***It's always weird for me to see these kinds of best lists...this is really just one girl's opinion about the albums she liked. I may be missing more great albums that are on import only or I haven't had access to. Please feel free to share your best albums as well so that I can discover more music! :) ***

*photo by Cinchel

1. Fanfarlo (Sweden,London): Reservoir

I hoped like mad these guys would come to Chicago after hearing their fantastic album. The group is so dynamic with each member playing such an instrumental role on stage and on the album. The songs are both complex and catchy live and on their recording. In other words, they aren’t ruined by too much added to them. It works the way a band of their size should work, emphasizing all the right kinds of melodies and memorable chords. This album clicked with me immediately but I can see it also being a grower for some. It’s warm and sing songy in a way that makes it very accessible. At the same time, the more you listen to each song, the greater you sense their heartfelt appeal and long to hear them for repeat listens. The album is also solid in a way where each moment seems quite magical and never dull even when it’s not the catchiest part of the song, it still feels essential in a way. Truly an accomplished work here!


Myspace: www.myspace.com/fanfarlo
Live photos and a review from their Schubas Tavern Chicago show here: www.soundcheckmagazine.com/reviews/concert-reviews/1832-r...
Portrait shots of Fanfarlo here: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157623045722600/


2. The Veils (NZ,London): Sun Gangs

Finn Andrews has the ability to be so emotionally labile it’s awe striking in it’s incredibility. Take the edginess of “The Letter” and “Three Sisters” here and contrast it with the sad lullaby of “Larkspur” for instance. Always engaging in both his stage presence and his albums, Andrews has a passionate way of writing songs in a way that makes you feel he was born to create them, as if he has lyrics instead of oxygen filling up his bloodstream. The Veils are the kind of band that, once you discover them, can truly change your life.


Myspace page: www.myspace.com/theveils
Photos and a review of their Empty Bottle show in Chicago: www.popmatters.com/pm/post/109329-the-veils-23-july-2009-...
Photos of The Veils when they opened for Liam Finn at Lakeshore Theater: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157607737076026/
Portrait shot of Finn Andrews: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/3751570369/



3. Rural Alberta Advantage or RAA (Canada): Hometowns

I feel like this album may not technically qualify as a 2009 release. It was definitely released in 2008 originally in Canada and was re-released this year on Saddle Creek records. In any case, I’m a little embarrassed to say I hadn’t heard this album until 2009. I had heard of the band early in the spring and have not been disappointed in seeing them live twice this year. The songs really feel like intriguing personal stories from lead singer Nils Edenloff. There’s a very Neutral Milk Hotel essence to Edenloff’s voice and a few times songs hit on a twinge of the catchy urgency that characterizes The Arcade Fire’s songs. Mainly, however, there’s a real sense of rich human story and sincerity here that wholly completes the album.


Myspace: www.myspace.com/theraa
Favorite photo of RAA at Pritzker Pavillion: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/3856085832/
Review and photos of RAA at Schubas Tavern in Chicago: soundcheckmagazine.com/featured-content/1774-reviewphotos...



4. Pains of Being Pure at Heart (American) (self-titled)

It’s ok, friends, we don’t have to invent a new genre of music every other minute. Sometimes, it’s just so ultimately reassuring to have the genres we have brought to their best. I found out about Pains of Being Pure at Heart in the early spring just when the harshness of winter was ending. It’s the time when you start to remember what it’s like when everything seems new again and long for it desperately. If life is sort of like one epic mood swing mirrored by the seasons with late fall the ultimate devastation and spring bringing a sense of balance and everything right within the world, this album fits perfectly within that context. In mid February, they were playing Schubas and by July they had secured a prime spot at Pitchfork Music Festival.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart album is intelligently romantic, full of a lighter and sometimes ethereal shoegaze that seems to brim with bliss and shimmer as the best dream pop does. Missing is any sort of caustic sense to it. It’s what My Bloody Valentine may have created if they were young again and extremely wistful. You know the perfect way a bar of chocolate dissolves on your tongue during a warm afternoon? That’s the way listening to the Pains of Being Pure at Heart makes you feel. It helps you feel good in all the right places.


Myspace page: www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart
Live photos and a review of their show at Logan Square Auditorium: www.popmatters.com/pm/post/111312-the-pains-of-being-pure...
Portrait shots of the band: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157613715361287/


5. Sharon Van Etten: (American) Because I was in Love

There’s something about folk singer Sharon Van Etten that is incredibly impossible to put one’s finger on. The lyrics aren’t complex or even all that abstract but it’s the perfect music to listen to in the middle of the night and feel so very deeply. Sharon Van Etten is one of the nicest people and though her sense of being feels quite subtle and understated, she still manages to impact you as you go through your daily motions. Somehow, her songs feel unforgettable. There are no catchy choruses but you’ll long to sing along. There are no rock rifts but you’ll remember the chord progressions intimately. Much like Sibylle Baier’s Colour Green album, there are no frills needed. This is just a woman who overall knows how to make it work when she puts together her songs and the effect is very genuine and touching, which is frankly a relief in this postmodern world we live in.


Myspace page: www.myspace.com/sharonvanetten
Portrait shot: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/3912145659/
Live review with photos: gapersblock.com/transmission/2009/10/18/sharon_van_ettent...


6. Dead Man’s Bones: self titled (Canada, Los Angeles)


Stop groaning! Yes, yes, it’s another actor in a band and Ryan Gosling has been in both dismal maintream flicks as well as arty films that made me weep so loud in the theater I embarrassed myself and everyone around me cough Lars and the Real Girl cough. Anyhow, I greeted these songs with extreme skepticism as I rarely like bands that actors are in. Even Juliette Lewis, whose performances on stage are always striking and powerful, is not someone who has the studio material to match the greatness one sees live. However, this album is a real win. It captures all the best aspects of fall and Halloween in a way no other album I own can do. It’s spooky, catchy, and has songs elevated by the use of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children’s Choir. (Gosling used Children’s Choirs in different cities when he performed live, which made the performances equally amazing.) This is honestly a real treasure that, at the very least, you’ll yearn for every time Autumn comes rolling around


Myspace page: www.myspace.com/deadmansbones
Photos and a Review of their Schubas in Chicago show: www.soundcheckmagazine.com/reviews/concert-reviews/1808-r...



7. I Was a King (Norway):s/t


So fuzzy and friendly…a little like Teenage Fanclub in their best moments. It’s incredibly catchy and likeable and fills you with a lighthearted sense that everything is going to be alright. It’s sugary but not too sweet. It’s pop but with enough guitar effects to recall some of the highlights of 90s alternative songs. In any case, it’s accessible music that one can’t help but feel incredibly nostalgic about even upon first listen. The lovely female/male vocals from Strømstads and Anne Lise Frøkedal definitely work together to make this record a real win, though they were definitely more pronounced/audible when I saw them live!



Myspace page: www.myspace.com/iwasaking
Portrait Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/3574325766/
Live review of Empty Bottle show with photos: www.popmatters.com/pm/post/94232-i-was-a-king-26-may-2009...



8.Viva Voce (American): Rose City


I wouldn’t call it psychedelic if it wasn’t great. Viva Voce are one of those bands who should have become much more famous by now. Anita and Kevin Robinson certainly aren’t suffering from lack of talent and they’ve proven themselves to be very hard workers, touring and releasing five solid albums in the last 11 years. They know how to bring the gentle and the fierce but always take enough time developing each so that they hit you with their fullest capacity. This album has it’s mood swings but most of the time is the sense of lushness between slower and more savory songs like “Flora” and the songs more filled with obvious psychedelic rock such as “Die a Little.”


Myspace: www.myspace.com/vivavoce
Photos of Viva Voce at Do Division Festival in Chicago: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157618985524901/




9. Marissa Nadler (American): Little Hells

There’s always something so beautiful about Nadler and so intrinsically intimate and special…she seems removed from everything modern when she sings about death and intimacy. She’s not doing anything incredibly different or out of the ordinary when she sings these songs but she fills them with such melancholy longing that you won’t be able to resist them very easily. Nadler demonstrates the capacity for great feeling in the sense of experiencing all kinds of moments that befall us in life. It’s folk music but it’s also something with immense human value to it. Nadler is full of shy and wonder. It’s a great honor to try to understand the world through her eyes, despite the pains it must take her to share it with us.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/songsoftheend
Review and photos of Marissa Nadler at Schubas Tavern in Chicago: www.soundcheckmagazine.com/reviews/concert-reviews/1839-r...


10. Kurt Vile (American): Childish Prodigy

I’ve been intrigued by this record for some time now. Some of the lyrics come back to haunt me when I least expect them. I can almost picture a lonely guy in the middle of the desert, playing to sand with all his heart, which is strange as he’s from Philly. I can also picture listening to this during an epic sort of road trip when you leave everything behind and nothing else matters. It has elements of both psychedelic rock as well as folk music and all the songs just work really well as part of the overall album.


Myspace: www.myspace.com/kurtvileofphilly


Honorable mention: Here are some albums I really enjoyed that didn’t quite make the cut.


