the year rxxxxxx broke.

this has been some hell of a fucking year, i can tell you that.
some walls i've ran against for years broke and some things broke while running against these walls.
tough shit.

2009 consisted of the longest continous period of depression i have ever worked through and just reading through the shit i wrote in that time brings me to tears right here and now. i've moved into a new apartment again just shortly after having moved. i got a job and endured (and still have to endure) the experience of working a job i detest for a long period of time. i've joined a new bands and left an old one behind. music i've worked on with others finally got pressed onto vinyl and more importantly people believed in stuff i've worked on again. i've finally been able to travel to other countries again and left the smog dome that vienna was to me for most of the year. and finally i've been able to reach out to other people again which resulted in me not being as big of a miserable loner anymore.
suffice it to say: this year was one of the worst i've ever experienced.
and on the same page, it was also the best i've ever experienced.
also i've finally discovered the works of thomas mann. which might just be the single most important literary discovery i have ever made. next to charles bukowski. yes, that's exactly the other side of the spectrum.

anyway, to the usual program of useless yada-yada about records and everything. you know, the part you actually came here to read about.

Top Records of the Year
because i couldn't decide at all, here's my five favorite records of the year followed by the usual alphabetical round of records i've enjoyed as well.
and before you get any ideas, the top5 are in alphabetical order as well.

Blacklisted - No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me
to be honest, i have no idea what to make of this. all i can say for certain is this band moved further into 70's rock and has started to incorporate acoustic guitars. hardcore? peripherally. it's still rooted in it but where last year's "heavier than heaven, lonelier than god" challenged the boundaries of the genre, the new lp bursts them open. also, george's lyricism has gotten even bleaker, more paranoid and generally just a lot more negative. that's it. is it good? is it rubbish? i have no clue.
i've listened to this record, smashed shit around in my room, deemed "heavier than heaven..." merely a transition record and was absolutely certain that this record is by far the best of the year and one of the top ones of the decade. it has hapened though that i've found myself listening to this and being incredibly bored by it. finding myself wishing blacklisted reverted back to "peace on earth, war on stage" times and just wishing george would stop whining.
why this record made the top5 list? because as of right now i'm heavily leaning towards option one. yet, i'm still not a 100% certain. geez.

Blessure Grave - Learn to Love the Rope 12" and various 7"s
in a way this record was just the right record at the right time. over the course of the year i've started getting into 80's post-punk, death rock, early goth, coldwave and the related genres and found myself discovering a lot of bands i'd now consider absolute favorites of mine.
and along comes this band. washed ashore along with a lot of other reverb-drenched records that vice, pitchfork and all the other usual suspects cream themselves over for the past few months. yet, this is different. where most of those bands just sounded like they hid playing nothing at all by bad recording (i'm looking at you, wavves) or channeling ideas that twee bands have abonded a long time ago (most others), blessure grave have incorporated the classics of the afformentiond post-punk genres. basically imagine 45 grave, christian death, joy division and the sisters of mercy having a bastard child. only more minimalist and with two tons of reverb.
aw, forget it, i'm not doing these records justice at all. they're incredible, trust me.

Tom Liwa - Eine Liebe ausschließlich
a break-up record apparently inspired by an actual break-up. well then.
but put your snarkiness aside, cause this record deserves a closer listen. tom liwa has been crafting honest (some might say: too honest) solo records for a decade now and - let's be frank - most of them where clearly for fans only. with their layers of hard to swallow nostalgia, continous references to new age religions and christianity and lack of immediate rewards such as instantly catchy hooks and the like, most would gladly overhear what he had to say. and of course, this record doesn't break out of this pattern entirely. you're still not gonna be able to put this shit on at a party and people who hate records with allusions to christianity will still despise this.
but rarely since his incredible solo debut "st.amour" has liwas free-flowing lyricism hit the spot this often, have his subdued tiny little choruses gone under your skin this deep and has his vocal delivery made you believe every single word. that's it. he has simply perfected his craft.
and that's enough to put him in the top spots.

The Striggles - Aloha
while hardcore made me drop my jaw a lot of times this year (see the next section below), the heaviest record this year once again came from a genre that in this country is usually associated with relatively un-heavy guitar-wanking: good ole noise rock. my love for this band is well-documented but somehow they managed to up the ante with their new record. to use really bad music journalist phrases: everything that made the first lp good is improved upon here. "aloha" is twisted without being wanky, humourisly cynic without being smart-alecy and dark without being jamie stewart. all at the same time - and i can't stress this enough because it's crucial - without losing an ounce of heaviness.
this record should seriously prompt tons of bands to just give it up.

Washed Out - Life of Leisure 12"
bitches think this is just retro crap. or oooh we all know the 80's. fuck you shitheads. fuck all of you superficial shitheads, your limited grasp of songwriting and your inability to see beyond the .
i hestitated because of the equipment used at first as well but over a few listens all of that is forgotten, since it's used in a different way. and it all would be nothing without the vocals, hushing and hunting. these songs are just weaving, fleeting vignettes capturing the mood of laying somewhere in the countryside near a lake at 11pm at the end of august. a summer nostalgia record if there ever was one this year.
(also fuck everyone saying this is just an ep. this came out on 12" and fuck long records anyway)

