Best of 2009 Artist List

I've only read the introduction and I have to express myself: Lady Gaga is not revolutionary or creative. She may dress unorthodoxically, but the three or so singles she's released all sound the same AND "Bad Romance" has a strong tinge of some Miley Cyrus song I've heard. Not good company to be in in terms of musical authenticity and creativity (although Party in the USA slowly slowly slowly worked me down). So, just to clear the air. Lady Gaga ain't special. Don't feel compelled to think so.

^^Thanks for saying it. Lady Gaga is another another talentless hack pressed out by the warped cookie cutter that is that mainstream american music industry. She represents the target that they have pinned to each and every one of us, and the downfall of musicians in the forefront. She does not write or play her own music, she is the avatar of ignorant music.

I loooove that Skerik and Mike Dillon picked The Wayne Shorter Quartet as their top show.

Albums(no part. order)

1. eliot lipp- peace love weed 3d

2.big gigantic-wake up

3.animal collective- merriweather post pavillion

4.john frusciante- the empyrean

5. any sub soldiers, muti music, lowpro lounge, brainfeeder artists

Shows(no part. order)

1. RUSKO-Portland, OR 12/12/09

2. bluetech-earthdance late nite

3. glitch mob-portland, OR 7/27/09

4.ROTHBURY (SCI, Chromeo, Nas, EoTo)

^^^ agree with that completely lipp's latest cd, best of the year, from start to finish the man kills it.

yeah sal, right with you on peace love weed 3d and merriweather post pavillion.

the disco biscuits are soo lame why did they wrote paragraphs... what a bunch of DBags.... btw Happy Hollidaze

Best Albums of 2009

both self titled debuts

Flearoy - Flearoy

http://www.myspace.com/Flearoy

Chelsea Crowell - Chelsea Crowell

http://www.chelseajanecrowell.com

Murph is incredible.

Albums:

Ad Explorata- STS9

Cozza Friendly- Bassnectar

Peace Love Weed 3D- Eliot Lipp

this is the best "Best of" list.

I don't think the writer was saying that Lady Ga Ga or Lil' Wayne were amazing musicians or that he even liked them, seemed like he was just stating how they followed an unorthodox road to success. And i think you kinda have to agree, neither of them really fit into the mold of pop star cookie cutters. Personally, i could give a shit about either one, but as far as pop stars, they def cut their own path. Anyway, much more importantly, awesome job gathering so many lists for us to dig into. Happy Holidays everyone.

Yeah I probably jumped to an unfair conclusion based on that little reference. I think it was just my misplaced frustration with friends who praise her creativity too much.

I'm so excited to see Grizzly Bear on so many people's lists. They put out one phenomenal record. A bit of a change from Yellow House, but they just seem to purr out a wave of sound that totally captivates me. And Levon Helm's Electric Dirt. Holy crap. What an album. As cliche as it is to say, you should get the album just to hear his Tennessee Jed cover. It's disgustingly fun.

reed mathis has quite the ego...

I can't believe Artist's were arrogant enough to put their own material in their top lists...well I can, but what dicks!

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

2. Mastodon - Crack The Skye

3. Raekwon - Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt II...

1. Dead Fish-Signal Fading http://www.myspace.com/signalfading

2. Manners-Passion Pit

3. A New Tide-Gomez

4. Glitter & Doom-Tom Waits (Fucking Legend)

5. Monsters of Folk

6. Around The Well-Iron & Wine

7. Blood of Man-Mason Jennings

8. Octahedron-The Mars Volta

9. Black Gives Way To Blue-Alice In Chains

10. The Pursuit-Jamie Cullum

I love to make a list. I put the link up for Signal Fading because they are not well known, but they should be IMHO. Check'em out my hippy friends.

Looks like Electronica is trying to destroy Rock and Roll.

Albums:

Flaming Lips - Embryonic and Dark Side of the Moon

Them Crooked Vultures

Shows:

Sleepy Sun - Modified Arts PHX and Flagstaff

Flaming Lips - Mcdowell Mountain Music Festival

NIN - PHX and San Diego

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Dana Point, Cali

The Horrors - Tempe AZ

Puscifer - PHX

Just found out that James Gurley of Big Brother passed, RIP JAMES, your music and style was such an inspiration...Combination of the Two is one of my all time favorite songs...thanks for being one of the cultivating and innovative figures in the San Fran 60s scene from the very beginning:)

reed mathis is actualy a very humble and amicable in person. i think he's just very proud of the enormous amount of work they put into winterwood. i would be too. it is a very "beautiful" album.....ANYWAY...Leonard Cohen put on THE best tour of any performer this year. PERIOD. few performances have ever moved me to tears. unreal for a 70-something year old man.

