The letdowns:
Jay-Z-The Blueprint 3- With “Death of Autotune” and “Run This Town” dominating hip-hop radio weeks before the release of this album, it seemed as though Hov was on his way to putting out his best album of the decade. Alas, The Blueprint 3 only furthers Jay-Z’s place as just another rapper who should gracefully leave the limelight to the guys who still spit fire.
Flight of the Conchords-I Told You I Was Freaky- Last year I put FOTC on this portion of the list because their debut album relied so heavily on their HBO show to retain their humor, and in retrospect that’s sort of wrong, their debut is actually a perfectly good comedy album that’s funny on its own. The sequel, I Told You I Was Freaky on the other hand, falls into my original reason for disliking the debut, only this time around, the songs aren’t nearly as funny even with the shows help. While they foray into a few good songs, notably the Police-esque “You Don’t Have To Be A Prostitute,” FOTC have a hard time maintaining their comedy and being original composers.
Clipse-Till The Casket Drops- Clipse have put out two of the best hip-hop albums of the decade, and everyone was excited for them to round it out with another classic. However Till The Casket Drops is a weak attempt by the Virginia duo to become a more radio friendly version of themselves. It’s a let down to the fans as well as hip-hop as a whole.
Owl City-Ocean Eyes- While I was hooked in with the Postal Service sound and undeniably catchy “Fireflies,” I Found that Owl City's full length album had a hard time keeping its momentum up. I talked a lot of good about this album after hearing the first few tracks, but upon a full listen I realized I was only making a fool of others and myself. Just listen to Give Up by the Postal Service or The Listening by Lights if you want the same thing here only a lot better,
Now onto the main event...
10. Mos Def-The Ecstatic
Mos Def went from being an acclaimed rapper to one of the more well like rappers turned actors, but when he underwent that change the “rapper” portion of “rapper turned actor” suffered greatly. After his solo debut Black on Both Sides, Mos more or less sucked as a rapper to be blunt. He tried too hard to be innovative and frequently came out looking like an idiot for even trying. However, with his release of The Ecstatic, we see the classic Mos Def reemerge from the ashes to deliver an album that is downright great. His rhymes are on par with the old Mos, and the beats match as well. Mos Def has truly exceeded all expectations with this album.
Notable Tracks: Twilight Speedball, Auditorium, The Embassy
9. La Coka Nostra-A Brand You Can Trust
House of Pain members Everlast (a.k.a. Whitey Ford), Danny Boy O’Connor and DJ Lethal (also of Limp Bizkit) teamed up with indie rappers Ill Bill and Slaine a few years ago with the intent of making white hip-hop something that was more than just a joke. Opting to get everyone in the same room to record instead of working over mp3’s across coasts, La Coka Nostra ended up taking much longer than they had expected to release their debut album A Brand You Can Trust. However, the wait was entirely worth it. Describing themselves as hardcore hip-hop, the guys from LCN take no prisoners with their lyrics. However, for every line they spit about “totin’ a glock,” they come back with one about how a life of crime isn’t going to do them any good in the long run. Guest appearances from UGK’s Bun B, Snoop Dogg, Sen Dog and B-Real from Cypress Hill, Immortal Technique and others solidify LCN as a credible, and entirely real hip-hop supergroup.
Notable Tracks: “Bloody Sunday” “The Stain” “F*ck Tony Montana”
8. Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I’m one of those guys that have a difficult time buying into the hype of bands I know nothing about. However, after a lot of good hype from both the internet and friends, I finally gave in and listened to Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. And while I wasn’t blown away entirely, I certainly enjoyed their album. It runs a solid 10 tracks, enough to make a mark, and little enough to leave the audience wanting more. While this isn’t technically their debut, for most American fans it’s their first real taste of the band, and it is a delicious first taste indeed. The chemistry between the members is there, as they clearly know how to make fun music, but they still retain their ability to be true musicians. I look forward to getting to know this band more.
