Your Best Albums Of 2009

[coke_a_holic]

Alright, guys, I figure we've got a month to try and pare our lists down, right?

What was the best album of 2009? The biggest surprise of 2009? The biggest disappointment of 2009? It's all up to YOU, the listener! So let's show off our pretentious music taste!

I'll start us off with my most current list, but at the end of the month, I'll probably have a more coherent idea of my true favorites.

10. Double Dagger - More
9. Andrew Jackson Jihad - Can't Maintain
8. Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen
7. Bomb The Music Industry! - Scrambles
6. Pianos Become The Teeth - Old Pride
5. Team Teamwork - The Ocarina of Rhyme
4. St. Vincent - Actor
3. Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing
2. Future Of The Left - Travels With Myself And Another
1. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns

Now it's your turn!

[jacknife737]

Favorites So Far
-Nothington - Roads Bridges, and Ruins*
-Frank Turner - Poetry of the Deed*
-Banner Pilot - Collapser*
-Dear Landlord - Dream Homes
-Nofx - Coaster
-American Steel - Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts
-Teenage Bottlerocket - They Came from the Shadows
-Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
-Broadway Calls - Good Views, Bad News
-Lily Allen - Alright Still

* = frontrunners for best of the year

Worth a mention
-Big D and the Kids Table - Fluent in Stroll
-Matt and Kim - Grand
-New Found Glory - Not Without a Fight
-Sights and Sounds - Monolith
-Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall (fun summer record, enjoyed it more than i thought i would)
-Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (the "Warning" influenced tracks really save it from being their worst album)

Still to come
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pin Points and Jin Joints
Dead to Me - African Elephants

2010
Against Me!
Alkaline Trio
Gaslight Anthem
Off With Their Heads

[IamSam]

Favorites So Far

-Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
-New Found Glory - Not Without a Fight


Adding Billy Talent III & Buttsweat & Tears-The Lawrence Arms.

[jacknife737]

Do you have buttsweat and tears? Could you upload it? I haven't been able to find it yet.

I should go through all the EPs i've heard this year, could probably make a top five of them; A Whilhelm Scream's new one is awesome.

[0r4ng3]

I think I'll just do a top 5, because I have a top 10 written down here somewhere, but I've since stopped listening to the latter half.

1. Billy Talent - Billy Talent III
2. The Swellers - Ups and Downsizing
3. Thursday - Common Existence
4. AFI - Crash Love
5. Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg

Honorable mentions to Alexisonfire, Bomb The Music Industry!, and Saosin (yes I listen to them shut up)

As far as EPs go, I haven't listened to Buttsweat and Tears enough to make a good judgment. But I do enjoy the new A Wilhelm Scream EP. Skid Rock is one of my favorite songs of the year, definitely.

Edit: Oh, and also the new Flight of the Conchords album, even though it's not as good as the first one.

[coke_a_holic]

My biggest problem is that I keep listening to albums and realizing how good they are.

For instance, all three of the people who posted in this thread might really like the new Andrew Jackson Jihad album that I had as #9 on my list... And now I'm thinking it should be up higher.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DM_KTW28jxc/SmYtb4x9Q-I/AAAAAAAAAcE/7rhX3YVngN0/s1600-h/AJJ.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/?hhndyegiymy
And here's a sample song for y'all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xlwhku6Ss8

[WebDudette]

I always like to point out that I fell asleep during an Andrew Jackson Jihad show.

[Rooster]

My picks for the best of the year:

Tied for the first place (just can't pick one as my favorite right now):
Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
Them Crooked Vultures - self-titeled

Other great albums (in no particular order):
Rancid - Let The Dominoes Fall
NOFX - Coaster
Anti-Flag - The People Or The Gun
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Elvis Jackson - Against The Gravity

[Superdope]

Scraping the barrel, I managed to find 10 cd's that made my year.

Masters of Reality - Pine/Cross Dover

Them Crooked Vultures - S/T

Clutch - Strange Cousins from the West

Mastodon - Crack the Skye

Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers

Eels - Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire

Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

Biblical Proof of UFOs - They Come from the Future

Soulsavers - Broken

Veracrash - 11:11

Baroness - Blue Record

Some of these are quite sketchy, but I thought it was horrible if I couldn't even find 10 goddamn cd's that I liked from this year.

EDIT: added a #11. The Blue Record is amazing

[WebDudette]

Touché Amoré - ...to the beat of a dead horse. Yeah, that's it.

I'll make a legitimate list in the morning.

[RageAndLov]

I haven't heard too many records from 2009 this year. I have focused more on older albums.

