(photo by zoom lens)
Our main list and our staff lists continue today — three more personal faves below the jump.
I don’t want to push the preceding posts down the page, so please follow us after the cut and don’t forget to add your own lists to the mix!
Jayson Greene, Production Editor
Top 30 Albums of 2009
1. Kurt Vile, God Is Saying This To You
2. Bill Callahan, Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
3. David Lang, Little Match Girl Passion
4. Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
5. DOOM, Born Like This
6. Built to Spill, There Is No Enemy
7. St. Vincent, Actor
8. Rick Ross, Deeper Than Rap
9. Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
10. Girls, Album
11. Freddie Gibbs, midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmusick
12. Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion
13. Raekwon, Only Built for Cuban Linx II
14. Victoire, A Door Into the Dark
15. Gucci Mane, The Burrprint 3-D
16. Beanie Sigel, Broad Street Bully
17. Baroness, The Blue Record
18. Lil Boosie, Thug Passion
19. Playboy Tre, Liquor Store Mascot
20. Phosphorescent, To Willie
21. Flaming Lips, Embryonic
22. the xx, xx
23. Mos Def, The Ecstatic
24. Woods, Songs of Shame
25. Lil Wayne, No Ceilings
26. UGK, UGK 4 Life
27. Nadia Sirota, First Things First
28. Love Language, Love Language
29. Let’s Wrestle, In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s
30. DJ Quik and Kurupt, BlaQKout
Sean Fennessey, Director of Merchandising
Albums
1. The-Dream, Love vs. Money
2. Girls, Album
3. Rick Ross, Deeper Than Rap
4. Real Estate, Real Estate
5. Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
6. The xx, xx
7. Mos Def, The Ecstatic
8. Lil Wayne, No Celings
9. Alela Diane, To Be Still
10. Playboy Tre, Liquor Store Mascot
11. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II
12. DJ Quik & Kurupt, BlaQKout
13. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
14. Freddie Gibbs, midwestboxframecadillacmuzik
15. Jay-Z, The Blueprint 3
16. Michael Giacchino, Up Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
17. Handsome Furs, Face Control
18. Japandroids, Post-Nothing
19. Clipse, Till The Casket Drops
20. Gucci Mane, The Burrprint: 3D
21. Cass McCombs, Catacombs
22. Trey Songz, READY
23. Yim Yames, Tribute To
24. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz
25. Z-Ro, Cocaine
Reissues
1. Pylon, Chomp More
2. Various Artists, 5: Five Years of Hyperdub
3. Various Artists, Ghana Special
4. The Jesus Lizard, Head
5. The Beatles, Stereo box
6. The Monks, Black Monk Time
7. Serge Gainsbourg, Histoire de Melody Nelson
8. Beck, One Foot in the Grave
9. The Beastie Boys, Check Your Head
10. Jawbox, For Your Own Special Sweetheart
Songs (Unranked)
Girls, “Lust For Life”
Kurt Vile, “Hunchback”
Charlotte Gainsbourg, “IRM”
The Big Pink, “Dominos”
Best Coast, “This is Real”
Phoenix, “1901″
Karen O and the Kids, “Hideaway”
Lee Fields and the Expressions, “Love Comes and Goes”
Drake feat. Lil Wayne, “I’m Goin’ In”
Animal Collective, “What Would I Want? Sky”
Matt and Kim, “Daylight”
Sleigh Bells, “Ring Ring”
Clipse, “Freedom”
Grizzly Bear feat. Michael McDonald, “While You Wait For the Others”
Das Racist, “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”
Young Money, “Every Girl”
Surfer Blood, “Swim”
Dirty Projectors, “Temecula Sunrise”
Jay Electronica, “Exhibit C”
Nicki Minaj, “I Get Crazy”
Black Lips, Starting Over”
R. Kelly, “Echo”
Mario feat. Gucci Mane & Sean Garrett, “Break-Up”
Passion Pit, “The Reeling”
Tune-Yards, “Hatari”
Them Crooked Vultures, “Scumbag Blues”
Rick Ross, “Rich Off Cocaine”
Foreign Born, “Early Warnings”
Toro Y Moi, “Blessa”
Plies, “Awesome”
Big Boi feat. Gucci Mane, “Shine Blockas”
Free Energy, “Dream City”
The Dead Weather, “I Cut Like a Buffalo”
Japandroids, “Young Hearts Spark Fire”
Waka Flocka Flame, “Let’s Do It”
Fool’s Gold, “Nadine”
Pill, “Trap Goin’ Ham”
Wilco, “Bull Black Nova”
The-Dream, “Love vs. Money” Suite
Gucci Mane, “Heavy”
Neon Indian, “Dead Beat Summer”
Ilya Zinger, Customer Service
Top 10 Albums of 2009
1. Girls, Album
2. Let’s Wrestle, In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s
3. Raekwon, Only Built for Cuban Linx II
4. Flaming Lips, Embryonic
5. the xx, xx
6. Japandroids, Post-Nothing
7. Grass Widow, Grass Widow
8. Julianna Barwick, Florine
9. Lightning Dust, Infinite Light
10. Taken By Trees, East of Eden
Alright, I believe I’m as comfortable as I’m going to get with my list. Here’s my top 15.