Howlies: Trippin’ With the Hollies
Raveonettes: In and Out of Control
St Vincent: Actor
Vivian Girls: Everything Goes Wrong
Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Edited to add:
Sonic Youth: The Eternal (also a great record)
Le Loup: Family

Tags:   Best list top Best Albums of 2009 year end records cds albums bands music I Was a King Marissa Nadler Little Hells Kurt Vile Childish Prodigy Fanfarlo Reservoir The Pains Being Pure Heart The Veils Sun Gangs Sharon Van Etten Because I Was Love Viva Voce Rose City pscychedelic folk rock Rural Albert Advantage Hometowns Dead Man's Bones me portrait my living room fisheye fish eye lens Sharon Van Etten Rural Alberta Advantage Dead Man's Bones Viva Voce Rose City The Veils The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

© All Rights Reserved

Did you know that cats have favorite authors and genres? Jarvis Cocker prefers non fiction and so his favorite authors are Claudia Rankine, Sasha Geffen, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Broadcast prefers experimental Asian fiction and so her favorite authors are Haruki Murakami, Ryu Murakami, Bae Suah, Can Xue, Banana Yoshimoto, Kazuo Umezz, Shin Kyung-Sook, Karen Tei Yamashita,Keiichirō Hirano, Yasutaka Tsutsui, Krys Lee and Banana Yoshimoto. PJ Harvey prefers poetry so her favorite authors are Rumi, Hanif Abdurraqib, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ocean Vuong, Nikki Giovanni and Eve L. Ewing. When I asked her what she thought of Nick Cave’s lyrics, you should have seen her reaction! What all my cats can agree on is that Karen Tei Yamashita’s Through the Arc of the Rainforest is a masterpiece and so, I always have to read that one out loud to them during cat story hour. Though I didn’t read Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor this year either, it’s still a solid second choice for our story hour together.

I have to always preface these lists by making the disclaimer that while no human being can read all of the books in existence put out in one year, I read even less this year having only finished a little under 150 books (I read 365 last year). Not all of these books were released this year and some of these books may be released in the future depending on which alternative timeline of reality you exist in. The pandemic really put a dent into my reading because I typically read while on the elliptical at the gym for a couple of hours every day but, with the gyms closed, I had to turn to memorizing K pop dance moves off of Youtube for my exercise for several months (I am not good at this), which caused me to almost get murdered by my downstairs neighbor until I straight up invested in an elliptical a couple of months ago and saved myself from the sudden doom that would have rivaled any gruesome ending of a Chan-wook Park film.

These books represent a few different genres-nonfiction, fiction, graphic novels, poetry-and are in a general order but I decided not to number them as I kept changing the order depending on my mood and that didn’t seem very efficient (I am not a journalist) Feel free to share your favorite books that you read this year. You may be stuck in a black hole reading books that we don’t even have in our reality. I want to hear about those too!

And, without further ado, my feline fanatic friends and literature lovers, gather around for this is my Favorite Books of 2020:


The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

Sometimes it’s actually hard to take science fiction seriously….why? Maybe because it’s so fun and engaging….either way, it’s actually quite hard to write something that is very inventive and also relevant in our modern times. In a way, it speaks to the high ability of the author to also be able to make it grounded in reality enough to be just believable but imaginative enough to get truly lost in a unique story. Such is the case for The City We Became, which has all of the NYC buroughs represented by different humans with vivid personalities fitting their areas who have to work together to stop an evil takeover and, of course, have a really tough time with that pesky and racist ignorant Ms. Staten Island. N.K. Jemisin creates a world of actual monsters and proud boy like art dealer/real estate mogul monsters (the kind we don’t actually have to work hard to imagine because they exist in real life). This looks like what will be the first in hopefully a long series of riveting books!

Tropic of Orange: Karen Tei Yamashita

I read Through the Arc of the Rainforest last year and this year Tropic of Orange was my exceptional read by this Japanese American author who is so imaginative in the way she writes both memorable characters and interwoven plots. I can’t predict any endings for any of their lives and that is quite something indeed. If you don’t like magical realism or complex storylines, you may miss out on the brilliance that is Yamashita and the bulk of her work. But, if you find yourself wanting to explore what creative literature is capable of, please look no further!


Pet by Akwaeke Emezi-

Just released this year and highly recommended by me! This book was philosophically engaging from start to finish. Set in the fictional town of Lucille, the residents have conquered all of the “monsters” (who are basically Trump voters and the like) until an angel (who looks like a monster) emerges from a painting to find a “family monster” who is abusing a child. The protagonist is a trans adolescent whose mom reads the great Nnedi Okorafor to her and speaks through sign language. I loved the layers of moral complexity here. Pet gets into what truly makes a monster and how insidious monsters (again, basically republicans) can hide in plain sight and if a monster is redeemable too. I liked Freshwater (Emezi’s 1st novel) but this was 100x better imo


Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

This novel is both imaginative and also heart breaking…its main plot involves a country overtaken by American forces who also can’t trust their own government and a corpse that reanimates from other corpses to seek revenge. Though it delves into a little bit of black comedy and takes on a creature who may seem more familiar to those who enjoy the horror genre, it’s the horror of reality with the violence of the American invasion of Iraq that the novel is actually about. What Saadawi does is to create a vivid metaphor that evolves throughout the book and forces us to think deeply about morality. We must remember that Saadawi may also be coming to terms with his own grief, mortality, and the modern reality of living in Iraq. He has had friends lost through suicide bombs that he narrowly missed being killed in himself, for instance.


Catherine Lacey: Pew

I am always a little hesitant to promote the work of someone who is white when there are many women of color who are under-recognized and struggling to earn both critical acclaim and also just a living. So, I will just say that I found Catherine Lacey’s very recent novel Pew incredibly moving and relevant for our times. She writes about race and gender identity in a way that feels fully realized. This book is about identity that words cannot define and the frustrations that result in a white community (who considers themselves super religious) because they cannot take ownership over human identity. There’s a real sense of the frustration of language and lack of it and of not being in control and the way these humans handle that feeling. It is a postmodern masterpiece and I would highly recommend it. On a side note, it doesn’t really matter or seem worth mentioning the personal romantic life of a female author but, in this case, I must mention that she is currently the partner of one of my favorite authors who also resides in Chicago, Jesse Ball, and has a funny statement about him at the end in the thank-you section that is worth taking a look at.


Elif Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

This novel is fiercely feminist following so many female friends from all walks of life in Turkey and the way the body lives on after death. This book starts with death but is really filled with life! As our heroine protagonist, murdered yet still filled with extreme senses, dies a little more on each page, we find out a little more about her and what in her life brought her to this point. And therein lies the largest devastation of this novel because we fall in love with dear Leila but it’s too late to save her. Her life was doomed from the beginning because she happened to be born female and poor and did not have any rights to make her own happiness despite having all the ambitions to do so.


Imani Perry: Breathe, A Letter to My Sons:

This book was a little reminiscent of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “Between the World and Me” but I actually was even more moved by this mothers take on raising her two boys in America with it’s racist past and present. Really wise and incredible. This was such a gift to be added to the canon of American literature and as a resource to help nurture the modern African American family and was both honest and insightful.

Yaa Gyasi: Transendent Kingdom

Yaa Gyasi’s second novel is quite a bit different than her first, Homegoing. This one is about a family from Ghana but one that lives in Alabama and struggles to make their way in the American South. It is a portrait of a family in turmoil as the family unit as a whole is severed in a couple of major ways…and, I am hesitant to say more on that end as I don’t want to spoil the novel. Gyasi writes us a very strong female protagonist in Gifty who is a neuroscientist studying mice and both reward seeking and inhibition in her quest to understand and make sense of addiction. It is one of those soul searching types of books that is well worth reading and without artifice or cliché, which is sometimes quite a challenge to find in literature.

The Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen

In some ways, this was not as profound as an earlier fiction work by this Israeli author, Waking Lions, but is still however very meaningful and relevant about lies that take on a life and storyline of their own between Israel and Poland and between both a young and a much older female protagonist. To me, this book was incredibly relevant especially in these times about how a little bit of dishonesty ends up leading to incredibly different results in the lives of humans. It’s a short read but very worthwhile in the way it makes you think of the role of truth in one’s life.

Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Dr. Monique W. Morris

This was a really difficult read by the Founder and President of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute (NBWJI). Yet, it was also an important read for me not just as an educator but as someone who also wants to do right by all students I support. Morris gets into some of the facts behind racial profiling in schools and does well to expose how it is often overlooked what impact early racism in schools has on young women (although, it is often acknowledged and still very damaging for young Black men). The treatment of young women in a place of learning is very important and could be instrumental in nurturing and encouraging these girls to succeed and to set ambitious yet achievable goals but they have to not only be taught skills but believe in their own worth. We also need to recognize signs of trauma and ensure that we are addressing the whole child. We cannot ignore these facts and we cannot assume that every educator before us was kind and acted within the best interest of every student. So, when we consider what a child’s perception of education may be, for a student of color especially a young human who may be Black, there may be a lot of work to do in changing a negative sense of school. What we see in our schools is not “safe spaces” but punishment that sets the stage for a cruel future. Do we really want this as a society? We must accept that we have failed and that we must change.

We must actively change schools across America! It is a gift to be able to teach and nurture and abuses of power are the most heinous kind. On a personal note, I spent much of my time this summer protesting against police brutality and cops in schools. Our mayor and Board of Ed. in Chicago has kept a few incidents of racially motivated violence against students in schools from the public and, instead of hiring nurses and ending our contract with the cops, tax payers are still footing the bill. They’ll make us take a mandatory online training about stopping the school to prison pipeline but, in terms of policy and where our tax dollars are going, Chicago is far from walking the same walk they are preaching.

Brit Bennett-The Vanishing Half

This reminded me of a modern day Passing by Nella Larsen and a great follow up novel to The Mothers. Bennett shows a portrait of two sisters, one who decides to pass and leads a much different life than the other who ends up having a child with a man who has a much darker skin tone than herself and returns to their small town in Louisiana where there is an obsession about shades of skin. This novel is as much an examination about race as it is about the human desperation driven by racism and what humans are capable of denying about themselves and others they love to continue to live safely within a certain space and level of comfort. There is also a second layer that is about transitioning genders that adds to the storyline and characters overall.

