Best Albums of 2009: A Recap

Below is the full list of albums we covered this December as our best of the year. If you missed any of these, feel free to just follow the links over, for a full review.

Animal Noises' Best Albums of 2009

1. Veckatimest -- Grizzly Bear

2. Merriweather Post Pavilion -- Animal Collective

3. Farm -- Dinosaur Jr.

4. Hometowns -- The Rural Alberta Advantage

5. Noble Beast -- Andrew Bird

6. Bitte Orca -- Dirty Projectors

7. Man on the Moon: The End of Day -- Kid Cudi

8. Manners -- Passion Pit

9. Aim and Ignite -- fun.

10. Album -- Girls

11. Hold Time -- M. Ward

12. Person to Person -- Foreign Born

13. People Are Soft -- The Swimmers

14. Wilco (The Album) -- Wilco

15. Wavvves -- Wavves

16. No More Stories... -- Mew

17. Bromst -- Dan Deacon

18. Now I Am Champion -- Sister Suvi

19. Hombre Lobo -- Eels

20. Welcome Joy -- The Cave Singers

21. Beast Rest Forth Mouth -- Bear In Heaven

22. Here We Go Magic -- Here We Go Magic

23. Get Color -- HEALTH

24. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix -- Phoenix

25. Dark Night of the Soul -- Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse

26. God Help the Girl -- God Help the Girl

27. Tentacles -- Crystal Antlers

28. The Blueprint 3 -- Jay-Z

29. Eskimo Snow -- Why?

30. Junior -- Röyksopp

Best Albums of 2009: #5, Andrew Bird's Noble Beast

Rank: #5

Album: Noble Beast

Artist: Andrew Bird

Label: Fat Possum

Andrew Bird's baroque indie masterpiece, Noble Beast, took his already classically-infused sound and completely redefined it. Usually employing the conventions of indie rock with a touch of violin, Noble Beast is a noticeable departure for Bird. The album functions as a vivid portrait of the scenery around him, painted with a classical, albeit southwestern instrumentation. It's a smart, calm and welcoming record, rich in sound and enthusiasm, and a comforting amount of familiarity. Bird has seemingly reached a new height in his skill set, and won't be coming down anytime soon.

Devoid of many conscious track changes, Noble Beast can easily flow as one continuous piece of work, with separate, original movements. Dynamic and engaging songs like "Not a Robot, But a Ghost" melt perfectly into quieter interludes such as "Unfolding Fans," while his wit and attention to detail shines through each and every selection. The album is fun, yet relaxing. Intricate, yet loose. From song to song you are taken on a ride that never exudes too much, but somehow achieves the perfect balance of structure of volume. These characteristics make the possibilities for Noble Beast completely never-ending-- an amazing accomplishment for any album, and what makes this one such a treat to hear.

Best Track: "Not a Robot, But a Ghost"

[Previously on Animal Noises: Best Albums of 2009: #6, Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca]

Weekly Top 10: "Ghost" Songs

In light of Halloween coming up this weekend, we decided to make our Weekly Top 10 reflect the holiday. Below is a collection of our favorite songs involving ghosts. You'll notice that the word "ghost" is contained in the title of all of them. So enjoy the tracks. Hopefully your Halloween is both a successful and safe one.

[Previously on Animal Noises: Weekly Top 10: Album Closers]

Best of 2009 So Far: #1-5

It's the moment you've all been waiting for. If you were with us yesterday and Wednesday then you caught the first two parts of our commentary on the best albums of 2009. If not, check out #11-15 and #6-10 before proceeding.

Below are albums #1-5 (in opposite order) for the year thus far. For the albums that have been reviewed here already, we've also included a link to the original review. Some things have changed. Others have not. Either way, all original reviews were left as they were.

5. Manners, Passion Pit

The highest ranking debut on this list, Passion Pit's Manners burst onto the scene this year with a brand of electronic pop not seen since the 80s. The band's boyish enthusiasm, almost-corny disposition and overall disregard for what's "in" is probably what appeals to me the most. Make sure to listen for the ever-present kid vocals.

4. Noble Beast, Andrew Bird

Noble is probably the best way to describe Andrew Bird's latest. Taking his classical training to a new level, the crooner makes less of a rock album and more of a scenic instrumental composition that just happens to have words. Plus, he's a world-class whistler, so that's another reason to like it.

3. Farm, Dinosaur Jr.

J Mascis, you're just too good. Who would've thought that this many years into their career, Dinosaur Jr. would put in one of their most powerful efforts to-date? Up-beat, energetic and jovial, Farm seems to exude a positive attitude that one wouldn't expect at this point in their lengthy catalogue. Quite an achievement, and quite a record.

2. Merriweather Post Pavillion, Animal Collective

I held out for as long as I could with this as the number one album, I really did. Sadly, it just wasn't meant to be. Still, Animal Collective comes in with one of their best releases, and easily the most pop-influenced. It's an infectious wall of sound that has been stuck in peoples' heads since the Christmas leak, and probably won't be leaving anytime soon. A true watershed moment for the band.

1. Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear

I was all set to go with MPP in this slot, and then I looked at the play counts I had racked up for each of these two albums. Veckatimest won in a landslide (I think I've listened to the album no less than 45 times all the way through). With its shear pop attributes, as well as its beautiful, albeit haunting, melodies, it's very hard to shake the fact that this is a chamber-pop masterpiece. It's going to be very hard to shake this one in the second half.

Well, there it is. Your (our) top albums of 2009 thus far. As I said, it's been quite a year already, with much more to come. Thanks for following along these past few days, and joining in our modest blog birthday celebration. Hope everyone in the U.S. has a great Fourth of July weekend!

John's Track of the Week: "Heretics"

Song: Heretics

Artist: Andrew Bird

Album: Armchair Apocrypha

Year: 2007

For anyone who's kept up with this blog all year, you'll probably remember that I was, and still am, a very big fan of Andrew Bird's latest effort, Noble Beast.  The southwestern air about it, mixed with some interesting and active arrangements, made for quite an album.  However, Bird's material has not always resembled what we see on Noble Beast.  On 2007's Armchair Apocrypha, Bird shows a progression from his earlier, acoustic-based works to a more electric-based arrangement.  The songs are more rooted in indie rock than his normal baroque style, and some could say it has been his most rock-oriented album to-date.

In "Heretics," Bird addresses issues with God and death.  Told from the point of view of a heretic, or multiple heretics, he speaks about punishment for the crime of heresy, and how he, the narrator, views the church establishment from the outside.  It's interesting to see it from the passive point of view, rather than the active.  It's not a call for action, but rather, just an observation of the world surrounding the narration.  Outside of the lyrics though, still a great musical arrangement as well.  Check it out below.

Pre-Screening: Andrew Bird

Album: Noble Beast

Artist: Andrew Bird

Label: Fat Possum

Due Out: 1/20

Calm, cool and collected. It's probably the best possible way for me to describe Andrew Bird's latest effort, Noble Beast. It stays centered- the highs never get too high, and the lows never get too low. Overall, Noble Beast becomes a sonic experience which leaves you feeling mellow and relaxed, yet fully engaged in the scenic wilderness that seemly surrounds you. This album, similar to the previously discussed Merriweather Post Pavillion, is already contending (and rightfully so) for a spot on this year's best albums list.

We start with the bright and charming "Oh No". The track more than does its job, setting the mood for the enjoyable and pleasant 14-track experience awaiting you. A nice acoustic feel, mixed with an appropriately-placed whistle, ease you in, and set the stage for what you're about to hear- what more can you ask from an introduction track? Bird progresses from this point to a more lively, yet lighter mood on the following track, "Masterswarm," grabbing a southwestern feel. The whistling, which is a constant on the record, helps create the desert illusion, as does what sounds like a mariachi backing and a flowing string contribution.

What struck me immediately about Noble Beast were two things- its maintenance of the southwestern feel it establishes so early, and its similarity to the earlier work of Belle and Sebastian. Not to say that the sounds are exactly alike, but if you set B&S' If You're Feeling Sinister to more of a desert flair, chances are it would be a fair resemblance. Besides the music, you'll find some similar themes, as Bird spends a lot of time here seeming to tear himself down, referring to himself as a sociopath, among other citations of his perceived character flaws. Perhaps the album's title is an illusion to Bird's sense of self? I can't say, but it's probably not a bad idea. As far as continuity goes (and those who have read my reviews before know that I'm a stickler for it), this record scores an A from me. Bird maintains the aforementioned mood throughout, differing enough to keep it interesting, but not always enough to be conscious of the track change- which, if done right, can be a positive trait.

On a record full of dynamics in a box, so to speak, no track seems to have the execution of "Not a Robot, But a Ghost". The high tempo start, complete with clarinet and the samba transition, blends into an engaging, yet mellow song, throwing the full range of the album's instrumentation at you in the span of the track's 5:37. I hate to start throwing out year-end prediction already, but everything about this song makes me think you'll be seeing it down the road (here, at least) as one of the standouts of 2009.

Whether you're in the mood for a fun record, or one that just allows you to relax, Noble Beast seems to provide the best medicine. With each listen, the landscapes become more distinct, and the instrumentation more vivid. Looking at the cover of the album, you can't help but be transported to that place, a seemingly never-ending and barren meadow, devoid of human contact- it's a truly wonderful experience. When purchasing the record, be sure to get the deluxe edition, as it includes Useless Creatures, a charming set of instrumental tracks, which lives up to the regular album set, and is also highly recommended. Comparisons for this one include older Belle and Sebastian (as mentioned earlier), Beirut and Sufjan Stevens.

Rating: 8.5/10

Best Track: "Not a Robot, But a Ghost"