MY LISTENING YEAR, 2009

10 good albums I listened to this year:

	1. white denim – fits At the moment, my favorite band. Saw these guys twice this year — once at Antone’s, once at The Mohawk.
	2. bill callahan – sometimes i wish we were an eagle My favorite songwriter — at this point, he seems incapable of making a bad record.
	3. the monks – black monk time A record from 1966 at #3? Yep.
	4. the beatles – stereo box set Speaking of records from the 60s… The Beatles’ intentions be damned, skip the mono versions, and go for the stereo. They sound amazing.
	5. cass mccombs – catacombs I first heard McCombs’ “That’s That” on a White Denim radio show. I went out and bought all his records. This album is probably the best entry point to his stuff.
	6. dirty projectors – bitte orca I blasted Rise Above during my bus rides last year, while I was making the book, and although that record is still my personal favorite, this one might be even better.
	7. animal collective – merriweather post pavilion Yeah, this is as good as everyone says it is.
	8. atlas sound – logos / megamixes / 7 inches Do yourself a favor: go subscribe to Bradford Cox‘s blog. Not only does he give us Deerhunter and Atlas Sound records, he’s constantly posting these amazing megamixes and free 7 inch singles. If only every musician was so generous.
	9. phoenix – wolfgang amadeus phoenix Phoenix! What a cool pop band. Watch them tear up Letterman and try not to be impressed. This album isn’t perfect, but it’s great.
	10. st. vincent – actor Her Austin City Limits taping was the best live show I saw this year. Amazing.