Best of 2009

I guess all I can say is "Oops!" I meant to post this list a month and a half ago. I think I planned to write something about the records here, but just haven't had the time. So, at this point, I'm not sure it's worth it, but what the hell. This is just a reminder of what I was listening to last year. Needless to say, since I was playing garage rock, I was listening to a lot of that as well. Greg Cartwright and his Reigning Sound topped the list with a really great album, once again. And I guess I can never get enough of Chuck Prophet. He comes up with great songs that sound so effortless you'd think he finished them five minutes ago. I also really liked some records of folks I saw live this, including The Strange Boys (early Stones like garage rock with high pitched singer) from Austin, TX, the Tallest Man on Earth (Dylan like folk) from Sweden, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound (soul/rock) from Chicago, and Chooglin' (rock with great horn section) from Minneapolis. I liked both the live record Chooglin' put out and their studio record that came out on the Fat Possum offshoot label Big Legal Mess. Apparently, Chooglin' started with the horn section for a one-off live show where the did the Rolling Stones 'Exile on Main Street' and kept it going from there. Okay, enough. On to the list ...

1. Reigning Sound - Love & Curses
   
   
2. Chuck Prophet - Let Freedom Ring!
   
   
3. The Strange Boys - The Strange Boys and Girls Club
   
   
4. The Church - Untitled #23
   
   
5. Q-Tip - Kamaal the Abstract
   
   
6. Chooglin' - Sweet Time
   
   
7. Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave
   
   
8. Thee Oh Sees - Help
   
   
9. Dan Auerbach - Keep it Hid
   
   
10. Them Crooked Vultures - s/t
    
    
11. King Khan & BBQ Show - Invisible Girl
    
    
12. Naomi Shelton - What Have You Done, Brother?
    
    
13. Prefab Sprout - Let's Change the World With Music
    
    
14. Robyn Hitchcock - Goodnight Oslo
    
    
15. JC Brooks & the Uptown Sond - Beat of Our Own Drum
    
    
16. Joe Henry - Blood from Stars
    
    
17. Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy Present - Unseen Music Unheard Words
    
    
18. The Fresh & Onlys - Grey-Eyed Girl
    
    
19. Clutchy Hopkins & Lord Kenjamin - Music is My Medicine
    
    
20. Wilco - Wilco (the ablum)
    
    
21. The Dutchess & the Duke - Sunset/Sunrise
    
    
22. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
    
    
23. Chooglin' - Nice Place
    
    
24. Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
    
    
25. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul
    
    
26. Cococoma - Things are not Alright
    
    
27. Herbaliser - Session 2
    
    
28. The Growlers - Are You in or out?
    
    
29. 7 Worlds Collide - The Sun Came Out
    
    
30. Glenn Tilbrook & the Fluffers - Pandemonium Ensues
    
    
31. New Mastersounds - Ten Years On
    
    
32. Tosca - No Hassle
    
    
33. The Breakaways - Walking Out on Love: The Lost Sessions
    
    
34. Jack Oblivian - Saturday Night, Part 2
    
    
35. Barrett Martin - Zenga
    
    
36. Paul Cary - Ghost of a Man
    
    
37. Vieux Farka Toure - Fondo
    
    
38. King Midas Sound - Waiting for You
    
    
39. Ty Segall - Lemons
    
    
40. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
    
    
41. Red Mass - s/t
    
    
42. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
    
    
43. Sonic Youth - The Eternal
    
    
44. Greg Cartwright - Live at the Circle A
    
    
45. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
    
    
46. Demon's Claws - Lost in the Desert (Demos & Outtatkes Vol. 1)
    
    
47. Blakroc - s/t
    
    
48. Nils Petter Molvaer - Hamada
    
    
49. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
    
    
    
    
50. Deer Tick - Born on Flag Day
    
    
51. DJ Shadow - 4-Track Era
    
    
52. Thee Oh Sees - Dog Poison
    
    
53. Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
    
    
54. The Amazing - s/t
    
    
55. Brimstone Howl - Big Deal, What's He Done Lately?
    
    
56. Black Hollies - Softly Towards the Light
    
    
57. John Doe and the Sadies - Country Club
    
    
58. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - s/t
    
    
59. Woods - Songs of Shame
    
    
60. Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears - Tell 'Em What Your Name Is!
    