The Atlas of Reds and Blues by Devi S. Laskar

The story of racism that a Bengali immigrant family experiences in the American south (in a suburb of Atlanta) is important but what elevates this work is the unique writing style. I literally felt like I was slipping to and fro through time and seeing these glimpses of a vivid life in all its joys and sorrows. Laskar is incredibly poetic in her exploration of police violence and trauma and was also herself a victim of racial profiling. She’s another author who I hope continues to gain readers and write more books. For a debut, this is exceptional and really reads like it come from an author who has written her whole life.

Disability / Visibility edited and FW by Alice Wong

This is nonfiction at its finest because it has the power to open your mind to the struggles of a group of humans you may not have had a clue about before you opened the first page. Wong did an excellent job of finding an incredibly diverse group of perspectives not just in terms of race, class and religion but also in terms of ability level and opinions on ableism and world perspectives. Keah Brown and Haben Girma are probably the most well known authors in this collection but each of these essays is enlightening in a different way-some focus more on technological aspects, others on fashion, others on abortion, and still others on deficits in terms of public transport. All of these perspectives are valid and insightful and should give able bodied humans a clue as to what obstacles need to be examined and removed in our society to make a better world exist.

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho.

In an alternative reality where white American born humans also need to pass a citizenship test, this would be required reading. Acho comes from Nigerian parents and grew up in Texas. I didn’t realize he wasn’t just a political science philosopher type of author (He’s also an NFL player) when I started reading as I don’t really follow the actual sports game but he does a fantastic job with these questions, which are actual questions submitted by white people in America. Some of these questions show a huge lack of understanding of history and privilege. Other questions are more related to wanting to help and be anti-racist but not knowing where to start. Acho calmly rewinds and takes us through some background and gives suggestions on how to live differently and be better as well as some valuable resources. And, in order to keep in mind white privilege, I will say that it is definitely not the responsibility of Black or African American humans to educate us but when they do make an effort (and hopefully like Acho are compensated for it), it’s definitely our duty to listen. As ignorant as some of these questions seem, we must all be humble and willing to ask questions and all the more willing to listen to the answers. It’s also worth noting that this nonfiction was written after the murder of George Floyd so it is incredibly current and Acho also writes very calmly and in a way that most people probably won’t find having a huge adverse reaction to when confronting white privilege and entitlement.

A Man by Keiichirō Hirano

What an engaging read! I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel that so effectively skirted the line of experimental fiction in its exploration of identity and story lines before. First, there is the identity based on an exchanged one and a lie for a human being who lives a quiet life as someone else. But, then there is the exploration of identify of what it means to be S. Korean and living in Japan and the xenophobia experienced by humans in this predicament. In some ways, A Man reads like a thriller and mystery novel but in many other ways, it is a deeply philosophical work that cannot be contained by genre but makes you wonder about and question the human stories were are assigned, we tell ourselves, and that we make up altogether. I can’t wait for At the End of the Matinee to be released April 15th, 2021!

Hidden Colors by Nillu Nasser

The book explores the struggles of Syrian refugees in Berlin putting on a magical circus but after a couple of years. the anti-immigrant sentiment rises and politicians and journalists have to choose which side to take. This book feels fantastical in the sense of the circus production but realistic in its depiction of the hardship of existence as a mere pawn in politics and left vulnerable to political whims and opinions of the public. There’s a great deal here about the ethics of journalism as well and the responsibilities in terms of telling of the human story. Though this book is technically a work of fiction, it is highly relevant to our current world.

A Fortune For Your Disaster by Hanif Andurraqib

I didn’t do as much poetry reading this year as I did last year but this one definitely stood out. I read it for book club. Full disclosure-I love everything by Hanif and would recommend Go Ahead in the Rain, his nonfiction regarding A Tribe Called Quest if you are fan of the band. I follow Hanif on Twitter and am a fan of him both in terms of his politically conscious side and his human side where he bakes and talks about his love of music and Columbus, Ohio. He’s also great to see speak. He’s an incredibly lovable human. Anyway, this poetry is so rich with imagery and soul and, though it definitely explores topics of racism, I would also say that it explores the full range of what it means to be human and does so artfully. So many of the lines should be read more than once and contemplated. Read a poem and put it down for a while and think about the full complexity of what Hanif was exploring and picture the photograph he created with his masterful words that appears in your head.

Just Us by Claudia Rankine:

Rankine is an extraordinary poet who is also insightful when it comes to race in America and her observations based on both casual encounters and a whole lot of systemic racism. At the end of the day, Rankine is aware of the damning impact of white supremacy and she wants humans to heal and for the world to become a better and safer place for all human to exist in. And, that isn’t going to happen without some conversations taking place that are sometimes challenging to initiate and to explore. We find ourselves sometimes in situations that might at first seem perplexing but have a history based in reality. If you haven’t read Citizen, the collection of poetry by Rankine, you might be blown away but this work of nonfiction. If, like me, you have read Citizen, you might at this point be more impressed by the fact that with all of the facts and insights Rankine has, she still is willing to have conversations about race and that speaks to the kind of beautiful human being she is.

The Drifting Classroom Volume 1-3 by Kazuo Umezz

This is a riveting 700+ page graphic novel about a school that disappears from the present and travels to a desolate future with a lot of human psychological issues of those trapped in this new reality. I will say one key thing in this epic journey through the minds and choices of these young children is that both the surreal storyline and the art work are captivating and I was soon hooked and couldn’t wait for the third volume to be released a couple of months ago. I devoured it like a piece of decadent chocolate cake while soaking in my bathtub for night after night. I became very invested in these creatures who first had to fight for their lives when there was a struggle for power and then when their dreams came alive and then when there was a plague and then when there was still extreme scarcity of food and water….and somehow our hero and protagonist is able to community at some points with his mom living in the time and reality they came from even though they are far from it. Just a fantastic imaginative series for Japanese graphic novel fans especially.

Myla Goldberg’s Feast Your Eyes-

Tis is a very well done and complex portrait of a photographer living in NYC in the 60s-70s who didn’t actually exist but you’ll be convinced did exist by the way this book is laid out describing her photographs with fictional journal entries and fictional accounts of friends and family. This is a lot about artistic rights and the line between art and child protection. Interesting philosophically and based on several other female photographers who actually did exist like Vivian Maier and Diane Arbus. It really reads like a very engaging nonfiction work instead of fiction, which is an interesting experience for the reader.

Sharks in the Time of Saviors: by Kawai Strong Washburn

I had two books by native authors, this one and Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun become available around the same time from my Chicago Public Library holds list and they couldn’t be more different. But while I did love the imagination of Black Sun overall, I didn’t feel as connected to the characters and just saw it as a starting point for hopefully a long series whereas Sharks in the Time of Saviors feels like a truly stand alone work. This book is, in many ways, a portrait of a native Hawaiian family struggling to get by and having a son with healing powers. There is a bit of a leap in terms of what you can believe here but it is written with enough reality that the surreality is very effective. Our hero Noa is trying to find himself and come to terms with a crucial error he makes. In the meantime, his brother and sister are also floundering between not being the most brilliant basketball star (former) and with same sex preferences (latter) and no one has any money to fly home to Hawaii from college because, of course, it’s just far too expensive even for the natives to get home. What is the most interesting to me is how the relationships between family members is explored and the idea that you shouldn’t ever encourage someone to define their identity with just one main thing or being good at one thing because it destines them to an unhappy sort of life and failure. I found the writing here very engaging and it dealt with some of the real issues Natives face in our country, especially in areas where cost of living has become insurmountable.

A Burning: by Megha Majumbar

This was a very difficult book to read, primarily because Majumbar writes us a story where you easily feel connected to and devastated by the chain of events that bring our heroine, Jivan, a poor Muslim girl in the Indian slums to a prison cell wrongfully accused of being a terrorist. In some ways, it made me think of a modern day Kafka-esque tale where it just seems all odds are stacked against our protagonist and it just keeps getting worse. Majumbar explores the corruption in modern day India but also interestingly enough explores the life and rise of a transgender fried of the protagonist at the very same time. This book is filled with politicians and political opportunists and liars who don’t seem to mind making Jivan a fall girl for their own political agenda and it made me wonder how possible all of this might actually be, especially as Majumdar was born and raised in Kolkata herself though is now living in NYC. This is Majumdar’s first novel and shows a promising career.

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

One of the reasons why this nonfiction is so powerful is because these voices are so often not heard or misheard. Johnson takes us through his life and what it was like to grow up with two identities, sometimes at odds with himself and what it meant to be both an African American and one who questioned his gender and preferred humans of the same sex to his biologically given gender. Johnson takes us through his very harrowing struggle to fit in and the relief of finding members in his family who at least partially understood what he was going through. He takes through what it’s like to be sexually abused and have assumptions made about him. It is harrowing and honest and makes you grateful that he has created something that shows us the whole range of humanity and helps some of us find comfort in who we are and others of us understand how to be better and more compassionate humans.


Glitter up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary by Sasha Geffen

Sasha Geffen is a human who has devoted countless hours to exploring how we came to this exact moment in music history and all of the steps that led us here in an all inclusive non fiction epic journey examining how, in just about every genre of music I can think of, gender identity and transforming gender norms was a part of both image and sound of musicians. I am a huge fan of music and many of these musicians and bands I was already familiar with and own albums by. However, Geffen caused me to view many songs, concerts, and even album covers a different way and I also learned about many artists I was not familiar with. This is a must read for those who love music and for those who seek to accept and appreciate all genders (male, female, and non-binary) and their artistic contributions within this very flawed yet sometimes quite beautiful world.

