Favourite albums of 2009 (part the second)

In case you missed it, part one is here!
It's only a little late, but I finally got caught up on my backlog of albums from 2009 I wanted to review. I think I did just about every new album I picked up during 09 -- which was over 50! -- so now I might as well post my favourite twenty albums. And yes, that is "favourite", not "best", so while something may be technically "better", these were the ones I liked the most. Also, they are in order of release date, as I am terrible at numbering things.
Were I a more organized person, I would have sat down this long weekend and listened to all 20 albums and come up with something new and exciting to say for each, but with my laziness school term coming to a close, I just didn't have the time, sadly. But I have included links to all the previous reviews I did on the albums, which are still as valid now as they were then.

In A Quiet World by We Are The City (original review)
superb debut

"Fathers" EP by Black Hat Brigade (original review)
an EP with more substance than most full lengths

Dragonslayer by Sunset Rubdown (original review)
this is why SR is my favourite of all Spencer Krug's bands

Nice, Nice, Very Nice by Dan Mangan (original review)
the acclaim is much deserved

Bay of Pigs EP by Destroyer (original review[ku])
more proof of Bejar's musical genius

Monsters of Folk by Monsters of Folk (original review)
could've been messy, ended up awesome

Friends & Total Strangers by The Trews (original review[ku])
live & acoustic, shows their true talent

Vancouver by Matthew Good (original review)
favourite album of the year (surprise)

Islands Disappear by Said The Whale (original review)
possibly perfect power pop

Tic Toc Tic by The Zolas (original review)
insanely catchy


So, what do you think overall? Agree? Disagree? Think I missed something major? Just like to complain? Let me know!

The Trews @ LiveCity Downtown -- 03/14/10 (Even More Paralympic Shenanigans)

I really wish LiveCity existed all the time. Three great bands in three nights, and all for free. You can't beat that! The Paralympic opening weekend was closed out with Antigonish, Nova Scotia's The Trews! (side note: I love saying Antigonish.) I missed their show at Atlantic House during the Olympics due to the insane lines, so I was more than happy when I found out about this show.

I've said before that The Trews have got to be one of my favourite live bands; few bands have can match their raw energy live, and they did not disappoint this time. Even after Colin admitted they left Canadian Music Week in Toronto at 5am that morning, any fatigue on their part was not noticeable (or at the very least, well concealed). They kept up the energy for nearly an hour and a half, hitting material old and new, and even a brand new one which has been played live since their acoustic tour, "Highway of Heroes", a moving number written about a woman from their hometown (Antigonish) who went off to fight in the Canadian Forces and never returned.
Some other highlights of the set were "Ishmael & Maggie", which is perhaps my favourite Trews song, ending with the band forgoing their instruments and crowding around the two mics to sing the end a capella. That transitioned nicely into another one of my favourites, "Poor Ol Broken Hearted Me" which had the crowd singing along by the end. Another great song-along, "Tired of Waiting" had a bit of an extended ending which segued perfectly into "Hold Me In Your Arms", which "ended" the main set. And of course no Trews show is complete without John-Angus' fantastic guitar playing. Part way through "Yearning" the rest of the band left the stage, leaving just him up there to melt most every face in the crowd. For the encore, they came back with a few mellower tracks, "Man of Two Minds" and the acoustic "Sing Your Heart Out" before ending the show with the intense "Burning Wheel" and the band just go crazynuts at the end.
One of the things I have always loved about The Trews live shows is how they slip in random covers here and there, and this show was no different. There was a verse from Fleetwood Mac's "Second Hand News" in "Can't Stop Laughing". The chorus of "Waving Flag" by K'naan was in the middle of "Yearning", and they started "Tried of Waiting" with a few lines from "54-46 That's My Number" (originally from Toots & the Maytals, but oft-covered).

This was my fifth time seeing The Trews live, and while I don't think it was my favourite show of theirs, it is always enjoyable to see them live. I can't recommend them more if you have the chance to see them live... especially for free!

setlist:
Dark Highway, So She's Leaving, Not Ready To Go, Can't Stop Laughing (w/ Second Hand News by Fleetwood Mac), Paranoid Freak, Yearning (w/ Waving Flag by K'naan), Ishmael & Maggie, Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me, Highway of Heroes, Fleeting Trust, Tired of Waiting (w/ 54-46 That's My Number by Toots & the Maytals), Hold Me In Your Arms.
[encore] Man of Two Minds, Sing Your Heart Out, Burning Wheels.

Review-kus.

Originally I wanted to review every album I bought/otherwise listened to last year. Clearly, I've slacked on that. Partially cos there have been a lot of albums that, for whatever reason, I don't feel like writing a full review for. So what I have decided to do is give a few really quick reviews all at once.... in haiku form. Here we go!
And I'm almost done my reviews for 09 albums! Just a few more to go!

