50
Antony And The Johnsons
The Crying Light
(Secretly Canadian)
49
Mos Def
The Ecstatic
(Downtown)
48
Silversun Pickups
Swoon
(Dangerbird)
47
jj
n° 2
(Sincerely Yours)
46
Raekwon
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II
(Loud/RCA/BMG)
45
Regina Spektor
Far
(Sire)
44
The Rural Alberta Advantage
Hometowns
(Saddle Creek)
43
Mastodon
Crack The Skye
(Reprise)
42
The Dead Weather
Horehound
(Mute)
41
Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures
(DGC/Interscope)
40
Neon Indian
Psychic Chasms
(Lefse)
39
Brand New
Daisy
(Interscope)
38
Bill Callahan
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
(Drag City)
37
Cymbals Eat Guitars
Why There Are Mountains
(Self-released)
36
The Horrors
Primary Colours
(XL)
35
Tegan And Sara
Sainthood
(Vapor)
34
Fuck Buttons
Tarot Sport
(ATP)
33
Florence & The Machine
Lungs
(Island)
32
Dinosaur Jr.
Farm
(Jagjaguwar)
31
The Mountain Goats
The Life Of The World To Come
(4AD)
30
Dan Deacon
Bromst
(Carpark)
29
Camera Obscura
My Maudlin Career
(4AD)
28
Wild Beasts
Two Dancers
(Domino)
27
Julian Casablancas
Phrazes For The Young
(Cult/RCA)
26
Metric
Fantasies
(Metric Music International)
25
Andrew Bird
Noble Beast
(Fat Possum)
24
Arctic Monkeys
Humbug
(Domino)
23
Monsters Of Folk
Monsters Of Folk
(Shangri-La)
22
The Avett Brothers
I And Love And You
(Sony)
21
Japandroids
Post-Nothing
(Polyvinyl)
20
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
(Slumberland)
19
Atlas Sound
Logos
(Kranky)
18
Wilco
Wilco (The Album)
(Nonesuch)
17
Various Artists
Dark Was The Night
(4AD)
16
The Decemberists
The Hazards of Love
(Capitol)
15
Bat For Lashes
Two Suns
(Astralwerks)
14
Fever Ray
Fever Ray
(Mute)
13
Sunset Rubdown
Dragonslayer
(Jagjaguwar)
12
St. Vincent
Actor
(4AD)
11
The Flaming Lips
Embryonic
(Warner Bros.)
10
Neko Case
Middle Cyclone
(ANTI-)
9
Passion Pit
Manners
(Frenchkiss)
8
The Antlers
Hospice
(Frenchkiss)
7
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
It’s Blitz
(Interscope)
6
Girls
Album
(True Panther)
5
The xx
xx
(Young Turks/XL)
4
Phoenix
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
(Glassnote)
3
Dirty Projectors
Bitte Orca
(Domino)
2
Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest
(Warp)
1
Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavilion
(Domino)
 |
 |
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I’m really disappointed that Baroness isn’t on this list. Such a better metal record than “Crack the Skye.”
Baroness did really well, but not Top 50. I think it was #60something…
I am taking a breather from spreadsheets for a bit, but I can probably post some noteworthy runners up.
I’m pretty sure there are a lot of interesting choices in the next 50 albums. (Maybe, maybe not.)
I honestly didn’t know Stereogum readers liked Florence so much! Personally liked just a couple, and there’s even a song that sounds like a rip-off of Beyonce’s Crazy in Love (Drumming Song)
Most predictable top 5 ever.
maybe because it was the best five albums that came out this past year.
“Wolfgang” is a fun album, but certainly not top 5 material. Especially considering “Bromst” was also released this year, and “Actor” also.
I prefer Wolfgang to Actor. Bromst, maybe, maybe not. Further proof that it’s a matter of taste, and that the majority of tastes here preferred Wolfgang.
I don’t know how I feel about Girls beating out true visionaries such as Natasha Khan of Bat For Lashes and Dark was the Night (easily one of the most mind-blowing compilations composed). Don’t believe the hype, kids.
