Better late than never! The top twenty albums of 2009 as chosen by Klap4music after countless hours of careful statistical analysis and scientific formulas to determine the best music of the year.

20.

Kiss Kiss – The Meek Shall Inherit What’s Left

Eyeball Records

Released: July 7

Kiss Kiss don’t really have any idea what they’re going to be doing from one minute to the next, so it should come as no surprise that The Meek Shall Inherit What’s Left is a delightfully scrambled mess of an album, one that jumps from bouncy indie pop to quirky gypsy folk to outsized 16-minute concept tunes. But somehow everything holds together, making it a wonderfully effective blender of rock music.

19.

M. Ward – Hold Time

Merge Records

Released: February 17

It’s become typical to expect excellence from M. Ward at this stage in career, but even so, Hold Time was a startling consistent example of beautifully refined Americana. His best since Transistor Radio, it’s an album that flows smoothly from one song to the next, a river of songs photographing classic American music as it rolls along.

18.

Noah and the Whale – The First Days of Spring

Cherrytree Records

Released: October 6

Few bands could do such an abrupt about-face as Noah and the Whale do with their sophomore effort, but the London quintet pull it off in style. The First Days of Spring is the break-up record of the year, but it would be crushingly depressing if not for the vivid, pastoral soundscapes the band have masterfully crafted.

17.

Manic Street Preachers – Journal for Plague Lovers

Columbia

Released: May 18

It always seemed like the Preachers were searching for an identity to call their own after the disappearance of their heart and soul, frontman Richey Edwards. But Journal for Plague Lovers confidently stands tall among great Preacher records of the past, exorcizing Edwards’ ghost with his own lyrics and creating a modern rock record that blows away most of the newer competition, including many of their own previous works.

16.

The Fiery Furnaces – I’m Going Away

Thrill Jockey

Released: July 21

Ever since Blueberry Boat, the Fiery Furnaces seemed to lose their way on latter albums, unable to reconcile the experimental brilliance of that album with the pop charm of Gallowsbird’s Bark, resulting in albums that were wildly uneven and even more challenging. But with their latest, the brother-sister duo has regained that middle ground wonderfully. I’m Going Away is their most accessible album in years, without losing that distinctive oddball charm and slice-of-life lyrics that has defined them.

15.

Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing

Favorite Gentlemen

Released: April 21

Manchester Orchestra’s second album shows them maturing into something every fan of the band was desperately hoping for, the newest poet laureates of emotive indie rock. Singer and lyricist Andy Hull has sharpened his roiling tide of emotions into impassioned pleas and finely tuned angst, resulting in one of the year’s best songs (“I Can Feel A Hot One”) and a record that bodes so, so well for the future.

14.

Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

Domino

Released: January 6

It’s no surprise that Merriweather Post Pavilion became so wildly popular in indie circles – without losing any of the weirdness or experimental angles that have defined the band over the past decade, they successfully broadened their pop horizons, resulting in an extremely accessible record that appealed as much to the diehard fan as it did to the wannabe hipster. Perhaps the strangest success story of the year – after all, would anyone listening to Animal Collective in 2000 have predicted this level of success ten years later?

13.

Portugal. The Man – The Satanic Satanist

Equal Vision

Released: July 21

An alt-rock record that never seems to struggle and definitely never wants for a tasty melody or grabbing hook, The Satanic Satanist is Portugal. The Man at their best, a melding of all their previous sounds into a record that could not sound more tossed-off or carefree if it tried. It’s a brilliant trick, one that results in an album that is as light and relaxing as it is refreshing and remarkably accomplished.

12.

Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You

Regal

Released: February 9

While not as unique and defining as her debut, It’s Not Me, It’s You is the perfect pop album, mixing Lily Allen’s sizable amounts of sass and razor-sharp wit with superbly diverse production by Mark Ronson and songs that absolutely kill. Track after track is a potential hit single, perhaps derailed from commercial success only by Allen’s often-blunt lyrics. Then again, that’s what makes Lily such a treat in the whitewashed world of mainstream pop.

11.

Mos Def – The Ecstatic

Downtown

Released: June 9

This could very well be the comeback record of the year, and would easily have been the rap record of the year if it were any other year. Alas, 2009 was a special year in music, and The Ecstatic is no exception. Mos Def sounds rejuvenated, more centered in than he has in years, and the record’s confident tone and relentlessly ingenious beats and rhymes follow in turn.

10.

The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love

Capitol Records

Released: March 24

There’s been better Decemberists records, and there’s certainly been better concept records over the course of history, but The Hazards of Love is perfect at what it sets out to do: embody the Decemberists’ literary and musical ambitions in one giant song cycle. It’s the ultimate progression of the band’s sound, taking their penchant for wordy songs and long-winded stories and expanding it over the course of an entire album. It’s what the Decemberists were destined for, and in that respect it’s a fine piece of work. And while the story is a little half-baked, the songs are as epic and well done as ever, driving the story and resulting in some of the best instrumental work the band has ever put down.

9.

