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The Best Albums of 2009

TM, ®, Copyright © 2009 Piero Scaruffi.
History of Rock Music | History of Pop Music
Reviews of 2009 albums | Best of last year | Best albums of all time | Back to music
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
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Ratings: 10=best rock album ever; 9=masterpiece; 8=buy it now; 7=buy it eventually; 6=buy it if you are a fan
Best of Rock Albums
(Read the reviews)

    8/10
  1. Gnaw Their Tongues: Rend Each Other Like Wild Beasts (At War WIth False Noise)
  2. Demdike Stare: Symbiosis (Modern Love)
    7.5/10
  3. Leyland Kirby: Sadly The Future Is No Longer What It Was (History Always Favours The Winners)
  4. Vektor: Black Future (Heavy Artillery)
  5. Mi Ami: Watersports (Quarter Stick)
  6. Yoga: Megafauna (Holy Mountain)
  7. Dan Deacon: Bromst (Carpark)
  8. Qa'a: Vesprada (Magia Roja)
  9. Shackleton: Three EPs (Perlon)
  10. Jim O'Rourke: The Visitor (Drag City)
  11. Brave Little Abacus: Masked Dancers (self)
    7/10
  12. Elegi: Varde (Miasmah)
  13. Kreng: L'Autopsie Phenomenale De Dieu (Miasmah)
  14. Shit and Shine: 229-2299 Girls Against Shit (Riot Season)
  15. L'Acephale: Stahlhartes Gehause (Aurora Borealis)
  16. Anahita: Matricaria (Important)
  17. Dalek: Gutter Tactics (Ipecac)
  18. Legion Of Two: Riffs (Planet Mu)
  19. DM Stith: Heavy Ghost (Asthmatic Kitty)
  20. Black Vomit: Jungle Death (Rusty Axe)
  21. William Fowler Collins: Perdition Hill Radio (Type)
  22. Irr App (Ext): Kreiselwelle (Helen Scarsdale Agency)
  23. Cave: Psychic Psummer (Important)
  24. Antlers: Hospice (Frenchkiss)
  25. Oneida: Rated O (Jagjaguwar)
  26. Andrew Bird: Noble Beast (Fat Possum)
  27. Necks: Silverwater (ReR)
  28. Between the Buried and Me: The Great Misdirect (Victory)
  29. Clubroot: Clubroot (Lo Dubs)
  30. Caethua: The Long Afternoon Of Earth (Preservation)
  31. Fuck Buttons: Tarot Sport (ATP)
  32. JJ: JJ Nø 2 (Sincerely Yours)
  33. Soap And Skin: Lovetune For Vacuum (PIAS)
  34. Necro Deathmort: This Beat Is Necrotronic (Distraction)
  35. Georgia Anne Muldrow: Umsindo (SomeOthaShip Connect)
  36. Krallice: Dimensional Bleedthrough (Profound Lore)
  37. Doves: Kingdom of Rust (Astralwerks)
  38. Savage Young Taterbug: River Mortis (American Dream Machine)
  39. Azita: How Will You (Drag City)
  40. Fever Ray: Fever Ray (Rabid)
  41. Health: Get Color (Lovepump United)
  42. Dead Weather: Horehound (Reprise)
  43. Julian Lynch: Orange You Glad (Olde English Spelling Bee)
  44. Alexander Turnquist: As the Twilight Crane Dreams in Color (VHF)
  45. Japandroids: Post-Nothing (Polyvinyl)
  46. Micachu: Jewellery (Rough Trade)
  47. Silvester Anfang: Sylvester Anfang II (Aurora Borealis)
  48. Blut Aus Nord: Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue With The Stars
  49. Night Control: Death Control (Kill Shaman)
  50. Ducktails: Ducktails (Not Not Fun)
  51. Worriedaboutsatan: Arrivals (Gizeh)
  52. Barn Owl: The Conjurer (Root Strata)
  53. Obscura: Cosmogenesis (Relapse)
  54. Yob: The Great Cessation (Profound Lore)
Songs
( Click here to play them on Spotify (thank you Luke!))
  1. Micachu: Sweetheart
  2. Amen Dunes: Amen Dunes
  3. Demdike Stare: Haxan
