Best Albums of 2009

by uwmryan on 22. Dec, 2009 in Albums, News, We Like

IandLoveandYou

01 The Avett Brothers | I and Love and You (buy)
I don’t think it would be possible to look back at 2009 and not think about the Avett Brothers and this record. The two will be forever cemented in time together. I saw the band in Chicago, San Francisco and Madison – each time different, but wonderful memories that made up some of my favorite nights of the year. This record chases down big dreams, is the product of hard work and relentless dedication, it’s going all in and reaping big rewards. I’m thrilled to see one of my favorite bands work with an amazing producer, sign to a great label, and feel the satisfaction of success. The success of I and Love and You is what we should all hope/wish for all our favorite bands no matter our desire to keep them like a secret. It’s not too late to jump aboard the Avett express, they’ll be touring, per usual, through the states in 2010.

02 A.A. Bondy | When The Devil’s Loose (buy)
If you saw either of A.A. Bondy’s two Milwaukee performances this year, you saw an artist put on two different, but amazing shows. He demonstrated what we already knew the first time around; his material holds up with only voice, guitar and the occasional harmonica. The second time through, he brought along two musicians, rounding things out and adding depth to the fantastic new material found here on When The Devil’s Loose. I’d argue that Bondy’s type is a dying breed. I have no problem saying he very well may be the Dylan of this generation. I love his music that much, and sincerely hope his popularity soars going forward.

03 Strand of Oaks | Leave Ruin (buy)
I discovered Timothy Showalter and Strand of Oaks via an e-mail from a mutual friend that included a download link. “I thought I was too old to have dreams like these” is the opening line of this album. I was 100% sucked in. I spent the majority of that next month listening to Leave Ruin only. The songs on this album are heavy in content, but welcoming and inviting in sound. I challenge anyone to listen to “Two Kids” or “End In Flames” and not purchase this record. If you’re looking for an artist on the very verge of exploding in popularity, grab this record and tell your friends you were there at the beginning.

04 Built To Spill – There Is No Enemy (buy)
If this list was a showcase of my favorite album of the last three or four months, the latest from Built To Spill would without a doubt be my most played record. This album has rekindled my love for the band and has me pouring through live shows, videos and their back catalog all over again. I hope Martsch and company keep the albums coming. Another round of tour dates would be welcomed and worth traveling for especially if it showcased There Is No Enemy material.

05 Dawes | North Hills (buy)
One of the best new bands to emerge in 2009. I had the good fortune of seeing Dawes on the Daytrotter Barnstorming tour earlier this year and I was simply enamored with their live show. I distinctly remember telling everyone that would listen how incredible their set was the next day. Anyone who has seen this band live knows that their talent far exceeds their years. The good news is that their album is just as fine. This is one of the albums I’ve given out a lot over the course of the year and haven’t had one person respond with anything other than their highest praise.

06 Megafaun | Gather, Form & Fly (buy)
An offering that is true to folk music with a dash of experimental, combined with perfect harmonies, Megafaun made an album that is simply gorgeous from beginning to end. When I first heard it I thought it was a great summer record, though now that the cold has reared its face, I’m beginning to love the warmth it brings. It doesn’t get much better than this kids.

07 The Wooden Birds | Magnolia (buy)
The percussion on this album is stunning. I played it daily the first half of the year. It’s an album that I feel is far too under-appreciated and will be one of those that people look back on next year and wish they’d taken the time to acquaint themselves with it sooner. The delicate/hushed vocals combined with the aforementioned brilliant percussion makes this one of the catchiest albums of the year.

08 Elvis Perkins | Elvis Perkins In Dearland (buy)
Elvis Perkins has become somewhat of a white whale in terms of catching him live. It seems like every time he’s close to town I’m not around. This album contains one of my absolute favorite songs of the year, “Doomsday.” I didn’t think Perkins could top Ash Wednesday, but after spending a lot of time with this record, I think he did just that.

