Here's mine;

1. Clark - Totems Flare An artist I only discovered this year even though they've been going over ten years. Kind of like a more accessible version of the Aphex Twin with a touches of Plaid. After listening to their back catalogue I have to say he (Chris Clark) has certainly matured as a musician to produce his best album.

2. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue Another artist I only discovered this year, and again another artist producing their best work (this is his third album). Beautiful ambient folk, kind of like a cross between Panda Bear and Boards of Canada.

3. Zero 7 - Yeah Ghost Another solid album from the boys. Whilst there is a certain change in direction from their previous albums it's not as much as some critics made out and still has songs that are classic Zero 7.

4. Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years Pleasant enough but there are no huge stand out moments. An improvement on the decidedly average Hey Venus and stand firmly in the middle of their output in the last decade which has seen them produce some of their best and also some of their worst material.

5. Air - Love 2 Again another solid album but nothing spectacular. Their fourth, or maybe even their third best album but they really spoiled us with Moon Safari so early on in their career.

Bob Dylan - Together Through Life

Faust - C'est Com...Com...Compliqué

Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish I Were An Eagle

Fritz Müller - Rock

Love - Forever Changes

(Towards the end I may have ran out of new music I've heard. I don't like to encourage the living in their incessant agency.)

1) Delain - April Rain

2) Epica - Design Your Universe

3) 30 Seconds to Mars - This is War

4) Paramore - Brand New Eyes

5) Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown

I only bought one other studio album this year (Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted), so it's lucky I loved all six of them!

1. Florence + The Machine - Lungs

Just brilliant, it hasn't left my stacker in about 3 months. I now have the 4 Disc Deluxe Edition. Smashing.

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz

Would probably make the Top 5 just based on Zero and Heads Will Roll, luckily the rest of the album is great too.

3. Doves - Kingdom of Rust

Has grown on me all year and aside from Jetstream, I like it all. A lot.

4. Jamie T - Kings & Queens

OMG! Jamiee is teh awesome11!!

(sorry, it is very good though)

5. Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky

So good.

Other albums I bought or "borrowed" this year and liked:

Bat for Lashes - Two Suns, Lily Allen - It's Not Me It's You, Jack Penate - Everything Is New, Royksopp - Junior, The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die & The Halo 3:ODST Soundtrack.

I only bought 2 - count 'em, 2!! - new albums in 2009. I liked a lot of stuff that came out last year, I just spent most of it either financing college or not actually having a penny to my name to buy even a fraction of it. But the two I did manage to buy were...



The Liberty Of Norton Folgate - Madness

Sublime, nostalgic, fresh and feel good. They've matured like a fine wine and this has already become one of my all time favourite albums by anyone. It's partly down to being a long time fan of Madness, but also down to the concept of the album evoking thoughts of family connections linked to the very Liberty of the title itself. The line, 'Cos you're a part of everything you see,' hit a particular resonance which takes it on a deeper note for me on a personal level. That the sleeve notes also mention the Huguenots just adds to it further. It's a rare thing but it's an album that I actually emotionally connect with and feel inspired by rather than simply liking the music.


The Phenomenal Handclap Band

Funky. Not outstanding but fairly damn decent and certainly something I can stick on to accompany any creative musings without having to stop and skip tracks. 15 To 20 is the standout track, which is why it was a single, but there's still stuff to compliment.

My listening habits have become ridiculously diverse over the past decade (due in no small part to influence from fellow forumites), but my choices were almost exclusively focussed on happy, cosy sounding tunes last year. And despite statements to the effect of the decade having been overall quite weak, I still believe the Noughties produced more than quite a few gems, and 2009 seemed a stronger year than most.

My pick of the bunch were this jolly lot:


1. The Duckworth Lewis Method - 'The Duckworth Lewis Method'

The best album inspired by cricket ever. Lyrically fantastic, witty, hilarious, and so damnably catchy. Worth it for 'Jiggery Pokery' alone. I've listened to no other album more than I have this one over the past year. I strongly urge fans of The Divine Comedy to check it out if you haven't already. And while you're at it, I seriously recommend Neil Hannon's collaborator Thomas Walsh's band Pugwash, and their album 'Giddy', also released in 2009. Quite delightful.