Notable Tracks: “Lisztomania” “Fences” “Countdown”
7. K’Naan- Troubadour
After attending this years Rock The Bells festival, I was given an iTunes card that redeemed 25 tracks from artists on the tour. Many of whom I knew, some of the songs I already had, but there was one song out of the 25 that I played to death and that was “I Come Prepared” by K’Naan and Damian Marley. Thinking the album was from 2007 or 2008, I enjoyed listening, but had no rush on getting the album in its entirety. However, upon realizing it was indeed a 2009 release, I freaked out and got a hold of the album as fast as I could. And listening to it based on the one track I got for free made me realize that I had been dwelling too long on “I Come Prepared,” as the album as a whole is just great. K’Naan raps, sings, and strums the guitar in a way that lures you into the horrifying stories of his youth as a child solider in Somalia, as well as other subjects that range from happy to sad to everything in between. The music provides a perfect backdrop for these tales, and his unique voice blends well with everything around him. Guest appearances from Mos Def, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Kirk Hammett and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine only add to K’Naan’s chameleon-like musical versatility.
Notable Tracks: “Bang Bang” “America” “T.I.A.”
6. Dave Matthews Band- Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King
Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a general fan of the Dave Matthews phenomenon. I simply don’t understand all of the hype behind him. I don’t particularly dislike him as an artist, but at the same toll I’d never been really amped to get into his music. However, with Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King I was extremely surprised, not by the quality of the music, but how easy it was for me to get into it. The album starts with the droning saxophone of LeRoi Moore, who passed away in late 2008 after recording his parts on the album, and instantly kicks into what is a truly funky and original record, even for DMB. They manage to take their extensive jams from live shows and translate them into catchy tracks that still hold onto their improv-heavy signature sound. If Dave and company can continue to make albums like this; I may just have to convert to his cult.
Notable Tracks: “Shake Me Like A Monkey” “Funny The Way It Is” “Why I Am”
5. Lily Allen- It’s Not Me, It’s You
Lily Allen has all the makings to be a pop icon, yet at the same time, she still grasps onto the indie kids that were hooked on her debut album Alright, Still. On It’s Not Me, It’s You, Lily takes another stab at making her signature breed of obscene, rude and entirely honest pop music and upon the second time around, she’s done it even better. It’s easy to hum along to tracks like “Not Fair” and then go, “Wait a minute! This woman is singing about her boyfriends lack of libido!” and that is exactly what makes Lily Allen so great. While she hasn’t caught on as much in the states as she may have overseas, it’s pretty clear she doesn’t seem to mind with tracks like “The Fear” mocking the concept of being just another pop diva. Lily is the first woman to crack my top 10 list, and she earned her spot at number 5.
Notable Tracks: “The Fear” “Everyone’s At It” “F*ck You”
4. RX Bandits-Mandala
Don’t you hate it when a band you love kicks out members that helped them define their sound? After the release of their last album ...And The Battle Begun, the RX Bandits lost their sax player. It was unfortunate, but the two horned band charged onward, the trombone covering all of the wind bases. However, fans of the band were shocked to hear that the Bandits had parted ways with the last of its horn players this year for their new album Mandala. This had me scared, how could a band that I admired so much lose the two members that helped give them the signature reggae/progressive/metal sound that had grown on me so much over the past few years? Well, after much inner turmoil, I got around to listening to Mandala and I must say, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Guitarist Steve Choi’s quick keyboard lines accentuate the frantic picking of guitarist/singer Matt Embree, covering the lack of horns very well. The album plays in a way that is both new and logical. One of those situations where you say, “I don’t like the band without the horns, but this is what they should sound like given the change.” Some compare the Bandits’ strange style of music as a more focused Mars Volta, but I must disagree, as the music of RX Bandits is much more calculated, heartfelt and downright awesome in comparison to Volta’s absurdly fast writing and recording style. Mandala is an awesome album by a band that does nothing but move up both in talent, and in quality. Way to surprise me, RX Bandits!
