The Quite Late "Best of 2009" list

I apologize that this is much further behind than I originally intended, but the holidays were busy. Yada yada. Enough bull honky. On with the show!

In no particular order, these were my favorite things I found, heard, watched, learned, or ate in 2009.

The Wallflowers

This was a rediscovery of a band I grew up listening to, but never knew the name of. The Wallflowers "Bringing Down the Horse" is a blast to the past for a 90's kid that listened to the radio. The first few tracks have, what a few of us might consider, some of the best mixes in sound engineering history. Not only is the music quality, but the legacy behind the music is quite intriguing. The frontman, Jakob Dylan, is none other than the son of old Bobby himself. However, if you are not a fan of Bob Dylan, that shouldn't get in the way of you opening up to this band. Jakob has much more control of his vocals and rarely mimics his father.

Cardigans

I will admit, I was against cardigans as they became popular again for whatever reason, but maybe it was mere exposure effect when I started to want one. I caved.

Happy?

Ceasar Salad

Growing up, I never really enjoyed leafy foods, that was, until I recently discovered the Ceasar Salad. I'm not really sure how to elaborate. Moving on!

Grizzly Bear

When I first got ahold of this record, I had mixed feelings. Some songs were solid, but others were dull. The more I found myself listening to it, the more I noticed the subtle beauty they sewn throughout, and that's when this became one of my favorite records of all time. It's a very challenging record as a musician, because you aren't quite sure what they were going for when mixing this record. It's almost as if the recorded 90% of the record in a cave. Either way, they managed to pull it off.

(500) Days of Summer

I already established at Heap that this movie was earthquaking to me emotionally, but I felt like it needed to established again. Everyone should see this movie.

Guitar

2009 brought me a deep appreciation for this instrument, and I only grow more fond of it. I am by no means a great guitarist, but I practice everyday in hopes of becoming decent one soon. The guitar really became magical to me after watching the documentary "It Might Get Loud" with Jack White, Jimmy Page, and the Edge. If you haven't seen it yet, find a way.

- Marcus