2009 is a tough year to judge. I’ve checked out more albums this year than any year in the past. Well over 1,000. And there have been quite a few great ones as well. When this list began, it had 110 albums. I abandoned my top 33 and 1/3 for 45, and then said “screw it” and upped the number to an even 50. These are the top notch albums of the year, all worthy of praise.

The summer of 2003 was a hot one in eastern Washington, and my concrete bunker of an apartment contained the heat like no other. Granted, the above image wasn’t shot by yours truly until 2004, but it sure seemed hot enough to ignite even the least combustible of items. I wrapped up my undergraduate that December, which was cold as Antarctica, and upon that milestone I moved to Seattle. It was a good year for the Northwest; many of my favorite albums came from Seattle labels like …

On his fourth album under the guise The Legends, Johan Angergård surprises yet again. After three albums that each take the group in a different direction, it has become standard to expect no less from the next release, and thus it was on Over And Over. The first two singles demonstrated this aptly, drowning the listener in an all-encompassing guitar distortion that makes debut Up Against The Legends sound clean. While “Always The Same” and “Seconds Away” feature mind-numbing distortion in the guitar, the vocals are, for the …

Over And Over by The Legends came out recently on Labrador Records, but when I attempted to order it from the local record shop they noted it wouldn’t be out for another few weeks. While this is likely due to an alternate US release date, or whatever, I was happy to hear The Legends, one of Johan Angergård’s many quality Swedish groups, gave us a little teaser to pass the time.

The following excerpt was taken from The American Heritage Dictionary: Fourth Edition (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001):
Legend: 1) An unverified popular story, especially one believed to be historical. 2) One of great fame or popular renown. 3) An inscription on an object. 4) An explanatory caption.
There is no telling which definition Johan Angergård chose when he named this group The Legends or even if he had a definition in mind, but he himself can be considered “one of great fame or popular renown” in the world of indie-pop. Also a member …

The Legends have been a favorite of mine since I discovered their debut LP Up Against The Legends in 2004. Since then, I have worked diligently to piece together a library of their recorded workings. I am close to succeeding, though for the final 7″ I’ll probably have to fly to Sweden. Most recently, I purchased the There & Back Again single.

Written by Fense
One of my earliest forays into Swedish pop, which has come to dominate my musical obsession over the past few years, was my introduction to The Legends. The band consists of Johan Angergård, a key mastermind behind Acid House Kings and Club 8. Each new album by The Legends takes the band in a slightly new direction; with each release, the listener is treated to something completely new.