8. Aya Hirano - Speed Star
7. Ska Patrol - S/T
6. Matt & Kim - Grand
5. Eminem - Relapse
4. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
3. Government Warning - Executed
2. Government Warning - Paranoid Mess
1. Classics of Love - Walking in Shadows EP

Albums that didn't make the list:
NOFX - Coaster
Rancid - Let the Dominos Fall

[TakesMeNowhere28]

Just 2 for me.

1. 21st Century Breakdown - Green Day
2. Night Castle - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

[dav0147]

Green Day - 21st century Breakdown
Gallows - Grey Britain
Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions
KISS - Sonic Boom
Bowling for soup - Sorry for partyin'


and I'm still to hear any Them Crooked Vultures so that potentially could be added

[Llamas]

Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
Girl in a Coma - Trio B.C.
Imogen Heap - Ellipse
Metric - Fantasies
Maria Taylor - Ladyluck
Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much

Honorable Mentions:
Regina Spektor - Far
The Used - Artwork
Jay Z - The Blueprint III
AFI - Crashlove

That's what I've got on the top of my head... maybe more later...

[jacknife737]

My biggest problem is that I keep listening to albums and realizing how good they are.

For instance, all three of the people who posted in this thread might really like the new Andrew Jackson Jihad album that I had as #9 on my list... And now I'm thinking it should be up higher.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DM_KTW28jxc/SmYtb4x9Q-I/AAAAAAAAAcE/7rhX3YVngN0/s1600-h/AJJ.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/?hhndyegiymy
And here's a sample song for y'all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xlwhku6Ss8

Loved that youtube song; downloading the album.

llamas has also just reminded me that i still haven't checked out the new Metric yet.

[Apathy]

Big D and the Kids Table - Fluent In Stroll
- As time goes by I'm liking all of their other albums less and this one more. They met in the middle, and now this is my favorite.

And I can't believe no one mentioned Brand New - Daisy. It's tied for my second favorite of the year. Of course, this is the end of my list, so it's not like there's much competition. Reading through other answers, if Classics of Love is the same Classics of Love that formed out of the old Common Rider, then I need to listen to that still.

[jacknife737]

It took me a while to get used to the new Big D album; but after a few listens it really starts to grow on you; a solid album.

[Apathy]

aye when I was expecting ska, or at least a pop-punk with horns album I was severely disappointed. But then when I decided not to care what genre of music it was it got very good.

From the words of dave himself "it's not ska music...it's stroll music."

Edit: just re-reading this. Why did I say aye?

[Sidewinder]

I've only listened to like, 3 new albums from this year. So I guess I'll pick those three?

[T-6005]

Man, almost all of you seem to listen to wordy music that generally identifies as under the umbrella of post-punk or post-hardcore.

The albums I really loved from this year. I can't categorize them by rank, so they're just going to come out.

Muse - The Resistance
Placebo - Battle For the Sun
Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
Ash - A-Z Singles Series (alright, this is still ongoing and isn't technically an album, but I still like it.)
The Mars Volta - Octahedron (this one's on the list really only for the songs Copernicus and Since We've Been Wrong... mostly the former)
Rodrigo y Gabriela - 11:11

[dav0147]

I'm really not sure what to make of the arctic monkeys new album, I like a few songs but it is so different from their other stuff so I'm not sure about it

[Cock Joke]

2009 sucked for music! The only one I liked was the new Green Day, and even THAT was bland!

[IamSam]

Do you have buttsweat and tears? Could you upload it? I haven't been able to find it yet.

I should go through all the EPs i've heard this year, could probably make a top five of them; A Whilhelm Scream's new one is awesome.

Yeah...I bought it off of iTunes. Let me work my magic and I'll get it hopefully up sometime tomorrow.

[RageAndLov]

Reading through other answers, if Classics of Love is the same Classics of Love that formed out of the old Common Rider, then I need to listen to that still.

Yes, we are talking about the same band. Their EP is just great, and their LP which comes out 2010 is the record I'm the most excited for.

[MAXTER]

1. AFI - Crash Love (USA)
2. DAUGHTRY - Leave This Town (USA)
3. SUNRISE AVENUE - Popgasm (FIN)
4. GREEN DAY - 21st Century Breakdown (USA)
5. BROADWAY CALLS - Good Views, Bad News (USA)
6. IRA - 9 (POL)
7. MUSE - The Resistance (UK)
8. LIPALI - Trio (POL)
9. WILKI - Unplugged (POL)
10. NOFX - Coaster (USA)

[coke_a_holic]

Yeah...I bought it off of iTunes. Let me work my magic and I'll get it hopefully up sometime tomorrow.