01. Timber Timbre – Timber Timbre*
02. Grass Widow – Grass Widow*
03. Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
04. White Denim – Fits
05. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros*
06. Floating Action – Floating Action*
07. Cotton Jones – Paranoid Cocoon*
08. The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You*
09. Holiday Shores – Columbus’d The Whim*
10. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest*
11. The Breeders – Fate To Fatal*
12. Califone – All My Friends Are Funeral Singers*
13. The Crocodiles – Summer of Hate*
14. Now, Now Every Children – Cars
15. The Soft Pack – The Muslims*
* = available on eMusic
= was once available on eMusic and you totally missed out
Sorry guys, I had a plus sign as the “was once available on eMusic and you totally missed out” but it didn’t like it (should’ve known better and picked something else). Those albums would’ve been:
04. White Denim – Fits
14. Now, Now Every Children – Cars
whoah. you have given me much here to check out.
On the main list I’m a little surprised to see two heavy hitters so low (high?) on the Emusic list (Avett Bros at #49 and Japandroids at #38). I am, however, ecstatic to see Hymns of Rhodesia on there.
Okay, what am I missing on Girls? Usually when an album I don’t particularly care for gets heaped with praise I can at least see where it is coming from, but this one? It just baffles me. Sure it’s an okay album, but it keeps getting ranked incredibly high (not just here either). Clearly, something about it is escaping me. Anyone care to clue me in?
Craig
Craig: I’m convinced a lot of it is the lead singer’s backstory (e.g., grew up in notorious cult). The record’s good tho.
I like the songs a lot, particularly “Lust for Life,” though the record didn’t hit me quite as hard as I know it’s hit other people.
Based on my iPod play count, here are my top 15 most-listened-to albums from 2009:
1. Animal Collective — Merriweather Post Pavilion
2. A.C. Newman — Get Guilty
3. Obits — I Blame You
4. Sunset Rubdown — Dragonslayer
5. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone — Vs. Children
6. Mika Miko — We Be Xaxu
7. Bonnie “Prince” Billy — Beware
8. Neko Case — Middle Cyclone
9. Dan Deacon — Bromst
10. Fiery Furnaces — I’m Going Away
11. The Dodos — Time to Die
12. Mi Ami — Watersports
13. The Feelies — The Good Earth (reissue)
14. The Mountain Goats — The Life of the World to Come
15. Modest Mouse — No One’s First and You’re Next
@Craig
Since I made Girls my #1 I feel like I owe it to explain why it has that spot. For a while the album wasn’t even on my radar. I think a few people on eMusic spent the summer obsessed with “Hellhole Ratrace”, but the song only really hit me a few months ago.
I don’t think its the back story, because I didn’t know much about Chris Owens and the cult. If any of the tragic events in his life had any effect on the songwriting it’s not immediately noticeable. But the standout tracks, “Lust for Life”, “Summertime”, “Laura”, are all so naked and sincere that I felt completely comfortable with them. And I guess that’s not usually what I like, but it worked. I’d say give it another chance.
Yeah, I will agree with Ilya in saying that I liked the record before I knew anything about dude’s backstory.
My Top 100 tracks are here: http://m-matos.blogspot.com/2009/12/every-year-i-swear-im-not-going-to-do.html
ilya FTW!
