Liz's Best Music of 2009

Each year around November, my stress level spikes as I begin frantically trying to catch up on everything I feel I've missed in music from the previous 10 months. This year, that consisted of lots of iTunes downloading, blog reading, and making one final last-ditch effort to understand what is so great about Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear (conclusion: nothing.)

I take my annual ranking of the year in music seriously, almost to an embarrassing degree. Which is better, an album that has a handful of amazing songs while the rest range from just ok to not that great, or one on which all the songs are pretty decent? Is this album really kind of terrible, or just a grower? These are the thoughts that run through my mind.

And so, after much internal debate (and many rearrangements of order), these are the records I felt were the most interesting, inventive or downright enjoyable of the year.

My Top 10 Albums of 2009:

10. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Young Adult Friction"

I understand those who criticize this album for being too cutesy and fey, but I personally am completely charmed. And in my opinion, any band that can write a song about incest, call it "This Love is Fucking Right!" and make it sound anything other than creepy has to be doing something right.

9. Passion Pit, Manners

Passion Pit - "The Reeling"

Oh, how I tried to resist this album. While everyone else was salivating over these indie upstarts earlier this year, I rolled my eyes and wrote them off. Eventually "The Reeling" lived up to its name and drew me in, and I was powerless against the pull of the rest of the record, which is undeniably one of the most adventurous, captivating of the year.

8. Amadou & Mariam, Welcome to Mali

Amadou & Mariam - "Sabali"

If you have any skepticism that one of the best albums of 2009 comes courtesy of a blind husband and wife duo from West Africa who are both in their 50s, I'd encourage you to listen to first track "Sabali" and then we'll talk. Effortlessly combining musical elements from their homeland with Western rhythms (the album was produced by Blur's Damon Albarn), Amadou and Mariam have created an impassioned, joyful record that transcends cultural barriers and proves that music truly is a universal language.

7. Tegan & Sara, Sainthood

Tegan & Sara - "On Directing"

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Sainthood is a good, not great, album — definitely inferior to the Quin twins' previous offering, The Con, but it has its moments. The Canadian sisters are still masters of their angsty, self-doubting domain, and have a knack for making anxiety sound delightful.

6. Moby, Wait for Me

Moby - "Study War"

Returning to his "Play" formula of combining old gospel and blues recordings with modern electronic beats proved to be a wise choice for Moby, and resulted in what is easily his best album in 10 years. Oh, and he finds room to make some political statements amidst the music as well, suggesting that we can use the past to influence our present in more ways than one.

5. Cold Cave, Love Comes Close

Cold Cave - "Life Magazine"

Kudos to Russ for introducing me to this album late in the year. I was immediately hooked as soon as I heard the opening notes of "Life Magazine," and that song alone probably could have secured it a spot in my top 10. Luckily, the rest of the album gets me just as giddy.

4. The Raveonettes, In and Out of Control

The Raveonettes - "Last Dance" 

I can always rely on this Danish duo to create some catchy fuzz pop, but they seem to have branched out a bit with their latest offering. The dark subject matters on "In and Out of Control" — rape, suicide, overdose, etc. — are nearly forgotten amid sweet harmonies and upbeat rhythms.

3. Handsome Furs, Face Control

Handsome Furs - "All We Want, Baby Is Everything"

Dan Boeckner's electro side project with his wife, Alexei Perry, is better than anything he's ever produced with his main gig, Wolf Parade. On the duo's debut album, Boeckner's earnest vocals add an emotional resonance to the dozen New Wave-inspired synth punk tracks, most of which sound equally inspired on the dancefloor or in a quiet room.

2. An Horse, Rearrange Beds

An Horse - "Company"

This Australian duo's EP "Not Really Scared" topped my year-end list last year, and when I first heard an advance copy of their full-length debut at the end of last year, I was sure it would be number one on my 2009 list. Then I heard a song called "Zero." But even though they were edged out just slightly by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kate Cooper and Damon Cox have created some of the catchiest, earworm-y rock I've heard in ages. Can't wait to see what the future holds for these guys.

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Softshock"

Simply put, I've been playing this album essentially nonstop since it came out in March. The NYC trio's decision to ditch the traditional fuzzy guitars in favor of synths and keyboards yielded a result that's nothing short of brilliant. From the tender, nuanced "Hysteric" to the pulsating "Heads Will Roll," Karen O and company proved that they're one of the most talented and forward-thinking bands of today.