There's no need! Here's how I got the album:

The Lawrence Arms - Buttsweat And Tears EP

http://www.mediafire.com/?zntd5zdwgua

Also, if we're talking about EPs, then I'd have to say that John K. Samson's City Route 85 is breathtakingly beautiful. Yeah, I'm gay for just about anything he does... For instance:

http://johnksamson.bandcamp.com/track/heart-of-the-continent

[holland25]

Here's my list:

The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die and all subsequent singles
Necrophobic - Death to All
Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest
NOFX - Coaster
Papa Roach - Metamorphosis
Rammstein - Liebe ist fur Alle Da
Static-X - Cult of Static
Street Sweeper Social Club - S/T
Theatre of Tragedy - Forever Is the World
Vader - Necropolis
Zebrahead - Panty Raid
AFI - Crash Love
Anti-Flag - The People or the Gun
Apokefale - Where Devil Will Seem Saintly
Azaghal - Teraphim
Billy Talent - III
BTMI! - Scrambles
The whole 20th Anniversary Series by Bouncing Souls
Bowling for Soup - Sorry for Partyin'
Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague
Drowning Pool - Loudest Common Denominator
Hatebreed - For the Lions & Hatebreed
Hromovlad - Perperuna
Karpina - 3PTYCH.SK
Korpiklaani - Karkelo
Lux Ferre - Atrae Materiae Monumentum

[jacknife737]

There's no need! Here's how I got the album:

The Lawrence Arms - Buttsweat And Tears EP

http://www.mediafire.com/?zntd5zdwgua

Also, if we're talking about EPs, then I'd have to say that John K. Samson's City Route 85 is breathtakingly beautiful. Yeah, I'm gay for just about anything he does... For instance:

http://johnksamson.bandcamp.com/track/heart-of-the-continent

Thank's a lot for the larry arms link! Also, cheers for posting that Samson link; i knew he was putting out new stuff this year,but i hadn't checked it out yet; it's pretty damn good.

[cool 2 hate 681]

The Lawrence Arms - Buttsweat And Tears EP

http://www.mediafire.com/?zntd5zdwgua

thanks:) i never heard these guys before their new EP is really good

[Sidewinder]

Finally listened to the new Kelly Clarkson album.

Um. So good. So, so good. Renewed my obsession, to say the least.



Edit: I'd also like to throw in the Glee Soundtrack, if only because of the lack of other new albums I've heard from this year.

[Little_Miss_1565]

Top 10 of 2009

1. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone

2. Mastodon, Crack The Skye

3. Fever Ray, S/T

4. Insomnium, Across the Dark

5. Antony & the Johnsons, The Crying Light

6. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2

7. Converge, Axe to Fall

8. Metric, Fantasies

9. Tom Waits, Glitter and Doom Live

10. Future of the Left, Travels with Myself and Another



Honorable Mentions

A Place to Bury Strangers, Exploding Head

Alice in Chains, Black Gives Way to Blue

Baroness, The Blue Album

Bat for Lashes, Two Suns

Behemoth, Evangelion

God Forbid, Earthsblood

Immortal, All Shall Fall

Krallice, Dimensional Bleedthrough

Kylesa, Static Tensions

Lamb of God, Wrath

Mantic Ritual, The Executioner

Mary Onettes, Islands

Mayer Hawthorne, A Strange Arrangement

Mew, No More Stories

The Mountain Goats, The Life of the World to Come

Municipal Waste, Massive Aggressive

Nile, Those Whom the Gods Detest

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, S/T

Sharon Van Etten, Because I Was In Love

Silversun Pickups, Swoon

Skeletonwitch, Breathing the Fire

Sunn O))), Monoliths & Dimensions

Swallow the Sun, New Moon

V/A, Tru Thoughts Covers

[Sidewinder]

Oh fuck, forgot Middle Cyclone was this year. That's definitely the winner.

[Little_Miss_1565]

I was hoping I could get Neko and Mastodon to jello wrestle to determine the top spot in my year end list.

[Sidewinder]

Hawtttttt.

[Superdope]

I was hoping I could get Neko and Mastodon to jello wrestle to determine the top spot in my year end list.

I would pay ridiculous amounts of money to see this. I haven't heard Middle Cyclone, so it's not on my list :(

[Sidewinder]

I just realized the main thre albums from this year for me are Neko Case, Kelly Clarkson, and the Glee soundtrack. I'm such a musicfag.

[SåS]

nofx - coaster **FYEAH CUNT**
green day - 21st etc *mostly filler, but has some good songs*
paramore - brand new eyes
all time low - nothing personal [not as good as there old stuff :|]
short stack - stack is the new black (i like alot of differnt music)
(in no particualar order)


yeah thats about all i can think of, ive been getting into alot of old bands latley.

