Top 10 Albums of 2009

Well, it's that time of year again, and, just like last year, I've waited until the very last day of the year to turn in my list of the year's Top 10 albums. I did not get a chance to hear every album that came out this year (but who did that?), so this list was compiled based off of what I managed to hear. Each year I think I am going to finally rank my choices, but, once again, I'm just going to put them in alphabetical order. I guess I'll just prolong the ranking until the 1 in 1,000,000 chance I land a job at a music magazine (rrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiight).

IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Probably the most hyped album of 2009. Simplistic, yet in a way, complex all at the same time. When I first listened to it, I just heard a lot of noise. A deeper listen revealed some real pop gems buried in that vast sonic landscape. Maybe this is sacrilege of the highest degree, but when I was listening to this yesterday I pondered if this is what the Beach Boys would sound like in the 21st (or 22nd) century.

Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

Many felt Humbug did not live up to its predecessors, but I think it is the band's most mature album to date. Furthermore, it shows a young band that's really growing into themselves as well as their sound. In a decade or so, people are going to look back and hold this album to be that overlooked and underappreciated masterpiece in the band's discography. Sure, Whatever You Say I Am, That's What I'm Not will probably always come to define the band in some way, but Humbug shows immense growth and solidifies their position of significance. The MMMM-rated album was reviewed earlier this year in greater detail.

The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

A finely crafted folk rock record, handled very well by the one and only Rick Rubin. Although displaying a certain growth and subtlety on the more mellow numbers, the band show they still know how to rock and run circles around you with their viciously fast-paced lyric delivery on songs such as "Slight Figure of Speech." A great record to drive to, and definitely another album that makes the band significant in today's world of music.

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

I feel like there was probably some expectation that this album would surpass Yellow House, but that album left an indelible mark on the indie music world that is hard to cover up. If Yellow House was Grizzly Bear kicking in the door, Veckatimest is the band moving into their position of prominence. This record is a great deal more involved when it comes to the instrumentation and shows the band's ability to experiment and evolve for the better. With oscillating flourishes of synthesizer and incorporation of more keyboard/organ, Grizzly Bear expand upon their already wide-ranging sound and prove their tight grasp on both harmony, melody, and arrangement.

Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, the Commuter

The former Grandaddy mastermind has one of the most overlooked albums of the year for sure. What really makes this such a great album is Lytle's ability to maintain a balance between singer/songwriter-type songs and grand, symphonic sounding suites. His gentle acoustic strumming is expanded and brought to the sky with the grandeur of the strings/synthesizers weaving in and out, rising and falling throughout the songs. Subtlety becomes disarmingly grand, all the while capable of sounding quite vulnerable, too.

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

The Strokes if they started messing with electro pop? I heard similar-sounding descriptions during the year as "1901" found its way into various elements of American popular culture (Cadillac commercials, "Gossip Girl" episodes, the Grammys). I won't be surprised if people start assuming Phoenix is a U.S. band, much like many just fail to remember that, no, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC are not American.

It's great to finally see the band making it in America, especially considering this is their fourth full-length album. It's catchy, it's well-crafted, it's infectious. I also will forever be amused by the fact that a French band whose singer sings in English is capable of writing better lyrics than most American bands.

St. Vincent - Actor

Any album whose string arrangements were inspired by late night viewings of Disney cartoon films gets my vote for one of the best albums of the year. St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) is a triple threat: a terrific guitarist, songwriter, and singer. Actor displays Clark's confidence and comes across as carefully executed. Even so, the album still sounds relaxed, natural, and, yes, quite seductive. It's a fairy tale of the most peculiar in that it never stays on the beaten path, taking twists and turns from beginning to end.

The Thermals - Now We Can See

Talk about criminally overlooked. Did you all know that The Thermals put out this album in 2009? Yeah, I'm aware that it doesn't have the same kind of bite or impact as its predecessor, The Body, The Blood, The Machine, but it's certainly commendable. I dare say it's one of the best indie rock/power pop records of the past few years. Hutch Harris' lyrics are just as distinct and smart as always. The band's sound is its own, not just strictly familiar. With a solid kick and snare, driving distorted chord progressions, and impassioned vocal delivery, Now We Can See is a consistently strong indie rock album with all the wit and hooks you want.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

It seems like it's the attitude and energy of Fever To Tell combined with the songwriting chops of Show Your Bones. The band never drifts too far into dance rock/synthpop/new wave territory, maintaining their character throughout. With It's Blitz, Yeah Yeah Yeahs prove themselves to be musical chameleons and only intensify the curiosity as to what they will come up with next.

Wilco - Wilco (the album)

To me, it's always seemed like a cop out when a band self titles an album that comes later in its career. In Wilco's case, the playful addition of "(the album)" proves they're not entirely serious (NOTE: "Wilco (the song)"). And yet, the band plays to its strengths and makes a consistent album here that is both characteristically Wilco while still showing signs of experimentation. How fitting that it should be known as Wilco (the album). Here, Jeff Tweedy and Co. make a case for being one of few timeless acts of the past decades.