Best Albums of 2009

This was a bit of a boring year for my music collection, as instead of really getting to know any new bands, I mostly got albums by ones I already knew and discovered The Beatles. This carries through to all the new music I got, with the only release by a group that I didn't already have something by being satirical hip hop. Still, I mostly liked what I heard.

Best of 2009

6. The Lonely Island - Incredibad


Usually comedic albums like this seem to lose their luster after a little while, but Incredibad is still consistently fun to listen to. None of the three guys have particularly impressive rapping chops, but they stick with what they can do and back up funny lyrics with legitimately enjoyable beats. The plethora of guest appearances don't hurt either.

5. Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen


I listened to The Ugly Organ again recently and was a bit surprised by the difference in Tim's voice. Mama is less concerned with being one of the tightest indie rock albums I've ever heard and more about a precarious mix between loud and soft, but it works for the most part and has enough pleasurable moments to carry you through its run time.

4. ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - The Century of Self


Not quite what I was hoping for (a recurring theme this year), but a darn solid rock album. I appreciated the balance between heavy and soft in the two different halves, and while there really aren't many songs I would put on a list of the band's best, it's a pretty even, balanced release. It's hard to ask for a lot more than that.

3. Brand New - Daisy


I'm still not quite sure what to think of this. It definitely didn't hit me nearly as hard as the band's last two albums, but I do find myself wanting to listen to it a lot more than I'd expect for something I only really like instead of love. At this point I really have no idea what to expect next, because we keep figuring they'll go softer and then they head the other way. Death metal maybe?

2. Dredg - The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion

Three of my favorite bands released albums this year, and none of them managed to amaze me. Oh well. This still seemed like the best of the bunch. Dredg refuses to let themselves be nailed down to a single sound, while still sounding like pretty much the same band the whole decade, a tough art to master. This seemed like their most experimental project, and a bunch of really good songs came out of it.

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion


The only band I know that managed to surpass their previous release this year. I don't feel exceptionally strongly about this as a number one, because for all of its successes it doesn't keep me gripped and listening the entire time the way a proper album of the year should. Still, it does a lot of things extremely well and is hard to dislike, unless you're someone I know. I don't think you can even call Animal Collective rock anymore, but whatever it is is pretty fun.

The Lonely Island - Incredibad

The Lonely Island is the name of the three guys responsible for Hot Rod and the Digital Shorts on Saturday Night Live, and Incredibad is their first album which compiles the songs they've often used for those along with some good brand new ones. Most of the tracks are in a hip hop style, and while I would have appreciated some more musical diversity it's hard to mind too much when the results are as funny and catchy as they tend to be here. There are some genuinely nice beats backing up the goofy lyrics and appearances by lot of celebrities, both actors and legitimate musicians. If you've ever laughed at Andy, Jorma, and Akiva's work before it's worth checking out.

While the sound does veer towards rap, there's still some variance in the specific style emulated, it's mostly pretty standard but songs like "Punch You in the Jeans" have a more old school sound. "I'm on a Boat" was their most recent to be made into a video, and is a funny jab at the over-exuberance of the genre made complete with a nice performance by T-Pain. E-40 has a nice verse in a song about Carlos Santana's sparkling wine, the singer from The Strokes croons about the power of a boombox, and Norah Jones guests on a track about the group's strange idea of a girl of their dreams. The album even goes as far back as Natalie Portman's turn as a gangster rapper, and the song's even funnier uncensored. It really is an explicit album too, with plenty of curses thrown around liberally for comedic effect. It culminates with the final title track, which details the silly, very graphic way that the group became what they are today. It's not a musical masterpiece, but Incredibad is a funny and enjoyable way to spend about 40 minutes.