TOP 20-11
Honorable Mentions:
Here We Go Magic - S/T
Cage - Depart From Me
Florence + The Machine - Lungs
Coalesce - OX
Rain Machine - S/T
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
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10. jj - jj n° 2 [7/1 - Sincerely Yours]
jj captured my interest earlier this summer while the pavement was just starting to build up some steam. Their debut lp was like a Supersoaker 50 for the ears. - Evan
fave track :: from africa to málaga
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9. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - S/T [2/3 - Slumberland]
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart own a small piece of my soul, and this record is exactly why. -Tony
fave track :: Young Adult Friction
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8. The Love Language - S/T [2/10 - Bladen County]
I found The Love Language while spending a cold night in November of 2008 searching for new music to feed on. Their music carried this fresh and vibrant aura of not-so-lo-fi love. - Evan
fave track :: Sparxxx
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7. Do Make Say Think - Other Truths [10/21 - Constellation Records]
Four songs. Forty minutes. Each song feels like a new season and without any singer or lyrics, this record made me feel something new as each song built and progressed into their beautiful endings. -Tony
fave track :: Do
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6. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns [6/4 - Astralwerks]
Natasha Khan's sophmore effort opens with her soft voice caressing the morning dew of a subway until you're taken away from the busy bustle by tribal drums from a far away land. A gorgeous album overall. - Evan
fave track :: Glass
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5. Beirut/Realpeople - March Of The Zapotec/Holland EP [2/17 - Ba Da Bing Records]
Two EPs with two completely different feels. Zach Condon topped himself with this collection of songs. He has a 19 piece band (The Jiminez Band) backing him throughout March Of The Zapotec, and Holland is credited to Realpeople, his early musical moniker. Such a diverse and carefully crafted sound...it's amazing that he is only 23 years old. -Tony
fave track :: Beirut - The Shrew
fave track :: Real People - My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille
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4. Why? - Eskimo Snow [9/22 - Anticon]
Always very lyrically entertaining, Why? really went out on a limb with Eskimo Snow, as it is his least hip-hop oriented work to date...and he somehow perfectly brought it all together and still maintained his personality throughout the record. -Tony
fave track :: Berkeley By Hearseback
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3. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest [5/26 - Warp]
Easily one of the most anticipated albums of 2009, Veckatimest stands out with it's flawless tracklist and it's impeccable knack for capturing every mood. - Evan
fave track :: Ready, Able
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2. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix [5/26 - V2/Loyauté]
When they wrote this record, do you think they knew that they annihilated (almost) everything else that would be released in 2009? Such a pristine collection of songs. If you don't own this record, you need to buy it. Now. -Tony
fave track :: Lisztomania
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1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion [1/20 - Domino]
I totally called it. 2009 would be Animal Collective's year with the anticipated and loved Merriweather Post Pavilion. The first time I listened to this album, my heart was pounding with excitement while the first track ["In The Flowers"] made MPP bloom into a colorful and perfect welcome to this year. -Evan
fave tracks :: My Girls , Brothersport
