A few bits and pieces to mop up today, beginning with one last thankyou to everyone who has posted on the end of year blogs – or, come to that, who’s commented on any of the things I’ve written in the past 12 months. It’s been a genuine pleasure to hear from almost all of you; and of course heartening to discover other people interested in the same music.
To save any latecomers clicking through all the pages I rather cynically spread the 2009 Top 100 over, I’ve collated them all here. Apologies, too, to Babe, Terror, who I really should have squeezed in there. And a mention for two records from other years, Brightblack Morning Light’s “Motion To Rejoin” and Terry Riley’s “Persian Surgery Dervishes”, which provided significant inspiration and consolation in 2009.
Anyhow, let me direct you to www.myspace.com/moonduo , where you’ll be able to find a token Christmas tune (there’s a widget under band members) from Moon Duo, the pretty cool Wooden Shjips side project.
And to quote Sun Araw’s Cameron Stallones (thanks, Cameron), “MIND PSALM GET ON IT”…
100. Sunn 0))): “Monoliths And Dimensions”
99. The Dead Weather: “Horehound”
97. Shrinebuilder: “Shrinebuilder”
95. Black Sheep: “Kiss My Sweet Apocalypse”
94. Madness: “The Liberty Of Norton Folgate”
91. White Rainbow: “New Clouds”
90. Nick Jonah Davis: “Guitar Recordings Vol 1”
89. Blues Control: “Local Flavor”
88. Jarvis Cocker: “Further Complications”
87. Flower-Corsano Duo: “The Four Aims”
86. Tim Hecker: “An Imaginary Country”
85. Bob Dylan: “Together Through Life”
83. PJ Harvey & John Parish: “A Woman A Man Walked By”
82. Eagles Of Death Metal: “Heart On”
81. Neko Case: Middle Cyclone
79. Bruce Springsteen: “Working On A Dream”
78. Lightning Bolt: “Earthly Delights”
76. Mamer: “Eagle”
75. Alela Diane: “To Be Still”
74. Neil Young: “Fork In The Road”
71. James Yorkston & The Big Eyes Family Players: “Folk Songs”
70. Cornershop: “Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast”
68. Peter Walker: “Spanish Guitar”
67. Dirty Projectors: “Bitte Orca”
66 Ben Reynolds: “How Day Earnt Its Night”
65. Alasdair Roberts: “Spoils”
63. The Lemonheads: “Varshons”
62. Sir Richard Bishop: “The Freak Of Araby”
61. Mark Kozelek: “Lost Verses – Live
58. Richard Swift: “The Atlantic Ocean”
57. Liam Hayes & Plush: “Bright Penny”
55. Sonic Youth: “The Eternal”
53. Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound: “When Sweet Sleep Returned”
51. The Fiery Furnaces: “I’m Going Away”
50. Magik Markers: “Balf Quarry”
49. Jack Rose And The Black Twig Pickers: “Jack Rose And The Black Twig Pickers”
47. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy: “Beware”
45. Beak>: “Beak>”
44. On Fillmore: “Extended Vacation”
43. Hush Arbors: “Yankee Reality”
41. Yo La Tengo: “Popular Songs”
40. The xx: “xx”
39. Espers: “III”
38. The Unthanks: “Here’s The Tender Coming”
37. Leonard Cohen: “Live In London”
36. Them Crooked Vultures: “Them Crooked Vultures”
34. Califone: “All My Friends Are Funeral Singers”
33. The Field: “Yesterday And Today”
31. Tim Buckley: “Live At The Folklore Center, NYC – March 6, 1967”
29. Glass Rock: “Tall Firs Meet Soft Location”
28. Ganglians: “Monster Head Room”
27. Kurt Vile: “Childish Prodigy”
26. Super Furry Animals: “Dark Days/ Light Years”
24. Real Estate: “Real Estate”
23. Trembling Bells: “Carbeth”
22. Raphael Saadiq: “The Way I See It”
21. Reigning Sound: “Love And Curses”
20. Etienne Jaumet: “Night Music”
18. Fuck Buttons: “Tarot Sport”
16. Tinariwen: “Imidiwan: Companions”
15. Wilco: “Wilco (The Album)”
14. James Blackshaw: “The Glass Bead Game”
12. Death: “. . . For The Whole World To See”
11. Arbouretum: “Song Of The Pearl”
10. Boredoms: “Super Roots 10”
8. Bill Callahan: “Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle”
4. Jim O’Rourke: “The Visitor”
3. Animal Collective: “Merriweather Post Pavilion”
2. Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas; “II”
1. Grizzly Bear: “Veckatimest”