BEST ALBUMS of 2009
There’s so much good shit out there. And it’s totally ridiculous for you to expect us to compile a “BEST OF” list. But since we love you with all of our collective hearts; we decided that for you, anything was possible. And, gee willikers!, it’s that time of year to give and we wanted to take it a step further. So, our team of elves scoured the Interwebs for free MP3s so that your voracious music appetites could legally download. (You won’t have to worry about the cops invading your hard-drive.) Who knows, these tidbits may make you want to open up that thinning wallet. Happy Holidays!
Without further ado, this is our obligatory best of 2009 list. (Yes, there are duplicates. We loved them twice as much!)
Tegan and Sara
Sainthood
BUY
MP3: FREE TRACK
Tegan and Sara’s Sainthood has it all: love, life, longing, and loss. The Quin sisters continue to write songs with ticking time-bomb hearts. Heavy on keyboards, poppy bass, foot tapping beats, and lyrics bursting with urgency. Stand out tracks include “Hell,” “Alligator,” and their first co-written song to appear on an album, “Paperback Head.”
- Danielle Kramer
Raekwon
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2
BUY
The “sequel” to 1995′s “Only Built for Cuban Linx”, also starring Ghostface Killah, Raekwon’s latest solo album is one of the best Wu-Tang solo albums to surface in a few years. Featuring the usual cast of Wu-Tang characters, the album includes a genuinely touching (yes, I said touching) tribute to ODB, the track “Ason Jones.” It’s definitely a worthy sequel to a great first album.
-Jess Hemerly
The Wooden Birds
Magnolia
BUY
MP3: FREE
Not only is this my favorite album of 2009 recommended by a friend, it is among my favorites overall this year. American Analog Set’s Andrew Kenny teamed up with members of Ola Podrida and Sparklehorse as Wooden Birds to make a bare and gentle album that hints at the AmAnSet sound without sounding like an imitation.
-Jess Hemerly
Wolfmother
Cosmic Egg
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MP3: FREE
As disrespectful as this might sound, this is the Led Zeppelin of the 21st Century, with a twist. Classic rock listeners would enjoy their thick power-chords and Sabbath-esque vocals.
-Eugenia Loli-Queru
Dredg
The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
BUY
The best album by the local Los Gatos band, very eclectic. The band has a very rich sound, and the playful nature of the tracks becomes evident after a few listens.
-Eugenia Loli-Queru
Living Things
Habeas Corpus
BUY
MP3: FREE
Great hard rock. “Mercedes Marxist”, “Let It Rain”, and “Oxygen” stand out, but the rest of the album is equally good. A very political album, with snake-biting lyrics.
-Eugenia Loli-Queru
DRIST
Science of Misuse
BUY
EXCLUSIVE FREE DOWNLOAD: Before I Die
After 3 years of complete absence, the San Mateo boys are back — with their original guitarist! Great guitar sound, good vocals, and hooky hard rock melodies.
-Eugenia Loli-Queru
Rural Alberta Advantage
Hometowns
BUY
MP3: FREE
The charmingly earnest debut from this Canadian trio really is all about rural Alberta–but fans from everywhere can appreciate the Neutral Milk Hotel-inspired sound and the affecting lyrics about loss and leaving. Also, the drumming is insanely good.
-Kiri Oliver
Japandroids
Post-Nothing
BUY
MP3: FREE
These two guys from Vancouver write scrappy, exuberant rock anthems with hooks all over the place. Their debut is full of irresistible sing-alongs that are tons of fun to experience live.
-Kiri Oliver
Cold Cave
Love Comes Close
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MP3: FREE
American Nightmare’s Wes Eisold, poet laureate of the hardcore scene, tries his hand at writing ominous synth-pop–and turns out to be awesome at it. Joy Division melancholy meets industrial alienation on this haunting and danceable debut.
-Kiri Oliver
Raekwon
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2
BUY
Sequels usually suck, right? Not at all for the Chef and Ghostface, who reteamed and somehow recaptured the magic of not only the all time classic ‘purple tape’, but of the WU itself. The gritty mafia inspired street tales sound just as fresh and relevant as they did 14 years ago. When Ghost raps “they found a two year old strangled to death, with a “love daddy” shirt on in a bag at the top of the steps,” it makes Kanye and Drake’s complaints about stardom (the current du jour topic in hip hop) sound trivial and disconnected.
-Jeff Bracco
Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavilion
BUY
MP3: FREE
This album dropped at the beginning of the year, and in my opinion was never topped. With this record, the band came into their own and sounded comfortable for the first time since Sung Tongs. Instead of avant garde experiments, we got some sunny feel good music. The explosion during “In Flowers” pops with manic energy, and “My Girls” is easily the bands most accessible track.
