I have bought a total of 85 physical albums in 2009. That is only 4 less than in 2008. I still don’t use music-download-sites as I prefer to have the actual CD in my shelf rather than some files on the harddisk, probably infested with DRM and such. I might be a dinosaur when it comes to collecting music, although I mostly use MP3s and Software to administrate my collection and listen to the music. But it is still nice to know that there’s a backup that will survive any computer-crash! 🙂
OK, now on to MOTM’s best albums of 2009. They will be listed in no particular order (only the top-3 will), and there won’t be lengthy comments as well; chances are that they have already been reviewed on the blog before. So here we go; these are the albums that I’ve enjoyed very much in 2009:
Kimo – Surrender
the first one in 2009 that stuck for a long time! Perfectly capturing lush soundscapes.
White Lies – To Lose My Life
very entertaining debut with a bunch of classic songs
Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
a perfect summer-soundtrack; one of the lovliest albums in 2009!
Barcelona – Absolutes
best Brit-Pop-album in 2009, even if it’s from an US band!
Metric – Fantasies
some of the most catchy alternpop-tunes in 2009.
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – s/t
Shoegaze-indie-rock with a punch… very pure and entertaining.
Dredg – The Parriah, The Parrot, The Delusion
not their best, but still well above average!
The Fatales – Great Surround
a surprisingly well-crafted and atmospheric debut-album
Mew – No More Stories…
it clicked only a few months after the release, but now I really like it
Arctic Monkeys – Humbug
more The Coral than Monkeys, but probably their most mature work yet
Dappled Cities – Zounds
a bold and highly enjoyable album from Down Under
Glass Pear – Streets Of Love
an almost perfect pop-album from this very talented Welsh artist
Athlete – Black Swan
hardly noticed by the public, but it has some of their best songs on it
Editors – In This Light And On This Evening
a bit on the monotone side on the full album scale, but at least not just a repetition of their former releases
David Gray – Draw The Line
as expected, another solid and entertaining singer/songwriter-album from Mr. Gray
The Raveonettes – In And Out Of Control
back to the more pop-influenced roots; suits them well!
Kent – Röd
even as an ElectrIndieDisco-band, Kent know how to create melodic and gripping songs
Idlewild – Post Electric Blues
see Athlete; would have deserved so much more attention!
Absent Elk – Caught In The Headlights
A late entry from this UK/Norway-collaboration; Brit-Pop mixed with Scandinavian flair
Lower Heaven – Ashes
another late entry that should please the shoegaze-fan in you
Piano Magic – Ovations
dark and gloomy, and with potential to grow even more
The Boxer Rebellion – Union
could probably have landed in the top-3 if it came to me a bit earlier
Here are some albums that arrived late here and are still lingering on the harddisk, waiting for my final verdict:
The Antlers – Hospice
hype or not? Still not sure…
Digits – Hold It Close
an album which still awaits a proper review on MOTM
Grand Avenue – Place To Fall
couldn’t make out something yet that keeps me interested
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
more hype?
Hearts Of Black Science – The Star In The Lake
I feel that this is one to love… time will tell!
The Twilight Sad – Forget The Night Ahead
I immediately fell in love with the singer’s accent… hopefully, the music will follow!
Re-discovered classics, bought in 2009:
Pearl Jam – Ten (Deluxe Edition)
still the best grunge-album ever!
The Traveling Wilburys – The Collection (Deluxe)
still the best “supergroup”-album ever!
Fleetwood Mac – Tusk (Limited Edition)
still the best… well, I don’t know, but it’s a great album!
The top-3-albums will follow in the next few days… stay tuned!
