2009…I dunno…maybe it’s just me but it just seemed that the year was just blah in pop culture…music…movies…tv…maybe the economy is bringing us all down or something but all around there wasn’t much that happened that blew me away…sure…the Hangover was funny but would it have been as funny as we all remembered it if not for the photos at the end…and other than that movie…can you name another really memorable movie from the summer???…I can’t think of a movie that I was really looking forward to seeing this year that ended up living up to expectations…and the same pretty much went for me with music this year as well.  I can’t think of a year when I had more of my favorite artists all put out new albums (Muse, U2, Depeche Mode, Kasabian, etc, etc..) yet more often than not, the actual album did not live up to the anticipation.  Not that these were terrible albums…just that they clearly weren’t the best some of these groups have released.   This wasn’t at all a level of disappointment that one would have with some would have with recent Vince Vaughn or Will Ferrell movies where they are clearly mailing in the same performance…there’s no Land of the Lost or Couples Retreat here…there were some really good albums released this year, just not enough and few that just blew me away…

That being said, here are my favorites for 2009.  The usual caveats apply with this list of my 50 favorite albums…yes I’m a closed minded music snob with obvious biases and no real music critic abilities…blah blah blah…but I do hope that you can maybe find some good music in this list.   And as this is New Year’s Eve, you have a whole whopping half-day to download these before we bump into the next decade.

(Also, if you’re one of those types that doesn’t like to download albums you can also see the list of my favorite tracks of the year as well…and before you wonder to your self what the hell am I doing in pulling this all together, just remember that it doesn’t really take that much time so no…I’m not THAT big of a loser…)

(also…if you’re looking for the Black Eyed Peas on this list you might as well just keep moving on…)

1. White Lies – To Lose My Life: Stunning debut by a band that definitely met the overwhelming buzz of the British music press falling all over themselves to declare this band the next best thing.  A dark record heavily influenced by Joy Division and Interpol with indie-pop influences.  It will be interesting to see where these guys will go next…living up to this debut will be tough.
2. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix: Definitely the album of the summer and I have to admit it was tough for me to choose between this album and the White Lies for the top of the list.  A perfect album of synthpop, dance rock by this French group.
3. Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum: Third album by these guys that was a bit experimental at times..some times it worked, some times it didn’t…but overall it was a pretty good album in the end and if anything it shows that there’s more to Kasabian than their man-crush on the Gallagher brothers.
4. The Dead Weather – Horehound: Jack White does it again…another “side band”…another brilliant record…this time he drops the guitar (even though he’s one of the best in the business today) and takes up the drums to back up Allison Mosshart for a straight forward, blues rock garage band record.  Is there anything Jack White can’t do musically???…I’m not sure.
5. Metric – Fantasies: This album isn’t ranked this high because I think Emily Haines is smoking hot…this album is this high because it is that good…
6. Muse – The Resistance: Muse has released 5 albums, and I rank this one 4^th out of 5…it goes to show how great I think this band is when their 4^th best release still gets into my top ten for the year.  The single Uprising is amazing and there are some other great tracks here as well…but I have to say, this was a bit of a let down after Black Holes and Revelations and anytime you hear a band is releasing a three-part symphony…that should be a clue that 1) this band is getting sorta full of itself and 2) it’s a really bad idea as it didn’t really work out for this album.
7. Doves – Kingdom of Rust: It had been a while since Doves released a record…I had thought they’d broken up but I’m glad I was wrong as this album is quite good.
8. The Raveonettes – In and Out of Control: I could listen to the track Break Into Cars over and over…the Raveonettes have released a few albums, each with a modern update on the Phil Spector sound of the 60s but this album is easily their most listenable and accessible album
9. U2 – No Line On the Horizon: There are definitely some good parts to this album…but there are also some really flat parts to this record as well…I have to say it is a bit of a disappointment but then again, a disappointing record for U2 is still often much better than what most groups could do.  And besides, it was an excuse for them to hit the road with their big f*****g spaceship stage this past year and put on a great show by one of the last remaining bands who could still fill a not arenas…but stadiums…(that is a dying breed unfortunately…)
10. Silversun Pickups – Swoon: A great second album by the LA-based buzz band.  Panic Switch off the album is a great track.  Interesting that they choose “Swoon” as the name of the album since the word swoon means to faint or fade…thankfully that didn’t happen with this record.
11. Arctic Monkeys – Humbug
12. Franz Ferdinand – Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
13. Julian Casablancas – Phrazes for the Young
14. Julian Plenti – Julian Plenti Is … Skyscraper
15. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
16. Depeche Mode – Sounds of the Universe
17. Them Crooked Vultures  - Them Crooked Vultures
18. Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires
19. The Boxer Rebellion – Union
20. The Morning After Girls – Alone.
21. Cage the Elephant – Cage the Elephant
22. A Place to Bury Strangers – Exploding Head
23. Empire of the Sun – Walking On a Dream
24. Wolfmother – Cosmic Egg
25. The xx – xx
26. The Horrors – Primary Colours
27. Morrissey – Years of Refusal
28. Passion Pit – Manners
29. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
30. Band of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
31. The Veils – Sun Gangs
32. Blakroc   – Blakroc
33. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Up from Below
34. Matt & Kim – Grand
35. Maximo Park – Quicken the Heart
36. 36. Bad Lieutenant – Never Cry Another Tear
37. The Mary Onettes – Island
38. The Von Bondies – Love, Hate and Then There’s You
39. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
40. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns
41. The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love
42. Cold Cave – Love Comes Close
43. The Datsuns – Headstunts
44. The Ettes – Do You Want Power
45. Gliss – Devotion Implosion
46. Paper Route – Absence
47. Stellastarr* – Civilized
48. Datsuns – Headstunts
49. White Rabbits – It’s Frightening
50. ZaZa – Cameo

