music mule.co.uk

2009 has seen some great album releases all round but for us it was the year of the debut, with no fewer than 35 debuts in our top 60 (ahem, 61) records and a healthy proportion of those in our top 10. Fitting too as it was also Music Mule’s first year in proper world wide web form. Sure we’re suckers for new music round these ways but 2009 has been a bright year for it and we reckon a good few of these newbies have some real potential for staying power.

61    The Mantles -- The Mantles (San Francisco, USA)
60    Lovvers -- Ocd Go Go Go Girls (London, UK)
59    Ganglians – Monster Head Room (Sacramento, USA)
58    Fuck Buttons -- Tarot Sport (Brighton, UK)
57    The Invisible -- The Invisible (London, UK)
56    The Joy Formidable -- A Balloon Called Moaning (North Wales/London, UK)
55    Telekinesis! -- Telekinesis! (Seattle, USA)
54    Fever Ray -- Fever Ray (Stockholm, Sweden)
53    The Fresh & Onlys -- The Fresh & Onlys (San Francisco, USA)
52    The Cribs -- Ignore The Ignorant (Wakefield, UK)
51    Kurt Vile -- Childish Prodigy (Philadelpiha, USA)
50    The Temper Trap – Conditions (Melbourne, Australia)
49    Mumford & Sons -- Sigh No More (London, UK)
48    The Very Best -- Warm Heart Of Africa (Malawi, Africa/London, UK)
47    The Flaming Lips -- Embryonic (Oklahoma City, USA)
46    Bill Callahan -- Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle (Austin, USA)
45    Black Moth Super Rainbow -- Eating Us (Pittsburgh, USA)
44    Arctic Monkeys -- Humbug (Sheffield, UK)
43    Julian Casablancas -- Phrazes For The Young (Brooklyn, USA)
42    St. Vincent -- Actor (Brooklyn, USA)
41    The Leisure Society -- The Sleeper (London/Brighton, UK)
40    Empire Of The Sun -- Walking On A Dream (Melbourne, Australia)
39    Cymbals Eat Guitars -- Why There Are Mountains (Staten Island NYC, USA)
38    Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson -- Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (Brooklyn, USA)
37    Animal Collective -- Merriweather Post Pavillion (Brooklyn, USA)
36    Sunset Rubdown -- Dragonslayer (Montreal, Canada)
35    Tiny Vipers -- Life On Earth (Seattle, USA)
34    Here We Go Magic -- Here We Go Magic (Brooklyn, USA)
33    Crocodiles -- Summer Of Hate (L.A., USA)
32    The Low Anthem -- Oh My God, Charlie Darwin (Providence, USA)
31    Wilco -- Wilco (The Album) (Chicago, USA)
30    Arms -- Kids Aflame (Brooklyn, USA)
29    Kurt Vile -- God Is Saying This to You… (Philadelphia, USA)
28    Dead Man’s Bones – Dead Man’s Bones (L.A., USA)
27    Passion Pit -- Manners (Cambridge MA, USA)
26    The Big Pink -- A Brief History Of Love (London, UK)
25    Thee Oh Sees -- Help (San Francisco, USA)
24    Atlas Sound -- Logos (Athens, USA)
23    Real Estate -- Real Estate (New Jersey, USA)
22    Nite Jewel -- Good Evening (L.A., USA)
21    Local Natives -- Gorilla Manor (L.A., USA)
20    Dirty Projectors -- Bitte Orca (Brooklyn, USA)
19    Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- It’s Blitz (Brooklyn, USA)
18    JJ -- JJ No 2 (Gothenburg, Sweden)
17    Harlem -- Free Drugs (Austin, USA)
16    Cass McCombs -- Catacombs (L.A., USA)

15 The Strange Boys -- …And Girls Club (Austin, USA)

The Strange Boys are a young four-piece from Austin Texas who rhythm ‘n’ bluesed us away (sorry!) this year with their In The Red/Rough Trade released debut album proper ‘…And Girls Club’. Ryan Sambol’s voice will instantly divide opinion on these guys but we love his Dylan left out in the sun drawl. Ryan on guitar and vocals and brother Phil on bass are joined by guitarist GregEnlow and drummer Seth Densham. From blues to rock’n'roll, The Strange Boys love to jam and we love to listen. Read our interview here.

Standouts: Woe Is You and Me, This Girl Taught Me A Dance, Probation Blues.

For Fans Of: The White Stripes, Thee Oh Sees, The Fresh and Onlys.

mp3: The Strange Boys -- This Girl Taught Me A Dance

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buy: The Strange Boys -- …And Girls Club cd / lp / mp3 / iTunes

14 White Denim – Fits (Austin, USA)

White Denim’s second album was again recorded in drummer Joshua Block’s trailer turned studio outside of Austin, Texas. But this time the album saw them try their hand at a variety of new styles and saw their psychedelic side come out to play. Older fans had no reason to fear though as Hendrix tinged rockouts like ‘Everybody Somebody’ and ‘I Start To Run’ showed that they still had the goods in that department too.

