Best music of 2009 so far (AV Club)

AV Club staff weigh in on their favorites of the year.

My favorites off the top of my head: Grizzly Bear Veckatimest, Mastodon Crack the Skye, Dinosaur Jr. Farm, Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz!, Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Brakes Touchdown, Doves Kingdom of Rust, Harlem Shakes Technicolor Health, ...Trail of Dead The Century of Self, Dark Was the Night, Dark Night of the Soul, Franz Ferdinand Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, Silversun Pickups Swoon, The Antlers Hospice, Arbouretum Song of the Pearl.

Band of Horses @ Carnegie Hall, 6/11/09

My first visit to Carnegie Hall and it's for a rock show. Why am I not surprised. As we were all exiting the venue I overheard an older gentleman say "looks like the dress code has changed with the younger crowd." Classic. We were there to see Arbouretum, who embraced the acoustic theme and turned down the "doom-folk" for a very good set. I really think this band is so close to putting out an amazing record. Dave Heumann is very talented and has an amazing voice.

The Band of Horses performance felt special and they were truly appreciative of the opportunity to play in this storied venue. They mixed in a few new songs and put a new spin on some of the greats from their first two albums. I was absolutely blown away with their rendition of "Funeral."

Set List (via):
Part One
Marry Song
Why You Never Get Older
Window Blues
A Song For You (Gram Parsons Cover)
Monsters
Compliments Down
The Great Salt Lake
Weed Party (in double time)
Wicked Gil (in half time)
The Funeral
New Song (by Tyler Ramsey)
No One’s Gonna Love You
Unknown Song
-----------------
Ode To LRC (Ben Bridwell & Tyler Ramsey)
Detlef Schrempf
The General Specific

New Artist Spotlight: Arbouretum

I haven't done one of these in awhile (others can be found here, here, and here) but browsing Pitchfork's track reviews yesterday, I came across "Pale Rider Blues" from Baltimore's own Arbouretum. Calling Arbouretum "new" perhaps isn't accurate, their Thrill Jockey debut, Rites of Uncovering was recorded during 3 separate sessions in 2004 and 2005 and the band released an album Long Live the Well-Doer in 2004. According to the label site, frontman Dave Heumann has also played with several other bands but is the creative force behind Arbouretum. I've only heard one additional song from the album (myspace) so I'm still doing my due dilligence but the different textures, Dave Heumann's vocals and intense guitar solo in "Pale Rider Blues" is the right place to start. The album is out January 23rd. They'll be playing a CMJ showcase in NYC tomorrow night, more tour dates are below.

MP3: Arbouretum - "Pale Rider Blues"

Nov 2 New York, NY - Tonic w/ **CMJ SHOWCASE**
Nov 16 Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks w/ Vale & Year, Phil Boyd & the Hidden Twin, ShotxShot
Nov 17 Cleveland, OH - Parish Hall Cleveland w/ Mike Uva & Hook Boy, Volta Sound
Nov 18 Chicago, IL - The Hideout w/ Sam Prekop & Archer Prewitt
Dec 8 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's w/ Pissed Jeans, Leprechaun Catering
Dec 9 New York, NY - Cake Shop