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Top Albums of 2009

Check out the top 100 albums of 2009 as chosen by Radio 1190's staff and listeners here.

Previous lists

Jessi, Music Director

Top 30 Tracks

  1. 1. Count Backwards From Ten- The Big Pink- A Brief History of Love
  2. Animal- Miike Snow- S/T
  3. Boy Toy- Starfucker- Jupiter
  4. Aisle 13- Built to Spill- There is No Enemy
  5. Summertime Clothes- Animal Collective- Merryweather Post Pavilion
  6. Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)- Blakroc- S/T
  7. Two Weeks- Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest
  8. Julia- The Very Best- Warm Heart of Africa
  9. Goth Star- Pictureplace- Dark Rift
  10. Future Primative- Papercuts- You Can Have What You Want
  11. Despicable Dogs- Small Black- S/T EP
  12. Lonely Ones- Aceyalone- Aceyalone and the Lonely Ones
  13. All Yr Songs- Diamond Rings- PS I Love You
  14. Plastic Shadow- Mr. Gnome- Heave Yer Skeleton
  15. P-P-P-Power- Dead Man’s Bones- S/T
  16. Home- Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros- Up From Below
  17. Crown On The Grown- Sleigh Bells- S/T
  18. Fresh Blood- Eels- Hombre Lobo
  19. Pursuit of Happiness Ft. Ratatat & MGMT- Kid Cudi- Man on the Moon
  20. I’m a Pilot- Fanfarlo- Resevoir
  21. When I’m With You- Best Coast- 7”
  22. Death by Diamonds and Pearls- Band of Skulls- Baby Darling Dollface Honey
  23. So Insane- Discovery- LP
  24. Providence- The Love Langauge- S/T
  25. Sad Birthday- Bombadil- Tarpits and Canyonlands
  26. Daylight- Matt & Kim- Grand
  27. The Prowl- Dan Auerbach- Keep it Hid
  28. Found- Bad Viens- S/T
  29. Mouthfull of Diamonds- Phantogram-EP
  30. Kiss Me Dead- Magic Wands- Magic Love and Dreams EP

Top 10 EPs

  1. Small Black- EP – Self-Released
  2. Magic Wands- Magic Love and Dreams- Bright Antenna
  3. Phantogram- EP-CE
  4. Fellow citizens- Rocketpack EP- Self
  5. Animal Collective- Fall Be Kind- Domino
  6. Young Coyotes- Exhale EP- Brother Bear
  7. Mew- No More Stories EP
  8. Beirut- March of the Zapotec/Realpeople Holland- Pompeii
  9. No Age- Losing Feeling
  10. Deerhunter- Rainwater Cassette Exchange

Scott, DJ

Albums of 2009

  1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
  2. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
  3. Various Artists – Dark Was the Night
  4. City Center – City Center
  5. Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms
  6. Dan Deacon - Bromst
  7. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Eating Us
  8. Girls- Album
  9. Blakroc – Blakroc
  10. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou – Volume 2 – Echoes Hypnotiques

Top 5 EPs of 2009

  1. No Age – Losing Feeling
  2. Small Black – Small Black
  3. Beirut – March of the Zapotec/Realpeople Holland
  4. Animal Collective – Fall Be Kind
  5. Washed Out – Life of Leisure

Top Ten Concerts of 2009

  1. Animal Collective w/ Black Dice@ Boulder Theater
  2. The Avett Brothers @ Boulder Theater
  3. Pixies w/ No Age @ Fillmore
  4. Dan Deacon @ Glob
  5. The Dodos w/ The Ruby Suns @ Bluebird
  6. Yo La Tengo @ Ogden
  7. Ghostland Observatory @ Ogden
  8. Dr. Dog w/ Jeffrey Lewis @ Fox Theatre
  9. Starfucker @ Hi-Dive
  10. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros w/ Fool’s Gold @ Boulder Theater

Christian, Basemenatlism

Top Hip Hop Albums of 2009

  1. Raekwon - Only Built For Cuban Linx II
  2. Slaughterhouse - Slaughterhouse The LP
  3. Kid Cudi - The Man On The Moon: End Of The Day
  4. J Dilla - Jay Stay Paid
  5. Capone-N-Noreaga - Channel 10
  6. Cormega - Born And Raised
  7. Kid Hum - Offshore Drilling
  8. Clipse - Til The Casket Drops
  9. Street Sweeper Social Club - Street Sweeper Social Club
  10. Wale - Attention Defecit