Standouts: Everybody Somebody, I’d Have It Just The Way We Were, Paint Yourself.

For Fans Of: Jimi Hendrix, Captain Beefheart, Love.

mp3: White Denim -- Paint Yourself

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buy: White Denim -- Fits cd / lp / mp3 / iTunes

13 The xx – XX (London, UK)

The xx members and best friends Romy and Oliver, who went to the same South London school as Hot Chip and Burial, produced a dark, sexy and instantly recognisable indie masterpiece. XX has a warm electronic undercurrent running through it but it’s Romy and Oliver’s understated lyrical interplay and 80s pop-noir guitar lines that are the real deal breakers.

Standouts: VCR, Crystalized, Basic Space, Stars.

For Fans Of: The Cure, Young Marble Giants, Aaliyah.

mp3: The xx -- Crystalised

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buy: The xx – XX  cd / lp / mp3 / iTunes

12 Neon Indian -- Psychic Chasms (Austin, USA)

Under his previous guise Vega and Ghosthustler before that, Texan electronic prodigy Alan Palomo served up the odd gem but for some reason it felt like he only occasionally got into full flow. His latest project Neon Indian changed all that, offering a psychedelic experience that teamed his blissed out electro with visualisations from high school buddy and Brooklyn based artist Alicia Scardetta. Most importantly of all we got a whole album of great songs to cling to and their acid drenched computer game esque production was to prove one of the most distinguishable sounds of 2009.

Standouts: Ephemeral Artery, Deadbeat Summer, 6669 ( I don’t know if you know).

For Fans Of: Small Black, Washed Out, Air France.

mp3: Neon Indian -- Ephemeral Artery

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buy: Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms cd / lp / mp3 / iTunes

11 Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest (Brooklyn, USA)

Grizzly Bear’s third album Veckatimest projected them into the limelight to stand aside Animal Collective as new torchbearers for the burgeoning U.S. indie scene. Another album of gorgeous Brian Wilson soaked harmonies, intricate arrangements and just the right amount of psychedelia. A great album this is although we can’t help but feel that their recorded output is still a far cry from their breathtaking live presence.

Standouts: While We Wait For The Others, Two Weeks, Cheerleader, Foreground.

For Fans Of: St Vincent, Here We Go Magic, Animal Collective.

mp3: Grizzly Bear -- Cheerleader

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buy: Grizzly Bear -- Veckatimest cd / mp3 (£4 offer) / iTunes

10 Wild Beasts -- Two Dancers (Kendall, UK)

The talent was there for all to hear on Wild Beasts‘ eclectic 2008 debut ‘Limbo Panto’ last year but ‘Two Dancers’ saw the Kendal four-piece really grow into their sound. There was more Smiths style guitar work and they learned how to balance to perfection Hayden’s remarkable falsetto and Fleming’s earthy baritone. The real surprise was the phenomenal rhythms running through a lot of Two Dancer’s songs, meaning that the lion’s share of the album sounded just as good blasted out across dancefloors as it did in your room.

Standouts: The Fun Powder Plot, This Is Our Lot, We Still Got The Taste Of Dancing On Our Tongues.

For Fans Of: The Smiths, The Week That Was, Memory Tapes.

mp3: Wild Beasts – The Fun Powder Plot

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buy: Wild Beasts -- Two Dancers cd / lp / mp3 / iTunes

9 Forest Fire – Survival (Brooklyn/Portland, USA)

Gloriously ramshackle, three take recordings from a band whose members are split between Brooklyn and Portland. Mark Thresher is the brains and Jim James meets Wayne Coyne voice behind the Forest Fire wheel. Moments of blissful Americana are intertwined with off kilter horns, feedback, electronic blips and Thresher’s simple but hard hitting lyrics which, pin it all together beautifully.

Standouts: Fortune Teller, Echoes Coming, Survival.

For Fans Of: My Morning Jacket, The Velvet Underground, The National.

mp3: Forest Fire -- Fortune Teller

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buy: Forest Fire – Surivial cd / mp3 / iTunes / lp

8 Princeton -- Cocoon Of Love (L.A., USA)

It’s amazing Princeton haven’t got more attention already but hopefully that will change next year as this record is set to get a much warranted re-release in 2010. Matt and Jesse Kivel, twin brothers who grew up on Princeton St in Santa Monica, share songwriting and vocal duties and are joined by long time friend Ben Usen on keys and David Kitz on drums. Cocoon Of Love saw the band build on the promise of their Bloomsbury EP (our EP of the year in 2008) with more afro infused pop melodies, strings, horns and some beautiful female guest vocals from Meredith Metcalf (Sadie & Andy) and Zinzi Edmundson (Sylvie/Shout It Out).

