Best of 2009 (Reissues)

1. 

   1. Death: For the Whole World to See

   This is not a reissue per se, since it was never released until this year, so call this mid-70s masterpiece one of the best debuts of 2009. Detroit has given us many hard-rocking but idiosyncratic ...read more

2. 

   2. Olatunji: Drums of Passion

   Back in the white-bread 1950s, world music was considered too raw to place before the record buying public in unadulterated form. Add some strings, some white people, call it exotica, and then mayb...read more

3. 

   3. Comet Gain: Broken Record Prayers

   Broken Record Prayers, a collection of singles and rarities from the longstanding British pop group Comet Gain, opens with “Jack Nance Hair,” which boasts multiple spoken testimonials o...read more

4. 

   4. Peter Walker: Long Lost Tapes 1970

   Wait, STOP! Don’t look at the goofy cover photo of geekly grinning Peter Walker—holding an acoustic in his best smash-me-Belushi pose—until you’ve given me a chance to convi...read more

5. 

   5. Philip Jeck: Stoke

   A long-overdue reissue of one of British turntablist Philip Jeck’s finest works, his third album, Stoke, from 2002. The record was made using Bush, Fidelity and Philips record players, a Casi...read more

6. 

   6. Pisces: A Lovely Sight

   One line-drive into the gap after another for the champs over at the Numero Group. Amid their unending soul, gospel and R&B excavations they uncover a true left-field odyssey-oddity that was ne...read more

7. 

   7. Rodriguez: Coming from Reality

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8. 

   8. Zero Boys: History of Zero Boys

   Don’t be fooled by its title: History of the Zero Boys is not a best-of. Instead, it brings together all the tracks the band recorded before (1980 EP Livin’ in the 80s) and after (unfinished se...read more

9. 

   9. Zero Boys: Vicious Circle

   Recorded in 1981 by a bunch of Germs-idolizing hardcore kids in Indianapolis, Vicious Circle is a punk classic. If you haven’t heard this band before, Vicious Circle is definitely the place to st...read more

10. 

    10. Pylon: Chomp More

    In 2007, DFA made many best-of-the-year lists with its reissue of Pylon’s first album, Gyrate. Now the label follows up with Chomp, the Athens legends’ equally great sophomore release from 1983...read more

11. 

    11. Serge Gainsbourg: Histoire de Melody Nelson

    Gainsbourg’s 1971 concept album about the lust of a dirty old man for a teenage girl (sultry actress Jane Birkin contributes the vocals of the titular character) finally reappeared on CD this yea...read more

Tags: african , ambient , electronica , folk , free , indie , pop , post-punk , psych-folk , psychedelic , punk , reissue , rock , sound-collage , turntablism