best records of 2009

[bedouin]

It was a great year for adventurous jazz on recordings, with major works by masters Bill Dixon, Henry Threadgill and Wadada Leo Smith among the highlights.

with so much jazz, i'm surprised there is no mention of "House Full of Floors" (Evan Parker on Tzadik) in your list. As said here before not groundbreaking, but a very good performance.

Mary Halvorson/Reuben Radding/Nate Wooley: Crackleknob, hatOLOGY

Seconded. This disc is sublime, and IMO way beyond what these 3 musicians have done so far.

[surfer]

Tetuzi Akiyama/Erik Carlsson/Toshimaru Nakamura/Henrik Olsson-In Search of Wild Tulips (Bombax Bombax)
Cor Fuhler-Wenen (Conundrom)
Graham Lambkin-Softly Softly Copy Copy (Kye)
Michael Pisaro-Hearing Metal 1 (Edition Wandelweiser)

I've only listened to maybe 15-20 CDs that were released last year, but my favorite is In Search Of Wild Tulips. That's pretty clearly my favorite. I own 5 of the first 6 Bombax Bombax CDs, and they are all pretty great.

I also like the new Lambkin, and all the Pisaro I've heard. As well as Imaoto (which I think is better than any of Malfatti's b-boim stuff. yes, improvised v. composed, apples and oranges, I know.), and Stanglinski's Musik, which is one of my 2-3 favorite Ersts in the catalogue.

(PS I wasnt aware Wenen came out last year, that was a good one, Gerardo and I listened to that in its entirity a few weeks ago after dinner)

I also like Buoy on Cathnor, which I think came out last year.

[bedouin]

adding to my top 8 posted earlier:
Lionel Marchetti & Yôko Higashi - Pétrole (Entr'acte)

LM releases a ton annually and IMO most is quality, but Pétrole is his best disc since Knud, only this time more cohesive and listenable. Episodic, fragmented, schizophrenic, it reaches a thunderous last track conclusion with a motorbike+guitar* solo that would make jimmy page proud.

*free-rock guitar hero dominique repecaud(?)

[Dan Warburton]

LM releases a ton annually

Well, no, I think it's just a simple case of things piling up waiting for release that, for whatever reason, all came out at about the same time. Some of last year's outings had been in the queue for a while. But you're right: the Entr'acte is a goody. Still prefer Equus from the grand cru 2009 myself though.

[piege]

THOMAS - Self Help

I was a really big fan of this young chap from Toronto this year. Some of the best pop music I've heard in the recent while. Though he brings together a cluster of "questionable" influences... including New jack Swing, Jazz Fusion, and Hall and Oates-style MOR pop, he does so with such panache and lack of irony, and presence of imagination that it creates a jaw-droppingly attractive product. Weird time stuff, fractured drum programming but breathy melismatic falsetto vocals. Think Kate Bush meets Prince, Weather Report, Todd Rundgren, with the two guys from Autechre sorta noodling away in the background.

Some samples here: http://www.myspace.com/isthisthomas

[bedouin]

LM releases a ton annually

Well, no, I think it's just a simple case of things piling up waiting for release that, for whatever reason, all came out at about the same time. Some of last year's outings had been in the queue for a while. But you're right: the Entr'acte is a goody. Still prefer Equus from the grand cru 2009 myself though.

yes 2009 seemed to be very productive for Marchetti, but thanks for the clarification.
I liked the LM/Capparos colaborations (also the one on Entr'acte last year), but Pétrole is edge of the seat stuff beginning to end.

[Chromosome]

Skin Graft - Blackout
Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Land

I didn't really keep up on new releases this year.

[schiksalgemeinschaft]

I've been only really immersed into it for the last 2 weeks or so, anyhow, I must add Contact to my list.

[Bill Barton]

It was a great year for adventurous jazz on recordings, with major works by masters Bill Dixon, Henry Threadgill and Wadada Leo Smith among the highlights.

with so much jazz, i'm surprised there is no mention of "House Full of Floors" (Evan Parker on Tzadik) in your list. As said here before not groundbreaking, but a very good performance.

Mary Halvorson/Reuben Radding/Nate Wooley: Crackleknob, hatOLOGY

Seconded. This disc is sublime, and IMO way beyond what these 3 musicians have done so far.

I haven't heard the Evan Parker but will have to search it out. My list is somewhat limited by the fact that a very high percentage of the recordings are review copies and I'm definitely not "in the loop" for promo service from Tzadik.

FWIW, Crackleknob was one of the few that I bought retail in 2009.

[oldirtybastien]

Since I never saw it mentionned here and thought that some of you might be interested
One that had constant rotations here is the mata la pena compilation on mississippi.


International to say the least. Flamenco, Bluegrass yodeling, hawaiian guitar, calypso... Every cut is a winner.
Give it a try if only for the Dezurik sister track. It floor me everytime.