09 The Antlers | Hospice (buy)
An album that is almost too sad to listen to. A great late night driving record. A spectacular headphone record. I’m still waiting for chance to see these guys live. I’m not going to miss their Chicago show next month.

10 Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy | Beware (buy)
This album would have never made the list had I not seen Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy live this year. While I expected to be impressed, I walked out of that show an even bigger fan than I’d ever been in the past. I didn’t think that was possible. The Will Oldham cannon of work is large, impressive and daunting. If you’re a first timer, looking for a place to get your feet with, this would be a fantastic introduction.

Wish We Knew You Last Year: The Two Best Records From 2008 That We Found In 2009

The Rural Alberta Advantage | Hometowns (buy)
Originally self-released in 2008, my first introduction to The Rural Alberta Advantage was by happenstance. They were opening for Grizzly Bear at the Central Presbyterian Church in Austin at SXSW. I figured if I wanted to see Grizzly Bear, I’d best get there early. I was rewarded by finding one of my new favorite bands. We’ve played them on our podcast non-stop and their show at the Cactus Club during Radio Summer Camp was one of the best shows of the year.

The Low Anthem | Oh My God Charlie Darwin (buy)
Another self-released album in 2008 that got picked up and given a proper send off by Nonesuch Records. It balances between delicate falsetto and Tom Waits style barking. I love it all. One of my best memories all year was getting to watch a little bit of their Hear Ya Session in person while in Chicago for Lollapalooza. I’m looking forward to catching them supporting the Avett Brothers on the road next year.

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CLICK TO READ THE MUZZLE OF BEES CONTRIBUTORS FAVORITES OF THE YEAR —->

Jon Stone

(Notables: Bon Iver: Blood Bank, Those Darlins: Those Darlins, St. Vincent: Actor, Megafaun: Gather, Form. & Fly)

10 Discoveries that included major back-catalog exploring

Paul McCartney – Paul McCartney (1970) & Ram (1971)
Gillian Welch – Time (The Revelator) (2001)
Tony Rice – The Bluegrass Guitar Collection (2003)
Edgar Meyer – Uncommon Ritual (1997, w/ Mike Marshall and Bela Fleck)
Willie Nelson : Red Headed Stranger (1975)
The Carter Family : Their Complete Victor Recordings (1938)
B.B. King : Live at the Regal (1965)
Nitty Gritty Dirtband : Will the Circle Be Unbroken (w/ Mother Mabelle Carter) (1974)
Strength in Numbers (Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Mark O’Connor, Edgar Meyer) : Telluride Sessions (1989)
Eric Clapton : From the Cradle (1994)

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Ed Oliver

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Pete Donahue

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Daniel Brielmaier

(Notables: Meat Puppets: Sewn Together, AA Bondy: When the Devil’s Loose, Andrew Bird: Noble Beast, Megafaun: Gather, Form, & Fly, Antony & the Johnsons: The Crying Light, Karen O & the Kids: Where the Wild Things Are OST, Yo La Tengo: Popular Songs, The Clientele: Bonfires on the Heath, The xx: The xx Compilation: Dark was the Night Reissue: The Jesus Lizard-Touch & Go LPs )

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Jodi Root

(Notables: Andrew Bird: Noble Beast,, Neko Case: Middle Cyclone, Kid Cudi: Man on the Moon: End of Day

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Alex Schaaf

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Tyler Fassnacht

(Notables: Vivian Girls: Everything Goes Wrong, Isis: Wavering Radiant, Mew: No More Stories / Are Told Today / I’m Sorry / They Washed Away // No More Stories / The World Is Grey / I’m Tired / Let’s Wash Away)

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Jeffrey Kollath

01 Cougar – Patriot (buy)
02 Lucero – 1372 Overton Park
03 John Zorn – O’o (buy)
04 Dawes – North Hills
05 Big Star – Keep an Eye on the Sky (buy)
06 The Black Crowes – Before the Freeze… (buy)
07 Midwest Beat – At the Gates (buy)
08 Molina and Johnson – S/T (buy)
09 Drive-By Truckers – The Fine Print (buy)
10 The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