-Jeff Bracco
fun.
Aim & Ignite
BUY
MP3: FREE
In the case of fun., it’s quite safe to say that the sum is greater than its parts – while the three bandmembers each have their own (very talented) projects, the brilliant Aim & Ignite is possibly better than anything those projects have collectively released. Jam-packed with hooks and laced with lyrics that resonate long after the album’s 40-odd minutes have ended, A&I is an album worthy of the ages. Standout tracks: “At Least I’m Not As Sad,” “Walking the Dog,” “The Gambler.”
-Lauren Mulcahy
The Swellers
Ups and Downsizing
BUY
The Swellers’ sophomore offering is contemporary pop-punk perfection, pure and simple. “Stars” and “Dirt” – two of the album’s standout tracks – display a depth of emotion and songwriting prowess only hinted at on the Michigan quartet’s first album, and the intensely catchy “Sleeper” is guaranteed to stay stuck in the heads of every listener. This young – but incredibly talented – band just might hold the saviors of a genre long-abused by all but its most faithful.
-Lauren Mulcahy
Paper Route
Absence
BUY
This band is beyond stellar. If you thought their fantastic videos and live shows are mind-blowing, the record is going to knock your socks off. It has a great balance of the energies of all of their previous releases and presents the most cohesive elements of their abilities. This is a band of guys who clearly knows their direction and creates music that opens doors in my brain and heart.
-Angela Poe
Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures
BUY
It’s heavy and really robust, but melodic and rockin at the same time. These are self-editors in just about every part of the process. The players are seasoned professionals and can easily make a kick-ass record in the studio, but these are songs that can be VERY easily translated live as well which will make them top my list.
-Angela Poe
Silversun Pickups
Swoon
BUY
I had an advance copy of this record and was sworn to keep it to myself which was probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do all year. Seriously, this collection of songs isn’t Carnavas, it’s something else. And it’s just as fantastic. It speaks a more mature language and the themes are clearer. We lounge in the lush musical cloud and relate to the grounded perspective in the lyrics.
-Angela Poe
Bat for Lashes
Two Suns
BUY
This album has a LOT of really great songs on it. The first record was a bit boring and this one more than makes up for it. I’d like to think access to better production, more time to sort out musical thoughts and having some new experiences brought her into a whole other stage of life. I’m glad to see life-living pay off in such a positive, creative way.
-Angela Poe
Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavilion
BUY
MP3: FREE
Every time I think I’ve had my fill of this record, I put it on and I’m instantly struck by some new layer or some new moment I hadn’t noticed before and I’m hooked. I was drawn in at first listen to “My Girls” and the subsequent remixes and covers that followed only proved one thing: this band is far too complex and talented to be improved upon. Nice goin.
-Angela Poe
Neko Case
Middle Cyclone
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MP3: FREE
Neko Case’s ridiculously strong and recognizable voice drives this disc through ruminations on nature, love, and some of her most personal lyrics to date. Sometimes playful, sometimes heartbreaking, and always poppy yet abandoning conventional structure, the tracks are satisfying in just about all the ways a song should be. Check “People Got A Lotta Nerve” for thundering pop, “Vengeance Is Sleeping” beautiful pain, and “Magpie To The Morning” for moments of vocal prowess that soar.
-Liz Levine
Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest
BUY
MP3: FREE
From the very chamber-pop entrance of “Southern Point” to the prodigious slow and steady chorus ending on “Foreground,” this album takes perfection and detail to the next level. While previous Grizzly Bear albums were impressive, yes, the members didn’t have the solidified glue between them to keep us all interested through and through. However, if their mass success isn’t a testament (I mean if Jay-Z endorses it then it must be gold, right?), then their live performance truly makes skeptics into converts. Coming in clutch when indie needed it most, Veckatimest provided a much-needed resuscitation from the wave of horrendous indie pop blasting to the masses as of late. This album will be influential on future artists for many years to come.
-Julie Dyer
Dirty Projectors
Bitte Orca
BUY
MP3: FREE
This one was a particularly surprise stand-out in ’09. For a band led entirely by Dave Longstreth with an otherwise rotating list of cast members, the Dirty Projectors appear to have found the winning combination with these 3 very talented ladies and holding down the direction and rhythm section (Brian Mcomber on drums and Nat Baldwin handling the bass) with 3 convincingly amazing gentleman. The somewhat solid cast of supreme artists along with Longstreth’s improved song-writing and artistic direction showcases the group’s keen ability to use their own gut-wrenchingly beautiful voices as pure instruments. Case and point – the gorgeous harmonies between Deradoorian, Coffman and new addition, Haley Dekle in “Useful Chamber,” and “Remade Horizon,” are so completely perfect and on point, you won’t believe they’re real. Bitte Orca presents their brand of melodic organized chaos in the most fluent, and strikingly beautiful way possible.
