The Top 10 of 2009 Revisited
As 2010 makes ready to jump into the double-digit months, it occurred to me the other day to go back and take a look at my Top 10 of 2009. I remembered a few of the albums that rated off the top of my head, if not the order they were put in, but I thought it might be fun to look through the list and see where I stand on the albums 10 months later. Let’s check it out:
1. YOB, The Great Cessation (Profound Lore)
Yup, this is still the best album that came out last year. Check.
2. Los Natas, Nuevo Orden de la Libertad (Small Stone)
Also still rules. Like YOB, I keep this one on me almost all the time.
3. Masters of Reality, Pine/Cross Dover (Brownhouse)
I think I was just really happy Chris Goss put a new album out, although I’ve started to listen to it again now that it’s getting a domestic US release and there are a couple really quality tracks.
4. Truckfighters, Mania (Fuzzorama)
Every time I listen to this album, I’m reminded of how much I dig it. It’s in the same CD wallet as YOB and Los Natas, but I don’t reach for it as much.
5. Shrinebuilder, Shrinebuilder (Neurot)
I hardly ever listen to this anymore, but killer album, killer performances, killer personnel. Can’t wait to get swept up in the hype for the next one, then do the same thing.
6. Crippled Black Phoenix, The Resurrectionists/Night Raider (Invada)
I like the art so much for this album, I don’t even touch it because I’m afraid of screwing it up or leaving fingerprints. It’s gathering dust on my shelf. Pretty dust though, so that’s alright.
7. Wino, Punctuated Equilibrium (Southern Lord)
Am I the only one who thinks maybe Wino meant “punctured” instead of “punctuated?” I just happen to be wearing my t-shirt of the album cover today, so I guess it still curries favor. “Smiling Road” rules.
8. Yawning Sons, Ceremony to the Sunset (Lexicon Devil)
This one still gets listened to regularly, is in that CD wallet. If I was making this list today, it might be number three.
9. Om, God is Good (Drag City)
Cool album, but I never put it on anymore. Maybe I will now.
10. Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures (Interscope)
Josh Homme could take a dump on my brand new cupcake and I’d still have a man-crush on him, so this one was bound to show up. Needless to say, I went back to the first couple Queens of the Stone Age albums shortly thereafter.
If I had the list to do over, I’d put Blood by Snail on it, and maybe Church of Misery‘s Houses of the Unholy, which has kept its appeal pretty well. Other than that, I stand by most of the picks above. Let me know if there’s something I missed out on or anything you can think of that you never returned to once January hit.
Tags: Crippled Black Phoenix, Los Natas, Masters of Reality, Om, Shrinebuilder, Them Crooked Vultures, Top 10 of 2009, Truckfighters, Wino, Yob
Here’s a few more from last year that deserve a mention:
Black cobra – chronomega
pelican – what we all come to need (bit of a return to form for these guys)
Within the triad – Eternal Elysium
Elder – s/t
Kylesa – static tensions – hate all their other albums but this one is boss.
yeah, black cobra deserves, absolutely, and ramesses too, cheers
Man, I disagree with this list. Blood should definitely have made it. The TCV album had too many pointlessly long tracks to really make the top ten – just not Homme’s best work. Thankfullly, I streamed it beforehand, and just downloaded the tracks I thought sounded good.
Yob’s would be awesome if more of the songs tried to change rhythm subtly as much as sound impossibly monstrous. Ether still owns if you ask me. I actually liked Middian’s Age Eternal a little bit better than the latest, personally. Om’s cool, but they’d never make my top ten list, kind of simplistic without serving the music for me.
Shrinebuilder’ isn’t something I’ve listened to in a while, but I remember being slightly underwhelmed. Maybe that’ll change when I feel like giving i another spin(listen to far more than stoner/doom, you see)
and, Static Tensions should have been on there. “Insomnia for Months” alone makes the album, really.
I had completely missed the Los Natas boat before you put this list out last year – I am now firmly on it! Thanks for that.
Some of yours are also on mine, including Wino, Om and Shrinebuilder – the latter to me is an autumn-winter album so it’s going to start to get played more often soon (and I’m looking forward to seeing them in December). I regularly listen to Om, especially of a Sunday morning.
On mine but not yours include Sunn O))) ‘s Monoliths and Dimensions (at the top) and Krallice’s Dimensional Bleedthrough both of which still blow me away. I also seem to be amongst the minority in really loving Crack the Skye.
Zu’s “Carboniferous”, Mono’s “Hymn…”, Wolves’ “Black Cascade”, Minsk’s “With Echoes…”, KTL’s “IV” and Snail’s “Blood” are awesome too. There’s several other near misses. Alas, Static Tensions and Wavering Radiant do very little for me. I recently picked Naam’s “Naam” and maudlin of the Well’s “Part the second”.
Oppps forgot Eagle Twin’s “The Unkindess of Crowes” – that’s near the top of my list