I’ve gotta say that I’m pretty surprised (but pleasantly so) that Veckatimest hasn’t shown up on most of these lists, even though it’s been close to the top on most of the media year-ends. A great sounding album, but BORING… (Two weeks is pretty sweet though)
Some of my favorites this year(in no particular order): The XX, Akron/Family, Staff Benda Bilili, Phoenix, Major Lazer, Nadia Sirota, and Raekwon (esp. “Black Mozart”).
I also apent a lot of time with last year’s Harvey Milk album, which didn’t hit the site until this year I think.
Jayson turned me on to the Nadia Sirota – I love that thing.
Thanks for the response ilya. It’s not that I dislike the album, it just hasn’t clicked with me like it apparently has with so many others. I’ll follow the wisdom of the crowd and give it another listen!
Craig
Mike — I totally forgot to include Staff Benda Bilili on my list. What a great album, it was on constantly all summer in my back yard.
I also have a list of albums that I wanted to like, but didn’t. It includes the GAM, Grizzly Bear, Girls, Discovery, and Animal Collective. It wasn’t until hearing the Taken By Trees version of My Boys that I began to understand why Merriweather Post Pavilion attracted so much love.
Looking back on my list (in the comments to: http://17dots.com/2009/12/14/the-best-of-09-countdown-has-begun/ ) I realized that almost half my picks were second albums from bands whose debut really blew me away. Of these, only Little Dragon blew me away more the second time. Still, lots of great follow ups.
Hello, Hi,
I just want to let you know that 37 french speaking blogs (mine is in) made a great vote to choose the albums of the year. We published today the same Top in our 37 blogs. Perhaps, it’s interesting for american people to see what are our tastes here in Europe. Some french albums are on emusic : Biolay, Aufgang. 14 of the 20 first albums are on emusic.
Thanks for visting our results [url=http://www.topdesblogueurs.fr/]here[/url].
More than 500 albums received one vote : [url=http://www.topdesblogueurs.fr/09/tous-les-albums.html]the list[/url]
Thanks for your attention!
Mmarsupilami
I forgot to put Future of the Left on my list! How could I forget Future of the Left?! Probably one of my two favorites of the year… as good as McLusky Do Dallas.
Wow, my top 10 prediction keeps getting more and more off with none of Avett Bros, Japandroids and now Dirty Projectors making into the top 20.
We try our best to keep you guessing
V. surprised to see Bitte Orca ranked as low as No. 30. I was NO FAN of the group before this album, but I think this new disc is pretty special. It’s all in the skittish grooves and the lead singer’s King Sunny Ade/Jimmy Page guitar playing style.
Bitte Orca is my #1 for the year, so obviously I think it should be higher, but I’ve seen a lot of lists have it in the 20-30 range so I’m not too surprised.
I really need to sit down and actually come up with my top ten.
Craig
It was my No. 1 too.
Great list but missing the best of the year, Minster Hill’s “Capturing Clouds in a Bottle” and the great new Orange Peels “2020″
I had trouble coming up with a list of 10 or 15, mainly because I only feel strongly about the 5 or so.
1. We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls
2. Matthew Ryan – Dear Lover (This showed up on eMusic near the end of the year. It’s possible that with more listens I’d move it to #1.)
3. Metric – Fantasies
4. U2 – No Line on the Horizon (I might be the only one to like this – and I don’t like the whole thing – but the first 4 songs are very strong.)
5. Liechtenstein – Survival Strategies in a Modern World
This year I listened to my top pick from 2008 (Gaslight Anthem’s The ‘59 Sound) more than most 2009 releases.
what th’f? surprised to be this far out on my own given these gems:
sin fang bous – clangour
cotton jones – paranoid cocoon
shawn lee – soul in the hole
wire – object 47
idgy dean – ok cadavers!
mazes – mazes
honeybody moon bee – honeybody moonbee (not on e-music)
mum smokes – easy/house music
the xx – xx
the love language – the love language
largest bite of 2009 – picked up everything from the blank tapes i could get my ears on.
the best gone-back-to-pick-up-what-i-left-behind album – Twin Sister, Vampires With Dreaming Kids.
excellent year for music. i hope 2010 isn’t all gleep glop glorp-y like in those sci-fi movies…or do i? i feel like i might need some light-headed clarity after this year.