-Julie Dyer
Passion Pit
Manners
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MP3: FREE
The long-awaited full-length album stretching from a home-made EP that Michael Angelakos developed to woo a lady managed to capture the imaginations of hipsters all across the country. Although he didn’t get the said lady, he did instead create a beautiful combination of electro-pop with his new band mates sampling everything from Mario and Luigi-era Nintendo blips to Ireland’s Mary O’hara. Leaving no stone left unturned, Manners is surprisingly emotional as it is entertaining with hooks and bridges that ring in your head for days. Two big thumbs up for these gorgeous electro-pop creations.
-Julie Dyer
St. Vincent
Actor
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MP3: FREE
Manipulative guitar riffs, creatively placed echoes and bizarre melodies are what defines Miss Annie Clark’s latest venture in Actor. She may have gotten her start touring as the guitarist for the Polyphonic Spree and for Sufjan Stevens’ band among others, but her independence is now all her own. Performing under the moniker St. Vincent, Clark’s whimsical fairy tale feel combined with harsh and dominating lyrics make for a memorable and thought-provoking album.
-Julie Dyer
Amanda Blank
I Love You
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MP3: FREE
Looking for Lady Sov. meets MIA meets this years Santigold? Look no further than this high energy, dance friendly smart-lipped electronic based album. You may need a check up if this album doesn’t thrill your soul.
-Tania Katherine
Brand New
Daisy
BUY
Somtimes bands evolve. No band makes that statement more true than Brand New. The band is always evolving into something…well, Brand New. A more raw, screaming good time Daisy brings one of the most aggressive albums of the year to your stereo.
-Tania Katherine
Ludow Lions
No Stories
MP3: FREE (Whole album is free. We recommend buying!)
I judge those who don’t like Ludlow Lions as they clearly do not have ears. The album brings rock that you can enjoy back to the table. Turn the knob down on Modest Mouse, add your favorite lyricist and a beer and you’ll see why this reviewer’s album of the year deserves nothing less than respect.
-Tania Katherine
Gossip
Music for Men
BUY
Though this is the Gossip’s fourth studio album, fat fashion icon Beth Ditto’s voice has never been captured better. Music for Men is an evolution of the band’s aesthetic, maybe not as punk and raw as we’ve had from them but there’s no turning back from this album, which should make Ditto and the Gossip a household name for what they’re really, really awesome at: danceable electro-rock.
-Bernadette Harris
Girls
Album
BUY
San Francisco natives Girls are so fuckin’ cool, and Album is top of the top for indie pop in 2009. Quirkiness abounds through this album, and lead singer Christopher Owen’s chameleon-like vocals make the band seem like an Arcade Fire-numbered host of characters. Check out the simple and indulgent “Lust for Life,” not to be confused with your dad’s Iggy Pop.
-Bernadette Harris
Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions
Through the Devil Softly
BUY
MP3: FREE
She’s the reigning queen of somber Goth-folk and I’ll be damned if I didn’t fall in love with every melancholy moment on her second full-blown solo album.
-Carnie Fulton
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Up From Below
BUY
MP3: FREE
With former Ima Robot leader, Alex Ebert, as the group’s centerpiece, this 11-piece hippie-folk collective from L.A. blindsides the indie community with a free-flowing, vibrant, and whimsical West Coast-influenced album that held firm as the cornerstone of my summer listening.
-Carnie Fulton
The Flaming Lips
Embryonic
BUY
In a welcome 180 degree reversal from their previous album, The Flaming Lips spike the well and reconnect with their Oklahoma City roots on this sprawling double-disc trip. Embryonic is a tightly-packed labor of love, full of intricate splashes of psychedelia, organic effects, and Wayne Coyne’s signature overtures that amplifies the surreal and represses the ordinary.
-Carnie Fulton
M. Ward
Hold Time
BUY
MP3: FREE
This may not be the most challenging record of 2009, but it’s difficult to overlook a body of work this satisfying from beginning to end. See “Rave On” for one of the best Buddy Holly covers ever.
-Carnie Fulton
Dan Auerbach
Keep It Hid
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MP3: FREE
Dan Auerbach sheds his Black Keys’ partner and surprisingly delivers the most full body blues album of the year. The album’s unruliness comes from a heady dose of reverb, distortion, and grit; not fully captured since Muddy Waters’ signature ’68 release, Electric Mud.
-Carnie Fulton