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WELL, HELLO! It’s been another fun year at CD Central! Certainly one filled with ups and downs (thinking about the Limestone road project here) but the bottom line is we’ve enjoyed bringing some great music to Lexington, both live and on disc. This booklet is our annual recap of some of the year’s brightest musical highlights. One of the great things we can look back at this year is our participation in Local First Lexington. All of the members of LFL are locally-owned, independent businesses who do great things for our community. These are the businesses that make Lexington a unique place among a sea of national chain stores. Please make it one of your New Year’s resolutions to “Think Local First” when making your buying decisions in the coming year. It feels good to shop local and it makes Lexington a better place. Thanks!

Happy Holidays,

the cd central staff

For more info, visit www.localfirstlexington.com!

TOP 12 KENTUCKY RELEASES OF 20091. Chico Fellini - Chico Fellini2. Everyone Lives Everyone Wins - In This Moment We Are Infinite3. Alegionnaire - Realms4. Goldenrod - Paintings for Prophets5. Very Emergency - The Getaway6. Tee Dee Young - I’ve Got to Move7. Jack - Giants’ Newground8. Englishman - Taxidermy9. Spooky Q’s - Winterband10. Rudies - Rudies11. Robbert Bobbert & the Bubble Machine - Self-Titled12. Brassknuckle Boys - Appalachian Industry

In August, Those Darlins played at CD Central.

MATT G’S TOP 1010. Flaming Lips: "Embryonic"Some people have the misconception that the Flaming Lips are a pop band, and it's simply not true. The Flaming Lips are a weirdo band, they always have been, and "Embryonic" is their newest reminder of that often-overlooked fact. Instead of resting in the hipster-harvesting fields of indie-rock, the Lips have taken a trip further out into the mind-space where sound textures trump traditional melodies. They haven't given up all of their funkiness, there are a hand-full of jams on the album, but "Embryonic" is designed as a full listening experience, instead of a collection of singles. Three cheers to the Flaming Lips for continuing their musical evolution into the stratosphere and being about the coolest dudes ever.

9. Om: "God Is Good"The heaviest Peace you can find, Om jam out another slab of righteous meditation-metal on "God Is Good." Their first full-length with new drummer Emil Amos of Grails was again recorded immaculately by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio. "Thebes" is the long-player of the album, starting off slow, just sitar drones and soft bass, adding a new layer of hippie-bliss on the already-chill stoner jam. Soft sung vocals persist and lull for many minutes. Fuzzed-out bass kicks in around minute 8, and then the heavy side of Om comes out. Al Cisneros riffs with big, thick bass textures while Amos lays heavy on the ride and changes it up on snare. In "Cremation Ghat I" a funky bass line leads into middle-eastern rhythms and shows heavy Grails influence. With its diverse sounds and influences, "God Is Good" provides peace for the metalheads and excitement for the gurus.

8. Grizzly Bear: "Veckatimest" "Veckatimest" emerges from an aura of mystery and leads the listener out into a blissful, friendly landscape with angelic vocals designed to draw you in. The band plays with such measured reservation that even the slightest movements create noticable mini-crescendos. Grizzly Bear

are creating some of the most pleasantly interesting music beyond most of their indie rock peers.

7. James Blackshaw: "The Glass Bead Game""The Glass Bead Game" is composed of five absolutely gorgeous instrumentals fea-turing Blackshaw mainly on acoustic guitar, but also piano, playing intricate songs with a passionate instrumental lyricism. The accompanying string sections fill out the sound beautifully, and the all-acoustic per-formance comes across with great clarity. The album builds to its crescendo in "Arc," a swirling luminescent piece for piano and strings that will leave you reeling. Black-shaw conveys complex emotions in "The Glass Bead Game" that most popular music cannot even approach.

6. Deerhunter: "Microcastle / Weird Era Continued"I slept on this one for a couple of months after it came out, but as soon as I tuned in, I was glad to find out what I had been missing. "Microcastle" is one of the coolest, most-fun albums of the year. It's not over-the-top sweet or under-the-covers intimate but a good mix of the two. If I use the word "dreamy" too many times it will start to sound weird, but really that's the best word for it. The melodies are catchy but not trite, and the band experiments just enough to keep things interesting. Plus it comes with a whole extra album, "Weird Era Contin-ued," which is awesome as well. "Micro-castle" is my have-fun pick of the year.

