2009 was a great year for music, which makes coming up with a “Top 10” list pretty hard, but I’ll give it a shot. I’ve mentioned a few of these bands on Facebook, so hopefully you’ve been able to check them out. If not, now is a great time to ring in the new year with the best of the last.
1.) The Hazards of Love – The Decemberists
I had the pleasure of seeing this album performed twice last year. First at Rock the Garden, an outdoor concert on a beautiful June day next to the Walker Art Center and then at the State Theater, a wonderful sit down venue. Individually the songs are great, but only when played together do you truly get to appreciate this album. “Rock opera” is the term most use to capture the album’s essence. As with all of The Decemberists work, the lyrics are depressingly morbid. Definitely my favorite album of theirs so far and one of my favorite albums of all time. I can’t recommend this enough!