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| Recommended Indie Folk Rock Albums from 2009 |
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| Written by Laryn | |||
| Sunday, 13 December 2009 01:42 | |||
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I've got a few 2009 "indie/folk/rock" albums that have been on heavy rotation lately (not an exhaustive list): Hospice (by the Antlers), Time to Die (by the Dodos), xx (by the xx), and more recently Curse Your Branches (by David Bazan). You can play them through this page if you want to take a listen. 
Hospice (the Antlers)I picked this one up in early March for a couple of bucks (thanks Amie Street!) without knowing much about it and my initial impressions (good, although depressing) still stand. The March issue was a self-released album (later to be remastered and rereleased by French Kiss in August) and it is "[c]entered around a relationship with a terminally ill child, and evocatively spun from eerie hospital scenery, snippets of conversations with doctors, terrifying dreams, and the periodic intrusions of Sylvia Plath, it becomes a broad meditation on guilt, duty, mortality, and hope in the face of hopelessness." [link] Needless to say, due to our own situation in recent months the imagery and subject matter took on a much more poignant role in my interaction with this album. Liner notes are available here. 
Curse Your Branches (David Bazan)Bazan (formerly of Pedro the Lion) has put together an album that is very up-front about his move away from traditional Christianity (the most common catch-phrase in regard to the album is that it is a "break up album with God" although Bazan clarifies slightly by saying that "it's breaking up with a set of ideas that themselves are often mistaken for the person of God, or a sort of God character." [link]). 
xx (The xx)"Even at its best, ethereal electronic pop music is prone to a number of faults — trite lyrics, for one. Complacent, redundant melodies and sounds for another. But with xx, the British band The xx has crafted a dreamy record that transcends all these problems; it’s an album that’s both warm and cool, carnal and affecting. It’s an impressive feat, considering this is the debut album from a quartet of 20-year-olds..." [link] 
Time to Die (the Dodos)Third album from the Dodos and it's more polished and poppy than the previous two, but still a good listen. UPDATE: A few more that deserve mention
The Life Of The World To Come (the Mountain Goats)"On The Life Of The World To Come, John Darnielle interlinks all of the topics that he’s ever explored, including personal faith and tragedy." (-Amie St.) 
Lost Channels (Great Lake Swimmers)"Sweeping, melodic folk rock inspired by the majestic Thousand Islands region of Ontario." (-Amie St.) 
Noble Beast (Andrew Bird)"Once again Andrew Bird proves he’s a master at combining classical training with his experience playing swing-jazz and folk music." (-Amie St.) 
Elvis Perkins In Dearland (Elvis Perkins In Dearland)"On his second album Elvis Perkins makes the transition from intimate songsmith to charismatic bandleader, incorporating fanfare brass and New Orleans jazz." (-Amie St.)
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