Best Albums of 2009

I spent so much time putting together that decade list I neglected to tell you that 2009 was a great year for music. Here's a rundown of my top 10 albums of the year:

10. St. Vincent - Actor: A brief yet diverse showing from an emerging talent. Her performance of "Marrow" on David Letterman's show might be the weirdest thing I've ever seen on prime time television.

9. U2 - No Line On The Horizon: Despite the poor first single, this is the most complete and rewarding record they've done in a decade, and "Breathe" is as inspiring as their best 80's anthems.

8. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. 2: Countless contributors and producers come together to make an amazingly tight thematic record. Dark, catchy, and dramatic - this is how we remember the Wu-Tang Clan's best work.

7. Dirty Projectors - Bitta Ocra: These Brooklyn art-noise artists finally toned down the weirdness enough to make something memorable. "No Intentions" and "Stillness Is A Move" would be hit pop singles in a perfect world.

6. Q-Tip - Kamaal The Abstract: It finally got released and it was worth the 7-year wait. Deep grooves and brilliant rhyming make this as funky and soulful as some of Prince's best work.

5. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest: This one grows on you faster than their earlier records, and fans of the Grateful Dead and the Band will love to hear roots rock being updated for a new generation. This makes two masterpieces in row for the surprise success of the year.

4. Sunn O)) - Monoliths & Dimensions: Is this a classical piece or a metal record? It hardly matters how it's classified - you've never heard anything like this. A long cascade of choirs, jazz musicians, and guitar virtuosos, this one gets deeper inside of you every time you play it.

3. The Dream - Love vs. Money: It sold a few copies but still remains the underrated pop record of 2009. After writing genius singles for other artists, he saved his best tracks for himself, and "My Love" with Mariah Carey is a rare feat: a heartbreaking club single. No other artist alive could pull off a building drama like "Fancy".

2. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic: Even as unpredictable as this band has always been, we still couldn't have seen this coming. Without a clean pop moment, they run back to the underground and make a long, destructive drug trip of an album that is also their best effort since the Soft Bulletin.

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion: Has there ever been such as obvious album of the year? It came out in January and there was never any doubt - they've arrived. All of their unfocused ideas and ambitions has been organized into a perfect album. Every track offers flowing harmonies, layered but subtle electronics, and driving tribal beats that add up to eleven slices of indie pop heaven. To make their year even better, they even tacked on the equally as brilliant Fall Be Kind EP this month. Is this what music will sound like in the new decade? After hearing this record, I'm optimistic.

I'm taking a few weeks off from writing - I'm not really sure how long. Probably until another great record comes out that I want to write about.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year, and God Bless.