A Partial History of Lost Causes by Jennifer duBois

This book fascinated me….Irina knows she is going to die and it is going to possibly be horrible and painful when she does the genetic testing and finds out she inherited Huntington’s Disease. She knows what the future holds because she saw her father progressively lose abilities and she starts to lose control in ways that signal to her what her future could hold. And so, she decides she’s going to go on adventure to Russia in order to find a chess master who is an active political opponent of Putin because, after all, what exactly does she have to lose? This book is about the idea of taking your life into your own hands and controlling your destiny instead of letting genetics define you. It is also about trying to make the most out of a life that many others would consider doomed. It also has a really great joke about Adam and Eve actually being soviets and it takes a lot to make me laugh in the middle of a pandemic.

Vivian by Christina Hesselholdt

This work explores all ll different points of view including Vivian Maier’s own on life and photography with interesting narrator interjections and musings based on what is known of this photographer. I have to admit that I have a personal bias of loving many of Maier’s photographic works so this was a very engaging read for me based on my familiarity with and admiration of the photographer that was the focus of this technically “biographical fiction” work. I think it might be a key point to get acquainted with some of Maier’s photographs and read this book if you are enamored. But, you might also enjoy this book if you in general love photography and think often about what might a photographer be like as a human and what makes for a good photographer as well.


Empire of Wild: Cherie Dimaline

This is the first novel I have read by a Métis (Native French Canadian) author and I really loved it. It was definitely wild and centered around the traditional Native myth of the Rogarou as it kills and steals souls. This was as much about human deception and religion and racism as it was about this creature and it was impossible for me to not visualize the horror while, at the same time, see Rogarou as a metaphor for white opportunists who will do whatever it takes to steal Native land. I had my heart in my throat for a lot of this journey and I think the power of the writing really showed its effectiveness.

Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves edited by Glory Edim.

Fantastic autobiographical accounts of prominent African American female authors of today and how they were inspired by literature that uniquely spoke to them. This book does well to emphasize the importance of representation and I would advocate that those who define curricula across the country on every level should start considering whether we are really celebrating our current list of authors because they were talented and had something relevant to say then and now or whether it goes within our nation’s history of white supremacy to promote primarily white male authors as the definitive standard even though they had every advantage over their women of color possible colleagues. What is hopeful is that now more than ever talented women of color are being published and truly heard but, in my opinion, there is still a lot of history around celebrating only or primarily only white male authors that should be challenged in this country. In any case, this collection features a great deal of talented contemporary female authors such as Jesmyn Ward, Jacqueline Woodson, Zinzi Clemmons, N. K. Jemisin, Tayari Jones and more and speaks to the power of literature and it’s transformative qualities!

The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience, and the Secret World of Sleep by Guy Leschziner.

I thought this was nonfiction about dreams but it was mainly about different sleep disorders…still very interesting and informative though! Did you know you can have something called Restless Chest Syndrome? Yikes! I tend to love neuroscience and yet besides this book and The Telomere Effect by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, I didn’t read nearly as many science oriented books in 2020. I read far more nonfiction books about race, gender, and immigrant memoirs. Still, I love to learn about all facets of the human brain and I believe in life long learning. The case studies in this book were especially fascinating and made me feel like my reoccurring insomnia is really not so bad at all compared to what it could be!

Wow, No Thank You: Samantha Irby

This nonfiction collection of essays made me laugh so hard (especially the chapter on cat vs. dog ownership) that I instantly fell in love with Irby as both an author and as a human being and, though she no longer lives in Chicago, it was cool to see what living in Chicago twenty or so years ago was like through her eyes. Irby is happily married and has encountered both homophobia and racism in her life and these essays showed both an intellectual and a quick witted approach to dealing with it. Irby is so candid and does not hold anything back when it comes to her own biology, either, which is almost shocking (and also appreciated) at times in its brutal honesty and well worth reading. Irby is also my age so I could relate to some of these chapters quite a bit because of that. Hello 911, filled with imagined 911 calls as well as Love and Marriage where she answers ridiculous questions are also not to be missed chapters if you want to laugh hysterically.

The Monk of Mokha (Story of Mokhtar Alkhanshali) told by Dave Eggers

I actually led a two hour remote book club on this book last month and, though I love discussing books, what is odd is that I liked the book better before the discussion. This is an incredible story of a Yemeni American man who risks literally his life more than once to bring back viable coffee beans and establish a coffee trade between his homeland of Yemen and the United States. Dave Eggers insists emphatically that this is 100% nonfiction and it is unfathomable the lengths that Mokhtar goes to. There’s an undying sense of the human spirit that can be both courageous and also lucky in this book. There’s also a component of the struggle itself against both the violent conflict situation in Yemen and the racism encountered in America. In any case, if you are interested, here’s an article about the book.

www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/dave-eggers-te...

I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me: Juan Pablo Villalobos

Good, because they probably won’t! This is an adventure in surrealist experimental fiction walking the line between humor and existential dread. In the end, you honestly don’t know exactly what really happened and if the protagonist is even still alive. There are doubling of characters, journal entries, a talking dog, and lots of unsavory types I wouldn’t trust with my favorite pencil (or even my least favorite pencil). Our extremely flawed hero is a Mexican intellectual who wants to study humor in literature in Catalonia, Spain but is side tracked before he can even get there by a group of mafia like henchmen in an impossible scheme his cousin roped him into involving seducing a woman identifying as a lesbian amongst other crazy shenanigans. This is a wild ride! If you’re an intellectual who dislikes thrillers, try this one out to see if maybe it was just the writing style in those other books wasn’t enough for you in the first place.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

I expected a lot from Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens because of the human (a coworker and friend) who recommended it to me and I did think it was worth reading. I like the sense of looking into isolationism and classism as well as the justice system in the American South plus there’s a courtroom cat! (Sunday Justice) but probably best of all was the fierce individualism of the female protagonist, Kya, the “Marsh Girl” who learns to make her own way in life. Kya’s unusual personality and talents drew me into the story line as a whole but it was the ending that made it truly worthwhile and landed it on my best of 2020 list.

Junji Ito’s Yon & Mu:

This is a super adorable autobiographical #catlife graphic nonfiction about his wife’s 2 cats that he learns to 💕 and who turn him into a cat person. I loved the drawings in this book and the little stories about getting his cat neutered, going on a business trip and missing his cats, cats around his chair where the heater was, cats on his lap, cats in his bed….you know the drill. A lot of these are relatable and silly but sweet and the book also includes photos! I’ve read Ito’s harrowing fiction, graphic horror novels and this was quite a departure but it gave me a glimpse into his lovable human side. Though this was maybe not the best book I read critically, it was still definitely one of my favorites as someone who is a fan of Ito’s graphic novels and cats!

Cats of the Louvre: Taiyo Matsumoto

Full disclosure here that I didn’t really think anyone would take me seriously if I started with these last two books/graphic novels because, honestly, I love cats and so I cannot be objective about extreme cat topics and/or cat protagonists. This one is perfection-a wildly imaginative storyline centered around the cats that live in Le Louvre. What more do you need to know? Ok, there’s a human trapped in a painting and also all the cats take on human traits at night when no on is looking. Is this not a good enough reason to read this book right now?!?! Oh wait, you’re a dog lover??? Well, forget you anyway! 😹


Honorable mentions:

Ok, so again this list only represents about 30% of the books I read this year. I can’t write about 100+ more books but here are the books I would still recommend:

Little Gods by Meng Jin
I’m Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya
Eatheater by Dolores Reyes
Dear Girls by Ali Wong (so funny!)
Telephone by Percival Everett
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire by David Mura
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Telomere Effect by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn
1919 by Eve L. Ewing

**All photos are copyrighted**

Tags:   Science fiction fiction non fiction poetry literature books read reading Favorite books cats feline chat gato gatti gata story stories list end of year list racism politics criticm essays Claudia Rankine Emmanuel Acho Dave Eggers graphic novel Hanif Abdurraquib Akwaeke Emezi Yaa Gyasi Ahmed Sadaawi Imani Perry Elif Shafak Catherine Lacey Karen Tei Yamashita Brit Bennett Alice Wong Kawai Strong Washburn Kazuo Umezz Nillu Nasser Keiichirō Hirano Ayelet Gundar-Goshen author writer autobiography Megha Majumbar Sasha Geffen Jennifer duBois George M. Johnson N.K. Jemisin Monique W. Morris Glory Edim Cherie Dimaline Christina Hesselholdt Rebecca Roanhorse Devi S. Laskar Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens The Monk of Mokha Juan Pablo Villalobos Junji Ito Taiyo Matsumoto Samantha Irby katzen The Vanishing Half Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man Transcendent Kingdom The Drifting Classroom selfie self self portrait me myself tuxedo cat Tabby cat

© All Rights Reserved

First, a caveat...I know what all of you must be thinking...you're probably completely shocked that I don't have a photo of Leonard Cohen first and PJ Harvey second on this list. Well, I have a pretty good reason for that. Basically, when I saw both musicians, I was thrilled to death to be so very close to them. I almost couldn't prevent my hands from shaking I was so excited. Both are completely brilliant. However, in terms of Leonard Cohen, for both performances, he ruined about 99% of his material with dreadful synthesizers and wind instrumentation. While lyrically the man is still top of his game, his idea of fitting musical accompaniment is frankly offensive to every part of my anatomy that registers auditory input. I'm serious. That's why if there's anyone out there reading that is actually in a great indie band, please cover all of his most recent songs done in a more acoustic vain. Though I don't want to dwell on this, Cohen went one step further and for his live show, although he possessed all the wonderful boyishness that one could hope for, he decided to ruin all of his old songs originally done acoustically now rendered as sickening soft rock sort of numbers. I paid $100 to see him the second time and gladly would have paid twice as much to see an acoustic set of just him and not all the other garbage. With regards to PJ Harvey, I thought she performed A Woman a Man Walked By with John Parish very adeptly and if she had done even one song from White Chalk as an encore, she would have made it to this list. I respect her for being a strong willed woman and making independent choices. However, as a fan I felt the $45 ticket price (plus service charges) for less than an hour show that didn't feature any of her old songs as an encore was a little unreasonable.

