Best Albums of 2009

Seeing as there aren't any albums I'm looking forward to coming out in the last 16 days of the decade, I think we can start making our Best Albums of 2009 lists. Here's mine:

1. Lucero - "1372 Overton Park"

2. Chuck Ragan - "Gold Country"

3. Fake Problems - "It's Great To Be Alive"

4. Signals Midwest - "Burn the Blueprints"

5. Frank Turner - "Poetry of the Deed"

6. Chad Price - "Smile Sweet Face"

7. Westbound Train - "Come and Get It"

8. State Radio - "Let It Go"

9. Dear Landlord - "Dream Homes"

10. Polar Bear Club - "Chasing Hamburg"

11. Nothington - "Roads, Bridges, and Ruins"

 

Honestly probably haven't even heard 10, but the Lucero album was pretty good. Also liked William Elliot Whitmore and Mayer Hawthorne.

I am a geek over any sort of "best of" list because I want to find new stuff, and this was the first one to give me a recommendation worth following up on. Because of this post I checked out Signals Midwest and they are really good. Could be my favorite of the year from the handful of songs I've heard. I'll prolly download their album sometime this week.

This year wasn't too exciting for me as far as new albums, but "Dream Homes" was a pretty good album. I really wanted to like The Bronx's mariachi side-project, but it's tough for me to listen to it all the way through (the first song is GREAT, however). Noise by Numbers' debut album has been growing on me, kinda depends on my mood though.

Spoon's "Got Nuffin" single was good, can't wait for their new album in January.

I don't have a full list, but Dananananaykroyd's Hey Everyone stood out as one of my favourites.

never listened to the new Lucero record, heard it was really great though. Only the first 3 are in order for my choices. I also added my picks for the biggest bummers.

1)Shook Ones - Unquotable A.M.H.
2)Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
3)Touche Amore - To The Beat of a Dead Horse
4)Raekwon The Chef - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Part 2
5)Tigers Jaw - Spirit Desire
6)Algernon Cadwallader - Fun
7)Fake Problems - It's Great to Be Alive
8)Mastodon - Crack The Skye
9)Dan Deacon - Bromst
10)Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
11)Paint it Black - Amnesia/Surrender
12)Title Fight - The Last Thing You Forget

Biggest Bummers
Ghostface Killah - Ghostdeni Wizard of Poetry
Modest Mouse - No One's First, And You're Next

I've changed my mind. "Hold Time" by M. Ward is easily my favorite from 2009.

Frank Turner's Poetry of the Deed is easily my favorite from 2009

Hm, I've got a few faves, but in no particular order:

-The Dead Weather - Horehound
-The XX - S/T
-Mastodon - Crack the Skye (just started listening to it, but likin it!)
-Them Crooked Vultures
-The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
-St. Vincent - Actor
-Rodrigo y Gabriela - 11:11
-The Swell Season - Strict Joy

@colmillionare - I tried, I really tried, to get into Animal Collective, but it just never clicked over for me :\

No order at lot of good stuff has been put out this year

Propagandhi - Supporting Caste
Dinosaur Jr - Farm
Sonic youth - The Eternal
Pissed Jeans - King of Jeans
Banner Pilot - Collapser
Crazy Arm - Born to Ruin
Pains of Being Pure at Heart -s/t
Air - Love 2
Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg
Shook Ones - Unquotable AMH
Paint it Black - Amnesia/Surrender
Iron Chic - Shitty Rambo EP

Off the top of my head:

Dear Landlord - Dream Homes
Dead To Me - African Elephants
The Menzingers - Hold On, Dodge
Teenage Bottlerocket - They Came From The Shadows
The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
Tom Petty - The Live Anthology
Frank Turner - Poetry of the Deed
Lucero - 1372 Overton Park

15. Frank Turner - Poetry Of The Deed
14. Jack Peñate - Everything Is New
13. Lucero - Overton Park 1372
12. Paramore - Brand New Eyes
11. Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg
10. Brand New - Daisy
09. American War - Rhetoric
08. Morrissey - Years Of Refusal
07. Say Anything - Say Anything
06. Moneybrother - Real Control
05. Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing
04. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
03. Telekinesis! - Telekinesis!
02. Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
01. Metric - Fantasies

I forgot about Metric! Fantasies was a good album. Haven't listened to that Morrissey album yet. I assume it's good?

I thought the Morrissey album was really awful...

here's my top 5

05. dredg - the parriah the parot the delusion (even though i was pretty disappointed)
04. Fiddler's green - sports day at killaloe
03. frank turner - poetry of the dead
02. and you will know us by the trail of dead - the century of self
01. biffy clyro - only revolution (like their later stuff as much as the old one and live just sensational)

tdawg wrote:

I forgot about Metric! Fantasies was a good album.
Haven't listened to that Morrissey album yet. I assume it's
good?

simo wrote:

I thought the Morrissey album was really awful...

I really liked it.

in no order

Chuch Ragan - Gold Country
Lucero - 1372 Overton Park
The Sidekicks - Weight of Air
Dear Landlord - Dream Homes
Andrew Jackson Jihad - Cant Maintain
Banner Pilot - Collapser
Dead to Me - African Elephants
Red City Radio - To The Sons & Daughters Of Woody Guthrie
O Pioneers - Neon Creeps
Iron Chic - Shitty Rambo

This year had a litany of amazing music; these are just my favorites (which is already a long list!).

