Top Albums of 2009

[graphic by Copycat]

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[list by Chris DeLine]

#1) Fever Ray Fever Ray (album review)
A challenging record that is eerily beautiful from start to end.

#2) The Slew 100%
The Slew, a combination of Kid Koala, DJ Dynomite D, and the rhythm section from the first incarnation of Wolfmother, quickly reveals itself to be a surprisingly cohesive unit on 100%. Though it might casually sound like a step toward a nu-metal revival, the album is anything but; turntableism never sounded so massive.

#3) Pearl Jam Backspacer (album review)
The right producer, with the right band, at the right time, Backspacer is a pure rock album by a band that undeniably knows how to do just that: rock.

#4) Rancid Let The Dominoes Fall
Let The Dominoes Fall is a bit like rekindling a friendship with a best friend you haven’t seen for years: it’s a little awkward at first, but eventually you remember why it—in this case, the band—meant so much to you in the first place.

#5) Lily Allen It’s Not Me, It’s You (album review)
While Allen deserves of some of the ridicule she received this year (quitting music, stance on file-sharing, etc.), It’s Not Me, It’s You is still the most enjoyable pop album of the year.

#6) Raekwon Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt. II (album review)
Fans were hoping for a classic from Cuban Linx II and The Chef and his Wu-brethren delivered. One of the best Wu-Tang records of the decade.

#7) P.O.S. Never Better (album review)
A dynamic shift from the norm, Never Better was seemingly built from as clean a slate as you might find these days. The result is a record that sounds genuinely fresh and original.

#8) Moby Wait For Me (album review)
On the brink of has-been-dom a few years ago, Wait For Me takes a gigantic leap from Last Night‘s club-infused tracks, and rediscovers Moby’s ability to create music without contrived beats or overused sampling.

#9) Dan Deacon Brompst (live performance review)
An overlooked gem that finds Deacon taking a giant leap from acclaimed novelty-act toward acclaimed musician.

#10) Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion (album review)
Though it’s lost some of its shimmer since its release in January, MPP remains a criminally good album that fails to grow old.

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[list by Erik Thompson]

#1) Japandroids Post-Nothing (album review)
Simply a full-throttle, energetic debut from the Canadian two-piece that bristles with a vitality and vigor that absolutely blew me away, and kept my stereo turned up loud all year long.

#2) The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (live performance review)
So good that I initially thought they were Scottish, this New York band delivered an album full of catchy, blissful pop that put a modern twist on an old, familiar sound. Another stunning debut in a year filled with them.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart “Young Adult Friction” [MP3]
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart “Everything With You” [MP3]
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart “Come Saturday” [MP3]

#3) Fanfarlo Reservoir (album review)
This young English band crafted a debut record full of anthemic heights and subtle vulnerability that beautifully captures the struggles of growing up and the challenge of growing wiser.

#4) Grizzly Bear Veckatimest (album review)
A gorgeous, lush record from a band that really has perfected their sound and style. Understated but ultimately jaw-dropping, this insightful album created a mood and plenty of melodies that stuck with me all year.

Grizzly Bear “Cheerleader” [MP3]
Grizzly Bear “Two Weeks (live on the Late Show)” [MP3]
Grizzly Bear “While You Wait For The Others (live on KCRW)” [MP3]

#5) The Memory Tapes Seek Magic
Another stunning debut from sonic mastermind Dayve Hawk, who created these splendid, swirling songs alone in his New Jersey home. A wildly diverse sounding record from start to finish, with each experiment in style managing to ring true.

#6) The Clientele Bonfires On The Heath (album review)
A moody, autumnal record that is breezy and serene, but still quite affecting and impassioned, this English band really refined their sound and delivered a stunningly beautiful album.

#7) Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (album review)
This French band came up with not only one of the cheekiest album titles of the year, but also one of the strongest. It’s just simply a fun, spirited record that remains an absolute pleasure to listen to, no matter how many times I’ve played it.

#8) Fuck Buttons Tarot Sport
These two experimental noisemakers from Bristol create an edgy sound that is gripping and brimming with energy. There is a pulse and a spirit to these songs that keeps the music sounding natural instead of artificial, and demands your attention throughout.

#9) P.O.S. Never Better (album review)
Coming a full three years since his last release, the Minneapolis emcee wasted no time reminding everyone why he’s at the top of the crowded local hip-hop scene by delivering an intense, lyrically audacious record that was packed with bold rhymes and honest passion.

#10) Yeah Yeah Yeahs It’s Blitz (album review)
These New York art rockers threw everyone a sonic curveball on this album, reducing Nick Zinner’s strident guitars but still keeping the dynamic zeal that got our attention in the first place. These songs admittedly took a while to sink in, but once they did I was riveted and amazed as always by this intrepid trio.

