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2006??? It's 2009! What the hell???
Well, when I got a new last.fm I didn't transfer over my final lists of 2006, the first year I did my completely definitive favorite of the year lists, so I figured I'd put this here for completists sake. THIS IS NOT HOW I FEEL RIGHT NOW. This is my list and how I felt THEN IN 2006. I put an appendage at the end for the reason, numbnuts!

My Top 10+1 Albums Of 2006:

11. Defiance, Ohio - The Great Depression
Top tier folk punk, they somehow crafted a better record than Share What Ya Got.
Essential tracks: Oh, Susquehanna!, Petty Problems


10. Time Again – The Stories Are True
The exact thing I needed waiting for new Rancid album… basically a new Rancid album!
Essential Tracks: Cold Concrete, Broken Bodies


9. The World/Inferno Friendship Society – Red Eyed Soul
A handful of re-recorded songs but cohesive never the less, World/Inferno are unique and expressive, Red Eyed Soul is always an interesting listen.
Essential Tracks: Only Anarchists Are Pretty, Me V. Angry Mob


8. Good Clean Fun -Between Christian Rock and a Hard Place
Good Clean Fun return and don’t sound like they’ve missed a step. Just now they have one more thing to complain about: Myspace!
Essential Tracks: A Little Bit Emo, a Little Bit Hardcore, It's Fun to Be a Vampire...


7. The Thermals – The Body, The Blood, The Machine
A great punk rock record, probably the best artifact detailing the disgust with the George W Bush era.
Essential Tracks: Here's Your Future, Returning to the Fold


6. Be Your Own Pet – Be Your Own Pet
No frills energetic garage punk, Jemina’s voice is great and it's all just immature enough to be smart.
Essential Tracks: Adventure, october, first account track


5. Woods – how to survive in/in the woods
Sounds like they recorded this next to a campfire and I was right there with them.
Essential Tracks: Broke, Kid's Got Heart


4. Tom Waits – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
A sprawling release, some new, some old, but a scary high percentage of this works which is the most impressive part.
Essential Tracks: You Can Never Hold Back Spring, Nirvana


3. Camera Obscura – Let’s Get Out Of This Country
Twee at its finest, they've been putting out better records than Belle & Sebastian since Underachievers Please Try Harder.
Essential Tracks:Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken,Let's Get Out of This Country


2. Bob Dylan – Modern Times
Buck up - never say die. We'll get along.
Essential Tracks: Thunder On The Mountain, Someday Baby


1. The Bouncing Souls – The Gold Album
My soundtrack to the last days of senior year, the summer… the fall… the winter… one of my favorite records of the decade.
Essential Tracks: Lean on Sheena, So Jersey


My Favorite EP Of The Year:

Voxtrot – Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives
Voxtrot was actually able to put out another EP on par with Raised by Wolves, amazing.


My 2006 Mixtape:

Side A:
1. Converge – Heartache
2. Set Your Goals – Mutiny!
3. Bomb the Music Industry! – Side Projects are Never Successful
4. The Blow – Parentheses
5. Gnarls Barkley – Gone Daddy Gone
6. Ghostface Killah – Kilo
7. “Weird Al” Yankovic – White And Nerdy
8. Defiance, Ohio – Oh, Susquehanna!
9. Bruce Springsteen – Old Dan Tucker

Side B:
1. The Bouncing Souls – Lean on Sheena
2. Good Clean Fun – A Little Bit Emo, a Little Bit Hardcore
3. Fucked Up – Baiting the Public
4. Street Dogs – Not Without a Purpose
5. +44 – Lycanthrope
6. The Pipettes – Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me
7. Arctic Monkeys – Fake Tales of San Francisco
8. HORSE the band – T.M.N.T.
9. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)
10. Camera Obscura – Razzle Dazzle Rose


2009 Appendage:
I have some gripes with the list three years later! Why Is Modern Times so high? I probably haven't listened to it once since the year finished. Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards and The Body, The Blood, The Machine, two albums probably in my Top 10 of the decade didn't even get in the Top 3. And where the fuck is Fucked Up's Hidden World? Time Again is kind of a joke, can't believe I listened to that record that much (but overall I still back it). And geez, who would have thought that would be the last thing Voxtrot recorded that didn't make me barf? Yet, with all my grievances, it was a great year, better than 2007-2009. I guess I can't really complain.

