Our Vision For This World Will Not Die When We Are Dead

Oh hai! This post has been in the works for a while now, but deciding on only 10 albums and songs for an amazing year isn't easy. But, lo and behold, its done. Let us not waste time, and begin!!

Top 10 Albums of 2009

10. Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings

If this album listing was based solely on technical skills, Dream Theater would win, hands down. Very few bands can pull off what they have done consistently: Write epic tracks (and by epic, I mean 10+ minutes) that seem fluid, and don't drag on and on forever. While only 6 tracks, it doesn't feel short. From the opening thunderstorms of "Nightmare to Remember" to the epic "The Count of Tuscany", nothing feels overdone. Unisons are abundant, and Jordan Ruddess continues his mastery of the Hakken Continuum.

Recommended tracks: Nightmare to Remember, The Count of Tuscany

9. August Burns Red - Constellations

August Burns Red is back with vengeance, and they've discovered guitar solos. Blistering metal, breakdowns, and intense double bass runs are abundant, including new epic guitar solos, all to create a brilliant new metal album. Tracks such as Indonesia, a track written about a missionary who died in a plane crash, explore new lyrical territory. My only issue with this album? The best track, Meddler, sounds kinda like Composure, from the previous album.

Recommended tracks: Meddler, Crusades

8. mewithoutYou - Its All Crazy!! Its All False!! Its All a Dream!! Its Alright.

I initially had mixed feelings about this album. mewithoutYou is known for dashing headlog through tracks, with frontman Aaron Weiss yelling, talking, and doing everything but singing as his fellow band members played. And yet, it worked. Somehow, despite recklessly running, everything felt in control and well thought out. But with this album, we are slowed down and given a more mellow, almost folk-y (read: almost) album that could easily be sung around a camp fire. And hey, songs about vegetables are cool.

Recommended tracks - Allah, Allah, Allah; Every Thought, a Thought of You

7. The Devil Wears Prada - With Roots Above, and Branches Below

The Devil Wears Prada is a take-no-prisoners style of metal, busting out of the door screaming, going track to track with seemingly no breathing room. Nothing has changed here. Its just better. Synth is everywhere, providing epic strings and even a few lead riffs. You can't help but scream along (assuming you're into that) as Mike screams out "I know a ghost" or sing along with Jeremy as he belts out "All of love can be traced to a Maker". And hey, let's not forget the oddly named tracks. And what's this? A piano song with no screaming? Oh snaps.

Recommended tracks - Assistant to the Regional Manager, Ben Has a Kid

6. We Came as Romans - To Plant a Seed

It feels weird putting two synthcore type bands next to each other, but hey, I don't make the music. I just listen. We Came as Romans begs for a new genre though. Not necessarily synthcore, but rather, Orchestralcore. Never before have a listened to a band use such string arrangements in a hardcore song. The growls and screams are brutal. The clean vocals are pristine. The strings are alive. The breakdowns are brutal. And some call it generic. Pfft, whatever. This is one of the most positive albums of the year. So let us restore each other. For an empty cup cannot fill another.

Recommended Tracks - To Plant a Seed, Intentions

5. The Glorious Unseen - The Hope That Lies in You

Wait, what? Who? I'm not gonna lie, until I saw these guys live, I had only given them a passing listen, and that was just to get a decent idea of what they would be like. I had heard of them, but never listened. HUGE mistake. The Hope That Lies in You is pure emotion in its most raw form. Ben Crist sings about the loss of his beloved life on "We Can Be Renewed" and even through the questioning of life, finds hope and strength in God. If someone wanted to know what emotion was, I'd be tempted to point them this way. Best worship album EVER (though Abel gives them a run for their money with their EP).

