Favorite Albums of 2009 (Part 1)

Links in comments as usual. I’m posting these in bunches because I don’t have the patience to sit here for as long as it would take to do this in one sitting. Needless to say, I have much to post because I was very pleased with the music of 2009, and a bunch of albums have leaked already for the new year. Anywho, here goes…

(20) Passion Pit - Manners

(19) Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind

(18) Iron and Wine - Around the Well

(17) M. Ward - Hold Time

(16) An Horse - Rearrange Beds

Passion Pit’s debut album, Manners, is a very fun, light-hearted pop album. It’s so fun to listen to that the vocal style, which is reminiscent of Jackson 5, is forgivable. Mono released one of the only good post-rock albums of the year, called Hymn to the Immortal Wind, and are one of the few bands who can make this kind of music and keep my attention throughout an entire album. It’s more than a collection of pretty sounds; they seem to flow logically from point A to point B, giving you the sense that point C is worth sticking around for. Iron & Wine’s Around the Well is a two-disc compilation of unreleased tracks. Even though it is so long, it’s still his best album in my opinion since it has higher highs than his three studio albums and lacks filler. Previously, I considered him a small-dose artist, but “The Trapeze Swinger” is my new favorite song and is 9 minutes long. Hold Time is M. Ward’s sixth album and is of similar style and quality to his others but he sounds a bit more energized and confident throughout the album. An Horse’s debut album, Rearrange Beds, was posted recently. I liked it for the same reason I liked Passion Pit, it’s simple and fun. Although I should add that I love their singer’s (Kate Cooper) voice. Sometimes an album can just be good pop music, without being a grand artistic statement. I like good music, even if it doesn’t make me think too deeply about anything in particular.