Taken By Trees – East of Eden

Rough Trade

Released: September 8

Journeying to the East to find oneself has become as much of a cliché as any over the past few decades, as has recording one’s experiences there. Luckily for former Concretes’ frontwoman Victoria Bergsman, she seems to have sublimated all those Eastern influences into her own sound rather than just throwing in a few foreign instruments and styles onto her shiny brand of Swedish indie-pop. It’s a record that is almost impossible to place, the convergence of sounds and Bergsman’s own haunting vocals resulting in a mystical, almost timeless album, one just at home in the foothills of Pakistan as it is in the indie blogosphere.

8.

Neko Case – Middle Cyclone

ANTI-

Released: March 3

While Middle Cyclone doesn’t quite approach the classic status of Case’s last record, the transcendent Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, it takes only three-and-a-half minutes to foresee it possibly attaining that stature. While the musicianship is top-notch and runs the gamut from smoky folk to woodsy Americana and straight-ahead rock, the focus remains, as always, on Case’s inimitable vocals. Opener “This Tornado Loves You” is proof of this and more, Case’s distinctive pipes highlighting a stormy mess of a song, one that revels in the passion of destruction as much as it does in love and longing.

7.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

Interscope

Released: March 9

It’s Blitz! is perhaps the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ most complete record yet, one that runs the gamut of emotions and moods from the exhilarating opener “Zero” to the frighteningly effective, lullaby-esque closer “Little Shadow.” No longer can the Yeah Yeah Yeahs be accused of being just another one-dimensional New York garage rock band – from synth-filled new wave to mellow alt-rock to haunting ballads, It’s Blitz! is a multifaceted album that reveals more and more upon each successive listen. It shows a startling amount of growth for a band long relegated to one-hit wonder status, and gives hope that, yes, there is life after “Maps.”

6.

Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk

Shangri-La Music

Released: September 22

It didn’t come as a surprise that a collaboration between Conor Oberst, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, M. Ward, and uber-producer Mike Mogis would be entertaining; what was a surprise, however, was just how good and refined Monsters of Folk ended up being, more the product of a long-time band than a supergroup thrown together for shits and gigs. It’s a minor miracle that the foursome are able to integrate all their own influences and ideas so seamlessly into the final product, a time capsule of classic Americana that manages to stand on its own, rather than the hodgepodge of styles one would expect. Best of all, that final product is the best example of pure, unadulterated American rock ‘n roll to come out all year.

5.

Japandroids – Post-Nothing

Polyvinyl

Released: August 4

Post-Nothing is best taken straight, no chaser, with zero preconceptions or any hint of in-depth critical analysis upon first listen. All fuzzed-out guitars, straight-out-of-the-garage drums and vocals that, frankly, don’t give a damn, it’s the sound of youth and youth’s emotions at their most free, uncaged from any hint of adult restraint. It’s a record full of anthems and undeniably vital, practically bursting with life, energy, lust, you name it: and not ashamed of any of it.

4.

Miike Snow – Miike Snow

Downtown

Released: June 9

It’s a far cry from “Toxic,” but Bloodshy & Avant’s new side project (with singer Andrew Wyatt) is deliciously unfettered pop in its own way. Perhaps the best-produced album of the year, it flits from Vampire Weekend-esque indie (“Animal”) to gorgeous atmospherics (“Silvia”) to fantastically filthy electro-pop (“Black & Blue”) to haunting ballads (“Faker”), with the ease of a musical chameleon with a liking for keyboards. It’s an instant party starter, but at its heart it’s something more, an album built on a pop foundation but with multiple layers, a heart that values superior songwriting and grade-A production to shallow sentiments and mindless hooks.

3.

Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II

EMI

Released: September 8

Raekwon’s latest is a shining reaffirmation of Wu-Tang dominance over the rap game; RZA’s production is his best work in years, the various guest spots all seem placed to perfection, speaking more to their lyrical abilities and personalities than any “oh, hey, look who we got to guest on this track” bullshit. Every spot here means something, and, more than that, every spot here frames and support the leader, the rapper whose flow and style defines this album and makes it a new rap classic. Raekwon is clearly at the top of his game here, delivering a conceptual story that wallows in the dirt and grime of New York and comes out reinvigorated in the end. The Wu are far from dead – indeed, this might be the strongest they’ve been all decade.

2.

Florence and the Machine – Lungs

Island

Released: July 6

The Voice is a major reason for this album’s success, but it’s not the only one. Just as importantly, the talented backing band does an excellent job transcribing Florence Welch’s uniquely powerful voice and haunting tone into the music. Lungs is an album as versatile as its namesake, from the thumping bombast of “Drumming Song” to the bluesy “Kiss With A Fist” to the ethereal buildup to “Between Two Lungs.” But that Voice! – from fierce to grieving to lusty, Welch is the driving force behind Lungs, one that at times seems to be like a force of nature, whirling from high to low with equal passion and equal ease. The debut of the year, and a very exciting one for the future.

1.

