Wednesday 27 January 2010

5 Best Albums of 2009

I didn't listen to a whole lot of new music last year, mostly just listened to 2008's top five (Frightened Rabbit, The Walkmen, Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver, and The Hold Steady if you're keeping score). But these are five from last year that you should really run out and buy if you don't own them already. They're just super.

1. Fantasies, by Metric
Fantasies

2. Middle Cyclone, by Neko Case
Middle Cyclone

3. Hazards of Love, by The Decemberists
Hazards of Love

4. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, by Phoenix
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

5. Dark Was the Night, Various Artists
Dark Was The Night

What albums did you like?

9 comments:

Joe G. said...

Woo hoo, I have half of your list! I say half because I have Dark was the Night, I just haven't gotten around to listening to it. I love the hell out of Hazards of Love. Seeing them perform the whole album live was pretty much amazing. Shara Worden's voice gives me chills.

I didn't buy much music last year, on account of being un(der)employed for ten months. Of the new albums I bought last year, my favorites were Noble Beast by Andrew Bird (he can do no wrong in my mind), Strange Light by David Berkeley, Blue Lights on the Runway by Bell X1, I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers, and Bomb in a Birdcage by A Fine Frenzy. I think those are probably my five favorite albums of the last year, Hazards of Love excluded.

kat said...

i have a friend who LOVES the avett brothers, but i have yet to give them a listen. i should get on that.

Joe G. said...

I and Love and You is the first album of theirs that I've bought, and I can't stop listening to it.

mysterygirl! said...

"I and Love and You" is an amazing song (thanks, GSR, for sending it to me)-- I haven't heard the whole album yet.

I have four of those albums (no Decemberists) and I enjoy them a whole lot. I'm terrible at remembering what albums come out in each particular year, though.

Jennie said...

I think I have all of these! Mostly thanks to you, Kat. Hee.

Grad School Reject said...

I have to 'second' or 'third' the Avett Brothers. Rick Rubin strikes gold again.

Andrew Bird was also great for me (Sidebar: Joe and I should be music friends).

Florence and the Machine's "Lungs" caught me by surprise in a good way.

Yes to Metric (missed them twice last year, grumble grumble.)

Finally, Animal Collective's "Merriweather Post Pavilion" got played a lot.

Ashley said...

I was really feeling good about myself until I came to number five. But I guess four out of five ain't bad.

sarah g said...

I have zero and have heard of none of them.

:)

You can call me, 'Sir' said...

Them Crazy Vultures. Foo Fighters + Queens of the Stone Age + Led Zeppelin = Holy Shit is that a good album.

The Decembrists new one was pretty epic and Andrew Bird's latest was bueno. Porcupine Tree's new one called The Incident was also spectacular. I mostly found older stuff for the first time this year, so I'm a little behind the power curve on the brand new stuff.