It’s tough to pick my favorites of 2009 in music, mostly because there’s so much out there that I didn’t listen to. I feel like I’m not giving a fair enough opinion. In any case, the music I did listen to in 2009 was pretty great. There wasn’t a lot of new releases from favorites, but that helped me discover new artists, some I wished I discovered when they had their big release in 2008. This list won’t count any from last year though. I’m focusing on 2009 and whole albums, so here be my list:
- Bon Iver – Blood Bank
I don’t know how Bon Iver does it, but his music is soothing to the soul. He makes everything okay, even if the world has gone to shit. - Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Perhaps one of my more listened to bands this year. They just have this pop sound that makes me happy when I hear their music go. - Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
I hate to say that I don’t really like the rest of the album other than “My Girls,” but it’s true. Maybe hate’s too strong of a word, but if it weren’t for “My Girls,” this album would not be on my list. And to burst my dream of seeing them live, I watched them on YouTube. They do not sound good live. Still, I love “My Girls,” and one of these days I’ll give their album another chance. - Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest
They surprised me with this album. Their previous works never won me over. Like with Animal Collective, I loved one single off their Yellow House album but was not sold on the rest. But this time around, I was hooked on the entire album. They really got it right with this album and “Two Weeks” became one of my most listened to song this year (and ever!). - Kid Cudi – Man on the Moon
Kid Cudi’s been on my radar ever since I heard “Dat Dat New” which I can’t find anywhere else but YouTube. And then came along Day ‘n Night and the rest of his album. I was impressed with the release and it got me out of my hip hop funk. - Jay-Z – Blueprint 3
I really shouldn’t put this on my list, but I’ve been listening to singles on the radio and I’m getting hooked. I didn’t like the album on first listen, but I don’t know how I missed “Empire State of Mind.” And now I’m getting addicted to “Run This Town” and “Young Forever.” I figured since Animal Collective is on here with only one song I really like, the Blueprint 3 deserves a spot here as well. - The Decemberists – Hazards of Love
So it’s a bit different than the previous albums and it had to take time to grow on me. But once it did grow on me, I couldn’t stop listening to it. In fact, I think I’m listening to it more than any album so far and that’s saying something because I listen to these guys practically non-stop. Though it’s true that I did have a moment where I would rarely listen to them, but then Hazards of Love came out.
Seven? Is that it? That’s all I could really muster up? Well hell, I need to listen to more music. New Years resolution, listen to much more new music. Looking at my iTunes list, it’s really sad how little new music I introduced myself to as opposed to the previous years. I’ll have to work on that. Though to be fair, there’s a lot of 2008 music I discovered in 2009. Though I suppose that says more on what an awesome year 2008 was for music.
Update 1/4: Been exploring some new music and I’m adding ‘Major Lazer’s Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do’ album to one of my favorites this year. It’s a damn catchy album and there’s a lot of variety with the tracks. It’s one that’s I’m listening to over and over because I just can’t stop. Plus, baby crying with autotune = awesome.
Update 1/14: I might have been a bit harsh on Animal Collective. The album is fairly good now that I’ve listened to it more. Though I still stand by my word that they don’t sound good live, if the YouTube clips are any indication.