Top lists of 2009 and Top 50 Albums of the Decade coming tomorrow, like anyone cares.

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2009:
1. David Bazan - Curse Your Branches - Barsuk
2. The Thermals - Now We Can See - Kill Rock Stars
3. D. Black - Ali'Yah - Sportn' Life
4. The Deep Dark Woods - Winter Hours - Black Hen Music
5. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest - Warp
6. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Glass Note
7. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle - Drag City
8. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - Anti-
9. Shabazz Palaces - CD 1 / CD 2 - self-released
10. Justin Townes Earle - Midnight At The Movies - Bloodshot

NEAR MISSES:
Julie Dorion- I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day - Jagjaguwar
Elvis Perkins - Elvis Perkins In Dearland - Beggers XL
Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health - Gigantic
Laura Gibson - Beasts Of Seasons - Hush
Brother Ali - Us - Rhymesayers
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca - Domino
Andrew Bird - Noble Beast - Fat Possum


NORTHWEST RELEASES:
1. David Bazan - Curse Your Branches - Barsuk
2. The Thermals - Now We Can See - Kill Rock Stars
3. D. Black - Ali'yah - Sportn' Life
4. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - Anti
5. Shabazz Palaces - CD 1 / CD 2 - self-released
6. Laura Gibson - Beasts of Seasons - Hush
7. The Dutchess & the Duke - Sunset / Sunrise - Hardly Art
8. Fresh Espresso - Glamour - self-released
9. J. Tillman - Vacilando Territory Blues - Western Vinyl
10. The Lonely Forest - We Sing The Body Electric - Burning Building

NW NEAR MISSES:
Throw Me The Statue - Creaturesque - Secretly Canadian
Final Spins - This Is Then / That Was Now - self-released
Ramona Falls - Intuit - Barsuk
Visqueen - Message to Garcia - Local 638
The Physics - High Society
Grynch - Chemistry EP
Telekinesis - Telekinesis!


BEST OF THE DECADE:
1. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy - Jagjaguwar - 2005
2. The Long Winters - When I Pretend to Fall - Barsuk - 2003
3. Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica - Epic - 2000
4. The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism - Ramseur - 2007
5. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism - Barsuk - 2003
6. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Nonesuch - 2002
7. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - Warner Bros. - 2002
8. Band of Horses - Everything All the Time - Sub Pop - 2006
9. Shearwater - Palo Santo - Misra - 2006
10. OutKast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below - La Face - 2003

NEAR MISSES:
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood - Anti- - 2006
Nada Surf - Let Go - Barsuk - 2003
Spoon - Kill The Moonlight - Merge - 2002
Arcade Fire - Funeral - Merge - 2004
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago - Jagjaguwar - 2008
Elliott Smith - Figure 8 - DreamWorks - 2000
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow - Sub Pop - 2003

#02
Celan
Halo




#04
Morrissey
Years of Refusal




#06
Cripple and Casino
Cripple and Casino

#07
dälek
Gutter Tactics

#08
Unkilled Worker
Faithcollapse

#09
Daïtro
Y

#10
WWW
Tanec sekyr

#11
The Thermals
Now We Can See

#12
Baroness
Blue Record

#13
New Model Army
Today Is a Good Day

#14
Vic Chesnutt
At the Cut

#15
Part Chimp
Thriller

#16
Elektročas
Elektročas

#17
Chuck Ragan
Gold Country

#18
To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie
Marlone

#19
The Raveonettes
In and Out of Control

#20
Pissed Jeans
King of Jeans

#21
Big Business
Mind the Drift

#22
Doomriders
Darkness Come Alive

#23
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse
Dark Night of the Soul

#24
Cloak/Dagger
Lost Art

#25
Dinosaur Jr.
Farm

#26
Junius
The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist

#27
Obits
I Blame You

#28
Nosaj Thing
Drift

#29
Shrinebuilder
Shrinebuilder

download sampler (30 Tracks; 209 MB)