2. The Mummers - 'Tale To Tell'

Like Bjork performing with the state circus, only far more tuneful, sweet, and an absolute joy to listen to from start to finish. A quite unexpected accidental, delightful, discovery.

3. Passion Pit - 'Manners'

Summery electropop joyousness.

4. Florence + The Machine - 'Lungs'

An astounding voice, and a splendid album.

5. Mumford & Sons - 'Sigh No More'

Exceptionally good banjo-driven gorgeousness. Like a warm, foggy mountain blanket.


Worthy mentions...

The Leisure Society - 'The Sleeper' (a fine, fine discovery by our Zoe, this has had plenty of listens. Only just pipped to 5th place by Mumford & Sons)
Madness - 'The Liberty Of Norton Folgate' (a definite highlight amongst last year's releases)
Miike Snow - 'Miike Snow' (Sam Sparro-esque Scandinavian electropop)
David Gray - 'Draw The Line' (his finest work since White Ladder)
Phoenix - 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix' (this French outfit keeps getting better and better)

In no particular order...

1) Mumford & Sons- Sigh No More
A beautiful, sweeping album that makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

2) Karen O & The Kids- Where The Wild Things Are OST
A fantastic soundtrack for a truly exceptional film.

3) Antony & The Johnsons- The Crying Light
His most beautiful album so far and includes the brilliant track 'Kiss My Name'.

4) Eels- Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs Of Desire
It's the Eels. Nothing else needs to be said.

A fifth escapes me at the moment.

Ruddy bloody brilliant.

It truly is.

^ These probably would've been my other 3 to complete my list had I either had the gumption or spare pennies to get them fresh. They'll be on my music shelf (or more accurately, filed and piled somewhere on my bedroom floor) at some point I'm sure.




There's a Silver edition out, which is the same album but with a DVD of the Julien Temple film of their show at The Hackney Empire.

01: Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Sounding both very much of its time yet beautifully antiquated at the same time, Veckatimest is an album worth getting wrapped up in over and over again, and remains rewarding on each listen.

02: Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul
Okay, so technically not a 2009 release on account of it not being actually released (sort of), but if you know where to look, it is great collaboration with many a formidable special guest, particularly from David Lynch who provides vocals on two of the very best tracks.

03: The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Like an alien distress signal captured by government scientists in the 60s and only just released into the public, it's a distorted rambling affair but as utterly captivating as ever.

04: Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
Third time out for the Franz boys, and it's another batch of fun, cool, catchy body-jittering toe-tappers. You groovy cats, you! Easy to take for granted, but really, I don't think they've yet to put a (dancing) foot wrong.

05: Handsomeboy Technique - Terrestrial Tone Cluster
The only new Japanese album I think I listened to this year! Eek! But it's a formidable follow-up to his excellent debut. Drifts off a little towards the end, but for the most part, exceptionally lovely.

I also made a little Spotify playlist sample of some of my favourite albums, which you can hear here. Here here! Must make some more playlists more often - it's like a tape loop without postal charges and delays (though not exactly comprehensive on the weirdy Japanese crap I like).

A pretty poor year this year

Florence + The Machine - Lungs
Easily the best

And in no particular order

The Dead Weather - Horehound

PJ Harvey & John Parish - A Woman a Man Walked By

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

Nouvelle Vague - 3

Yes this as well.

Plus I discovered some (slightly) older albums by TV on the Radio, Róisín Murphy and started listening to Pulp.

Yes, Franz Ferdinand's third was a drip-feed grower for me. I've found myself enjoying it more and more just recently, far more than I did upon the first few listens. Less in your face than their rushed sophomore effort, and markedly different in style (which was its failing for me (at first), but ultimately its saving grace). It gets far more rotations than YCHISMB does, but think it's got some way to go to succeed their debut.

Florence and the Machine - Lungs
Them Crooked Vultures - ThemCrooked Vultures
Sufjan Stevens- The Bqe
Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions
Porcupine Tree - The Incident

Ditto. Maybe not as consistently excellent as their first, but they still got a knack for some tap-worthy tunes. Still very excellent live too - I opted for them over Springsteen at Glasto.



Forgot about that. Tis a good'un.