Recommended Tracks - The Hope That Lies in You, Falling Into You

4. Relient K - Forget and Not Slow Down

Relient K has consistently put out record after record of pop-punk goodness, and now we come to the 6th full length (although I would argue that last years "The Birds and the Bee-sides/The Nashville TennesseEP was not an EP/B-sides, but a full length). They've mellowed a bit, and they aren't as silly, but let's not forget: Matty-T just got his heart broken. Yep, folks, what we have here is a breakup album. We plow through as Matt reminiscences his past love and finds the strength to move on and be positive, rather than dwell on the past and be bitter with his former lover. As the chorus says, "I'd rather forget and not slow down, than gather regret for the things I can't change now." By the time "This is the End (If You Want It) rolls around, we feel as though we've experienced it all with him. The ups, the downs, and the end.

Recommended tracks - Forget and Not Slow Down, This is the End (If You Want It)

3. Emery - ....In Shallow Seas We Sail

I've technically already written about this album (but then again, I wrote about TDWP as well), but oh well. I mentioned that it was up for album of the year, but had to worry about Owl City's "Ocean Eyes". Well, it did. However, don't get me wrong. Emery is back with biting force. Bitter emotion, heartache, and betrayal, all how they were meant to be expressed. Emery exploits their dual frontmen to the max, giving a stark contrast between screams and cleans, back and forth, as they wrestle with their own inner emotions, before finally realizing, "Just hear me out. This was all my fault."

Recommended tracks - In Shallow Seas We Sail, Dear Death (Pt 1 and 2)

2. Owl City - Ocean Eyes

Wait, what? Anyone who knows me knows that I love Owl City more than any other band. And didn't I just say that Emery only had to look out for Owl City? Hm hm, sneaky sneak!! Anyways.

Owl City is, quite literally, happiness in musical form. From the kick off of "Cave In" we are treated to synth-y beats, a mix of live and more organic percussion, and layers about layers of intricately developed tracks. Everything from love to dental care is covered, and from track to track, we have direct hits. Adam explores his more faithful, God oriented side with "Meteor Shower" and "Tidal Wave" while exploring his fun side (Fireflies, Umbrella Beach) and romantic side (The Salt Water Room, Vanilla Twilight). European electronica influences are everywhere, especially in the percussion, and that makes me happy. Of course, so does Owl City.

Recommended tracks - Meteor Shower, On the Wing (haha, I didn't recommend Fireflies OR Vanilla Twilight, though they are both great.)

1. Deas Vail - Birds and Cages

Deas Vail is CRIMINALLY underrated, and that's a cold hard fact. Wes Baylock's vocals and falsettos are flawless, Laura's keys are haunting and ever present, and the rest of the instruments fill out what is the best album of the year. Haunting tracks are abound, as well as odd time signatures, tempo changes, and time signature changes (normally all reserved for more alt/progressive rock bands). Haunting pianos. Yes. I said it again. Honestly, it took one listen to leave me speechless. For an album that almost never saw the light of day, I was shocked. Goodness.

Recommended Tracks - Atlantis, Birds.

But wait, there's more!! My list of top songs of the year!! These won't get detailed posts, but you'll find some bands that didn't have albums in my top 10. Sometimes bands NAIL it with a track, but the rest of the album just can't compare. Not that the albums are bad. In fact, all songs not on a top 10 album were in the running for the top 10.

10. Life on Repeat - Southern Girls
9. August Burns Red - Meddler
8. Oh, Sleeper - The Finisher
7. The Glorious Unseen - We Can Be Renewed
6. We Came as Romans - Intentions
5. Mae - The Fisherman's Song
4. Relient K - This is the End (If You Want It)
3. Emery - In Shallow Seas We Sail
2. Owl City - Hot Air Balloon
1. Deas Vail - Atlantis

And let's not forget the special mentions!! These bands are either unsigned and deserve mention, or had a good chance at making the end of year list, but because of time restraints, simply weren't listened to.

