Best of 2009: Baker's Dozen

This is almost laughable really, and no apologies, but I have let the blog languish a bit. Our previous entry was our mid-year best, and now we have the year-end summary some four months later. I guess the avalanche of social networking sites, tweets, facebooks, and the like have simply done me in. Actually, I keep thinking of things to say here and elsewhere, but by the time I get on the computer, I'm looking at a score of news about music, promo downloads from labels, news updates, a tidal wave of information that sometimes not even a librarian can sort out.

Still, great year for music, and some of my favorites definitely hit me in the latter part of it, as yon list shall demonstrate. Between last entry and this, though, nothing tops the thrill of sitting down and interviewing the artist responsible for my top CD, as well as seeing her twice in one year. Wish I had a link to point you to, but tech difficulties couldn't get an archive copy to work, so only my memories will suffice.

Enough, here we go with my favs for '09:

1. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone
2. Visqueen, Message to Garcia
3. Bruce Peninsula, A Mountain Is a Mouth
4. Girls, Album
5. Family of the Year, Songbook
6. The Balconies, The Balconies
7. Animal Collective, Merriwether Post Pavilion
8. Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
9. Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
10. You Say Party! We Say Die!, XXXX
11. Young Galaxy, Invisible Republic
12. Jemina Pearl, Break It Up
13. Prefab Sprout, Let's Chang the World With Music

Comments as always. Playlist for the next few weeks:
1/18: Jay Reatard, Evening Hymns, The Dutchess & the Duke, Los Campesinos!
1/25: Best Coast, Zeus, Jason Collett, Talk Normal, White Denim
2/1: Jeff the Brotherhood, Vampire Weekend, TBA

This blog may be pulling up roots and moving soon to an easier interface, but in the meantime, you know where to find me...