5. Lightning Bolt: "Earthly De-lights"One of the most adventurous bands of our time, Lightning Bolt released another sonic explosion of crushing riffs and atom-smash-ing beats in their fourth full-length, "Earthly Delights." Few other groups can match this bass & drums duo for intensity and unpre-dictable jaw-dropping jams. Brian Chippen-dale's drumming defies all traditional rhythm or reason, and Brian Gibson's overdriven bass lines shred and shift continuously.

"Earthly Delights" will rock you in ways you didn't know existed.

4. Earth - "Radio Live" 2007-2008Earth understands the significant nuances of the live album better than most bands. They provide unique variations from the album versions of songs, and by "varia-tions" I mean that unlike just about any other band, when Earth plays live, they play their songs EVEN SLOWER. There were no accolades too lofty to bestow upon 2008's near-perfect "The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull," and Earth gives dynamic, passionate live renditions of four of those songs (including the still vinyl-only track "Junkyard Priest") on "Radio Live." Randall Dunn handles the live sound brilliantly, his ears sharply honed after handling Earth's last few studio recordings. "Omens and Portents II: Carrion Crow" is played with glacial slowness, each note ringing out in full heart-wrenching purity. "The Bees Made Honey..." has extended pauses that seem to last aeons, but the band retains its exceptional tightness. "Radio Live" is heavy with passionate instrumental expression and shines with a glorious light.

3. Converge - "Axe To Fall"Converge stopped being just another Boston hardcore band in 2001 when they released their career-defining album, "Jane Doe." Its mix of intense speed and anguished vocals paired with a fearless and energetic live show set Converge apart from a sea of immitators. "Axe To Fall," the group's third full-length since, is their best work in years. Insane riffs crash and shift over a relentless percussive assault from one of the best drummers in metal. Jacob Bannon's vocals are as indecipherable and visceral as ever. "Axe To Fall" admits more heavy metal influences than their earlier hardcore releases, but the sound is decid-edly 100% Converge. Their rich combi-nation of innovative talent and insatiable passion keep Converge at the top of the heavy metal genre.

2. Akron/Family - "Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free"Another psychedelic adventure into the realms of the human spirit from Akron/Fam-ily, purveyors of good vibes and heady trips. A/F's last album, "Love is Simple," was my

pick-of-the-year for 2007, and "Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free" continues their mystic quest into the great unkown. Drawing from influences as disparate as Aphex Twin and Jimi Hendrix (and the cover making an obvi-ous reference to Sly and the Family Stone), Akron/Family succeeds in synthesising dif-ferent elements to make it all sound familiar and exciting. There's real emotional sensi-tivity captured here, and repeated listenings elicit richer and richer rewards.

1. SunnO))) - "Monoliths & Di-mensions"SunnO))) exist in the far, uncharted ter-ritories of the musical spectrum where heavy metal, avant-garde and drone music meet. Widely regarded as the loudest band in the world (at least by anyone who has seen them), SunnO))) have also made a reputation for conveying their heaviness to tape. The riffs are massive, the choirs are haunting, and the strings and horns are gorgeous. Atilla Csihar's vocals are super-human and the input from Oren Ambarchi, Steve Moore, Stuart Dempster and Eyvind Kang bring these complex ideas to their full potential. "Monoliths & Dimensions" is SunnO)))'s masterpiece, the result of artists confidently achieving their unique artistic goal. Plus the packaging and artwork are immaculate. No detail is overlooked to create a perfect physical representation of the one of the most ambitious albums of the decade. Look deep into the blackness; find texture in the void. And don't forget: MAXIMUM VOLUME YIELDS MAXIMUM RESULTS.

