1. GRIZZLY BEAR | VECKATIMEST
Coming in at #1 is Veckatimest. Grizzly Bear continues to improve upon their stellar discography by embracing a truly collaborative music making process by simply bringing less dominant band members into the limelight for a new vocal and lyrical clarity, refinement of intricate arrangements and more adventurous production.
2. THE DEEP DARK WOODS | WINTER HOURS
Another top pick was released early in ’09: Winter Hours is a gorgeous record with exquisite 3-part harmonies and melodies, thoughtful songwriting with ominous themes and an underlying playfulness.
3. THE LOW ANTHEM | OH MY GOD, CHARLIE DARWIN
This seamless hybrid of old traditions with contemporary aesthetics sounds at once earthy and ethereal. Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is tender Americana music that simultaneously makes you smile and cry.
4. LANGHORNE SLIM | BE SET FREE
Be Set Free establishes folk troubadour Langhorne Slim’s brilliance through dynamic melodies and unique vocals that highlight genuinely heartfelt songwriting.
5. ELVIS PERKINS IN DEARLAND | ELVIS PERKINS IN DEARLAND
Add Perkins to the pantheon of Presley and Costello. Elvis’ collaboration is enthusiastic and expansive embracing both an exuberance for life and its saddest moments.
6. OTHER LIVES | OTHER LIVES
Filled with lush instrumentation and achingly beautiful vocals, Other Lives maintains an organic quality that incorporates indie rock, folk and classical music in a wonderfully accomplished album.
7. WENTWORTH KERSEY | O EP SERIES
The duo Wentworth Kersey expands upon the atmospheric quality of the first O EP while maintaining a superior level of song craft musical composition.
8. THE AVETT BROTHERS | I AND LOVE AND YOU
The Avett Brothers bring a DIY attitude to the indie folk/country/rock scene with raw, honest songwriting on tracks as diverse as ballads to high-energy romps.
9. BILL CALLAHAN | I WISH WE WERE AN EAGLE
Callahan’s reflective album about failed relationships and dashed hopes reveals a fuller range of emotion to his already striking songs.
10. WILCO | WILCO (THE ALBUM)
Rounding out No. 10 is Wilco. Wilco, The Album, humbly showcases a looser, more confident sound while revealing a new sense of calmness, maturity and solidarity as a band.
11. THE ANTLERS | HOSPICE
The Antlers stun with a thoughtful study of loneliness filled with self-reflection, sadness and isolation that can be felt in the stifling big city.
12. ANDREW BIRD | NOBLE BEASTS
Bird once again displays his prowess with Noble Beasts. Sparer than previous efforts, Bird’s years of solo songcraft enabled him to produce a sound that is uniquely his own.
13. FANFARLO | RESERVOIR
Reservoir is a multi-instrumentalist’s dream of folk mixed with carefully orchestrated indie pop, including all the standards plus accordion, clarinet, glockenspiel, mandolin, melodica, saw, sax, trumpet and violin.
14. THE ROADSIDE GRAVES | MY SON’S HOME
The formula here is deceptively simple: hiding thoughtful themes and intelligent lyrics under a guise of catchy, timeless alt-country while retaining an independent spirit of their own.
15. GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV | THIS EMPTY NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
This Empty Northern Hemisphere has quickly become one of my favorite albums of the year with Isakov’s intelligently crafted folk enriched by recording at a bookshop, apartment, studio and Brandi Carlile’s house.
16. MEGAFAUN | GATHER FORM & FLY
Gather, Form and Fly cements Megafaun’s position at the top among their indie folk contemporaries due to their backwoods experimentations gone right with gorgeous soundscapes, lush vocals and pastoral instrumentation.
17. PORT O’BRIEN | THREADBARE
Threadbare reveals the transformative process of making highly personal music. What began as a lively, carefree session changed with the tragic loss of a band member’s brother leaving a dense, dark, haunting anthems and raw sonic growth.
18. DINOSAUR JR. | FARM
One of my summer favorites, Farm draws upon Dinosaur Jr.’s proven old-school sound, resulting in an album of soaring and distorted soaked guitar, steadfast hooks and honey-drenched melodies.
19. BON IVER | BLOOD BANK
I missed reviewing this but never forgot about it. Blood Bank, the follow-up EP to the stellar ’08 For Emma, Forever Ago, provides an introspective, quirky kind of folk with orchestral highlights — a great teaser while waiting for their next full length.
20. A.A. BONDY | WHEN THE DEVIL’S LOOSE
This is a lesson in how to improve upon a masterpiece. Bondy’s intimate, honest lyrics are set to spare acoustic guitar picking and forlorn pianos along with a backing band that adds new layers of instrumentation.