[mudd]

International to say the least. Flamenco, Bluegrass yodeling, hawaiian guitar, calypso... Every cut is a winner.
Give it a try if only for the Dezurik sister track. It floor me everytime.

oh yeah, that's a great LP. the mississippi records thread has been sadly neglected of late, but i'm still keeping up with the label. i guess there's a new post/punk 7" i'm behind on...

anyway i only wish they'd stumbled across a dezurik sisters song i hadn't heard before. love those two, there has to be more out there somewhere.

m

[oldirtybastien]

according to the (well informed it seems) wikipedia article
"In 1938, the sisters recorded six songs for Vocalion Records: "I Left Her Standing There" (Vocalion 4616-A), "Arizona Yodeler" (Vocalion 4616-B), "Sweet Hawaiian Chimes" (Vocalion 4704-A), "Guitar Blues" (Vocalion 4704-B), "Go To Sleep My Darling Baby" (Vocalion 4781-A) and "Birmingham Jail" (Vocalion 4781-B). Those six songs were the only tracks the duo would ever commit to shellac, although some recordings exist of their appearances on Checkerboard Time." Which is there http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/08/3 ... 14---.html but I guess you already know it. If not, have fun! cack cack cack!

[mudd]

yeah, i'm afraid i do have all of that. but just 6 sides and a bunch of radio music, it's really unfortunate.

"i left her standing there" is probably my favorite of the bunch, but they're all fantastic.

m

[Coinage]

I'm glad to see somebody else mention Minamo, that was a great album. I also have to echo the praise for House Full of Floors. I also enjoyed Full Blast--Black Hole and Wadada Leo Smith--House Full of Floors.

[dave quam]

huh, there is that cackle sisters compilation that has like 26 songs on it, plus the checkerboard radio recordings.

I was trying to get a hold of Carolyn Dezurik to get an interview because I had read she was living in Chicago but I was about 2 months late by the time I was getting anywhere. Makes me sad I bet she was a cool lady.

That comp seems pretty lazy if you ask me.

[Robert G]

My personal favorites:

Graham Lambkin - Softly Softly Copy Copy
Dolphins Into The Future - On Sea-Faring Isolation
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Nmperign - Ommatidia
Sam Goldberg - Current
Ghédalia Tazartès - Repas Froid
Greg Davis - Mutually Arising
Pelt - A Stone for Angus MacLise
Nicholas Szczepanik - The Chiasmus
Bill Orcutt - A New Way To Pay Old Debts
Ducktails - Landscapes

[rainbow_spit]

i dont wanna say best, but some quick off the top of my head gems of 2009...

Twig Harper (has been very prolific in 2009)
"Music for Higher Dimensional Consciousness"

Bleaks
"Haste, Error"

Harrius
"Proud Flesh"

Lucky Dragons
"Open Power"

Zs
Music Of The Modern White

Instant Coffee
"Self Titled Coffee Stain CD-R"

Blank Dogs
"under and under"

Jason Urick / Jason Willett
Friendship / Trip 03 7"

Eric Copeland
"Alien in a Garbage Dump"

Soiled Mattress and the Springs
"Honk Honk Bonk" (not sure if this is actual 2009, but its 2009 to me)

Mortika
"Recordings From A Greek Underworld"
&
Clara Rockmore
"Theremin"
(among every other 2009 Mississippi release)

[Jesse]

Placing this here, as my imaoto search says it was most often referenced on this thread.

http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/5524

[Antoine]

Albums:
Alan Courtis / Jaime Genovart / Christof Kurzmann / Pablo Reche - Palmar Zähler (Mikroton)
Ami Yoshida / Toshimaru Nakamura - Soba to Bara (Erstwhile)
Annette Krebs / Rhodri Davies - Kravis Rhonn Project (Another Timbre)
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle (Drag City)
Diamond District - In the Ruff (Self-Released)
Factums - Flowers (Sacred Bones)
Keith Rowe / Oren Ambarchi - Cornelius Cardew's Treatise (Planam)
Patrick Farmer, Sarah Hughes & Daniel Jones - The Cat From Cat Hill (Another Timbre)
Patrick Kosk - Mondweiß (Edition RZ)
Sebastian Lexer - Dazwischen (Matchless)
Takahiro Kawaguchi / Shinjiro Yamaguchi - Hello (Ftarri)
Taku Sugimoto / Taku Unami - Tengu et Kitsune II (Slub)

Compilations / Reissues:
Group Bombino - Guitars From Agadez Vol. 2 (Sublime Frequencies)
Oren Ambarchi - Intermission 2000-2008 (Touch)
The Shadow Ring - Life Review (1993-2003) (Kye)
VA - Éthiopiques 24: L'âge d'or de la musique éthiopienne moderne 1969-1975 (Buda)
VA - Fly Girls! B-Boys Beware: Revenge of the Super Female Rappers! (Soul Jazz)
VA - Ghana Special: Modern Highlife Afro-Sounds & Ghanaian Blues 1968-81 (Soundway)
VA - Legends of Benin (Analog Africa)
VA - Siamese Soul: Thai Pop Spectacular Vol. 2 1960s-1980s (Sublime Frequencies)

[faster]

Takahiro Kawaguchi / Shinjiro Yamaguchi - Hello (Ftarri)

Nice to see this one get some love. It's not particularly ambitious & it doesn't jump out of the speakers and hit hard on first listen, but it's really elegant, a nice marriage of concept and execution. I've come back to it more than I thought I would. In other news, I hear Takahiro may be back to Korea this year, so hopefully something good comes out of that--he's sort of a natural ally for the Seoul guys.