Best albums of 2009

It’s that usual time of year for annual ‘Best of’ lists. It’s been an interesting year in music; some standout albums, but not a lot of quality depth in my opinion. Anyway, here’s my favourite albums of 2009:

20. To Lose My Life – White Lies

One of the breakthrough bands of the year and definitely a band for the future. Reminiscent of the The Editors at times.

19. Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You

What more can one say about the little MySpace princess of pop? ‘Fear’ was undoubtedly one of the best crafted pop tunes of 2009.

18. Middle Cyclone – Neko Case

More class from Neko Case. Always willing to bear the rawest elements in her lyrics, she combines hauntingly powerful vocals with alt-country hooks to create a varied and interesting album.

17. Jaydiohead – Jaydiohead

The little surprise package of my year, this mashup album from New York DJ and producer Max Tannone mixes Jay-Z’s rhymes with Radiohead’s instrumentals, with devastatingly good results. Hit the download page here.

16. Everything is New – Jack Penate

An artist whose boy-band image make him someone people love to hate, but there’s no doubting the quality of this album. Check out ‘Pull My Heart Away’.

15. The Ecstatic – Mos Def

Mos Def’s best album in years. Mixing those old-skool instrumentals that made Black on Both Sides such a classic, he seems to have finished experimenting and gone back to what he does best. With a lot of stagnancy in hip hop at the moment, probably best that it’s an old hand leading the way forward…

14. Merriweather Post Pavilion – Animal Collective

The darling of the indie critics, Animal Collective’s 2009 effort was undoubtedly one of the richest and most original albums of the year. Fell short of listening longevity for me, but undoubtedly a worthy addition to the best of list.

13. The ’59 Sound – The Gaslight Anthem

Technically this album was released in late 2008, but it spent the most amount of time in my speakers in ’09 so I’m putting in here. An awesome sophomore album from the New Jersey band, full of unconstrained energy and heart that did a lot of road trips with me.

12. Post-Nothing – Japandroids

There’s always something to be appreciated about a band that throws any hope of commercial radio airplay out the window. The absolute rawness of this band really grabbed me this year. ‘Wet Hair’ took me up many steep hills on the trails in ’09.

11. The Sound they Make – New Ruins

Their description as alt-goth interested me on eMusic before I listened to this album, and I’m really glad I did. Not on many people’s radars this year, this was another of my surprise packages. Layered guitars and driving percussion. Quality.

10. The xx – xx

Another indie critic darling, but one that lived up to the hype. Stripped down instrumentals and claustrophobic lyrics dripping with tension and hurt on a beautifully constructed album. Check out some of their remixes of other artists too.

9. Wolfgang Amadeus – Phoenix

You just know these Frenchies had a lot of fun making this album, and its impossible not to bob yer head at almost every track. A definite summer pool party album. Check out ’1901′ and ‘Lisztomania’ and ‘Girlfriend’.

8. Manners – Passion Pit

One of the most popular indie albums on the underground circuit, and another great summer album. If you liked Empire of the Sun, you’ll love this. ‘The Reeling’ and ‘Moth’s Wings’ are the top tracks on the album.

7. Florine by Julianna Barwick

Another real personal pick this. Julianna Barwick’s Florine EP was my panacea during some of the most stressful moments at work this year, as well as the perfect tranquil environment for some of my longer trail running excursions. Close your eyes and listen to ‘Cloudbank’.

6. Sort of Revolution – Fink

A new find for me this year, and his back catalogue is well worth exploring too. This understated Brit brings acoustic class to my lineup and was a solid addition to many of my playlists this year. Best track on the album, ‘If I Had a Million’. Check out ‘This Is the Thing’ from his 2007 album ‘Distance and Time’ too.

5. It’s Blitz – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

A huge shift in style for the YYY’s on this album, which was an incredibly brave move such is the indie ownership felt by so many of their fans. Dropping driving punk riffs for synths and ballads, this album delivers on so many levels. ‘Hysteric’ is a masterpiece.

4. The Wishes and the Glitch – Say Hi

One of the greatest things about the internet is the democratisation of content creation, and this is rarely more apparent than in music. When a guy from Seattle can produce six albums over the last seven years from his own apartment, from writing to finished digital production, one gets a sense of its power. The Wishes and the Glitch is an eccentric album which shows off Eric Elbogen’s lyrical skills and technical prowess to deliver a charmingly unpolished, authentic indipop gem. Check out ‘Spiders’, ‘We Lost the Albatross’ and ‘Northwestern Girls’. (By the way, this is another late 2008 release which snuck into my 2009 list)

3. The Midnight Organ Fright – Frightened Rabbit

These Scotsmen were another new arrival for me this year, although this is their second album. You won’t find this on many best of lists this year, it’s a little more obscure; but the album held a lot for me. Scott Hutchison’s raw Scottish accent and intense lyrics accompany an expansive range of songs from stripped down ballads to energetic, driving floor fillers. All in all, an eclectic, emotive, quirky and challenging album; ‘Fast Blood’ and ‘Good Arms vs Bad Arms’ being the most illustrative.

2. Two Suns – Bat for Lashes

Ever since I saw Bat for Lashes’ awesome video for ‘What’s a Girl to Do?’ off the first album I’ve been enamoured with Natasha Khan’s hauntingly beautiful voice and innovative instrumentals. ‘Two Suns’ was an album I constantly came back to in 2009, and its layers of lyrics and rhythms gave it the longevity. An epic follow-up to ‘Fur and Gold’, and an album which should have won the Mercury Prize this year. You should hear ‘Daniel’ and ‘Two Planets’ first. ‘Daniel’ video below:

1. Fantasies – Metric

Look, by way of disclosure I’ve got to note that Metric are probably my favourite band out there, so some may see these this as commonly clouded bias. However, this being my list and all…

After Emily Haines took time out to craft her solo masterpiece, ‘Knives Don’t Have Your Back’, the band reconnected to start writing for Metric again (see video below). What followed was a brilliantly balanced album that brought a bit of maturity to the wilder, rawer elements of Metric’s previous albums. Don’t get me wrong, the flying synths and big riffs are still there, but both lyrically and stylistically, there’s definitely a new feeling on this album. ‘Fantasies’ was undoubtedly the album on my heaviest rotation in 2009. ‘Satellite Mind’, ‘Stadium Love’ and ‘Help, I’m Alive’ are the ones to start with.