brianglidewell.com

Top 50 albums of 2009 30-11

30. Jim O’Rourke - The Visitor: His first “pop” album in 8 years is the least poppy of said albums.  One long wandering track.  Keeps to his excellent blend of pop-rock and jazz.
29. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
28. Circulatory System - Signal Morning: The most esoteric band of the Elephant 6 Collective.  Psychedelic pop with much less emphasis on pop than other E6 bands.  RIYL: The Music Tapes, Neutral Milk Hotel at their weirdest
27. Girls - Album
26. tUnE-yArDs - BiRd-BrAiNs: Heavy-beated… err… folk?  One woman uses loops, a strange set of instruments and her unique voice to make one of the most personal albums in a while.  RIYL: Micachu, Final Fantasy
25. Sufjan Stevens - The BQE: Sufjan’s excellent orchestral work inspired by the expressway finally released.  Equal parts Copland, Gershwin, and Glass.
24. The Welcome Wagon - Welcome to the Welcome Wagon: Speaking of Sufjan, he produced this album and it’s pretty obvious.  Simple, pretty folk music (and a Smiths cover) made by a Brooklyn pastor and his wife embellished with Sufjan’s bag of tricks.
23. Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
22. Wale - Attention: Deficit: DC-based pop-rap.  Just and overall very solid pop-rap album.  Lyrics are clever, production is great.  Mixtape star makes good in the bigtime.
21. Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine
20. Bifrost Arts - “Come O Spirit!” Anthology of Hymns and Spiritual Songs Volume 1: Daniel Smith of the Danielson Famile started up a new record label, Great Comfort Records.  The first record is a terrific collection of hymns and spirituals covered by several contemporary folk artists (including the previously mentioned Welcome Wagon).  All is really good, but the last four songs are flat-out stellar.
19. Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall
18. Basement Jaxx - Scars
17. Morrissey - Years of Refusal
16. weakness - WEAKNESS: Loud, angry, fun.  And it’s free!  RIYL: The Mae Shi
15. La Roux - La Roux: One of the many great British pop artists this year, but definitely the only one who made a front-to-back no-filler terrific album.  Synthy-pop.
14. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
13. Raekwon - Only Built For Cuban Linx II
12. Passion Pit - Manners
11. A.C. Newman - Get Guilty