Top 10 Shows of 2009:10. Zoroaster/Bongripper - the Dame9. Mission of Burma - Busters8. Pauline Oliveros - Big Ears Festival - Knoxville, TN7. Evelyn Glennie with Lexington Philhar-monic - Singletary Center6. Akron/Family - 21c Hotel - Louisville, KY5. Jesus Lizard - Exit/In - Nashville, TN4. Deerhunter, Dan Deacon, No Age - Southgate House - Newport, KY3. Shellac - 930 Listening Room - Louisville, KY2. Coalesce - Scion Rock Fest - Atlanta, GA1. SunnO))) - Southgate House - Newport, KY

In no specific order:

Grizzly Bear - VeckatimestAnimal Collective - Merriweather Post PavilionM Ward - Hold TimeNeko Case - Middle CycloneDirty Projectors - Bitte OrcaIntelligence - Fake SurfersSt Vincent - ActorLocal Natives - Gorilla ManorCymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains?Portugal the Man - the Satanic Satanist

MATT J’S

TOP 10 ALBUMS & SHOWS OF

2009

Top 10 live shows of 2009:

#1: Beastie Boys @ Bonnaroo#2: Flaming Lips @ Pitchfork#3: Grizzly Bear w/Beach House @ SXSW#4: David Byrne @ Bonnaroo#5: M. Ward @ SXSW#6: "No Deachunter" [No Age, Dan Deacon, Deerhunter] @ Southgate House#7: Nine Inch Nails @ Bonnaroo#8: Os Mutantes @ Boomslang#9: Black Keys @ Forecastle#10: Dirty Projectors @ Bonnaroo

MATT J’S

MIKE’S INDIE POP PRINCESS PICKS

OF ‘09Alegionnaire - RealmsPortal - SwarthSunn0))) - Monoliths + DimensionsYob - The Great CessationWeedeater - God Luck & Good Speed LPHeaddress - LunesShrinebuilder - ShrinebuilderZoroaster - Voice of SaturnBongripper - Hate AshburyLaudanum - CoronationStormcrow/Laudanum - Sacred DeathCoalesce - OX EPConverge - Axe to FallOm - God is GoodWolves in the Throne Room - Malevolent Grain/Black CascadeCadaver in Drag - Breaking & EnteringMoss - Tombs of the Blind DruggedBlack Math Horseman - WylltNadja/Black Boned Angel - Nadja/Black Boned AngelDark Castle - Spirited MigrationAhab - Divinity of Oceans

Favorite shows:Sunn0))) & Eagle Twin @ Southgate HouseZoroaster/Bongripper/Alegionnaire/Everyone Lives Everyone Wins @ the DameDark Castle @ the Drone TempleScion Rock Fest in Atlanta

LAUREN’S FAVS OF 2009

1. Sea Wolf // White Water, White Bloom2. John Vanderslice // Romanian Names3. St. Vincent // Actor4. Ben Gibbard & Jay Farrar // One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Music from Kerouac’s Big Sur5. the Mountain Goats // The Life of the World to Come6. The Avett Brothers // I & Love & You7. Monsters of Folk // Monsters of Folk8. Phoenix // Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix9. Mos Def // The Ecstatic10. The xx // xx

The Avett Brothers at the Kentucky Theater in Lexington

Honorable mentions (in no particular order):Health, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Lil’ Wayne, Jay-Z, Girls, Dutchess & the Duke, The Antlers, The Decemberists, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Atlas Sound, Le Loup, Dirty Projectors, AA Bondy

Shows:- the Mountain Goats & John Vanderslice, Gone Primitive tour @ The Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC; @ Buskirk-Chumley Theatre in Bloomington, IN (w/ Tallest Man on Earth); and @ University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL (yes, 3 times on the same tour)- the Mountain Goats w/ Larkin Grimm & Final Fantasy @ Mercy Lounge in Nashville, TN (yep. 4 Mountain Goats shows in one year)- John Vanderslice w/ Tallest Man on Earth @ Southgate House in Newport, KY (and 4 JV shows in one year. dedication.)- The Avett Brothers New Years Eve celebration w/ Jason Webley, Paleface, Jessica Lea Mayfield @ Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, NC- The Avett Brothers @ the Kentucky Theatre in Lexington- Death Cab for Cutie, Andrew Bird and Ra Ra Riot @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, CO- St. Vincent w/ Pattern is Movement @ the Dame in Lexington

WINTERSPRESENTS...