Tags: 2009, A.A. Bondy, Bonnie Prince Billy, Buddy & Julie Miller, Built To Spill, David Rawlings Machine, Dawes, Felice Brothers, Great Lake Swimmers, Langhorne Slim, Lucero, Megafaun, Portugal. The Man, Rain Machine, Roadside Graves, Sam Baker, St. Vincent, Strand Of Oaks, The Antlers, The Avett Brothers, The Wooden Birds, Wilco

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26 Responses to “Best Albums of 2009”

Chris 22. Dec, 2009 at 11:36 pm #

No love for Justin Townes Earle from anyone? That’s criminal. Midnight at the Movies was dynamite.
Julian 23. Dec, 2009 at 12:26 am #

Looks like HearYa’s Blog slightly reconfigured.
hivoltlamps 23. Dec, 2009 at 1:32 am #

There’s no doubt that the Avetts took their talents to a new level in 2009. All the lists are great. I might mix in Port O’Brian and The Eels somewhere on mine. And a big nod to Nirvana’s remastered Live at Reading which might be the best live album released this decade.
Steven S 23. Dec, 2009 at 3:26 am #

your #9= my #1
your #8 = my #4

both of your assessments were spot on.

A band from 2008 i think you guys would dig a lot (seeing as you seem to like mates of state, the raveonettes, and the killers) = One for the Team.
Worth a look.
Brendan 23. Dec, 2009 at 4:00 am #

good list, though i believe the heartless bastards album is called, the mountain, not self-titled.
jmfry 23. Dec, 2009 at 6:31 am #

No doubt one of the best lists I have read. Can’t argue with the Avetts taking the top spot. Although I found myself listening to more of their back catalog this year, I and Love and You most definitely has some memorable songs.

Dawes!! So cool to see North Hills crack your top 5 – I’m a big fan as well.

SHOCKED not to see Noble Beast. That’s gotta be a mistake…
uwmryan 23. Dec, 2009 at 7:01 am #

@Chris – JTE;s didn’t come close to The Good Life for me, an album that I absolutely loved. JTE will definitely be featured in our list of favorite songs of the year

@jmfry – I listened to Noble Beast for a month straight then never returned. I had a similar experience you had with the Avetts, once I started listening to that I was back revisiting his older albums on the regular. It’s a good record – I had a hard time leaving that and M. Ward’s off the list, but had to stop somewhere.
Craig 23. Dec, 2009 at 8:19 am #

I know it’s a bit cliche, but I’m a shocked Veckatimest didn’t even crack your top 25. I, on the other hand, am more predictible and have to push it all the way to my number 1. It’s been in my regular rotation since March (um, I mean June). I know…to each his own, but still. All in all, nice list(s); looks like I have a few albums to revisit.

I’m going out on a limb and saying Menomena will have (one of) the best album(s) of 2010. Anything that takes that damn long has to be (better be) good.
Woody 23. Dec, 2009 at 10:17 am #

Nice list Ryan. I still can’t get behind Dawes and The Antlers but fall in line with most everything else.

@Craig – Couldn’t agree any more about Menomena. Three years and waiting.
hoop 23. Dec, 2009 at 10:18 am #

I’d like to second the surprise that Veckatimest isn’t in your top 25, I thought you loved them!

Color me surprised. It’s definitely my #1
the night owl 23. Dec, 2009 at 11:04 am #

Enjoyable list. Still don’t know how to size upt he Avetts; thought the Dawes record in the same vein and was better, but just my opinion. Anyway, thanks for turning us on to alot of new music in 2009.