Top Rock Albums of 2009

  1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
  2. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
  3. The Avett Bros - I And Love And You
  4. Passion Pit - Manners
  5. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Professor Mikey’s Best of 2009 List

  1. Meriwether Post Pavilion – Animal Collective
  2. The Eternal - Sonic Youth
  3. Embryonic – Flaming Lips
  4. Bitte Orca – Dirty Projectors
  5. Actor – St. Vincent
  6. Veckatimest – Grizzly Bear
  7. Fever Ray – Fever Ray
  8. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Phoenix
  9. Blakrok
  10. Popular Songs – Yo La Tengo
  11. The Life of the World to Come – Mountain Goats
  12. The Ecstatic – Mos Def
  13. Mo Beauty – Alec Ounsworth
  14. Us - Brother Ali
  15. Around the Well – Iron and Wine
  16. There Is No Enemy - Built to Spill
  17. Ruminant Band - Fruitbats
  18. Hombre Lobo – Eels
  19. The xx – The xx
  20. Gather Form & Fly – Megafaun
  21. The Hazards of Love – The Decemberists
  22. The Very Best
  23. I And Love And You – Avett Brothers
  24. The Farm – Dinosaur Jr.
  25. It’s Blitz – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  26. Monsters of Folk
  27. Psychic Chasms – Neon Indian
  28. Haih Or Amortecedor – Os Mutantes
  29. Dead Zone Boys – Jookabox
  30. The Crying Light – Antony and the Johnsons
  31. Re:Generations – Nat King Cole
  32. Middle Cyclone – Neko Case
  33. Together Through Life – Bob Dylan
  34. Welcome to Mali – Amadou & Mariam
  35. Unmap – Volcano Choir
  36. Sainthood – Tegan and Sara
  37. It’s Not Me, It’s You – Lily Allen
  38. Two Suns – Bat for Lashes
  39. Hold Time – M. Ward
  40. We Are to Answer – Ancient Astronauts
  41. Wilco – Wilco
  42. Outer South Conor Oberst
  43. See Mystery Lights – YACHT
  44. Say G & E! – The Grouch & Eligh
  45. Dragonslayer – Sunset Rubdown
  46. Manners – Passion Pit
  47. Crack the Skye – Mastodon
  48. Post-Nothing – Japandroids
  49. To Be Still - Alela Diane
  50. Chairlift – Does You Inspire You

Best Reissues of 2009

  1. The Beatles Box Set (Stereo and Mono)
  2. Neil Young Arcives Vol. 1: 1963-1972
  3. Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968
  4. Woodstock: 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur’s Farm
  5. Get Yer Ya Yas Out: The Rolling Stones in Concert 40th Anniversary 

Uncle Jeff, Route 78 West

When I realized that half my bandmates don't even own a CD player I knew it was over.  The days of the cohesive album are for old farts.  Here's my top ten for 2009, a year with some interesting developments and omissions.  The best songs helped weight some of the best albums.  Where's the beef?  Let the salvos begin.

