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I'm not flirting with the bad luck rained down on me after not writing a top ten of 2008 journal like last year again, even though 2009 for me album wise has been a bit of a shocker... seems like a lot of shit-ok arose this year. That being said I've managed to scrape together a top 10... and shick horror a best of the rest! So first of all here is the best of the rest...

12. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

Not a perfect find, but there are some stellar tunes on this album, including of course everybodys tune of 2009 My Girls. Other stand out tracks include In the Flowers, Brother Sport



11. The Dead Weather - Horehound

I'm a general Jack White-a-phile, he can do little wrong, The Dead Weather is another good project of his, maybe the album is a little to production perfect for me, but I'm fussy

Stand out tracks - Treat Me Like Your Mother and I Cut Like a Buffalo



Now for the top 10

10. Mos Def - The Ecstatic

After the shit that was tru3 magic, Mos Def truly revived himself with Ecstatic... I mean we're not back to Black on Both Sides type legendery stuff, but we're getting there.

Stand out tracks - Supermagic, Life In Marvellous times and No Hay Nada Mas



9. Metric - Fantasies

Sneeky but brilliant album, tinged with loads of funky pop-indie-electro melodies. Not being pretentious... just very me!

Stand out tracks - Help I'm Alive and Sick Muse



8. Beirut - March of the Zapotec

I discovered Beirut just about a month before I went to Coachella.. fell head over heels with his music... then promptly missed him playing an epic set at sunset at Coachella... I was fecking gutted! I don't think I'll ever get over it, instead I just keep playing March of the Zapotec on Spotify haha!

Stand out tracks - My Night With the Prostitute from Marseille and Venice



7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz

Not as good as the mighty, mighty Fever to Tell, but I got to see Ms Karen O and chums at the one and only Coachella this year, which not only made some of these album tracks more amazing but made me overall a little bit more bias

Stand out tracks - Heads Will Roll, Soft Shock, Dragon Queen and Hysteric



6. Phoenix - Wolfgang, Amadeus, Phoenix

Much like the Metric album, but 1. even more suprising and 2. even more funky... dancing music!

Stand out tracks.. The first three... - 1901, Lisztomania and Fences



5. Miike Snow - Miike Snow

Even though I think 2009 has been a pretty shizzle year for decent new artists/bands, these guys are definite exception, as they truly know how to do eclectic. From indie-electro-to weird break beats and some proper dance music, it was almost love at first listen.

Stand out tracks - Animal and Black And Blue



4. Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

This year was the first that I tuned into Bat for Lashes as in previous years I had foolishly written her off without proper listenage! Two Suns is the album that got me hooked and its definitely a winner with loads of brilliant beat laden yet melodic and well produced tracks. One of those over and over again albums

Stand out tracks (this is hard but...) - Glass, Sleep Alone and Siren Song



3. Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: The End Of Day

Brilliant new MC, lyrically polished and intelligent and beats from this album tuned to perfection. I know why I like this guy, its because he's so similar to Common (not to mention features Common all over this album) and has the adored production of Kanye West all over this album similar to Go by Common... ok so its major bias but I don't care because its brilliant!

Stand out tracks (easy) - Day 'N' Nite and Make Her Say



2. Bombay Bicycle Club - I had the blues but I shook them loose

I've been in lust with the BBC boys ever since I saw them for the first time at Reading 2007, and since them I've carefully collected their music collection and to this day still haven't been disappointed... both with their music on my stereo and seeing them live. I had the Blues but I shook them Loose is (a mouth-full) catchy and infectious but not perfection and thats why they get my no. 2 spot... but seriously this album never fails to plant a little smile on my face wherever I'm listening to it!

Stand out tracks - Always Like This, Cancel On Me, The Hill and What If



1. Passion Pit - Manners

Not really a shocker, by far the best group and album to uncover themselves from the mire in 2009! Big love for this album, its a perfect find... more of the same in the future please.... and keep letting Calvin Harris remix your music!

Stand out tracks - Sleepyhead, The Reeling, Little Secrets and Moth's Wings



So there it is!

Just in case your interested... my top 10 of 2008 were

10. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, Paint that Shit Gold
9. Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies
8. Metronomy - Nights Out
7. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
6. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
5. Lupe Fiasco - The Cool
4. Late of the Pier - Fantasy Black Channel
3. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
2. Santogold / Santigold - Santogold
1. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires

Happy New Year x2 xx

First, make a list of your top-10 artists overall. Then, for each of these artists, add the 7 most similar artists to your list. Delete any duplicates, count up the number of entries on your list and this will give you some idea of how eclectic your listening habits are. A score of 9 represents an extremely unvaried musical taste while a 70 represents an extremely varied one.