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

V2 Records

Released: May 26

When I first heard this record it certainly didn’t stand out to me as a potential Album of the Year candidate. And it still didn’t stand out after the second, third, or a dozen listens, but over the course of the summer the little things began to strike me as special, revealing a record full of layers I had previously dismissed in the guise of “just another dance-rock record.” It is a dance-rock record, and an exceptional one at that, but it’s the painstaking attention to detail, the relentlessly innovative beats and polished drumming, the appealingly earnest way these Frenchmen take English rock ‘n roll and make it their own, all these things and more that catapult Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix into a realm of its own. It’s the way the band breaks it down and then the multi-tracked harmonic guitar flies in over the end of “Lisztomania;” it’s the way “1901’s” chorus zooms in and out on the bass like a pneumatic hammer of pop as the synths take skyward; it’s the way the “Love Like A Sunset” suite resolves itself so beautifully in a haze of major-key watercolors; it’s the way singer Thomas Mars’ bares all in the heartbreaking shimmer of “Rome.” More than anything else, it’s a dance record that isn’t afraid to celebrate its own flaws, rejoicing in its ability to take a shallow genre and make something lasting, one that speaks as much to a person’s emotions as it does their feet. Here’s to my record of the year.

A collection of ten records from the year that I either felt weren’t up to some of the incredible hype they received, were letdowns from a band’s previous release, or just ended up as personal disappointments. It’s been a great year and I couldn’t ask for any more excellent albums, but there’s always going to be some bad with the good, and 2009 wasn’t any different.

10.

Discovery – LP

XL Recordings

Released: July 7

Hey, I love Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot just as much as the next pretentious indie douche bag, but this side project, between VW’s Rostam Batmanglij and Riot’s Wes Miles, was an ill-advised dip into Auto-Tuned-to-hell pop mania that only reinforced the stereotype that side groups are where bad ideas go to die. Unable to decide whether it wants to be unironic pop or tongue-in-cheek hipster mockery, it fails miserably in both respects.

9.

Peter Bjorn and John

Wichita

Released: March 31

For their fifth album and first proper one after their breakthrough record Young Folks, Peter Bjorn & John inexplicably decided to tone down the sunny Swedish indie pop that made them famous and go all in on a bunch of dark synths and bad drum machine beats. The hooks are still there, but they’re mired under a layer of minimalist bleeps and boops and undercooked lyrics. While an admirable effort, Living Thing ultimately collapses under the weight of its own experimental tendencies.

8.

The Dodos – Time to Die

Frenchkiss

Released: September 15

Time to Die is a good record, but after last year’s ridiculously awesome The Visiter, this release seems more like a stopgap effort or, worse, an attempt to cash in on their blogosphere hype while it still lasts. There’s nothing wrong here, but it pales in comparison to its predecessor and never really brings anything new to the table.

7.

Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows

S-Curve Records

Released: April 21

Tinted Windows debut should’ve blown the roof off power pop, considering all the players involved. Unfortunately it turned out just the opposite, a rote piece of work that is enjoyable for a spell but largely reveals itself to be less than the sum of its parts.

6.

Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3

Atlantic

Released: September 8

Judging from Jay-Z’s habit of following a decent record with a subpar one, it should come as no surprise that The Blueprint 3 doesn’t match up to the American Gangster soundtrack, but it is a bit shocking that this may be Hova’s worst record since The Blueprint 2. Lackluster rhymes, vanilla production, and guest stars who routinely outshine the host, it’s a middling affair by a talent who seems content to let the young guns all pass him by.

5.

Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band – Outer South

Merge Records

Released: May 5

Fresh off the riveting success that was his first solo album not under the Bright Eyes moniker, Conor Oberst decides to celebrate with his buddies in the Mystic Valley Band, and, less than a year after his self-titled, results in Outer South. And that’s exactly all it sounds like: a celebration that tends to find Oberst and friends fucking around in the studio and throwing together an over-long collection of half-baked Americana. Too much Mystic Valley Band, not enough sober Oberst.

4.

Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

Domino

Released: June 9

The hype surrounding this album was immense, but for all its intriguing edges and occasional flashes of clarity, it still remains an impenetrable mess of an album. From the discordant singing and random instrumental flourishes to the hyperactive song structures and lack of anything resembling a natural flow, it’s an album that tries too hard and ends up as merely a confusing jumble of experimental ideas.

3.

Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

Warp Records

Released: May 26

A record that immediately drew me in with the fantastic “Two Weeks” and whetted my appetite for more with “All We Ask” and “Cheerleader,” I was ultimately disappointed with the overall results. It’s not that Veckatimest isn’t a good record; I can appreciate the meticulous songwriting and sharp production, as well as the rustic sort of experimental folk Grizzly Bear have mastered. But the album drags on for far too long without the kind of persistent hooks that the above songs promised, resulting in an album far better at lulling me to sleep than anything else.

2.

Clipse – Til The Casket Drops

Star Trak 2009

Released: December 8

Another fine example of artists at the top of their game coming up woefully short to matching the high standards now expected of them. Til The Casket Drops is, in regards to most drug-happy rap releases of the year, an excellent release, but considering the massive success of Hell Hath No Fury and the three years the Thornton brothers have had to work on a follow-up, it still comes up dreadfully short to what I’ve come to expect from Clipse.

1.

The Flaming Lips – Embryonic

Warner Bros.

