Listomania

The Line of Best Fit have posted their Top 50 albums of 2009, as voted on by their contributors. Each of us had a ballot of 25; six of my choices made the list, three of them (Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, Fever Ray) made the Top 10.

I can't say I'm overly surprised by the absence from the list of my favourite record of 2009, Es' Kesämaan Lapset (or, "Children of Summerland"). But in some alternate universe, this warm and inviting piece of folk-electronic-drone-chant from Finland would be on everyone's communal party stereos. I would have found a place for an excerpt on my 2009 mix, but the most compilation-friendly track is designated for my decade mix (forthcoming soon).

I'm a little bit more surprised by HEALTH's Get Color not finding any love. I had thought their shiny blend of noise-thrash was gaining traction out in the wider world beyond anarchist performance spaces and vegan cafes, but apparently not so much (at least when it comes to British music webzines). In any case, seeing them nearly burn down the Echoplex in L.A. was my personal live event of the year. Fucking astonishing.

Further down on my ballot, Get Back Guinozzi! made a late entrance to my jukebox this year, leaving enough of a happy impression to splash in at #10. Their idiosyncratic, ye-ye-ish take on C86 charms me greatly.

My full ballot is after the jump.

1. Es - Kesämaan lapset
2. HEALTH - Get Color
3. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. OOIOO - Armonico Hewa
5. Risto - Sähköhäiriöön
6. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
7. Burning Hearts - Aboa Sleeping
8. Pastels/Tenniscoats - Two Sunsets
9. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
10. Get Back Guinozzi! - Carpet Madness
11. Obi Best - Capades
12. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
13. Butcher Boy - React Or Die
14. Bricolage - s/t
15. Kumisolo - My Love For You Is A Cheap Pop Song
16. Sweet Trip - You Will Never Know Why
17. Cola Jet Set - Guitarras Y Tambores
18. Jeremy Jay - Slow Dance
19. Black To Comm - Alphabet 1968
20. Fever Ray - s/t
21. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
22. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - s/t
23. Atlas Sound - Logos
24. Cats On Fire - Our Temperance Movement
25. Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern - Pram Town