drum (who deserves a spot of his own), but it’s also theo’s approach to the songs – namely a different and much more approachable style and bravado that hip hop has been used to for the past 20 years.

[TOP ALBUMS]

honorable mentions:

alchemist – chemical warfare
andrew dost – columbus
morrissey – swords

top 50:

50. zechs marquise – our delicate stranded nightmare
49. doom – born like this
48. ben gibbard and jay farrar – one fast move or i’m gone
47. major lazer – guns don’t kill people…lazers do
46. doomtree – false hopes XV
45. fabulous – loso’s way
44. portugal. the man – the satanic satanist
43. sene and blu – adaylateandadollarshort
42. tanya morgan – brooklynati
41. royce da 5’9″ – street hop

40. the dangerous summer – reach for the sun
39. the mars volta – octahedron
38. mew – no more stories are told today, i’m sorry they washed away
37. ghostface killah – ghostdini: the wizard of poetry
36. taking back sunday – new again
35. skyzoo – the salvation
34. atlas sound – logos
33. dizzee rascal – tongue n cheek
32. the decemberists – hazards of love
31. neon indian – psychic chasms

30. the cambiata – the cambiata
29. winston audio – the red rhythm
28. rick ross – deeper than rap
27. as cities burn – hell or high water
26. blakroc – blakroc
25. brand new – daisy
24. discovery – LP
23. cursive – mama, i’m swollen
22. third eye blind – ursa major
21. lady gaga – the fame: monster

20. the xx – xx
19. kid cudi – man on the moon: the end of day
18. eye alaska – genesis underground
17. jay-z – the blueprint 3
16. mr. hudson – straight no chaser
15. rx bandits – mandala
14. mos def – the ecstatic
13. passion pit – manners
12. clipse – till the casket drops
11. raekwon – only built 4 cuban linx II

10. phoenix – wolfgang amadeus phoenix

hands down, this is one of the catchiest and most enjoyable pop albums i’ve heard in quite some time. i found myself going back to wolfgang several times a week. songs like “love like a sunset” really capture the band’s full potential while songs like “1901” broke down all kinds of mainstream barriers finding itself into trailers and commercials alike.

9. p.o.s. – never better

i’m pretty much with jerome when it comes to hip-hop. i don’t tend to like angry emcees as much as the gloaters, but p.o.s. really struck a chord with me. never better is chock full of incredible production and the most potent and recklessly aggressive and fluid emceeing this year. i’ve taken p.o.s. in stride over the years, leaving shows annoyed and unimpressed at shows in his audition era, but never better hit the fucking nail on the head.

8. bat for lashes – two suns

here’s the sore thumb in my top ten. i hadn’t gotten into bat for lashes until about midway through 2009, and i can’t help but be disappointed in myself. natasha khan’s presence in the studio is as charming as it is haunting. natasha does a fine job of balancing airy songs like “daniel” and songs run down by tribal percussion like “glass,” which is no elementary task. two suns flows effortlessly and at the same time, instill the most bizarre imagery. those music videos didn’t help much, either.

7. as tall as lions – you can’t take it with you

this band has had it out for them since 2006, because their self-titled album is just about guaranteed a place in my top ten records of all time. i’ve pushed a pressure on the band that is damn near impossible to stack up against. in comparison, nothing would keep me satisfied, but as it turns out, you can’t take it with you is a gem. vocal and percussion-based experimentation really gave this band a run for it’s money.

6. manchester orchestra – mean everything to nothing

in all honesty, my first impression of mean everything to nothing was not one of good standing. immediately i blamed the fact that manchester orchestra had been listening to far too much of the jesus lizard and nirvana and decided it’d be a good time to put out a very gritty and grungy album in the same vein. turns out, i forgot how much i used to love nirvana when i was young. andy hull is an unruly songwriter and maintains to progress in haze of self-loathing and over-awareness, in an album whose importance is exponential after each listen. not to mention, this album’s stock grew tenfold after i saw the bulk of it performed.

5. kevin devine – brother’s blood

for as long as i can remember, i’ve loved about half to three-fourths of every kevin devine album. the dreaded “album filler” is an affliction that has stayed with him through the best (split the country, split the streets) and the not-so-hot (put your ghost to rest) of his albums, but i think he finally got it right with brother’s blood. this album is a collection of kevin’s finest and cohesive work to date. using the goddamn band as a crutch really worked out to his advantage, texturizing that burning sincerity he’s been so good at unwinding on record.

