Top 5 Albums of 2009

As the year is pretty much done and I do not foresee any good albums coming out between now and January it is time for my list of the top albums of 2009.

5. Black Gives Way to Blue – Alice in Chains – 7.2
In 2002 A few weeks after Layne Staley, the singer for Alice In Chains died, I attended a Jerry Cantrell concert which was incredible. Jerry played some of his solo material which is pretty good, but he also played some Alice in Chains tunes. To stand in and do Layne’s parts Jerry had the singer of the opening band William Duvall. I thought he did a great job. Fast forward to this year and Alice in Chains has put out another album with William Duvall now comfortably in the band. Black gives way to blue is not as engaging as the older albums but it is still good material. It is along the lines of some of Cantrell’s solo stuff.

4. Tiny Pictures – Thornley – 7.4
The former leader of Big Wreck finally came out with a new album this year. It was disappointing in some ways and has too much influence from the owner of his record label Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger. But despite it’s shortcomings it is good enough to make this years top 5. It does have many high points which help to smooth out some of the rough spots and bring the album to an overall good score.

3. There is No Enemy – Built to Spill – 7.8
At this point Built to Spill are in full stride as they just can’t help but put out good quality material, which, come to think of it, may have always been the case. Once again they do not disappoint.

2. Before the Frost/Until the Freeze – The Black Crowes – 7.9
Recorded live in a barn, this album gives you a taste of where country music should have gone rather than the garbage that it is now. It is a two disc album or rather a one disc and download the other half album. Almost everything in this album just seems to feel right.

1. The Resistance – Muse – 9.6
Of course I love this album. With it’s theme taken from the Orwell classic “1984” and the book “The Grand Chessboard” by the globalist, former Jimmy Carter adviser and current Obama adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, this album might help more people to realize that yes they are plotting on us. The music ain’t bad either, in fact it is really, really good.

Dishonorable Mention – Scream by Chris Cornell
One of the worst albums I have ever had the displeasure of hearing. The line from Weezer’s “Pork and Beans” applies directly to the once great Cornell, “Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the charts. Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art.” This album has nasty Timbaland fingerprints all over it and any thing that might have actually sounded ok has been violated along with memories of Cornell’s former greatness. Listen to one of the worst and weep with me.