Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
This album topped most "best of 2009" lists so it should be no surprise to see it here. I've not been a huge fan of this band in the past because I've found their albums difficult to get through. With this album I feel they found the right balance of experimentation and quality songwriting. I think this actually makes their experimental side more effective because I find myself drawn into their songs more easily (and thus I am more thoroughly in their "sound world" which is an interesting place to be.)
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
As cool as MPP is, I think I actually prefer Bitte Orca. This is a demanding listen but it's also a very rewarding listen. The best thing about it? I have little idea on how to really adequately describe this music. It doesn't fit easily into any particular genre.
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
I'm a huge Flaming Lips fan but I was disappointed by At War with the Mystics and I've actually become more and more disappointed with Mystics as I've listened to it over the last few years. It's just not a good album (their first since their not so great 1980s albums that I can say that about.)
Thankfully Embryonic is an entirely new beginning for the band and it's a very exciting one at that. No, it's not a return to form (that's missing the point.) It's something new. And the Lips are always at their best when they're doing something new.
You should be warned, this is not easy listening. If you only know the Lips from their past few albums you may find this thing unlistenable. I think it's the kind of album you either love or you hate. I love it.
The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
This is a bit "easy listening" compared to the first three albums in this article but not everything has to be "difficult." These are good songs with catchy melodies, beautiful harmonies, and insightful lyrics. This is very good music. My one complaint about this album (and about this band's albums in general) is that it's a bit long.
Twilight New Moon Soundtrack
I'm not a fan of the movies but this is a very good soundtrack. What I like most about it is that it exposes a whole lot of non mainstream radio artists (such as Grizzly Bear & Thom Yorke) to a far wider audience then they normally have. This soundtrack has sold a huge amount of copies by indie rock standards.
A lot of teenage girls who are completely ignorant of good music bought this soundtrack and really listened to artistically minded music for the first time in their lives. That's cool. Maybe some of them will throw out their Taylor Swift & Miley Cyrus albums and buy some good stuff instead! (I'm not holding my breath, but it's a cool thing to imagine.)
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