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Enjoy this new video from Shadows on a River, the Chicago-based group that stole my heart and made their way to my Best of 2009 list last year.
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The OCMD: Best Albums of 2009
Alberta Cross – Broken Side of Time
“Rise from the Shadows”
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
“Ready Able”
Tape Deck Mountain – Ghost
“Scantron”
Atlas Sound – Logos
“Quick Canal”
Flaming Lips – Embryonic
“The Ego’s Last Stand”
Woods – Songs of Shame
“Rain On”
Bear In Heaven – Beast Rest Forth Mouth
“You Do You “
Amazing Baby – Rewild
“The Narwhal”
Band of Skulls – Baby Darlin Doll Face Honey
“Death by Diamonds and Pearls”
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains
“And The Hazy Sea”
The XX – The XX
“Crystalised”
She Keeps Bees – Nests
“Gimme”
Girls – Album
“Lust for Life”
Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
“The Prowl”
Fever Ray – Fever Ray
“If I Had A Heart”
Foreign Born – Person to Person
“Vacationing People”
J. Tillman – Vacilando Territory Blues
“First Born”
Leopold and His Fiction – Ain’t No Surprise
“Broke”
Papercuts – You Can Have What You Want
“Future Primitive”
Speck Mountain – Some Sweet Relief
“I Feel Eternal”
Shadows on a River – Shadows on a River
“In Business”
The Veils – Sun Gangs
“The Letter”
The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love
“Velvet”
Jeff the Brotherhood – Heavy Days
“U Got The Look”
Electric Tickle Machine – Blew It Again
“Blew It Again”
Best Albums of 2009 – So Far
Whew, I’ve been wanting to get this post up for about 3 weeks now, but you know how it goes – life prevails and hobbies sometimes take a back seat. Well, here it is. My mid-year Best Albums of 2009…so far. Out of all the music I’ve sorted through thus far this year, these are the albums that bubbled to the top, the ones I happily came back to again and again. They may not all be Pitchfork approved (or even rated for that matter), but they worked for me.
I’m not going to go through the diligence of ranking them, so I’ve listed them in alphabetical order. I’ll save the ranking exercise for the end of year round up. Until then, I hope you find some new music to enjoy!
Band of Skulls
Baby Darlin Doll Face Honey
“Death by Diamonds and Pearls”
Cymbals Eat Guitars
Why There Are Mountains
“And The Hazy Sea”
Dan Auerbach
Keep It Hid
“The Prowl”
Fever Ray
Fever Ray
“If I Had A Heart”
Foreign Born
Person to Person
“Vacationing People”
Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest
“Ready Able”
J. Tillman
Vacilando Territory Blues
“First Born”
Leopold and His Fiction
Ain’t No Surprise
“Broke”
Papercuts
You Can Have What You Want
“Future Primitive”
Speck Mountain
Some Sweet Relief
“I Feel Eternal”
Shadows on a River
Shadows on a River
“In Business”
The Veils
Sun Gangs
“The Letter”
White Rabbits
It’s Frightening
“The Salesman”
Radiohead Fans – Meet Shadows On A River
Shadows On A River: “In Business”
It’s been a while since a band has wowed me and the Chicago-based group calling themselves Shadows on a River has done just that. I haven’t stopped listening to their debut since it arrived in my mailbox (thanks Undertow!). This is the best unsigned band I’ve heard so far this year.
Dark, brooding and experimental, their sound easily draws comparisons to the electronic rock genius of early Radiohead. Especially on tracks like “In Business” and “Ships Sailing Home”. Singer/songwriter David Hensen’s ethereal and haunting melodies and intricate arrangements complete the effect.
But let me be clear, because making a Radiohead comparison may be sacrilege for some. I’m not saying they imitate them, but inspire a similar feeling you get from listening to them. It’s “honest and transporting.” The kind of album you want to put on to get lost in. One that opens up and evolves with each and every listen.
So I say, bravo boys! If this is what you can create from an apartment in Chicago, I can’t wait to hear what you can do in a studio.
Be sure to download Shadows On A River from iTunes. Only $7.99 and you wont regret it.
the OCMD 