Mantis's Best Albums of 2009

By this time last year, I more-or-less knew that 2009 was going to be a gift. For me, personally, like, To: Braying Mantis, From: Music, XOXO. The sheer number of my alltime favorite artists who would be releasing new music guaranteed it. What's remarkable in hindsight, then, is how un-disappointed I have been - what a year, what a gift! And with suprises as strong and amazing as the expecteds! All I'd like to say is, Thanks. Thanks to Music, for the wondrous, challenging, joyful, and important year. Now, without further ado, my list of 2009's best records:

50. The Antlers - Hospice
49. Jon Hopkins - Insides
48. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
47. Dedaoorian - Mind Raft
46. The Field - Yesterday and Today
45. Swan Lake - Enemy Mine
44. Grooms - Rejoicer
43. Preslay LiterarySchool - Beautiful Was The Time
42. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
41. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

40. No Age - Losing Feeling
39. Madlib - Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6: A Tribute To...
38. Thee Oh Sees - Help
37. Allen Toussaint - The Bright Mississippi
36. Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country
35. Alec Ounsworth - Mo Beauty
34. Candy Claws - In The Dream of the Sea Life
33. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
32. Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy
31. Lotus Plaza - The Floodlight Collective

30. Sufjan Stevens - The BQE
29. Deerhunter - Rainwater Casssette Exchange
28. William Basinski - 92982
27. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II
26. Antony and The Johnsons - The Crying Light
25. Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom Live
24. Black Dice - Repo
23. Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic
22. Clark - Totem Flare
21. Ras G - Brotha From Anotha Planet

20. Flying Lotus - L.A. EP 3 X 3
19. St. Vincent - Actor
18. Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem
17. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
16. HEALTH - Get Color


15. Burial & Four Tet - Moth/Wolf Cub



















14. Prefuse 73 - Meditation Upon Meditations (The Japanese Diaries)



















13. The See Through Boy - I Am Constellation



















12. Andrew Douglas Rothbard - Exodusarabesque




















11. A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar
















10. Atlas Sound - Logos



















9. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport


















8. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle



















7. Dragging An Ox Through Water - The Tropics of Phenoenon


















6. Dan Deacon - Bromst


















5. Navigator - Bad Children (and a special mention for Braden J. McKenna - Gigantic Monster Cave)




















4. DOOM - BORN LIKE THIS


















3. Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer




















2. The Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca



















1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion (and a special mention for Fall Be Kind)

Thistle's best favourites of 2009

‘Sup my twine suckas? In light of some hefty essays and finals that I will be (and am) engulfed in for the next couple weeks, I think it is safe to say that I won’t be seeking out any new music in 2009 before it comes to a close. Fortunately, I have already listened to pretty much everything that has been released this year (except for most of it) so I think I am pretty well ready to get this over with. Also, no blurbs. Everything on here (with the exception of one album) has been reviewed on Forest Gospel this year, so if you’re curious just look them up. Plus, I’ve already done enough blurbing for my end-of-decade list (which is also on the horizon). So here they are, my best favourite albums of 2009:

50) Clark - Totems Flare
49) Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
48) Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
47) Why? - Eskimo Snow
46) James Blackshaw - The Glass Bead Game
45) Black Dice - Repo
44) Anduin - Abandoned in Sleep
43) Mark Templeton + aA. Munson - Acre Loss
42) Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
41) Mountains - Choral

40) Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic
39) Giuseppe Ielasi - Aix / (Another) Stunt Ep
38) Bear In Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
37) Blackout Beach - Skin of Evil
36) The Antlers - Hospice
35) Zs - Music For the Modern White
34) Smith Westerns - Smith Westerns
33) Julianna Barwick - Florine
32) Sparklehorse + Fennesz - In the Fishtank 15
31) Millipede - Death Mountain / Sand & Surf 7"

30) Braden J. McKenna - Gigantic Monster Cave
29) Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem
28) Califone - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
27) Ekkehard Ehlers + Paul Wirkus - Ballads
26) Bad Hangin' Out - Bad Hangin' Out
25) Atlas Sound - Logos
24) Animal Hospital - Memory
23) Grizzly Bear - Veckematist
22) Burial + Four Tet - Moth/Wolf Cub 12"
21) Swan Lake - Enemy Mine

20) A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar

























19) Leyland Kirby - Sadly, the Future is No Longer What It Was
























18) The Hunches - Exit Dreams
























17) John Wiese - Circle Snare

























16) Fever Ray - Fever Ray
























15) Axolotl - Of Bonds In General

























14) Prefuse 73 - Meditation Upon Meditations


























13) Caboladies - Crowded Out Memory / Constellation Deformity cs
























12) Ben Frost - By The Throat



























11) Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights

























10) Sam Hamilton - Sooty Symposium
























9) DM Stith - Heavy Ghost






















8) OOIOO - Armonico Hewa

























7) Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer

























6) Animal Collective - Merriweather PostPavilion

























5) A Faulty Chromosome - Craving To Be Coddled So We Can Feel Fake-Safe



















4) Evangelista - Prince of Truth


























3) Andrew Douglas Rothbard - Exodusarabesque
























2) Dragging An Ox Through Water - The Tropics of Phenomenon





















1) Grooms - Rejoicer