01 - Phoenix - 1901
02 - Newton Faulkner - If This Is It
03 - Peter Doherty - Last Of The English Roses
04 - Jamie T - Sticks 'n' Stones
05 - Animal Collective - My Girls
06 - Biffy Clyro - That Golden Rule
07 - White Rabbits - Percussion Gun
08 - Phoenix - Lisztomania
09 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
10 - Paolo Nutini - Candy
11 - Jamie T - Chaka Demus
12 - Frank Turner - The Road
13 - Newton Faulkner - Over And Out
14 - Dirty Projectors And David Byrne - Knotty Pine
15 - Frank Turner - Try This At Home
16 - The Thermals - Now We Can See
17 - Peter Doherty - A Little Death Around The Eyes
18 - Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension
19 - Portugal. The Man - People Say
20 - Bishop Allen - Dimmer
21 - Peter Doherty - Salome
22 - Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard – California Zephyr
23 - A.C. Newman - There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve
24 - Cursive - From The Hips
25 - Bombay Bicycle Club - Always Like This
26 - The Raveonettes - Bang!
27 - Newton Faulkner - Lipstick Jungle
28 - Biffy Clyro - The Captain
29 - Tegan and Sara - Hell
30 - The Mountain Goats – Genesis 3:23
31 - The Big Pink - Dominos
32 - The Maccabees - Love You Better
33 - Girls - Lust For Life
34 - Camera Obscura - French Navy
35 - Animal Collective - Brother Sport
36 - BigBang - Play Louder
37 - Salem Al Fakir - Astronaut
38 - The Antlers - Kettering
39 - Cymbals Eat Guitars - And The Hazy Sea
40 - The Decemberists - A Bower Scene
41 - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Young Adult Friction
42 - The Veils - The Letter
43 - bob hund - Tinnitus I Hjärtat
44 - It Hugs Back - Work Day
45 - Girls - Hellhole Ratrace
46 - Local Natives - Airplanes
47 - The Dead Weather – Hang You From The Heavens
48 - Sondre Lerche – Heartbeat Radio
49 - The xx - Crystalised
50 - The Sounds - No One Sleeps When I'm Awake

This is awesome. Great indicator what I was into at the time.

