Nubs's Everlasting Blog: More Music: A 2009 Retrospect

After finishing my Music of 2010 lists, I wanted more; So, I set my sights on the year prior. Instead of writing another long-winded Top 10 list, I've decided to overview a year bursting at the seams with fresh potential.

Grizzly Bear created their most accessible folk album to date. Raekwon found his masterpiece in a long-awaited sequel. The xx debuted with enough sensuality to make Chris Isaak blush. Dirty Projectors refined their bizarre sounds to a crystal point. Girls proved that surf rock can be more than just The Beach Boys. Passion Pit stormed the scene in a whirlwind of jovial electropop. Muse established their M.O. Yeah Yeah Yeahs audaciously, yet triumphantly, shifted genres. Phoenix mastered their virtuoso pop-rock album. And Animal Collective blew my collective mind.

But lets stop here for a minute. This may ultimately seem a foolish statement, but Merriweather Post Pavilion is the greatest album of our generation. After witnessing the perfection of "My Girls," I had to rethink the entire ranking process. Time and key signature changes are nothing new, yet Animal Collective create layers upon layers and simultaneously rewrite music. Animal Collective collectively brought me to my knees in astonishment. The Baltimore quartet dominated a year chock-full of fun and inventive sounds. While "fun" can often be mistaken for inferior, 2009 proved to be definitive, and more importantly, energetic.