2009 was a big disappointment to me following the outrageous good fortune of 2008. Not to say that it was a bad year, but somewhere between the two we went from the ecstatic, electro, synthy-goodness of the 80s to the melancholy, all-is-lost, hippie-mellow aesthetic of the 90s. I got enough problems. Give me the happy stuff. But some bands did deliver some great stuff whether 80s-tastic or 90s-dirge.

Again, not trying to be cooler than the critics, but they were way off. Bat for Lashes, Animal Collective, Fuck Buttons, and Atlas Sound were all hailed as the best of the year, but I just didn’t get into any of those albums. The one album I did have to agree with the critics was awesome was xx by The xx. That album hit 2009 right on the head and you need to listen to it if you haven’t yet. Seriously.

Especially depressing was the poor follow up by Air, Metric, Mos Def, Royksopp, and the Mountain Goats, who all produced rather lack luster albums compared to their previous goodies. Returning bands which wowed me were the Junior Boys with Begone Dull Care and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with It’s Blitz.

Again, as per the usual, my top choices are primarily going to be a selection of bands no one has heard of, but I’m used to it now. Hudson Mohawke released an amazing EP, Polyfolk Dance, which described the continuing relationship between electronic and hip hop just right. French dj Joakim released Milky Ways, which seems to have learned all the right lessons from Daft Punk, Late of the Pier, and Jason Forrest on how to combine Electronic and Rock music. From one song to the next you’ll swear you’re listening to different albums. My favourite electro album of the year, Skywriter by DatA, is basically a really, really, really good rehash of all the great electro albums of the past 3 years including what sounds like bits of Justice, Daft Punk, Pacific!, and Boys Noize, to name a few. Not that combining all those bands sounds stale, on the contrary it’s delicious.

This year, like last, I’ll split up the albums into three simple categories. The awesome albums, mostly awesome, and kinda awesome. Enjoy the list.

Golden

Joakim - Milky Ways
Hudson Mohawke - Polyfolk Dance EP
Data - Skywriter
Vitalic - Flashmob
Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care
Passion Pit - Manners
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz
Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Tesla Boy - The Tesla Boy EP
Major Lazer - Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do
The XX - xx

Mostly Golden

Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
Simian Mobile Disco - Temporary Pleasure
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Royksopp - Junior
Miikke Snow - Miike Snow
Washed Out - Life of Leisure EP
Hudson Mohawke - Butter

Kinda Golden

Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Washed Out - High Times EP
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Yacht - See Mystery Lights
Etienne Jaumet - Night Music EP

1. Hazel - Junior Boys

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2. Triangle Walks - Fever Ray

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3. Terminateur Benelux - Vitalic

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4. Hold The Line - Major Lazer

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5. Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

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6. Get Up - Washed Out

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7. The Reeling - Passion Pit

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8. Black and Blue - Miike Snow

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9. Spiders - Joakim

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10. Polkadot Blues - Hudson Mohawke

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11. Skywriter - DatA

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12. Cruel Intentions - Simian Mobile Disco

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13. Runaway Man - Tesla Boy

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14. Crystalised - The xx

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