No Ripcord's Top 50 Albums of 2009

No Ripcord's Top 50 Albums of 2009

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49.

March 9, 2009
Critic Score
79
18 reviews

48.

June 23, 2009
Critic Score
74
15 reviews
On this fine album, Wilkinson seems intent on capturing this precious, ambivalent space.

47.

February 17, 2009
Critic Score
77
12 reviews

46.

February 3, 2009
Critic Score
72
24 reviews

45.

February 17, 2009
Critic Score
75
20 reviews
There is the sense of a vague outline forming behind the indie-folk scene, artists who respect each other and believe in the musical scene they are creating; a movement which is a lot stronger than suggested by the gentle chords they strum.

44.

Polvo - In Prism
September 8, 2009
Critic Score
75
8 reviews

42.

March 24, 2009
Critic Score
81
25 reviews

Crack the Skye follows Mastodon’s uncanny tradition of crafting a brand of heavy metal that is unabashed, mazelike, and above all, fresh.

41.

August 25, 2009
Critic Score
77
40 reviews

Whatever Humbug lacks in middle fingers, or even thematic continuity, it makes up for with sinister gazes and scathing ambiguities.

38.

March 16, 2009
Critic Score
80
24 reviews

Due to awkward, clunky sequencing, Dark Days/Light Years takes longer to reveal its charms than maybe it should. Despite this, it’s still a marvellous record and evidence that despite their increasing years, Super Furry Animals are a long way from being out of ideas.

37.

August 18, 2009
Critic Score
78
30 reviews

He has found his musical voice on Watch Me Fall, and while it may not be the best album of 2009, it’s certainly one of the most enjoyable. 

36.

May 19, 2009
Critic Score
80
20 reviews

Yesterday and Today is a brilliant sequel, one that retains the strongest elements of its predecessor whilst bravely pushing forward into new territory.

33.

January 20, 2009
Critic Score
81
33 reviews

The Crying Light shows us that there is one medium of output that will undoubtedly remain his most naturally beautiful, his most perfect fit.

27.

March 3, 2009
Critic Score
82
27 reviews

26.

March 24, 2009
Critic Score
79
25 reviews

Bromst is an excellent followup to a slightly more-excellent debut, and proof that Deacon isn't going anywhere.

25.

August 17, 2009
Critic Score
84
28 reviews

xx is a fantastically innovative album, and this band is exploring new territory.

24.

May 26, 2009
Critic Score
85
17 reviews

In spite of their addition of thickening and texturing agents to the mix, Monoliths & Dimensions is for a select crowd. The only difference now is that Sunn O))) can begin to appeal to the more generalized music fan, and not just their loyal following of metalfeeders content to wallow in the muck.

23.

March 31, 2009
Critic Score
80
35 reviews

It is precisely due to the band’s finesse that It’s Blitz! is so refreshing, despite being an old sound wrapped in glitter veneer.

22.

August 18, 2009
Critic Score
84
11 reviews
Me, I really dig this crazy bastard and his pastoral symphonies. Anybody who covers Angelo Badalamenti has got to know what he’s doing, even if we don’t.

21.

June 23, 2009
Critic Score
78
22 reviews

Overall, these tracks feel more like the B sides of Random Spirit Lover, maybe the acoustic B sides, the tracks that didn't quite make the cut but would definitely be of interest to ardent fans.

20.

June 30, 2009
Critic Score
75
33 reviews

The major problem is that this doesn’t sound like a band that’s pushing itself any more, or at least not making the same sort of pushes that lead to the brilliant sucker-punch of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and the vastly underrated A Ghost Is Born.

19.

April 21, 2009
Critic Score
76
30 reviews

My Maudlin Career is a wonderful set of songs and can deservedly sit alongside Let’s Get Out Of This Country while showcasing how far Camera Obscura have come since their patchy yet charming début, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi.

18.

June 22, 2009
Critic Score
81
22 reviews

By no means a feel-good record, Travels With Myself and Another is rich with enough black humor, sharp perspectives and tight muscular music to make it one of the best rock albums of the year.

17.

May 5, 2009
Critic Score
80
30 reviews
Actor often covers the beat of its pulsing innards with sparkling, squeaking accompaniments that somehow manage to frighten and enchant simultaneously. An eerie spiderweb of sound, for sure, and one that Clark crafts masterfully.

16.

September 8, 2009
Critic Score
86
21 reviews
I love it the same way I love looking at signatures in my yearbooks: as distant reminders of past friends and better times. Sure, this album is awesome, but the fact remains that this is a continuation of an old idea in lieu of a new one.

15.

September 22, 2009
Critic Score
80
25 reviews

Don’t get me wrong, Album’s best songs (Lust for Life, Laura, and Hellhole Ratrace) are utterly essential, but take these out of the equation and there’s really very little to get excited about. Unless you count the band’s back-story, that is.

14.

March 3, 2009
Critic Score
78
27 reviews

Neko Case hasn't produced a disappointing solo venture yet, and between Fox Confessor Brings The Flood and Middle Cyclone, her recent production is the strongest of her increasingly beautiful catalog.

13.

June 9, 2009
Critic Score
75
34 reviews
It's certainly heavier, but it's tuneful and heavy at the same time.

12.

May 5, 2009
Critic Score
79
28 reviews

Though definitely more of an ode to rock’s past than its present, Primary Colours reflects the necessity for inspiration.

11.

June 23, 2009
Critic Score
75
31 reviews

10.

September 8, 2009
Critic Score
81
29 reviews

An album so laden with lush densities and provocative melodies that you would be forgiven for thinking this album had taken ten years to make.

8.

April 7, 2009
Critic Score
78
24 reviews

Punk's logic of formed recklessness and screaming ever forward thwarts style brackets and punches pigeon-holes; most of the best post-punk punk bands know this, and the Thermals are one of the very, very best. Now We Can See sounds like a pop record, but it still feels punk to the gills.

7.

October 13, 2009
Critic Score
76
33 reviews

Embryonic is a true 21st century freak-out and it's only appropriate to end this decade with such an ambitious, intrepid undertaking.

6.

June 9, 2009
Critic Score
86
38 reviews
The time signatures of the songs are still hard to pin down, it’s often hard to understand what the specific theme of the songs are, and the guitar and vocal work is still inimitable. Through these familiar disorientations however, comes the sound of the Dirty Projectors’ most accessible album to date.

5.

February 3, 2009
Critic Score
75
24 reviews

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart can easily be at the forefront of this scene because, simply put, they have the best hooks.

4.

May 26, 2009
Critic Score
81
30 reviews

Phoenix are by no means a new act, but Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix offers them the highest internet buzz and recognition they’ve received in their decade-long career, and with good reason.

3.

April 28, 2009
Critic Score
80
24 reviews

Regardless of classification, Japandroids have created something pure, something without pretense and without any concern for how smart or cool they will sound. In the underground, where status is more important than comfort, Post-Nothing is a beacon of safety, a true rock record for everyone.

2.

May 26, 2009
Critic Score
86
38 reviews

The first two songs are the most accessible work Grizzly Bear’s ever done, and those tracks alone are enough to make Veckatimest worth several listens. Most of this album, though, is going to take way more effort to get into.

1.

January 6, 2009
Critic Score
92
37 reviews

MPP is a dense studio record with a prominent synthetic pulse, but AC does not jettison warmth by leaning ‘lectronic, instead defying the sterility associated with its own techniques. 

Original Source: http://www.noripcord.com/features/top-50-albums-2009-part-one
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