Also, the meaning of ten is very specific...in other words, ten is not eleven or twelve and if you try to make ten into another number, it usually revolts in unsatisfying ways. However, I changed my mind back and forth about what shows exactly should be on here until I reached a final verdict. Some very close shows included seeing The Pretenders in August and then The Pixies just recently in November. A few more that were fantastic this year: Raveonettes with Black Angels at the Metro, Fanfarlo at Schubas Tavern, I was a King at The Empty Bottle, Entrance Band at The Hideout, Dutchess and the Duke at the Hideout, Explosions in the Sky at the Congress Theater, Sonic Youth at the Vic Theater (both nights!), Ebony Bones at Wicker Park Street Festival, The Love Language at the Hideout, Os Mutantes at Subterranean, The Liars at Coachella, The Vaselines at The Metro, Art Brut at Schubas Tavern, The Doves at the Vic Theater, Rodrigo y Gabriela at the Riviera Theater, Speck Mountain at The Hideout, Broadcast at the Bottom Lounge, The Cure at Coachella, The Vivian Girls at the Empty Bottle, St. Vincent at the Metro, The Dø at the Empty Bottle, and pretty much every Sharon Van Etten show (Sharon Van Etten would definitely make it on this list if she would only play a little bit longer for her sets.)

Now, let's begin.

#1 The Feelies: Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park (Chicago)

I never really felt that it was possible that I'd be seeing one of my favorite bands live. I was way too young to see The Feelies when they were initially touring so long ago and, though I felt hopeful, I was a little cautious of getting my hopes up that they would come to my city.

I've seen quite a few bands that are playing live again after a period of years-Wire, for example, and Gang of Four. I've even seen The Undertones with a different lead singer (on my birthday!) and The Vaselines, who were exceptional this year but I admit the passive aggressive banter between Frances and Eugene just threw me right off.

The performance of The Feelies surpassed all of these bands. It was clear the band was actually in prime form and while I don't have any previous much earlier performances to compare this one to, I was incredibly impressed. The timing was perfect, the sense of the band as a whole spot on. I enjoyed myself immensely, dancing to many of my favorite old songs. It was the kind of magical show where younger people who may not have even heard the band's music who were just stopping in (because it was a free show downtown) seemed to love it immediately. There was Crazy Rhythms sort of dancing and it was wonderful. Maybe it's Only Life, but life is truly what you make of it.

Here's a photoset including a setlist: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157620629433313/

myspace page: www.myspace.com/thefeelies

#2 Antony and the Johnsons: February17th at the Vic Theater in Chicago.

Oh I was so very angry at Antony Hegarty. What nerve he had! I arrived at The Vic incredibly early for the best seat in the house (I pretty much knew there wouldn't be a photopit for someone who hates his photo being taken). Then, my camera literally wouldn't focus for the first three songs because it was so dark. In other words, despite my fast lens, my camera sensor wouldn't register any point of light to focus on. Then, immediately after the first three songs were up (and that venue is very strict about enforcing the three song rule) Antony played with the most brilliant white light one could ever imagine. It was torture and the five usable shots I did take were actually when the security guard was busy texting his girlfriend and didn't realize I had my camera up. You can get thrown out of this venue if you are caught taking photos after song 3 and this is the ONLY TIME I have ever violated this rule.

But enough moaning...the show itself was amazing. Antony's voice is nothing short of divine. It's like he's been touched by the gods when he sings. I couldn't help but sit there gaping with my mouth open, my heart lodged in my throat watching him up there. Well, in truth most of the time my eyes were closed because I was so tortured by what I was missing but the listening experience was immense. The depth of human emotion that Antony has would not be measured on any kind of mathematical scale. It's really out of this world. Antony also came off as rather funny and sweet to his fans between songs, which made me forgive him for being the cruelest sadist to photographers on this side of the galaxy.

Photoset including photos from Coachella:

www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157622149874803/

Myspace:
www.myspace.com/antonyandthejohnsons

#3 Mount Eerie: November 8th, 2009 at The Lakeshore Theater in Chicago

I consider myself to be a Phil Elverum fan but suffice it to say that I prefer his albums like Lost Wisdom a little more than his most recent, Wind's Poem. Now, I've never been a real fan of metal music unless it's a sung by Mark Kozelek. I'm much more a fan of the psyhedelic and shoegaze genres. Punk and folk are also preferred over metal within the context of my grey matter.

Another thing about Wind's Poem...it has it's moments of turbulence but it probably wouldn't really be considered metal by die hard fans of the genre. For instance, people that listen to Black Sabbath for all hours of the day might consider Wind's Poem a weak metal album I imagine.

That said, Phil Elverum really brought the energy and strength live in a way that was sort of like an indie metal epiphany. It was like witnessing the album amped up with all the force that it needed to convince me that, hey, that genre called metal might not be so bad. Listen, if I'm the one thinking that, the performance was nothing short of amazing.

Full Review with Photos of Mount Eerie: www.popmatters.com/pm/post/116076-mount-eerie-8-november-...

Myspace page: www.myspace.com/elverumandsun

#4 My Bloody Valentine: April 2009 at Coachella in Indio, California

I wish I could say that witnessing My Bloody Valentine for the second time was powerful enough to even clear up the massive sinus infection I had at the time of this music festival but unfortunately I did need legitimate medicine for that. Anyhow, I'm quite sure the band gave me the strength I needed to get myself back to the airport after the festival and safely home.

I'd seen My Bloody Valentine one other time at The Aragon Ballroom and that easily made my top ten live shows of 2008. Like The Feelies, I was incredibly impressed with their live performance even though I didn't see them in their early days. The reeling of MBV's guitars seemed so well balanced by all the shimmer shoegaze etherea. One really can't see this band without experiencing a certain sense of awe.

And, while I was feeling like I was on the verge of collapse in the middle of the desert, thinking I would surely end up dying several states from home, I gained a second wind. All of a sudden, I wanted to photograph all of the audience members while they were experiencing the music too (this was well after the first three songs.) I decided to do this during the quite long "You Made Me Realise" and felt more creative at this time than I have in awhile. It was a really great feeling.

You Made Me Realise photoset of audience shots: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157617609197407/

Coachella 2009 complete photoset including live photos of My Bloody Valentine: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157617435259499/

Myspace page: www.myspace.com/mybloodyvalentine

#5: Ida Maria: August 2009 Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Chicago

This was actually the second time I was seeing and photographing Ida Maria but the first time that I could stay the whole set instead of running to some other band to photograph them on a different stage (which had happened at Coachella). I really enjoy Ida Maria's punk sensibilities. In case you didn't know, she's from Norway so seeing her live in the states is rare enough. Unfortunately, history has proven that it's difficult to see her with Visa issues and most recently with a sort of a nervous breakdown, which makes this performance even more special.

Ida Maria was on a side stage early on in the day and she seemed to possess all sorts of crazy amounts of energy. She was completely wild, playing all of the songs off of her album to perfection then going even further, unleashed into a phenomenal cover of The Stooges classic "I Wanna Be Your Dog." To call the show fun would probably be the understatement of the century...you really felt like you were the woman and the music were phenomenally of the moment.

Live photos of Ida Maria at Lolla: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157622410528024/

Full set of Lollapalooza photos: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157621885210945/

Myspace page: www.myspace.com/idamaria

#6 Rural Alberta Advantage: August 24th, 2009 Pritzker Pavilion in Millenium Park, Chicago

I want to emphasize how great this band is live and on album. I really enjoyed seeing them both times this year and it was quite special to see them in the intimate venue of Schubas Tavern. However, the key difference between those shows was that lead male singer Nils Edenloff talked more between songs at Pritzker Pavilion. He shared stories about the songs and his life and past and that made it seem all the more engaging and interesting. RAA are such an exceptional live band out of Canada and you really can't go wrong seeing them live but what was really apparent from this earlier show is how loveable they are as human beings.

Photos and a review of The Rural Alberta Advantage with The Love Language at Schubas Tavern: www.soundcheckmagazine.com/featured-content/1774-reviewph...

Myspace: www.myspace.com/theraa

#7 Dead Man's Bones: October 21, 2009 at Schubas Tavern in Chicago

Yes, I know, it *is* weird that Ryan Gosling is in a band. I'm going to continue to stand by how much I love this record and how greatly I enjoyed the live performance, though. In fact, in many ways, the live performance even surpassed that of the album. What was most impressive was how Gosling used a local choir of kids to sing with him. It was even more fun that they were dressed up as day of the dead zombies.

For a full review with a photoset: www.soundcheckmagazine.com/featured-content/1809-reviewph...

Myspace: www.myspace.com/deadmansbones

#8 Viva Voce: May 29th, 2009 at The Empty Bottle in Chicago

Viva Voce was so catchy and so tight at this show despite long drives and touring schedules that I ended up being mesmerized by how fantastic they were. Creating a vivid psychedelic wonderland is what they do best and, even though the Do Division show the next day was great it couldn't come close to their show the previous evening. Touring on Rose City, an album that also made my top ten albums of 2009, the band really has evolved to the level where their setlist is so chocked full of great songs that you definitely won't be disappointed seeing them live. In addition, they put in such energy while at the same time making it seem effortless. You have to see/hear it to believe it, truly.