Bon Iver - Blood Bank 12"
including this one on the album list was difficult, mainly because i rarely got past the title track. but the other's are okay to, so yhea.
Celan - Halo
second heaviest-record of the year. like unsane with another speed than crush.
Vic Chesnutt - Skitter on Take-Off
look at his suicide however you want to look at it but vic chesnutt made two incredible records this year, one more orchestrated and one that's just skin and bones. i liked the latter one more but that doesn't mean a lot, you know.
Drunkdriver - Fire Sale 7" / Knife Day 7"
these guys sound like the early swans. everything should sound like the early swans.
Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) - What It Takes to Move Forward
one of the only real twinkle twinkle indiemo record that came out this year. and a fine one at that.
Japandroids - Post-Nothing
two kids hammering on drums and guitars, thrashing a thousand genres together and writing the best not-really-stoner riff of the year.
Kickback - No Surrender
ihateyoumotherfuckers ihateyoumotherfuckers ihateyoumotherfuckers ihateyoumotherfuckers.
Naked Lunch - Universalove O.S.T.
these guys are the only band able to be this hopeless and this uplifting at the same time.
Passion Pit - Manners
just a really gay indie disco party album. tested both at the summer lakeside and in the falling snowflakes.
Pissed Jeans - King of Jeans
sludgy, smelly, pounding and powerful. yup, a good heavy record by a band that apparently can do no wrong.
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II
there really isn't much to add except that raekwon's on top of his game again and heads all over the world should be very thankful for that.
Soul Control - Cycles
probably the end-all post-hc record. not trodding along the usual paths but driving, powerful and full of passion and anger.
Wingnut Dishwashers Union - Burn the Earth, Leave it Behind
this pathetic hobo made all folk-punk bands who live on 50cents a week look like rockefellers. no lyrics this year got bleaker this side of george from blacklisted. so who cares if some of the tracks sound like bright eyes? guys' homeless, he doesn't know that music can be bad.
Wye Oak - The Knot
the scandinavian sad piano country record didn't even come from scandinavia this time. still very good autumn music.
The XX - s/t
so what if this is hypefest, this sounds like the young marble giants for chrissakes.

The Round-Up of Heavy Hardcore Records that were just Holy Fucking Shit Heavy
Harm's Way - Reality Approaches
Iron Age - The Sleeping Eye
Lewd Acts - Black Eye Blues
Mind Eraser - The Prodigal Son Brings Death 7"
Mother Of Mercy - III
Pulling Teeth - Paranoid Delusions/Paradise Illusions
Trapped Under Ice - Secrets Of the World
Weekend Nachos - Unforgivable

Best Unreleased Record of the Year
Feed [Tx] - Human Engine
heavy slow-rollin' riffs w/ a texan singer wailing about being god or something. too bad the 10" never came to be.

Wear-Out Record of the Year
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - s/t
heavily enjoyable for about five listens. then you're so sick of it you'll burn the damn thing.

Stuff that was just wrong
Against Me! - The Original Cowboy
demos that sound exactly like the original record. dudes, i'm pro-capitalism and even i can reek the sellout in this shit.
Amesoeurs - s/t
i think i've had enough of postrock black metal for now. actually i think i have enough of black metal by now.
Clipse - Till the Casket Drops
while the singles were some of the best shit released this year, the album was just a let-down. sorry.
Soap&Skin - Lovetune for Vacuum
you know, i could stand the corny "twisted child prodigy" persona when the songs were good. now it's just annoying.
Wavves - s/t / Wavvves
this would probably rule pretty damn hard if you could only make out what this shithead is playing.

Shit I probably should have checked out but didn't
The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love
weni told me they're crap but they do have a lot of good-looking naked girls on their covers, so i'd probably like it.
Cold Cave - Love Comes Close / Death Comes Close 12"
i couldn't stop listening to "the trees grew emotions and died" so i never checked out the full record. tough.
Converge - Axe to Fall
this is said to be really really good but honestly who gives a shit.
C-Rayz Walz & Kosha Dillz - Freestyle vs. Written
simply because homeboy's name is kosha dillz.
Jim O'Rourke - The Visitor
i just have the feeling that i will probably go apeshit over this record in two years time or so.
Røyksopp - Junior
seriously just too busy raving out to passion pit.

Songs of the Year
Blacklisted - Our Apartment is Always Empty
when they first listened to this song, b9 users all over the world decided they had a new favorite record. true story.
Clipse - The Haters Wish
off of the pre-album mixtape, pusha and malice showed what they can do. now only if they had done it.
Drake - Best I Ever Had
if the upcoming lp is gonna be as good as this song, 2010 will finally have a hip-hop record of the year.
Mike Hale - Lives Like Mine
his new lp didn't do much for me except for the title track. which broke my heart over and over again.
Japandroids - I Quit Girls
an indie rock song that makes me wanna smash my room is a very rare thing. use your powers wisely, japandroids.
Picture Eyes - Next Shot
if you've seen this song performed live you wouldn't ask.
Richmond Fontaine - We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River
the new lp was good but the title track killed everything they had ever done previously.
Sex Jams - On Our Way Home is Nowhere
"this room smells like sex, it's our sex" is one of these lines you can't just get away with without being incredible.
Washed Out - Feel It All Around
because if you don't like this, fuck you.
Wingnut Dishwashers Union - Just because I don't say anything...
if you're not moved by a hobo singing "i'd be a teenage virgin jerking off in my bedroom, if i wasn't a twenty year old virgin who doesn't have a bedroom" you have no heart. none at all.

anything else i really can't say right now. just ask me in person. a good place to do so would be the SILFESTIVAL.
but more on that later. i'm hitting the hay to an exhausting day tomorrow and even more exhausting day on tuesday. wish me luck.