Top Albums of 2009 According to The Captain

20. xx by The xx
This album is on the list because of Crystalised, an undoubtedly catchy song that took the interbutts by storm and that I listened to for quite some time
19. Timber Timbre by Timber Timbre
Timber Timbre has a style all his own, with a really neat voice and folky music style. Demon host was a song I had on repeat for quite some time.
18. Blakroc by Blakroc
It’s the self titled album 3 block I know, Blakroc was a captivating project band to start with, Blending the Black keys Bluesy rock with the talents of RZA, and Mos def to name a few. This is one of the very few hip hop albums I can actually say that I listen to and believe me from someone that really doesn’t listen to hip hop that’s high praise.
17. Beacons by ohbijou
Ohbijou sounds like hybrids of my favorite indie pop rock bands, and this album is a nice fit to the genre. Black Ice is a song to remember and the reason I would drive to Toronto to see ohbijou.
16. White Lies for Dark Times by Ben Harper and The Relentless 7
I’ve been a fan of Ben Harper for quite some time, The new album with the relentless 7 brought his bluesy soul quality to the table with a band that was equally as tight as the solo work. Songs Like Faithfully Remain and Fly one Time sound like Ben Harper classics where songs like Boots Like These add a louder faster southern band element to the mix. Results are a nice crossover between the old and a new side of Ben Harper.
15. Strict Joy by The Swell Season
You watch the movie Once, immediately want the soundtrack, Just go and download this. There are most of the songs from the film, all played live as well as a bunch of equal caliber songs like In These arms and the powerful Back Broke.
14. Post Nothing by Japandroids
Japandroids are yet another emerging artist of 2009, This album was simple and dirty like someone had broken their distortion petal and never bothered to unplug it. Simple almost primal pounding around on shit kind of sound, with some quick dead simple lyrics. Somehow though I’m not disappointed. Japandroids make a joyous racket that makes me want to play post nothing over and over and this year I did just that.
13.Hospice by the Antlers
Two Is one of the best songs/music videos of the year, Antler’s have really stood out in my mind as far as new bands of 2009 are concerned. With the entire album dedicated to the theme of a loved one getting over cancer many of the songs have a meaningful and emotional impact on the listener. With great playing and a great and relatable message hospice deserves an honorable mention in my top 15.
12. No One’s First When Your Next by Modest Mouse
Ever since satellite skin leaked early on in 2009, I eagerly awaited the new modest mouse album. I have been listening to modest mouse for quite some time and I would have to say that this album is nothing terribly special in terms of the band but I like it anyway. Songs like I’ve got it all (most) brighten any day and the video for King Rat that Heath Ledger Directed was just cool as shit.
11. Old Crows/ Young Cardinals by Alexisonfire
Overplayed to shit in the summer I neglected to download this album until about a week ago. Although I am really sick of young cardinals still, (I’m serious our local radio played the SHIIT out of this song) you hear a lot of details when you actually have the album playing right in your ear as opposed to my 2 half dead car speakers. This is a fantastic Alexisonfire album however, I’ve been playing since I got it and probably still will be until well into the new year. Old crows and Midnight Regulations are worth a listen for sure.
10. Cosmic Egg by Wolfmother
Yeah I guess I’m sort of a silly pants for listing a Wolfmother album in the top 10 but I don’t even curr. New moon rising was a sweet song when it came out and still is now. The album is a time warp and exactly what you would expect from Wolfmother I guess I’m just a sucker for it. Sundial has some really neat heavy guitar effects that will make your penor twitch 10,000 ft sounds like they just plain ripped of zeppelin. But hey that’s cool it still makes my list dammit.
9. Fantasies by Metric
Now this is going to come across as gossipy but I am going to say it anyway. According to a friend of mine who saw Metric live this year, if you go and your near the front row Emily Haynes wears a short skirt and frequently reenacts that scene from basic instinct. If that isn’t reason enough to go see Metric at least give the music a chance. Fantasies is a solid effort from metric, maybe not the same level as the last two efforts but still in a grand scheme of things not a bad album. I cant say as I have heard a bad metric album to date.
8. Upper Air by Bowerbirds
Bowerbirds have a really interesting sound. The use of the really traditional sounding drums and accordian style instruments make it something really different and new. Its almost like a very traditionalized folk pop. Northern Lights is probably one of my favorite songs of 2009. Beneath Your Tree has a really neat drum part to it as well. The vocals are done in a very different style and the album itself is just something new and original that I really feel needs recognition. This is a great band and an eclectic selection of music.