  1. In sheer weight, mass and volume, the 4 LP set on Honest Jon's called "Open Strings" is one of the finest box set art packages in years.  The premise is simple, two LPs of stellar unearthed Turkish, Egyptian, Iraqi and Iranian 78's recorded in the 20's and '30s (that's 1920 and 1930 for you futurists) and two LPs of modern experimentalists recordings in response and repose, featuring the usual cast of characters Sir Richard Bishop, Paul Metzger and Six Organs of Admittance for starters.  The early recordings on oud, santour and fiddle are austere and beautiful; the new responses are measured and modal.  Best song: "Surfin' UAE" by Rick Tomleson.
  2. Mark McGuire "Solo Acoustic Guitar Volume Two" VDSQ  which stands for Vin Du Select Qualitite is another limited LP release capsulating the moment's shape of acoustic finger-styling in 2009.  Mark McGuire is the guitarist from the gauze-noise-new-age band Emeralds and his acoustic guitarwerks use looping, repetition and expansion just like his band does, but it's all the more interesting and warm when played on a steel six-string.  "Front Porch Blues" is the standout track. The label is releasing a series of modern acoustic guitar players, and the Joshua Emery Blatchley (Volume One) release is also highly recommended.  Put your James Blackshaw records away...
  3. Josephine Foster "Graphic As A Star" on the Fire Records imprint is another sparkling experimental gem from this under-rated songstress.  Featuring some of the sparest and direct recordings in her cannon (some tracks are lone voice) the surprise here is that for folks like me that put poetry next to opera on the shelf, this is like a lonesome cowgirl singing in a cabin by the fire and the recording on vinyl is amazing for its' presence and immediacy.   The songs are built around Emily Dickenson's poetry, 'Foster-ized' by her oratorio and some unique and simple uke and guitar. "I Could Bring You Jewels -Had I A Mind To" is representative of some of the great short gems on this disc.  The birds in the background were surely singing in response to Miss Foster's beautiful voice.  For those who still think Joni Mitchell's pinnacle was "Blue", here's one like it.
  4. Alela Diane "To Be Still" on Rough Trade is yet another example of "the girls rule" in 2009.  Here is another disc of simple joys, with great and inviting melodies in a pastoral folk setting including the title track.  In a year with other excellent discs by Samantha Crain, Espers and the above Josephine Foster, the ladies have given us quite a treat.
  5. Richmond Fontaine "We Used to Think the Freeway Was A River" (Arena Rock Records) is another fine release by Willy Vlautin and the boys.  Here is the most complex and layered 'Americana' Richmond Fontaine have recorded, sounding at times like the National and Nitzsche-era Neil Young solo production, all the richer for it.  There's even a hint of Springsteen in the anthemic rockers on the disc ("You Can Move Back Here"), but as good as novelist Vlautin is with words, it's the simplest track "Watch Out" with only two short stanzas repeated, that cuts the deepest.
  6. Patterson Hood's solo release "Murdering Oscar" on Ruth St. Records finds our Drive-By Trucker pal in fine form as a chronicler of the edges of suburban middle-class (and lower).  His wry "Screwtopia" asks the question "SUV or mini-van..." and it makes a lot of sense.  This release is a tie with the DBT's "The Fine Print" on New West which features the tracks that didn't make the albums, mostly recorded between 2003 & 2005.  It makes for a fine case of having folks outside the band sequence the releases (or just stick 'em up as unlabeled mp3s) in that some of these tracks like Jason Isbels "TVA" are so good you can't believe they didn't make the cut. 
  7. Om came out with their most sobering release this year in "God Is Good" on Drag City.  The vinyl has amazing clarity and ominism.  "It's all one long tune" Neil Young has said, and in this case that may be true.  The standout "Cremation Ghat I" mixes doom & gloom with sitars.  Sign me up.  This is stoner metal for the thinking man.
  8. Emeralds eponymous "Emeralds" release came out on Wagon/Gneiss Things in limited LP fashion on swirly-green fissured and crackled vinyl late in the year.  This band is extremely prolific and loose with it's recordings.  There are probably 60 various cassettes, CDRs, EPs and splinter fragments circulating on the net, and it is a joy to watch the band's trajectory getting more cohesive, melodic, experimental and beautiful, all at the same time.  Emeralds weaves warm and gauzy analog synths, mutated guitar and droning pulse-beats into something new and mesmerizing.  Kid's these days... they say the darndest things, with their Dad's old-school New Age and Kraut records somehow being transmuted into an indie-psych-hipster amalgam.
  9. Magnolia Electric Co's "Josephine" on Secretly Canadian was worth the wait.  Front man Jason Molina (Songs:Ohia) has been playing some of these songs live since 2005, and must have been saving them until a cohesive album showed itself on the 'horizon' to cite one of his more frequent lyrical metaphors used.  Some of the re-workings are for the better, some more cluttered and careful (as illustrated on the demo version of "Josephine" found on an excellent 45 with another great song "Rider.Shadow.Wolf" left off the release).  A favorite live song "Whip-Poor Will" lost it's poignant trumpet solo but keeps it's feel with lines like "Some of us aren't doing  well/At the Southern Cross Hotel..."  In an alternate universe, this would be all over FM radio.
  10. Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard put out a solid project with Atlantic called "One Fast Move Or I'm Gone" using the paraphrased 'lyrics' of Jack Kerouac to tell the story of his dissolution writing the novel "Big Sur".  Haven't seen the movie yet.  The stand-out title track is the best song of the year.  Somehow simple chords can be made fresh again in the hands of two professional worksman-like writers.  This one is a late-starter, that rewards more and more on repeated listenings.

REISSUES of the Year:  Get two honorable mentions.  The first is well worth seeking out, Peter Walker's "Rainy Day Raga" orignally released in 1966 on Vanguard (now on Harte Records), features proto-raga guitar filtered through Walker's role as the musical "choreographer" for Timothy Leary's New York Academic experiments (aw, go ahead and call 'em parties).  There are some amazingly advanced modal folk romps here, including the standout "Norwegian Mood" which lightly references some Mop-tops across the pond.  This one was going for $50 bucks on eBay, so even better to see it re-issued.