Standouts: Calypso Gold, Stunner Shades In Heaven, Shout It Out, Sylvie.

For Fans Of: The Kinks, Vampire Weekend, Brazos.

mp3: Princeton -- Shout It Out

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buy: Princeton -- Cocoon Of Love cd/lp (import)

7 The Horrors -- Primary Colours (London, UK)

The Horrors really pulled it out of the bag with their second album ‘Primary Colours’. Under the expert production eye of Geoff Barrow (Portishead) they managed to make an album that did much more than just wear its nu-wave and shoegaze influences on its sleeve, which it did proudly. Faris Badwan’s vocals showed a marked improvement and the band everyone loved to hate became a more serious proposition. Who would have imagined the majestic 8-minute ‘Sea Within A Sea’ would come from the same band that released ‘Sheena Is A Parasite’?!

Standouts: Mirror’s Image, Scarlet Fields, Sea Within A Sea.

For Fans Of: My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, Joy Division.

mp3: The Horrors -- Sea Within A Sea

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buy: The Horrors -- Primary Colours cd / lp / mp3 / iTunes

6 Brazos -- Phosphorescent Blues (Austin, USA)

Brazos have been quietly building a reputation for themselves in their hometown Austin over the past couple of years. An opening slot for Grizzly Bear has been their greatest reward thus far but one that deserves to be bettered in the not too distant future. Although only their debut album, Phosphorescent Blues, showcased a band brimming with ideas, confidence and originality. Carefully considered songs delivered through Martin Crane’s velvet smooth vocals, breezy guitar, the occasional euphoric piano line and addictive pulsating rhythms. Crane’s lyrics have an effortless American storyteller feel to them and as a whole this album fits better than almost every other record on this list. We’ve big hopes for these guys.

Standouts: Avignon, Tell, The Observer.

For Fans Of: Princeton, Vampire Weekend, Grizzly Bear.

mp3: Brazos -- Tell

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buy: Brazos -- Phosphorescent Blues cd / lp(import) / mp3 / iTunes

5 The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart -- The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (Brooklyn, USA)

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart were yet another exciting Brooklyn newcomer in 2009. The four-piece created a seamless album of indie-pop gems layered with awesome melodies, energetic drums, boy-girl vocals and perhaps our favourite feature of all – fuzzy guitar lines that are so warm you could bathe in them. Gorgeous.

Standouts: This Love Is Fucking Right, The Tenure Itch, Young Adult Friction.

For Fans Of: Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Belle & Sebastian.

mp3: The Pains OF Being Pure At Heart -- This Love Is Fucking Right!

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buy: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart -- The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart cd / lp / mp3 / iTunes

4 Darwin Deez -- Darwin Deez (Brooklyn, USA)

Darwin Deez is a proud New York hipster who plays a four-string guitar in his own ‘secret’ tuning and loves to dance. Sound a little too much for you? Listen before you judge. For what lies in wait is a great voice, hugely catchy songs and a simple DIY production that allows every instrument space to breathe. Add some of the sharpest lyrics of the year and you have a star in the making. The album only got a super limited release through Deez’s myspace and later Rough Trade, it comes as a homemade cdr complete with a piece of string as the cover art! We imagine the bulk of these songs will find their way onto an ‘official’ record next year but why wait when it’s this good?

Standouts: Constellations, Deep Sea Divers, My DNA.

For Fans Of: Pavement, The Cure, Throw Me The Statue.

mp3: Darwin Deez -- Deep Sea Divers

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buy: Darwin Deez  -- Darwin Deez limited edition cdr / mp3

3 Memory Tapes -- Seek Magic (New Jersey, USA)

One man band Dayve Hawk a.k.a. Memory Tapes (a.k.a. Weird Tapes, a.k.a. Memory Cassette) from New Jersey made our favourite dance album since LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Sound Of Silver’. Impeccable production, sexy guitar lines, vocal hooks and songs – actual structured songs the way we like it! Luckily for us his genius only seems to be outdone by his work ethic.

Standouts: Bicycle, Graphics, Plain Material.