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[list by Adam Bubolz]

Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion (album review)

Obits I Blame You (live performance review)

Obits “Two-Headed Coin” [MP3]
Obits “Pine On” [MP3]

P.O.S. Never Better (album review)

Coalesce OX (live performance review)

Sonny & the Sunsets Tomorrow Is Alright

Sunn 0))) Monoliths & Dimensions (live performance review)

Dinosaur Jr. Farm (album review)

Dinosaur Jr. “I Want You To Know” [MP3]

The Flaming Lips Embryonic (album review)

Wolf Eyes Always Wrong (live performance review)

Bellini The Precious Prize of Gravity (live performance review)

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[list by Josh Keller]

#1) Handsome Furs Face Control (album review)
From the first time I heard the album (Dan Boeckner’s best work to date), it became my favorite album of the year: captivating and engaging rock and roll. (Best song: “I’m Confused.”)

Handsome Furs “Radio Kaliningrad” [MP3]
Handsome Furs “I’m Confused” [MP3]
Handsome Furs “Cannot Get, Started” [MP3]
Handsome Furs “What We Had” [MP3]

#2) Why? Eskimo Snow (album review)
Darker (and better) than last years Alopecia, which is saying something as Alopecia is an album I loved top to bottom. Yoni Wolf has quietly become one of the best songwriters of the decade. (Best song: “Against Me.”)

#3) Animal Collective Meriwether Post Pavilion/Fall Be Kind EP (album review)
Even if all they released was “My Girls” and “What Would I Want to Say,” Animal Collective deserve a shout out. Nice to finally see them get the attention they deserve. (Best songs: “My Girls,” and “What Would I Want to Say.”)

#4) Soulsavers Broken (album review)
Mark Lanegan and the British duo Soulsavers combine for one of the most powerful and stirring albums of the year. Lanegan’s voice sounds as scarred and downtrodden as ever, with an appropriately apocalyptic musical backdrop adding to the haunted textures. (Best song: “Unbalanced Pieces.”)

#5) White Denim Fits (album review)
Good old fashioned rock and roll. This group strives for something out of this world and really succeeds. Not many bands took this many chances and really nailed it this year. (Best song: “I Start to Run.”)

#6) The Antlers Hospice (album review)
This album took me a while to get into, but when it finally hit it was like a ton of bricks. Truly one of the most heartfelt and emotionally draining albums of the year. Seeing them live at Pitchfork as the rain came pouring down was quite an experience. (Best song: “Two.”)

The Antlers “Two” [MP3]

#7) Real Estate Real Estate (track review)
Indie pop recorded under water. An album that is texturally amazing and is something that you can easily lose yourself in. (Best song: “Fake Blues.”)

#8) jj N° 2 (track review)
It would be easy to take the sound they are using (world influenced electronic music) and really fuck it up, but jj did nothing of the sorts. They created an album that is both life affirming and makes you want to dance. (Best song: “From Africa to Malaga.”)

#9) Japandroids Post-Nothing (album review)
Loud. Fast. Catchy. Nothing here that hasn’t been done before, but it still kicks a whole bunch of ass. (Best song: “Heart Sweats.”)

#10) The xx xx (album review)
Calm, cool and collected. Their minimalistic approach was sexy and sleek and launched this young band into what will most likely be a very busy 2010. (Best song: “Crystalised.”)

The xx “Basic Space” [MP3]

Honorable mentions: Grizzy Bear Veckatimest, Fanfarlo Reservoir, Washed Out High Times, Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, The Mountain Goats Life of the World To Come, The Memory Tapes Seek Magic, Kurt Vile Childish Prodigy, Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca, Woods Songs of Shame, Raekwon Only Built for the Cuban Linx Pt. II.

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[list by Jon Behm]

#1) Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca (album review)
What’s to be said about the Dirty Projectors’ opus that hasn’t already been said? Bitte Orca is the best album this year, as well as one of the top in the decade. It’s been a long time since avant garde pop was this enjoyable.

#2) Cryptacize Mythomania
This record has slowly crept its way up my top 10 list, growing on me more and more with each listen. Nedelle Torris’s vocals are impeccable, and the saccharine psychadelic melodies are like sunshine on a gloomy day.

Cryptacize “Blue Tears” [MP3]
Cryptacize “One Block Wonders” [MP3]
Cryptacize “Tail & Mane” [MP3]

#3) Ty Segall Ty Segall (album review)
Technically I think this record came out at the very end of 2008, but what the hell. This record was an out-of-left-field hit for me. It’s very tightly constructed psychedellic rock with a ton of barely contained energy. I hope this guy eventually gets the audience he deserves.

#4) Grizzly Bear Veckatimest (album review)
I know, Grizzly Bear on a best of year list? I am taking a crazy chance with this one, but one I am confident taking. This record is beautiful.

