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Top Albums of ’09

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5) The Almighty Defenders- The Almighty Defenders
Top Tracks: “Cone of Light,” “The Ghost With the Most,” “She Came Before Me,” “Over the Horizon,” “Bow Down and Die,” and “All My Loving”

4) Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion
Top Tracks: “Summertime Clothes,” “My Girls,” “Brothersport,” “Lion In a Coma, ” and “No More Runnin”

3) Deerhunter- Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP
Top Tracks: “Disappearing Ink,” “Game of Diamonds,” “Famous Last Words,” and “Rainwater Cassette Exchange

2) The Pains of Being Pure At Heart- The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Top Tracks: “Hey Paul,” “A Teenager In Love,” “Come Saturday,” “Everything With You,” “Young Adult Friction,” “Contender,” “Stay Alive,” and “This Love Is Fucking Right!”

1) Black Lips- 200 Million Thousand big surprise lol
Top Tracks: “I’ll Be With You,” “Old Man,” “Drugs,” “Big Black Baby Jesus of Today,” “Starting Over,” “Trapped In a Basement,” “The Drop I Hold,” “Short Fuse,” “Take My Heart,” and “Let It Grow”

This list could possibly change if I hear other albums I like from this year, such as the recent Editors album, which is supposedly amazing and/or the upcoming King Khan & BBQ Show release.

Chris

Music

CD Review: Almighty Defenders

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Band: Almighty Defenders
Label: Vice Records
Release: September 22, 2009

1. “All My Loving” – 9.7
2. “The Ghost With The Most” – 9.9
3. “Bow Down and Die” – 9.8
4. “Cone of Light” – 10
5. “Jihad Blues” – 9.4
6. “30  Second Air Blast” – 8.3
7. “Death Cult Soup n’ Salad” – 8.1
8. “I’m Coming Home” – 9.8
9. “Over the Horizon” – 9.5
10. “She Came Before Me” – 9.6
11. “The Great Defender” – 9.8

Comments: There are top shelf amazing songs on this album. And then there others that are a shelf below those. Unfortunately for a good half of these songs, they sound better live than on record. On “The Ghost With The Most” the lyrics work great with the rhythm…makes you wonder how the eff this was made in a four day framework. All of the singers on this work of art use their vocal skills in a highly appropriate fashion. For instance what would “Bow Down and Die” be without Cole’s voice on the verses? What would “Cone of Light” be without Mark Sultan? Speaking of “Cone of  Light”…it’s a masterpiece! It’s fast paced garage-gospel…reminiscent of early King Khan and BBQ Show minus the gospel. “Jihad Blues” is (at least partially) a commentary on 9/11 and Muslim extremism. “Just give me a one way ticket and a box cutter” screams a voice. Even the instrumental “30 Second Air Blast” is strangely okay. “Death Cult…” is just a more fucked up continuation of the previous song. More fucked up is better. The album as a whole would be better without these two filler tracks. “I’m Coming Home” is a catchy and swampy cover of a Mighty Hannibal song. The screams of “That’s all right” during “She Came Before Me” sound so so ancient. A great song to sing lead for my man Jared Swilley. “The Great Defender” is just a preacher doing his thang dubbed over a constant bass/drum part. Will we look back on this album years from now and say this was a revolutionary album?  Probably not. Not every year does a concept come out like this one. The whole Almighty Defenders shtick continues to amaze me and will for a while.

Grade: 9.4

Listen to the stream here. Then pre-order or buy the album!