Notable Tracks: “It’s Only Another Parsec” “My Lonesome Only Friend” “Bury It Down Low”
3. Brother Ali-Us
Last year my number one album was Atmosphere’s When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, and this year, the group’s affiliate Brother Ali has come oh so close to the same mark. For those unaware, Ali is an albino who moved around from state to state his entire life. With that very basic description alone you can assume the man has a whole lot to say. With Atmosphere’s Ant behind the beats, Ali spits pure genius on this album, approaching the “ghetto” checklist that all rappers follow in a completely original and refreshing fashion. While many rappers, even the greats, spend decent amounts of time spitting about their nice cars and the abundance of girls they get, Brother Ali is completely satisfied happily proclaiming that he has enough rent money for the year. And while other rappers talk about killing people in the street, Ali tells us a calculated tale of bad neighbors dealing cocaine one floor below him, and how easy it was to make a few dollars from their idiocy. To be quite simple, Brother Ali is a humble genius, and those that say rap is the weakest form of poetry must take a list to Us to see that.
Notable Tracks: “The Preacher” “Fresh Air” “The Travelers”
2. Biffy Clyro- Only Revolutions
A few years ago I was lucky enough to catch Queens of the Stone Age on their Era Vulgaris tour. What stuck out to me the most about that show, aside from the sheer awesomeness QOTSA put out, was their first opener. A schizophrenic, hairy trio of rockers known as Biffy Clyro, The music they played was loud and dingy, but it had all the qualities that make you love musicians as musicians, proficiency in their playing and originality in their style. After a few months of not thinking about them, I stumbled upon their breakout album Puzzle in a used bin at F.Y.E. I bought it, and found myself having a hard time not listening to it. Two years later, the band has released Only Revolutions, a suitable follow-up to Puzzle. The album hits all the marks it needs to, rocking out like madmen on several of the tracks, however it’s the deviation from their unique sound that really jets this album this high up the list. Instead of playing to their strict ballad/hard rock variety, the band mix things up, playing some undeniably catchy pop rock tracks, some more emotional tracks, all the while keeping their credibility and accessibility intact. While this album isn’t going to change the way the world looks at rock music, it certainly shows that breaking a working formula can sometimes yield good results!
Notable Tracks: “Born On A Horse” “Mountains” “Know Your Quarry”
1.Raekwon-Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...pt. II
Oh boy. I wrote briefly about this in my piece regarding the Wu-Tang Clan as the artist of the year, but allow me to tell you just how good Raekwon’s new album is. . For fans of the Wu, this is gold, for non-fans it's probably platinum. This is the album that takes what made the early Wu-Tang solo albums special and progressively brings it forward to 2009. The original Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, released in 1995, became a blueprint for the true gangster hip-hop album. It combined elements of the mob with those of the street, with skits breaking up brutally honest tales of life in the slums and the horrors of drug dealing. Every rapper who made a true gangster rap album following Cuban Linx was influenced by the album whether or not they’d like to admit it. And now in 2009 we were graced with a sequel. And 14 years later, Raekwon still has a whole lot to say. He doesn’t glorify drug dealing one bit, he doesn’t play to his varying audience and he doesn’t care about what a man his age is supposed to say, his rhymes are intricate, they hit with a resounding impact, and they make you realize that the man has truly grown. The production on the album is near flawless as well. When you have to say that Dr. Dre is the weakest producer on your album, you know that you have something great. The album plays wonderfully, guest spots from all of the living Wu-Tang members only helping in Raekown’s grand return. I said that the Wu-Tang Clan was the artist of the year, but I must hone that statement in and specify that Raekwon the Chef truly is the greatest rapper of the year.
Notable Tracks: “House of Flying Daggers” “Canal Street” “We Will Rob You”
So happy new year! Thank you for reading the blog and keep visiting!
