Albums I have discovered in 2009

About this time last year, I blogged about ten albums I was excited to have discovered in 2008.
This year, I have a list of some of the albums I have discovered, with a rating, out of 10, for each, to indicate how much it excited me.
However, a low score does not necessarily indicate a poor album, because these marks are given relative to my expectations. Therefore, if a band I love produces a relatively poor album for their high standard, they will receive a low mark, while if a band that I am not as keen on produce a surprisingly decent album, they will receive a high mark. A score of 5 indicates a satisfactory album that is exactly as expected given a band’s previous work. Hope that makes sense.
So, in alphabetical order by artist:

Anberlin – New Surrender – 8
Not as good at the previous Anberlin album, Cities, but full of decent songs and maintains the high Anberlin standard.
Athlete – Beyond the Neighbourhood – 10
Actually released in 2007, this is Athlete’s best album, far surpassing their first two. Not a weak track in sight. Best album of the year, hands down.
Athlete – Black Swan – 9
Athlete’s fourth album isn’t quite as good as BtN, but it’s still very good, and Black Swan Song is just amazing.
Bloc Party – Intimacy – 1
The third Bloc Party album had the task of following one of my all-time favourite albums, and doesn’t come anywhere close. Some good songs, but overall a big disappointment – far weaker than either of Bloc Party’s first two albums.
Editors – In the light and on this evening – 3
Some decent stuff on their third album, but it is still definitely their weakest.
Idlewild – Post electric blues – 2
Again, some really nice songs here, but ultimately a disappointment – this is significantly Idlewild’s weakest album since Hope is Important.
Killers – Day and Age – 4
Not as good as Hot Fuss or Sam’s Town, but this is still quite a good album. It’s a shame that it declines after the great opening of Losing Touch and Human.
Matt Redman – We shall not be shaken – 6
Another very solid Matt Redman album which, while not even close to The Friendship and the Fear, is definitely better than Beautiful News. A few absolute belters in We Shall Not Be Shaken, Through it All and You Alone Can Rescue.
Mew – No more stories – 3
Four very good songs, but ten that are not bad but not up to the standard of Mew’s first two albums.
Muse – The Resistance – 7
Like many albums on this list, this isn’t Muse at their very peak, but it’s still a very good album.
Stellastarr* - Civilised – 4
Some really cool stuff on Civilised, but following Harmonies for the Haunted was always a tall order and it’s just not in the same league. Move On is lovely though.
U2 – No line on the horizon - 2
My least favourite of all of U2s albums. Nuff said.


Absolute top 5 albums of the year?
Beyond the Neighbourhood
Black Swan
New Surrender
The Resistance
We Shall Not Be Shaken

A very interesting list, because this is the same ranking as the ‘relative to previous work’ list above. Which means that either this is a fluke, or I’m less capable of being objective than I thought.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that this year has been Athlete’s year. Well done boys.

Ten albums I am excited to have discovered in 2008

Last night I was asked what is the best album I have discovered in the last 3 months. This got me thinking about my favourite albums of 2008.
I don’t have time to rank these, so, in alphabetical order by artist, ten albums I am glad to have discovered in the last year (they weren’t all released in the last year):

Anberlin – Cities
Bloc Party – A Weekend in the City
Bluetree – Greater Things
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
Coldplay – Viva la Vida
Delirious – Kingdom of Comfort
Heat – Can I See Heaven?
Killers – Sam’s Town
Rock’n’roll Worship Circus – A Beautiful Glow
Stellastarr* - Harmonies for the Haunted

Heat - Can I See Heaven?

Heat are a smallish worship band who, as far as I know, are still together. I saw them at Spring Harvest about 8 years ago and got their EP 'Can I See Heaven?'
For the last 8 years or so I've listened to the album every now and then, but in the last week I've realised how good it is. Only seven tracks, but all of them are beautifully put together. The general theme is prayer - crying to God for what we want to see in the world and in our own lives. The lyrics are fairly simple, but heartfelt and passionate. I don't know what the rest of Heat's music is like, but I expect this album to, 8 years belatedly, become one of my albums of the year.

Isn't is strange how this can happen - you listen to an album for years before realising how good it is.

For me, this has also happened with:
DCTalk - Jesus Freak
Killers - Sam's Town
RHCP - Californication
Sixpence NTR - Divine Discontent
Various Artists - Hungry

I expect there are more to come.