EDIT: pour habbit - suiticide (insane motherfucka)

[Alison]

Oh god, I only bought two albums this year =0

Brand New - Daisy
Anti-Flag - The People or the Gun

[Gustavo]

NOFX - Coaster
Dead By Sunrise - Out Of Ashes
Paramore - Brand New Eyes
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown

[holland25]

Adiing two more that were just released:

Puddle of Mudd - Vol 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate
Mudvayne - Mudvayne

[zsk]

- NOFX-Coaster
-Frei.Wild-Hart am Wind


i couldn't imagine more....

[jacknife737]

The new Bosstones is unbelievably good and exceeded my extremely high expectations.

It's made my choice for top record of the year even tougher.

[GoneAway24]

Has no one mentioned Supporting Caste by Propagandhi? Amazing album

[Hammerhead_]

1- Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
2- Megadeth - Endgame
3- W.A.S.P- Babylon

[zsk]

- NOFX-Coaster
-Frei.Wild-Hart am Wind


i couldn't imagine more....

I've forgotten Evergreen Terrace- Almost at Home

[Little_Miss_1565]

1- Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
2- Megadeth - Endgame
3- W.A.S.P- Babylon

That Katatonia record is SO GOOD. I think Dave Mustaine is a douchebag but I have to admit that Endgame is super good.

[Vera]

God I'm so out of loop I want to cry a little.

[Sidewinder]

After a second listen, I'm gonna put Electric Six's "Kill" on my list. I don't think the lyrics fit the music at all - they're painfully out of place, in fact - but I really like the pure music aspect of it.

[Little_Miss_1565]

God I love the Electric Six. Have you seen them live? I saw them right around when the album came out.

[Sidewinder]

The only good bands that come near/around Atlanta are No and One. I generally would have to go 3 hours to Nashville for bands that I'm just somewhat interested in.

[Sidewinder]

Alright, I actually went back and looked through my music and realized there were plenty of albums released this year that I listened to. Here's my list, generally in order.

1. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone

2. Collective Soul - Collective Soul

3. The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come

4. The Devin Townsend Project - Addicted

5. Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted

6. Electric Six - Kill

7. Fischerspooner - Entertainment

8. Future of the Left - Travels with Myself and Another

9. Glee - Glee Soundtrack

10. Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You



Honorable Mentions:

The Devin Townsend Project - Ki

Ensiferum - From Afar

AFI - Crash Love

Alestorm - Black Sails at Midnight

[Little_Miss_1565]

Devin Townsend = <3

I wish the mastering hadn't sucked so much on the AFI record. I love the songs but couldn't list it among my favorites because of the mastering. Baaawwww.

[0r4ng3]

Yeah, that's kind of how I feel about the new Alexisonfire album. It just sounds...unfinished to me.

[nieh]

What are the two Devin Townsend albums that you mentioned like? I have a tendency to really, really like a handful of his songs (Bad Devil, Ants, can't recall the names of the others), but the only album of his that I've listened to and liked the whole way through was the Punky Brüster one, which was amazing/hilarious. I'm willing to give him another go.

[Sidewinder]

Devin Townsend = <3

I wish the mastering hadn't sucked so much on the AFI record. I love the songs but couldn't list it among my favorites because of the mastering. Baaawwww.
Dude. Totally.


What are the two Devin Townsend albums that you mentioned like? I have a tendency to really, really like a handful of his songs (Bad Devil, Ants, can't recall the names of the others), but the only album of his that I've listened to and liked the whole way through was the Punky Brüster one, which was amazing/hilarious. I'm willing to give him another go.

To quote Wiki:


Over two years, Townsend wrote over 60 songs, and found that they fit into "four distinct styles".[43] In March 2009, Townsend announced his plans for a four-album series called The Devin Townsend Project,[45] with the goal of clarifying his musical identity and being "accountable" for the persona he projects to the public.[43] The project's concept includes a different "theme" and a different group of musicians on each album.[45]
Ki, the first album of The Devin Townsend Project, was written to "set the stage" for the subsequent albums.[45] Townsend channeled his newfound control and sobriety into Ki, a "tense, quiet" album that contrasts with much of the music he had been known for.[43] Ki was released in May 2009.[46] After Ki, Townsend plans a "commercial, yet heavy" album called Addicted, followed by the "chaotic" Deconstruction which represents what Townsend "was trying to achieve with Strapping Young Lad."[43] The fourth album, called Ghost, will be a New Age[43] ambient[45] record. The last two albums are due to be released simultaneously in May 2010.