The Forever Endeavor - Poppy electronica ala Owl City. Indie. Excellent.
Sent By Ravens - My favorite unsigned band signs to Tooth and Nail? Win.
Poema - Acoustic music is amazing. And I have a mini-crush on their pianist.
Doubting Benefit - Hmmmm, unsigned post-hardcore goodness with a dash of pop.
Life on Repeat - Oh Life on Repeat. If only your EP was more than 4 songs long.
Seabird - See, this is what you get for releasing an album at the end of December.
John Reuben - Ahem, see Seabird.
LIGHTS - Amazing album. Why did I not listen? I don't know.
Switchfoot - Hello Hurricane, as I understand, is amazing. I wouldn't know. Yet.
Between the Buried and Me - Since when has BTBAM let me down? Never. I let them down.
Abel - Sadly, I didn't listen to this until 2010. Rivals The Glorious Unseen.
Lorien - Deas Vail meets Far-Less meets Brand New. Sadly, 2010 again.

And finally! Albums that I'm looking forward to in 2010.

Onward to Olympas - This World is Not my Home. Out now. Runner for best of 2010
Poema - Early Spring, EP. Sing it Now. Front runner for top 10 of 2010.
Sent By Ravens - Spring, 2010, Full Length. Graceful Words. Front runner for top 10 of 2010.
Embracing Goodbye - February? Full length. Possible best of 2010.
Owl City Re-release - Out now. Deluxe addition. New songs!!
Living Sacrifice - Out now. Full length. Hm, metal goodness. The Infinite Order
Toby Mac - February 9. Full length. Tonight
Demon Hunter - Full length. March 9th. The World is a Thorn
Sanctus Real - Full length. March 9th. Pieces Of A Real Heart
Switchfoot - Vice Versus. Full Length
The Rocket Summer - February 23d. Full Length. Front runner for top 10 of 2010. Of
Angels and Men
Family Force 5 - 2010. Full Length.

You're Not the Last Thing That I've Loved and Lost

And let's finish this. I've got a lot more to write about. Specifically, the new Relient K and David Crowder*Band albums, and some future concerts. Either way, let's finish this up. No images this time, 'cause I'm sleepy, and images keep failing.

5. As Cities Burn - Come Now Sleep

Never before in the history of music has one band undergone such a stylistic change between albums. Showbread's change from "No Sir, Nihilism is Not Practical"s Screamo to "Age of Reptiles" Synth Rock was a pretty big change, but I think that As Cities Burn's change was a little bit bigger. First, we had "Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest Time", featuring dual vocalist and brothers, altering between Screams and Clean vocals, shouting memorable lines such as "What is love without trust? At my big, would you bring your Isaac?". Now, suddenly, the opening track eases in. 7 minutes later, after hearing a man question the existence of God, we here a new person come in, pointing out that a man's pride has caused him to doubt God. That God has been there, but the man's pride has pushed him away. No screams, just ambient rock. From there, we transition into typical As Cities Burn riffs and progression(still unique to this day), as we hear about overcoming pride and stereotypes, the need for grace, and the incompetence of humans(but success through Christ). By the ending tracks, we're left agreeing with the singer. "If I make it to heaven, I may be as bloody as Hell". "I'm sure if you wanted to stop love, you could just untie your end and let it go. But my God, you don't. Yeah, I think I love your for it." When the last minutes of "Timothy" end, we're left wanting more. Sure, gone is the abrasive rock and the screaming, but the ambiance that has replaced it more than makes up for it. In the end, even with only one vocalist, this albums is amazing. "This is it, this is it. You're gonna sink for your sins, unless grace be the wind."

Tracks to check: Empire, Wrong Body, Our World is Gray, This is It.

They're not too bad live either.

