We are finally here. The decade’s closing year. Over these 11 months we’ve heard some groundbreaking music from old and new favorites. As always, the shortlist for 2009 won’t please all of you, but we are trying our best to capture the zeitgeist in music in 2009. Please vote for your favorite of the bunch:
A. The Antlers – Hospice
B. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
C. The Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
D. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
E. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
F. The xx – xx
G. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
H. Japandroids – Post-Nothing
I. Manic Street Preachers – Journal For Plague Lovers
J. Passion Pit – Manners
A quick note on my apparent memory loss: a top ten list is just that — ten albums. For this specific one, like the other polls, I turned to prominent music critics to select albums that really captured music fans in 2009. But in a year where dozens of great albums were released, a majority of them are bound to get snubbed.
Tags: Animal Collective, Best Albums of the 2000s, Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear, Japandroids, Manic Street Preachers, Neko Case, Passion Pit, Phoenix, The Antlers, The XX
I just used this poll in a compilation of “Best of 2009″ lists for comparison… great choices! Can’t please everyone.
Further proof that Animal Collective is currently the most overrated band in the music biz.
E. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
F. The xx – xx
I have a vote for Fever Ray being on this list myself…. personally I think it’s very hard to try to please everyone with a shortlist like this. However, it’s not enough to just say that you used a variety of critics opinions to formulate said list. The unfortunate part is that I see that the list of options has a lot of overlap in style/genre. Perhaps your variety of critics is too narrow? eh.
That being said… good work.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs? Lots of people were creaming about that one, and that cream was white-hot.
Phrazes for the Young was pretty sweet, too, but I can see why it was left off your list.
Great list, but where is St. Vincent? That was a great album! Same with Fever Ray and Andrew Bird?
Oh well, there is some awesome stuff on there anyways
Dude, 2k9 has been a good year for music.
i think you forgot Fever Ray
thats the album of the year
but Animal Collective are close
Glad to see someone who shares the same sentiment that I have with Fever Ray.
It’s sort of like if Bjork’s “Homogenic” had a reserved and creepier cousin, it would be this album.
In my opinion Manners by Passion Pit is one of the best albums of 2009
Have you seen the new “Little Secrets” version??!! (Felix Da Housecat remix) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s57e7_K1AEA
This list isn’t FUN enough.
Yeah I’m pretty surprised at the choices. Where’s my Sunset Rubdown??
Dirty Projectors has zero entertainment value, animal collective is a roller coaster, the antlers are by the far the most overrated noise i have ever witnessed. grizzly bear and phoenix win along with the most unappreciated lp of the year, phrasez for the young.
grizzly bear unappreciated?
umm, im pretty sure lots of people are jizzing over vecka buddy.
learn to read he obviously did not say that
Omg this list really sucks, with an exeption for The xx.
Love the blog, though.
Uh, Middle Cyclone is an option but Noble Beast isn’t? K.
Voted for Veckatimest, my #2.
no bombay bicycle club shoutout?
Dirty Projectors hands down.
then
Animal Collective
Grizzly Bear
The Antlers
…then the rest, Wolfgang is overrated and Manners was a let down.
Great list Luis!
To all the people bitching, cut the shit seriously.
Go start your own lame music blog and see who comments on it.
THANK YOU!
The new phoenix cd is so overrated. Phoenix and Girls. I tried it like 3 times through and found myself only listening to 1901 over and over. I know its cliche’ cuz its the main single but shit.
Album of Year: Antlers-Hospice
Runner Up: M.Ward – Hold Time
the consensus appears to be that people would rather vote on what should be in the top 10 then the top 10 itself :p
Yeah…Discovery should be up here…It’s Blitz too.
Battant – No head, best album of 2009, for sure.
I can’t see a other LP at the first place.
But i admit after the XX released a pretty good album…
nerds.
OMG you forgot Asher Roth. Worst site ever. I’m going to stop reading all of this free content you provide for me!
LOL
kayehbee, you are correct that there’s a month left, but…if you can name a single album you’re anticipating that’s set to be released in December, let us know. Normally I’d agree with you about “jumping the gun,” but the chances of a December release jumping out as an album of the year are next to nil.
Those are official releases mind you, not counting leaks. Otherwise Beach House’s “Teen Dream” would be up for contention, followed by Spoon’s “Transference” and Yeasayer’s “Odd Blood”, both of which I could see being leaked in the coming month.
clipse…
really? those are my choices? i wouldn’t vote for any of those. they don’t even get my top 20 for 2009. All but The XX and Phoenix are greatly overrated.
umm there is still a month left…
Florence & The Machine FTW but in this case XX all the way
no blueprint 3?
Just like teacup, I was ridiculously torn between The Antlers and The xx!
Went for The Antlers in the end, though, although either are worthy of it!
My Top 10:
1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
2. Atlas Sound – Logos
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
4. Wavves – Wavvves
5. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
6. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
7. Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
8. Passion Pit – Manners
9. Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer
10. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
Neko Case, no contest. I don’t get the Animal Collective or Grizzly Bear hype from this year.
merriweather post pavilion is hands down the best of 2009 and probably the best of the decade.
bitte orca is real good too. there’s lots of music that makes pop songs out of unfamiliar and uncomfortable noises, but bitte orca is the first album i’ve ever heard that makes unfamiliar and uncomfortable noises out of pop songs. probably one of the first albums of post-pop.
my list would probably go like this:
1. merriweather post pavilion- animal collective
2. jewellery- micachu
3. actor- st. vincent
4. bitte orca- dirty projectors
5. veckatimest- grizzly bear
6. wavvves-wavves
7. all aboard future- these are powers
8. only built 4 cuban linx pt II- raekwon
9. album-girls
10. hospice- antlers
I think you’re forgetting about more than a few artists that should have graced the top…
Bat For Lashes
Mount Eerie
Julie Doiron
Early Day Miners
Does Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster count?
Okay….I pick The xx.
Agree with wtf…i’m officially unsubscribing from this site…with every release of “your” top ten albums for each year, the lists are consistently seriously lacking…i realize that selecting ten top albums is hard to do, and there will always be complainers…should you do this or something similar again, you really need to consider having 20 or more albums and possibly allowing a write-in section (not the comment boxes) that people then can also vote on
Zeitgeist without The Flaming Lips or Mew?!? The lips get my vote, but in lieu because of their absence, I will select Grizzly Bear
farewell PMA
Animal Collective then Grizzly Bear then Dirty Projectors then Passion Pit then Phoenix.
But seriously, where are…?
Atlas Sound – Logos
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer
Wavves – Wavvves
Would have voted for YYY’s Its Blitz or Arctic Monkeys Humbug, but from the list its a toss up between passion pit and grizzly bear. hmmm.
Why do i even subscribe to this site?
I’m pretty sure Neon Indian, Girls & Discovery are all missing from that list.
That is a sad list. I will not be voting.
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE. duh.
where is FEVER RAY? and BAT FOR LASHES?
I’m between THE XX and PASSION PIT !
also, where’s logos? wtf’s up with this list?
Would have loved to see Fever Ray and/or Florence and the Machine but overall, a pretty solid list.
I’m torn between The Antlers and The xx with this one, though.
sunset rubdown’s dragonslayer was hands-down the best of 2009.
Probably in the 15-30 range, where it belongs…
I voted for Grizzly Bear.
Excuse me, but where is Its Blitz! ???