Obviously, this was written before Addicted was released; it was only put out back in November. Ki isn't bad, I just couldn't get into it. Addicted is pretty damn awesome.

As far as regular Devin goes, some of his albums are the sort that you can get too bogged down in to enjoy very much, if you know what I mean, but some he has some masterpieces as well. Synchestra is among my top 5 albums of all time if it's not number 1. I'd recommend going with that or Addicted before his other stuff.

[nieh]

The album's production style was directly influenced by Nickelback's 2008 album Dark Horse.

See guys, Devin Townsend likes that one Nickelback song too!

[Little_Miss_1565]

Devin is profoundly weird and I respect this about him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q1AxekN3Qk

After seeing that, I hope to see "Addicted" on more people's year end lists here. ;)

[Sidewinder]

Plus, every song title on Addicted ends in an exclamation mark!

Track list

1. "Addicted!"- 5:37
2. "Universe in a Ball!" - 4:09
3. "Bend It Like Bender!" - 3:37
4. "Supercrush!" - 5:13
5. "Hyperdrive!" - 3:36
6. "Resolve!" - 3:12
7. "Ih-Ah!" - 3:45
8. "The Way Home!" - 3:14
9. "Numbered!" - 4:55
10. "Awake!!" - 9:44

[nieh]

Devin is profoundly weird and I respect this about him.

I love him as a human being and I love his sense of humor which is why I keep giving him more chances despite only being able to get into like 10% of the songs I've heard by him so far. Songs like Bad Devil and Ants are incredible fun and the Punky Brewster album still makes me lol the entire way through.

[ThunderPX]

Top 10:
01. Paramore - Brand New Eyes
02. Little Boots - Hands
03. Brand New - Daisy
04. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
05. AFI - Crash Love
06. Kittie - In the Black
07. Billy Talent - Billy Talent III
08. Flyleaf - Memento Mori
09. Editors - In This Light and In This Evening
10. Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You

Honorable Mentions:
White Lies - White Lies
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue

Extra Special Mention For Being Such A Hilarious Failure:
Weezer - Raditude

[jacknife737]

Favorites So Far
-Nothington - Roads Bridges, and Ruins*
-Frank Turner - Poetry of the Deed*
-Banner Pilot - Collapser*
-Dear Landlord - Dream Homes
-Nofx - Coaster
-American Steel - Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts
-Teenage Bottlerocket - They Came from the Shadows
-Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
-Broadway Calls - Good Views, Bad News
-Lily Allen - Alright Still

* = frontrunners for best of the year

Worth a mention
-Big D and the Kids Table - Fluent in Stroll
-Matt and Kim - Grand
-New Found Glory - Not Without a Fight
-Sights and Sounds - Monolith
-Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall (fun summer record, enjoyed it more than i thought i would)
-Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (the "Warning" influenced tracks really save it from being their worst album)

Still to come
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pin Points and Jin Joints
Dead to Me - African Elephants

2010
Against Me!
Alkaline Trio
Gaslight Anthem
Off With Their Heads


The only change that i would make to my list: would be drop Lily Allen and add the new Bosstones. A fantastic record.

[jacknife737]

Top Ten
-Nothington - Roads Bridges, and Ruins
-Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pint Points and Gin Joints
-Frank Turner - Poetry of the Deed
-Banner Pilot - Collapser
-Dear Landlord - Dream Homes
-Nofx - Coaster
-Teenage Bottlerocket - They Came from the Shadows
-Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
-Broadway Calls - Good Views, Bad News
-Dead To Me - African Elephants

Favorite Ep's
-Nofx - Cokie the Clown
-A Wilhelm Scream - S/t
-Larry Arms - Buttsweat and Tears

Worth a mention
-American Steel - Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts
-Lily Allen - Alright Still
-Andrew Jackson Jihad - Can't Maintain
-Big D and the Kids Table - Fluent in Stroll
-Matt and Kim - Grand
-New Found Glory - Not Without a Fight
-Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall (fun summer record, enjoyed it more than i thought i would)

[Irish-Rover]

Just 3 for me
Sound of madness - Shinedown
No Line on the Horizon - U2
Black Gives Way to Blue - Alice in Chains

[MAXTER]

Just 3 for me
Sound of madness - Shinedown
No Line on the Horizon - U2
Black Gives Way to Blue - Alice in Chains

Sound Of Madness come out in 2008..
By the way is a great album!!!! :)

[7Seconds]

NoFX - Cokie The Clown
Rancid - Let the Dominoes
Them Crooked Vultures - S/t

[Krojd]

Has no one mentioned Supporting Caste by Propagandhi? Amazing album

This!!! Supporting Caste and Peope or the gun by Anti-Flag are the best.