Monthly Top Tracks

Feb-2005
Hot Hot Heat : Goodnight Goodnight (5 plays)
Mar-2005
Bloc Party : Positive Tension (9 plays)
Apr-2005
Ben Folds : Trusted (11 plays)
May-2005
Abandoned Pools : The Remedy (8 plays)
Jun-2005
The White Stripes : The Denial Twist (9 plays)
Jul-2005
Okkervil River : Black (10 plays)
Aug-2005
Death Cab for Cutie : Crooked Teeth (11 plays)
Sep-2005
The Weakerthans : Aside (12 plays)
Oct-2005
Wolf Parade : We Built Another World (11 plays)
Nov-2005
Rogue Wave : Salesman at the Day of the Parade (11 plays)
Dec-2005
Volcano, I'm Still Excited!! : Joe Jaxon (7 plays)
Jan-2006
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone : I Love Creedence (5 plays)
Feb-2006
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone : I Love Creedence (7 plays)
Mar-2006
Yeah Yeah Yeahs : Way Out (9 plays)
Apr-2006
Brian Mayo : Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama (14 plays)
May-2006
Beirut : Postcards From Italy (8 plays)
Jun-2006
Islands : Rough Gem (7 plays)
Jul-2006
The Thermals : I Might Need You To Kill (9 plays)
Aug-2006
Cobra Starship : Snakes on a Plane (Bring It) (11 plays)
Sep-2006
Fergie : London Bridge (8 plays)
Oct-2006
Paul Stanley : Live To Win (7 plays)
Nov-2006
The Dan Band : I Wanna Rock You Hard This Christmas (9 plays)
Dec-2006
Phoenix : Long Distance Call (8 plays)
Jan-2007
Modest Mouse : Dashboard (5 plays)
Feb-2007
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists : Who Do You Love? (7 plays)
Mar-2007
Modest Mouse : Dashboard (5 plays)
Apr-2007
Nine Inch Nails : The Beginning of the End (6 plays)
May-2007
Voxtrot : Ghost (5 plays)
Jun-2007
Deerhoof : Running Thoughts (4 plays)
Jul-2007
The Smashing Pumpkins : Doomsday Clock (15 plays)
Aug-2007
Okkervil River : Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe (6 plays)
Sep-2007
Kanye West : Champion (13 plays)
Oct-2007
Maritime : Hand Over Hannover (10 plays)
Nov-2007
Liars : Houseclouds (7 plays)
Dec-2007
Radiohead : 15 Step (10 plays)
Jan-2008
The Mars Volta : Wax Simulacra (9 plays)
Feb-2008
Silversun Pickups : Well Thought Out Twinkles (11 plays)
Mar-2008
Death Cab for Cutie : I Will Possess Your Heart (Album Version) (7 plays)
Apr-2008
Phantom Planet : Dropped (11 plays)
May-2008
Wolf Parade : Soldier's Grin (15 plays)
Jun-2008
Weezer : Pork And Beans (14 plays)
Jul-2008
Macho Man Randy Savage : Tear It Up (14 plays)
Aug-2008
Rick Astley : Never Gonna Give You Up (15 plays)
Sep-2008
Eddie Money : Take Me Home Tonight (10 plays)
Oct-2008
Maritime : Young Alumni (12 plays)
Nov-2008
The Wrens : Boys, You Won't (11 plays)
Dec-2008
Pavement : Stereo (5 plays)
Jan-2009
Animal Collective : In the Flowers (15 plays)
Feb-2009
Troubled Hubble : Understanding Traffic (23 plays)
Mar-2009
The Thermals : When I Was Afraid (18 plays)
Apr-2009
The Thermals : When I Died (22 plays)
May-2009
Phoenix : Lisztomania (24 plays)
Jun-2009
Matt & Kim : Daylight (17 plays)
Jul-2009
The Wrens : Rest Your Head (29 plays)
Aug-2009
Jay Reatard : Rotten Mind (25 plays)
Sep-2009
Arctic Monkeys : Do Me a Favour (15 plays)
Oct-2009
Boston Spaceships : Heavy Crown (20 plays)
Nov-2009
Silversun Pickups : Substitution (14 plays)
Dec-2009
Deerhunter : Never Stops (14 plays)

My personal list of the albums of 2009. Impossible for me to rank, but I can probably split them into three groups: those I have been coming back to again and again, others which stand out almost as equals but are just shaded out, and then those which have caught my attention over the year but have dropped off my radar (or just need a bit more attention from me)...

Pick Of The Bunch

Balmorhea, All Is Wild, All Is Silent
Bill Callahan, Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Brakes, Touchdown
DJ Sprinkles, Midtown 120 Blues
Fuck Buttons, Tarot Sport
Speck Mountain, Some Sweet Relief
The Antlers, Hospice
The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The xx, xx
We Were Promised Jetpacks, These Four Walls