Yeah ALO the Mystic!! I will agree with dan & Steve on that one. Had not seen ALO since 1999 and was blown away that night at the mystic. I still listen to that recording at least once a week!

As much as I love Sound Tribe, I hate how (for the past few years at least that I have read this) Murph always lists one of STS9's albums. Last year he said Peaceblaster was one of the best of 08 rofl.

Meant to say two, not few btw.

no offense, phunkyAdam but he listed the peaceblaster make it right remixes album, which was pretty damn good...but i agree yeah the og peaceblaster was not one of 08's best

peace love weed 3D was the best album of 09 imo, and the best cover art in a loooong time

This is a great feature. I dont buy alot of music anymore "except lots of shows & festivals" Two I did buy & Im surprised no one mentioned are Clutch's Strange Cousins From the West, & P.O.S.'s Never Better. Both are outstanding. The New Mastodon album is great too. Im also a little surprised no mentioned the ABB/WSP or De La Soul tours.

Seriously Murph needs to be listening to more music than his own. Would probably do wonders for the music he makes. Just sayin.

Artists that put their own work on the "best of" list have also earned the "worst douchebag" award (e.g. STS9). Also, Disco Biscuits talk too much.

Other than that, Jambase you rule, thanks so much for doing this every year. Next year, more humble artists should be given a voice.

Cheers.

Best shows for me this year (in no particular order)...

-Bisco at the Congress Theater-Chicago

-Pretty Lights at Rothbury

-The Dead at Allstate arena on Cindo de mayo

-Phish at Alpine night 1 (liked both nights, but I thought 1 was better)

-Umphreys at Rothbury

-MSTRKRFT ar Rothbury

So glad that Kyle Hollingsworth mentioned Gregory Alan Isakov's "This Empty Northern Hemisphere" on his list of favorite albums of 09. I haven't looked very closely, but I haven't seen that album on anyone else's list. The entire album is great, and I would highly recommend checking it out if you have not heard of him. It definitely made my top 5, probably close to the top.......

I would also add albums by Phoenix, The Avett Brothers, Dawes, Bell X1, Andrew Bird, Wilco, Alberta Cross, Jason Isbell and probably more that I am forgetting.......

My favorite album of the year (besides Gregory Alan Isakov) would have to be Local Native's "Gorilla Manor". This album has not been released in the US yet, so maybe it will make a lot of people's lists in 2010......

I really enjoyed reading all of that... It is a very unique thing to hear what your favorite artists are listening to..

~Thanks JamBase... Keep up the good work..!

so glad flight of the concords is getting love on here. too many dicks on the dancefloor

Oh dude ghilliesblunt, none taken. I will never cut anybody down for voicing their opinion. While I didn't listen to the entire album, I checked out quite a few of the remixes and liked what I heard, and honestly I like a few PeaceBlaster songs a lot. My comment wasn't meant to take a shot at STS9's new material(I mean, that's a subject about as beaten as "molly/flatbrim jokes" aimed at bisco kids), but the fact that it seems rather douchey, to list your own album as best of the year, MORE than one year in a row, no less. I have nothing for love but STS9, even after they started doing their one set, PA/Peaceblaster garbage. But Murph could have given another band credit, instead of calling his own the best, AGAIN.

It's true, the best music IS coming out of Brooklyn these days.

Good you kids are rediculously ignorant. PEACEBLASTER remixes were not done by STS9, they were remixed by some of the best dj's/producers in the country and hardly sound anything like the songs they are remxing on the cd. If you don't know what you are talking about then you should really shut the fuck up because it makes you look retarded.

you are right trance_delight, but they still sucked IMO.

trance, Maybe you should take your own advice. It's quite obvious what you said, which is probably why nobody bothered to point that out before you strolled along. It is still their album, with remixes of their songs. People like you are exactly why I don't post on these boards but once in a blue moon, and people like you are also what's wrong with our scene today, IMO. What happened to those good vibes people? It's easier to be nice and peaceful than it is to be an arrogant dickbag, so why not spread some positivity instead of hate? Didn't you ever see Star Wars dood?

