My Favorite Albums of 2009

Finally... all done, and confident in my list. I think this is the first time since I've been making these (so like 4 or 5 years) that there is not one single hip-hop album in my top 10. But 11, 12, 13, and 15 are all hip-hop, so they came pretty close. Overall, I thought 2009 started out with a dull outlook as far as music, but I now think it was one of the best years, musically, of my adult life. I listened to 60 new albums that came out this year, and don't regret a single one. Albums in the 30s on my list are albums I really liked and continue to listen to, which is more than I can say about most albums in the 20s on last year's list. I can only hope 2010 can come close to matching it. Feel free to leave comments with thoughts and questions. I'd love to discuss my thoughts.

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion 10/10

2. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix 9.5/10

3. Phish - Joy 9/10

4. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug 9/10

5. John Mayer - Battle Studies 8.5/10

6. Frank Turner – Poetry of the Deed 9/10

7. Pearl Jam - Backspacer 9/10

8. John Frusciante - The Empyrean 9/10

9. Brand New - Daisy 9/10

10. Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey & the Groogrux King 8.5/10

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11. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II 9/10

Mos Def - The Ecstatic 8.5/10

Brother Ali - Us 9/10

Girls – Album 9/10

Eminem - Relapse 8.5/10

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown 8.5/10

Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream 8.5/10

Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 8/10

Wale - Attention: Deficit 8/10

20. Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: The End Of Day 8/10

State Radio - Let It Go 8.5/10

Billy Boy on Poison - Drama Junkie Queen 8.5/10

Eyedea & Abilities - By The Throat 8.5/10

Rx Bandits - Mandala 8.5/10

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz! 8.5/10

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca 9/10

The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die 8.5/10

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest 8.5/10

Passion Pit - Manners 8/10

30. K-Os - Yes! 8.5/10

Chester French - Love the Future 8.5/10

Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez 8/10

Doom - Born Like This 8/10

Asher Roth - Asleep in the Bread Aisle 8.5/10

U2 - No Line on the Horizon 8/10

Blakroc – Blakroc 8/10

K'Naan - Troubadour 8/10

Yusuf (aka Cat Stevens) - Roadsinger 8.5/10

Gift of Gab - Escape to Mars 8/10

40. Clipse - Till The Casket Drops 8/10

The Flaming Lips – Embryonic 8/10

MSTRKRFT - Fist of God 8/10

Discovery – LP 8/10

The XX – XX 8/10

Bat For Lashes - Two Suns 8/10

Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major 7/10

Method Man & Redman - Blackout! 2 8/10

Chali 2na - Fish Outta Water 8/10

Buju Banton - Rasta Got Soul 7.5/10

50. Matisyahu – Light 7.5/10

Monty Are I - Break Through The Silence 7.5/10

The Fray - The Fray 8/10

Taking Back Sunday - New Again 7.5/10

P.O.S. - Never Better 8/10

Mr. Lif - I Heard It Today 8/10

CunninLynguists - Strange Journey Vol 1 8/10

311 - Uplifter 7.5/10

The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love 8/10

Ben Kweller - Changing Horses 8/10

60. Peter Bjorn and John - Living Thing 7.5/10