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Thought I'd share some of my favourite music of this year with you...and give my little two cents on each album!
Love to hear what you've been listening to all this year...

Dan's FAVORITE Albums of 2009 (which you MAY have heard on 939 the River):

Metric - Fantasies
- By far my favourite Metric album. Crunchy, electronic, sugary sweet - just a super fun listen.

Neil Young - Fork in the Road
- Finger STILL on the pulse after all these years...he still rocks.

Amy Millan - Masters of the Burial
- Much slower than her first solo debut, and it was a slower grower - but when it finally sank in - GORGEOUS. A must listen for 2009.

Pearl Jam - Backspacer
- The most "fun" Pearl Jam album since VS.

Scarlett Johansson & Pete Yorn - Break Up
- Beautiful, shockingly great record. It's so much more than just an 'actress-turned-singer' gimmick. The chick can really sing! And the synergy between Scarlett and Pete..WOW! Great concept album!

Wilco - The Album
- the beginning of a new era for the band. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot / A Ghost is Born and Sky Blue Sky were SUCH a fantastic trilogy of albums - with a unique sound that kind of re-invented Wilco...sounds like they are going back to their roots w/ this one, which isn't a bad thing at all!

Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts
- while the rest of the record isn't as "Phil Spector/Girl Group" as the lead single Never Forget You - this is one great listen - super smart pop!

Leonard Cohen - Live in London
- seeing the legendary Leonard Cohen at the Fox Theatre in Detroit this year was one of the greatest concert experiences of my life! And this album...it's nearly verbatim of that show. If you missed him - grab this one to see what you missed. If you were there...re-live it again and again. Great live collection!

Them Crooked Vultures - s/t
- 70's guitar rock - psychedelic, noisy and WONDERFUL. Such mighty forces uniting on one record - you'd almost think they would cancel each other out...but they ALL live up to their reputations on this brilliant debut. Hopefully it's not their last. (KILLER show at the Fillmore too!)

Green Day - 21st Century Break Down
- I know, I know "what is Green Day doing on this list"? Well - I've always been a fan of these 3 punks, and they BRING IT on this one. I love the concept album idea, love that the songs bleed into each other like a rock opera - and I think Billy Joe's lyrics are EXACTLY what teenagers need to be listening to. Brainsy and ballsy. (MIND BOGGLING show at the Palace this year!)

One EskimO - The Adventures of One EskimO
- This one BARELY made it on the list, because I only recently discovered it. Saw them open for Tori Amos back at the Detroit Opera House and they were good - didn't blow me away...then...heard their album (2 different versions of it) and it blew me away. Kandi is such a surprise hit. I expect AMAZING things from this band in the future.

Those are my favourites that we played on the River this year...just for fun - I thought I'd make a list of my OTHER favorites, which we might not play on the River...but were great listens and fantastic contributions to the year in music nonetheless:

Girls - Album
- Picture the Beach Boys meets Jesus and Mary Chain. A true summer album, California-style.

Dan Auerbach - Keep it Hid
- singer of the Black Keys DELIVERS on his solo debut (and he MORE than delivered at his SIZZLING show at the Majestic theatre!)

Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be?
- I'm a big fan of this guy, and he NAILED a radio-friendly, hilariously absurd acoustic slice of purple lemonade with this record. You can't not love it!

Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, The Commuter
- I was bummed when I heard Grandaddy were over. I am bummed no longer, because the heart beat of Grandaddy - Mr. Lytle - is back and his solo album is as good as anything Grandaddy has ever done. