Well, now that it is officialy 2010, I can say that 2009 was one CRAZY year! That's for sure! Still, finding great music was not hard! Here are some notable efforts, all leading up to the much-anticipated ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!!
10. Mirah - (A)Spera - it was great to hear new music from Mirah this year, and this had some great songs with cool production elements throughout.
9. Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM - A great album that is more consistent than her previous album, getting help from Beck and touching on some more hefty themes.
8. Paramore - Brand New Eyes - I really liked this album, gets a little darker, I suppose, and Brick by Boring Brick is a great song AND video!
7. Tegan and Sara - Sainthood - a step up from The Con, which disappointed me, this gets back more into melodic and rockier songs
6. Julie Peel - Near The Sun - a great new artist with a great sound
5. Erin McKeown - Hundreds of Lions - Erin McKeown just keeps getting better and better!!! (plus I met her)
4. Slow Club - Yeah So - super melodic and interesting, simple songs from the UK!
3. Sarah Slean and The Art of Time Ensemble - Black Flowers - beautiful album, with long, fully realized soundscapes!
2. Metric - Fantasies - A great album that continues the greatness of Metric with great songs
1. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - I really got into this album, i have probably heard it more than any other album this year, and it has all great songs, I also saw her live, so there's that...
Wow! What a list! You sure are smart Jeremy! Still...I find it hard to believe that these are the only albums you liked. I wonder...do you have any quick reviews of other things that came out this year?
fun. - aim & ignite - great stuff
idlewild - post electric blues - amazing evolution of this band
olivia ruiz - Miss Météores - good songs, more english language!
kabeedies - rumpus - cool, upbeat songs from the UK
miranda lee richards - light of x - good to hear from her again, but its basically the same as her first album
sarah borges & the broken singles - the stars are out - Great stuff, turn the rock up a bit!
nellie mckay - normal as blueberry pie - Great interpretations of classic Doris Day songs...I like the steel drums!
diana krall - quiet nights - like boating down the amazon!
kelly clarkson - all I ever wanted - (i know...don't judge me!) Brighter than her last, maybe 4 good songs
the sounds - crossing the rubicon - Pretty good, despite their "single" Beatbox, a tuneless and lame song
au revoir simone - still night still light - Great songs and cool sounds!
zee avi - Zee Avi - Very good album with catchy and tuneful songs! Also some different views of the world!
Works Progress Administration - WPA - Boring, but lovely to listen to
Viva Voce - Rose City - good to hear new stuff, but kinda unmemorable (i think)
Those Darlins - Those darlins - Cool new band with a raucous energy. Loved it!
Thermals - Now We Can See - Amazing as always!
Taken By Trees - East of Eden - kind of interesting foray into "world" music I guess
stellastarr* - Civilized - great album, rocks, not really anything new
Severin - Cheesecake - cool collection of various french female vocalists...variety pack!
Sara Watkins - sara watkins - Good to hear a good solo album from Sara!
Fiction Family - fiction family - too much noodling, not enough song-ing???
Sahara Hotnights - Sparks - covers album, continuing their descent into ABBA territory (probably)
Rodrigo y Gabriela - 11:11 - great sound, nothing new
Raveonettes - In & Out of Control - Pretty good, poppier sounds, content kinda confused me sometimes
Postmarks - Memoirs At The End of the World - Best yet! Like listening to an album of James Bond songs!
Plasticines - About Love - Super cool album from french girls!
Pink Martini - Splendor in the grass - Kind of expands the sound of the band, and I like it!
Orenda Fink - Ask The Night - good soft album, not really memorable
Nouvelle Vague - NV3 - Cool song choices, interesting arrangements
Music Go Music - Expressions - A joy to listen to, fills my heart with music
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Under The Covers volume 2 - made me hate 70's music even more
Marykate O'Neil - Underground - pretty boring
Lovers - I am The west - good stuff, stronger than their earlier stuff
Lost Fingers - Rendez-vous rose - Covers of some french songs done in django reinhardt style...kinda cheesy
Little Boots - Hands - SO good! Hooks and a cool music lightboard thingy (see a live video)
La Patère Rose - La Patère Rose - Beautiful french thing
Kristeen Young - Music for Strippers, Hookers, and the Odd On-Looker - A fully fleshed-out sound, interesting!
Kate Earl - Kate Earl - Moves into more of an R&B style, but I tend to like it!
Julie Doiron - I Can Wonder what you did with your day - Good stuff, rockier
John Doe & The sadies - country club - cute experiment, not really lasting
Ingrid Michaelson - Everybody - Gggghhh...not great.
Imogen Heap - Ellipse - Awesome album! Great explorations of sound! Aha! is a great song!
Immaculate Machine - High on Jackson Hill - Great indie sounds!
Hope Sandoval & The Warm inventions - through the devil softly - I love Hope Sandoval and was glad to hear new stuff!
Holidays on ice - Pillage before plunder - Good album, improves on their first!
hem - twelfth night - Cool take on Shakespearean age music! (is that something???)
hello seahorse - bestia - Rock! Different than their older stuff and...rockier!
exene cervenka - somewhere gone - Surprising change of pace...quite good
Emily Loizeau - Pays Sauvage - Cool nature/city sounds surround the music, more English songs!
Emmy The Great - first love - Good emotional sognwriting
Emm Gryner - Goddess - Great, simple, perfect Emm Gryner!
Dave Rawlings Machine - A Friend of a Friend - kind of self-indulgent and boring
Claire denamur - claire denamur - beautiful frenchie music-y
chat - folie douce - cute french tunes
Chantal Kreviazuk - Plain Jane - Pretty good, not really anything new
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career - GREAT album! I loved it...Camera Obscura keeps getting better
Buddy & Julie Miller - written in chalk - boring
Angie Hart - Eat my shadow - Good stuff, certainly happier that her previous effort
20 minute loop - famous people marry famous people - Good! too bad they broke up.
The Mountain Goats - The life of the world to come - Cool theme, wish I could comprhend lyrics (in general)
Ciao My Shining Star - Mark Mulcahy tribute, unfortunately, I'd rather just listen to the originals!
...and what about those EP's?
carina round - things you should know - Backseat is an AMAZING song
eisley - fire kite EP - Good to hear new songs, but didn't really grab me
beirut - realpeople holland - a weird foray into electronic/standard indie sounds...Why?
beirut - march of the zapotec - the beirut we know and love
the wendy darlings - we come with friendly purposes - cool throwback to great indiepop
Mountain goats - moon colony bloodbath - I'm sure it was good
Land of talk - fun & laughter - more great soundscapes
The Hard to get - looking good ep - Good stuff, I know I loved at least 1 song
the ettes - danger is EP - It's the ettes! How could I NOT love?
blue giant - target heart - good side project from Viva Voce
beautiful small machines - robots in love ep - I love this band! Fun!
Oh yeah! I forgot about all that stuff! Gee...thanks for wasting my time with your lame, uninformed comments about a bunch of albums that no one cares about. I hope you're happy...
Picture!!!!!!!!!
