Best of 2009: Top 5 Albums (for me)

So, you know when you first play an album, and it HITS you...WOW I really love this. It is completely speaking to ME. Now, granted, these albums may not hit me right when they hit everyone else, but I can still appreciate their impact on my soul.

5. MGMT//Electric Feel---yes, yes I know it came out in 2007/2008, and I saw them at ACL in 2008...but 2009 was their year for me. I was pretty unhappy at work, and as my friend Luis and I discussed, this album is the one you put on when you kind of want to run away from your life. When I quit my job a few months ago, Luis first said "Uhoh! Too much MGMT!" Regardless, I could listen to "Kids" on repeat still. Looking forward to their new album, Congratulations, due this Spring.

4. Ra Ra Riot//The Rhumb Line---saw them twice in 2009. Their unique sound comes from their electric cello and violins played by two rockin' females. "Dying is Fine" is probably one of the best songs on the album, a tribute to their late original drummer, John Ryan Pike, who died on tour.

3. Miike Snow//Miike Snow---It was summer, I needed something peppy. About 2.2 seconds into "Animal" and I was bouncing my elbows. My cousin's husband, Chris, and I can turn a frown upside down with that song. Looking forward to seeing him in March!

2. Temper Trap//Conditions---I think my love for this album was magnified during my trip to South Africa. With "Sweet Disposition" rocking the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack, the album was off to a great start. "Down River" gets me bouncing in my seat STILL!

1. Phoenix//Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix---come on. Have you heard it? From "Liztomania" to "Lasso" to "Girlfriend"...I still have this on in my car. Have you checked out the "Liztomania" Bratpack mash up video? OK, I'll just include it here for all you Breakfast Club fans. Loved seeing them at ACL this year and two years ago for their other fantastic albums, Alphabetical and It's Never Been Like That.

Runners up were: A Fine Frenzy//Bomb in a Birdcage, Grizzly Bear//Veckatimest, Ingrid Michaelson//Everybody, and Regina Spektor//Far.

Recent album you should check out: Bibio//Ambivalence Avenue,

Older albums I still can't get enough of: Foals//Antidote, Jose Gonzalez//In Our Nature, Feist//The Reminder, Andrew Bird//Armchair Apocrypha.