Skin of Evil by Blackout Beach (Carey Mercer [Frog Eyes, Swan Lake] solo project)
Theatrical tale
Of "Donna" and her lovers
Quite captivating

Download The Whistle by Blackout Beach

...And The Ever Expanding Universe by The Most Serene Republic
More focused than last
A sonic wall of awesome
The title fits well.

Download Vessels of a Donor Look by The Most Serene Republic
Or watch the awesome video for Heavens to Purgatory

Friends & Total Strangers by The Trews (Live acoustic album)
Stripped down, acoustic
Much better than expected
Shows their true talent

Download Den of Thieves by The Trews

The Trews @ Rio Theatre -- 11/27/09

I think I would have to say that The Trews are one of my favourite live bands. They just have a raw power and energy to them that is almost unparallelled. So when I found out they were doing both an acoustic album and supporting tour, I was equally intrigued and cautious to see how they would translate to an acoustic style. After picking up the album, I was relieved, since it was great. But even though it was a live album, I was still a little wary of the show itself. How would this band, who is so incredibly dynamic live, do acoustically?

There was no opening band, interestingly enough, and The Trews came out a little before 8. With (swivel) chair/stool-things on stage, they all sat to play making it seem like a pretty intimate show, despite being in a movie theatre (a fact that they joked about a couple times). They started the set with two of my favourite songs of theirs, Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me and then Every Inambition. I was really glad that they did the latter, not just because of it's a fave, but because that isn't on their acoustic album, so it showed promise that a lot of older songs would be played during the set. Between just about every song, lead singer Colin MacDonald introduced them, sometimes with an amusing story. Like how their "hockey song" was dedicated to the Canucks... in Vancouver. When they were in Calgary, it was dedicated to the Flames, etc etc. After a few songs they brought out "Mr Fancy" (long story) on the accordion for a few songs, including When You Leave, which they called the "Cajun" version of the song; a really cool interpretation. Some more highlights were Yearning, which itself was was pretty great, but had an awesome "middle". Most of the song was played before everyone but the MacDonald brothers left the stage, at which point they segued into a Cat Stevens cover. Then Colin left, leaving John-Angus alone to absolutely blow everyones mind for a good 3 or 4 minutes of his incredibly amazing guitar playing. I've siad this before about him, but WOW, he is one HELL of a guitar player. Then the rest of the band came back and they finished up Yearning before closing up the first half of their set with Not Ready To Go. Not only was every person in the sold out theatre singing along to the chorus, but it included a new song called The Power Of Positive Drinking, which is exactly what it wounds like -- and just as awesome.
After a short intermission, they came back for the second half of the set, which included some more old songs, like Hollis & Morris, featuring an brilliant drum solo from Sean Dalton. They've done that in every live show before, but when you have the drummer going for a crazy solo on a single snare drum, a conga drum and what I think was a bodhrán, it makes it all the more impressive. They slipped in another cover, an Elvis Costello song, in the middle of Can't Stop Laughing. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I love it when bands slip in random cover songs in the middle of their sets, and The Trews are usualyl pretty cool about that. Each time I've seen them, they've done a few different cover songs either in whole or a single verse or chorus slipped in mid-song. Another one of my favourites, Ishmael & Maggie, was as awesome as expected and they ended the second set with Hold Me In Your Arms. They came back for the obligatory encore with current single, Sing Your Heart Out, which just about everyone in the crowd was doing for both this and another cover, this time a full song: Oh La La by Faces (it's the song that goes "I wish I knew then what I know now"). After that they switched gears a little with another new song, Highway of Heroes which was very heartfelt and actually kind of sad. They ended the set with You're So Sober and another song which I am totally blanking on.

It's been said that the mark of excellent songwriting is when you can strip a song down to its core, and it still totally works. The Trews managed to take songs from their entire catalogue and do just that, making excellent acoustic versions. I was actually kind of surprised that there was an almost equal spilt between all three albums, with their first maybe even getting the most focus. In the end, I realize it was silly to doubt The Trews on their awesomeness. The live show was still incredibly excellent; to the point where I would possibly say that both the songs and the show were as good as, if not better, than the electric version.

Setlist: (again, I seem to be missing ONE song and I can't seem to remember or figure out what it was...)
Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me, Every Inambition, Paranoid Freak, So She's Leaving, Den of Thieves, Locked Doors, When You Leave, Travelling Kind, Yearning (w/ Where Do Children Play [Cat Stevens cover]), Not Ready To Go (w/ The Power of Positive Drinking)
(Intermission)
Fleeting Trust, Gun Control, Hopeless, Tired of Waiting, Love You Save, Hollis & Morris, Can't Stop Laughing (w/ Next Time 'Round [Elvis Costello cover]), Man of Two Minds, Ishmael & Maggie, Hold Me In Your Arms,
(encore)
Sing Your Heart Out, Oh La La (Faces cover), Highway of Heroes, You're So Sober, [mystery song]