With a mere 3 posts in 2009 (and even now - still fashionably late) you'd be forgiven for thinking we wouldn't be in a position to list our favorites of the year. Well, despite some major upheavals in our personal lives which definitely impacted our ability to appear here on a regular basis, our ears have not been shirking their honeyed duties. As a result, we bring you a bumper round-up of what we believe to be not only one of the best years of the decade, but also the perfect end to one of the best decades since Rock 'n' Roll first flickered into existence.
In a year where the mainstream music industry on one hand is piling the dung heap higher than ever with evermore glossy karaoke TV talent shows and on the other still failing to address the licensing and territory issue which threatens to drag it even further into the mire, choosing to have governments and clod-hopping authorities turn music fans into criminals rather than provide the download culture with a comprehensive reasonable, universal and fair solution - which surely is within their power alone to provide - the alternative/real music industry is turning out better and better music in greater numbers than ever before.
Hundreds of great albums were released this year, making it difficult to keep up with the onslaught. Quite a few appearances from old faithfuls were mostly welcome: Superdrag, Tommy Keene, Von Bondies, Cheap Trick, Terry Anderson, Green Pajamas, Ian Hunter, Mother Hips, NRPS, NGDB, Parallax Project, Mother Hips, Willie Nile, Kyle Vincent, and Naomi Star amongst them, but overwhelmingly, the majority of names were brand new (or almost new) to us - long may it continue.
In keeping with previous years, genres blur and it's hard to say what's pop and what's not. So we present a variety of lists which cover our chief area of taste but also others which for one reason or another, beg inclusion. As usual, these-are-some-that-we-have-loved, so we can't put them in any kind of order, except alphabetical. However, we have numbered them for convenience sake.
The Best Power Pop Albums of 2009
- All Star United - The Good Album
- American Suitcase - Pillowsky
- Andy Lehman & The Night Moves - Lowcountry
- Anne Soldaat - In Another Life
- Ben Folds Presents - University A Cappella
- Benjamin R - The Other Side Of Nowhere
- Bigbang - Edendale
- Biscuit - Cinnamon Fade Out
- Bishop Allen - Grrr...
- Black Hollies - Softly Towards The Light
- Blame Ringo - Lucky Number 9
- Bob Evans - Goodnight, Bull Creek
- Bob Mould - District Line
- Bobby Emmett - Learning To Love
- Brendan Benson - My Old, Familiar Friend
- Campbell Stokes Sunshine Recorder - Makes Your Ears Smile
- Cass McCoombs - Catacombs
- Casper And The Cookies - Modern Silence
- Cheap Star - Speaking Like An Elephant
- Cheap Trick -The Latest
- Chris Richards - Sad Sounds Of The Summer
- Cornershop - Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast
- Creede Williams - After The Letters
- Dashboard Confessional - Alter The Ending
- David Brookings - Glass Half Full
- David Mead - Almost And Always
- Deleted Waveform Gatherings - Ghost, She Said
- Dennis Diken With Bell Sound - Late Music
- Dexateens - Singlewide
- Dolly Rocker Movement - Our Days Mind The Tyme
- Duckworth Lewis Method - The Duckworth Lewis Method
- El Goodo - Coyote
- Eric Knox - Top Ten
- Everclear - In A Different Light
- Fate Lions - Good Enough For You
- Films - Oh, Scorpio
- First In Space - This Is Not Here
- Fun - Aim And Ignite
- Glenn Tilbrook And The Fluffers - Pandemonium Ensues
- Gourds - Haymaker
- Greater California - All The Colors
- Howie Day - Sound The Alarm
- Humbugs - On The Up Side
- Ian Tanner - Things Never To Say Out Loud!