  4. Mirah: The Forest
  5. Crystal Antlers: Time Erased
  6. Dan Deacon: Build Voice
  7. Doves: Kingdom of Rust
  8. DM Stith: Creekmouth
  9. Fever Ray: If I Had A Heart
  10. Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: The Tenure Itch
  11. Vivian Girls: Out For The Sun
  12. Blues Control: Good Morning
  13. Lady Gaga: Bad Romance
  14. A Place to Bury Strangers: Deadbeat
  15. Night Control: No Making
  16. Soap and Skin: Extinguish Me
  17. Zola Jesus: Nativity
  18. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Heads Will Roll
  19. St Vincent: Actor Out Of Work
  20. Azita: I'm Happy
  21. Fuck Buttons: Olympians
  22. Terminal Sound System: Constructing Towers
  23. Dead Weather: Treat Me Like Your Mother
  24. Decemberists: The Rake's Song
  25. Patrick Wolf: Oblivion
  26. Dalek: Armed with Krylon
  27. Bon Iver: Woods
  28. Mi Ami: Echonoecho
  29. Vivian Girls: I Have No Fun
  30. Green Day: Know Your Enemy
  31. Girls: Hellhole Ratrace
  32. Jj: From Africa To Malaga
  33. Thee Oh Sees: Ruby Go Home
  34. Mirah: Country Of The Future
  35. Beat Circus: The Life You Save May Be Your Own
  36. Zola Jesus: Tell It To The Willow
  37. Azita: Away
  38. Bachelorette: Mindwarp
  39. Animal Collective: Summertime Clothes
  40. Bill Callahan: Eid Ma Clack Shaw
  41. Fever Ray: Now's The Only Time I Know
  42. A Sunny Day In Glasgow: Ashes Maths
  43. Andrew Bird: Effigy
  44. Antony: Dust And Water
  45. Beat Circus: Petrified Man
  46. Dead Weather: I Cut Like a Buffalo
  47. Bat For Lashes: Daniel
  48. Mos Def: Quiet Dog Bite Hard
  49. Vivian Girls: I'm Not Asleep
  50. Cave: Machines & Muscles
  51. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Zero
  52. Dirty Projectors: Stillness Is The Move
  53. Neko Case: I'm An Animal
  54. Antony: Daylight And The Sun
  55. Thermals: When We Were Alive
  56. Converge: Dark Horse
  57. Fiery Furnaces: Even In The Rain
  58. Japandroids: Sovereignty
  59. Peste Noire: Ballade Cuntre Les Anemis De La France
  60. Reigning Sound: Brake It
  61. Wavves: Beach Goth
  62. Darkstar: Aidy's Girl Is A Computer
  63. Bruce Springsteen: Surprise Surprise
  64. Joe Henry: Bellwether
  65. Xx: Infinity
  66. Yacht: The Afterlife
  67. Manic Street Preachers: Marlon J.D.
  68. Flaming Lips: Watching the Planets
  69. Mountain Goats: Genesis 30:3
  70. Dear Hunter: The Tank
  71. Passion Pit: Little Secrets
  72. Thao Nguyen: Cool Yourself
  73. Here We Go Magic: Fangela
  74. Cobalt: Pregnant Insect
  75. Very Best: Julia
  76. Yacht: Summer Song
  77. Arctic Monkeys: Crying Lightning
  78. Home Blitz: Two Steps
  79. M Ward: Never Had Nobody Like You
  80. Brave Little Abacus: (Through Hallways)
  81. Animal Collective: My Girls
  82. Washed Out: Hold Out
  83. Ulcerate: Everything Is Fire
  84. Cate Le Bon: Eyes So Bright
  85. Anaal Nathrakh: Terror in the Mind of God
  86. Jay-Z: Empire State of Mind
  87. Real Estate: Suburban Beverage
  88. Small Black: Despicable Dogs
  89. Ducktails: Gem
  90. Kid Cudi: Pursuit of Hapiness
  91. Silvio Ecomo & Chuckie: Moombah
  92. Paul White: Burnt By The Sun
  93. Jay Electronica: Exhibit C
  94. Planning for Burial: Seasons Change So Slowly
  95. Andrew Jackson Jihad (AJJ): Self Esteem
  96. Au Revoir Simone: Shadows