Here’s my list:

http://thenightowlpresents.blogspot.com/2009/12/tnops-best-albums-of-2009.html
cerca_trova 23. Dec, 2009 at 11:26 am #

Not a bad list. I feel that I and Love and You seems a bit too polished for my tastes when compared with their back catologue, but it’s still top 10 material. I’d have to throw Vetiver’s Tight Knit somewhere in my top 10. It was in heavy rotation most of the summer for me.
uwmryan 23. Dec, 2009 at 11:27 am #

@the night owl – you should see the Avett Brothers live. I’ve taken quiet a few friends over the years and all of them became instant fans.
Al 23. Dec, 2009 at 4:59 pm #

The Antlers – Hospice is my # 1 of the year. Really emotionally engaging. Hard to listen to sometimes, yes, but there’s so much going on.
Bruce 23. Dec, 2009 at 5:15 pm #

Lucero’s 1372 Overton Park was hands-down, no two ways about it, my favorite album of 2009. I went local with #2 – Flatbear (now Flight), punks playing country songs for #3 – Yesterday’s Ring, the future of DIY punk/ska at #4 – Bomb the Music Industry!, & the ever-powerful Thermals rounding out my top five.

I think for a variety of reasons I kind of fell out of the loop a bit, since I really haven’t heard a lot of what’s listed here. Part of it is due to a general slow-down in musical consumption, and a lot of catch-up from the last few years. I just got Emotionalism amongst a slew of other ‘07 releases that I’d been meaning to get around to buying.

In terms of JTE, I very much like Midnight at the Movies – just out of the top five in my rankings. In my eyes it’s a better album than The Good Life, and that’s by no means a knock on The Good Life, more like comparing A-Plus to A.
Andy 23. Dec, 2009 at 8:44 pm #

Happy to see someone else out there has a best of list with both Built to Spill and Buddy and Julie Miller, though I have both in the top 5.
James 23. Dec, 2009 at 9:50 pm #

Though I don’t love When The Devil’s Loose in the same way I do American Hearts, AA Bondy is one of my favorites right now and I’m glad to see him so high on your list.

And My Son’s Home – what a completely engrossing album from a really great band.

Congrats on another year.
andrew 24. Dec, 2009 at 11:13 am #

@ cerca – loved tight knit too, suprised at its omission on most of these year end lists
Jon Stone 24. Dec, 2009 at 10:14 pm #

I forgot the Strand of Oaks record in my list up there. It should be “notable” at least. I love that record.Thanks for turning me onto that, Ryan.
Oz 27. Dec, 2009 at 12:14 pm #

Great list! We had many picks in common. Wasn’t Strand of Oaks an ‘08 release?
uwmryan 27. Dec, 2009 at 2:58 pm #

@Oz – thanks! Strand of Oaks was released Jan. 27, 2009
Janay Carsno 27. Dec, 2009 at 3:26 pm #

Thanks for the article. Very informative. My family and I go to Memphis every summer. We go to Graceland, Beale Street, the Sun Studio, and then to the blues clubs for the evening. Always a good time!
offkey 28. Dec, 2009 at 3:30 pm #

Nice to see Alex giving props to the Califone record. Not getting any love from anyone out there, and the album is stellar.
Barbara 28. Dec, 2009 at 11:18 pm #

Nice to see the Avetts at the top of your list. Can’t wait to see them twice this week, including New Year’s Eve in Asheville. There’s just nothing like an Avett show!
jdarr 02. Jan, 2010 at 11:19 pm #

http://drawingfrommusic.blogspot.com/2009/12/2009-top-25-albums.html
Chris 11. Jan, 2010 at 12:50 pm #

Jeff K.
Props for putting Cougar at #1. It’s such a terrific album and doesn’t justify leaving mine (or anyone’s) stereo/CD player/most-played tracks list for months on end. I just wish this album got reviewed by more magazines & blogs, it’s such an undiscovered/looked-over gem.

Best Albums of 2009

26 Responses to “Best Albums of 2009”

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