2009 in Review - Top 25 Albums

1. Mathieu Boogaerts - I Love You
OK, this record was released in November 2008, but I didn't know about it until mid-2009. My Blog = My Rules. I've loved every one of Mathieu Boogaerts' records since my friend Justin first introduced me to his music a few years ago. It's catchy, charming, quirky and largely impenetrable to a non-French speaker such as myself.


2. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
It took months and months for this record to finally work its hooks into me. Once it did, it was in constant rotation. This was the closest thing to a new Midlake record for me (and, having already heard a few tracks, I can guarantee that Midlake's upcoming release, The Courage of Others, will be on this list next year.)


3. Fol Chen - Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made
I can't understand why I haven't seen this record on anyone else's Best of 2009 list -- it is consistently catchy, brilliant, beautiful and surprising.


4. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Within the first five minutes of listening to this record in January 2009, I knew it was destined for a spot on my Best of 2009 list. Yep, here it is.


5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - S/T
I don't know whether this record is calculated or sincere, but it really doesn't much matter to me. A delight from start to finish.






6. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I love the direction Phoenix has been going in the past few years, and this is their strongest record yet.








7. Passion Pit - Manners
This record has been in constant rotation, too. Fun, fun and more fun.









8. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Challenging and thrillingly original.











9. Röyksopp - Junior
Their first record, Melody A.M., is one of my all-time favorites. Junior is an outstanding effort, as well, with several memorable guest vocalists. Nearly docked a spot for the ugliest sleeve of the year.





10. St. Vincent - Actor
Eclectic and twisted, yet accessible.











11. the dodos - Time To Die
This record just barely missed my Top 10 -- melodies which will stick in your head for weeks and weeks.









12. Metric - Fantasies
Far stronger than their earlier records -- not a bad track to be found.










13. Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself
The saddest music news of the year for me was the unexpected death of Telefon Tel Aviv's Charlie Cooper just as this, their latest (and likely final) record, was released. It is lovely and elegiac and a fitting, if unintended, epitaph.




14. Royal Bangs - Let It Beep
ROCK in ALL CAPS. Noisy and fun.












15. The Thermals - Now We Can See
Their best record to date -- The Thermals have been consistently releasing the catchiest punk-pop of the decade. Great live band, too.






16. Tegan And Sara - Sainthood
So many of these records could easily have made my top 10 -- case in point: this one.










17. Tahiti 80 - Activity Center
I just adore Tahiti 80, and their latest release is every bit as bouncy and sugary as you'd expect.









18. The XX - xx
I really enjoy their minimalist Young Marble Giants feel.













19. Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers
A remarkable return to form for the Manics. I'd more or less written them off for the past 13+ years -- nothing they'd released after Everything Must Go merited more than a single spin for me -- yet, this record is powerful, cohesive and thought-provoking. If you miss the sound of The Holy Bible-era Manics, this is the record for you. Docked a spot or two for Nicky Wire's dreadful lead vocal on the closing song, "William's Last Words."



20. The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules
This spot could easily have gone to Erlend Øye's other band, Kings of Convenience -- but I find I prefer his solo work and his work with The Whitest Boy Alive.







21. The Bird and the Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future
Not quite the tour de force that their debut was, but I would listen to Inara George sing the phonebook.







22. Spookey Ruben - Mechanical Royalty
Thanks to my pal Dave for introducing me to this thoroughly insane Prog-meets-Power Pop record, which its creator describes as a 'concept album about a kingdom of robots who are attacked by the humans who originally created them because they possess a magnetic force that keeps harmony in society that the humans want back for themselves'!



23. Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today I'm Sorry They Washed Away No More Stories The World Is Grey I'm Tired Let's Wash Away
While I think it's unlikely that Mew will ever top their previous record, And The Glass Handed Kites, there's plenty to love about their latest effort. Plus they are the most dynamic live act out there.



24. Rickie Lee Jones - Balm In Gilead
A supremely lovely outing by one of the enduring talents of the past 30 years. Seeing her perform at World Cafe Live was one of the highlights of my year.




25. Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele - The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
More catchy melodies than you can shake his shtick at.






You can download all 25 tracks as a .zip file here.