My 2009

Hey Folks, My name is Matt. I like movies and music and other things. But, I listen and watch less than I once did.

I've tried to highlight what stood out to me in a semi-succinct way. The videos are more interesting than anything I wrote. So, if you're pressed for time, click on them before reading anything I say.

#2734. PHRAZES FOR THE YOUNG/JULIAN CASABLANCAS - "Out of the Blue": catchy opening tune... great Strokes-y riffs. "I Wish It Was Christmas Today": too too fun. Everything in between? Garbage. Still, I'm years away from NOT buying a Julian Casablancas-related album as soon as it comes out. The Strokes are playing with house money, but losing it... quickly.


#2733 to 7. I didn't listen to all that much. There's plenty of great moments from the albums I heard and like that didn't feel like they deserved any special breakout in this forum...
*ALBUM/GIRLS
*NO CEILINGS (MIXTAPE)/LIL' WAYNE
*MIDDLE CYCLONE/NEKO CASE
*THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART/THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART
*BITTE ORCA/DIRTY PROJECTORS
*FALL BE KIND (EP)/ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
*THE BLUEPRINT III/JAY-Z

The things I will say are as follows. Of the above mentions, POBPAH was probably the album I liked and listened to the most. The Blueprint III? Not what I was looking for. More on this in the "Best of the Decade" post. Finally, of the above albums, I'd say my favorite song is Two Doves by the Dirty Projectors. Aqui....


#6. IT'S BLITZ!/THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS - The YYYs had all the markings of a band that would flame out... quickly. And at every inflection point, they grew and produced continually more mature music. Lacking the energy of Fever To Tell, It's Blitz! replaces with greater sonic scope and lovely synth-melodies. Besides, excellent use of "Runaway" saved one of this season's first (miserable) episodes of Gossip Girl. And that counts for something.


#5. ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX, PART 2 - RAEKWON - A lot's been said about the state of hip-hop. For people who read the New Yorker, a lot's been discussed about Sasha Frere-Jones' basic dismissal of hip-hop as a trailblazing, trend-setting genre. Frankly, this might be the most interesting question in music in 2009. I'm underqualified to speculate, but it fits within that discussion to note that the rap album of the year is a sequel to Raekwon's classic 1995 album. Not only do the beats and verses feel completely of that time, they live up to the oh-so-high standards of early Wu Tang Clan recordings, when every month seemed like it brought another essential album. All of that said, my rationale for including this revolves around two simple points: 1) I grew up on all of those early Wu Tang albums. 2) This is damn good.

Footnote: Raekwon also delivered the quote of the year in discussing his collaboration with RZA...

"One thing about RZA is he’s like the Wizard of Oz. He’ll give what he feels like giving you, but he has other shit that he doesn’t really admire too much because it doesn’t represent his growth and development process. I knew he already had it; it’s just hard to get him to go back into his bag of goodies because he’s so used to dealing with another bag right now. So that was the situation with the first album. I felt like ‘yo, I want this sound.’ But he was like ‘this is going to be the new sound!’ So now it happens to be a want situation. RZA is the type where you’ll ask for this, and he’ll give you something else. But he always has what you want [laughs]. You may have to search for a little bit, do some soul searching, but you’ll find what you need. That’s why happened on Cuban Linx II. I got what I needed from him for my shit."

Of course.


#4. MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION/ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - This album makes me feel old... or detached. I mean, it's good. It's really, really ridiculously good. A handful of songs (Summertime Clothes, Brother Sport) are flawless. Go to the 2:30 mark of "In The Flowers" and you find the moment of 2009 in music. Still, I feel zero connection to this album or band or group of songs. If Animal Collective was removed from my world tomorrow, I might shrug... and then move on with the rest of my life. Almost certainly, it will be our choice for Album of the Year... and probably deservedly so if I put on my understanding hat.

The only way this did resonate with me? I appreciate the homage, since I grew up going to shows at Merriweather Post Pavilion. AC gets snaps for that.


#3. WOLFGANG AMADEUS PHOENIX/PHOENIX - Who would have thought Phoenix would be the best thing to happen to GM and SNL all year? As much as I see that Cadillac commercial, I can't get sick of 1901. Lisztomania is a hell of a second single. The definite breezy summer album of 2009. I remember seeing them play in London in 2003 and they just weren't this good.



#2. XX/THE XX - I don't know what to say about this album... at all. If my iTunes "Top 25 Most Played" list is any indication, this was what I did in fact listen to most in 2009. I actually think the Rossman's sentence or two were perfect. Not sure how I feel about this in three years. But, goodness, this is an astonishing album.


#1. LOGOS/ATLAS SOUND - So similar, but so different. If not apparent from my gushing about Deerhunter in an earlier post, I like Bradford Cox's music. At this point, I think he's doing more in the "delivering superior music consistently" department than just about any of his peers. On the surface, Logos and Merriweather Post Pavilion are cut from the same cloth (Logos is slower, more traditional instrumentation, less of a defining mood). But, Atlas Sound resonates with me. If not muddled enough, likely the best song on this album, "Walkabout," features vocals from Panda Bear. But, in contrast to MPP, these are songs I want in my life, songs that feel like background to little episodes or feelings of mine. This year, if I were sitting on a bus, walking down the street, heading to a first date, I'd put this on my iPod before anything else.