Brand New?! WTF, Mate?! Am I a sophomore in high school again? I’m going to download that for shits and gigs.
I completely agree. Except for that part about downloading it for shits and gigs.
Should have been higher. Incredible album.
Brand New sound nothing like they did when you were a sophomore in high school. Unless you are still a sophomore in high school. Give them a chance… especially this record and their last (which is in my top 5 of all-time – Devil and God) Fantastic song-writers that reinvent themselves with each release.
Mostly no surprises here, except for The Rural Alberta Advantage. Oh well, at least Stereogum lets people speak their own mind without limiting their options!
(You all know what I’m talking about)
HOW COME EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS ARENT ON ANY BEST OF 09 LISTS???????? They’re album is easily better than anything the arctic monkeys ever did and certainly better than The Avett Brothers’ snoozefest 09. lol
I voted them for Best New Act and am pretty disappointed they didn’t even make the list.
Ditto.
I agree about Edward Sharpe. I’ve practically had their album on repeat since I first heard it.
Yea Ed Sharpe should be on here, as well FRANZ FERDINAND – most underrated album of the year.
All in all a good list, but pretty devoid of anything with some soul. Little Dragon anyone…?
Thank you Cory… It’s really pathetic that the whole indie rock establishment has overlooked ‘Up from below’… easily one of best albums of last year.
Up From Below by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is easily the best album of the year if you ask me. Its a complete mystery how they get left off of every list
Face Control was so criminally overlooked.
STRONG AGREE
I was just about to comment on that. How can it not make these lists! Dan Mangan should be here too.
i agree that edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros should definately be on there. this is super predictable, but mostly true. atlas sound should have been higher, glad to see sunset rubdown so high, but in my opinion it should be in the top five instead of phoenix or the xx. both are good bands, but not that good. same deal with passion pit and girls. i wont comment on bitte orca because i only listened to it a couple times. i’m very surprised to see none of the great new woodsist bands one this list – Woods, Ganglians, Real Estate, Blank Dogs, Fresh & Onlys
Miike Snow anyone?
Wah I know! Miike Snow got my NUMBER 1 album of the year!
Overlooked sadly. :(
Can’t complain. Probably the best list we’ve seen.
Agree. I mean we created it so we shouldn’t complain right?
This list was full of ‘of course’s on my part, because of course the internet would vote MPP album of the year, and of course the xx landed really high, and of course boring as hell acts like Neon Indian placed. After all, this year (see the ‘sunny’ vibe of bands like Real Estate) seems to be about boring bands.
At least the Mountain Goats landed on there.
Too bad Caspian, There Will Be Fireworks, A Storm of Light, and The Twilight Sad didn’t.
Also, side note, but the xx are some of the ugliest (or at least ugliest dressed) people I’ve ever seen.
We get it, your a rebel who’s too cool to agree with the lists stereogum made and thinks the Mountain Goats is good.
Your comment about the best albums of the decade list being a bad representation of the decade was absolutely ridiculous. Out of every best albums of the 00s list i have seen, the one compiled by the stereogum voters was the best and most interesting.
wow, what kind of generic crack rock do stereogum readers use? This was the most boring and cliche top 50 I have ever seen… its also awful from time to time. Andrew Bird is only at 25??? St. Vincent isn’t in the top ten? Beirut was totally shut out on their March of the Zapotec/Real people project. No Matt & Kim, Edward Sharpe, Alec Ounsworth, Kings of Convenience, Kasibain, fun, Bishop Allen, or Dan Black??? really disappointing stereogum readers.
haha, Brian, Kings of Convience isn’t Generic boring indie? Andrew Bird is “edgy” but Animal Colelctive isn’t? Check what kind of crack rock you are referencing
Generic in terms of predictable, boring answers, not in terms of tempo of songs. Sorry you can’t drop ecstasy and dance in front of a strobe light to Andrew Bird, but he made a fantastic album.