Released: October 13

I can understand what the Lips were trying to do here. I can even praise them for their boldness and persistent pushing of their own boundaries. But do I have to enjoy it? While I really, really, really wanted to say yes, multiple listens eventually rendered it impossible. A grand album that is undeniable in its scope and ambition, it’s also a schizophrenic beast of a record that shunned my attentions more often than it grabbed me. In trying to redefine music, Embryonic lost me in its own meandering world, one that I struggled to get immersed in and which ultimately repulsed me.

Yes, 2008 had its share of duds as well as highlights. The below ten are, whether for personal or critical reasons, records that I felt underachieved or didn’t live up to the (often incredible) hype. Agree to disagree!

10.

Guns ‘N Roses – Chinese Democracy

Geffen Records

Released: November 23

Yeah, I gave this album a fairly positive review when it came out, but considering it took Axl sixteen years to finally clear the creative constipation, the end result is more than a little underwhelming.

9.

The Stills – Oceans Will Rise

Arts & Crafts

Released: August 19

A purely personal choice for me, Oceans Will Rise was a huge letdown from one of my favorite bands after 2006’s critically lambasted Without Feathers, a record that holds a special place in my heart. Maybe the critics were right after all, but I still feel like the Stills had something better than this in them.

8.

Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Couple

Atlantic

Released: March 18

St. Elsewhere was a debut worthy of the heaps of praise it accumulated from the press, a eclectic, diverse arrangement of alternative hip-hop mixed with Danger Mouse’s extraordinarily experimental production and Cee-Lo’s oddball lyrics and fluid phrasing. The Odd Couple was pretty much St. Elsewhere redux, and considering the potential within these two guys, it’s unerring sameness was frustrating.

7.

Weezer – Weezer (The Red Album)

Geffen Records

Released: June 3

At this point, it’s hard to say that Weezer’s latest was a real disappointment, as I’ve expected nothing but that from this once-proud band since 2005 (yes, I hung on even after Maladroit). The Red Album was trumpeted as the band’s comeback, and while it showed a few fading signs of the old Weezer, the band’s delusions of grandeur and Cuomo’s declining lyrical abilities made it instead a last gasp, “Pork and Beans” reminding me only of what could have been.

6.

Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III

Cash Money

Released: June 10

An overblown, bloated, scattered collection of egoism that had just as many misfires as it had genuine hits. 2008 was without doubt the year of Weezy, but there is such a thing as too much Weezy; the over-saturation of Lil Wayne on the airwaves led to Tha Carter III as not having much more than that which you haven’t already heard. It was ambitious and defiantly creative, but not the modern rap masterpiece many critics made it out to be.

5.

My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges

ATO Records

Released: June 10

This album could’ve been a lot worse than it was, if the band had gone more with the faux-funk style of songs like the title track and the god-awful “Highly Suspicious” than the sort of country-fried rock they have mastered and made their own. Luckily, songs like “I’m Amazed” and “Librarian” prove that My Morning Jacket haven’t lost their way, but Evil Urges is just a little too close for comfort.

4.

Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer

Sub Pop

Released: June 16

A shining example of where experimental urges overtook smart pop sensibilities. Apologies To The Queen Mary was a brilliant work of sharp guitar-rock and jangly chamber-pop from a few wild-eyed Canadians. Unfortunately, their unbridled creativity got the better of them here, where pop turns to prog and 3-4 minute songs turn into nine minutes of bullshit. An inspired record, but not one with the kind of staying power or the unrelenting hooks of Apologies.

3.

Black Kids – Partie Traumatic

Almost Gold/Columbia

Released: July 7

Black Kids are the reason I try not to overreact to hipster/blogosphere hype. After setting online music tastemakers and forums ablaze with their ’07 EP Wizard of Ahhhs, the Jacksonville, FL group released their debut, Partie Traumatic, a record that expanded on, well, absolutely nothing from their EP. The best songs were those everyone had already heard, and I didn’t know how repetitive and annoying singer Reggie Youngblood’s vocals could get until I’d heard thirty-eight minutes of it.

2.

Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak

Roc-A-Fella Records

Released: November 24

808s & Heartbreak proved that Kanye really didn’t give a damn what people thought; it’s fresh, bold, and inventive, remaking Kanye again in the image of a fearless pioneer of pop music, one unbound by the typical constraints and courts of public opinion that chain other stars. Unfortunately, 808s & Heartbreak is an album that is limited by its very own originality; Kanye’s insistent use of Auto-Tune, the doggedly depressing subject matter, and lack of, well, truly good songs turned the album into a double-edged sword. Okay, Kanye, we know you can do something different than what everyone expects of you; now do something exceptional with it.

1.

Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping

Polyvinyl Records

Released: October 21

Kevin Barnes has been cruel to me. After the one-two punch Satanic Panic in the Attic and Sunlandic Twins turned Of Montreal into one of my favorite bands, the experimental squall of Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? was interesting, to be sure, but turned me off more than a little after the perfect electronica-meets-power-pop of the aforementioned records. Skeletal Lamping is perhaps even more disjointed and uneven than Hissing Fauna, a record that bounces from random idea to opaque lyric to out-of-the-blue musical flourish with the attention span of a ADHD-afflicted schizophrenic six-year-old with a sugar rush. Barnes is no doubt a kind of musical visionary; just not the kind I expected or really even wanted.

10.

Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs

Atlantic

Released: May 13

When I first reviewed this album, I thought it was disjointed, uneven, and lacking the sort of overall melodic pop sensibilities and good songwriting that Death Cab had been founded on. Undoubtedly, however, Narrow Stairs is a grower for the ages, and one that has only continued to improve with every listen. A record that is certainly challenging for those expecting a retread of Plans, but one that rewards its fans with a collection of Death Cab’s most thoughtful and innovative songs yet.

9.

Okkervil River – The Stand Ins

Jagjaguwar

Released: September 9

The Stand Ins, folk-rockers Okkervil River’s second half of a project that delves deep into the psyche of a performer, is a bipolar tableau of musicians killing themselves slowly on the road for the joy of their fans, celebrating the road and damning it at the same time. You have to give props to lyricist Will Sheff, who includes references from the Kinks to the Angkor Wat in Cambodia to French playwright Antonin Artaud in a single song (and makes it sound entirely normal to boot). Oh, and the music, a potent synthesis of pop-rock and country-influenced, rootsier sounds, is just as good as you would expect from the band.

8.

Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

Sub Pop

Released: June 3

Seattle fivesome take rock back to its roots; and by roots I mean down in the country, woods, and backroads of Americana folk. After My Morning Jacket’s Evil meltdown, it’s reassuring to see a fresh band take up the mantle of good ole-fashioned country rock. Taking more of a pastoral angle than MMJ’s blazing guitar solos, Fleet Foxes is an album that calls to mind more the Appalachian Trail than the Pacific Northwest, complete with church-gathering harmonizing, various wind instruments, and frontman Robin Pecknold’s unearthly howl. Yet another of 2008’s great rookie records.

7.

The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely

Warner Bros.

Released: March 25

Consolers of the Lonely takes the Raconteurs’ power-pop promise shown on their sub par debut and blows it up in every direction imaginable. The title track is a bluesy, pulsating piece of blazing guitar work, while single “Salute Your Solution” is an up tempo rocker with an unrelenting bass line and a solo that would put White’s work with the Stripes to shame. From Americana to rustic country-rock to theatrical Southern-rock operas to good old-fashioned blues, Consolers has something for everyone.

6.

The Roots – Rising Down

Def Jam

Released: April 29

The Roots retain the throne of alternative hip-hop with their eighth studio album, a record that continues this collective’s remarkable run of intelligent and socially conscious rap. ?uestlove’s beats and production as polished and stimulating as ever, but Rising Down modifies their traditional jazzy sound with murkier synths and more digital techniques that embrace a fairly dark mood. It’s appropriate for the often-political and critical lyrics of MC Black Thought, and the album as a whole comes off as a logical evolution in the sound of a band that is constantly growing.

5.

She & Him – Volume One

Merge Records

Released: March 18

Most actresses who turn toward the music realm in order to diversify their image and develop yet another revenue stream usually are predestined for failure (see: Johansson, Scarlett), but indie heartthrob Zooey Deschanel’s first album has gone a long way toward dispelling that notion. She’s not the best singer, and the lyrics occasionally veer towards the simple and sentimental, but her heartfelt vocal approach and M. Ward’s (the Him) excellent backing arrangements and occasional vocal work create a timeless album of ‘60s Brill Building pop and twangy folk that bodes well for future releases.

4.

The Walkmen – You & Me

Gigantic

Released: August 19

Few bands can produce a studio record of such vintage sound and with such vivid feeling as the Walkmen. You & Me is a veritable kaleidoscope of sounds, from the Walkmen’s signature upright piano to swelling brass to the clattering drum work on any number of songs. It’s an album, above all else, that strives to create a genuine mood in the listener for each piece. And singer Hamilton Leithauser is one of a kind; his whiskey-soaked howl is at times affecting and at others grating, but for the most part, it fits in perfectly as another emotive instrument in painting the band’s canvas.

3.

The Dodos – Visiter

French Kiss

Released: March 18

The Dodos do it all on their second album, an hour-long kaleidoscope of psychedelic folk, world music beats, and an constantly-shifting array of melodic ideas and lyrical thoughts that fairly blow one away on first listen. Drummer Meric Long’s training in the West African style of Ewe drumming pays off incredible dividends here, as his hard-driving beats and ridiculous sense of syncopation turns nearly every song into a clinic of talent. Add to that guitarist/vocalist Logan Kroeber’s mellower Ben Gibbard-ish pipes and talented strumming and you have a largely acoustic world-folk record that makes for one of the strangest and most exciting releases of the year.

2.

Everest – Ghost Notes

Vapor Records

Released: May 6

Everest’s debut Ghost Notes is as timeless as the influences it clearly draws from, namely ‘70s-era Neil Young, ‘60s pop, and contemporary guitar-rock bands like My Morning Jacket. Vocalist/guitarist Russell Pollard’s yearning vocals are perfectly suited to the band’s music, and their seemingly effortless playing belies a strict adherence to the tenets of solid melodic songwriting and hooks that latch on and refuse to let go. It’s usually easy to find fault somewhere on a band’s debut release, but Ghost Notes is a nearly flawless indie rock/country/pop record, perhaps a result of the members’ long time spent in other L.A.-area bands. Just as amazing live as it is on record, Ghost Notes is appealing, honest, and, above all, refreshing. Everest has made the debut of the year.

