Category Archives: Best Of

Best of 2009 by Anna of Stranger Dance

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Who: Anna, Local Music Editor
Blog: Stranger Dance
Location: San Francisco
Twitter: @strangerdance

The OCMD Best of 2009 Questionnaire

  1. Best Album: Tie – Various Artists – Dark Was the Night / The Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns. Not sure if some will count Dark Was the Night as year-end worthy because it’s a compilation, but I just can’t leave it out.
  2. Most Overlooked Album: Brendan Benson – My Old, Familiar Friend. Maybe some won’t consider this album as overlooked, but I felt like I should have seen more coverage of it across the blogosphere.
  3. Best Song: Tie – The Books ft. Jose Gonzalez – “‘Cello Song” (Nick Drake cover)/Fanfarlo – “I’m a Pilot”
  4. Best Live Show: Tie – The Tallest Man on Earth, the Independent, 7/2/09 / Bon Iver, Fox Theater, 9/24/09
  5. Band/Artist I am most happy to have discovered: Fanfarlo
  6. Band/Artist I kick myself for missing: J. Tillman, both at Cafe du Nord in August and the Great American on December 4th. D’oh!
  7. Band/Artist everyone seems to love but I just can’t get behind: Dirty Projectors. And Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros (except for that “Home” song, that song warms my lil’ heart).
  8. Favorite SF Band: There are so many, but I always come back to Or, the Whale. Grand Lake is probably my latest local favorite.
  9. One to Watch in 2010: Sleepy Sun – local and fabulous.

theOCMD Mixtape: Best Garage Rock 2009

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the OCMD Mixtape: Best Garage Rock 2009

  1. “Heavy Krishna”- Jeff the Brotherhood
  2. “Pine On” – Obits
  3. “Fog Machine”-  The Fresh & Onlys
  4. “Lovely One” – Ty Segall
  5. “L Mansion”-  Sic Alps
  6. “Wrapped in Fog”-  Dan Melchoir und das Menace
  7. “Blew It Again” – Electric Tickle Machine
  8. “English Teeth Invasion”-  English Teeth
  9. “Goddamn”- Girls
  10. “Burden”- The Mantles
  11. “Over the Ocean”- Best Coast
  12. “Can You See”- Thee Oh Sees
  13. “Boneyard”- Nobunny
  14. “I Won’t Lie To You”- Let’s Wrestle
  15. “What’cha Gonna Do About It”- Condo Fucks

Best of 2009: Dany, FutureSounds

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Who: Dany
Blog: FutureSounds
Location: LA
Twitter: @futuresounds

The OCMD Best of 2009 Questionnaire

  1. Best Album: tie between A Balloon Called Whirring by the Joy Formidable + Journal for Plague Lovers by Manic Street Preachers
  2. Most Overlooked Album: Hello Seahorse! “Bestia”
  3. Best Song: The Joy Formidable “Whirring”
  4. Best Live Show: The Joy Formidable @ The Great Escape, May 2009 in Brighton, UK
  5. Band/Artist I am most happy to have discovered: NewIslands and The Good Natured
  6. Band/Artist I kick myself for missing: Florence + the Machine (but I finally got into them a few months ago)
  7. Band/Artist everyone seems to love but I just can’t get behind: Animal Collective
  8. Favorite SF Band: LoveLikeFire
  9. One to Watch in 2010: NewIslands and The Joy Formidable (I cheated and picked two)
  10. Band that broke up that I still miss: Elle Milano

The OCMD Mixtape: Best Covers 2009

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The OCMD Mixtape: Best Covers 2009

  1. “Steel and Glass” (John Lennon) – Alberta Cross
  2. “Walk A Thin Line” (Fleetwood Mac) – Atlas Sound
  3. “Kundalini Express” (Love and Rockets) – The Flaming Lips
  4. “My Boys” (Animal Collective) – Taken By Trees
  5. “Too Many People” (Paul McCartney) – Earlimart
  6. “Military Madness” (Graham Nash) – Woods
  7. “Hospital Beds” (Cold War Kids) – Florence and The Machine
  8. “He Hit Me” – Grizzly Bear
  9. “Waltz #2” (Elliot Smith) – Audrye Sessions
  10. “Running to Standstill” (U2 ) – Elbow
  11. “Here I Go Again” (Whitesnake) – Botticellis
  12. “Ocean of Noise” (Arcade Fire) – Calexico
  13. “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” (Cyndi Lauper) – Pyramid (aka Starfucker)
  14. “Crazy On You” (Heart) – Blitzen Trapper

The OCMD Best of 2009 Starts…Now!

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December is a good month for those afflicted with OCMD. Lots of checklists, organizing, labeling, sorting and prioritizing. Oh, it feels so good. This year at The OCMD we’ve been working hard extra hard reflecting on the past year of music – the good, the bad and the forgotten. We’ve made our lists, and are checking them twice.  In addition to our picks, I’ve also reached out to some of my personal favorite music blogs and resources for their take on the year in music.  It’s been a fun project and over the course of the remaining weeks you’ll get to see the fruits of that labor.  And hopefully discover some great new music you might have missed this year.  I know I have.  Enjoy. See you on the other side.