You say these selections are “predictable.” If they are so predictable, why do you seem so incredulous that they were chosen? “Oh my goodness, the masses picked exactly what you’d expect them to! I can’t believe it!” So the average stereogum user doesn’t share your exact taste in music. If you’ve spent time around here, you likely knew that already. NOBODY HAS THE EXACT SAME TASTE IN MUSIC AS YOU. If everybody did, you’d probably think that was lame, and shift your own tastes so you could continue bitching about how you can’t believe everyone picked the most predictable stuff out there.
Tell me who else you like.
camera obscura is way too low. listen to it again, everybody. and again. and again.
I have to say, I’m a little stumped by Girls, Phoenix, and The xx being so high on the list. Dragonslayer probably deserved to be somewhere in the top five. It’s excellent. Hmm… Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle was really great too. I’m also a little surprised that Swan Lake isn’t on here. All well, you can’t expect any end of the year list to be tailored to your taste.
i still think Dragonslayer was a snoozefest compared to Shut Up I Am Dreaming or Random Spirit Lover
I love all three with my whole heart. I think Dragonslayer is exciting and catchy and wonderful, so, personal taste is crazy!
It amazes me that people can still complain about a list that they made.
Ahhhhh, so THAT’S who finished 4th………
How dare you leave The Pink Mountaintops off of this list! Outside Love kicks everyone of these records!
These lists are always predictable. There a lot of duds from otherwise good artists that don’t really belong on any list (Regina Spektor, YYYs, Wilco, Fuck Buttons), a few WTF sucky albums (Artic Monkeys, Brand New, The Horrors), and then the obvious choices (MPP, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors). The others I like, but not enough to put on a best of list (except maybe Dino Jr, Bat For Lashes, and Neon Indian).
Oh and I love the Mos Def album too.
Am I alone in thinking that La Roux should be on this list? Either way, most of my favorites made it on. “Veckatimest” is definitely my favorite of the year.
LA ROUX – definitely
Where is Mew, Yo La Tengo, Kings of Convenience, Tyondai Braxton, A Sunny Day In Glasgow, Little Dragon, Bibio, Tim Hecker, The Clientele, White Rainbow, etc.?
SONIC YOUTH?
FAKE SURFERS!
Well, what did most of you guys write in and vote. I know we all did. We all had to vote for 3 or 5 albums right? My five were Passion Pit, Phoenix, St. Vincent, The Decemberists, and Thrice. I didn’t try to be “indie hipster” about it. I wrote in exactly what I listened to the most this year. Animal Collective really doesn’t draw me in. Grizzly Bear was good but not “oh my gosh I want to listen to it everyday” great. I couldn’t care less about The Dirty Projectors. I think Andrew Bird deserves to be higher. What’s wrong with Brand New? They aren’t a teenager band really at all. They may tilt towards a punkish sound but lyrics are something a 28 year old like myself can relate to. Same with Thrice.
Micachu & the Shapes should definitely be on this list. It was one of the funnest and most interesting of the year.
Nice list, but the top 3 was woefully predictable.
None of my 3 chioces made the top 50. How cool am I? Very.
I really loved Cass McCombs and Real Estate this year.
The fact that so many people whine about these lists being “predictable” is just absurd. Do you guys even grasp what a Best-Albums-of-the-Year list is? These lists are not supposed to be filled with lost albums by obscure avant-garde bands that almost no one heard. They’re a (somewhat futile) attempt to retrospecticely “sum up” the music everyone got really excited about this year. They’re a broad overview and they’re populist by nature.
Are you people equally annoyed when a Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits album features all the predictable songs instead of lost b-sides?
If you’re looking for a Best-Albums-of-the-Year list that is surprising and “unpredictable,” then you are missing the whole point. Back in 97, you people would have been going “Oh god, list after list is claiming that ‘OK Computer’ is the best album of the year. So predictable!”
Yeah. No shit it’s predictable.
