Best of 2009 (so far): the Honorable Mentions

This coming Monday, we present our usual mid-season look at the music of the year so far, what has particularly made my ears perk up, though not necessarily my determination of "the best". I'm not that arrogant. But the music that I keep coming back to time and again over a several-month period, when I'm not sure what to play, I know I can slip in the player and listen without any sense of boredom, with chills and once in a while even a tear.

This year I seem to be particularly inundated with new music, much of it unknown, and I'm embracing a number of things that are either debuts or especially challenging, though much of it does get put aside after a listen or two. When the number of spins start approaching a double digit, we know we have a winner on our hands. As always, the releases from Mississippi Records and the Yeti compilations give me plenty to chew on, though for our purposes here they can't be listed.

Herewith, the releases just missing our top five, though in a couple of cases I may have thought very, very strongly about putting them in my number four or five position. Frankly, though, it's even more fun to spotlight the unknown and champion something new.

These have an approximate order, but depending on my mood or time of day, can be interchangable:

Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
Animal Collective, Merriwether Post Pavilion
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz
Junior Boys, Begone Dull Care
The Field, Yesterday and Today
Akron/Family, Set 'em Wild, Set 'Em Free
Charles Spernin, The Happiness Project
Matt Krefting, I Couldn't Love You More

Tune in July 20 for the top 5 at mid-year (I'm sure long-time listeners can guess what some of them are).