My Favorite Albums::: not too much “foke” this year

10. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca and Discovery – LP

9. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

I think the party got hot in May with Phoenix’s and Passion Pit’s fun fun fun releases. (Urban Outfitters mix tape aficionados rejoice! and shoppers begin to ask ‘”What is this amazing shit!? and why are my legs doing a jig?”)

8. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career

Ok ok, I complain and complain, but there’s always a soft spot in my heart for Camera Obscura. They had me at Camera. But in all fairness, this my favorite of all their albums.

7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz

6. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns

Angelic voice, poetic lyrics, cute fashion sense AND crazy trees on your album cover?! SOLD!

5. Passion Pit – Manners

4. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

Look up your own Grizzly Bear rave reviews. There’s plenty to go around so I’ll just say awesome album cover bears!

3. As Tall as Lions – You Can’t Take it With You

I think I’ve instilled the idea that their self-titled album is my all time favorite, so I’ve become automatically weary of any new releases and find myself constantly comparing it to each other. But nonetheless, I still love this album.They make percussion sexy.

2. Wild Beasts – Two Dancers

I’m going to say it. I like this album better than Grizzly Bear’s. Music elitists can hit me with their big words and criticisms later. I’ve got an emotional wall built up to withstand it.

1. The XX – XX

I think, forget JT for a bit and consider XX, as in S.E.X.X.Y. Like listening to a Gainsbourg moment under the sheets of two uninhibited lovers. I’ve listened to this album probably over fifty times in the last three months of its release. Every beat on every song is so goooood.

(I wasn’t a big fan of Animal Collective’s album, but I have to give them props for mind fucking my brains with their magic eye album cover.)

Favorite Tracks of 2009::: (in no particular order)

The XX – Fantasy
Grizzly Bear – Foreground (because Two weeks is too popular for its own good. I kid I kid! I love Two weeks!)
Wild Beasts – Underbelly
Mr Hudson – Supernova (ft. Kanye West) (hot hot hot sizzle! I can has glitter star suit too plz?)
Jay-Z  – Empire State of Mind (ft. Alicia Keys)
Bat for Lashes- Daniel
The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love
Camera Obscura – James
Dirty Projectors – No Intention
Discovery – Swing Tree
Florence and the Machine – Dog Days Are Over
La Roux – Armour Love
Lady Gaga – Starstruck (ft. Space Cowboy and Flo Rider)
Little Boots – Remedy
Metric – Collect Call (everything you love about Emily Haines)
Monsters of Folk – Magic Marker
Natalie Imbruglia – All the Roses
Passion Pit- To Kingdom Come
the Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition (This is the song that made the movie 500 Days worthy and guys flock to the nearest window seat on the train to reminisce about sunsets and hot chicks.)
Wilco – One Wing
Feist & Ben Gibbard – The Train Song
Cass McCombs – Dreams Come True (ft. Karen Black)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero (RAC remix)
Phoenix – 1901
Beyonce – Halo (insert favorite Kanye West outburst here, “____________”)
As Tall As Lions – Lost My Mind