The music business continued to twist and turn in 2009 with non-stop digital upheaval. There were new ways to stream digital music, new ways to buy digital music, Apple vs Blackberry, Android vs everyone. At Zunior things just keep getting better with some amazing breakout releases from Zunior-friendly artists like Dan Mangan.
One of the best things about being involved with Zunior is getting the chance to work with so many great artists, and listen to so much great music. So when it comes time to make my top releases list every year, the key criteria is simply 'I listen to it all the time'. These are the album that have a treasured home on my digital musical shelf:
1. Timber Timbre - Timber Timbre
I've heard the term 'spooky' applied to this album quite a few times with good reason. The recording is quiet, intimate and eerie. The mood of this album is consistently downbeat and thoughtful. You might even say that it is the perfect album for the 'great recession'.
2. André Ethier - Born of Blue Fog
André Ethier is like the Canadian spawn of Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and Pete Townshend. The music can be tender and sad or sprawling and wild. A solid album that feels fresh every time I hear it.
Wax Mannequin tries on a folk-rock persona for his latest release. The style perfects suits his artistic development because it allows him to cool it down musically and show a softer side, while subverting the genre with some of his patented unpredictable oddities. This album allows him to get his freak on, while still using the tried and true tools of a classical guitar and progressive arrangements.
A quiet and subtle album that uses the recognizable sound of Owen Pallet's string arrangements to draw the listener into a magical musical world. The record bursts with musical colour and lush vocals. A recommended listen for the fireside this holiday season.
5. The Weather Station - The Line
This album has mystery. Mystery brings out the best in musical imagination and The Weather Station deliver. Listening to this album always brings me images of swirling arctic tundras, creaky barn floors and sweltering bayou jungles. NPR absolutely loves this band and I do too.
- Dave Ullrich
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