The best album that was not released this year, but felt like a ’09 record, was “Only By The Night.” With three hit singles released this year, Kings of Leon finally got the credit they deserve, and, by staying true to style. The album starts out with the chilling, spooky “Closer,” and then gets legs with the funked up, fuzzy-bass-drum-rocker, “Crawl.” Move past all the singles and you reach the free spirited, fun loving, bluesy ballad, “I Want You.” The album closes with “Cold Desert,” actually giving you a feeling of such and fading out beautifully to end the journey. This could qualify as one of those “Best Album Ending Songs” that I had talked about in a previous blog, but anyway… The Kings’ proved they can do what they love, all the while being creative and successful! So, hats off to them for making a great album. Now on with the Top Ten LP’s of 2009:
1.) Phoenix “Wolfgang Amadeus”
-This was an easy choice, as this album was near perfect! You either get it or you don’t, heard it or you won’t. Either way, it contained many great songs, but none better than my fav, Countdown (Sick For The Big Sun)!” This gem rocked my summer runs along the lake, as well as “1901,” “Lisztomania,” and “Lasso.” You need to hear this record; but I’m preaching to the choir:)! Pop rock at it’s greatest folks. Don’t leave this CD in the player at a party full of Dead Heads…
2.) Drake “So Far Gone“
-This wasn’t really even an album, it was actually a mixtape. A mixtape that sold over 300,000 copies, garnered a record contract, and led to one of the biggest (if not the biggest) videos of the year. A mixtape that showcased one of the finest up and coming rappers at the top of his game. A hodge podge of weird samples, and full length songs, being rapped over and sung to by none other than radio’s hot boy, Drake. He rapped over Coldplay, sang over Peter, Bjorn, and John, and put out one of the best singles that rap has seen in a minute, “Best I Ever Had!” This mixtape flows together in a smooth, spacey way, that becomes an addiction the more that you listen to it. Drake’s lyrics have an uncanny wit, and you wait to hear what he’s going to rhyme with next. The bottom line is that Drake is a really good rapper, with an incredibly gifted flow. He has upstaged many an artist, as of late, on the songs that he guests on, and should continue to put out some amazing records in the future; that is the hope.
3.) Friendly Fires “Friendly Fires”
-This is another great band from that Austalian label Modular, but these guys just aren’t another good band. As a live act they are relentless, they really bring the goods. Their debut CD “Friendly Fires,” has all the manic dance energy and pop hooks that made New Order pop stars, and are even more upbeat and intense than label mates, ‘The Cutters. Their three singles “Paris,” “Jump In The Pool,” and “Skeleton Boy,” are enough to sell any album, but they don’t stop there. The funk of “Photobooth,” “Strobe,” and “In The Hospital” propel this record to the number three spot of my top ten list. Just a great party album, and must be witnessed live, for the real party!
4.) Dicovery “LP”
-It was very hard for me not to call this my #1 LP of the year! That’s just what this is, a solid album from start to finish. Discovery made an album that you can throw on and listen to all the way through, and have total fun listening to. The Jackson 5 cover of “I Want You Back” was a welcomed surprise, and one of my favorite covers in awhile. This is keyboard driven, beat heavy, sampled pop music, with vocoders and some autotune thrown in to boot. With lyrics like “I’m gonna sleep until you mother wakes up in the morning,” sung in the most sweet, harmonious way, you can’t help but love this record. Check out “So Insane” or “Swing Tree,” and tell me you can’t get down to this? It is seriously ridiculous how great a debut this is for Discovery, and I hope this becomes more than just a side project for these two folks. This must be part of every record collection. Adding drinks only makes this a better time.
5.) Florence and the Machine “Lungs”
-The voice of a new decade anyone? Possibly, as Florence Welch rakes in the awards in the UK and goes platinum overseas with her debut “Lungs”, she is barely scratching the surface over here. But what does that really matter? It doesn’t, as radio in the states prove they are years, and albums, behind trends (see Oasis and Blur). With two great singles “Kiss With A Fist,” and “Raise It Up (Rabbit Heart),” Florence grabbed the attention of every blogger, magazine writer, and music fan across the globe. But it was with her EP “Dog Days” that she got my attention and set the bar high for her full length LP. She has exceeded all expectations and it’s obvious from the public response! Dave from MiS recommended this to me, and he was spot on! This is a staple on my iPod, and I wait patiently for the live show. Her voice is strong and gorgeous, ranging from a whisper to a scream. She commands attention on wax, and on the stage, especially during covers like “Hospital Beds,” by the Cold War Kids. I have written about her before and am doing so again, because this album is one of the best to come along in years. Florence and the Machine should have a bright future if they stay healthy, and we should be in for some amazing music.