For all the good I also like to highlight the bad (I’m sorta glass half-empty at times)…and keeping up with my usual trend of presenting the good with the bad…the worst album of the year is…..(drum roll please….)

1. Editors – In This Light and On This Evening:  This one’s hard for me because I’m such a big fan of these guys and loved their first two albums.  But this one…oy…complete crap.  A case of a band facing its 3^rd album and getting some knocks for their second album not being too much different from their first so they decide to go another route with their sound.  So what these guys do is they move away from the heavy guitar dark indie rock and bust out synthesizers…fast paced beats are slowed down…and the results are disastrous.  I immediately wanted a refund the minute I was done taking my first spin through this one.  The only time I’ve listened to it since is to mock it for being…as Charles Barkely would say…”turrible”….

But getting back to the good stuff…here is a list of the top tracks of the year…if downloading albums isn’t your thing, here are my favorite 150 tracks of the year as well…because I am definitely in the giving mood this year…

1. Uprising – Muse (The Resistance)
2. These Are My Twisted Words – Radiohead (These Are My Twisted Words Single)
3. Fast Fuse – Kasabian (West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum)
4. Satellite Mind – Metric (Fantasies)
5. E.S.T. – White Lies (To Lose My Life)
6. Treat Me Like Your Mother – The Dead Weather (Horehound)
7. Lisztomania – Phoenix (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)
8. Panic Switch – Silversun Pickups (Swoon)
9. Crying Lightning – Arctic Monkeys (Humbug)
10. Magnificent – U2 (No Line On the Horizon)
11. No You Girls – Franz Ferdinand (Tonight: Franz Ferdinand)
12. Kingdom of Rust – Doves (Kingdom of Rust)
13. Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked – Cage the Elephant (Cage the Elephant)
14. Death – White Lies (To Lose My Life)
15. Undisclosed Desires – Muse (The Resistance)
16. Breaking Into Cars – The Raveonettes (In and Out of Control)
17. Help I’m Alive – Metric (Fantasies)
18. Percussion Drum  – White Rabbits (It’s Frightening)
19. Forces – The Boxer Rebellion (Union)
20. Games for Days – Julian Plenti (Julian Plenti Is … Skyscraper)
21. Walking On a Dream – Empire of the Sun (Walking On A Dream)
22. Underdog – Kasabian    (West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum)
23. Breathe – U2 (No Line On the Horizon)
24. Back Round – Wolfmother (Cosmic Egg)
25. 11th Dimension – Julian Casablancas (Phrazes for the Young)
26. 1901 – Phoenix (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)
27. So Long – The Datsuns (Headstunts)
28. No One Loves Me & Neither Do I – Them Crooked Vultures (Them Crooked Vultures)
29. Sink Or Swim – Bad Lieutenant (Never Cry Another Tear)
30. Numbers – Stellastarr* (Civilized)
31. The Letter – The Veils (Sun Gangs)
32. Jump In the Pool – Friendly Fires (Friendly Fires)
33. To Lose My Life – White Lies (To Lose My Life)
34. Corrupt – Depeche Mode (Sounds of the Universe)
35. Shame Is the Name – Morrissey (Years of Refusal)
36. Wish – Paper Route (Absence)
