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 missed the first 15 albums on the list, you can find them here.
Wishing you and yours a 2010 that turns pages where pages need turning,
The Red Alert
 10. The xx - xx (Young Turks)
RELATED LINKS:
The xx - xx [Review]
http://thexx.info
 9. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns (Astralwerks)
RELATED LINKS:
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns [Review]
www.batforlashes.com
 8. Future of the Left - Travels with Myself and Another (4AD)
DOWNLOAD:
"Arming Eritrea"
RELATED LINKS:
The Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another [Review]
www.futureoftheleft.com
 7. Florence + The Machine - Lungs (Universal Republic)
RELATED LINKS:
http://florenceandthemachine.net
 6. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (Warp)
RELATED LINKS:
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest [Review]
www.grizzly-bear.net
 5. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (V2)
RELATED LINKS:
www.wearephoenix.com
 4. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino)
RELATED LINKS:
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion [Review]
www.myspace.com/animalcollective
 3. P.O.S. - Never Better (Rhymesayers)
RELATED LINKS:
P.O.S. - Never Better [Review]
www.myspace.com/pos
 2. Leonard Cohen - Live in London (Columbia)
RELATED LINKS:
Leonard Cohen - Live - April 11, 2009
www.leonardcohen.com
 1. Fever Ray - Fever Ray (Mute)
RELATED LINKS:
Fever Ray - The Red Alert Interview
Fever Ray - Live - October 7, 2009
Fever Ray - Fever Ray [Review - via Metromix]
http://feverray.com |
