10. Black Milk - Tronic
I picked this up at Fifth Element in MPLS from good words by the dude that runs the shop. I gave it a few spins and the kid is a great producer, beats are bangin. The rhymes are good as well but maybe not the best in the game. The real kicker is Black Milk production on a track with Pharoahe Monch and Sean Price. Game over.9. Opeth - Watershed
I have a soft spot for Opeth, they have always been one of my favorite bands. This record has their classic sound with some extra weirdness thrown in like they have been hangin out with Porcupine Tree more and more. A welcome addition and another good record in the Opeth catalog.8. Jedi Mind Tricks - A History Of Violence
Jus Allah is back and the beats are so good. JMT usually puts out a good record worth spinning but this is just a few steps beyond that and it stood out to me. If you like some classic JMT, this will be as close as you're gonna get.7. Celestial Bloodshed - Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed
Yet another Ty Guy BM recommendation for me. This fills my wants and needs for raw sounding black metal. If that isn't your thing, this album won't do it for you but I just can't get enough of it. Questionable politics be damned!6. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
This is the kind of band that requires me to listen to their records numerous times to really appreciate them. I wasn't overly into it when it first came out but after hearing it a few times and seeing them live I realized it was a great record with quite a few great songs on it. They are where they're at for a reason.5. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
I will be the first to admit that I am not really an Atmosphere fan except for the one song "trying to find a balance" since that songs just bangs. I gave this record a shot after hearing the first single and it blew me away. It's in my top 5, even I'm surprised. This record is just a mature MC working over really nice chill beats and it can do no wrong.4. Misery Signals - Controller
Yet another band/artist that I just wasn't into before last year's record. Scott kept tellin me that it was great and he couldn't get enough of it and I was skeptical. I gave it a few spins and found myself going back. This record is so heavy, I won't even bother using some shitty metaphor so just go listen. Song structure is quite nice here as well. The clean singing even started growing on me after a few listens.3. Jean Grae - Jeanius AND The Evil Jeanius
Two records came out in one year, maybe she didn't authorize either one. One of them has been floating around the internet for about 4 years already but didn't get an official release until 2008. Hearing Jean Grae, the best female MC in my opinion, flow over 9th Wonder and Blue Sky Black Death beats is damn near as good as it gets. Production is just silly on both of these records and Jean close to unfukwittable status. Clearly I am a fan so peep both of these, please!1. Blacklisted - Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God
What can I say about the best hardcore record of the year? It's hard and groovy and I give it regular spins to this day. The touch of singy in the vocals is a great touch as well as good lyrics and great riffs. Anticipation was high for this record as they broke up when they were blowing up and they still managed to put out their best record. Playing with them in Fargo was a great experience and they tore it up and just solidified top spot.1. The Foreign Exchange - Leave It All Behind
Phonte of Little Brother fame's other project put a record out and I was stoked to hear it as I read that Phonte and Nicolay, the producer, were never in the same room at any point in time during the recording or writing process(not even the same continent)! That is always an interesting situation as you get to hear how someone interprets the other person's vision. This record is so smooth and relaxing and I could listen to it everyday. Take Phonte's clean singing from Little Brother and expand upon that with soulful beats provided by Nicolay and you have a gem in your hands. They play with a full live band and to this day I have yet to experience it but I promise you that I will.You might be wondering where the #2 record was but the tie for first place just couldn't be broken and I thought they both deserved the top spot for different reasons. Now here is to me promising to get my Top Ten Records of 2009 out a little sooner!
No comments:
Post a Comment