Top 20 Records of 2009

16. Mayer Hawthorne – A Strange Arrangement (Stones Throw / 2009)

This decade in music saw a renewed interest in 60′s Motown music, almost exclusively by white artists. And female Brits, for whatever reason. Mayer Hawthorne stands out not (just) because he’s male and American, but because he channels the Detroit soul most faithfully IMHO. If you didn’t know better you’d think that A Strange Arrangement is a previously unreleased gem recently dug up and remastered from the Motown catalog.

17. Mount Kimbie – Maybes EP / Sketch On Glass EP (Hot Flush / 2009)

These are two separate EPs but I like to listen to them back to back and pretend they were an album. I’ve listened to enough dubstep this year to be able to differentiate one subgenre from another, but Mount Kimbie is hard to pin down. You’d find it filed under dubstep no doubt but it sounds a little bit more complex and a lot more calmer. ‘William’ from the Maybes EP for example is closer in essence to Jan Jelinek than anything remotely Kode 9. And on the other end of the spectrum you have ‘Sketch On Glass’ that sounds like something that Usher could easily sing over. In short Mount Kimbie makes music that you want to simultaneously nod and scratch your head to.

18. Nosaj Thing – Drift (Alpha Pup / 2009)

This is a serious contender for my favourite record of the year. Simply put, Nosaj Thing makes electronic music but with an exceptional ear for complex melodies and intricate harmonies. Aphex Twin comes to mind, but with a more prominent hip-hop aesthetic. While fellow LA-based producer Flying Lotus sounds like he has a thousand things going on at once, Nosaj Thing uses his effects more sparingly and efficiently, giving you enough space to absorb every detail. Absolutely no fillers on this one.

19. Robert Glasper – In My Element (Blue Note / 2007)

I haven’t been catching up on jazz as much as I’d like to. Aside from Build An Ark this is the only other jazz release I’ve heard this year. I heard about Robert Glasper through his association with various hip-hop personalities like Mos Def and Q-Tip, whose voice message you can hear sampled at the start of ‘J Dillalude’. Glasper’s playing is deeply rooted in the post-bop style of Andrew Hill and McCoy Tyner but is simultaneously in tune with modern music. Check his medley of Herbie Hancock’s ‘Maiden Voyage’ and Radiohead’s ‘Everything In Its Right Place’. And there’s the aforementioned ‘J Dillalude’, which is a brilliant jazz rendition of a couple of Dilla instrumentals.

20. Silkie – City Limits Vol. 1 (Deep Medi / 2009)

I like my dubstep either subtle and minimal like Headhunter or like this. None of that hardcore, earbleed stuff. There is still plenty of gurgling bass on here but Silkie balances it with lots of funky synths and the odd wah-wah guitar sample.

Thanks for getting this far. I worked hard on this!

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Music | December 14th, 2009

2 Responses to “Top 20 Records of 2009”

  1. Michelle Says:
    December 14th, 2009 at 11:22 am

    As always, an interesting and distinctive list! I’ll check lots of this out. Not sure if I’ll have time to do one myself but honestly even if I do, it won’t be as interesting as yours has been.

  2. shtikman Says:
    December 14th, 2009 at 2:50 pm

    Aww come on, do one! I haven’t read much music-related stuff from you in a while, other than the Michael Jackson ones.

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