Close Seconds

Aidan Moffat & The Best-Ofs, How to Get to Heaven from Scotland
And So I Watch You From Afar, And So I Watch You From Afar
Blakroc, Blakroc
Blueneck, The Fallen Host
Cymbals Eat Guitars, Why There are Mountains
Dakota Suite, The End of Trying
Dinosaur Jr., Farm
Dizzee Rascal, Tongue N' Cheek
Doom, Born Like This
El Michels Affair, Enter the 37th Chamber
En plein air, L'alba irradia l'inutile parola
Felix, You Are The One I Pick
From Monument to Masses, On Little Known Frequencies
Great Lake Swimmers, Lost Channels
Hauschka, Snowflakes & Carwrecks
Jimi Tenor & Tony Allen, Inspiration Information Vol. 4
Kings of Convenience, Declaration of Independence
Let's Wrestle, In The Court Of The Wrestling Let's
Lightning Dust, Infinite Light
Like Bells, Like Bells
Lindstrom & Prins Thomas, II
Lord Cut-Glass, Lord Cut-Glass
Memory Tapes, Seek Magic
Modest Mouse, No One's First, And You're Next
Mono, Hymn To The Immortal Wind
Ola Podrida, Belly of the Lion
Port O'Brien, Threadbare
Richard Hawley, Truelove's Gutter
Russian Circles, Geneva
Super Furry Animals, Dark Days / Light Years
Taken By Tree, East Of Eden
Telefon Tel Aviv, Immolate Yourself
The Black Heart Procession, Six
The Felice Brothers, Yonder is the Clock
The Flaming Lips, Embryonic
The Longcut, Open Hearts
The Maccabees, Wall Of Arms
The Mercury Program, Chez Viking
The Phantom Band, Checkmate Savage
The Phenomenal Handclap Band, The Phenomenal Handclap Band
The Thermals, Now We Can See
The Twilight Sad, Forget The Night Ahead
Tiny Vipers, Life on Earth
Volcano Choir, Unmap
We Fell to Earth, We Fell to Earth
Why?, Eskimo Snow
Wilco, Wilco (The Album)
Yo La Tengo, Popular Songs

Honourable Mentions

A Place to Bury Strangers, Exploding Head
Alchemist, Chemical Warfare
Andrew Bird, Noble Beast
Apse, Climb Up
Bear in Heaven, Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Caspian, Tertia
Dan Deacon, Bromst
Danny Norbury, Light In August
Desolation Wilderness, New Universe
Doves, Kingdom Of Rust
Eels, Hombre Loco
El Perro del Mar, Love Is Not Pop
Engineers, Three Fact Fader
French Teen Idol, El Siete Es La Luz
Fruit Bats, The Ruminant Band
Gun Outfit, Dim Light
Handsome Furs, Face Control
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions, Through The Devil Softly
Idlewild, Post Electric Blues
Imaad Wasif, The Voidist
Joker's Daughter, The Last Laugh
King Midas Sound, Waiting For You
Lights, Rites
Nils Frahm, The Bells
Noah & The Whale, The First Days of Spring
People Under the Stairs, Carried Away
Rameses III, I Could Not Love You More
Saxon Shore, It Doesn't Matter
Sleepy Sun, Embrace
Sonic Youth, The Eternal
Soulsavers, Broken
The Big Pink, A Brief History of Love
The Boy Least Likely To, The Law of the Playground
The Dead Weather, Horehound
The Field, Yesterday and Today
The Gentleman Losers, Dustland
The Low Frequency in Stereo, Futuro
The Mountain Goats, the Life of the World to Come
The Wooden Birds, Magnolia

I've decided to just stick to a list of top songs this year, rather than attempt a best albums list, as there are easily more albums I wish I could have listened to than the ones I've heard. Each artist will only appear once, with the exception of Justin Vernon, who managed to sneak in there a good five times. I didn't spend too much time on this, so don't get cranky with me.