NOT-SO-BRUTAL PICKS OF ‘09

BEST OF 200901. Mastodon - Crack The Skye02. Converge - Axe To Fall03. As Cities Burn - Hell Or High Water04. Coalesce - OX05. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - S/T06. Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg07. Brand New - Daisy08. Every Time I Die - New Junk Aesthetic09. The Life And Times - Tragic Boogie10. Brother Ali - Us

HONORABLE MENTIONS Appleseed Cast - Sigarmatha Doomriders - Darkness Comes Alive P.O.S. - Never Better Sleeping At Last - Storyboards Thrice - Beggars( )

E. KOWALSKI’S9 SONGS OF ‘09

Girls - "Summertime" from "Album"Ducktails - "Beach Point Pleasant" from "Ducktails"Atlas Sound - "Washington School" from "Logos"Animal Collective - "Summertime Clothes" from "Merriweather Post Pavilion"Nudge - "Harmo" from "As Good As Gone"Juliana Barwick - "Sunlight, Heaven" from the EP "Bode"Toro y Moi - "Blessa" from the single "Blessa"Kurt Vile - "Freak Train" from "Childish Prodigy"City Center - "Bleed Blood" from "City Center"

STEVE’S REVIEW OF THE YEAR

CD Central: 2009 in Review…. And a few new releases that merited repeat play in the store.

January: Watched President Obama being sworn in on the store TV; perhaps the last news event we’ll ever see on it because we don’t have one of those digital converter boxes.Picks: A.C. Newman – Get Guilty; James Brown – Live at the Boston Garden 1968 DVD

February: Joe the CD Cen-tral carpenter builds a couple new CD racks, enabling us to expand the jazz and avant garde sections. Most of the staff takes a road trip to a heavy metal festival in At-lanta.Picks: Heartless Bastards – Mountain; Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) - Keep It Hid

March: Girl Scouts set up a cookie booth in the store, leading to heavy consump-tion of Thin Mints and Cara-mel Delights.

Picks: Neko Case - Middle Cy-clone; Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz

April: We had a huge Re-cord Store Day party with a full afternoon of bands headlined by Ben Sollee and Robert Schneider. One of the biggest days in store his-tory! Custom-printed record bags by Cricket Press were a big hit.Picks: Felice Brothers - Yonder Is the Clock; Wussy - Wussy

May: CD Central joins the digital revolution by affiliating with the Think Indie down-load site and gives iTunes a run for its money. Meanwhile, during a visit to Austin we spot a CD Central bumper sticker on a pickup truck.Picks: Vaselines - Enter the Vaselines (reissue); Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

June: Major rearranging ac-tion. The new & used vinyl section is expanded and moved to the right side wall and R&B takes up resi-dence where the LPs used to be. We also painted sev-eral walls a color other than white.Picks: Sonic Youth - The Eter-nal; Deer Tick - Born On Flag Day

July: Our annual July 4 show downtown at Phoenix Park is headlined by Moon Taxi, and also features a rare perfor-mance by staff member Erik “Casino vs. Japan” Kowalski. A few weeks later the city shuts down South Limestone for a never-ending construc-tion project. We grill hot dogs to celebrate. Picks: Those Darlins - Those Darlins; The Dead Weather - Horehound

August: Two awesome in-store shows this month. First, Cursive packs the house for a rare and excel-lent acoustic set. A week later, country cuties Those Darlins rock the house. New staffer Lauren dazzles us with her ukulele skills.Picks: Fruit Bats - The Rumi-nant Band; Arctic Monkeys – Humbug

September: The threat of rain fails to stop our annual Labor Day Cookout, and we host a fine lineup of local

talent inside the store. Then it’s Beatlemania all over again with the long-awaited release of the full Beatles catalog in glorious remas-tered sound.Picks: The Avett Brothers - I & Love & You; The Beatles!

October: WRFL’s Booms-lang Festival comes to town and we host a performance by Wussy as part of the event. Five bands on the festival schedule include CD Central staff members!Picks: Mission Of Burma – The Sound The Speed The Light; Built To Spill - There is No Enemy

November: A long-time dream is realized when we acquire a vintage pinball ma-chine for the store.Picks: David Rawlings Machine - A Friend of a Friend; Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom

December: We’re looking forward to great things in 2010…. A newly-reconstruct-ed Limestone Street, our 15th Anniversary celebration, and lots more great music!