Live photos of Viva Voce at Do Division: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157618985524901/

myspace page: www.myspace.com/vivavoce

#9 The Veils: July 23rd, 2009 at the Empty Bottle in Chicago

I've never been let down by The Veils. This was the third time
I had seen them and they were alive as humans can possibly be. I'm stunned by the lengths Finn Andrews goes to live especially. He seems to be able to channel every experience he's ever had and bare it all. It's quite frankly a little unnerving but at the same time, it challenges you to go beyond passive listening. It doesn't hurt that The Veils have some truly amazing songs and records, the kind you don't just learn by heart but feel by heart.

Portrait photo of Finn Andrews: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/3751570369/in/photostream/

A full live review of this show with photos can be found here: www.popmatters.com/pm/post/109329-the-veils-23-july-2009-...

Live shots of The Veils in 2008: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157607737076026/

Myspace: www.myspace.com/theveils

#10 Tindersticks: March 12th, 2009 at Epiphany Church in Chicago

I have a confession to make...I didn't really "get" Tindersticks until I saw them live at this show. I never really understood why they had such a rabidly devoted fan base, for instance, until I was sitting at Epiphany Church witnessing Stuart Staples in all his glory in the flesh. That's when it clicked. His voice is a little like Tom Waits...a little like Leonard Cohen...and a little like Jarvis Cocker (if Jarvis was a bit older.) He has a sense to him that is both clever and sly and wraps around you subtly. Before you realize it, you're in love with the music and you think it's just about the best thing between Earth and heaven. Well, that's how I felt, anyhow. Highly recommended...I really couldn't do a top ten live shows list without them included.

Live photos of Tindersticks: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157622128971897/

Myspace page: www.myspace.com/tindersticksofficial

Tags:   top best Top Ten Live Shows of 2009 review music bands The Feelies Antony and the Johnsons Antony Hegarty Mount Eerie Phil Elverum My Bloody Valentine Bilinda Butcher MBV Ida Maria Lollapalooza Lolla music festival RAA Rural Alberta Advantage Dead Man's Bones Ryan Gosling Viva Voce Anita Robinson The Veils Sophia Burn Tindersticks Stuart Staples

© All Rights Reserved

(Many thanks to Cinchel for taking the above photo after I had set the camera settings. Then, I ran as fast as I could up and down my street holding The Dears album..I mean, how exactly do you guys spend your weekends?!?!)

#1 The Dears: Degeneration Street

Without a doubt in my mind and not one cell in jeopardy of rebelling against my entire person over it, The Montréal, Canada based Dears have released the album Degeneration Street and it was at the very top of my list pretty much the moment I heard it (no need to wait for it to grow on you). No album that came out afterwards had the passion and the brilliant melodrama that this one had (and, friends, I am a fan of Melodrama!)

It was 2003 when No Cities Left was first released in Canada and that album was nothing short of mind blowing (It made my #6 in my top 75 albums of the decade) See: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/4228820156/

In any case, after Gang of Losers was such a disappointment in comparison (it's not a bad album, it just seems lacking when held up to No Cities Left), I thought perhaps lead singer and genius Murray Lightburn had lost his flare with surreality. Not so, though, because after 8 years, the band released what would have been an exceptional follow up to No Cities Left and shows that the band is actually back and in top form.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. Though I don't know this band personally, I feel they are criminally underrated. In other words, critics and fans should go to jail because they don't appreciate this band properly. I kid, I kid. I'm as much of a fan of free speech as the next girl, even if you are terribly wrong.

But, let's just say-don't make their mistake. This album is the best I've heard this year.

If you don't believe me, have a listen:

"5 Chords"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mln60E1GLJI

"Stick With Me Kid"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IaBioyRiVs&feature=related

Official Site:

www.thedears.org/

Myspace:

www.myspace.com/thedears

#2 Julianna Barwick: The Magic Place

Do you sometimes come home from work or a long dark day thinking all the beauty and humanity has left the world? Do you sometimes feel like you're going to scream and tear (and climb!) the walls, curl yourself into a big black ball in the middle of your bathtub until it's ok?

Well, have I got the album for you! And, friends, you might think it's absolutely life changing because for people that need basically a desensitization tank and a solace from things like genocide and the eleven o'clock news, Barwick is your girl. She's going to make you feel like you are dissolving into nothing, becoming part of the collective consciousness of a better world. Best yet, she'll make you feel like you can sleep at night and even get up the very next morning, doing it all again.

Not too many musicians can do that for you.

"The Magic Place"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7lLfYBGRaA

"Envelope"

youtu.be/cp6zUAvlEG4

Official site: www.myspace.com/juliannabarwick

Myspace: www.myspace.com/juliannabarwick

#3 Smith Westerns: Dye it Blonde

I love every moment of this album and the only reason why it isn't a perfect 10/10 is that it's really an EP to me clocking in at just under 40 minutes long. BUT, each of those 40 minutes is a glorious cascade of 60s drenched triumphant pop music. It's like these kids (and I say kids only because they are much younger than me, which I find so unbelievable) listened to The Beatles and The Pretty Things and said, "OK, yeah, but we can 2011 this up!" That's exactly what they ended up doing. They wear their hearts on their sleeve like the best of them with their beloved influences but at the same time, there is still this modern sense to the tracks that suggest "These guys were raised on the good stuff...but they aren't as old as your dad."

Anyhow, I digress. This album should be big. If they played them in shopping plazas, I might actually considering to going to one. Ha ha just kidding.

"Smile": www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1hDnJqCrY0

"End of the Night": youtu.be/Dj7Z1RAeqBQ

Official Site: www.smithwesternsmusic.com/

Myspace: www.myspace.com/smithwesterns

#4 The Rural Alberta Advantage: Departing

I was a huge fan of Hometowns and I really wasn't sure if another album could come that dear to me from this band but Nils Edenloff sings from his heart (and through his nose, but I like that!) and so the possibilities seem endless. This one is a bit of a grower but if you enjoyed Hometowns, I would highly recommend it.

"Under the Knife" easily became a favorite of this album. "Coldest Days" was so sweet and sentimental to me that I held it to my ears like muffs, "Stamp" was the funniest video I've seen in awhile and their nod to Ringo and The Beatles on "Good Night" ending the album was sweet and sentimental in a way that clearly wasn't lost on me.

"Coldest Days": www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyn7AVS5Hz0&feature=artist

"Stamp": www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarg-PdGRUI

Official Site: www.theraa.com/

Myspace: www.myspace.com/theraa

#5 Cashier No. 9: To the Death of Fun

I need to thank Bill Pearis of Soundbites ( soundbitesnyc.com/ ) for this recommendation. From time to time, I am lucky to have observant friends who have a pretty good idea of the albums I'll like and this was passed along to me earlier this year. This band is Irish and they have a lovely and simultaneously huge pop song. Let me get to the point..we've had a slight resurgence of Irish bands that are not U2...so far Cashier No. 9 haven't toured here but they are better than anything from Ireland on album that I've seen in the last few years. They are currently touring the UK with some guy named Noel Gallagher, whoever he is. No doubt, they'll blow him off the stage.

This band's songs are super melodic and super catchy...cant' get these songs out of my head. So difficult to get this release in the U.S. I finally ordered it on import from Bella Union: us.bellaunion.com/index.php?/site/ but if you want to wait it out until they have a distributor, youtube has pretty much all of the tracks. Here are a couple of my very favorites:

"Goldstar": www.youtube.com/watch?v=MguSkd-6U9k

"Lost at Sea": youtu.be/I6L2D4RLn_8

Official site: www.cashierno9.com/

Myspace: www.myspace.com/cashierno9

Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/search?q[fulltext]=Cashier+No+9

#6 Woods: Sun and Shade

People, I saw Woods play 5x this year, including twice in Big Sur and over the course of that time, I became incredibly attached to this album. If I were to see Neil Young, it would be in a huge theater and he would remind me of the age of myself and those dear to me and I'd lose the moment I'm quite sure of it. But seeing Woods...a band who seems to exude the essence of Neil Young in terms of vocals as if the musician was a strong bulb of garlic seems alright and completely savorable. Maybe I'm not conveying what I mean correctly...I guess it's such an extreme sense of longing, a feeling of place and being home without reference to age or any possible terrible futures that I'm consumed with when I listen to Woods, including this most recent album Sun and Shade. This album is sing songy and sad at the same time, making for strange anthems which over time grow upon the listener, becoming a second auditory skin. Love it. Live it. Make it yours.

"Pushing Onlys" www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2q_JbW6TXU

"Be All Be Easy": youtu.be/NXw4ontGyR0

Woods myspace: www.myspace.com/woodsfamilyband

Official Site: woodsist.com/woods.htm

#7 Low: C'Mon

If you're like me, you listened to the really catchy single of Low's C'Mon "Try to Sleep" and dismissed the album a bit at first. I caught them twice this year on tour and that helped. I don't listen to Low to dance. I listen to Low because it's reassuring to me that someone can see the world through depressing lenses like I do. So, when I heard the single and I recognized whimsy, I was very skeptical. I'm not good with change when it has to do with Low. I like my Low consistent just like I like my two free range eggs scrambled up in the mornings. If I don't have my depressing but heartfelt Low songs, my body just feels off, like everything is wrong and no one is going to understand and rock me to sleep that night.

In any case "You See Everything," "Especially Me" "Majesty/Magic" "$20" "Nothing But Heart" are desperately honest and show Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk working together in their usual perfection. I will always love this band. I will always be devoted to their melodrama because it is pure and real. It is without pretenses and it is life changing, especially if you like all that mundane pop music crap (YOU DON'T, DO YOU?!?!)