- Jason Falkner - All Quiet On The Noise Floor
- Jeff Litman - Postscript
- Jeremy Miller Band - Way Too Fast
- Jet - Shaka Rock
- Johan - 4
- John Brodeur - Get Through
- June - Magic Circles
- Junior League - Smile Shoot Smile
- Kyle Vincent - Where You Are
- Leftovers - Eager To Please
- Lovetones - Dimensions
- Madd - Are Pretty Quick
- Madness - The Liberty Of Norton Folgate
- Marc Carroll -Dust Of Rumour
- Mark Cronk - Playing Katchup
- Martin Carr - Ye Gods & Little Fishes
- Matt The Electrician - Animal Boy
- Meat Puppets - Sewn Together
- Michael Carpenter - Redemption #39
- Miles Nielsen - Miles
- Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much
- Minky Starshine - Unidentified Hit Record
- Minster Hill - Capturing Clouds In A Bottle
- Mockin' Birds - Spread Your Wings
- Morningwood - Diamonds And Studs
- Naomi Star - Through The Eyes
- New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So
- Official Secrets Act - Understanding Electricity
- Orange Peels - 2020
- Parallax Project - I Hate Girls
- Passports - Is It True
- Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey - Here And Now
- Pogo Pops - Where The Action Is
- Pronto - All Is Golden
- Pugwash - Giddy
- Reno Bo - Happenings And Other Things
- Research Turtles - Research Turtles
- Resonars - That Evil Drone
- Riverdales - Invasion Usa
- Riverwinds - Riverwinds
- Roger Klug - More Help For Your Nerves
- Secret Powers - And The Electric Family Choir
- Scott Warren - Quick Fix Bandage
- Shazam - Meteor
- Sheer - Here And Now And Long Before
- Solly - You Know What You Should Do
- Sons Of Great Dane - Why Ramble
- Spiral Stairs - The Real Feel
- Spongetones - Scrambled Eggs
- Spongetones Present Jamie & Steve - English Afterthoughts
- Stephen Lawrenson - Somewhere Else
- Stereophonics- Keep Calm & Carry On
- Stellastarr - Civilized
- Strangefinger - Into The Blue - Remarkable?
- Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Communion
- Summer Set - Love Like This
- Surrogate - Popular Mechanics
- Taylor Mills - Under The Surface
- Telepathic Butterflies - Circle Man
- Tody Castillo - Windhorse
- Tommy Keene - In The Late Bright
- Tomorrows - Jupiter Optimus Maximus
- Train - Save Me San Francisco
- Tripwires - House To House
- Two Hours Traffic - Territory
- Valley Lodge - Semester At Sea
- Von Bondies - Love Hate And Then There's You
- Webstirs - So Long
- Wheels On Fire - Get Famous
- Wild Bores - Wild Bores
- Willie Nile - House Of A Thousand Guitars
- Wiretree - Luck
- Yeah You's - Looking Through You
The Best Alt Country/Roots/Organic of 2009
- 1220 - Killin' For A Livin'
- Andy Lehman & The Night Moves - Lowcountry
- Avett Brothers - And Love And You
- Ben Folds Presents - University A Cappella
- Ben Harper& Relentless 7 - White Lies For Dark Times
- Blue Rodeo - All The Things That Are Left Behind (2cd)
- Boo Hewerdine - God Bless The Pretty Things
- Bottle Rockets - Lean Forward
- Brad Peterson -The Ductape Album
- Brian Jay Cline - Nashville Tracks - Maybe
- Brother Trucker - The Flyover
- Calico Brothers -Tell It To The Sun
- Carbon Leaf - Nothing Rhymes With Woman
- Chris Isaak - Mr. Lucky
- Chris Knight - Trailer II
- Chuck Prophet - Let Freedom Ring (2009)
- Clarks - Restless Days (2009)
- Cracker - Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey
- Cross Canadian Ragweed - Happiness And All The Other Things
- Deadstring Brothers - Sao Paulo
- Dinosaur Jr - Farm
- Don Gallardo - Sweetheart Radio Revolution, Etc.
- Elvis Perkins - Elvis Perkins In Dearland
- Gilded Palace Of Sin - You Break Our Hearts We'll Tear Yours Out
- Gloriana - Gloriana
- Gomez - A New Tide
- Grand Atlantic - How We Survive
- Hot Dogs - Nothing But A Bad Day
- Ian Hunter - Man Overboard
- Ike Reilly - Hard Luck Stories
- Jason Isbell - And The 400 Unit
- John Fogerty - The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
- John Wesley Harding - Who Was Changed And Who Was Dead
- Jon Allen - Dead Mans Suit
- JTQ - New World
- Karima Francis - The Author
- Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - Rattlin' Bones
- Kings Of Convenience - Declaration Of Dependence
- Kingsbury Manx - Ascenseur Ouvert!
