So it sounds like we won't be hearing an entire album from Kanye West and Jay-Z in a week's time. Their album Watch the Throne is reportedly officially dropping March 1st. But we will be hearing the first single from said album by next Tuesday, January 11.
The new single is called "H.A.M.". That stands for Hatin' Ass Motherfuckers. So this is gonna be another song picking on haters. What did haters ever do to you? Oh, right. Anyway, that cover art above is pretty awesome, and I do not expect this track to disappoint. Anticipation!
Not satisfied with the tons of 'Album of the Year' accolades he collected with his latest record My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West made an 'off the cuff' remark during his New Year's Eve performance suggesting that his collaborative record with Jay-Z Watch the Throne would be available in a week's time!
Could be bullshit, but honestly, it's not out of the question that the record could be done and ready for release.
10) The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
I love the bass sound on this album. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots was my last experience with the Lips - for some reason I never got around to listening to At War With the Mystics. Anyway, where Yoshimi was sunny and poppy, Embryonic is dark and heavy and intense. Both are awesome flip sides of the same coin. Album closer "Watching the Planets" is the standout track for me.
"Oh, oh, oh, finding the answer. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Finding that there ain't no answer to find."
09) Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
Sunset Rubdown is supposedly the side project of Spencer Krug from Wolf Parade, but this being Sunset Rubdown's 4th album compared to Wolf Parade's 2, you could be fooled into thinking this was Spencer's main gig. Anyway, while previous albums Shut Up, I Am Dreaming and Random Spirit Lover are really good, I think Dragonslayer is their best set yet. It's got more of a live sound than its predecessors, and the strong female backing vocals really compliment Spencer's yelp quite nicely. Album opener "Silver Moons" grabs me from the start.
"I believe in growing old with grace. I believe she only loved my face. I believe I acted like a child, making faces at acquired tastes. And now silver moons belong to you..."
08) Passion Pit - Manners I love Passion Pit. I first starting getting into this Massachusetts band a few months before this album came out. Their first release was an EP called Chunk of Change. It featured an incredible song called "Sleepyhead", with chipmunk vocals and an awesome beat. That track is included here on their debut album Manners as well, for good reason, but there are new tracks that match that song's gloriousness. "Make Light", "Little Secrets", "The Reeling", and "Moth's Wings" are all spectacular. Passion Pit have a bubbly electro pop sound with strong falsetto vocals from singer Michael Angelakos. This is happy music, it puts a smile on my face. A very impressive debut, and I can't wait to hear what they come up with next.
"Let this be our little secret. No one needs to know we're feeling...higher and higher and higher, higher and higher and higher."
Oh boy. Maybe I shouldn't even be commenting on this list. Unlike Pitchfork's, I can hardly take this one seriously to begin with.
So obviously the contributors to Rolling Stone fucking love U2. They made U2's latest No Line on the Horizon their #1 album of 2009. Bruce Springsteen's Working on a Dream is #2. Ugh.
I haven't listened to either of these albums, nor do I intend on listening to them. But I have to believe this is the result of residual love for the band/artist themselves, not reflective of the actual quality of these two albums. There was so much interesting and awesome music this year...I'd like someone from Rolling Stone to look me in the eyes and say these were the year's two best.
Anyway, good to see Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 at #4. I'm far from a hip hop authority, but this was my favorite rap album of the year. I think it's Jigga's best since The Black Album, it's incredibly listenable from start to finish, and "Empire State of Mind" is a bona fide anthem. It's the new "New York, New York".
Once again, in the genre of music that I do know pretty well, I don't understand all the love Girls and The xx are getting. They're both decent debuts, but...I'll have to give these albums one more chance to impress me.
Franz Ferdinand's 3rd album made the list? Curious. I absolutely adored their debut when it came out, but they've really fallen off my radar since then. I listened to the new album once.
A friend of mine told me to check out Monsters of Folk. The title/concept is pretty amusing. I'll have to listen to the album at some point.
