And here are HearYa’s top albums of 2009. In our opinion 2009 was a better year for music than ‘08, but there was no single album that jumped out at us like Blitzen Trapper last year. Each HearYa contributor had a different favorite, but there was one album that kept emerging as the most listened to album in all of our iPod rotations – AA Bondy’s When The Devil’s Loose.
I can honestly say that I love every album in this list and I think your music collection would be richer with any or all of them. Agree? Disagree? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
1. A.A. Bondy – When The Devil’s Loose
AA Bondy – I Can See The Pines Are Dancing
AA Bondy – When The Devil’s Loose
2. The Deep Dark Woods – Winter Hours
The Deep Dark Woods – All The Money I Had Is Gone
3. The Love Language – The Love Language
4. Other Lives – Other Lives
5. The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You
The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You
6. Justin Townes Earle – Midnight At The Movies
Justin Townes Earle – Mama’s Eyes
7. Magnolia Electric Co. – Jospehine
Magnolia Electric Co – Josephine
8. Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
9. Port O’Brien – Threadbare
Port O’Brien – My Will Is Good
10. The Low Anthem – Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
The Low Anthem – Charlie Darwin
11. Megafaun – Gather Form & Fly
12. Wilco – Wilco (the album)
Wilco – One Wing (live via Steregum)
13. Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk
14. The Wooden Sky – I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone
The Wooden Sky – Something Hiding For Us In The Night
15. The Mother Hips – Pacific Dust
The Mother Hips – White Falcon Fuzz
16. Lucero – 1372 Overton Park
17. Heartless Bastards – The Mountain
Heartless Bastards – The Mountain
18. Edward Sharpe & The Magnificent Zeros – Edward Sharpe & The Magnificent Zeros
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – 40 Day Dream
19. Langhorne Slim – Be Set Free
Langhorne Slim – I Love You, But Goodbye
20. Foreign Born – Person To Person
21. Elvis Perkins in Dearland – Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Elvis Perkins In Dearland – Shampoo
22. Pink Mountaintops – Outside Love
23. The Roadside Graves – My Son’s Home
24. The Maldives – Listen To The Thunder
25. Deer Tick – Born On Flag Day
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Some good picks here! And some new stuff to check out.
2010 is going to start with some good 2009 tunes!
Cheers Andy
Great list! Five of these are on my own list, but there are a number that I need to check out. There’s just not enough hours in the day and days in the year to give adequate attention to all the records released in a given year.
Good picks! Although I think that Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes are probably the best of the year. I’m thrilled to watch their videos too, the ones that are meant to be part of their SALVO! musical. Amazing look on these videos, and the music is so extremely fitting.
Great picks. You guys are my favorite music blog around. You have great tastes, intelligent, not pretentious. I love it. It’s a refreshing and I look forward to being turned on to more great music by you guys. I already love Ha Ha Tonka and The Henry Clay People and Alberta Cross because of this blog. I Hear Ya! Have a great Holiday. Best, Matt Bialer
Glad to se The Mother Hips on here. You guys rock
Really nice list. I love Animal Collective, but its nice to see a blog that isn’t gushing over them right now, and not just because they want to be ‘obscure’. You guys have a very definitive, cohesive and earthy taste in music. Thanks for sending all the great tunes our way.
Thanks, Luke. We actually talked about how everyone considered the Animal Collective album a great one and that people would probably criticize us for not including it, but ultimately no one at HearYa was drawn to it and we just couldn’t ‘get it’. You’re right – we weren’t trying to be obscure. Tried to get into them but just never could. Thanks for the honest and grounded feedback.
Thanks for the kind words (everyone that commented). Our picks really represent the style of music we like. Definitely skewed to Americana and alt-country with a few deviations.
Yeah, I was going to say that. Your list is definitely Americana, while Pitchfork’s is really experimental. I can’t get into most of the suggested albums, and I can’t get into Pitchfork’s either. I’m somewhere in the middle of all that I guess, like, in more mainstream stuff (especially since I am from Europe, I was not exposed to some genres as a kid so I’m not used to them).
I hope you include Blitzen Trapper’s next album for 2010. It’s coming out in a few months. BT play a fusion of different genres, including experimental back in the day, but they’re probably best identified by “modern Americana”. They’re one of the very few alt-country/americana bands I like.
What a well rounded list. I think “When the Devil’s Loose” was just brilliant. My own number one for the year would have to have been Elvis Perkins in Dearland. Great list guys!
A fine selection! It’s great to see Port O’Brien’s Threadbare in the top ten. I dig that album the more I hear it. If I had one on my list that you didn’t it would be the Eels’ Hombre Lobo.
Great list fellas, I can dig it. Stop by and check out my site for some new music as well. I gave you guys a shout out earlier this week, I love the studio sessions you guys throw down.
Your neighbor,
Chris
Really like your number 2 choice! I’m a little surprised that something with such a country feel made it so high! I’m looking forward to going through the rest of these now.
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