#12: The Sounds – Crossing the Rubicon

Not as universally powerful on first listen as their other efforts, but slightly deeper songcraft makes it grow with each successive listen. Well, deep for Swedish New Wave anyways.

#11: Florence and The Machine – Lungs

Florence Welch’s soul-inspired indie rock is dominating the UK. After a few hit singles, there were huge expectations for the album. It meets them and then some.

#10: The Decemberists – Hazards of Love

A great album to take with you on a road trip due to its seamless transitions and rock narrative. More incredibly, it’s not the only rock opera album on my list.

#9: White Lies – To Lose My Life

A dark album that still manages to pack a good “party music” punch. These Englandites create music that manages to be both old school and new school, comparing favorably to bands like Joy Division and Interpol.

#8: Islands – Vapours

Vapours marks the return of one of the band’s founders, Jamie Thompson. With his arrival, the band ditches the rich orchestral accompaniments of their last album (the excellent, excellent Arm’s Way) with drum machines, sequencing, and programming. Infinitely listenable.

#7: Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid

Nitty-gritty blues rock from the Black Keys’ front man.

#6: Miike Snow – Miike Snow

Miike Snow is not a person, but a band with members that are behind some of the biggest pop hits of this decade (“Toxic” by Britney Spears anyone?). Here, they’ve shown they can pack quite an indie/club punch. Described by The Guardian as “a-ha meets Animal Collective.”

#5: The Protomen – Act II The Father of Death

A rock opera concept album very loosely based on the Mega Man videogame by a band that never shows their real faces or breaks character, followed by a semi-insane legion of fans that analyze every bit of lyrical canon the group releases. If that’s not fascinating enough, their music ranges from spaghetti western, to hardcore blitz rock, to Journey-inspired 80′s music. Whew.

#4: Freelance Whales – Weathervanes

Mesmerizing, soothing dreamy pop at the road where Sufjan Stevens meets Postal Service (with a bit of Ra Ra Riot). Plus, there’s plenty of banjo and glockenspiel. Would probably be higher if I didn’t just get into it the last few weeks.

#3: Passion Pit – Manners

I really can’t add anything that hasn’t already been said a thousand times. Except for this: Effervescent pop.

#2: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below

An absolutely addictive album front to back. Fittingly described by the Rolling Stones as “the Mamas and the Papas meets Arcade Fire.”

#1: Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – It’s Blitz

As much as diehard Yeah Yeah Yeah fans would hate to admit, this album is a defining moment for the band and will be damn near impossible to follow up. Every song is a single, and every single song rocks my fucking shorts off.

1 Comment »

1. [...] From The Daily Mail. PS: The video’s’ soundtrack is “Home” by the  incredible Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, who clocked in at #2 on my favorite albums of 2009. [...]

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