The Red Alert's
Best Albums of 2009
2009 was kind of a prick. This was the main topic of conversation during the annual Red Alert retreat, ostensibly an event devoted solely to the scientific breakdown of which albums mattered most. When attention finally turned to our legal responsibility to produce a Best of 2009 list, jobless beards were stroked, lists were made and unmade on the backs of health insurance applications, and we all wondered aloud many times why we decided to have our retreat in Detroit.
When the dust cleared and the gunfire subsided, it was clear that there would be no room at the 2009 inn for some old friends. Bob Dylan? Turned away, right alongside Will Oldham, Neko Case and Regina Spektor (the latter the only genuine disappointment of the bunch). Sometimes bands were red-hot and lukewarm at the same time, as was the case with Silversun Pickups (#1 on one list, #71 on another).
Below you'll find the big winners that made bad times a little better. Or maybe they made the best of times a little more awesome.
If you'd rather, you can also skip straight to the Top 10.
Wishing you and yours a 2010 that turns pages where pages need turning,
The Red Alert
 25. Heat-Ray - Loveallover (Pop Echo)
RELATED LINKS:
www.myspace.com/heatray77
 24. Sister Suvi - Now I Am Champion (Common Cloud)
RELATED LINKS:
Sister Suvi - The Red Alert Interview
Thao / Sister Suvi - Live - April 29, 2009
www.sistersuvi.com
 23. White Lies- To Lose My Life (Fiction)
RELATED LINKS:
White Lies - To Lose My Life [Review]
www.whitelies.com
 22. Antony and the Johnsons- The Crying Light (Secretly Canadian)
DOWNLOAD:
"Epilepsy is Dancing"
RELATED LINKS:
www.antonyandthejohnsons.com
 21. fun. - Aim and Ignite (Nettwerk)
RELATED LINKS:
fun. - Aim and Ignite [Review]
http://ournameisfun.com
 20. The Cave Singers - Welcome Joy (Matador)
DOWNLOAD:
"At The Cut"
"Beach House"
RELATED LINKS:
The Cave Singers - Welcome Joy [Review]
www.thecavesingers.com
 19. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2 (Ice H20/ EMI)
RELATED LINKS:
www.myspace.com/raekwon
 18. James Blackshaw- The Glass Bead Game (Young God)
DOWNLOAD:
"Cross"
RELATED LINKS:
James Blackshaw - The Glass Bead Game [Review]
www.myspace.com/jamesblackshaw
 17. Viva Voce - Rose City (Barsuk)
DOWNLOAD:
"Octavio"
RELATED LINKS:
Viva Voce - Rose City [Review]
www.vivavoce.com
 16. Porn Sword Tobacco - Everything is Music to the Ear (City Centre Offices)
RELATED LINKS:
Porn Sword Tobacco - Everything is Music to the Ear [Review]
www.pornswordtobacco.com
 15. Silversun Pickups - Swoon (Dangerbird)
RELATED LINKS:
www.silversunpickups.com
 14. Tegan and Sara - Sainthood (Vapor/Sire)
RELATED LINKS:
http://teganandsara.com
 13. Dinosaur Jr - Farm (Jagjaguwar)
DOWNLOAD:
"I Want You to Know"
RELATED LINKS:
Lou Barlow - The Red Alert Interview
www.dinosaurjr.com
 12. Metric - Fantasies (MMI)
RELATED LINKS:
Metric - Fantasies [Review]
www.ilovemetric.com
 11. Golden Bloom - Fan the Flames (The Sleepy West)
RELATED LINKS:
Golden Bloom - Fan the Flames [Review]
www.goldenbloom.net
CONTINUE ON TO THE TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2009 |
