Best Albums of 2009

Once again, here are my top 50 albums of the year, along with an honorable mention list. Just my way of trying to share as much good music as I can. I found everything there enjoyable in one way or another and couldn't bare for them to go unmentioned. As usual, the singles list will follow shortly.

EDIT (1:02 AM): I've added a playlist of select tracks from the list at the bottom so that you can sample the songs.



1. St. Vincent - Actor

There was potential on St. Vincent's debut, Marry Me. Actually, there was more than potential—it was a pretty damn solid album. I held certain songs, such as the title track, "The Apocalypse Song" and a few others in very high regard, which naturally led me to anticipate her follow-up even though I wasn't in love with the debut. Actor is the kind of leap forward that you hope for from most artists on their second album, but would be lucky to get. The album takes some of Marry Me's darker moments and builds an entire album around that vibe. Annie Clark's darkness isn't the dour kind, but one built on tension and unease while only tempting to cross the line in to creepy. It's an exquisitely arranged album where even the most tender details matter for the mood. Marry Me proved Clark's talents: her musical proficiency, a delicate expressive voice and a confident lyrical style that mixed wit with emotion, but Actor proves that she can deliver a full-length full of highlights.

Hectic But Eclectic's Top 200 Singles of the Decade (2000-2009)

Here is my final decade list and it was definitely the toughest one to compile. The Internet really exploded this decade which opened myself and millions of others to more music quicker than ever. My list would look completely different if not for the Internet and it's probably the only way that international acts like Girls Aloud, Teddybears STLHM and Destra cracked my list. As with the album and film lists, this is one made of passion. There is little consideration given to what was culturally or commercially significant. It's simply what I connected with and what I felt was great music, which is the way it should be for anyone who loves the arts. Sure, a list based on "important" singles would make for great debate, but it's just not as fun as going with my heart. Also, keep a look out next week for my albums and singles list for 2009.

Hectic But Eclectic's Top 70 Films Of The Decade (2000-2009)

Here's another decade list for you. Even moreso than my albums list, I went more with personal connection for ranking. While the quality and achievement of a film plays heavily as well, it's ultimately the impression that the movie left on me that guided this list. Call it a list of passion if you may. As much as I admired and enjoyed Memento, I didn't feel strong enough about to it include it here, even though it's still a good film and I would recommend it to anyone. On the other side, I love to watch Josie & The Pussycats at just about any time, but can acknowledge that it is flawed, thus not giving me the heart to include it here. The reasoning applied for those two films is pretty much why this list is at 70 and not the traditional 100. I couldn't stand to put anything on here that didn't engage me immensely.

Hectic But Eclectic's Top 100 Albums of the Decade (2000-20009)

Here is my list of the albums that I dug most during the 2000's. For the longest, I felt that Kid A was my #1 of the decade, but I can't deny how much Kala has been apart of my life, even though it's only a few years old. I seriously don't think there's been a week where a song from that album hasn't been in my head and it's one of the few albums in recent memory that I always have an urge to listen to. Both Kid A and Kala are fine albums and in another ten years, their positions might be easily reversed, but for the moment, Kala, with all it's attitude and dizzying genre-hopping feels like the superior album. The rest of the list follows in the same way, with a mixture of what I felt was high quality and my own personal connection to the albums to decide their ranking.

2010 Grammy Nomination Predictions

Here are my predictions for the 2010 Grammys. I have a more in-depth analysis up on Prefix, but I've posted my picks for the four general categories. I also delved into predicting other categories on Prefix as well. The nominations will be announced Dec. 2 on CBS. All the nominations will be posted on www.grammy.com later on tonight.

Album of the Year

Green Day: 21st Century Breakdown
Lady Gaga: The Fame
Maxwell: BLACKsummers'night
Taylor Swift: Fearless
Kanye West: 808s & Heartbreak

Record of the Year

Black Eyed Peas: "I Gotta Feeling"
Jay-Z featuring Kanye West & Rihanna: "Run This Town"
Kings of Leon: "Use Somebody"
Lady Gaga: "Poker Face"
Taylor Swift: "You Belong With Me"

Best New Artist

Keri Hilson
Laura Izibor
The Ting Tings
Wale
Zac Brown Band

Song of the Year

Beyonce: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
The Fray: "You Found Me"
Whitney Houston: "I Didn't Know My Own Strength"
Taylor Swift: "You Belong With Me"
Kanye West: "Heartless"

Ten On Tuesdays: Greatest Live Performances of the 2000's

As someone who frequents a lot of concerts, I can tell you that there is nothing like experiencing great music live. The energy is contagious and there's always an air of electricity that resonates through the room. One of the marks of a great live performance is that it can have that same power whether you're there in person or watching from the comfort of your own living room. This edition of Ten on Tuesdays takes a look at the best live performances of the decade in my opinion. I took into account the overall quality, memorability and how well it held up over the years. I've also only included performances that were broadcast to a wide audience, either on TV or online.

These ten performances, all in chronological order, left their mark on me when I first saw them and they still give me chills to this day. Of course, there had to be some omissions. As much as I wanted to include Bruce Springsteen's premiere of "My City of Ruins" for the 9/11 charity telecast because of its importance and how much it struck me at the time, it still stands as only merely a good performance removed from the context. My sentimental favorite was Lauryn Hill breaking down during "Peace of Mind" on MTV Unplugged 2.0 because you rarely get that intimate of a look at a big artist, but I concluded that it probably could have been trimmed by a few minutes, but it's still nonetheless magical. Five years from now, I might also kick myself for not including Lady GaGa's recent performance on Saturday Night Live, but I could go on and on about all the great ones I might have missed on this list.