For Fans Of: LCD Soundsystem, Air France, Daft Punk.

mp3: Memory Tapes – Bicycle

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buy: Memory Tapes – Seek Magic cd / lp / mp3 / iTunes

2 Smith Westerns -- Smith Westerns (Chicago, USA)

Smith Western’s self titled debut most certainly is lo-fi. It could have been recorded in a tin can by the sound of it. Embrace or ignore their ramshackle recordings, we don’t care, but be sure to pay attention to what really matters and that is a teenage Chicago four piece making an album full of wonderful glammed up, at times folk-tinged, rock’n’roll. Cymbals crashing, guitars roaring and vocals calling out to whoever wants to listen. There’s a bit of the fuck you vibe of youth to it but these guys are self-professed “sweethearts not punks”. This is the sound of kids with a hell of an ear for a tune making raw guitar music and having a whale of a time doing it. The result is infectious. Let’s hope they don’t get too polished anytime soon.

Standouts: Girl In Love, Tonight, Be My Girl.

For Fans Of: Thee Oh Sees, Bowie, T-Rex.

mp3: Smith Westerns -- Girl in Love

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buy: Smith Westerns -- Smith Westerns cd / lp / mp3 / iTunes

1 Girls – Album (San Francisco, USA)

Girls of San Francisco came from seemingly nowhere this year to wow us with their minimally titled debut ‘Album’, a timeless sounding record and our pick of 2009. Despite our best efforts to play it to death, it has so far shaken off our feeble attempts!

To help paint the whole picture we must first touch upon the much talked about past of Girls’ lead singer and songwriter Christopher Owens. Christopher was born into the American Children Of God cult which, turned his mother to prostitution and allowed his older brother to die due to their lack of belief in medicine. Nasty stuff. Christopher managed to escape in 1996 at the age of 16, presumably before he could fall prey to the questionable sexual practices of the cult. Upon leaving he fled to Texas where he became a gutter punk with prescription drugs eventually taking centre stage amongst his addictions. Then in a twist of fortunes Christopher was taken in by a Texan multi-millionaire who went on to encourage a passion in music which had started at an early age, first by playing songs on a mini organ for his mother and then when Fleetwood Mac guitarist and fellow cult member Jeremy Spencer gave him his first guitar. Christopher later returned to San Francisco to start a band. After busking and eventually playing guitar with artists like Ariel Pink, he would eventually step up as a performer in his own right.

The result of all this is ‘Album’, a collection of Christopher’s first efforts at songwriting, which began in 2007. It’s a melting pot of musical ideas and influences (rock’n’roll, shoegaze, west coast surf pop,etc) that stands as evidence of its creator’s ability to absorb everything he sets his ears upon.

Girls sometimes get wrongfully labelled as lo-fi but the intricacy and deft production of their debut, courtesy of Chet JR White (who also plays bass as the band’s only other permanent member), makes a mockery of that. The pair have evidently thought out every wave of feedback just as much as the jangly guitar hooks, of which there are thankfully plenty. Christopher’s vocals meanwhile touch upon all kinds of past icons, Elvis Costello and Roy Orbison spring immediately to mind.

Opening track ‘Lust For Life’ is thankfully not a massacre of an Iggy Pop song as one might expect, is a Girls original that betrays Christopher’s innocent infatuation with the good things in life and sounds like The Strokes on the sort of form that won them the best album of the decade accolade from NME recently. Meanwhile ‘Morning Light’ is a startlingly good effort at My Bloody Valentine esque shoegaze revival,  ‘Laura’ is heart on the sleeve West Coast pop perfection and ‘Hellhole Ratrace’ may well be the pick of the lot with it’s heart wrenching vocals and drawn out romantic haze.

‘Album’ will be too laid back for many but the key to appreciation is in repeated listens and immersing oneself in the simple, loving sentiments of the record as well as its stoned sound. For those who do fall for ‘Album’ as we have, we urge you not to stop your exploration of Girls there. For even at this early stage in their existence there is plenty more to discover. It’s been a while since we remember an artist bubbling over with such a consistently exciting level of output.

For further listening check out Girls’ impressive catalogue of b-sides and non album tracks. ‘Life In San Francisco’ is a prime example. A song that manages to integrate a chorus of friends’ la, la, la la las without sounding clichéd deserves a medal in our books. How does it achieve such an improbable goal? In the same way as most other Girls songs succeed -- by sounding great and oozing sincerity.

Check out a couple of videos from Album below, including the cut of the Lust For Life video that no doubt had many an MTV exec spitting out their coffee! That ain’t no mic Sonny Jim!

Standouts: Lust For Life, Laura, Hellhole Ratrace, Morning Light.

For Fans Of: Brian Wilson, Spiritualised, Elvis Costello.

mp3: Girls -- Laura

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mp3: Girls – Hellhole Ratrace

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buy: Girls -- Album cd / lp / mp3 / iTunes

Videos:

Girls -- Lust For Life (Warning -- Nudity!!!)

Girls -- Hellhole Ratrace

Download The Music Mule Albums of 2009 Playlist: