Teenage Elephant: THE LIST

Around this time of year, it's usually... listomania (ah, a double pun... should I have put the z in?), and so I essentially have to come up with my own list if I want to call myself a music blogger. Here are my 20 favorite albums of '09! Don't grumble if you feel my top 10 is a little too... typical of 09; I think it's just because it really was clear which albums were the best this year, whether it's because 09 produced a couple of incredible, stand-out albums, or because a lot of the music in 09 just wasn't the good, via Discovery (although I was looking forward to it), Weezer, Muse, Ratatat, and Owl City (despicable...despicable). Also here are my best EPs/Singles of the year, or just songs that weren't on an album; in fact, I will put them first so you don't forget about them. In a year that will be forever tarnished by Pitchfork rating the Beatles (seriously, whose idea was that?), and forever laughed upon for the use of the word 'chillwave,' some damn good music was produced IMHO.

EPs/Singles/Songs not on albums
5. Animal Collective :: Fall Be Kind EP
     mp3: What Would I Want? Sky
4. Bon Iver :: Blood Bank EP
     mp3: Blood Bank
3. Yeasayer :: Ambling Alp Single (and possibly video of the year)
   mp3: Ambling Alp
2. Small Black :: Small Black EP
   mp3: Despicable Dogs
1. Toro y Moi :: Talamak (SONG OF THE YEAR)
     mp3: Talamak

For all these albums, I'm not going to write too much because I really think you should go out and download the whole thing and listen to them because they all are really complete albums that merit a listening session where you listen to the whole thing through. Anybody have any other ideas?
Albums
20. TIE -- Washed Out :: Life of Leisure -- Matt & Kim :: Grand - both of those albums are really great, but both suffer the same trappings... every song on each of the albums sounds like the last one. This is not necessarily bad though; as you can see I liked them enough to put them in my top 20. Another thing that they both captured are the two things about independent music that everybody laughs at/love and what indie mocks itself for. Washed Out is the epitome of chillwave (I mean come on have you listened to it?) and Matt and Kim are the epitomes of indie kids (i.e. the music video for Lessons Learned/absolutely everything about their music), and I think anybody who doesn't want to be an annoying hipster has to realize this and laugh at it while still loving it.

19. Camera Obscura :: My Maudlin Career - I really feel that even though a lot of people heard the best song from the album, the rest of the album didn't really get any coverage, which is too bad because it really was great.
   mp3: French Navy

18. Andrew Bird :: Noble Beast - He got absolutely no love on any of the blog lists! Maybe it's because this album came out right at the start of the January (which isn't necessarily bad... take MPP) leading it to be forgotten in the wash of 2009, but I absolutely loved it; it's got great melodies, great instrumentals, and is really complete.
   mp3: Anonanimal
   mp3: Oh No

17. Dark Was the Night - A great compilation album for a great cause... there were a couple duds on it but there were also a couple of gems. The best tracks are probably the Dirty Projectors/David Byrne one, the Sufjan Stevens one, The National's song (they produced the album I believe), and the New Pornographers one. I would post the links but because it's an album for charity you might as well go buy it, and also, you are all smart and can probably find links anyways if you really want to.

16. Yacht :: See Mystery Lights - All that needs to be said... "I might be washing out the dishes, and the kitchen would say... hang around baby-baby, we'll be baking a cake for you!"
   mp3: Psychic City

15. The Smith Westerns :: The Smith Westerns - This is the debut album for a couple teenagers from Chicago, who, if it were not for the blogosphere, might not be anywhere right now (yeah that is bold claim but whatever). They really made it with the support of GorillaVsBear, and have since blown up bloggerlandia. They definitely would fall into the lo-fi category that contains Wavves, et al. I think they even have a little bit of the Fab Four in them (or at least this song and their lyrics), and they are certainly one of the breakouts of this year.
   mp3: Be My Girl

14. Islands :: Vapours - I've been an Islands fan for a while, and absolutely love their previous two albums, so I was pretty excited for this album, and still can't decide if I feel let down even though I really like it. It is certainly a departure from their previous sound (much more electronic, lots of synths, even a song with AutoTune, as opposed to their older stuff which is much more multi-instrumental) and will certainly alienate lots of fans ( I mean even Bob Dylan alienated his fans... don't worry though I'm not comparing Islands to Bob Dylan, they are nowhere even near the same musical plane...), but I like it when a band changes things up so too bad all ye Islands haters!
   mp3: Tender Torture
   mp3: Switched On

13. A Sunny Day In Glasgow :: Ashes Grammar - very multi-layered, textured album from A Sunny Day in Glasgow, who are in fact from Philadelphia. Just heard it recently and definitely fell in love with it. If you are an Animal Collective fan you will love this album.
   mp3: Shy

12. Atlas Sound :: Logos - This is Deerhunter frontman Bradley Cox's solo album/project, although it's really not that solo in terms of that fact that the album features tons of guests. This song has got to be the most popular, as well as my favorite (I know, I'm such a mainstreamer right?) and it features Panda Bear. Bradley Cox + Panda Bear = what could be better?
   mp3: Walkabout

11. Here We Go Magic :: Here We Go Magic - Brooklyn folk dealers Here We Go Magic certainly made a gem with this one and really created their own sound. I saw them live opening for GB and even though I already knew them, that's when they really hooked me.
   mp3: Fangela

I was going to write an explanation for the top 10, but by just looking at it, I think it is pretty self-explanatory. There's not too much to say; we've all listened to them a million times and loved them, and I think everyone is agreed that these are the best (with maybe a few exceptions). I feel that you could just put those albums in a hat, mix it up, and pick them out and whatever order that they came out would be acceptable for the top 10.
Top 10

10. Fleet Foxes :: Fleet Foxes
mp3: Sun It Rises

9. Passion Pit :: Manners
mp3: Sleepyhead
mp3: Little Secrets

8. Peter Bjorn and John :: Living Thing
mp3: Just the Past
mp3: Stay This Way

7. Phoenix :: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
   mp3: Lisztomania
     mp3: 1901
     mp3: Girlfriend

6. Neon Indian :: Psychic Chasms
mp3: Deadbeat Summer
mp3: Terminally Chill

5. Girls :: Album
mp3: Lust for Life
mp3: Hellhole Ratrace

4. Dirty Projectors :: Bitte Orca
mp3: Cannibal Resource
mp3: Stillness Is The Move

3. Animal Collective :: Merriweather Post Pavillion
mp3: My Girls
mp3: Daily Routine

2. The xx :: xx
mp3: Crystalised
mp3: Heart Skipped A Beat

1. Grizzly Bear :: Veckatimest
mp3: Two Weeks
mp3: Ready, Able

22 Words to Sum Up 2009: I don't mean to seem like I care about material things, I just want four walls and adobe slags for my girls!

Worst Music Moment of '09 : Pitchfork rating the Beatles... 'nuff said.