Pretty easy to guess what albums you voted for then…
pretty easy to know what bands you didnt vote for
Wow. Just wow. This list is all hype. As Seth and Amy would say, “REALLY?!” All 50 of these albums were better that Built to Spill’s “There is No Enemy?” Maybe if they moved to Brooklyn and got more ironic, the hipster douches out there might pay attention. People need to quit looking at each other for what to like and start listening to albums. This was supposed to be a list of the best albums, right?
you need to seriously go away and shut up.
Somewhat surprised that Foreign Born’s ‘Person to Person’ was not on this list.
I just deleted Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear and Dirty Projectors off my iTunes list. Staying cool requires some sacrifices. Even ones that don’t necessarily make sense.
We voted the best album list of the year. I’m so fucking proud of us.
good list. aside from the top 3, i’m seeing a lot of agreeable choices and i can live with passion pit at 9
nice job everybody
The Ecstatic is WAY too low on that list.
No Super Furries? Thought ‘Dark Days..’ their strongest for a while. Loved genre stretchers Sunn 0)) & the Unthanks too. Pleased to see St. Vincent so well represented – an unassuming gem.
Lovely list, nontheless. X
no wavves :(
Mad Deja Vu when Pitchfork rolls out their Top 3.
Not really a criticism, all three were among my favorites of the year. I voted Grizzly Bear, St. Vincent, and Dirty Projectors because I knew everyone was going to vote Animal Collective, though it seems everyone voted for Grizzly Bear and the Dirty Projectors too.
I’m very happy to see The Antlers crack the top 10, let alone finally making it onto a Best of 2009 list. Hospice was my favorite album of the year and nearly all of the lists put out by big-name publications (or the ones that I’ve seen, anyway) have thus far overlooked it completely.
I think it’s a great list overall – of course there are a few things here and there I’d change, but for the most part I agree with the picks. And to those who are bitching about it being “predictable,” uh… no shit. The readers of a blog that loves Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear also seem to love Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear?!?! No way!
Ambivalence Avenue??
Finally a list I can mostly agree with… the mag editors should’ve consulted SG readers before crapping out their garbage lists. Orrrrrrrrr I agree with it because, as a reader of SG, I’m proactively part of an online community that shares similar tastes of music. Either way, our collective taste in music is better than everyone else’s. So there.
So the debate of 2009 is settled: Animal Collective > Grizzly Bear > Dirty Projectors
I like this list…but I feel like it’s unfair to some of the newly released 2009 albums to be judged (or unjudged) before the new year…
MISSING JEWELS:
*Why? -Eskimo Snow
*El Perro Del Mar- Love Is Not Pop
*The Mars Volta- Octahedron
*Cursive- Mama, I’m Swollen
*Imogen Heap- Ellipse
*Mirah-(a)spera
Hmm what a surprise, Stereogum are the first to post a top 50 that I actually mostly agree with.
Fits, by White Denim
agreed, they were my vote for best newbie and Fits def makes my top ten
My thoughts exactly, hombre. Then again, Pitchfork didn’t give it a 9+/10 so most people probably didn’t like it (or even hear about/bother to listen to it. Yeah, I said it). Also see: The Strange Boys.
This list is pretty good, but Veckatimist at #2?!?! Most overrated album ever!
Also, what about YACHT? NURSES? LE LOUP? SWAN LAKE?
That, and an actual question? Did Former Ghosts’ Fleurs come out in 2009? Because that album is AMAZING! Anybody with me on that?
although it is far from my favorite album this year, i think Islands’ Vapours deserves at least to be on here.
yay dragonslayer gets props! one thing i love about stereogum… everyone loves my wolf parade .i have to listen to phoenix.. sounds very good from what ive heard so far.. and im going to give a 2nd go around to bat for lashes.. and check out antlers too
We Were Promised Jet Packs is surprisingly absent from this list. As is Manchester Orchestra, which is probably has some of the best lyrics in recent memory. Glad to see Brand New got a mention, although highly unusual (bust deserved).
Anyone else upset to find the Field absent? I dunno, maybe it’s just me!