Another stellar effort from the Sundazed crew is the vinyl re-issue of the lost gem by the Holy Modal Rounders "Good Taste Is Timeless".  This one came out in 1971, and as a budding folkster entering high-school in the early seventies, somehow this came across our desk and bluegrass and folk music were never the same again.  The standouts are "Spring of '65 and "The Whole World Oughta Go On A Vacation".  Good advice, indeed...   -Uncle Jeff

Corey, News and Sports director

Top Ten Albums of 2009

  1. Band of Skulls “Baby Darling Doll Face Honey”
  2. Wax Tailor “In The Mood For Life”
  3. St. Vincent “Actor”
  4. “Dark Was The Night” Compilation
  5. Pomegranates “Everybody, Come Outside!”
  6. Miike Snow “S/T”
  7. Bombadil “Tarpits And Canyonlands”
  8. Animal Collective “Merriweather Post Pavilion”
  9. Blakroc “S/T”
  10. Bad Veins “S/T”

Zane, Training Director

Top Ten Albums of 2009

  1. Handsome Furs - Face Control

    When Dan Boeckner’s “side project” trumps Wolf Parade’s latest output, you can be sure he’s really on to something. Face Control eschews most of the melancholy tenderness of Plague Park in favor of the processed guitar attacks and powerful dance beats. The result is a throbbing, nervous, wonderful mess of a record with a calculated glitchy, dirtiness that I couldn’t shake all year. Note the respectful nod to New Order’s “Temptation” on “All We Want, Baby, Is Everything."

  2. Gentleman Reg - Jet Black

    Gentleman Reg finally hit his stride with a powerful record showcasing rich, varied guitar instrumentation. Reg Vermue enlisted the help of some of Canada’s high profile indie-rockers and the plethora of guest musicians imbues Jet Black with considerable variety and depth. Not to mention Vermue’s beautifully nuanced voice with an emotive quality nearly unrivaled in his field. Gentleman Reg earns bonus points for “You Can’t Get It Back,” one of the year’s most rousing guitar rock tracks.

  3. The XX - XX

    Here’s a striking debut from England’s foremost up-and-coming minimalist rock outfit. This quartet doesn’t waste a single note or snare hit with a studied observance that would impress Britt Daniel. The band utilizes an exquisite male/female vocal interplay. Listening to most songs feels like eavesdropping on the intimate, terse dialogue of cryptic lovers. And I dare you to spin “Islands” without bobbing your head infectiously.

  4. Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young

    The Strokes front man finally joins his band mates in the side project club and proves he’s really got a knack for composition on this largely overlooked album. Many songs are densely layered with delicious guitar and keyboard pop riffs but the material here should sound familiar yet fresh to any Strokes dilettante. Fans of (the criminally underrated) First Impressions of Earth and pop-lovers of any disposition should dig the disco anthem “11th Dimension”

  5. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

    The Pains Of Being Pure at heart have coined a vaguely indebted, neatly streamlined album that really nails exuberant yet yearning pop-rock. The production is fuzzy in a remarkably clean manner, subverting the en vogue “shitgaze” ethos with thick bass lines and reverb drenched crooning. One listen to the apologetic lead track “Contender” and you’re hooked for the thirty-five minute ride.

  6. The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love

    There’s nothing not to love about The Big Pink. A Brief History of Love has a huge sound, channeling the atmospheric brilliance and jangle pop of The Stone Roses on tracks like “Crystal Visions” or “At War With The Sun.” And while the history of love according to these guys is pretty bleak (and vaguely misogynistic), they’ve coined a strong contender for the richest song of the year with “Dominos.”

  7. Cold Cave - Love Comes Close

    Cold Cave have graced our ears with a wisely crafted electro-pop record, carefully mimicking the finest qualities of their predecessors. Much of the album is steeped in the New Order tradition of crisp, programmed beats, chorus-heavy rhythm guitar shimmer and soaring synth chords. Other tracks, such as “Life Magazine,” embrace more contemporary motifs like gritty synthesized riffs driven by insistent, pulsating bass lines. It’s a rare treat to encounter an electro-pop album so consistently pleasing and devoid of filler.

  8. Girls - Album

    Like many of this year’s notable bands, Girls are stylistically, thematically and vaguely indebted to the canon of rock music. The result is a record of timeless quality that could feasibly have been recorded at any point over the last thirty-five years. But the real charm behind Album is its curious success in celebrating the empty yearnings of confused, apathetic youth with remarkable insight and restraint. Check out the band’s quasi-homage to Iggy Pop on the irresistible leading track, “Lust For Life.”

