The 3rd Annual HIP Best Albums of the Year List

Wow…has it really been 3 years? Where’d all the time go?

Well…each year, this post has gotten less and less ambitious, but even with my blog being dead for a few months, I can’t resist doing this.

So here it is. The top 15 albums of 2009, along with single download links and links to where you can buy each record.

One thing that I’m adding this year is the “specialty” selections: Best Remix, Best Mash-Up, Best Sample, Best E.P., and Best Collaboration.

This should be an exciting one!

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Warning! Sparse Posting Ahead (Not REAL News really…)

Man…being at yet another new school with yet another fresh start, I wanted to give this blog a fresh and thorough reboot.

I had plans to not only post at least a few times a week but also to expand my subject matter and go for more of the lengthy, in-depth posts that I used to write on here (e.g., Sigur Ros post, film reviews, posts on new and upcoming bands, ebook post, etc.).

But alas, I will be extremely busy this semester.

FORTUNATELY, it’ll be a different kind of busy from last semester at Berkeley (meaning: no coke addict roommates, no police, no safehouses, and no financial aid nightmares), but it’s the same sort of result for this poor blog.

I have 16 units of classes, a poetry workshop, AND I also just became a staff writer for 3 different sections of the Daily Trojan (school paper at USC…I plan on cutting down to only 1 or 2 sections.). Not to mention, I’m also pledging this semester for Gamma Epsilon Omega. (Basically the coolest fraternity ever invented in the history of the universe. Basically.)

On top of all that, I’m planning to hit on at least one USC Song Girl this semester.

Needless to say…I’ll be stretched to the MAX within the next few months. So I thought I’d give the 9 or so people subscribed to me in their Google feeds fair and advance warning…

I’ll try to drop by as much as possible. And Kristiane and Essaytch…I’m so sorry for being M.I.A. from your blogs…I PROMISE I’ll stop by more frequently, even if I won’t be updating much here.

Oh, and Albert, I don’t know which new Ting Tings song you were talking about, but I think this is their new single.

Song of the Day:

The Ting Tings – “That’s Not My Name”

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Quiet Company: A Band You Must Know About

I have to get something off my chest and my conscience won’t be cleared until I set this right. I have been selfish…blatantly, wickedly, and immorally selfish. You see, there is this band that I adore and cherish very dearly.

First, let me introduce you to the band. You may have already heard of them, since the debut was released back in 2006. They’re called Quiet Company and they hail from the great musical mecca of Austin, Texas. The band’s actually comprised of just singer-songwriter Taylor Muse and a sort of revolving door of guitarists, drummers, bassists, etc that surround him (sort of like Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, except Muse isn’t as “solo,” I guess).

From left to right: Thomas Blank, Taylor Muse, Michael Delaney. Oh, Mrs. Taylor Muse, aka Leah, who took this and many other photos, happens to be a pretty good photographer.

After the first release, which Muse recorded almost every facet of all by his lonesome, there seemed to be a set, stable band lineup for tours and future releases. But from what I’ve read, they’ve been looking for a new drummer as well as a bassist. I think the guy on the left in the picture above, Thomas Blank, has been in the band a while though. (Going off their Myspace, the guy on the right, Michael Delaney, is that new drummer.)

But yes, Taylor Glen Muse writes well-crafted, soaring, complex-yet-pure pop music that leaves you smiling and feeling all kinds of elevated emotions. Yet, I’ve pretty much kept it all to myself ever since discovering him two years ago. I don’t know why I did it; I’m usually very open to share and discuss music with anyone.

The songs on the debut just draw you in. When I first heard the record, I hadn’t felt such a connection with an album for a while. It was sort of like my Precious… Well, I guess it wasn’t that I was being selfish…it was more me being very selective with who I shared this music with. I didn’t want to let just anyone know about the band only to have them simply disregard and forget about them, not loving/appreciating their music as much as I do. But that was stupid.

Now I am repenting of my wayward ways, and I am letting anyone who has been so unlucky as to be unaware of Quiet Company to find out about them. Here are some tracks from the 2006 debut album, Shine Honesty:

“Fashionabel” — The build-up intro for this song is really nice.
“The Emasculated Man And The City That Swallowed Him” — A coming-of-age anthem.
“Love is a Shotgun” — This will be a small litmus test for my future relationships. I’m almost 100% sure that my future wife (if marriage is in my future that is) will love this song.

They are supposed to release a new album titled “Everyone You Love Will Be Happy.” I don’t know much more about it, but here are a couple of unreleased tracks I’ve found floating around the Internets that may or may not be on the album:

“Golden (master 12)” — May be just a working title.
“It’s Better to Spend Money Like There’s No Tomorrow Than Spend Tonight Like There’s No Money” — Long title, fun song.
“Our Sun Is Always Rising” — I like how the most sentimental, mushy lyrics are masked by loud guitars and drums in the beginning…like they’re balancing it out. I found it a little funny, because I imagined that it was them almost sneaking the lines through to whoever the song was written for.

I remember reading on the band blog, back in November of 2006, that Taylor hated his day-job — especially the fact that he had to “stock dogfood and clean rodent shit.” I don’t know what the job was/is (pet store employee/exterminator?) but this is a travesty to me. Someone who made one of my favorite albums in recent memory should not have to “stock dogfood and clean rodent shit” while guys like Soulja Boy, Ashlee Simpson, or K-Fed make all the music they want and live it up like crazy.

You can buy the album HERE — I guarantee it will be one of the best investments you’ll make. You can also check out their Myspace to listen to more songs and find out tour dates and stuff. I leave you with the music video for “Fashionabel,” directed by Cameron McCasland:

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