Top 30 Albums of 2009: Part Three (10-1)
by Jonathan Doyle, Neil Karassik and Ken Stuebing
10. Pink Mountaintops - Outside Love
Black Mountain chief Stephen McBean rocks no less feedback in this side-project, but Outside Love's an accomplished, decidedly feel-good album, a reprieve from Black Mountain's usual assault. Some of the tunes could even work as wedding songs. McBean's in fine voice, offering a hip drawl similar in style to Beck, but it's his Lee-and-Nancy-style duets with Jesse Sykes and kick-ass singer Amber Webber that truly elevate this record. Ms. Webber continues to be this troupe's secret weapon and, if you like Black Mountain/Pink Mountaintops, don't forget to check out Lightning Dust. Incidentally, I tend to snicker a little since someone tipped me off that the band's name is code for nipples. -- KS
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Top 30 Albums of 2009: Part Two (20-11)
by Jonathan Doyle, Neil Karassik and Ken Stuebing
20. Ganglians – Monster Head Room
It was a big year for Woodsist (see number 14 and 12 on this list), the mom-and-pop record label run by Woods front-man Jeremy Earl. But for reasons that remain somewhat unclear, Ganglians didn’t break through to quite the same extent as other current or former Woodsist artists like Woods, Wavves, Kurt Vile or Real Estate. With its peculiar mix of hippy affectations, Beach Boys melodies and low-fi production methods, Monster Head Room is an infectiously schizophrenic record that suggests Ganglians is willing to try just about anything -- and succeed. The best part? Even after releasing a solid EP and this terrific full-length in the same calendar year, Ganglians upped-the-ante with a 7” featuring their two best tracks to date (“Blood on the Sand,” “Make it Up”). Stay tuned. -- JD
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Top 30 Albums of 2009: Part One (30-21)
by Jonathan Doyle, Neil Karassik and Ken Stuebing
In these early days of Media Party, all music contributions have come from myself, Neil Karassik and Ken Stuebing. Since we're all bored with personal best-of lists -- which journalists tend to exploit for reasons of personal branding and street-cred -- we're with-holding our personal lists and instead posting a list that says more about our collective (and therefore the site's) taste. Our personal lists all included wild cards that are nowhere to-be-found on this popularity contest of a group list, but if it cracked one of our top 10s, chances are it also found a place on the group list. So yes, there are all kinds of oversights (sorry, female musicians), but this is a pretty accurate list of the albums that generated the most interest around Media Party headquarters in 2009. -- JD
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CONCERT REVIEW: Islands
Saturday, November 7th, 2009
The Mod Club - Toronto, ON
After receiving a fair amount of flack for their maligned sophomore effort, Arm’s Way, Islands returned to synthy form with this year’s Vapours. Sporting a ridiculous rhinestone-studded white cape and looking like some seventies-rock-star-from-another-planet (Ziggy Stardust?), frontman Nick Diamonds and his equally bizarre-looking bandmates –- including his Unicorns collaborator Jamie Thompson, returning to the band after a one-album hiatus -– played a stellar show recently at Toronto’s always-decent Mod Club.
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War Zone
I knew Fucked Up borrowed heavily from The Jesus Lizard playbook, but having now seen both bands at the Phoenix on Thursday nights in the last four months, it's shocking just how similar their shows really are. The key difference is the temperament -- and physical condition -- of their respective front men. Whereas FU's Damian Abraham (aka Pink Eyes) is large and friendly, Jesus Lizard vocalist David Yow is unpredictably strange/drunk, wily and physically fit enough to send himself flying through the air at any time.
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