4. Deas Vail - All the Houses Look the Same

Have you ever gone down into a neighborhood, looked at the homes, and realized, "Wow, all these houses look the same!". Yeah, I have. Putting that aside, AtHLtS is the debut, if you will, album by Deas Vail, an indie rock band from Arkansas. Wes, the vocalist, knows how to hit his falsettos, and when to use them. Trust me, its not easy to consistently switch from falsetto to normal and back, but he does it. Keys are abundant, both piano and synth, but never in a poppy way. Much of the music is atmospheric and dreamy. From the opening, with its simple chords, to the lightly floating pianos in "Shoreline", or the soaring vocals in every song. It doesn't matter. Its consistently good throughout. Honestly, I can't exactly go into detail about why I like this album so much. I just do. It has consistently received plays on the iPod, years later. The White Lights EP was just as good, and with "Birds and Cages" being released this month, I'm excited. The live show is spectacular, and if the new songs they've played mean anything, then "Birds and Cages" could surpass "All the Houses Look the Same".

Tracks to Check: Shoreline, Lover's Charm, Anything You Say, Life in These Little Boats.

3. Paulson - All at Once

Paulson was interesting in that I'd never actually heard of them until I went to go see As Cities Burn live with my buddy Justin. Coincidentally, my roommate at the time, Nathan, mentioned that he liked Paulson. They ended up being spectacular live, even though I only managed to listen to one song by the time the concert came around. Either way, I started listening to the CD, and immediately, I was hooked on "Calling On You". Hooked enough that I consistently listened to that track. It was only when I accidentally left the CD on that I next hear track 4, Window Frames. I randomly decided to play the first two tracks as well, and loved them, and so, I started listening to the first four. On repeat. Eventually, I managed to expand into the full album. Honestly, I liked the tracks enough to where I had trouble listening to the new tracks. Seriously. Paulson is, at its core, electronic pop. But, oddly enough, it doesn't sound like typical electro pop. Its not about sugary things, despite heavy synth use. Its a full band with pop-rock music, but with definite emo tendencies. Not "Slit your wrists with me because my girlfriend broke up with me at a Dashboard Confessional Show" emo, but rather, real emotion. Breaking up, moving on, insecurity, need, all of it, wrapped up in synths, guitars, bass, drums, and vocals that sound real. The words aren't necessarily sung, nor are they spoken like mewithoutYou, but rather, somewhere in between. It works. Its electronica rock with real emotion and doubt, not, "Everything is perfect". Although, um, I admit, I love that junk. Either way.

Tracks to listen to: Voids, Window Frames, Break Me In, What Are You?

2. Emery - In Shallow Seas We Sail

I've been a fan of Emery back since the days of "The Question", and "The Weak's End" was brilliant. Then came "I'm Only a Man" and "When Broken Heart's Prevail". Emery is basically a post-hardcore/screamo/punk band with two vocalists(three live) who trade off singing and playing bass, and even singing at the same time. The dual vocals really shine. I was convinced that nothing would be able to outdo gems such as "Walls" and "Ponytail Parades" from TWE or "So Cold I Could See My Breath" and "Listening to Freddy Mercury", from TQ, but then came In Shallow Seas We Sail. Cutthroat Collapse opens with the same intensity as "Walls", and dual vocals shine. This album is straight perfect throughout. Honestly, I'd write more, but I've already wrote a review of it. Go check it to see, and keep watchin' for the "Butcher's Mouth" video. BTdub, "In Shallow Seas We Sail" is both their best album, and best track.

Tracks to Listen to: Cutthroat Collapse, The Butcher's Mouth, In Shallow Seas We Sail, Dear Death pt 1 and 2.

1. Owl City - Maybe I'm Dreaming.

Somewhere in the world (aka, downtown), my friend Jefe just made that typical awkward noise that we both make. I won't go into it, but its made whenever I mention Owl City(and is usually followed up by "Strawberry Avalanche"!). Either way. I had a tough time choosing between this and "Ocean Eyes", but in the end, Maybe I'm Dreaming edged it out. Both have their charms, but in the end, MID wins. Check out my full review for why I love it so much.

Random side fact: My favorite Owl City track, "Hot Air Balloon", isn't on any album. Single only.

Tracks to check: Rainbow Veins, The Saltwater Room, Dear Vienna, West Coast Friendship.