Record of the Year - who won?
Great records define a year and a city and send its denizens to a land of sonic bliss. Which 2009 album haunted your waking dreams and welded itself to your CD player or iPod?
The only thing that helped us forgive Lost Valentinos for taking almost a year-long break from performing was this amazing record. Possibly the most eagerly anticipated debut in Sydney’s history, Lost Valentinos’ opus Cities of Gold is the fruit of their union with Ewan Pearson (The Rapture, M83) and the result is a record that justifies the multiple slashes in their genre (post-punk/indie/electro/disco/psych/etc) and a sound they dub “conquistadisco” but we hear as epic, fractured and perfectly formed.
We heard the term “art in motion” used to describe Dappled and thought it bang-on. Oddly, they launched this, their third record, at Kennard’s Storage World with an art show where 12 Sydney artists each “arted” a song that got exhibited in a container with said song pumping, like enforced synesthesia. Zounds is anchored in the band’s experience living and working in New York and big bites from a poisoned Apple further fuelled this proudly Sydney band’s ability to make you see, feel, smell – as well as hear – pet Zounds. Sensory? We prefer ‘sensational’.
We remember getting Decoder Ring’s first EP in 2002 and having our minds blown by their depth and complexity. Seven years and five releases later, the dynamism of this band keeps blowing us away. From the title to the soundscapes within, Decoder has crafted this album meticulously, seamlessly progressing each track yet liberating each to stand out and stand up as the unique guitar music epic it is.
Released in 2008 but re-released in ’09 with a remix EP, this mesmerising 73 minute debut album had us yearning for more, More, MORE! Some people call Seekae’s sound “gameboy inspired ambient electronica”. If that’s true we’re ready to praise Game Boy more for the Sound of Trees Falling on People than for chiptune and portable Mario.
Blasko’s first release without long time collaborator Robert F Cranny created a more considered, diverse, and exploratory collection of tunes than on her previous two albums, both personally and musically. Recorded with the Bjorn of Peter, Bjorn and John, the pop landscape that As Day Follows Night weaves is built from a broad sonic palette and even broader musical sensibilities.
Share this page 
Home - Remix the City - Best Music Event - Best Live Act - Record of the Year - Next Big Thing - Best Artist - Best Arts Event - Best Performer - Best Collective - Best Sydney Song - Best Major Festival