Albums of 2009: Silversun Pickups- Swoon

Silversun Pickups- Swoon



01. There's No Secrets This Year
02. The Royal We
03. Growing Old Is Getting Old
04. It's Nice To Know You Work Alone
05. Panic Switch
06. Draining
07. Sort Of
08. Substitution
09. Catch And Release
10. Surrounded (Or Spiraling)

I discovered Silversun Pickups at the same time as Maps and not only for that reason I kind of grouped them together. Maps turned out to be a bit of a one album wonder and faded away so when I heard SP were releasing a new album I looked forward to it but didn't have high hopes.

Of course they came along and released such a spellbinding masterpiece. Everything that made Carnavas great, swirling dreamscapes of inventive instrumentation but where the lyrical themes were second place on the debut they have a more profound impact here and the delivery is just impeccable. I haven't seen this album in any lists for '09 and if I was doing these in order it would be pretty near the top 10.

That's not to say that it wasn't recieved well by those receptive to new music. Their UK tour sold out quicker than any I really paid attention to this year and the album got into the top ten in the US Billboard chart as well as number one independant. Beautiful album.

Return To England

So i've just switched canada for the u.k again, I made a mix cd for the way there and months later the music is still awesome so I thought i'd share some of the highlights-

I was lucky enough to see John Vanderslice 4 times last year as he accompanied death cab for cutie on tour, I was there for death cab but also left as a fan of J.V, his lyrics are as original as they get, songs about joan crawford, detectives, a love song named after a crater on the moon. Anyway this is how he opened the show, too good for a support act!

John Vanderslice- Plymouth Rock

For me the ultimate summer's album is Pinback's "Summer in abbadon", it is flawlessly exhuberrant. After getting into them I trawled their earlier works and was surprised it was quite a removal from that, this is where "autumn of the seraphs" gets it right, it's good in the same way summer in abbadon was but also evolved in terms of lyrics and more deliberate, which could be a critisicm of the first album but this is the first single and it's awesome-

Pinback- From nothing to nowhere

I can't even remember how I found out about this band but Maps are definately up and coming, this track "to the sky" is a perfect cloudless sunset gig anthem, I assume it was through NME but none the less check it out-

Maps- To the sky

"I travelled through the atmosphere as a wall of feedback climbed", I travelled to bristol on my birthday last year to see Bright Eyes at the peak of their cassadega tour only for it to be cancelled leaving me devastated, anyway on the way back home I really listened to this song, I had sometimes skipped it before but some of the lyrics are amazing, it also features buck 65 how can u go wrong :p pick up the album if you don't have it!

Bright Eyes- Middleman

I'm a huge advocate of Pete Doherty, I tire of defending him so am glad his music more often than not does it for me, if you haven't got shotter's nation get it and if you don't know how sweet the tunes are then have a listen-

Babyshambles- Delivery