Extended compositions
  1. Jim O'Rourke: The Visitor
  2. Silvester Anfang: Burkelbos
  3. Purling Hiss: Almost Washed My Hair
  4. Shit and Shine: Roberts Church Problems
  5. Gnaw Their Tongues: Rend Each Other Like Wild Beasts
  6. White Rainbow: Tuesday Rollers and Strollers
  7. Leyland Kirby: When We Parted My Heart Wanted To Die
  8. Wolves In The Throne Room: Hate Crystal
  9. Necks: Silverwater
  10. Mountains: Etching
  11. Black to Comm: Forst
  12. Purling Hiss: Purple Kiss
  13. Squadra Omega: Tenebroso
  14. Blues Control: On Through The Night
  15. L'Acephale: Stahlhartes Gehause
  16. Irr. App. (Ext.): Kreiselwelle
  17. Leyland Kirby: And As I Sat Beside You
  18. Anahita: Pirin Planina
  19. Qa'a: Misteris De La Sang
  20. Krallice: Intraum
  21. Mountains: Choral
  22. William Fowler Collins: Dark Country Road
  23. Oneida: 10:30 At The Oasis
  24. Worriedaboutsatan: Arrivals
  25. Chris Corsano: Fire
  26. Shit and Shine: Have You Really Thought About Your Presentation?
  27. Masaki Batoh & Helena Espvall: Until Tomorrow
  28. Erdem Helvacioglu: Lead Crystal Marbles
  29. John Frusciante: Before the Beginning
  30. Black to Comm: Charlemagne & Pippin
  31. Zs: Music of the Modern White
  32. Dalek: Who Medgar Evers Was
  33. Billy Bao: May08- V
  34. Government: Set Fire to the Prime Minister
  35. Mi Ami: White Wife
  36. Skullflower: A'arab Zaraq
  37. Alexander Turnquist: Statues In The Dark - Shadows Collide
  38. Cave: Encino Men
  39. Gog: Mist From The Random More
  40. Mono: Burial At Sea
  41. Leyland Kirby: And At Dawn Armed With Glowing Patience
  42. Chris Corsano: The Main Ingredient
  43. Wolves In The Throne Room: Crystal Ammunition
  44. Sunn O))): Big Church
  45. Qa'a: Vesprada
  46. Andrew Bird: Carrion Suite
  47. Expo '70: Hamadryad
  48. Anahita: Velvet Shoon
  49. Mountains: Add Infinity
  50. Concern: Heartsink
  51. Worriedaboutsatan: I Am A Crooked Man
  52. Portal: Marityme
  53. Savage Young Taterbug: If He Was A River And I Was A Duck
  54. Shackleton: Moon Over Joseph's Burial
  55. Brulvahnatu: Suffer Long
  56. Steve Von Till: By Wind And Sun
  57. Woods: September With Pete
  58. Brock Van Wey: I Knew Happiness Once
  59. Barn Owl: Ancient Of Days
  60. Vektor: Accelerating Universe
  61. Yob: Silence of Heaven
  62. Between the Buried and Me: Fossil Genera
  63. Levon Vincent: Double Jointed Sex Freak Parts 1-2-3
  64. Yo La Tengo: And The Glitter Is Gone
  65. Lustre: Night Spirit (2009)
  66. Leyland Kirby: Stralauer Peninsula
  67. Kurt Vile: Freak Train
  68. El Marrano de la Razon: Los Acontecimientos Irredentos se Precipitan Infumables en la Redentora Inmovilizacion de lo Soportable
  69. Oranssi Pazuzu: Dub Kuolleen Porton Muistolle
  70. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Glacier
  71. Richard Chartier: Angle.1
  72. Blut Aus Nord: Disciple's Libration - Lost in the Nine Worlds
  73. Jepsydho: Ur-symphonie
  74. Brave Little Abacus: I See it Too
  75. Excepter: Sand Dollar
  76. Jasper TX: The Golden Afternoon
Jazz

    7/10
  1. Dave Hurley: Outer Nebula, Inner Nebula (Porter)
  2. Joe Morris: Colorfield
  3. Vijay Iver: Historicity
  4. Darcy James Argue: Infernal Machines
  5. Steve Lehman: Travail Transformation and Flow
  6. Bill Frisell: Disfarmer
  7. Michael Formanek: The Rub and Spare Change
  8. Henry Threadgill: This Brings to Us
  9. Joe Lovano/ Us Five: Folk Art (Blue Note)
  10. Rez Abbasi: Things To Come (Sunnyside)
  11. Eric Glick-Rieman: Trilogy From The Outside

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Best of the 1960's Best of the 1970's Best of the 1980's Best of the 1990's Best of the 2000's