Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Top 50 Albums of 2009

Coming on the heels of a terrible year for music, 2009 started out with a deluge of promising releases, and for the most part, was crowded in the 'absolutely great' echelon. As I look back at it now, though, the year wasn't as deep in great releases other years. Normally, I've over one hundred albums that I'm trying to squeeze down to fifty, but this year it wasn't too hard to get it down to fifty... only having to whittle off 10 or so. So without further ado... here they be.

Playlist: Top 50 Albums of 2009

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca1. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

By far the most accessible release from Dave Longstreth and co., Bitte Orca is still complicated enough to no doubt fluster more than a few ears. There wasn't a better three song sequence in recent memory, with the 1-2-3 punch of "Stillness Is The Move," "Two Doves" and "Useful Chamber." They admirably pulled off the songs live on tour (and on TV appearances), even with the degree of difficulty.

Review, June 9, 2009



Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion2. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Stream / Purchase [mp3

2009 began with a bang thanks to this release in January, easily topping all of the releases in the 12 months prior. Because it leaked a month early, last year's "top 50" list felt insignificant in comparison, and MPP wound up topping most folks list this year.

Review, January 20, 2009



Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest3. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Hard to believe that once upon a time, Grizzly Bear was thought of as lo-fi. Veckatimest is teeming with precision and bursting with moments of harmonizing glory, as if alternating between lakeside surgery and wondrous visitations from the Lord (the album was finished in a church). Perfect follow up to 2006's Yellow House.

*Unless you settled for that unfinished leak that made the rounds, in which case I say to you "Dump that noise and pony up for the real thang, Son!"

Review, May 26, 2009



The Flaming Lips - Embryonic4. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

The Lips return to the weird, after spending a few years dropping their quirks on the long-incubating Christmas on Mars project. Freed up experimentally, Embryonic doesn't concern itself with being loved by all, instead is bathed in paranoia and dread. If you're looking for bunny suits and confetti explosions, keep moving.

Review, October 13, 2009



Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another5. Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Review, June 23, 2009



Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix6. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Review, May 26, 2009



Japandroids - Post-Nothing7. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Review, August 4, 2009



Polvo - In Prism8. Polvo - In Prism
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Review September 8, 2009
Download: "Beggar's Bowl" [mp3]



The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You9. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Review September 29, 2009



Girls - Album10. Girls - Album
Stream / Purchase [mp3]



11. St Vincent - Actor
12. Atlas Sound - Logos (review 10/20/09)
13. The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa
14. Micachu and the Shapes - Jewellery (review 04/07/09)
15. Volcano Choir - Unmap (review 09/29/09)
16. Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer (review 06/23/09)
17. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
18. Neon Indian - Pyschic Chasms
19. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
20. Islands - Vapours (review 09/22/09)
21. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone (review 03/03/09)
22. The Xx - The Xx (tv preview 11/09/09)
23. Fever Ray - Fever Ray (review 03/24/09)
24. Raekwon - Only Built for Cuban Linx... Pt. II
25. Real Estate - Real Estate (review 12/01/09)
26. Mission of Burma - The Sound, The Speed, The Light (review 10/06/09)
27. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
28. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm (review 06/23/09)
29. The Antlers - Hospice
30. DOOM - Born Like This
31. Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band (review 08/04/09)
32. Pissed Jeans - King of Jeans (review 08/18/09)
33. Os Mutantes - Haih or Amortecedor (review 09/08/09)
34. Royksopp - Junior (review 01/29/08)
35. Foreign Born - Person to Person (review 06/23/09)
36. Art Brut - Art Brut Vs. Satan (review 04/21/09)
37. Wavves - Wavvves (review 03/17/09)
38. They Might Be Giants - Here Comes Science (review 01/15/08)
39. Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand (review 02/24/09)
40. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
41. White Rabbits - It's Frightening (review 05/19/09)
42. Sonic Youth - The Eternal (review 06/09/09)
43. Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
44. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
45. Cass McCombs - Catacombs
46. Major Lazer - Guns Don't Kill People-- Lazers Do
47. Maxwell - BLACKsummer'snight
48. The Minus 5 - Killingsworth (03/19/08)
49. Dark Was the Night
50. Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications (review 05/19/09)

Previously: Best Albums from 2008, Best Albums from 2007

1 comment:

Shawn Anderson said...

Top 50 Albums of 2009
1. Stillness Is The Move - Dirty Projectors
2. My Girls - Animal Collective
3. Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear
4. Watching The Planets - The Flaming Lips
5. The Hope That House Built - Future Of The Left
6. 1901 - Phoenix
7. Young Hearts Spark Fire - Japandroids
8. Right the Relation - Polvo
9. I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers
10. Lust For Life - Girls
11. The Strangers - St. Vincent
12. Walkabout [w/ Noah Lennox] - Atlas Sound
13. Warm Heart of Africa (featuring Ezra Koenig) - The Very Best
14. Golden Phone - Micachu and the Shapes
15. Island, IS - Volcano Choir
16. Idiot Heart - Sunset Rubdown
17. Young Adult Friction - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
18. Should Have Taken Acid With You - Neon Indian
19. Surf Solar - F*ck Buttons
20. Switched On - Islands
21. This Tornado Loves You - Neko Case
22. Islands - The xx
23. Seven - Fever Ray
24. The New Wu (Explicit) (Feat. Method Man and Ghostface Killah) - Raekwon
25. Fake Blues - Real Estate
26. 1, 2, 3, Partyy! - Mission of Burma
27. Over It - Dinosaur Jr.
28. Kettering - The Antlers
29. Ballskin - MF DOOM
30. The Ruminant Band (Album) - Fruit Bats
31. Half Idiot - Pissed Jeans
32. Querida Querida - Os Mutantes
33. Happy Up Here - Royksopp
34. Blood Oranges - Foreign Born
35. Slap Dash For No Cash - Art Brut
36. No Hope Kids - Wavves
37. Meet the Elements - They Might Be Giants
38. Starting Over - Black Lips
39. Daniel - Bat For Lashes
40. Percussion Gun - White Rabbits
41. Antenna - Sonic Youth
42. Epilepsy Is Dancing - Antony and the Johnsons
43. Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
44. You Saved My Life - Cass McCombs
45. Keep It Goin' Louder Featuring Nina Sky, Ricky Blaze - Major Lazer
46. Pretty Wings (Uncut) - Maxwell
47. Scott Walker's Fault - The Minus 5
48. Knotty Pine - Dirty Projectors (from Dark Was the Night benefit compilation)
49. Angela - Jarvis Cocker