  9. Smith Westerns - Smith Westerns

    Let me preface this with a disclaimer: I am disappointed and confused as to why musicians would so intentionally and blatantly degrade the quality of their recordings to a nearly unbearable level as Smith Westerns have done to their self-titled debut. Remarkably, the quality of the songwriting is so consistently solid and the band’s energy so thrilling that the travesty of such poor production is acceptable. Smith Westerns is a jaunty collection of wistful guitar-pop about dances and girls. It manifests a vicarious spirit of fun in a feat that only such a youthful and amateurish band could accomplish.

  10. Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti Is… Skyscraper

    Anyone expecting another Interpol record from Interpol front man Paul Banks’ alter-ego, Julian Plenti, was refreshingly surprised by Julian Plenti Is… Skyscraper. Banks ventures far from his signature rhythmic, layered guitar attack, experimenting with delicate acoustic string arrangements on “Skyscraper” and rousing trumpet hooks on the power-pop anthem “Unwind.” But he also tosses a proverbial bone to fans seeking his signature knack for brooding post-punk on songs like the album opener “Only If You Run” for a fresh and well-rounded record from one of rock music’s most influential figures of the decade.

Katherine, The Local Shakedown

Top 20 Local Releases (Besides Local Shakedown Vol. 3) of 2009

  1. Moonspeed - Flowers of the Moon
  2. Various - Rocky Mountain Low
  3. The Omens - Send Black Flowers
  4. Snake Rattle Rattle Snake - EP
  5. Bad Weather California - Young Punks
  6. Pacific Pride - Pacific Pride LP
  7. Accordion Crimes - A Higher Quailty Version of This
  8. The Bottesini Project - Naima's Grass Pajamas
  9. Wentworth Kersey - (0)
  10. Various - Hot Congress Vol. 1
  11. Vitamins - Songs for Stem Cells
  12. Elin Palmer - Postcard
  13. Everything Absent or Distorted - The Great Collapse
  14. Candy Claws - In the Dream of Sea Life
  15. Sonnenblume - Sonnenblume
  16. Little Fyodor - Peace is Boring
  17. The Gypsy Cab Co. - II (or: The Gypsy Cab Co. sing Bop
  18. Shoobie He's My Hipster Boyfriend)
  19. Nervesandgel - It Was All Just a Waste
  20. Emily Frembgen and the Spiky Little Pinecones - EP
  21. Speedwolf - Bark at the Poon

Top 5 Concerts of 2009

  1. 1. Vaselines @ Bimbo's
  2. 2. Nobunny, Rock n Roll Adventure Kids and Goochi Boiz @ Trevor's house
  3. 3. Julie Doiron @ Spider House (SXSW)
  4. 4. My Bloody Valentine @ Fillmore
  5. 5. SUNN O))) @ Empty Bottle

Charles, Spirits Rejoice

Top Ten Albums of 2009 (In no particular order)

  1. Matthew Shipp Trio “Harmonic Disorder” [Thirsty Ear]
  2. Sonic Youth “The Eternal” [Matador]
  3. Wooden Shjips “Dos” [Southern Lord]
  4. Lightning Bolt “Earthly Delights” [Load]
  5. Arrington de Dionyso “Malaiakat Dan Singha” [K]
  6. Moonspeed “Flowers on the Moon” [Flight Approved]
  7. Advisory Circle “Mind How You Go” [Ghost Box]
  8. Alasehir “Torment of the Metals” (LP only) [Important Records]
  9. sunn o))) “Monoliths and Dimensions” [Southern Lord]
  10. Emeralds “What Happened” [No Fun]

Also of note: Ilyas Ahmed “Goner” [Roaratorio], OM “God is Good” [Drag City], Yo La Tengo “Popular Songs” [Matador], Alasehir “Sharing the Sacred” [Important], Lake “Let’s Build a Roof” [K], Dinosaur Jr. “Farm” [Jagjagwar], Shrinebuilder “s/t”, and a lot more…

Top Ten Concerts of 2009

  1. Ghost/Lichens/Pontiac @ The Hi Dive

    Helena Espvall, Masaki Batoh, Michio Kurihawa, Lichens (aka Robert Lowe)… it was an incredible night of music: stoner rock, Japanese psych, ambient, freak folk… mind bending. In all honesty, it was a three way tie between Dino Jr., Sonic Youth, and Ghost.