1.

Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst

Merge Records

Released: August 5

Bright Eyes’ frontman and songwriter continues to make his case as our generation’s Bob Dylan with his first “solo” record, an album written and recorded in a scenic Mexican town and featuring country-rock and guitar-driven folk similar to Bright Eyes’ 2007 release Cassadaga. Lyrically Oberst is in top form as usual, singing about cancer-stricken children, road trip adventures, and life in the barrios with the ease of a natural-born poet. Never has Oberst sounded so relaxed and so carefree; while some of the songs are necessarily serious, Conor Oberst is at its core a fun and relentlessly entertaining album. When you hear an unidentified female voice suddenly come in early before the chorus on “Souled Out!!!” and Conor laughs in response before launching into the chorus himself, you can’t help but to smile. A record that deserves the “best of ’08 label.”

Best of 2008 – #20-11

Honorable Mentions

Best Songs of 2008

For an industry that is constantly and prematurely declaring their own demise, the music business in 2008 was looking pretty swell. While you still had your ring tone one-hit wonders like Flo-Rida’s “Low,” (a song made 1000x better in Tropic Thunder), and some more prefabricated pop by the likes of Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls, 2008 was a pretty awesome year for music-lovers, and a soothing antidote to the madness of an election year.

Some great things, as always, had to come to an end: legendary guitarist and rock ‘n roll pioneer Bo Diddley died, as did funk founder Isaac Hayes a.k.a. “Shaft,” while bands such as the Long Blondes, Ministry, Junior Senior, and (no!) the Spice Girls called it quits. 2008 also showed that all hope was not lost in the music world: Hootie and the Blowfish disbanded, Scott Weiland continued his band-disrupting ways, Apple’s iTunes finally topped Wal-Mart’s global music sales, and Flea enrolled at USC. Up-and-coming bands like Vampire Weekend, MGMT, and Ra Ra Riot proved that it was possible for groups lacking major label muscle to put themselves out there and let their music speak for themselves, garnering untold numbers of fans through the Internet and becoming blog sensations practically overnight. Old rock standbys like AC/DC, Metallica, the Offspring, and the Verve finally got around to releasing new material, with even Guns ‘N Roses (minus, uh, everyone except Axl Rose) finally releasing their long-awaited Chinese Democracy, a milestone most expected to arrive after actual Chinese democracy.

While a number of bands released music that was above and beyond the standard fare of the mainstream, the below best albums and songs and a few honorable mentions that I couldn’t stand to leave out are those that deserve to be mentioned not only for their artistic merit, but also for their likelihood to withstand the test of time and be looked back on as defining moments in each band’s history, as well as of 2008 in music. So without further ado…

20.

The Hold Steady – Stay Positive

Vagrant

Released: July 15

Hold Steady vocalist Craig Finn says the band’s fourth is about “aging gracefully,” but the righteous racket and vibrant storytelling these bar band rockers serve up seem as suggest that growing up is overrated. Slicker and better produced than their previous albums, it nevertheless retains the Springsteenian classic rock feel of their earlier work and Finn’s lyrics are as sharp and relatable as ever.

19.

Coldplay – Viva La Vida

Capitol

Released: June 17

Chris Martin and company were in danger of treading into soft-rock and piano drudgery on 2005’s X&Y, but Viva La Vida proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Coldplay weren’t content to sit on their laurels for their fourth record. Incorporating world music styles, multi-movement epics, and some of Martin’s best lyrics yet, Viva might be Coldplay’s best album yet, and is certainly their most original and experimental.

18.

The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride

4AD

Released: February 19

Indie troubadour John Darnielle’s continues an amazing streak of folk-rock successes with this, his 16th record. Heretic Pride is a delicately produced work of gentle orchestration, acoustic finger picking, and Darnielle’s consistently insightful and evocative lyrics. His vocals have always taken a bit to get used to, and when he’s feeling particularly distressed they tend to grate, but Heretic Pride is another masterfully arranged work, and Darnielle’s expressive tales continue to elevate him to a level beyond most of his peers.

17.

Taylor Swift – Fearless

Big Machine Records

Released: November 11

My guilty pleasure of 2008, country-pop prodigy Taylor Swift’s sophomore effort is a well-written group of songs that deal with what Swift knows best: teenage heartache and high school life. Nostalgic, romantic, and endlessly catchy, Swift never indulges into (too much) power balladry and the earnest songwriting goes well with the assured, always-in-the-right-place production. Mainstream and commercialized to the extreme, but give her a chance; Swift is a talent that can’t be ignored.

16.

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

Jagjaguwar

Released: February 19

If there was such a thing, singer-songwriter Justin Vernon alias Bon Iver’s debut record would surely win Most Depressing Record of the Year. Almost entirely recorded in an isolated cabin in rural Wisconsin, For Emma, Forever Ago is a cathartic expression of break-up and recovery in the bleakest terms. The minimalist instrumentation, lo-fi recording, and Vernon’s haunting vocals all paint a picture of forlorn grief and regret in the frozen north. Forget rainy-day music; this is music to listen to while snowed in by the biggest blizzard of the year.

