My Favorite Albums Of 2009 v5
Posted By Ben W. on October 26, 2009
The unfortunate thing about posting your every opinion online for the world (or 12 people a day) to read is that you look pretty foolish when those opinions changes. So here I am looking foolish.
The Arctic Monkeys’ Humbug is my favorite album of the year right now.
Yep, the same Humbug that gave us the “Crying Lightning” single earlier this year for which I was not exactly a champion.
The same Humbug which left me “frowning and wincing” after its initial three minutes in my life.
The same Humbug that inspired the following paragraph:
Well. OK. I goofed. So sue me.
Humbug has become the album of the autumn for me. I probably listen to it 10 times a week, and it gets better with each play.
The lyrics unfold scenes and stories worthy of classic poetry. And the music — in 10 songs and 40 minutes — combines to create a mesmerizingly dark universe. It’s the Arctics’ best album to date, and my favorite record of the year thus far.
I was dead wrong to hate it at first. You just have to live with it for a few weeks, that’s all. And I hadn’t lived with it enough before I started writing about it, because I’m an idiot.
So now that I’ve established my credentials as an trustworthy expert, here’s my full list!
MY FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2009
56. Let The Dominoes Fall – Rancid
55. Living Thing – Peter Bjorn And John
54. Grrr… – Bishop Allen
53. 21st Century Breakdown – Green Day
52. Kingdom Of Rust – Doves
51. Ready For The Weekend – Calvin Harris
50. Manners – Passion Pit
49. My Way – Ian Brown
48. Hands – Little Boots
47. Middle Cyclone – Neko Case
46. The Crying Light – Antony & The Johnsons
45. Veckatimest – Grizzly Bear
44. Get Guilty – A.C. Newman
43. Merriweather Post Pavilion – Animal Collective
42. The Hazards Of Love - The Decemberists
41. It’s Not Me, It’s You – Lily Allen
40. Further Complications – Jarvis Cocker
39. Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future – The Bird And The Bee
38. Dragonslayer – Sunset Rubdown
37. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
36. The Love Language – The Love Language
35. Art Brut Vs. Satan – Art Brut
34. Popular Songs – Yo La Tengo
33. Ghostdini The Wizard Of Poetry In Emerald City – Ghostface Killah
32. 200 Million Thousand – Black Lips
31. Junior – Royksopp
30. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Phoenix
29. Watch Me Fell – Jay Reatard
28. Now We Can See - The Thermals
27. The Duckworth Lewis Method – The Duckworth Lewis Method
26. Primary Colours – The Horrors
25. Wall Of Arms – The Maccabees
24. I’m Going Away – Fiery Furnaces
23. It’s Blitz! – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
22. Temporary Pleasure – Simian Mobile Disco
21. Scars – Basement Jaxx
20. Man On The Moon: The End Of Day – Kid Cudi
19. Goodnight Oslo – Robyn Hitchcock
18. Ignore The Ignorant – The Cribs
17. West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum – Kasabian
16. UGK 4 Life – UGK
15. The Liberty Of Norton Folgate – Madness
14. Wilco (The Album) – Wilco
13. The Blueprint 3 – Jay-Z
12. Face Control – Handsome Furs
11. The xx – The xx
10. My Maudlin Career – Camera Obscura
9. Dark Days/Light Years – Super Furry Animals
8. BLACKsummers’night – Maxwell
7. Yes - Pet Shop Boys
6. Grace/Wasteland – Pete Doherty
5. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II – Raekwon
4. Born Like This – DOOM
3. Years Of Refusal – Morrissey
2. Travels With Myself And Another - Future Of The Left
1. Humbug - Arctic Monkeys
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You need to check out Mini Mansions. I guarantee after listening to their debut album it will make this list. They kind of have an epic Beatles-influenced pop sound, but not as upbeat. Amazing stuff, definitely in my top albums of the year.
“my maudlin career” is in my top ten.