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#40-36 · #35-31 · #30-26 · #25-21 · #20-16 · #15-11 · #10-6 · #5-1
Finally, the main event! No more leftovers; this is the big stuff. Here are my favorite albums of the year, #40-36...
I always like to kick off the list with a great one (last place but not least), so it should be no surprise that The Lonely Island is the perfect match for this year's #40.
Incredibad is the comedy album of the year. It's got everything, from the SNL digital shorts like "Jizz In My Pants" and "I'm On A Boat" to some hilarious and mindblowing original tracks like "Dreamgirl" featuring Norah Jones. Never thought I'd hear Norah Jones and her beautiful voice in a song that's "brought to you by Chex Mix." No other comedy album in recent memory has been so consistently great.
Incredibad forever!
It's got the trippiest album cover of the year, for sure. I swear it's not actually moving. The actual music is a trip in itself, as well. I've only listened to this album a couple of times as a whole, so it's difficult to single out any individual tracks, but it's all together a great experience. I never really got into Animal Collective before, as their past music was just too bizarre for my taste, but I think this is the album that's finally accessible enough to appeal to the masses. The brilliant combination of electro-pop elements and indie rock hallmarks has made
Merriweather an incredible critical success, and it's not hard to understand why. Go listen for yourself and you'll be convinced, too. You'll be drawn into the psychedelic sound.
Wilco has been around for some 15 years, but you can mark down 2009 as the first year I actually listened to an entire album from this band-of-all-trades. How could that be? Who knows, but I became aware of that fact as I listened to the first single, "You Never Know," back in the spring. It was just such a pleasant, solid no-nonsense track, it inspired me to check out a full album for once. The band has cycled through elements of rock, folk, americana, and who knows how many other genres over the years, but on the brilliantly titled
Wilco (The Album), it seems like it all coalesces together into a common sound that really defines, well, Wilco. If that's not meta enough for you, just listen to "Wilco (The Song)."
If you're not familiar with Alison Sudol, a.k.a. A Fine Frenzy, all you really need to know is that she's a charming singer, songwriter, and pianist who makes indie rock music with a pop bent. Sounds like a winning combination to me. Somehow, I totally slept on her 2007 debut,
One Cell In The Sea, but I took note during the lead-up to the release of this year's
Bomb In A Birdcage, as the iTunes Store highlighted a song from her every week for a while. Sudol is passionate about literature, which comes through in her lyrical stylings and makes her music a joy to listen to. Her professional name, A Fine Frenzy, is itself inspired by literary work; it was taken from a line in
A Midsummer Night's Dream. If you want a good track with which to start your venture into
Bomb In A Birdcage, I suggest "Electric Twist," which is simply delightful.
Much greater than your average Various Artists collection of covers,
War Child Presents: Heroes is a truly unique take on such a compilation. The original legends themselves (people like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, The Ramones, U2, Blondie, Paul McCartney, and Elvis Costello, to name a few) personally requested this set of covers from today's best artists. Among others, you got Beck doing "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat," Duffy doing "Live And Let Die," Franz Ferdinand doing "Call Me," The Like doing "You Belong To Me," and my personal favorite, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs doing "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker." Karen O is such a perfect fit for that song. If that's not enough, all the proceeds go toward the War Child charity, which provides aid to children in war-stricken areas of the world. Great music for a great cause!
There you have it, the first 5 albums. Coming up in the morning or some time tomorrow, albums #35-31!
Julian 
the best
