The month of January started off slow in the music world. We kind of slid in slowly into the new year, riding on the momentum of the late November/early December blitzkreig.

So, for the first couple weeks, at least, I don’t think I picked up anything really interesting. Andrew Bird’s new disc was the first to drop, but it wasn’t really impressive. There were some good tracks, but it never really struck me the way his others always have right off the bat. I was sleepless with work the 20th, when about 75% of January’s releases came out, so I caught up on the 27th.

In the end, Loney, Dear is probably my favorite of the month. It is woven with a rich thread, an otherworldly silk that makes it just a wee bit delectable. A.C. Newman’s was pretty good, as was Franz Ferdinand, Fever Ray, Cut Off Your Hands, Lucero’s Ben Nichols’ solo album, and Cut Off Your Hands. Oh, and Coconut Records was fun as well. While I still go through withdrawals for hours after hearing Matt & Kim’s “Daylight”, the rest of Grand is pretty ho-hum. Bon Iver’s EP had a single standout (Babys), but that was followed by some ridiculous experiment with the Auto-Tune. Really, why would anyone do that?

So far, my favorites of 2009 are as follows, though I suspect that as I spend more time with them, the average album will percolate up a bit:

1. Loney, Dear – Dear John
   Harm/Slow – Loney, Dear
2. A.C. Newman – Get Guilty
   
   The Palace At 4 a.m. – A.C. Ne…
3. Fever Ray – s/t
   
   Keep The Streets Empty For Me …
4. Cut Off Your Hands – You & I
   
   It Doesn’t Matter – Cut Off Yo…
5. Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
   
   Souverian – Andrew Bird

Off the bat, I know that next month is going to have the full-length from The Pain of Being Pure At Heart as well as the new Asobi Seksu and Beirut. Should be a good start for February. ]]> http://metricreflection.com/2009/02/01/january-music-review/feed/ 0