Feature / Music
Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2009

Posted pre-2010

ARTICLE JUMP

Magic Bullet Records /

Forensics / Aughra

(Brent Eyestone)

What are your top five albums that were released in 2009? (In order 1-5)

  1. The Marked Men - Ghosts

  2. Silversun Pickups - Swoon

  3. Made Out of Babies - Coward

  4. Doomriders - Darkness Come Alive

  5. Disappearer - The Clearing

What band did you discover in 2009 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?

I got really into Scott Walker, mainly because it's such an interesting story. Mega-popstar goes dark ambient. Seeing some of his recording techniques and ideas was pretty captivating as well. I show the documentary to a lot of people. It usually goes the same: they start with a lot of "what the fuck are we watching"s that eventually turn into "this guy is so unbelievably cool."

How will you remember 2009? (In terms of music)

I'll remember 2009 in a couple of ways. It's definitely the year of Boston heaviness and a tight-knit group of dudes in particular. Three stellar albums from three incestuous bands. Disappearer's "The Clearing" connects to Doomriders' "Darkness Come Alive" connects to Converge's "Axe To Fall." All three were recorded at God City in very close proximity to one another. Something was really happening up there, as all three albums are light years beyond expectations from these bands. I suspect they will easily become classics when it comes to the genre. Outside of that, I'll remember it as a year of finally getting back out on the road a bunch. The last couple years were definitely trapped under a lot of the administrative and business side of growing the label, so it was nice to relax for a bit and have some great shows and adventures again.

2009 was a huge year for reunions. What reunion excited you the most? What band that has not reunited would you love to see play/record most in 2010?

I usually don't get excited for reunions at all. They are usually comprised of bloated men running out of breath playing embarrassing "emotional" ditties from their late teens/early 20's. But I got pumped when Charles and the Rorschach dudes asked us to play their reunion. They definitely brought it. The only band I'd care to see a reunion of at this point is the Afghan Whigs.

What can we look forward to from you in 2010?

  • Christie Front Drive "Stereo" reissue LP/CD/DVD

  • Christie Front Drive "Discography" 2xLP/CD
  • Made Out of Babies "The Ruiner" LP

  • Julie Christmas "The Scribbles and Scrapes of Amy Anyone" Book/Album/CD

  • Forensics "You Don't Have to Win, But You Have to Fight" 10"/CD

  • Jesuit "Discography" LP/CD

  • Suppression "Alliance of Concerned Men" CD

  • Years "Semblance" CD

  • Golden City - new album

What three records are you looking forward to most in 2010?

I don't even know what's coming out. So I'll just hope my favorites keep cranking stuff out: PJ Harvey, Mogwai, hopefully a really killer Jesu album?

Website Link (Website/Myspace/Blog/Etc.): http://www.magicbulletrecords.com

— words by the SPB team

Related features

Black Adidas

One Question Interviews / What's That Noise? • March 5, 2026

Courtney Ranshaw (Black Adidas) SPB: Is there an instrument that's central to "the Black Adidas sound"? Ranshaw: I’d like to showcase an instrument that’s central to one of the songs on the record and has made its way onto a few songs of ours over the years. This is our … Read more

Dromedary Records

One Question Interviews • March 3, 2026

Al (Dromedary Records) SPB: What keeps you interested in running a record label as time passes and your own life changes? What keeps you motivated? AL: I’ve been doing this for more than 30 years, and there have certainly been times where it slowed way down or I took breaks, … Read more

Ultrabomb

One Question Interviews • March 2, 2026

Greg Norton (Ultrabomb) SPB: Has the current political climate affected Ultrabomb and did it influence lyrical content? Norton: Yes, absolutely. I’d say 80% of the lyrics for this album were written last summer as Trump was rolling out his gestapo squads, and the media’s lack of response to accurately reporting.  Read more

Nonthewiser

One Question Interviews • February 27, 2026

Nic (Nonthewiser) SPB: What were your biggest takeaways from recording your EP Injustice For All? What did you learn and what would that change the process next time around? Nic: Recording Injustice For All taught us how important planning really is. Since we live in different cities, we record everything … Read more

The Immortal Samsara Travelers

One Question Interviews • February 26, 2026

Stanley Christiaensen (The Immortal Samsara Travelers – guitar/flute/vocals/sitar) SPB: How do you typically begin the composition process for a song? Christiaensen: The composition process always starts from either existential questions like the evolution of the human species or historical visions like the Hadean Eon, Egyptian mythology. An atmosphere will spark … Read more

More from this section

Demos You Want To Check #2

Music / New Kids On The Block • January 12, 2026

The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and then die out, and new bands present themselves to the world. How on earth are you expected to keep up, right? Well, a little help never hurts! So here we are, your … Read more

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: Year End (2025)

Music / Year End 2025 • December 23, 2025

Every year we diligently assemble a list of our favorite albums of the year. Each SPB staff member enters the large arena we nickname THE DOJO, and yells out the name of their top album of the year. Rival staffers quickly assemble and shout out their own highly-favored record, and … Read more

Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2025

Music / Year End 2025 • December 23, 2025

For many years now, Scene Point Blank has taken the opportunity as the year ends to formally "pass the mic" to our friends on the other side of the mostly-imaginary divide between listeners and artists. This year is no exception as we ask a bunch of bands, artists and labels … Read more