"$20" www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_3gkc9oHxY

"Nothing But Heart": youtu.be/r7Aob1JP3Ss

Official Low Site: chairkickers.com/

Myspace: www.myspace.com/low

#8 I Break Horses: Hearts

This is another recommendation from Bill Pearis of Soundbites ( soundbitesnyc.com/ ). This album is sort of like if you took a modern Cocteau Twins and made it into catchy pop vs. simply shoegaze yet still retained all the ethereal wonder of the vocals that made them great. This is accessible from first listen and opens up with a super positive energy you won't feel guilty about loving. There's a super feminine softness but you might be dancing and spinning to your heart's content so much that you don't even realize it. Sometimes, as in "Wired" the instrumentation builds to the most delicious hammering that would be like Swervedriver if Adam Franklin was a gentle and wise woman.

I doubt if you'd find this in stores as it is a British import ...you can also probably seek it out via Bella Union directly. In the end, I had to buy it off of Soundcloud and it is highly recommended: soundcloud.com/bella-union/sets/i-break-horses-hearts


#9 Myrmyr: Five Star

I'm lucky enough to be married to an ambient musician but he tends to get a little obsessed with drone music from time to time. I've gone to the drone shows at various Wire Fests and Neon Marshmallow Fests and I have to say, I greatly prefer psychedlic, garage, and indie pop to what most musicians these days are making. Another thing I've noticed is that a great deal of these musicians (the vast majority that I've seen tour in Chicago at least) are men. I think we all know how boring it is to watch a dude press buttons on his laptop on a stage.

The good news is that there is Myrmyr, which is made up of two women searching to find that perfect balance between dark and whimsical. This isn't really drone in my opinion because it's just too melodic. It's a gorgeous midnight sounding symphony that envelops you and says, "I understand your darkness and it's going to be alright." It has a much less ethereal feel than Julianna Barwick yet still keeps to the same organic feeling. The instruments do the main talking here and the strings are especially vocal. It's easy to come up with some desolate but beautiful stories to accompany these tracks and let your imagination go wild.

Soundcloud: myrmyr.bandcamp.com/album/fire-star

Myspace: www.myspace.com/myrmyr

#10 Explosions in the Sky: Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

These songs really didn't hit me at first and are just getting to me now on further subsequent listens. It takes a great deal of time with post rock before you can fully absorb it into your bloodstream and the cells of your temporal lobe. It's like a slowly moving film with more subtitles than you're used to processing on a weeknight. In any case, I think every Explosions in the Sky album has been a real treat and, though this one didn't get nearly as much press as I seem to remember the previous ones getting, it has some real moments of edgy building and it's fair share of shimmery greatness. Like many prior EITS albums, it's the kind of thing you have to immerse yourself into, have unique and tumultuous real life experiences with these songs to guide you, and when you emerge from that multisensory cave, you'll come out with all of the cells in your body regenerated and new and you'll recognize all the beauty you had inside you all along.

"Trembling Hands":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F0QsjIflZw

Official Site: www.explosionsinthesky.com/

Myspace: www.myspace.com/explosionsinthesky

#11 The Caretaker: An Empty Bliss Beyond This World

When I listen to Caretaker, I imagine wandering through deserted carousels, ballrooms, flapper parties where there is nothing but clothes on the floor to step over. There is a bit of a faded glamour and static from a victrola or at least that's what I hear. I imagine environments spinning and floating about in the subconscious of the human brain, which can sometimes be the richest place one can visit. This album is nothing if it isn't sad and beautiful simultaneously bringing the listener on a strange dance not just through memory but almost through another planet's existence altogether where nothing and no one has to die or be forgotten. Perhaps it's a world better than are own, where experiences are kept in an omnipresent sort of vault and are nourished by The Caretaker. This was also an album recommended on Soundbites: ( soundbitesnyc.com/ ) Many thanks also to NickD and Brian Leli for seconding and thirding the recommendation.

Soundcloud: thecaretaker.bandcamp.com/album/an-empty-bliss-beyond-thi...

#12 Jasper TX: The Black Sun Transmissions

This one is not for the faint of heart. It is quite dark and brooding and reminds me of a cerebral landscape at the end of eternity. I think this might just be the future field music for that...wandering around, seeing nothing but char. It's impossible not to think of Sweden's Jasper TX as a sort of abstract instrumental sound that infiltrates your brain and then your very existence. It is thick, it is dense, and it will take over. It's an epic desolation where the little glimmers of scattered hope are more like turbulence on a crashing plane.

Jasper, TX on Soudcloud: soundcloud.com/jasper-tx


#13 Veronica Falls: Self Titled

There are a great many of girl groups that have hit the stage and are really adept at delivering catchy songs that skirt the line between pop and garage. This British group, which actually has two men and two females but seems to features the female vocals most prominently really captures the sense of nostalgia in everything but at the same time you can't help dancing about to these songs. I was happy to find this on vinyl at Wicker Park Reckless Records in Chicago and I was very excited. I missed the band on their first tour here as it was the same night as Besnard Lakes but will be seeing them at the Empty Bottle on February 16th. It seems almost impossible that this would be the band's debut album but, if this is the starting point, I can't wait to see what they come up with next!

"Beachy Head": www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WY-Iin7P_w

Official Site: veronicafalls.com/

Myspace: www.myspace.com/veronicafallshard

#14 Baxter Dury: Happy Soup

This is another album that seems impossible to find in the states. I mainly have my friend Thierry Côté to thank for this one. I tend to advertise that I like the British melodic but somewhat talk singy swanky vocals that musicians like Jarvis Cocker of Pulp and David Gedge of The Wedding Present made famous. I adore the backup female vocals here, too. The songs are catchy but it can at times be just as sad as it is provocative. Baxter is Ian Dury's son and as he pleads to Claire to not waste her life and her bus fair and talks about peoples' reactions to The Sun, one can't help but feel a little more than a mere affinity to the whole song altogether..though to me it's the lyrics and the vocal delivery that really grab me more than anything. If no one told you nothing, nothing at all...you'd still be able to find something endearing about Baxter Dury..unless you're completely heartless..I hope that isn't true.

"Claire": www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaY3mPaMBSg

"Happy Soup": www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR0C-KRRR58

Official Site: www.baxter-dury.com/

Myspace: www.myspace.com/baxterdurymusic/music

#15 Bill Callahan: Apocalypse

I think my main barrier for me to liking this album in a top ten sense is that it seems so subtle to me in many ways. The one thing I would recommend to people, however, is to see Callahan tour as afterwards these tracks sort of clicked with me in a way that made them more effective. I also think that if he hadn't had named the album Apocalypse, I would have had a much different impression of how the songs would sound and I wouldn't have had my initial reaction.

If you like Bill Callahan and Smog, you'll still find room in your heart for this one. You'll realize that these tracks can be brooding at times, wondrous at others. You'll realize that Callahan is part of the indie west, which hasn't yet been conquered yet. You'll also realize he has a great deal of insight into America, history, and everything that seems to encompass these rather large topics. He even manages to be his poignant sentimental self again during "Riding for the Feeling."

The real people went away but thank God Bill Callahan is finding a better way.

"The Drover": www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tEnAgKDF34

"America": youtu.be/KJHYrWo3oTY

Myspace: www.myspace.com/whaleheart

#16 Wild Flag: Self titled

If you're still one of those people crying yourself to sleep because Sleater-Kinney broke up, look no further than Wild Flag. There are literally no duds on this album and singer Carrie Brownstein is in top form (both on stage and vocally). She seems to take over the songs a bit with her strong throaty delivery but there is a slight Helium influence provided by Mary Timony to be detected here and there. This is fun, fun stuff that you can easily rock out and dance to. Every song feels like a single. It's been a long time coming and a great deal of anticipation and I'm happy to say it lives up. In some ways, these girls got epic.

"Glass Tambourine": www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NBbCs7jpws

"Romance": youtu.be/xKplBq-9eSo

Myspace: www.myspace.com/wildflag

#17 The New Lines: All That We See and Seem

Another band I heard about through Bill Pearis and actually it was only about a week ago when he told me about them. Boy, I love my melancholic psychedelic music with moments of abstract experiments transitioning the songs and helping emphasize the main tracks with structure even more prominently. This is another band I'm convinced grew up listening to the right vinyl but still have a modern influence. They aren't as urgent as Tame Impala but if you do like Tame Impala, you will probably like The New Lines and you can listen before you buy on Soundcloud:

soundcloud.com/thenewlines/sets/all-that-we-see-and-seem/

#18 Dum Dum Girls: Only in Dreams

Dum Dum Girls wear their style on their sleeves and these easily accessible songs really pack a punch that Vivian Girls songs (as fun and wonderful as they are) just don't and they seem quite timeless even the first few times you hear them. Seeing this four piece and the chemistry on stage made the songs come to live but even on record this is a great follow up to I Will Be, the debut album. This band deserves to be playing much larger venues given the strength of their tracks and their live performance. This is a bit of dark fun perfect for playing on your Saturday night, even oddly when it hints at the tragedy that befell the band when Dee Dee Dum Dum recently lost her mother.

"Bedroom Eyes": www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBSs3-RfLKk

Myspace": www.myspace.com/dumdumgirls

#19 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Belong

It took awhile for this second album release to grow on me but there are still a great many luscious and wondrous tracks on this one as there was on their first release. What the band continues to do is take the ethereal and welcoming moments that one remembers out of the best of the shoegaze genre and make it powerful and strong when it needs to be so that the tracks don't completely fall out and dissolve. In other words, it's shoegaze but with choruses and verses defined and brought to an anthemic tradition. This band is sincere and sweet and they deserve to be as big as their sound can allow them, which continues to grow. This past year saw the band playing a decent slot at Lollapalooza and probably garnering even more fans during that performance. If you love the lush, deep feeling enlightenment, try a little Pains.