LPs:
1. Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg
2. Nothington - Roads, Bridges, and Ruins
3. William Elliott Whitmore - Animals in the Dark
4. Regina Spektor - Far
5. Attica! Attica! - Napalm and Nitrogen
6. Banner Pilot - Collapser
7. Teenage Bottlerocket - They Came from the Shadows
8. Dear Landlord - Dream Homes
9. Bomb the Music Industry! - Scrambles
10. Shook Ones - The Unquotable A.M.H
11. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

EPs:
1. The Menzingers - Hold On, Dodge
2. The Lawrence Arms - Buttsweat and Tears
3. Lady GaGa - The Fame Monster
4. The Flatliners - Cynics
5. The Riot Before - Fists...Out of Sockets
6. Hour of the Wolf - Obsolete
7. Polar Bear Club - Summer of George
8. A Wilhelm Scream - S/T
9. Mockingbird Wish Me Luck – Goodbye Debris

I haven't heard the whole thing, but my friend gave me a mix CD that had a few songs from Regina Spektor's new album. Pretty darn good.
That Avett Brothers album is ace too. Can't really agree with you on the Lady GaGa one though :\

Damn, 2009 was good

And to think, there are those that believe that the demise of the record companies means the death of music. Oh contrare, I think 2009 proves that it's only getting better!

tdawg wrote:

I haven't heard the whole thing, but my friend gave me a mix CD that had a few songs from Regina Spektor's new album. Pretty darn good.
That Avett Brothers album is ace too. Can't really agree with you on the Lady GaGa one though :\

You should get the Regina Spektor album, it's really quite good.

Hahah, I figured someone was gonna call me out on my love for Lady GaGa. What can I say? I'm a girl who loves some good pop music. Hey, at least it's not Ke$ha, right?

I really didn't get on with 2009. Thought it was worst year in music for a long while. Been listening mostly to 2007/2008 albums.

2010 for me looks like a much better prospect...

Here are all the albums I added to my iTunes this last five months (my hard drive crashed 6 months ago so I can't tell what was new prior to that)

Above Them "Blueprint For A Better Time"
Apologies, I Have None "Two Sticks and Six Strings"
Apologies, I Have None "Done"
Bob Dylan "The Essential Bob Dylan"
Brian Fallon "The Coffeehouse Sessions"
Cat Stevens "Gold"
The Cobra Skulls "American Rubicon"
The Clash "London Calling (30th Anniversary Edition)"
The Frames "Set List"
The Gaslight Anthem "Live at 9:30 Club"
Hot Water Music "Caution"
Joan Baez "Essentials"
Murder By Death "Red of Tooth and Claw"
Old Canes "Feral Harmonic"
Peter, Paul and Mary "Moving"
Rancid "Let The Dominos Fall"

There were a lot more, but when my hard drive crashed (thank you Monk-o-tron) I lost the ability to tell when everything was added.

I bet, I could make a pretty bad ass mixtape off of this list... hmm...

Here are my 2009 Awards:

Best New Album: The Cobra Skulls "American Rubicon" the funny thing is I really didn't like this album at all when I first got it, now I can't stop listening to it.

Best Album I heard for the first time in 2009 that wasn't released in 2009: Peter, Paul and Mary "Moving" seriously, this was a shocker to me. I have known about PP&M for my entire life (my dad once went on a date with Mary! and he is good friends with Paul... basically PP&M is to my dad as TGA is to me) and never liked them (I was too busy rocking to punk/ska) but one day a neighbor learned that I listed to vinyl records and she gave me her husbands (he died a few years ago) entire collection! When I put this on, I was shocked... PP&M are rebels! Download the song Flora (my favorite on the album), not only is about a guy that has a crush on a someone's girl, he goes so far to stab him in the chest!

Best Song Writing, Song: Apologies, I Have None "Bent Strings" (off of their album "Done", I like the acoustic version best). Listen to this song just in passing and it sounds just like a hometown angst type song, now listen to it while reading the lyrics... yikes this is some heavy stuff! a dead child, cursing out god and severe depression. This song reminds me of Against Me!'s "Pints of Guinness Make You Strong" in so many ways (similar sound, an upbeat sounding song that is actually really sad and just a great song)

Best Song Writing Album: Cobra Skulls "American Rubicon" what other band do you know that writes about the war for oil eventually changing to a war for potable water, the decline of the United States, the war from a soldiers aspect and over population? oh and they make it sound awesome while doing it.

Best Live Album: The Gaslight Anthem "Live at the 9:30 Club" what a great bootleg, I have listened to this a thousand times, and I was at the show! ...and I can't not tell you how much I love hearing "Angry Johnny and The Radio" mixed with "Straight To Hell" from The Clash, beautiful!

efofex wrote:

You should get the Regina Spektor album, it's really quite good.

Hahah, I figured someone was gonna call me out on my love for Lady GaGa. What can I say? I'm a girl who loves some good pop music. Hey, at least it's not Ke$ha, right?

Yeah, I think I'll spring for the Spektor album.
Ha, I suppose Lady
Gaga may be the lesser of two evils.... but I haven't listened to much
Kesha to know either way :\\ I try not to hate on pop as a whole, but
I'll take Colbie Caillat or something any day over those two!

I have yet to hear gaslight at the 9:30 club guess I'll have to check it out