37. So Far from Your Weapon – The Dead Weather (Horehound)
38. In Sympathy – Depeche Mode (Sounds of the Universe)
39. Fire – Kasabian (West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum)
40. Heart of Stone – The Raveonettes (In and Out of Control)
41. Keep Slipping Away – A Place to Bury Strangers (Exploding Head)
42. Ulysses – Franz Ferdinand (Tonight: Franz Ferdinand)
43. The Royal We – Silversun Pickups (Swoon)
44. Semi Automatic – The Boxer Rebellion (Union)
45. The General Public – The Morning After Girls (Alone.)
46. I Know What I Am – Band of Skulls (Baby Darling Doll Face Honey)
47. Daylight – Matt & Kim (Grand)
48. Baptized By Fire – Spinnerette (Spinnerette)
49. Freak Out – Stellastarr* (Civilized)
50. Deerripper – Amazing Baby (Rewild)
51. You Need to Die – The Morning After Girls (Alone.)
52. This Is Our Perfect Crime – The Von Bondies (Love, Hate and Then There’s You)
53. Zero – Yeah Yeah Yeahs (It’s Blitz!)
54. Farewell to the Fairground – White Lies (To Lose My Life)
55. In One Ear – Cage the Elephant (Cage the Elephant)
56. I Cut Like a Buffalo – The Dead Weather (Horehound)
57. Symmetry – Mary Onettes (Islands)
58. Ship of Fools  – Doves (Kingdom of Rust)
59. We Are the People – Empire of the Sun (Walking On A Dream)
60. Somebody Better  – The Datsuns (Headstunts)
61. Lovesick – Friendly Fires (Friendly Fires)
62. Resistance – Muse (The Resistance)
63. Gone Forever – The Raveonettes (In and Out of Control)
64. Questing, Not Coasting – Maximo Park (Quicken the Heart)
65. Where Did All the Love Go? – Kasabian (West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum)
66. Lucid Dreams – Franz Ferdinand (Tonight: Franz Ferdinand)
67. Gold Guns Girls – Metric (Fantasies)
68. From the Stars – White Lies (To Lose My Life)
69. Desert Song – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (Up from Below)
70. Depeche Mode – Wrong (Sounds of the Universe)
71. Jetstream – Doves (Kingdom of Rust)
72. Left & Right In the Dark – Julian Casablancas (Phrazes for the Young)
73. Dead Beat – A Place to Bury Strangers (Exploding Head)
74. Light of the Morning – Band of Skulls (Baby Darling Doll Face Honey)
75. Flashing Red Light Means Go – The Boxer Rebellion (Union)
76. Daniel – Bat for Lashes (Two Suns)
77. Crystalised – The xx (xx)
78. My Propeller – Arctic Monkeys (Humbug)
79. My Girls – Animal Collective (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
80. Something Is Squeezing My Skull – Morrissey (Years of Refusal)
81. Come Saturday – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (The Pains of Being Pure At Heart)
82. New Pony – The Dead Weather (Horehound)
83. In Chains – Depeche Mode (Sounds of the Universe)
84. Century – The Mary Onettes (Islands)
85. California Queen – Wolfmother (Cosmic Egg)
86. Arms Length – ZaZa (Cameo)
87. Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo) – Blakroc (Blakroc)
88. Carousel – Paper Route (Absence)
89. Lasso – Phoenix (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)
90. At War With the Sun – The Big Pink (A Brief History of Love)
91. Growing Old Is Getting Old – Silversun Pickups (Swoon)
92. The Reeling – Passion Pit (Manners)
93. It Don’t Move Me – Peter Bjorn and John (Living Thing)