7. Horehound by The Dead Weather
With all the hype surrounding this album and me watching it all year, It was worth the wait. The first leak I heard of Hang You up From the Heavens gave me chills. I had never really gotten into the kills prior to The Dead Weather and horehound was more or less the diving board that launched me into this whole mass of music I had been missing. With little snippets and leaks being released almost weekly up to the release it was nice to finally have it in its entirety. During the first whole music I could not wipe the grin off my face. It had the feel of the white stripes with the kills and some kind of psychedelic feel I couldn’t shake. Just a great bunch of songs.
6.Humbug by Arctic Monkeys
So I read in spin that The Arctic Monkeys had a helping hand from Josh Homme on their new album, and rushed from my reading perch on the toilet (I wiped) to the computer to listen to the first single, Crying lighting. What I heard was something that stunk of Homme and I liked it. When the whole album was released I could not stop playing it. Starting off out of the gate with My Propeller I was enchanted with this album for a solid 2 months. Every track is a gem and there are elements of the old Arctic Monkeys sound, just with something tweaked ever so slightly it appeals to me in a grander scale.
5. Julian Plenti Is…Skyscraper by Julian Plenti
Paul Bank’s makes an album without Interpol. It becomes my late summer jam. I signed up for the mailing list a long while before the album came out and I got a copy of the song, Fun that we have. Somehow I didn’t get sick of it by the time the album release rolled around. There was something about hearing an almost uplifted version of Interpol that was really refreshing. The album is something I can listen to on repeat like mad. From the instrumental tracks on the album like H, to the louder and more radio friendly songs like Games for Days there is a great contrast and a real story to the album that you can hear just by listening to it.
4. Swoon by Silversun Pickups
This album should have probably gotten me a speeding ticket. Somehow it played in my car mostly during the summer of 2009 on those trips to and from work, whereby I took some back roads in order to blast more of songs like The Royal we and Sort of. It tended to spawn some fancy driving. But that was the great part of this album there were these songs that were energizing and then there were some nicer chill out songs like Catch and Release. I loved Silversun Pickups last album and this one is just as good. Panic Switch got overplayed on radio but no where near as bad as Lazy Eye did in years past. Swoon however feels like just as strong an effort and I look forward to the next album.
3. Daisy by Brand New
Surprise, Surprise Joe was probably watching out for this one much harder than I. I remember throwing on vices and being like WUT? And then listening to the album non stop whenever my computer was on for the next 2 weeks. This album gave me an obsession I hadn’t had about an album in years. Every track on Daisy is as good as the last. I would have to say Daisy is my second favorite brand new album after 2003’s Deja Entendu. For the pure amount of playability and enjoyment I got out of this album this year it gets my number 3.
2 Spinnerette by Spinnerette
Mrs. Homme makes some sweet, sweet music. I was never really got into the distillers much but this album is just awesome. With a number of different car trips I took this year this was one of the go to albums and it certainly kept me awake and alert on some longer hangover plagued drives. With Jack Irons (Red hot chili peppers, Pearl Jam) on drums and Alain Johannes (Queens of the stone age) on guitars, they made an insane album, with a punk feel to it and elements of some sexy desert rock. I had not heard of Spinnerette and the ep they had released previously in 08. But when I fired on the album and Ghetto love blew through my headphones I knew I was in for something special. Each song on the album is like a single and could fetch some decent radio play, and that’s rare for today where albums are generally only worth 3 songs if they are any good at all. And so as I am influenced to put this at number two by both the sexy lacey crotch on the front cover and the joy this album brings.

ONE: Them Crooked Vultures by Them Crooked Vultures
I should be giving this one number one for the pure amount of time I wasted checking to see If it leaked or if there was any new captured footage. This album was an obsession of mine since its inception. I mean come on, Dave Grohl drumming on an album is enough to make it pure gold, let alone adding two other superstars to the mix. I was initially a bit disappointed by some of the material on this album, but after a few listens I grew to love it, nay obsess over it. My zune logged over 200 album listens in roughly a week and a half, so that pretty much tells you how often I was listening to Them Crooked Vultures. Considering how often I played them the songs still have not grown old for me. It seems too that when you play it in the car or on headphones or even through shitty speakers on a laptop, songs like no one loves me and neither do I, seem to reveal more layers then could be heard before. Jones bass just about blows my car speakers every time but you can really hear just how complex some of the bass lines are on this album if you crank it up to Eleven. The pure excitement and joy that I get listening to this album has not been matched this year or for a few years. I get goose bumps thinking about the kind of sound these guys were able to produce. Them Crooked Vultures, for saving music in 2009, I award you my number one.