4. mayer hawthorne – a strange arrangement

mayer hawthorne has an unbelievably likable element about him. the entire concept of ‘mayer hawthorne’ started out as a running joke, which makes this album all the more impressive. a comforting and very sincere sound for something that started out as a joke. every time i spin this record, i find it hard to consider this something that was released in 2009. highly derivative but complacent with the fact, mayer’s 60s sound has resonated greatly with me, and i feel that anybody with a soulful bone in their body could take a huge liking to this album.

3. thrice – beggars

it’s hard for me to pinpoint any single band besides thrice who have maintained themselves as a cohesive and constantly progressing force in my music collection. it has been endlessly gratifying to know that there is a band that will not only progress through their own art, but with a fine-tuned sense of the listener. it seems like from 2001’s the illusion of safety to this year’s beggars, thrice has never let me down due to the simple fact that they continue to evolve with what i’m feeling emotionally keeping in close relations to my actual tastes at the moment.

2. wale – attention deficit

and here are your stripes, mr. folarin. consider them earned. after two lauded mixtapes, you’ve delivered a product containing equal parts entertainment and introspection, with a finesse and grace that is hard to find in the hip-hop industry. nevermind the fact that there are heaps of a-list rappers that have been around for a decade and your peers in the ‘freshman class’ could only dream of and will more than likely never release a record of this caliber. well done.

1. fun. – aim & ignite

the format’s break-up really bogged me down, but i’ve taken it upon myself to declare aim & ignite the most probable candidate for what would’ve followed dog problems. the album is an adventure in and of itself. there’s ample orchestration and a level of whim that could bring joy to the most grim. see how i made that rhyme? that’s what the album does to me. i would also like to use this forum to make note of how bad i would want to see a musical centered around this album, and urge nate reuss and company to make it happen.

[TOP SONGS]

ok, now before we start with the list, a few notes:

a. this list includes one-offs that were either b-sides, unreleased tracks, or just internet-singles.
b. all 50 of these songs were from albums that i didn’t get into or consider for my top fifty albums or fifteen mixtapes list.
c. these are in alphabetical order.

alexisonfire – young cardinals
asher roth – la di da
ataris, the – all souls day
big sean – glenwood [f. kanye west]
big sean – rollin’ [remix; f. kid cudi]
bloc party – one more chance
b.o.b. – ghost in a machine
b.o.b. – nothin’ on you [f. bruno mars]
chromeo – night by night [green label sound; single]
common – strange fruit [unreleased; f. john legend]
drake – fear
drake – forever [f. kanye west, lil’ wayne and eminem]
dream, the – walking on the moon [f. kanye west]
ed helms – stu’s song [the hangover soundtrack]
gaslight anthem, the – left of the dial [cover; the replacements] + i do not hook up [cover; kelly clarkson]
glc – flight school [f. kanye west and t-pain]
golden filter, the – thunderbird
hockey – song away
incubus – black heart inertia
jay electronica – exhibit c
janelle monae – come alive (war of the roses)
kid sister – daydreamin’ [f. cee-lo green]
kidz in the hall – flickin’
lil wayne – ay man [f. pharrell williams]
lykke li – possibility
mayer hawthorne – little boxes [weeds theme song]
method man and redman – dangerous MCs
michael jackson – this is it
minus the bear – into the mirror
moving mountains – lights and shapes [the RAC remix]
mumford and sons – little lion man
nas – if i ruled the world ’09 [f. marsha ambrosious]
nas – film
ocelot – our time
peter bjorn and john – nothing to worry about
really doe – plastic [f. kanye west]
reflection eternal – back again
rick ross – mafia music [remix; f. the game, fat joe and ja rule]
roots, the – how i got over
simian mobile disco – audacity of huge [f. chris keating of yeasayer]
tera melos – hey sandy [cover; polaris]
theophilus london – humdrum town [green label sound; single]
thom yorke – hearing damage
ugk – da game’s been good to me
u-n-i – land of the kings [green label sound; single]
vampire weekend – horchata
wale – family affair
young cash – worst i ever had

bonus:

any instrumental effort by blu

that’ll do it for the list. music aside, this has been a bitch of a year to me, so let’s all toast to a happy, healthy and lucky 2010.

grizzly over and out.