Mary J. Blige - "No More Drama" (Grammys, 2002)



The nation was still in the healing process from the events of 9/11 and all the additional stress and paranoia that it brought on. Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama" took on a whole new meaning in this context and when she belted it out while running back and forth across the stage, you can feel that she understood the newfound weight of the song too. Blige opened her soul for the world to see like few others could do and you can't help but feel all her pain and hope.

Best TV Shows of 2008-2009 Season

The Emmys will be handed out soon, so what better time to reflect on the best television shows of the 2008-2009 season? I never understood the logic of most critics discussing their favorite shows at the end of the calendar year instead of after the season has ended in May, but such is the way of life. I've always preferred waiting till the season has run its course.

10. The Game (The CW)

The best soap opera in primetime last season was The Game, hands down. The show, which centered around pro football athletes and the women in their lives, quitely evolved from a standard sitcom with obvious punchlines to a juicy, drama-filled half hour dramedy. The Game hit its stride this season whenever it played down the laughs in favor for more serious moments, which were handled adeptly with simple direction and solid acting. In television's ever-growing quest to deliver the most ambitious and high-concept programming, it's nice to know that good old-fashioned entertainment exists to provide a balance.

Commercial for Jay-Z's Blueprint 3

Pretty cool piece of advertising, even if you're not a fan.

Adventures at Lollapalooza 2009

Lollapalooza took place from Aug. 7-9 this year in Chicago's Grant Park. I had a great time as always, even if Friday was a bit of a downer with all the constant rain (but oh how I wish I took a picture of this one couple covered in mud, lighting each other's cigarettes with PBRs in their hands). The festival ran pretty smoothly and most of the folks I met were as friendly as all get. Sorry that I didn't get the recap up sooner, but the pressure from my wisdom tooth left me in such pain that I wasn't able to concentrate on much of anything. As usual, I saw a lot of acts. A lot.

Day 1 - Friday

April Smith



She got the festival off to a good start for me. Very bouncy, accesible adult alternative tunes. There was a slight bit of quirk in the songs and the performance, but still pretty smart overall. I'd definitely remember to check out some of her recorded stuff.

Why Am I So Happy? Because I Saw Ebony Bones, That's Why

Had the great fortune of seeing U.K. post-punker Ebony Bones at the Wicker Park Fest in Chicago this past Sunday on Jul. 26. I've pretty much been waiting forever to see this woman live and was pleased to even see her here in the States considering that no plans are set as of now for a North American release of her album. Her presence was as wild and colorful as you would expect from the woman who made "Don't Fart On My Heart" and "We Know All About U." There were a few staged sequences that gave the performance a theatrical feel, but it was mostly a spontaenous party.

Michael Jackson: A Selective Look At His Discography

Last week, we lost one of the biggest icons the music world has ever seen. Michael Jackson's discography is one of the most universally loved and trying to choose one simple favorite song can be difficult and is not easily debatable. I've always felt that the mark of a great artist is when they can have their lesser-known works stand up in quality to some of their biggest hits. Jackson was no different. For every "Beat It" or "Thriller," there is an amazing album track or single that didn't quite storm the charts as expected with most MJ songs. Or even some songs that we've simply forgotten due to the multitude of massive hits he's had. This is a selection of some of my personal favorite Michael Jackson songs and moments.

A little update...

Hey all. Just here to give you a few updates about the blog. I've recently started contributing to Prefix and you can even check out the Ida Maria and Keri Hilson reviews I did for them. I will still keep the blog running, but most of my writing focus will be for Prefix. I just have to work really hard at balancing the two. Definitely stay tuned to the blog within the next month or two because I'm in the process of working on one of those big canon genre lists that all the big publications do. All I want to say is that it's a genre I'm very familiar with and I have yet to see anyone do a list of this magnitude the way that I'm planning on approaching it.

I've also added an embedded playlist on the blog so you can check out some of the current stuff that I'm digging. Think of it as an HBE primer.

HBE Spotlight: Gilead7

Gilead7 has made a name for himself on the Chicago underground hip hop scene with his sharp wordplay, abstract imagery and fierce delivery. In the midst of prepping for his upcoming album, I had the chance to interview him on Inaugaration Day of all days.

HBE: So did you get a chance to catch the inaugaration?

Gilead7: I did actually. Man, it was a great thing. Watching it, I was taken back. I never been through a lot of what he was talking about, as far as the struggles, of course slavery and things of that nature, but at the same time, just hearing my grandparents talk about it, I'm like, "Wow, we've come a long way." I agree, we haven't gotten that far, but we definitely got somewhere. It's a powerful day

HBE: Yeah, it is pretty momentous. I was at work just going back and forth and I just had to sit back and soak it all in.

G7: Exactly. Yeah, same here.

HBE: I'm just more happy for my mom and other old folks who thought this day would never come.

G7: That's real. Exactly. It's not really him, it's what he symbolizes. I mean, regardless of what you think of him as a politician, I mean it's the fact that a person of darker skin color was in there, and that it shows the way the paradigm has shifted. And now of course as I said there's problems with that, but we have gotten somewhere.