Don’t see it mentioned anywhere, but those who haven’t heard it should check out Ryan Gosling’s album ( Dead Man’s Bones, s/t ). Shit has no business whatsoever being as good as it is. Fifty listens in and I can’t get over it.
pretty expected but pretty good for an indie blog, Passion Pit and Antlers above Neko Case is a disgrace, but everything else ok.
Some people need to venture out and listen to some newer music. This is turning into a popularity contest, instead of voting for the best album. The Decemberists at 16 and Wilco at 18? The only people who voted for that are people who still are living off their material from 2004. Vote for your favorite album, not your favorite band.
Call me crazy, but I can’t believe White Denim didn’t make it the top 50. Either way, it’s still one of my favorites from last year.
Sick to my stomach that WHY? didn’t make this list. What the fuck is wrong with everyone?!
Snooze. Not that tops are bad but predictable.
Predictable list. Not like I’m complaining. And Tarot Sport deserved to be way higher on the list.
Not a bad list, although a little to US leaning. Still, not bad. Would have loved to have seen the love language make the list, but didn’t expect it!
Great list, but MEW – “No more stories…” deserves to be recognized! My absolute favorite this year :D
Agree, one of my personal favorites of all time.
I feel kind of bad that I have 40 of these albums on my computer, how predictable is that? At least I paid for the top 4
I really can’t believe N.A.S.A.’s Spirit of Apollo didn’t make anyone’s list this year. It is definitely one of the best things to come out of 2009.
Do we really think Dark Was the Night was that good?
Sholi released one most amazing albums of the year. Timeless / gorgeous / dark / instrumentally breathtaking. The drumming alone is worthy of these lists. Other than that I think DM Smit should be mentioned, but XX, Animal Collective, and Dirty Projectors, Sholi, Grizzly Bear pretty much on repeat this year.
You Dirty Projectors and Grizzly Bear fans should really check out this Sholi record!
Excuse me I meant DM Stith! Heavy Ghost = heavenly. Beautiful headphones listening.
Real Estate? Swan Lake? Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros? Handsome Furs? Wavves? Surfer Blood? Yacht? Memory Tapes? Why?
I guess its not a bad list, but why is silversun on there? brand new, really? yawn. I hate that there has to be a #1, but I’m okay with it being MPP
How could you guys have missed Echo and The Bunnymen? Built to Spill? The Best albums are not necessarily the ones “they” say, people. As another comment said: “Don’t Believe The Hype”
The Ones You Guys Forgot About:
The Sun – Don’t Let Your Girl Have All the Fun
Wiretree –
Why? – Eskimo Snow
Surfer Blood – Astrocoast
Fanfarlo – Reservoir
Kings of Convenience – Declaration of Dependence
Holiday Shores – Columbus’d The Whim
The Generationals – Con Law
Foreign Born – Person to Person
Freelance Whales – Weathervanes
The Dodos – Time to Die
Deer Tick – Born on Flag Day
Beirut – March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland
Echo and The Bunnymen – The Fountain
The Clientele – Bonfires on the Heath
Sonic Youth – The Eternal
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band – Outer South
Roman Candle – Oh Tall Tree in the Ear
Real Estate – Real Estate
The Ravonettes – In and Out of Control
M. Ward – Hold Time
Loney Dear – Dear John
The Lonely Forest – We Sing The Body Electric
Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy
You’re not allowed to make a list that big!!! Nevertheless, I surely agree about WHY?, The Clientele, and Beirut.
the Black Keys-Blakroc. uhuh
Too bad no Foreign Born, M. Ward, Fool’s Gold, The Raveonettes, or The Big Pink.
music is subjective guys so calm down
Really no WIND’S POEM from MT. EERIE? The Avett Bro’s album sinks south so fast from the halfway point you surely could replace THAT with something as aggressively creative as MT. EERIE, no?