2009 IN MOVIES... THE FANTASTIC MR FOX - Return to form for Wessy. I was not a big fan of Darjeeling. I did like the Life Aquatic more than most anyone I know. But FMF put a smile on my face from the opening credits and it stayed with me after I left the theater. Not many movies get a thumbs up from my whole family, let alone a theater full of 9-year olds and 29-year olds. My favorite film of 2009, except for...

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Bar none, film of the year. Frankly, this is the best big budget film I've seen in a long, long time. If Christoph Waltz doesn't win an Oscar for his role as Colonel Hans Landa... I don't even know what would happen. It shouldn't happen. He should win. That's it, really. So, I don't think Quentin Tarantino has ever done anything this good... maybe, MAYBE Reservoir Dogs. Clearly, not as important in the grand scheme of things as Pulp Fiction... but to paraphrase Aldo Raine, i think this is Tarantino's masterpiece.

Rudy, why you hating on Brad Pitt? What has he ever done to you?

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE - Ok, I didn't even see this movie. Seemed like a bad idea. But, it takes the 2009 Phantom Menace prize for "Trailer of the Year." Good use of the Arcade Fire, great editing. A no-brainer.


2009 MISCELLANY... JERSEY SHORE - The standout cultural moment of 2009 that doesn't involve Tiger Woods. Not only is it (through four episodes) the most important reality show of our generation, it's scintillating at every step. For a very thorough and comical breakdown, click on the 12/7 Bill Simmons podcast at the link below.
Bill Simmons Podcasts

For a sneak peek, watch this video...
THE SITUATION - Ok, Mike (aka The Situation) is a housemate on Jersey Shore. But, he demands a special mention. Not only does he have the greatest self-appointed nickname in history, he's the most compelling reality tv character of the decade. There's no ceiling to where we go with this.


SNL MEETS HULU - Saturday Night Live is one of my favorite things, for the most part, because it's perfect for the disposable internet era. Do I want to sit down and watch a terrible 90-minute show every few Saturdays? Not remotely. Do I want to watch the two funny skits Monday morning on Hulu? Yes... and we're all better for it.


ALL POINTS WEST - Along with Mr Jackson, I took the ferry across the river on a cold day Friday this fall to see the the first day of the three-day All Points West Festival in the NYC area. A festival near NYC? Great idea, and by all accounts, much of the event organization was improved from 2008's first run (though there was no Radiohead this time around). It rained, it poured... but the thunder and lightning held off. I looked like a banana in yellow shorts and a yellow poncho. In short, standout performances from the YYYs and Vampire Weekend that served as a prelude to a devastating closer from Jay-Z (who performed in place of the Beastie Boys).

This really says it all...


MONDAY NIGHT - Life is full of tough choices. Some are better than others. I don't feel bad for Justin Timberlake deciding on which ladies to single out at a bar. I don't worry for Rahm Emanuel when he gave up his power in Congress to become White House Chief of Staff. And when autumn comes around in the DVR age, I don't begrudge Monday nights when I have to decide between Monday Night Football and Gossip Girl. MNF is great. More and more, football feels like the adult sport to me. ESPN produces a good broadcast... and Gruden and Jaworski are a stellar pair of commentators. Gossip Girl? Everytime it dips in form (often), it pulls me back in with an aMAZing episode. At this point, Chuck Bass is the only thing I can count on in our fictional Upper East Side. But, he's like Dwyane Wade on the Heat: enough to justify the price of admission.

MOMOFUKU (IN SUM) - Momofuku, for those of you who don't live in New York, or most especially the East Village, is a group of restaurants owned by the now omnipresent David Chang. Conveniently, they're all located within a few blocks of my apartment. Momofuku Noodle Bar serves ramen and pork buns and other more complex quasi-Asian snacks. Momofuku Ssam Bar takes that idea to a logical extreme of American/Southern/Japanese/Korean cooking, to the tune of 3 stars from the New York Times. Momofuku Milk Bar (connected to Ssam) serves flavored milks, cereal and candy-flavored soft serve ice cream, and unlike-anything-you've-ever-seen cookies, pies and cakes. Finally, Momofuku Ko is a reservation-only 12-seat counter that serves 2-3 hour, 12-18 course tasting menu meals for between $125-$175 a person. In some order, these are my favorite restaurants on Earth. I could spend 2,000 words explaining why... but pick the Momofuku for you, and give it a shot.
Note #1: If you're a vegetarian, go the Milk Bar route.
Note #2: If you're a vegan, ignore the last paragraph and move on.


(FANTASY) FOOTBALL - As a boy becomes a man, things change. For our generation, fantasy football is better than it once was. Organizing great leagues is free and easy on Yahoo or ESPN or any number of other sites. I can keep track of live scoring on Sundays on my iPhone. The football (real football) watching experience is a lot different in HD on a 42" flatscreen than it used to be on a crappy 20" tv. At home (for some) and at bars (for all), every game can be watched thanks to DirecTV. Never been a better time to love the NFL. Never been a better time to play in leagues that compete in a currency of imaginary points based on the NFL. Just a lot to like, across the board.

REGGIE BUSH - Damn you, Reggie Bush. My man crush on you (and consequential overzealous early-round drafting of you in my fantasy leagues) has torpedoed nearly every one of my teams since you turned pro. Who am I kidding, I can't stay mad at you though.


GO FIGURE... - Who would have thought Kings of Leon would be the one of "those bands" that would be so culturally prominent today? Not me.

Alright, I'm running out of juice. Know I'm forgetting stuff... but I'll include them if I remember.