100. "1999" by Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
99. "Genesis 3:23" by The Mountain Goats
98. "Last Dance" by The Raveonettes
97. "Neat Parts" by Fucked Up
96. "Settle On Your Skin" by Swan Lake
95. "She's Dead To Me" by The Von Bondies
94. "Am I Normal?" by Art Brut
93. "La Llorna" by Beirut
92. "All This Will Pass" by Youth Group
91. "You Can Have What You Want" by Papercuts
90. "Mermaid Struggle" by Beep Beep
89. "Don't Lie" by Abe Vigoda
88. "Houses" by Great Northern
87. "Never Had Nobody Like You" by M. Ward
86. "I Want Some More" by Dan Auerbach
85. "All Is Love" by Karen O. And The Kids
84. "Give Blood" by Rain Machine
83. "Out On The Water" by Suckers
82. "It's a Living" by Sebastien Grainger
81. "Cool Jumper" by Wavves
80. "Take On Me" by A.C. Newman
79. "Waiting For a War" by The Submarines
78. "I Can See the Future" by Iran
77. "Evacuate" by The Boxer Rebellion
76. "Help I'm Alive" by Metric
75. "Island, IS" by Volcano Choir
74. "Hellhole Ratrace" by Girls
73. "New Mexico" by The Cinematics
72. "When The Road Runs Out" by Blonde Redhead & Devastations
71. "Roslyn" by Bon Iver & St. Vincent
70. "You're a Target" by No Age
69. "Harold T. Wilkins Or How To Wait For A Very Long Time" by Fanfarlo
68. "Skin and Bones" by Flashy Python
67. "November Was White, December Was Grey" by Say Hi
66. "Little Things" by Ladyfinger (ne)
65. "Postcards" by An Horse
64. "Marrow" by St. Vincent
63. "Confidants" by Damien
62. "Animal" by Miike Snow
61. "Big Red Machine" by Justin Vernon & Aaron Dessner
60. "Remember Severed Head" by Clues
59. "Dominos" by The Big Pink
58. "Twin of Myself" by Black Moth Super Rainbow
57. "Dull Life" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
56. "Lua" by Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch
55. "Build Voice" by Dan Deacon
54. "Dorchester Hotel" by The Sounds
53. "Blood Pt. 2" by Buck 65
52. "Two Medicines" by The Dodos
51. "Microphone" by Coconut Records
50. "With a Girl Like You" by Dave Sitek
49. "Fangela" by Here We Go Magic
48. "The Rake's Song" by The Decemberists
47. "Growing Old Is Growing Old" by Silversun Pickups
46. "Glass" by Julian Casablancas
45. "Parallelogram" by Deastro
44. "New Life" by O+S
43. "Pat" by Built to Spill
42. "Blood Bank" by Bon Iver
41. "Circulation" by Deerhunter
40. "One Rose" by Why?
39. "Wind Phoenix" by Cymbals Eat Guitars
38. "No Man Is An Archipelago" by British Sea Power
37. "Magic Show" by Electric Owls
36. "Gold and Warm" by Bad Veins
35. "Freak Out" by stellastarr*
34. "Hearing Damage" by Thom Yorke
33. "Vapours" by Islands
32. "Wish" by Paper Route
31. "Stillness Is The Move" by Dirty Projectors
30. "Lottery Dust" by Drummer
29. "Deadbeat" by A Place to Bury Strangers
28. "Unwind" by Julian Plenti
27. "Middle Cyclone" by Neko Case
26. "River" by Akron/Family
25. "Pulling On A Line" by Great Lake Swimmers
24. "Gentle Hours" by Yo La Tengo
23. "Statues" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
22. "Radio Kaliningrad" by Handsome Furs
21. "Back From Exile" by Nickel Eye
20. "The Giant of Illinois" by Andrew Bird
19. "My Maudelin Career" by Camera Obscura
18. "So Far Around The Bend" by The National
17. "Davy Crockett" by South Ambulance
16. "1901" by Phoenix
15. "The Whale Song" by Modest Mouse
14. "Slow Life" by Grizzly Bear (with Victoria Legrand)
13. "Idiot Heart" by Sunset Rubdown
12. "Percussion Gun" by White Rabbits
11. "Two Weeks" by Grizzly Bear
10. "Blue Skies" by Noah and the Whale
9. "Wicked Blood" by Sea Wolf
8. "Fear And Loathing In Mahwah, NJ" by Titus Andronicus
7. "You Are The Blood" by Sufjan Stevens
6. "People Say" by Portugal. The Man
5. "Let Me Up" by Cursive
4. "How We Fade" by The Thermals
3. "Brother Sport" by Animal Collective
2. "Kettering" by The Antlers
1. "Isis Unveiled" by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

Also, 2009 was a great year for side projects, solo careers, supergroups, bands risen from the ashes of breakups, what have you. Below is a quick list of my favorites:

Solo Careers:
A.C. Newman (The New Pornographers) - Get Guilty
Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) - Outer South
Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) - Keep It Hid
Jason Lytle (Grandaddy) - Yours Truly, The Commuter
Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) - Phrazes For The Young
Neko Case (The New Pornographers) - Middle Cyclone
Sebastien Grainger (Death From Above 1979) - Who Do We Care For/It's A Living Single

Side Projects:
Atlas Sound (Bradford Cox, Deerhunter) - Logos, Rough Trade EP
Blakroc (The Black Keys, various artists) - Blakroc
Destroyer (Dan Bejar, The New Pornographers) - Bay of Pigs
Drummer (Patrick Carney, The Black Keys) - Feel Good Together
Electric Owls (Andy Herod, The Comas) - Ain't Too Bright
God Help The Girl (Stuart Murdoch, Belle & Sebastian) - God Help The Girl
Handsome Furs (Dan Boeckner, Wolf Parade) - Face Control
Iran (Kyp Malone, TV on the Radio) - Dissolver
Julian Plenti (Paul Banks, Interpol) - Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper
Karen O. And The Kids (Karen O., Yeah Yeah Yeahs) - Where The Wild Things Are OMPST
Midnight Masses (Jason Reece, ...AYWKUBTTOD) - Rapture Ready, I Gazed At The Body
Nickel Eye (Nikolai Fraiture, The Strokes) - Time of the Assassins
O+S (Orenda Fink, Azure Ray) - O+S
Rain Machine (Kyp Malone, TV on the Radio) - Rain Machine
Sin Fang Bous (Sindri Már Sigfússon, Seabear) - Clangour
Sunset Rubdown (Spencer Krug, Wolf Parade) - Dragonslayer
Volcano Choir (Justin Vernon, Bon Iver) - Unmap

Other:
Clues (new project of Alden Penner, The Unicorns) - Clues
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse (compilation with various artists) - Dark Night of the Soul
Flashy Python (supergroup consisting of Alec Ounsworth, Clap Your hands Say Yeah, and members of The Walkmen, Dr. Dog, and Man Man) - Flashy Python
Islands (current project of Nick Thorburn, The Unicorns) - Vapours
Monsters of Folk (supergroup consisting of Conor Oberst and Mike Mogwis of Bright Eyes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and M. Ward) - Monsters of Folk
Realpeople (early project of Zach Condon, Beirut) - March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland EP
Swan Lake (supergroup consisting of Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes, Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, and Dan Bejar of The New Pornographers) - Enemy Mine

I guess it couldn't hurt to do a quick top 10 albums list:

10. Absence by Paper Route
9. Dragonslayer by Sunset Rubdown
8. Now We Can See by The Thermals
7. The First Days of Spring by Noah and the Whale
6. The Satanic Satanist by Portugal. The Man
5. Merriweather Post Pavillion by Animal Collective
4. The Century of Self by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
3. Face Control by Handsome Furs
2. Dark Was The Night by Various Artists
1. Hospice by The Antlers

And finally, here are a few end-of-the-year awards that needed to be dealt:

Worst Cover Song:
Michael McDonald -- "While You Wait For The Others" (originally by Grizzly Bear)

Best Soundtrack For A Bad Movie:
The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Worst Name For A New Genre:
(tie) Chillwave and Freak Folk

Best Les Savy Fav impersonators:
Fucked Up

Most Obnoxiously Quoted "Indie" Song In A Facebook Status Update:
Matt & Kim -- "Daylight"

Biggest Letdown:
Silversun Pickups -- Swoon

Best Guitar Solo:
Modest Mouse -- "The Whale Song"

Best Band Named After An NBA Team:
the Boston Celtics

Most Underrated Band:
South Ambulance

No order, ten favorites this year:



Smith Westerns - Smith Westerns

Wow. This album is solid from start to finish, and yet these guys didn't really do anything special with their music. It's noisy garage pop about girls and teendom, with inspirations that are less reference points than straight up copies, but damn did they do it right.



Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There are Mountains

This album was almost tailor made for my musical tastes. Intense singer who sometimes reaches out further than his vocal talents allow? Check. Uncommon song progressions? Check. Distortion and talented instrumentation? Check. Catchy and Singable? Check. Tempo changes and variation between songs? Check. It may not be for everyone, hell it might not even be a good album, all I know is it has everything I look for in an album, in my mind it's nearly perfect.