6.) Foreign Born “Person to Person“
-What’s to say about this band/album? In a nutshell, they make indie rock, with an island feel. Their songs all have breezy leads that smack of Radiohead on a Hawaiian bender, if that makes any sense. The drums are funky and upbeat, and many of the tunes have a happy, sunny-like feel. “That Old Sun” is a good example of this, you can get an idea of what I mean, as it’s hard to explain in a few sentences. They have a little bit of that Zombies feel, or maybe 70’s pop as well. It’s great pop music though, and I fell in love with this record, to say the least. I listened to the shit out of this album last year, and it was another go-to record on my iPod.
-The best Jay-Z outing since the Black Album, no doubt! He comes back with Kanye and Rhianna on a killer first single “Run This Town,” and then scores an even bigger hit with Alicia Keys (and the greatest hook of the year) on “Empire State of Mind (New York).” But wait, what about “Death of Autotune,” what a great concept, and what a great record! “Only rapper to rewrite history without a pen..” no kidding J! This record is so great that none of the above singles are my favorite songs!!! Nope my personal fav is “On To The The Next One!” Talk about killing a track, Jay knocks this out of the park! Professing his skill for always being ahead of the trends, Swizz Beatz sets Jay up hard on this one with the beat of the century! So bad-azz, I must have played it a few hundred times!! To top it off he has Drake rock the hook on “Off That” while he does the rhyming, again talking about moving on to the next big thing and “being off” that old shit! There is more to say, but if you are not feeling this yet, my blabbering on is not going to help! Jay made the best record of his career, possibly, clap for him.
8.) The Features “Some Kind Of Salvation”
–The Features got my attention with “Exhibit A,” their first full length record a few years back, and have rekindled my passion with their latest effort “Some Kind Of Salvation.” Their debut for BUG Records, a Kings Of Leon imprint, is some enormous Nashville rock’n’roll! But my favorite track on this record, “Concrete,” is just a sparse ditty about the insecurities of life. “Nothing is complete/Nothing is concrete/Nothing is for certain/As far as I can see” Introspective lyrics, ranging from child rearing to lion taming, and bluesy rockn’roll foot the bill here. As a live band; these cats deliver, blowing The Whigs off the stage at the Bottom Lounge here on the first of November. Check out “Genetically Modified Fable,” “Lions,” and “Temporary Blues” for other reasons as to why this made the top ten.
9.) Morrissey “Years of Refusal”
–Sometime during the last decade, Steven Patrick Morrissey realized that his fans had grown tired of his antics, and simultaneously felt his own mortality. Since this awakening has happened, we, the fans, have witnessed a handful of new albums and a ton of GREAT touring from the Mozzer. His last two efforts, “Ringleader of the Tormentors,” and the ’09 release, “Years of Refusal,” have been some of his best work since “Vauxhall and I (circa ’94).” He has basically realized that he needs his fans, and he has obliged us by writing some of the best music of his career. “Momma Lay Softly On The Riverbed,“ “Something Is Squeezing My Skull,” and “That’s How People Grow Up” are all rocking tunes, that sound even better live. They, of course, discuss his life and bring a newborn passion to his music. There was a time when I was resigned to most of his newer albums being considered throw-aways, but that is certainly not the case in 2009. That being said, thank god! I didn’t want to see one of the greatest singer/songwriters of my lifetime destroy himself in front of the world, by making boring, terrible music. Morrissey has found his purpose again, and you can tell in new songs like “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell,” and “You Were Good in Your Time.” My favorite tune as of late has to be “When Last I Spoke to Carol,” which really has no hook at all. It’s just a simple conversation with a friend, maybe an acquaintance, that has a feeling of emergency to air some grievances. It’s a typical, but great, Moz tune. Ok, commence babbling…Moz back in the top ten…yes!
10.) Franz Ferdinand “Tonight“
–Franz made a great LP, I think it’s their best to date. If you haven’t heard of this band, you must be hiding out in Bon Iver’s shed. Anyways, this album is the most funky, amped up thing they have done yet. The keyboards are thick and rawkus especially on tracks like the incredibly explosive “Ulysses!” Dig the chorus and the sweet falsetto Alex Kapranos hits! It’s a great album, check out “No You Girls,” “Bite Hard,” “What She Came For,” and the completely funk-da-fied “Lucid Dreams!” What a gem!
11.) Eminem “Relapse”
12.) Artic Monkeys “Humbug”
13.) Amazing Baby “Rewild”
14.) The Joy Formidable “A Balloon Called Moaning”
15.) Third Eye Blind “Ursa Major”
16.) Surfer Blood “Astrocoast”
17.) The Radio Dept “David”
18.) John Mayer “Battle Studies”
19.) Van She “V”
20.) The Whip “X Marks Destination”
And your ears shall hear... 
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