Polyester Records in Melbourne have compiled yet another music list - very inspired by
Hi Fidelity. The top 50 records of the last 5 yrs. 2004 - 2009.
Polyester Records Top 50 Poll (2004 – 2009)
1. Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illinoise
2. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
3. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. Arcade Fire - Funeral
5. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
6. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
7. Broadcast - Tender Buttons
8. Deerhunter - Microcastle
9. Midlake - Trials Of Van Occupanther
10. LCD Soundsystem - The Sound of Silver
11. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
12. Fleet Foxes - Fleets Foxes
13. Smog - A River Ain’t Too Much To Love
14. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
15. Drones - Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By
16. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
17. Radiohead - In Rainbows
18. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
19. Hercules & Love Affair – Hercules & Love Affair
20. Broken Social Scene – Broken Social Scene
21. Tv On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
22. Low - The Great Destroyer
23. Antony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
24. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of The Country
25. Beirut - Flying Club Cup
26. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
27. Scout Niblett- This Fool Can Die Now
28. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
29. Caribou - Andorra
30. Beach House - Devotion
31. Joanna Newsom - Y's
32. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
33. Grand Salvo - The Temporal Wheel
34. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Etiquette
35. Cornelius - Sensuous
36. M.I.A - Kala
37. Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
38. Feist – The Reminder
39. New Buffalo - Last Beautiful Day
40. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
41. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
42. Yo La Tengo - I'm Not Afraid Of You And I'll Beat Your Ass
43. Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
44. Scout Niblett- Kidnapped By Neptune
45. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
46. The National - The Boxer
47. Mum Smokes - Easy/House Music
48. Blow - Paper Television
49. Danger Doom - Mouse & The Mask
50. Deerhoof - Runners Four
This is what they say about the list:
At Polyester Records we love a good list. Over the past couple of months we’ve been compiling our Top 50 albums of the past five years. Twelve Polyester staff have voted and come up with list of albums that have entertained, inspired, continue to amaze and we think will stand the test of time. This new list follows the poll we did five years ago, when Gillian Welch’s Time (The Revelator) was voted number one, that list can be viewed at Top 50 section on the website. Over the past five years there have been thousands of new releases. We whittled the original list down to hundreds and then came up with our Top 50. Of course with any list there will be anomalies: very good albums just missing out and albums included you may violently disagree with. We all had those discussions when the final list presented itself. Phenomenally, 48 out of the 50 in our list by our calculations were released on independent labels.
We are happy and proud to announce the Number One spot in our list is the sublime Sufjan Steven’s album ‘Come on Feel the Illinoise.’ A 22 track epic dedicated to the state of Illinois. An album so good it spawned a spin-off in the shape of the ‘The Avalanche’, this time the spin-off being a mere 21 songs. An album so good, it’s been four years and there’s still no sign of a follow-up. Just as we wait for post-masterpiece releases from other great artists such as The Avalanches, Postal Service and Gillian Welch, we also feel the weight on Sufjan Stevens’ shoulders in following up his masterpiece. And like many great albums controversy followed, this time involving the album’s artwork, Steven’s was made to remove Superman from the front cover by DC Comics.
An album that lasts 74 minutes, not a note too long or short, not a note out of place. So many great songs like "John Wayne Gacy, Jr” matched equally to great song titles "The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning”, or, “We Apologize for the Inconvenience but You're Going to Have to Leave Now”, or, 'I Have Fought the Big Knives and Will Continue to Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands!'" The LA Times gave it 10/10. Pitchfork gave it 9.2. In 2005 most music publications gave ‘Illinoise’ album of the year. At Polyester we’re happy to say it’s our favourite album of the last five years.
We’re proud of our role in promoting new music. We would look forward to any feedback and comments about the list. We hope it inspires you to dig out a forgotten album or explore something new. Thanks for all the continued support we receive; our customers make us what we are. Enjoy!
Check out this website I found at polyesterrecords.com