#5) Cate Le Bon Me Oh My (album review)
Cate LeBon is still best known for her one-time collaboration with fellow Welsh-person Gruff Rhys last year’s kind-of-crappy Neon Neon album. This should change though as she is an immensely talented singer with a real gift for melodies. This is her debut record, and one that deserves to be listened to everywhere.

#6) Cass McCombs Catacombs (track review)
McCombs’ traditional darkness is tempered a bit by undeniable rays of happiness, the result is McCombs most gorgeous and complex album to date.

#7) Bill Callahan Sometimes I Wish I Were an Eagle (album review)
One of the best songwriters of his time. With Eagle Callahan manages to outshine his last effort, the tragically underrated Woke on a Waleheart.

#8) Micachu and the Shapes Jewellery (album review)
One of my favorite “new” artists this year, Mica Levy is supremely talented and it shows through in this sometimes messy/sometimes brilliant debut. This gal is undoubtedly going to go places.

Micachu and the Shapes “Lips” [MP3]

#9) St. Vincent Actor (album review)
No one was more surprised than me how awesome this record was. I have been talking down Annie Clark for years, and now I am eating crow.

St. Vincent “The Strangers” [MP3]

#10) J Dilla Jay Stay Paid
Gotta admit, I am getting a little tired of all the Dilla tributes at just about every hip hop show I’ve gone to in years after his death Still, it’s just a testament to the dude’s legacy as the greatest producer since Pete Rock. Another testament is the steady stream of fantastic posthumous work, including this year’s sublime JSP.

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[list by Tim Althaus]

#1) Fashawn Boy Meets World (album review)
I literally can’t say enough good things about this album. Ever since Boy Meets World dropped in October, I’ve been giving it spins on a constant basis. Boy Meets World is an album packed with great lyricism and incredible production; it’s truly one of the most sonic albums of 2009. I have a feeling with a debut like Fashawn’s, we are going to be hearing from him a great deal in the future.

#2) Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II (album review)
What do you get when you take some of the best producers in the game and throw Raekwon into the mix? One of the best Wu-Tang albums of the decade. I never thought that deviating from a successful plan (all RZA production) could sound so good. The Chef went back into the kitchen after more than a decade and baked a pie that the fiends will be feeding off of for many years to come.

#3) Skyzoo The Salvation
The Salvation is yet another example of an extraordinary debut album from another top notch emcee. Skyzoo enlisted an all-star roster of producers to create some of the most soulful sounding production of the year, and in the interim he penned some of the most introspective and passionate lyrics of the year.

#4) J Dilla Jay Stay Paid
Anyone that knows me can attest to the fact that I’m a huge fan of James Yancey; I mean, the guy is one of the biggest influences in my life. I was truly ecstatic to hear about the release of Jay Stay Paid because I constantly crave new Dilla material. Needless to say, Ma Dukes and Pete Rock exceeded my expectations ten fold and concocted another great posthumous Dilla project.

#5) Royce Da 5’9″ Street Hop (album review)
For the lack of a better term, my anticipation for Street Hop was higher than the stratosphere, and needless to say, I was definitely impressed with the outcome. Street Hop contains some of Royce’s best work to date, and it further solidifies his position as a forerunner in the already impressive Detroit hip hop scene.

#6) Mos Def The Ecstatic (album review)
It’s great seeing Mos Def putting out really quality music again; to me, The Ecstatic has everything that Mos’ solo work had been lacking since Black On Both Sides. Mos’ lyrical content is simply superb, and it can never hurt when the Brothers Jackson (Madlib + Oh No) are behind the boards for almost half of the cuts on your album. To be put in another way, this album contains some of Mos Def’s most enjoyable work to date.

#7) 14KT Nowalataz LP
I am a person that truly loves beat tapes; there’s something about instrumentals that puts me at ease. Nowalataz LP is an excellently executed beat tape, and truly one of my favorite projects of the year. 14KT made this album as an homage to Jay Dee, and named the project after his favorite candy. For those of you that truly enjoy albums like Donuts, this album really is for you.

#8) P.O.S. Never Better (album review)
On Never Better Stef Alexander goes against the normal hip hop grain and comes out on top with one of the best albums of the year. Stef’s aggression and passion pours out all over this record, and I have to add that it’s very refreshing to see him jump behind the boards and take on the production aspect.

#9) Finale A Pipe Dream and A Promise
Finale is an emcee that fine tuned his craft working with J Dilla in the Detroit hip hop scene, so naturally you know he is going to possess some great skills. On A Pipe Dream and A Promise Finale introduces his natural laid back flow to the world amidst producers like Black Milk, Nottz, J Dilla and Flying Lotus.

#10) Slaughterhouse Slaughterhouse (live performance review)
Slaughterhouse is a great example of the things that can come out of a hip hop super group. Royce Da 5’9″, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz & Joe Budden fire all cylinders on every track on this album, and in the meantime they take some pretty hefty shots at the industry.