2009 was a good year to me. I finally finished my Ph.D. degree in Geology after 6 long years at the University of Maryland, in the suburbs of DC. In September, I packed up for a new job in Chicago, extending my stay in the States for another year or two.
Unfortunately, however, my ability to branch out and listen to new bands was severely hampered by the craziness of finishing my PhD and the joys of moving. Be that as it may, I will still outline some of my top musical points of the year:
Favourite Song of 2009
Muse – Uprising: Yes, I know this song is incredibly overplayed on the radio and Yes, I know that it isn’t one of Muse’s better songs in the grand scheme of things. BUT, I like Muse a lot, and this song is very catchy and fun.
Favourite pre-2009 Song Discovered in 2009
Sam Roberts – Heavy, Mystified (Chemical City – 2006): Sam Roberts has always been one of my favourite artists. He is folky, a bit whimsical, and has a fairly unique sound. This song exemplifies all of these virtues, and makes a very awesome listening experience.
Favourite Album of 2009
Muse – The Resistance: Like I said before, I did a poor job of listening to new music this year. I wanted to name a couple of other albums (such as Intimacy by Bloc Party) as my favourite album of the year, but apparently these other albums were all actually from 2008. The new Muse album, although not their best effort in my opinin, is still a solid release. The Resistance combines the typical epic sounding songs that Muse is known for, with a more approachable feel for those people not familiar with them. If the amount of attention that this album has already received State-side, this will be Muse’s best-selling album in the US.
Favourite pre-2009 Album Discovered in 2009
VHS or Beta – Bring on the Comets (2007): I bought this cd from a music club on a whim. The description of the band sounded interesting, however, somehow this cd made its way to the bottom of my listening pile. Upon re-discovering this album earlier in the year though, I found myself listening to a very upbeat and well-put-together collection of songs. “Can’t Believe a Single Word” highlights the disc, but all of the songs are fairly catchy and fun to listen to.
Best Concert of 2009
This category has to be called a tie between the Bloc Party show I attended in May at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC, and the U2 concert (with Snow Patrol) concert that I saw in September (at Soldier Field in Chicago).
The Bloc Party show (see review here) was amazing…tons of energy, great showmanship and an awesome performance combined for a fantastic show.
The U2 concert involved two of my favourite bands, as Snow Patrol was the opening act. U2 was good but not great, but combining their show (with all the extra gimmicks) with a strong opening act, made for a very enjoyable concert experience.
Best Movie of 2009
Star Trek: Its not often that a summer blockbuster can live up to its hype. It is even rarer when it samples a classic series from the past. But, this movie was awesome, from the cast, to the special effects, to the story. A very solid movie all the way through. (Special award for the worst movie of 2009 goes to “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen…soooooo baaaaaad, but click here for a great and funny review).
Best PhD Dissertation of 2009
Clearly the best Ph.D. Dissertation of 2009 was my very own. Entitled “Highly Siderophile Element and Tungsten Systematics of Hawaiian Picrites”, it was a massive document that is sure to entertain and educate the casual reader. It details the abundances of certain elements (Os, Re, Pt, Pd, Ir, Ru, and W) in Hawaiian rocks, and has some important implications for core-mantle interaction in the Earth. If you would like a copy, or a copy of my two published papers, please feel free to email me.
and as a bonus, a top 5 list of things to look forward to in 2010!
1. Winter Olympics and Olympic Hockey
2. Capitals-Penguins showdown in the NHL playoffs
3. Turning 30 (yikes!)
4. Ricky’s temper tantrum when the Steelers are officially eliminated from the NFL playoffs…and another when the Capitals eliminate the Penguins in the NHL playoffs
5. the great Alaskan adventure – a trip where I want to drive from Edmonton to Alaska, camping along the way. We will see if this happens…
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