the rucker top 10 countdown

So, 2009. You know, I didn't get "out there" as much this year as I have in the past. From June 25th on, I basically only listened to Michael Jackson. And before that, I was stuck on an island with only a few albums that Audrey had mailed me (one of which made this list). And on top of all that, I lost a bet, which prevented me from listening to any bands from Versailles whose name starts with "Phoeni-." Okay, not really.

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10. the dead weather - horehound

This was a weird pick for me, because I didn't love it. Actually, I didn't really love many releases this year - at least not as many as I usually do. And while I didn't love it, I still loved screaming "M-A-N-I-P-U-LATE!" at the top of my lungs while driving past Third Man Records on my way home from a frustrating day at work this fall. And that was enough for inclusion, I guess. If I wasn't currently involved in a 7-year-long torrid love affair with Ryan Adams, I would say Jack White is the man of the decade, musically speaking.
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9. grizzly bear - veckatimest

All in all, I would say this was a pretty big let down for me. But that says more about how obsessed I was with Yellow House than anything negative about this album. I'm thinking I desperately need to see these songs performed live to gain full appreciation.
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8. neko case - middle cyclone

This was the record that Audrey mailed me in St. Croix. I fell asleep to it almost every night there. It was one of those releases that really gave me a greater appreciation for the artist. I went back and revisited Blacklisted and Fox Confessor so much that I may have actually played them more than this one over the past year.
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7. port o'brien - threadbare

The guy and girl that form Port O'Brien don't actually do music full-time. He spends his summers on a fishing boat off the coast of Alaska. And she spends her summers working in a bakery in a tiny port town in Larsen Bay (very close to Port O'Brien, Alaska). I thought that was a good enough reason to check it out. Listen to the track "My Will is Good."
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6. bill callahan - sometimes i wish we were an eagle

This gets my vote for the most beautiful release of the year. This is another one that I spent a good part of the year falling asleep to. I have always been a sucker for guys with bass-y vocals (think Stephen Merritt, Jens Lekman or Will Oldham). They all lull me in the best way.
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5. devendra banhart - what will we be

This one is definitely still growing on me, and its already at number five. I think this might be his best.
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4. passion pit - manners

I'll follow suit and leave the descriptions up to Wade. His was right on.
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3. the pains of being pure at heart - the pains of being pure at heart

This is what I like to imagine I would have been a fan of if I had been a teenager in the late 80's/early 90's. That shoe-gaze fuzz gets me every time. And when it is coupled with pop perfection - look out. For my heart beating out of my chest. Because I love it.
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2. joshua james - build me this

This came out of nowhere. Well, Utah isn't exactly nowhere. But I had never even heard of this guy until one day when I was browsing in Grimey's and the cover jumped out at me. Apparently enough for me to slap down some cash and take it home. I would have never discovered Joshua James if it weren't for the good old brick & mortar. Internet, you let me down on this one.
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1. dirty projectors - bitte orca

I listened to this on a sunny day in June on a long drive down the Natchez Trace Parkway, and it clicked SO hard. And I haven't stopped playing it since. This was the easiest number one pick for me in a long time.
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