With Kanye busy interrupting every historical figure on the internet, and Lupe Fiasco playing with lasers for an upcoming release, it would have been easy to hand over my coveted hip-hop record of the year award to Jay-Z’s post-post-post-retirement record The Blueprint III. But the truth of the matter is that even the legendary Jigga can’t hold a match to Mos Def’s flow and anger on The Ecstatic. This is a true return to form for an artist who has made his name at the heart of the conscious hip-hop movement in the early 00’s. The Ecstatic is furious, infectious, controversial and is easily the hip-hop highlight of ‘09. Hipsters rejoice.
It takes a set of versatile artists to really make a super-group click. One only needs to look at Audioslave or Velvet Revolver to see examples of super-groups that should have eclipsed their predecessors, but didn’t quiet hit the mark. Luckily for us, we’ve got Dave Grohl and Josh Homme to save face. Them Crooked Vultures consist of Homme on guitar/vocals, Grohl on drums and some bassist named John Paul Jones from another group called Led Zeppelin. So what does it sound like? It’s essentially a zombified, rockabilly version of Cream. Which everyone knows is recipe for success.
With their first foray into the national consciousness under the moniker The Dudes, this collection from Calgary’s finest indie staples took us on a prairie road trip to a familiar place in the canon of rock n’ roll. Invoking the spirits of John Cougar Mellencamp and Steve Miller, The Dudes infused classic sing-a-long ‘80s rock with their own hipster vibe to create one of the most unique feel-good records of the year. The cheeky ‘Mr. Someone Else’ and ‘Girl Police’ are fantastic highlights.
From indie new wavers to over-hyped Toronto-based scenesters to national export; in just a few years, Metric have almost completed a meteoric rise to international fame. 2009’s Fantasies just happened to be the next step in that journey. Songs such as ‘Sick Muse,’ ‘Gold Guns Girls’ and ‘Gimmie Sympathy’ were almost inescapable this year. These guys are the real deal, and the future is looking good for this band from the Great White North.
After existing comfortably on the exterior of the mainstream consciousness for the past half a dozen years, Yeah Yeah Yeahs have created one of the most complete albums of the past five years. From the tension filled opening moments of ‘Zero’ to the mellow reflective nature of ‘Hysteric,’ Karen O and co. use It’s Blitz to take us on an electro-dance tour de force. Ultimately barraging us with the justifiable reasons we all love these eclectic Brooklyn art-punks.
Yes, yes, yes. Ignore what I said in September. The teaming up of Josh Homme (QOSTA) and the Arctic Monkeys for their third studio release Humbug, was suppose to be a pairing for the ages. It was supposed to be the musical equivalent of Jordan and Pippen, rock and paper, Godzilla and Mecca Godzilla, or Corona with lime. But instead we were left an empty vessel of a record with no real direction with only one redeeming track. In the end it became the musical equivalent of Carmelo and Iverson, rock and scissors, Alien vs. Predator and Bud Light and lime – It sounded like pure gold on paper, but in reality it was just atrocious.
