Five You May Have Missed
2 min readSo 2009 is over. You’ve read the best of lists and you think that you’ve now listened to everything worth listening to from last year.
Wrong.
The following are five albums that probably weren’t on too many “best of the year” lists (except mine, of course!) – not because they weren’t quality, but rather because they didn’t get the promotion they deserved. Well now mass media’s loss is your gain because, thankfully, I pay attention to everything.
Dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
The best band to hail from Los Gatos, CA released their best album to date in 2009. The album, described by the band as “a rock and roll record, filled with experimental journeys and eccentric jousts,” is one of the more creative experiences released this year and isn’t to be missed!
Jeremy Enigk – OK Bear
As if it weren’t enough to be the genius behind Sunny Day Real Estate and The Fire Theft, Enigk also happens to put out some damn good solo albums. While not a specimen of perfection like World Waits (really, was anything?), OK Bear more than rises above the majority of material released last year and further cements Enigk’s legacy as one of the finest songwriters of the last decade.
Five Finger Death Punch – War Is The Answer
With only their second release, Five Finger Death Punch are rapidly claiming their place among the country’s best metal acts. Balancing brutality with some pretty sweet hooks, War is the Answer more than held its own amongst other great metal albums released in 2009 by Mastodon, Slayer, and Killswitch Engage.
Sleeping At Last – Storyboards
Did you take my advice in 2006 and buy Keep No Score? If not, than you have missed out on the Illinois gem that is Sleeping At Last. Following three years later and continuing the greatness put out previous, Storyboards is a beautiful tapestry of instrumentation and lyrical poetry that absolutely belongs in your listening rotation.
Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard – One Fast Move Or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur
This is probably the best release of the year for the simple fact that it’s not just a great album (and oh, it is!) but it’s a loving testament to the lasting impact and influence that Jack Kerouac still has today. Using lyrics taken directly from Kerouac’s self-destructive “Big Sur,” Farrar and Gibbard pay tribute to the literary giant in a twelve song tribute of alt-country perfection. Do yourself a favor as well and spend the money to get the limited edition that comes packaged with the feature length documentary of the same name.