Did nobody enjoy Portugal. The Man this year? Satanic Satanist and Majestic Majesty are so very good. My favorite of 2009.
i love the xx, and jj. and i have to say i like this list better than pitchfork’s solely because SWOON!!! is on here!! even so low, i listened to that album 23456787654323456 times this year. the top 3 are predictable. i’ve had my phase with each of those albums, but none of them are really passionate, and i guess i like music i can brood to….
PLEEEEEEZZZZZZ reduce the size of the thumbnails or offer a text-only link to the lists! A third of us are still stuck on dial-up and that’s just in the U.S. It is a royal pain in the ass to have to either wait for the list to load or to tease it out of the source text.
Thank you!
Surprised Blue Lights On The Runway by Bell X1 wasn’t on here. I also enjoyed The Cribs’ follow up as well as several songs from Angel Pier. This list is a good foundation, but has some cracks to fill.
Listening to Animal Collective’s ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ creates an inescapable atmosphere of intense and long lasting euphoria from its first notes, and like true art of its kind, caused me to transcend my physical self and recall that there is still some joy and beauty to be found in this world.
I cannot think of a more deserving album for the top spot.
Your post about Merriweather Post Pavilion makes me wonder why I am even wasting my time on this site listening to the same music as you.
MPP is good. But its just become the default #1 album of the year. You’re just not cool or you just have no clue if its not your number 1. I may drop it out of my top 10 entirely now.
Cheers.
Notably absent from this list would be Röyksopp’s ‘Junior.’ Although, I suppose if you must limit yourself to 50, you are going to have to gloss over a few.
This list is about right, I won’t complain except for the exclusion of the Heartless Bastards’ *The Mountain.* How and why did this album not get more love from anyone and everyone!?! Some raw and powerful music there. I guess the blues are out…
I think this is a pretty good list. Two deserving records that I’ve seen on no lists: Richard Swift – The Atlantic Ocean and Cotton Jones – Paranoid Cocoon.
what about empire of the sun or miike snow!!
Rancid. Not enough random synth squiggles to compete with this super hip list but a solid release nonetheless. Bonus acoustic versions worth the extra $3.
This is a much better list than P4K’s.
This Beach Boys psychedelia fetish needs to end. Too much of a bad thing is a worse thing, and Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear contain enough Brian Wilson in them to make every human, ape, canine, insect, and possibly arachnid never want to hear anything even remotely bearing his influence for at least 5.38374 lifetimes. Nothing good will come of it. The only album in the top 5 I can wholeheartedly get behind is Phoenix’ WAP, which is good but not great. And why is Edward Sharpe AWOL? Why is Japandroids all the way down the list at #21? Why aren’t the Thermals anywhere to be seen? At least someone had the good sense to not put Big Pink on this list. The Handsome Furs record was at least as good as Sunset Rubdown’s, if you’re on the subject of WP side projects. That said, 2k9 was one of the weaker years of this decade, so I’m not surprised at the general weakness of this year’s best of lists – I’m at a loss to think of even 20 albums that really deserve best of the year status.
Wow, am I the only person who thinks that Metric album is completely uninteresting? They started out fine but they have to be the most MUSICALLY boring band popular band. Wouldn’t have put it on the list. Otherwise not many surprises here.
That Metric album did really disappoint. It should’ve been maybe in the late 40s if it even made the list
Where is Cold Cave on this list?? I find it odd that their album Love Comes Close hasn’t been on any lists…definitely one of the best albums of 2009 in my opinion.
Hey, that?s somekind of contribution and it sounds very. I only use email for my business communication and I use Outlook as my email client with the help of Email Sorter Wizard(an Outlook add-on) because I can get all my email filled. Fortunately I read your wisdom that sent to me by my friend, nicely done.
http://media.www.maristcircle.com/media/storage/paper659/news/2010/01/28/ArtsAndEntertainment/Counting.Down.The.Top.10.Albums.Of.2009-3858579.shtml
It’s fine that you didn’t have Built to Spill’s record on your list because I think it’s great! See what I’m saying?
“A Homemade Stereo Recording” by The Performers