My Favorite Albums (no order):

Phish - Joy; The Pass - Colors EP; Blakroc - Blackroc; Black Crowes - Before the Frost...Until the Freeze; Levon Helm - Electric Dirt; Assembly of Dust - Some Assembly Required; Nate Wilson Group - Unbound; New Mastersounds - Ten Years On

My Favorite Shows (in order):

5. (tie) Widespread Panic - Forecastle Festival, Louisville, KY - 7/11/2009

5. (tie) New Mastersounds - Forecastle Festival, Louisville, KY - 7/10/2009

4. Phish - MSG - 12/4/2009

3. The Machine - Gathering of the Vibes - 7/23/2009

2. Eric Clapton/Steve Winwood - IZOD Center, East Rutherford, NJ - 6/10/2009

1. Steely Dan - Constitution Hall, Washington DC - 11/22/2009

Band Of Horses- Cease To Begin was not a 2009 album. Neither was In Rainbows by Radiohead.

Best Albums of The Year

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

2. Grizzly Bear - Vecketamist

3. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

4. Phish - Joy

5. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

6. Iron & Wine - Around The Well

7. Flaming Lips - Embryonic

8. Monsters Of Folk - Monsters Of Folk

9. Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid

10. Akron/Family - Set Em Wild, Set Em Free

Best Shows I saw in 2009

1. String Cheese Incident - Rothbury (if you missed it, you missed it)

2. Phish - Bonnaroo (both shows)

3. Future Rock - Rothbury Late Nite

4. STS9 - Rothbury Late Nite (both shows)

5. Bob Dylan - Rothbury

Favorite Albums of 2009:

1. Phish-Joy

2. Del McCoury Band-Family Circle

3. Raekwon-Only Built For Cuban Linx 2

4. Jay Z-The Blueprint 3

5. J.J. Cale-Roll On

6. Soulive-Up Here

7. Dan Auerbach-Keep It Hid

8. Karl Denson's Tiny Universe-Brother's Keeper

9. Willie Nelson & Asleep at The Wheel-Willie and The Wheel

***

Favorite Shows I Saw in 2009:

1. Phish-Hampton Coliseum-Hampton, VA-3/8

2. Phish-John Paul Jones Arena-Charlottesville, VA-12/5

3. Phish-Thompson-Boling Arena-Knoxville, TN-6/10

4. Widespread Panic/Allman Brothers-Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre-Charlotte, NC-10/3

5. Disco Biscuits-Tennessee Theatre-Knoxville, TN-9/26

6. Paul McCartney-Piedmont Park-Atlanta, GA-8/15

7. Del McCoury Band-Peace Center-Greenville, SC-10/13

8. Keller Williams-The Handlebar-Greenville, SC-1/21

9. North Mississippi Allstars-The Handlebar-Greenville, SC-4/1

10. Dickey Betts & Great Southern-The Handlebar-Greenville, SC-10/21

^^^^

I forgot 2 albums to add to the list:

Gov't Mule-By A Thread (Definite top 5 for me, I can't believe I forgot)

Umphrey's McGee-Mantis

Censorship is an ugly weapon wielded by the humorless and weak of skin.

Corby Anderson

So much for good natured ribbing.

I liked that Gutwillig mentions Simon Posford, but he should have mentioned the amazing album he & raja ram released as Shpongle this year. Its fucking awesome

Here's mine:

Albums

Kettel - Myam James pt. 2

Shpongle - The Ineffable Mysteries of Shpongleland

Phish - Joy

Silkie - City Limits Volume 1

Shows:

Zappa Play Zappa - Stubbs in Austin

Phish - Bonnaroo friday night

Les Claypool - wakarusa

Stenchman - Mad Classy @ Barcelona, austin

Umphrey's McGee - 9/11, austin

Since when are musicians not allowed to like their own work?

Albums:

1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

2. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

3. The Black Crowes - Before the Frost...

4. U2 - No Line on the Horizon

5. Phish - Joy

Top 10 Albums of 2009

1. Doves - Kingdom of Rust

2. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

3. The Dodos - A Time to Die

4. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

5. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

6. It Hugs Back – Inside Your Guitar

7. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

8. Arctic Monkeys – Humbug

9. Gomez - A New Tide

10. Franz Ferdinand – Tonight

Top 5 Shows of 2009

1. Doves @ The Fillmore - May 18, 2009

2. Gomez @ The Fillmore - July 30, 2009

3. The Dodos @ The Casbah - September 28, 2009

4. Grizzly Bear @ Belly Up Tavern

5. Greyboy Allstars @ Belly Up Tavern - December 23, 2009

Wow, what a disappointingly homogenous group that jambase sought opinions from.

This is great! I love to see the opinions of musicians I respect. Its a great way to give nods to your contemporaries. Good to see the Bridge and New Mastersounds in the mix!

Too bad some of these guys shamelessly claim their own shows and albums as their picks. Especially when they're already incredibly famous...

No Phantogram? puzzling