    
61. Jimi Tenor / Tony Allen - Inspiration Information 4
    
    
62. The Oblivians - Barrister '95
    
    
63. The Yolks - s/t
    
    
64. Dead Weather - Horehound
    
    
65. The Aliens - Luna
    
    
66. Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement
    
    
67. Bloodkin - Baby They Told Us We Would Rise Again
    
    
68. Soulsavers - Broken
    
    
69. Doug Gillard - Call from Restricted
    
    
70. Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey - hERE aND nOW
    
    
71. Jacuzzi Boys - No Reasons
    
    
72. Dr. Lonnie Smith - Rise Up!
    
    
73. Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women - s/t
    
    
74. Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane and Sugarcane
    
    
75. Son Volt - American Central Dust
    
    
76. Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand
    
    
77. The Nerves - Live at the Pirate's Cove
    
    
78. Morphine - At Your Service
    
    
79. Dex Romweber Duo - Ruins of Berlin
    
    
80. Heavy Trash - Midnight Soul Serenade
    
    
81. Liberty Leg - Brenda Lee
    
    
82. The Duckworth Lewis Method - s/t
    
    
83. Real Estate - s/t
    
    
84. Jimi Tenor & Kabu Kabu - 4th Dimension
    
    
85. U2 - No Line on the Horizon
    
    
86. Thee Almighty Defenders - s/t
    
    
87. Cosmos - Jar of Jam Ton of Bricks
    
    
88. Elvis Perkins in Dearland - s/t
    
    
89. Box Elders - Alice & Friends
    
    
90. Imelda May - Love Tattoo
    
    
91. Six Organs of Admittance - Luminous Night
    
    
92. All India Radio - Once a Day
    
    
93. Stephen Cummings - Tickety Boo
    
    
94. Art Brut - Art Brut vs. Satan
    
    
95. Record Club - The VU & Nico
    
    
96. Unknown Instructors - Funland
    
    
97. Ben Neil - Night Science
    
    
98. Prince - LotusFlow3r
    
    
99. Jace Everett - Red Revelations
    
    
100. Black Jaspers - s/t
     
     
     

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Top Reissues/Compilations

1. Big Star - Keep an Eye on the Sky
   
2. The Cult - Love (Omnibus Ed.)
   
3. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (20th Anniversary Ed.)
   
4. Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis (Legacy Ed.)
   
5. The Dukes of Stratosphere - 25 O'Clock & Psonic Psunspot
   
6. The Jayhaws - Music From the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology
   
7. Close Lobsters - Forever Until Victory
   
8. The Monks - The Early Years 1964-1965
   
9. Paul Weller - s/t (Deluxe Ed.)
   
10. The Who - The Who Sell Out (Deluxe Ed.)
    
11. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality (Deluxe Ed.)
    
12. Chris Bell - I am the Cosmos
    
13. Pretty Things - Philippe Debarge
    
14. Stone Roses - s/t
    
    
15. Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
    
16. Nick Lowe - Quiet Please: The New Best of Nick Lowe
    
17. Roy Loney & the Phantom Movers - A Hundred Miles an Hour 1978-1989
    
18. James Brown - Live at the Garden
    
19. Where the action is : Lost Angeles Nuggets: 1965-1968
    
20. Various - Get Off My Back: Unissued Sixties Garage Acetates, Volume One
    
21. Various - 2131 South Michigan Avenue: 60's Garage adn Psyc from USA and Destination Records
    
22. Moby Grape - The Place and the Time
    
23. Inner Sapce - Agilok & Blubbo
    
24. The Housemartins - London O' Hull 4 (Deluxe Ed.)
    
25. The Emitt Rhodes Recordings: 1969-1973
    
26. The Rationals - Think Rational!
    
27. O.V. Wright - Memphis Unlimited
    
28. Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! 40th Anniversary Edition
    
29. Def Leppard - Pyromania (Deluxe Ed.)
    
30. Specials - Live at the Moonlight Club