The best albums of 2009.

(Music)
(This is an abbreviated version of what I plan to post on www.epinions.com under the alias beekd91. The second half, the Songs of the Year list, will be coming soon.)

Honorable Mentions (in no real order)

Muse--The Resistance
I have never been a huge Muse fan. I can enjoy songs like “Knights of Cydonia” and “Assassin” fairly easily, but for the most part I dismiss them as irritatingly pretentious; they have just enough progressive tendencies to differentiate themselves from the average Top 40 rocker, but they bog them down with simplistic lyrics and songwriting and overblown vocals. The Resistance suffers from all of this at one point or another, but somehow, it’s still enjoyable. The progressive tendencies get a little bit more face time with songs like the delightfully Queen--like “United States of Eurasia,” the French aria at the end of “I Belong to You” and the three-part epic “Exogenesis.” This album definitely needs a little bit more digestion, but right now, color me moderately impressed.

Chevelle—Sci-Fi Crimes
I’m starting to wonder how long the Loeffler brothers (minus one) can keep me interested. Nu-metal seems officially dead by this point (thank goodness), but these guys have done almost nothing but reduce the number of screams and make their lyrics weirder. That being said, Pete Loeffler has one of the best voices of in rock. He still croon delicately (“Shameful Metaphors”) and belt it like a champion (“Roswell’s Spell”) with the best, even if you have no idea what he’s singing about (you’re not alone). His bandmates can still pull together a great track or two to back him up, as well. So there’s not a lot of innovation going on here, and This Type of Thinking this is not, but it’s still a strong effort.

Cobra Starship--Hot Mess
I don’t think Gabe Saporta will ever suffer from Pete Loeffler’s nonsensicality. You know exactly what he thinks all over this album: Cobra Starship rocks, and they really want to get laid. This album is ridiculous in every way. But I’ll be darned if my toes aren’t tapping and I’m fighting back the urge to sing along with every chorus. There’s no substance to be found anywhere near this album. I don’t care—it’s just fun.

Animal Collective--Merriweather Post Pavilion
This might actually be the Album of the Year. I’m not sure. I think my head’s still reeling from the first time I heard it. This is definitely the most bizarre album I’ve ever heard, but I honestly can’t wrap my head around it just yet. I know it’s the trendy pick for album of the year…what are these trendsetters smoking, exactly?

The Top 5

5. Project 86--Picket Fence Cartel
I was absolutely ready to write off these guys after the disaster that was 2007’s Rival Factions. The masters of literate post-hardcore had suddenly gone all poppy and simplistic on me, and early inclinations seemed to reveal more of the same. Well…first impressions aren’t always right. This might just be a batch of fan service, but let’s just say Andrew Schwab and company seem to be channeling Metallica more than Nine Inch Nails. Oh, synthesizers are still quite present, and there’s still a hint of a poppy flair, but the intensity and fire that made Project 86 one of my favorite bands has returned in full. You’ll be banging your head furiously when you hear “The Butcher” or “A John Hancock with the Safety Off,” but you’ll remember the chorus when your brain recovers…just in time to have it blown away by the passionately worshipful “To Sand We Return,” one of the band’s best songs to date. Consider yourself forgiven, guys; let’s just pretend Rival Factions never happened.

4. Owl City--Ocean Eyes
Yes, after reading the other albums I’ve enjoyed this year, this might seem horribly out of place. Post-hardcore, nu-metal and…chart-topping synthpop? Yeah, I know. Believe me, this is the real deal. The lyrics may seem overbearingly cute at times, but Adam Young is surprisingly good at keeping one theme or idea running through each song. “Cave In” continually evokes images of a bike ride, “The Tip of the Iceberg” is filled with arctic imagery, and “Tidal Wave” handles depression in a way few artists of similar popularity can imitate (yet it still sounds bright and cheery!). He’s also a master of a synthesized hook and of wordplay, as “Dental Care” will show you. No 2009 album has the same combination of childish joy and musical texture. I also must exhort the prospective buyer to purchase the iTunes version of the album. The two bonus tracks, “Hello Seattle (Remix” and “If My Heart Was a House” are utterly stellar, and are a key reason as to why this album is ranked so highly.

3. Thrice--Beggars
Thrice just can’t stand being pigeonholed, it seems. They started as a hardcore punk band with The Illusion of Safety, but didn’t perfect their style until the magnificent The Artist in the Ambulance. Then they abruptly started getting progressive with Vheissu and the huge The Alchemy Index. And now…they’re starting to sound like a really angry Muse, with impassioned shouts mixing with heartfelt musings, lightning-fast drum fills with moody guitar effects. And it’s a good thing. Dustin Kensrue is still a top-flight lyricist, and his bandmates are still quite technically skilled, even if their chops are not as prominent as before. The songwriting is as fantastic as I’ve come to expect—listen to “In Exile” or “Circles” without being hit by a sense of awe. It’s quite a pity this album is only ten tracks long, but what’s there is most definitely worth your time.

2. Emery--…In Shallow Seas We Sail
If not for Project 86, this would undoubtedly be the Comeback of the Year (and only because they had fallen a bit further). Emery’s The Question was, in my opinion, the pinnacle of the post-hardcore genre (and an album to which this album must always be compared), but I’m Only a Man was a pretentious disappointment despite a few strong moments. Enter …In Shallow Seas We Sail. An extension of 2008’s While Broken Hearts Prevail…, the love of synthesizers and nonsensical “let’s try to be U2!” lyrics are totally gone, and the grade-A screamo you loved from The Question is back. Toby Morelle and Devin Shelton make for a fantastic vocal attack. The melodies soar (see “A Sin to Hold On To”) and get stuck in one’s head at the drop of a hat (see “The Smile, The Face”). The aggression is more powerful and punchy than ever (see “Butcher’s Mouth”). The two final tracks might be the most impressive though. If you didn’t like “From Crib to Coffin” (okay, who did?), rest assured, these guys have learned their lesson. Gone is the ten-minute “epic” ending with the lyrical brilliance of “There is only television.” This album wraps up with an ominous acoustic interlude and the band’s snappiest pop-punk-ish track to date, yet it remains strikingly thoughtful. The Question grew on me considerably after 2005 closed…this may yet have the same fate. But for now…

Album of the Year: mewithoutYou--It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All a Dream! It’s Alright
Oh. Wow. I’ve known that Aaron Weiss was the best lyricist alive for years now, but his bandmates hadn’t surrounded him with an equally excellent musical background until now. The slow decline in post-hardcore tendencies reaches completion here. Every one of the eleven songs here sounds nothing like every other—yet it still remains coherent. The lyrics sometimes sound like something Aesop would have written on an acid trip. Weiss’s voice is an acquired taste at best. But it’s all still mind-blowing. This album is an experience like no other. From the whimsical folksiness of “The Fox, the Crow and the Cookie,” the ominous Latin-like balladry of “The Angel of Death Came to David’s Room,” the piano rock of “Timothy Hay,” the simply epic “The King Beetle on a Coconut Estate,” the unbridled joy and passion of “Allah, Allah, Allah”…it all fits together somehow. I honestly can’t describe this with genres and metaphors. This album needs to be heard. Get used to Weiss’s unusual vocal technique, give this album the chance to be digested…and a truly incredible album awaits you.