My Top 2009 Albums

Last year I created a list of my Top 10 albums of 2008. This year I had a really hard time deciding who to include after the first five or so - close to fifteen contenders for the remaining spots. So, I'm only doing a Top 5 this time, and a large Honorable Mention group, all deserving of recognition.

1. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

2. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

3. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

4. The Antlers - Hospice

5. (tie) Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

5. (tie) Heartless Bastards - The Mountain

Ok, so I cheated again with a tie for fifth place. Well, these six albums clearly stood out from the pack, and who does a Top 6 list? So deal with it!

Honorable Mention:

• Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin
• Theresa Andersson - Hummingbird, Go!
• Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
• The Decemberists - The Hazards Of Love
• Doves - Kingdom Of Rust
• Fever Ray - Fever Ray
• The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away
• Florence And The Machine - Lungs
• Miss Li - Dancing The Whole Way Home
• PJ Harvey & John Parish - A Woman A Man Walked By
• Röyksopp - Junior
• Regina Spektor - Far
• St. Vincent - Actor
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz

I'll write up my motivation behind the Top 5 (well, six) albums another day...