Race to Album ’09 Heats Up

2009 has been a slow year for new music. U2 got the ball rolling early on with their 12th studio album ‘No Line on the Horizon’, which was following in June by Dream Theater’s ‘Black Clouds and Silver Linings’. Since then we have looked to a trio of bands releasing their albums at this time of the year to stake a big claim for TC Ink album of the year. We have heard Jet’s Shaka Rock and Pearl Jam’s Backspacer but there is still no clear leader. Will Wolfmother surprise us with a ripper second album in a months time? Queens of the Stone Age were meant to record another album this year, but that now looks unlikely.

So what has been the stand out so far this year? It is heard to tell.

U2 – No Line on the Horizon

U2’s early ’09 release probably stands as an unlikely favourite at the moment. The first single of the album ‘Get on Your Boots’ was a bit of a disappointment, but the remainder of the album delivered some good tunes. While it has some low, boring points it is made up for with great songs like Magnificent, Stand Up Comedy and Breathe. If U2 were to pull of TC Ink album of the year it would be a notable achievement considering TC Ink’s focus on heavier styles of rock.

Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings

2009 has been the year of Dream Theater on TC Ink and if one award is pretty much for certain its these guys taking out Best New Addition, they are also definitely in the running for artist of the year. This years released featured only 6 songs with a few long epics. ‘A Rite of Passage’ was the first single and rightfully so. With a while still to decide, ‘Black Clouds and Silver Linings’ could easily end up at No. 1 for album of the year.

Jet – Shaka Rock

Aussie rock always goes down well at TC Ink. We weren’t exactly on the edge of our seat for this new Jet album, but it was entertaining when it came and provided us with some catchy songs. The first single ‘She’s a Genius’ set a good platform, and the lead track ‘KIA’ sends the album off to a flying start. From there the album is typical Jet and the lack of imagination in the album is what could be its downfall.

Pearl Jam – Backspacer

Pre-release, ‘Backspacer’ was clear favourite to snatch album of the year. ‘The Fixer’ was released early and immediately became a hit. It stands as favourite for Song of the Year and it created immense anticipation towards the album. Unfortunately, it is nothing special. Yes it is a decent Pearl Jam record, but it doesn’t deliver on the hype that surrounded it. There are few memorable songs, ‘Got Some’ and ‘Johnny Guitar’ stood out. ‘Backspacer’ is now unlikely to take Album of the Year.

So there is our current take on the contenders so far. We know for sure that Wolfmother will have a go with ‘Cosmic Egg’, but other than that its a pretty quiet list for ’09 compared to ’08 which saw a heavyweight battle between The Living End, Metallica and Kings of Leon and that’s not even mentioning Coldplay and the Offspring, who would have definitely been at the fore front had they released this year.