  2. Sonic Youth/Awesome Color @ The Ogden

    My second time seeing Thurston, Kim, Lee, Steve and Mark. It was a blast. They played 2 encores and revisited such classics as “Cross the Breeze” “Silver Rocket” “Hey Johnny” and “Death Valley 69”.

  3. Dinosaur Jr./Lou Barlow and the Missingmen/Violent Soho @ The Aggie

    Murph, Mascis, and Barlow ripped it up. A good time was had by all. Highlights of the evening include “Little Fury Things” “Kracked” “Bulbs of Passion” “The Lung” “Feel the Pain”. Murph and Lou both lost their glasses in the midst of rocking…

  4. Mogwai/Women @ The Bluebird

    Breathtaking, to say the least. I was moved to tears… I’m not afraid to admit it.

  5. sunn o))) @ The Bluebird

    This scared the living shit out of me, Uncle Jeff and Johnny Trrrash, but we loved it nonetheless.

  6. Yo La Tengo/Cheap Time @ The Ogden

    My dear friend DJ Carolyn and I bought our tickets in advance to see one of our favorite indie power trios. It was well worth it.

  7. Arrington de Dionyso @ Rhinoceropolis

    The man from Old Time Relijun, playing bass clarinet and throat singing. He sounded like an earthquake. I purchased an awesome one-of-a-kind flexidisk from Arrington, complete with hand painted sleeve.

  8. Moonspeed/Widowers @ The Larimer Lounge

    A great night of space rock and psych. Moonspeed has like… 9 member. They sounded incredible.

  9. Sleepy Sun/Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound @ The Larimer Lounge

    Webmaster J (Route 78 west) cajoled me into going to the Larimer Lounge on a Thursday nigh. I’m glad he was so persuasive.

  10. Wolf Eyes/Cougar Legs/Spellcaster @ The Hi Dive

    On an unseasonably cold summer night with friends, a pack of Camel Lights, and A coke bottle full of Kentucky deluxe, Wolf Eyes, and local noise practitioners Cougar Legs and Spellcaster... the night couldn’t have been more perfect.

Local bands that kicked ass in 2009:

The Bottesini Project, The Dan Kaufman Superstar Eruption, The Get Down, Eyes and Ears, Aenka, Wizards, Astrophagus, Cougar Legs, Married in Berdichev.

DJ alisha

Let's face it, 2009 was a good, not great year for music. We saw some artists make a comeback with good albums and others that didn't hold up as much as previous efforts. There were buzz bands that blogs and magazines were freaking out about that didn't blow my mind, and I really tried to be awed by them. Yeah I liked some singles from these buzzed about albums, but by no means should have garnered so much attention.

Which leads me to my list. Since I DJ clubs/parties/events and on the radio for you, I'm always on the lookout for the best singles from interesting indie bands whether they're a buzz band or not. That being said, I made a lot of playlists this year with songs I really liked, from albums that I didn't fully love and I've narrowed it down to ten songs for you. I was all about fun, pretty and sometimes sexy party songs during this year of economic struggle and "change," so here's the songs I revisited the most to make me feel good:

ARTIST - SONG - ALBUM

10)Camera Obscura – French Navy - My Maudlin Career
9)Peter Bjorn & John - Nothing to Worry About - Living Thing
8)Aceyalone - Step Up (Featuring Treasure David) - Aceyalone & The Lonely Ones
7)Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero - It's Blitz
6)The Grouch and Eligh - All In (Featuring Gift of Gab and Pigeon John) - Say G&E
5)Junior Boys - Hazel - Begone Dull Care
4)Handsome Furs - All We Want, Baby, Is Everything - Face Control
3)Discovery - So Insane - LP
2)YACHT - Psychic City (Voodoo City) - See Mystery Lights
1)The Big Pink - Velvet - A Brief History of Love

Mattle's Top 15 Metal Albums of 2009

1. Coalesce - Ox
2. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse
3. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
4. He Is Legend - It Hates You
5. Sonata Arctica - The Days of Grays
6. Cattle Decapitation - The Harvest Floor
7. Gaza – He Is Never Coming Back
8. Baroness - Blue Record
9. Portal - Swarth
10. Tombs - Winter Hours
11. Between the Buried and Me – The Great Misdirect
12. Irepress - Sol Eye Sea I
13. Katatonia - Night Is the New Day
14. Psyopus - Odd Senses
15. Every Time I Die - New Junk Aesthetic