"Heaven's Gonna Happen Now": www.youtube.com/watch?v=uei2DJ7vE0c

"Heart in Your Heartbreak": www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewhQrteR9OQ

Official Site: www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com/

Myspace: www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart

#20 White Fence: In Growing Faith

Warped psychedelic music..drenched in sunshine and the 60s just the way I like it. White Fence is much brighter than Darker My Love, Tim Presley's earlier band but it is no less enchanting. This release is a bit more jangly than most psychedelic releases these days and isn't mired by postmodern production. In other words, it's nods to decades past are heartfelt and complete. Sometimes, the warped warbled songs make one even feel like he/she is going in and out of consciousness, which is an interesting feeling if nothing else. Thanks to my brother in law (who goes by the internet moniker Quartertonality) for telling me about White Fence..I had no idea Tim Presley was up to these antics before he mentioned the album and I was happy for the awareness.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/whitefenceband

#21 Mikal Cronin: Self Titled

Many thanks to Chris Zakorchemny ( www.flickr.com/photos/chriszak/ ) for telling me about this record. It is quite a bit bipolar..starting off kind of like a throw back Beach Boys album and exhibiting such a heavy kick on songs like "Green and Blue" to a catchier pop on "Get Along" to a downright languid pace on the appropriately named "Slow Down." In any way, Cronin keeps us guessing and keeps it interesting.

"Green and Blue":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7l8imhmPoA

Mikal Cronin on myspace: www.myspace.com/mikalcroninmusic

Mikal Cronin on Bandcamp: mikalcronin.bandcamp.com/

Tags:   The Dears Degeneration Street Low Woods Woodsist Sun and Shade Julianna Barwick The Magic Place Dye it Blonde Smith Westerns Mikal Cronin Wild Flag The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Belong Dum Dum Girls Only in Dreams Cashier No. 9 To the Death of Fun The Rural Alberta Advantage Departing RAA I Break Horses Myrmyr Fire Star The New Lines All That We See and Seem White Fence In Growing Fatih Veronica Falls The Caretaker An Empty Bliss Beyond the World Baxter Dury Happy Soup Bill Callahan Apocalypse EITS Explosions in the Sky Take Care Take Care Take Care Jasper, TX The Black Sun Transmissions me self running Keep the Kirstiecat running! See what I did there? Aw yeah, cleverpants.

© All Rights Reserved

1. PJ Harvey: White Chalk

Though it’s been heavily criticized by even some very devoted PJ Harvey fans, White Chalk reaches me in a way none of her previous albums have managed to do. At some points, it’s ethereal and at others completely edgy with “The Piano” being my absolute favorite track. Though her piano playing may be simplistic to those who are more classically trained at it, it’s emotional in a way some technically skilled pianists never reach and that’s always been more important to me anyways. PJ Harvey admits that she’s more familiar with the guitar but wanted to challenge herself and she definitely did reinvent her sound with this album. Additionally, she brings her vocals to new peaks in an impressive way to complement her poetic and abstract lyrics. Though I believe some men have the capacity to truly understand this album, it reaches me as a woman in a way that is hard for me to even explain. It feels intrinsically female and strong despite all sense of vulnerability. My suggestion if you’re one of those long time fans who just doesn’t seem to get the praise given to this release: listen to it at different times in your life when something major has happened to you. Let it accompany you on relationship breakups, nervous breakdowns, and even when you’re mourning the loss of a loved one. It’s just one of those albums that transcends the bulk of the space that fills ordinary days. White Chalk is for the days that we’ll remember and that are both lucid and tangible all at once.

Myspace site

2. Caribou: Andorra

For a long time, Caribou’s Andorra was my clear choice for #1 of the year. That was, of course, before the stiff competition that PJ Harvey provided. Andorra is a psychedelic wonderland. It’s the perfect mix of 60s throwback guitar melodies and modern electronic sounds. In many ways, it feels like an adventure. Though I enjoyed their previous releases, especially The Milk of Human Kindness, Andorra shows definite growth from Canada’s Dan Snaith. If having a PhD in Mathematics enables someone to so carefully calculate all of the elements in perfect sounding pop songs like “Melody Day” it might explain why Snaith is so apt.

Myspace

Live photos

3. Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

Oh people, this album is dangerous. Surely, it should come accompanied with a warning label cautioning the listener that it may cause compulsive repeated plays to the exclusion of everything else (like eating, working, or leaving one’s living space in general) It is difficult for me not to hear these songs and immediately connect with them on an emotional level (esp. “Black Wave”) after about a month when I didn’t listen to anything else and ignored all sounds of life around me. A warning label should also make listeners aware that amongst all of the society criticisms and life stories it provides lurks a kind of depression that might consume someone as easily and surely as any natural disaster. I love this album but, at the same time, I fear what it does to me. It is dangerous how strongly the songs make me feel. I listen and I weep sometimes with the sheer emotion that sweeps throughout my organs, plummeting me into some kind of inescapable area of doomed space. But hey, if you keep that in mind, it’s really a brilliant work perhaps as vital as Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner. And, if you are at all like me, listening to these songs will make you feel as lost and despairing as reading “Water water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.”

Myspace


4 Low: Drums and Guns

I’m a big Low fan but I have to admit that my all time favorite Low album will probably always be Things We Lost in the Fire. That being said, Drums and Guns comes as closest to that brilliance as any other Low record. It completely renewed my love for Low. I listened to “Hatchet” in particular on repeat for an entire day. Of course, Mimi and Alan’s vocals work together so flawlessly but the drums and guitar are definitely a little more at the forefront and in your face compared to previous releases. I’m so happy that Low continues to put out such solid releases and tour on them….really they are definitely one of my favorite bands.

Myspace

5. Besnard Lakes: Are the Dark Horse

Through both their live performance and this recording, Besnard Lakes provide a full out onslaught of brilliant shoegaze shimmers rivaling the best bands of the genre. Lush and shimmering at some points and drowning in a release of pedal effects, this band truly delivers the goods. They’ll easily bring you to a state of bliss if you care for the shoegaze style!

Myspace

Live photos

6. Nina Nastasia: You Follow Me

Oh Nina…she leaves you feeling almost bare with the way she describes experiences so acutely in her lyrics sometimes. This new album with Jim White follows a similar tone of dark folk that her previous releases have. She ends up getting to you in a way that few singer songwriters can do and you feel her songs as if they were to become part of your very bone structure. At times, they make you feel so utterly alone while at other times, you just end up feeling so grateful someone else understands.

Myspace

Live Photos


7. Andrew Bird: Armchair Apocrypha

Well, I can honestly say that I don’t love this album as much as I loved The Mysterious Production of Eggs....that said, it’s still Andrew Bird and the man is a brilliant lyricist not to mention whistler. I think one thing I miss is that, although I think Dosh is a talented drummer, the dynamics are a bit different since Kevin O’Donnell left. I also think that the songs are getting slightly more accessible in a way that I don’t necessarily appreciate. Again, I still enjoy the album and compared to the great canyon of releases this year, it obviously still made my top ten. However, I think Andrew Bird has it in him to make something greater than this and I don’t feel this album lives up to his full potential. I’m looking forward to hearing what he comes up with next.

Myspace

Live photos

8. Papercuts: Can’t Go Back

Forget the Wallflowers. The real child of Dylan should come up with something more like this. Suffice it to say, unless Jason Robert Quever happens to be a long lost biological son that Dylan doesn’t even know about it, we can at least assume that he was raised on the stuff. It’s the bread and butter of music people-what you need and the delicious stuff on top to melt in your throat as it’s going down. And, I’ll say it’s slightly hazy and delayed at times and jangly at others but always rather fulfilling. It’s rather unfortunate they are fond of playing in the dark, though.

Myspace



9. The Good The Bad and the Queen:s/t

It might be fairly accurate to say I’m a bit of a Damon Albarn freak. I find myself craving his voice in particular. I was rather impressed by this side project because, unlike Gorillaz, the songs seem not only more developed but also mature in comparison. What I also liked about the album is the strong anti war sentiment. I felt connected to Damon not only as a musician I love but as a voice of my generation that speaks about very real things and takes the same stance I do. And while I didn’t connect with this release as much as Blur’s 13, I felt it showed tremendous potential for the future and I did find myself immersed in may of the songs with a sort of relief.

Myspace

10.Stars: In Our Bedroom After the War

What I like about this album is that after the cynicism this Montreal based band showed in Set Yourself on Fire lyrically, there is finally a hopeful almost anthemic quality to these songs, especially the way the album ends. I’ve always liked the overall sound of the stars between Amy and Torquil’s vocals but I think if you’re like me and have been following their career since their first release Nightsongs you realize just how much better at songwriting they’ve become.

Myspace

Live photos

Some other albums this year that I really loved include but not limited to…: Radiohead’s In Rainbows, Blonde Redhead’s 23Bjork’s Volta, Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam, Colleen’s Les Ondes Silencieuses, Fionn Regan’s The End of History, Gruff Rhys’s Candylion, Lavender Diamond’s Imagine Our Love, Bill Callahan’s Woke on a Whaleheart, Marissa Nadler’s Bird on the Water, Robert Gomez’s Brand New Towns, Savath & Savalas’s Golden Pollen locally: Ponys Turn the Lights Out, 1900s Cold and Kind, Mannequin Men: Fresh Rot

Tags:   albums cds record reviews album reviews cd reviews PJ Harvey White Chalk Caribou Andorra Neon Bible Drums Guns Besnard Lakes Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse Nina Nastasia You Follow Me Andrew Bird Armchair Apocrypha Can't Go Back The Good Bad and the Queen Stars In Our Bedroom After the War

© All Rights Reserved