Favorite Albums of 2009 (so far)

by Music for Kids Who Can’t Read Good Post to Twitter

See also:  Artrocker.com’s own Top 12 albums of the year so far list

Whether it’s from phenomenal debut albums or continued greatness from reliable favorites, one thing is for certain, 2009 has already been a very exciting year for music. This is my annual mid-year recap of what I believe to be the best albums of 2009 so far. As I’ve done from this site’s inception, I’m including 12 and a half entries, exactly half the amount I’ll be counting down in my annual year-end list. The twelve albums and one EP (that’s the half) are listed in chronological order and include my favorite albums released in the first six months of ‘09.

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast (January 20, Fat Possum)
Ever since 2005’s magnificent Mysterious Production of Eggs, Andrew Bird has been one of my favorite artists. I don’t think it’s possible for him to make an album I dislike, but it did take me a bit longer to warm up to this one. While the album doesn’t have the immediacy in some of his other work, it makes up for with his immensely talented songwriting and musicmanship, that engages the listener on a deep level. Multiple listens unveil the layers to organically beautiful songs like “Anonanimal” and “Tenuousness”.

MP3 Anonanimal

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion (January 20, Domino)
I’ve been a borderline AC fan for a while and loved Panda Bear, but it was this album that really won me over to the band. The album has almost been overshadowed by it’s enormous hype and expecations, but the band lives up to it with a string of truly classic songs. The sonic exploration and melodic qualities on the album are wonderful but it’s the emotional resonance of songs like “My Girls” and “Brothersport” that has moved me the most.

MP3 My Girls

Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP (January 20, Jagjaguwar)
Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver earns the coveted “half” spot on this list for his Blood Bank EP, partly because I feel guilty that I was late to the party on his debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago and also because the four songs on here are so achingly lovely. The title track is like a revelation. Each time the instruments fade and Justin hits that beautiful falsetto, something magical happens.

MP3 Blood Bank

Cymbals Eat Guitars - There Are Mountains (January 20, self-released)
This was the first debut to truly blow me away this year and I’m still captivated by Cymbals Eat Guitar’s explosive sound. It’s a hugely ambitous and broad-reaching album full of epic, sweeping guitar and cathartic, angst-ridden vocals. It’s no surprise that the band has quickly gained an audience, an album this powerful and spell-binding is hard to ignore.

MP3 Wind Phoenix

Asobi Seksu - Hush (February 17, Polyvinyl)
Asobi Seksu’s third album incorporates a slight shift of the band’s sound, still living in a shoegaze world but now incorporating more pop sensibility. It is of my opinion that this refined sound suits the band very well, resulting in mesmerizing, lush tunes. Yuki’s vocals are at their transcendant best and matched with the gorgeous dream pop, makes Hush a breathtaking listening experience.

MP3 In The Sky
MP3 Me & Mary

Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health (March 24, Gigantic)
It would be hard to find a more unabashedly jubilant and in-your-face catchy album this year than Harlem Shake’s debut. The spirited melodies and harmonies on Technicolor Health give the album an undeniable charm as the band uses an array of brisk instrumentation to thrust the infectious tunes forward. It’s extremely refreshing to hear an indie rock album that exudes so much joy and hopefulness.

MP3 Strictly Game
MP3 Sunlight

Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care (April 7, Domino)
Begone Dull Care, the third from Canadian duo Junior Boys, is an exceptional produced and performed album, and one that’s constantly revealing more of itself to love. I was first attracted to the synth-heavy dance singles like “Hazel”, “Work”, and “Bits & Pieces” but it’s the masterfully structured, romantically-inclined ballads like “Dull To Pause”, “Sneak A Picture”, and “The Animator” that have kept me coming back. The combination of understated beauty with sunny electro-pop has made it one of my most listened albums of the year.

MP3 Hazel
MP3 Dull To Pause

Fanfarlo - Reservoir (May 25, self-released)
Ever since I heard the demos from Fanfarlo’s debut album, Reservoir, I’ve been captivated by their lovingly crafted, ever-endearing orchestral indie pop. The band excels at writing beautiful arrangements with lush, spirited instrumentation and triumphant melodies.

MP3 I’m A Pilot
MP3 Luna

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (May 26, Warp)
Grizzly Bear has quickly risen from unknowns to indie rock royalty and while I thought with Yellow House, the buzz outweighed the quality, I applaud those that saw the band’s potential. Veckatimest, with it’s mesmerizing choral harmonies and sweeping instrumentation, is an outstanding work of art. It’s not only a vivid, dynamic, and strikingly expressive album but also wonderfully accessible. Even for the most ardent critic, it would be impossible to deny the otherworldy beauty of songs like “Two Weeks” and “While You Wait For The Others”.

MP3 Two Weeks

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (May 26, V2)
With Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the French band have made perhaps the most euphoric and universal albums of the year. This is what all pop albums should aspire to, a collection of brilliantly engaging songs with gloriously crisp production and never any shortage of hooks. The album is incredibly concise and consistent, there’s literally not one dull moment in the under 40 minute running time. With their endless playability, tracks like “Lisztomania”, “1901″, and “Girlfriend” sound both nostalgic and timeless. It’s a breakthrough album for a band who’s long deserved it.

MP3 Lisztomania
MP3 1901

Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor (June 2, Bloody Chamber)
Leave it to Patrick Wolf to make an album that incorporates everything from traditional Celtic folk to industrial club music to spoken passages from Tilda Swinton. Wolf’s baroque compositions are crammed with ideas and youthful ambition, as on the thrilling single “Hard Times”. It can be chaotic at times, but it’s also the best showcase of Wolf’s prodigy-like talent and his grandiose theatricality.

MP3 Hard Times

Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer (June 23, Jagjaguwar)
I’ve said it before and I will probably say it again many times, Spencer Krug is a genius. It’s freakishly amazing how incredibly talented and prolific a songwriter he is and Dragonslayer may be the man’s finest work yet. The album features a more fully realized Sunset Rubdown, completing the transition from a one-man show to a highly skilled band, capable translating Krug’s mystical rock epics with thundering drums and masterful guitar solos. Krug matches his musical prowess with some of his most wildly inventive lyrics and puts it all together to make electrifying songs like “Idiot Heart” and “You Go On Ahead” that begged to be listened again and again.

MP3 Idiot Heart
MP3 You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)

Wilco - Wilco (The Album) (June 30, Nonesuch)
The overwhelming appeal of Wilco may best be summed up in the whimsical, tongue-in-cheek opener “Wilco (The Song)”. As the song says if you “dabble in depression” and “times are getting tough”, you can put on headphones and “Wilco will love you, baby”. This album showcases a mature and thoughtful band who are comfortable with making easy-going, but still absolutely excellent music. On songs like “Deeper Down” and “One Wing” the band fully embrace their melodic, chamber pop qualities and show that after seven albums they can still stand up with the Fleet Foxes of the world (and even teach them a thing or two like on the whirlwind of raging, unhinged guitar during “Bull Black Nova”).

MP3 Wilco (The Song)

Just Missed:
M. Ward - Hold Time
Passion Pit - Manners
God Help The Girl - God Help The Girl

Honorable Mentions:
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
The Pains of Being Pure Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
The Thermals - Now We Can See
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!
The Decemberists - Hazards of Love
Cotton Jones - Paranoid Cocoon
Jeremy Enigk - OK Bear

Leave your favorite albums so far this year in the comments. Thanks for reading!