White Denim - Fits

White Denim make such good music. They definitely matured a bit on their second disc, pumping up the craftsmanship and generally tightened up their act. Emotional Danceable distorted funk rock with wah wah pedals, double tracking and tons of reverb, all done very well.



Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Eh, it's a great album, I don't care what the hell you think. As big of an AC fan as I am, this one still took me a while to get into. It's definitely missing Deacon's organic guitar, but avey and panda more than make up for it with their excellent songwriting.



The Rural Alberta Advantage - Home Towns

If In The Aeroplane Over The Sea was made in 2009, this is what it would sound like. Ok, the lyrics aren't nearly as affecting, or heart wrenching, but at times they try. (but really how can you top NMH?) I'm not comparing it to the greatness of ITAOTS, but it does sound like it. Also, the drummer is so high in the mix that it makes me love it even more. The drummer definitely leads this band, even though he doesn't sing.



Port O'Brien - Threadbare

Port O'Brien have managed to become one of my favorite bands with this album. Way more mature than their last one, and as a friend pointed out, the songs are less focused on the nautical aspect of their lives than the last, but it's still amazing. It's missing some of the charm of their previous albums, but it more than makes up for it in the polish they've added to the songwriting and instrumentation.




Mastodon - Crack The Skye

Ok, this album is awesome. Most of you guys know why I listen to Mastodon, and either love the hell out of them too, or couldn't care less. Here's the explanation of the plot of this album, straight from Brann's mouth. It's about the only description of this album that does it justice:

"There is a paraplegic and the only way that he can go anywhere is if he astral travels. He goes out of his body, into outer space and a bit like Icarus, he goes too close to the sun, burning off the golden umbilical cord that is attached to his solar plexus. So he is in outer space and he is lost, he gets sucked into a wormhole, he ends up in the spirit realm and he talks to spirits telling them that he is not really dead. So they send him to the Russian cult, they use him in a divination and they find out his problem. They decide they are going to help him. They put his soul inside Rasputin's body. Rasputin goes to usurp the czar and he is murdered. The two souls fly out of Rasputin's body through the crack in the sky(e) and Rasputin is the wise man that is trying to lead the child home to his body because his parents have discovered him by now and think that he is dead. Rasputin needs to get him back into his body before it's too late. But they end up running into the Devil along the way and the Devil tries to steal their souls and bring them down…there are some obstacles along the way."



Cursive - Mama I'm Swollen

Oh Cursive, I sometimes see you as a guilty pleasure, but your music keeps getting so much better that I feel less and less that way every time you release an album. Even though they used to be a bad emo/pop punk band, they've refined their sound to excellence. Stand out tracks are From The Hips, and I Couldn't Love You. Definitely gets a boost for it's self deprecating lyrical themes. Cursive does that whole "looking at the bigger picture" thing, without making it too deep or mysterious, or making it sound pretentious or silly, yet still allowing the listener to connect to it.



The Dutchess And The Duke - Sunset/Sunrise

Another band that wears its influences on its sleeve, yet still does a great job is The Dutchess and The Duke. Basically an early Stones rip off with a female singer. This album is definitely a step up for them though. They sound much more mature, yet their songs are still catchy as hell.



miRthkon - Vehicle

Math Rock and Jazz combination work so well. Lots of very technical guitar lines and tongue in cheek humor. This album definitely isn't for everyone, but I sure loved it.




All of these could easily be in the top ten as well:

The Mars Volta - Octahedron
Akron/Family - Set 'Em Wild Set 'Em Free
Baroness - Blue Record
Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
Various Artists - Dark Was The Night
Danger Mouse and Sparkle Horse - Dark Night Of The Soul
Dan Deacon - Bromst
The xx - XX
Woods - Songs Of Shame
Volcano Choir - Unmap
The Thermals - Now We Can See
Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
Stardeath and White Dwarfs - The Birth
St. Vincent - Actor
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World To Come
Bowerbirds - Upper Air
Clues - Clues
Crystal Antlers - Tentacles
Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - Up From Below
The Dodos - Time To Die
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle


Also, Fall Be Kind by Animal Collective was perfect, but it's an EP so I didn't include it.