1. K'naan
k-os
Shad
Classified
Lupe Fiasco
Talib Kweli
Mos Def
Black Star
7

2. Destiny's Child
Beyoncé
Kelly Rowland
Michelle Williams
LeToya
Solange
Ciara
Ashanti
14

3. Tiziano Ferro
Zero Assoluto
Luca Dirisio
Nek
Negramaro
Raf
Giusy Ferreri
Alessandra Amoroso
21

4. Trey Songz
Pleasure P
Lloyd
Drake
Jeremih
Mario
Day26
Sammie
28

5. The Hood Internet
STV SLV
abx
E-603
Easter Egg
Super Mash Bros.
Girl Talk
34

6. Gym Class Heroes
Tyga
The Academy Is...
N*E*R*D
Shwayze
Kanye West
Panic at the Disco
40

7. Beyoncé
Rihanna
The Pussycat Dolls
42

8. The Cool Kids
Mickey Factz
Wale
Kidz In The Hall
U-N-I
Pacific Division
Big Sean
Charles Hamilton
49

9. Jay-Z
Nas
Fabolous
Beanie Sigel
Notorious B.I.G.
54

10. Cobra Starship
All Time Low
The Cab
Fall Out Boy
Boys Like Girls
Midtown

Score: 59

1. A Piece of Strange- CunninLynguists – 2006

The Gates


Since When


2. The Blueprint- Jay-Z – 2001

Heart of the City


Song Cry


3. Train of Thought- Reflection Eternal – 2000

Love Language


Good Mourning


4. The Renaissance- Q-Tip – 2008

Life is Better


Getting Up


5. The Cool- Lupe Fiasco – 2007

Paris, Tokyo


Put You On Game



6. Masters of the Universe- Binary Star – 2000

Reality Check


New Hip Hop


7. Like Water for Chocolate- Common – 2000

The Light


6th Sense



8. Mind Over Matter- Zion I – 2000

Elevation


Inner Light


9. Graduation- Kanye West – 2007

Flashing Lights


Everything I Am


10. Late Registration- Kanye West – 2005

Gone


Hey Mama


11. Madvillainy- Madvillain – 2004

All Caps


Accordion


12. Supreme Clientele- Ghostface Killah – 2000

Nutmeg


Apollo Kids


13. Labor Days- Aesop Rock – 2001

Daylight


Save Yourself


14. Hell Hath No Fury- Clipse – 2006

Hello New World


Chinese New Year


15. Below The Heavens- Blu & Exile – 2007

So(ul) Amazing


Dancing In The Rain


16. The Cold Vein- Cannibal Ox – 2001

Vein


Stress Rap



17. The Marshall Mathers LP- Eminem – 2000

Stan


The Way I Am


18. Stankonia- OutKast – 2000

B.O.B.


Ms. Jackson


19. The Listening- Little Brother – 2003

The Way You Do It


Whatever You Say


20. God's Son- Nas – 2002

Thugz Mansion


Made You Look



21. Stillmatic- Nas - 2001

One Mic


Rule


22. Food & Liquor- Lupe Fiasco – 2006

Kick Push


Daydream


23. Fantastic Vol. 2- Slum Village – 2000

Fall in Love


Climax


24. American Gangster- Jay-Z - 2007

Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)


Fallin’


25.None Shall Pass- Aesop Rock - 2007

None Shall Pass


Fumes

2010
Passion Pit (January)

2009
Devendra Banhart (November)
Jay-Z with N*E*R*D* and Wale (October: Go UMass)
The Walkmen with Here We Go Magic and The Dig (September)
Animal Collective (August: Prospect Park Dreamland)
Girl Talk, Lupe Fiasco (and All Time Low, but I ignore that because it was the all time low concert experience of my life) (May: UMass Spring Concert)
Vampire Weekend (April: Smith Spring Concert)
Kings of Leon with The Walkmen (April: two dreams came true in one night)

2008
Dark Star Orchestra (November)
Weezer with Angels and Airwaves (September)
Built to Spill with Meat Puppets and The Drones (September)
Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, Fat Joe (and trey songz who just breathed on stage while taking his clothes off) (May: UMass Spring Concert)
Third Eye Blind (April: Amherst Spring Concert)
M.I.A. (April: Mt Holyoke Spring Concert)

2007
Roger Waters (July: the most epic concert I will ever go to)

2006
Death Cab for Cutie with Ted Leo and The Pharmacists (November)

1999
Dave Matthews Band with Santana (July: DMB should have opened for Santana)

In my humble opinion - or - for your consideration, the finest LPs of 2009

(in no particular order)

Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
The xx - xx
Girls - Album
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
JJ - jj n° 2
Passion Pit - Manners
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart


Top EPs

Delorean - Aryton Senna
Bon Iver - Blood Bank
Beirut - March of the Zapotec
Beirut - RealPeople Holland
Best Coast - Art Fag 7"
Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
Washed out - Life Of Leisure
Lupe Fiasco - Enemy Of The State



Honorable Mention

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Washed out - High Times
Atlas Sound - Logos
Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

Who saw it coming? Surprise! It's going to be 2010.

MF DOOM
Kaki King
Lupe Fiasco
Kenjo

Started listening to hip hop in around 2001 (I was 7 haha) and actually got into it in 2006.

TOP 5:
J Dilla - "Donuts"
Madvillain - "Madvillainy"
Edan - "Beauty & The Beat"
Kanye West - "Late Registration"
Deltron 3030 - "Deltron 3030"

The Rest: (in no order)

J Dilla - "The Shining"
Kanye West- "College Dropout"
Kanye West - "Graduation"
Percee P - "Perseverance"
Jay-Z - "The Black Album"
Jay-Z - "The Blueprint"
Eminem - "Marshall Mathers Lp"
MF DOOM - "MM..Food"
DANGERDOOM - "The Mouse & The Mask"
Common - "Be"
Oh No - "Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms"
Oh No - "Dr.No's Oxperiment"
Jaylib - "Champion Sound"
Lupe Fiasco - "The Cool"
Lupe Fiasco - "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor"
Mos Def - "The Ecstatic"
Q-Tip - "The Renaissance"
Raekwon - "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II"
Ghostface Killah - "Fishscale"
Quasimoto - "The Unseen"
Quasimoto - "The Further Adventures of Lord Quas"