94. Hole to Feed – Depeche Mode (Sounds of the Universe)
95. Compulsion – Doves (Kingdom of Rust)
96. Dominos – The Big Pink (A Brief History of Love)
97. Sacred Trickster – Sonic Youth (The Eternal)
98. Skyscraper – Julian Plenti (Julian Plenti Is … Skyscraper)
99. Moment of Surrender – U2 (No Line on the Horizon)
100. Graffiti Eyes – Stellastarr* (Civilized)
101. Semi Automatic – The Boxer Rebellion (Union)
102. Anybody Inside – Gliss (Devotion Implosion)
103. House of Mirrors – Doves (Kingdom of Rust)
104. Three Sisters – The Veils (Sun Gangs)
105. Infinity – The xx (xx)
106. Headdress – Amazing Baby (Rewild)
107. Sea Within a Sea – The Horrors (Primary Colours)
108. Lionesse – White Rabbits (It’s Frightening)
109. Dare – The Mary Onettes (Islands)
110. Lovers In the Bathroom – Gliss (Devotion Implosion)
111. Blood Red Blood – The Ettes (Do You Want Power)
112. Pale Bride – The Von Bondies (Love, Hate and Then There’s You)
113. Chain – School of Seven Bells (Alpinisms)
114. Dynamo – Bad Lieutenant (Never Cry Another Tear)
115. Love Comes Close – Cold Cave (Love Comes Close)
116. Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (Up from Below)
117. You’ll See It – Washed Out (Life of Leisure EP)
118. I Can’t Be True – The Ettes (Do You Want Power)
119. Exploding Head – A Place to Bury Strangers (Exploding Head)
120. Dangerous Animals – Arctic Monkeys (Humbug)
121. Jokes on You – thenewno2 (You Are Here)
122. New Horizons – Wolfmother (New Moon Rising)
123. Two By Two – Animal Kingdom (Signs and Wonders)
124. Little Secrets – Passion Pit (Manners)
125. Only If You Run – Julian Plenti (Julian Plenti Is … Skyscraper)
126. Milk and Honey – The Chemists (Theories of Dr. Lovelock)
127. Think of England – IAMX (Kingdom of Welcome Addiction)
128. Up from Below – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (Up from Below)
129. Scarlet Fields – The Horrors (Primary Colours)
130. Bluish – Animal Collective (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
131. White Diamonds – The Friendly Fires (The Friendly Fires)
132. Hope You’re Happy – Blakroc (Blakroc)
133. Life Magazine – Cold Cave (Love Comes Close)
134. Somebody Better – The Datsuns (Headstunts)
135. Standing By The Shore – Empire of the Sun (Walking on a Dream)
136. Scumbag Blues – Them Crooked Vultures (Them Crooked Vultures)
137. 30 Minute Boyfriend – Julian Casablancas (Phrazes for the Young)
138. Youth and Lust – Cold Cave  (Love Comes Close)
139. Three Decades – The Horrors (Primary Colours)
140. Leave Us and Forgive Us – Alberta Cross (Broken Side of Time)
141. Anybody Inside – Gliss (Devotion Implosion)
142. A Cloud of Mystery – Maximo Park (Quicken the Heart)
143. Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap (Conditions)
144. Take It With You – The Ettes (Do You Want Power)
145. Sleepyhead – Passion Pit (Manners)
146. Only to Haunt You – The Von Bondies (Love, Hate and Then There’s You)
147. Berlin, Without Return – Voxtrot (Berlin, Without Return Single)
148. Toxic – The Chemists (Theories of Dr. Lovelock)
149. Wannabe in L.A. – Eagles of Death Metal (Wannabe In L.A. – Single)
150. Billie Holiday – Warpaint (Exquisite Corpse – EP)