15.

T.I. – Paper Trail

Grand Hustle/Atlantic

Released: September 30

Everyone knew house arrest couldn’t stop T.I. Going back to old-fashioned pen and paper to write down lyrics and finishing with around 50 songs for the album, Paper Trail’s 16 final cuts are some of mainstream rap’s best of the year. Hard-hitting beats combine with T.I.’s inimitable vocal dexterity and lyrics that fairly drip with venom to make an album of surefire commercial hits as well as a few that stand up to any cerebral rapper’s catalogue. And, of course, that Numa Numa sampling on “Live Your Life” was true producing genius.

14.

Thrice – The Alchemy Index, Vol. 3 & 4: Air and Earth

Vagrant

Released: April 15

Former hardcore punks Thrice have come a long way from their screamo days, and the promise shown in their early albums comes to full fruition on the second half of their Alchemy Index project, a two-disc magnum opus that takes Thrice out of post-hardcore territory and firmly establishes them as art-rock auteurs. Air is some of Thrice’s most uplifting, musically accomplished work, and vocalist Dustin Kensrue’s voice has never sounded finer. Earth, meanwhile, is an out-of-left-field experiment into acoustic folk that sounds almost like an entirely different band. Both, however, show the best of a band that is progressing well beyond the abilities of many of their peers.

13.

British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?

Rough Trade

Released: February 12

A simple question that British Sea Power answer in a suitably grand twelve tracks and fifty-five minutes. Intensely atmospheric art-rock that sounds more like the work of an orchestra than a band, Do You Like Rock Music? travels from guitar heroics to Britpop to U2-esque anthems to punk rave-ups to oddball instrumental works. The synchrony between the album’s beginning and ending tracks, meanwhile, is simply beautiful.

12.

Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend

XL Recordings

Released: January 29

I always try really hard to ignore blogosphere hype that seems way too blown out of proportion, and after hearing the somewhat underwhelming opener “Mansard Roof” I thought I could safely file Vampire Weekend under “over-hyped Internet sensations.” But this is a record that grows on you, and while initially I found it amateur-ish, I can safely say that this is one of the great debuts of the year. Ivy League pedigree be damned; Vampire Weekend is a record that can be enjoyed by anyone with an appreciation for simple, catchy chamber-pop tunes.

11.

M83 – Saturdays=Youth

Mute U.S.

Released: April 15

Anthony Gonzalez, the brainchild behind electronica group M83, has always had a fetish for taking discarded, old sounds and turning them into something new. The group’s shoegaze approach to electronica, soothing sounds built atop waves and waves of sound and layers of production, are twisted into M83’s most accessible outing on Saturdays=Youth, a record that hearkens back to that cultural touchstone everyone wants to forget: the ‘80s! Lyrically focused on teen love and emo angst, the music is a blend of synthtastic new-wave pop and frothy, bubbling techno all buoying Gonzalez’s wispy voice. It would’ve made a hell of a soundtrack to the Breakfast Club.

Top 20 Albums: #10-1

More Best of 2008:

Honorable Mentions

Klap4Music’s Thirty Best Songs of 2008

It’s a bit tougher to separate and distinguish those songs that truly towered above the rest in 2008, as it’s a hell of a lot easier to find a great song by an otherwise sub par band than it is to find an all-around great album. The below thirty are songs that I felt towered over others on their respective records, even when those records were great, and also some songs that blew up the charts without coming off like everything else on radio nowadays. In order to keep things simple, I limited it to one song per artist. Feel free to comment/post your own lists!

30. Islands – “The Arm” (Arm’s Way) – The definition of throwing everything and the kitchen sink into a song.

29. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – “Think I Wanna Die” (Pershing) – Perfect power-pop that was criminally overlooked.

28. Taylor Swift – “Love Story” (Fearless) - Guilty as charged with the shallow country-pop.

27. Tilly and the Wall – “Alligator Skin” (O) - Tap-dancing is awesome. So are boy/girl harmonies. And handclaps. And nonsensical lyrics. And…

26. Kevin Rudolf – “Let It Rock feat. Lil Wayne” (In The City) - The pump-up anthem of the year with one of Lil Wayne’s best cameos.

25. Mates of State – “Get Better” (Re-Arrange Us) - Married indie-popsters find bliss in gently swelling strings, rollicking drums, multi-layered harmonies, etc.

24. The Helio Sequence – “Lately” (Keep Your Eyes Ahead) - Few songs this year have conveyed emotion as perfectly as this one; never has wanting to move on but being unable to sounded so good.

23. Girl Talk – “Still Here” (Feed The Animals) - The “Flashing Lights/No Diggity” mix combined with The Band over Yung Joc make for one of Girl Talk’s best tracks ever.

22. Goldfrapp – “A&E” (Seventh Tree) - Forget the dance floor; electronica diva should really spend more time writing incredibly addicting ballads about drug overdoses.

21. Kanye West – “RoboCop” (808s & Heartbreak) - A song so good it makes you fully appreciate the lost opportunities of the rest of the record.

