NPR Listeners Pick The Best Music of 2009

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LIST SUMMARY

List Rating: 75

Based on 326 album ratings

Genre Breakdown:

Indie Pop (8), Indie Folk (6), Folk (6), Alternative Rock (6), Indie Rock (4), Electronic (3), Hip Hop (3), Experimental Rock (2), Alt-Country (1), Pop (1), Experimental (1), Folk Rock (1), Rock (1), Garage Rock (1), Chamber Pop (1), Jazz (1), Singer-Songwriter (1), Blues Rock (1)

1. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

MUST HEAR

Released: May 26th, 2009
Genre: Indie Folk

Overall Rating: 89

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2. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

MUST HEAR

Released: Jan 20th, 2009
Genre: Experimental

Overall Rating: 94

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3. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Released: May 26th, 2009
Genre: Indie Pop

Overall Rating: 85

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4. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

Released: Mar 3rd, 2009
Genre: Alt-Country

Overall Rating: 81

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5. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast

Released: Jan 20th, 2009
Genre: Indie Folk

Overall Rating: 77

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6. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

Released: Mar 24th, 2009
Genre: Folk Rock

Overall Rating: 71

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7. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

Released: Jun 30th, 2009
Genre: Alternative Rock

Overall Rating: 73

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8. Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP

Released: Jan 20th, 2009
Genre: Indie Folk

Overall Rating: 70

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9. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

Released: Sep 29th, 2009
Genre: Folk

Overall Rating: 68

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10. St. Vincent - Actor

Released: May 5th, 2009
Genre: Indie Pop

Overall Rating: 82

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11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

Released: Mar 31st, 2009
Genre: Indie Rock

Overall Rating: 79

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12. Regina Spektor - Far

Released: Jun 23rd, 2009
Genre: Indie Pop

Overall Rating: 65

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13. M. Ward - Hold Time

Released: Feb 17th, 2009
Genre: Folk

Overall Rating: 74

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14. The Swell Season - Strict Joy

Released: Oct 27th, 2009
Genre: Indie Folk

Overall Rating: 71

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15. Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk

Released: Sep 22nd, 2009
Genre: Folk

Overall Rating: 65

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16. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

Released: Jun 9th, 2009
Genre: Experimental Rock

Overall Rating: 89

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17. Passion Pit - Manners

Released: May 19th, 2009
Genre: Electronic

Overall Rating: 76

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18. Various Artists - Dark Was The Night

Released: Feb 17th, 2009

Overall Rating: 78

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19. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

Released: Apr 21st, 2009
Genre: Indie Pop

Overall Rating: 83

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20. Metric - Fantasies

Released: Apr 7th, 2009
Genre: Indie Rock

Overall Rating: 73

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21. Beirut - March of the Zapotec/Holland EP

Released: Feb 17th, 2009
Genre: Indie Folk

Overall Rating: 78

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22. The xx - xx

MUST HEAR

Released: Oct 6th, 2009
Genre: Indie Pop

Overall Rating: 89

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23. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns

Released: Apr 7th, 2009
Genre: Indie Pop

Overall Rating: 76

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24. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below

Released: Jul 14th, 2009

Overall Rating: 54

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25. Modest Mouse - No One's First and You're Next

Released: Aug 4th, 2009
Genre: Alternative Rock

Overall Rating: 70

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26. The Dead Weather - Horehound

Released: Jul 14th, 2009
Genre: Alternative Rock

Overall Rating: 72

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27. U2 - No Line on the Horizon

Released: Mar 3rd, 2009
Genre: Rock

Overall Rating: 58

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28. Norah Jones - The Fall

Released: Nov 17th, 2009
Genre: Jazz

Overall Rating: 85

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29. Pearl Jam - Backspacer

Released: Sep 22nd, 2009
Genre: Alternative Rock

Overall Rating: 65

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30. Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You

Released: Feb 10th, 2009
Genre: Pop

Overall Rating: 63

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31. The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin

Released: Jun 9th, 2009
Genre: Folk

Overall Rating: 80

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32. Conor Oberst - Outer South

Released: May 5th, 2009
Genre: Folk

Overall Rating: 65

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33. Fever Ray - Fever Ray

MUST HEAR

Released: Jan 13th, 2009
Genre: Electronic

Overall Rating: 82

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34. The Antlers - Hospice

Released: Mar 3rd, 2009
Genre: Indie Rock

Overall Rating: 83

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35. Bob Dylan - Together Through Life

Released: Apr 28th, 2009
Genre: Folk

Overall Rating: 65

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36. Heartless Bastards - The Mountain

Released: Feb 3rd, 2009
Genre: Garage Rock

Overall Rating: 69

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37. Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms

Released: May 5th, 2009
Genre: Singer-Songwriter

Overall Rating: 45

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38. Sonic Youth - The Eternal

Released: Jun 9th, 2009
Genre: Alternative Rock

Overall Rating: 77

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39. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul

Released: Jun 2nd, 2009
Genre: Experimental Rock

Overall Rating: 77

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40. Girls - Album

MUST HEAR

Released: Sep 22nd, 2009
Genre: Indie Pop

Overall Rating: 84

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41. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

Released: Sep 8th, 2009
Genre: Hip Hop

Overall Rating: 60

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42. K'Naan - Troubadour

Released: Feb 24th, 2009
Genre: Hip Hop

Overall Rating: 73

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43. Silversun Pickups - Swoon

Released: Apr 14th, 2009
Genre: Alternative Rock

Overall Rating: 59

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44. Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light

Released: Jan 20th, 2009
Genre: Chamber Pop

Overall Rating: 82

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45. Moby - Wait For Me

Released: Jun 30th, 2009
Genre: Electronic

Overall Rating: 61

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46. Mos Def - The Ecstatic

Released: Jun 9th, 2009
Genre: Hip Hop

Overall Rating: 79

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47. Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

Released: Jan 27th, 2009
Genre: Indie Rock

Overall Rating: 68

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48. Noah And The Whale - The First Days Of Spring

Released: Oct 6th, 2009
Genre: Indie Folk

Overall Rating: 65

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49. Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid

Released: Feb 10th, 2009
Genre: Blues Rock

Overall Rating: 67

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50. Fanfarlo - Reservoir

Released: Oct 13th, 2009
Genre: Indie Pop

Overall Rating: 74

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