The Almighty Oracle

…of 2009 (in no particular order)

> albums :

- Brandi Carlile – Give Up The Ghost : It may not have impressed me as much as the previous ones on first listen but it’s a very enjoyable album.
Looking Out :

- Tegan and Sara – Sainthood : Their sound evolves again by adding even more keys to the catchy base. The result is surprising at first and soon becomes addictive.
The Cure :

- Zoe Boekbinder – Artichoke Perfume : First full-length release and a damn good one! A cd to listen to when in need of a boost of positive energy.
Inexorably :

- The XX – XX : They act like they don’t know what they’re doing but their minimalistic sound fills a void many big productions couldn’t even dare to cover. It’s cozy and soothing.
Crystalised :

- Rachael Cantu – Far And Wide : Pop folk at its best, sometimes unbeat, sometimes intimate. Rachael’s got a voice and stories you like to come back to. Again and again.
Your Hips Are Bad :

- Pamela Hute – Turtle Tales From Overseas : When I first heard Don’t Help Me, I knew I couldn’t forget the name of the band and would have to keep an eye out for their full length. This self-released Ghost album is full of dirty riffs on subtle drum patterns, topped with Pam’s voice both fragile and powerful.
Don’t Help Me :

- Metric – Fantasies : Less of a concept album, more of a collection of songs to paint your morose life with bright colors. It’s definitely Metric, a good drum and bass base, an omnipresent guitar and Emily’s voice and keyboards. Nothing more, nothing less.
Gold Guns Girls :

- MEN - MEN EP : A 3 song EP with infectuous beats and loops, lovely melodies and lyrics to sing along to. Can’t wait for the full-length!
Simultaneously :

- Kaki King – Mexican Teenagers EP : When Kaki King grabs her electric guitar and gets a back band, the result is an instrumental rock EP that is hauntingly good. The melodies are genius so the lack of vocal comes as no shock.
Lintoria :

- Imogen Heap – Ellipse : The waiting time since her last album was so long I was scared to be disappointed once the new one was released. Let’s just say I wasn’t. Imogen Heap is a genius and no song on Ellipse is weak, they all are a different form of awesome.
Aha! :

- Gossip - Music For Men : THE album that made them so famous I’ll never see them live again because they only play stadiums now. I have to say it’s quite brilliant, the production is flawless and the replay value is very high.
Men In Love :

- The Alphabet – Scarlet Starlet : New songs plus reworked old favorites from the time they were still Pretty Balanced. They still have that little something that let them stand out from the rest.
Prosthetic Face :

- BionicBabies – Naked Bears EP : An acoustic take on 4 of their songs, including a new one. I loved them as an electric band and I still love them unplugged.
Best Side (acoustic) :

- Char2d2 - Small Vampires EP : A 6 pop song EP produced by Tegan Quin that is so lovely you can’t resist it.
You Are A Small Vampire :

I could go on and on but I have to draw a line somewhere. Let’s just name a few more : Emilie Simon’s The Big Machine, Butterfly Boucher’s Scary Fragile, Bat For Lashes‘ Two Suns, Dance Yourself To Death’s Ready For Love, Andrew Bird’s Noble Beast and Florence and the Machine’s Lungs…

> movies :

I haven’t seen too many movies this year but I liked most of them.

- (500) Days of Summer : non-linear story-telling, two great actors and a story you can easily relate to. Add the best soundtrack ever and you’ve got my movie of the year.

- Coraline : A dark and twisted tale that came with great visuals and no idle time.

- The Boat That Rocked : Every music lover should see this movie just for the soundtrack. Plus it’s really fun.

> concerts :

- Florence and the Machine – Aéronef, Lille, France [Les Inrocks festival] : As I said right after the gig, Florence gets the Performer of the Year award. Intense, honest, mind-blowing, fun, moving, it was an amazing experience.

- Tegan and Sara – AB, Brussels, Belgium : Seeing the Quin twins is always a pleasure and I was curious to see how they would transcribe the complex overlaying that occurs on Sainthood live. Let’s just say it works very well. The in-between songs banter is still hilarious, Tegan messing up the beginning of Living Room and laughing about it, stripped down versions of older songs and the energy they give on the new ones make them one of my favourite bands to see live. Fourth time but certainly not the last.

- Emiliana Torrini – AB, Brussels, Belgium : First gig of 2009 to support her latest release, Me And Armini. She was cute and shy while her songs were lovely, moving and she was having a real good time that was contagious. We even got Jungle Drums twice! Lifesaver

- Gossip - Main Square Festival, Arras, France : My personal headliner of that day, it doesn’t matter they played at 4pm for a short hour, they set the festival on fire! Beth walking through a crowd of 13,000, Hannah singing along to Love Long Distance, Chris and Brace slaying on bass and guitar, it was just perfect despite the sunburn.

> games :

- Big Bang Mini on DS : A twist on the shoot them up concept. Fireworks and a trip around the world, a stylus-based gameplay and an awesome soundtrack.

- Aqua Globs on iPhone : This is one of the first games I bought, at first it was a cute one level line-drawing game that now is a 6 level package, each one bringing a special glob that force you to adapt your strategy. [full version - Lite]

- Compression on iPhone : Warning : This puzzle game is addictive! Get rid of the hallow blocks using the falling pair of blocks to create lines before the room shrinks too much. The slide and tap anywhere on the screen gameplay adds to the originality. [not the brag but I'm currently #1 worldwide ^^] [full version]

- Silent Swords on iPhone : Stealth games are rare on the platform. Oniric Games made the perfect one. Find a way to reach the exit door of each level by slashing guards, hiding in the shadow or using barrels to hide in plain sight. A good mix of puzzle, platforming and action. [full version]

> other stuff :

I somehow got involved as an iPhone game reviewer on a French website and that opened a door to other awesome things. For this all, I have thank one person : Zaz, this one goes out to you! Hope the collaboration lives on in 2010! ^^

mel :: Jan.02.2010 :: 2009 recap :: 1 Comment »

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