20. Death Cab for Cutie – “Bixby Canyon Bridge” (Narrow Stairs) - I don’t know why I like this song so much. Maybe it’s Gibbard’s simple, affecting lyrics or the epic, cathartic sonic sludge of the ending. If I had to choose any one point where this song goes from merely cool to ridiculously awesome, it’s 1:39 in when the atmospherics cut off and Death Cab ramps up the thudding guitars and pounding drums.

19. The Dodos – “Jodi” (The Visiter) - Six minutes of schizophrenic psych-folk. Yes, their drummer is amazing.

18. Ben Folds – “You Don’t Know Me feat. Regina Spektor” (Way To Normal) - Spektor makes any song shine, even when she’s barely used.

17. Okkervil River – “Lost Coastlines” (The Stand Ins) - Will Sheff proves that intelligent, insightful lyrics mix well with mindless “la la las” and a full-blown brass part.

16. Britney Spears – “If You Seek Amy” (Circus) - Oh, Max Martin, you are so clever! Hopefully the censors will overlook the scandalous play on words to get this slice of delectable electro-pop onto the airwaves and get on with subverting our nation’s youth.

15. M83 – “Graveyard Girl” (Saturdays=Youth) - The 80s live again!

14. The Hold Steady – “Sequestered in Memphis” (Stay Positive) - A drunken sing-a-long for those one-night stands that go terribly awry.

13. The Duke Spirit – “The Step and the Walk” (Neptune) - I first heard this song in an American Eagle store, and it ended up being the best thing I’ve ever gotten from there. The album is uneven at times, but singer Leila Moss is distinctive and the band’s bluesy swagger is very attractive.

12. The Raconteurs – “Salute Your Solution” (Consolers of the Lonely) - The frantic verses and the burning twin guitar solos (particularly the air-guitar-worthy second one at 2:08) make this one of the best straight-ahead rock singles of the year.

11. T.I. – “Live Your Life feat. Rihanna” (Paper Trail) - Everyone knows the Numa Numa sample and Auto-Tuned Rihanna make this song, but it’s T.I.’s liquid verses that truly elevate it.

10. Delta Spirit – “Trashcan” (Ode To Sunshine) - The obvious highlight of a fairly excellent debut record and a song that owes its heart to singer Matthew Vasquez’s inimitable howl.

9. The Walkmen – “The Blue Route” (You & Me) - A tough choice from a record filled with great ones, it’s the vintage sound of the instruments and the exceptional drum work, not to mention Hamilton Leithauser’s unique yowl, that make this one for me.

8. The Roots – “Criminal feat. Truck North and Saigon” (Rising Down) - The year’s best rap track is a hypnotic jam about the less-than-legal lives many urban youth are forced to accept, all spit out with venom and virtuosity by Black Thought and the excellent guest stars.

7. She & Him – “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” (Volume One) - Quirky ‘60s pop made extraordinary by Zooey Deschanel’s charming country-tinged vocals and M. Ward’s classy arrangement: check out the slick guitar solo at 1:05. 3-minute-and-under pop at its best.

6. Everest – “Rebels In The Roses” (Ghost Notes) - Everest open up their debut record with this country-rock gem, the perfect blend of singer Russell Pollard’s emotive pipes and a blazing guitar part that stays with you long after the song is over.

5. Vampire Weekend – “Oxford Comma” (Vampire Weekend) - On an album filled with great, short pop songs, “Oxford Comma” stands out with its uncomplicated production, sing-a-long melody, and climactic chorus. A song that, strangely, always makes me want to air-drum.

4. Fleet Foxes – “Ragged Wood” (Fleet Foxes) - Most critics prefer the lilting ‘60s folk melody of “White Winter Hymnal” or the galloping beat of “Quiet Houses,” but for me the prize has to go to “Ragged Wood,” a multi-movement masterpiece that begins with a driving drum beat and an anthemic chorus by singer Robin Pecknold before shifting into developing into a delicately fingerpicked acoustic groove and then ending dreamily with a soothing guitar line somewhere atop a forested hill in West Virginia.

3. Conor Oberst – “Souled Out!!!” (Conor Oberst) - A song about having too much fun from Conor Oberst? I’m shocked, but the upbeat music and Oberst’s irrepressible joy coupled with the entertaining lyrics make for one of his most enjoyable songs. It sounds as if Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band recorded this in a single take in some tropical beach resort…which isn’t too far from what actually happened. Enjoy yourself more, Conor; it sounds great.

2.MGMT – “Time To Pretend” (Oracular Spectacular) - The quintessential rock star song about models and drug habits with a fresh twist of techno-pop and a memorable synth hook. It overshadowed most of the rest of Oracular Spectacular with its lyrical wit and easily digestible melody, and that’s in no way a bad thing: the more people introduced to this band, the better.

1. Estelle – “American Boy feat. Kanye West” (Shine) - This is not the deepest song on the list, nor is it the best song from the best album of the year, and it’s hard to say whether it will stand the test of time. Nope, this is pure, well-crafted pop at its catchiest best, a song that bounces from a deceptively simple disco beat to Kanye’s effortlessly spot-on cameo and Estelle’s very British, very sleek vocals. This is one song that deserved its success, the kind of song that restores your faith (however temporarily) in the public’s taste, even if the album paled in comparison. Here’s to cross-continental pop!