- Leaving Tx - Late Gettin' Started
- Lemonheads -Varshons
- Levon Helm - Electric Dirt
- Locksley - Be In Love
- Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
- Maplewood - Yeti Boombox
- Megafaun - Gather Form And Fly
- Michael Martin Murphey - Buckaroo Blue Grass
- Minus 5 - Killingworth
- Mother Hips - Pacific Dust
- Nanci Griffith - The Loving Kind
- New Riders Of The Purple Sage - Where I Come From
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Speed Of Life
- Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up
- Pines - Tremelo
- Pinto -Short Songs About Konging
- Quantic And His Combo Barbaro - Tradition Intransition
- Refreshments - A Band's Gotta Do What A Band's Gotta Do
- Rhett Miller - Rhett Miller
- Roger And The Rockets - Walking Band
- Sam Baker - Cotton
- Scott Miller - For Crying Out Loud
- Sister Hazel - Release
- Statesboro Revue - Different Kind Of Light
- Stereo Deluxe - When The Party's Over
- Terry Anderson & The Olympic Ass Kickin Team - National Champions
- Thea Gilmore - Recorded Delivery
- Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
- Timothy B. Schmit - Expando
- Tom Caufield - The Times Are Never So Bad
- Train - Save Me San Francisco
- Uncle Kracker - Happy Hour
- Webb Wilder - More Like Me
- Western States - Bye & Bye
- White Lies - To Lose My Life
- Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
- Wrinkle Neck Mules - Let The Lead Fly
A Dozen & 1/2 Fab EP's From 2009
- Chris Richards - That Covers That
- Codaphonic - Edison's Rival
- Cobbwebs - Demos
- Greg Pope - Pete
- Honeydogs - Sunshine Committee
- Jeremy Nail & the Incidents - EP
- John Brodeur -Slutty Nurse
- Josh Abbott Band - Brushy Creek
- Joshua James - Sings Songs
- Leisure Society - A Product Of The Ego Drain
- Mini - Must Try Harder
- Paul Westerberg - The Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys
- Riffbackers - Sometimes
- Rooney - Wild One
- Sloan - Hit and Run
- Syrups - Hear Here
- Tearaways - Knackered
- Whiskey Dawn - Dear Nashville
Special Mentions for 2009
Big Star - Keep An Eye On The Sky [Box Set] - Essential Box Set Of The Year for the brilliant but unappreciated Archie Bell support set alone - a 1000 musicians smile in ironic recognition!
Brothers Streep - Anna Paquin - Greatest Comedy Song With A Power Pop Flavor from these young gifted South African satirists
Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream - Bruce's single is perhaps the Most Pop Thing he's done Since 'Hungry Heart' - more like this please Bruce.
Clay Broome - Sunscreen Secrets - Clay, I love this! - When does it get official release?
Clem Snide - Hungry Bird - Consistently Great Singer/Songwriter still delivering the goods
Noel Gallagher - The Dreams We Have As Children - Fave Live Album
Prince - Crimson & Clover - Fave Bubblegum Cover of the Year
Jayhawks - Music From The North Country - Most welcome Anthology of the Year
Jon Boden - Songs From The Floodplain - Best UK Folk Album of the Year
Chris Smither - Time Stands Still - Best US Folk Album of the Year
Sadies & John Doe - Country Club - Great New Partnership
Avenues (From Leeds UK) - The Saddest Demise Of A Brilliant Band
Booker T Jones - Potato Hole - Best Fabulous Return
Graham Coxon - The Spinning Top - Massive Change Of Direction Award goes to Graham for his embrace of something like Nick Drake bedsit country
New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So - Favorite Re-Emergence
Spinal Tap - Back From The Dead - Welcome Re-serving of the Year
Richard Lloyd - The Jamie Neverts Story - Best Hendrix Covers We've Heard all Decade
Tragically Hip - We Are The Same - Favorite Canadians of the Year
Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg - Best Trad Hard Rock Album
We've largely sidestepped tributes, compilations and reissues - not that there weren't some great examples of each, bur we had to draw the line somewhere. Looking forward to more great music in 2010.
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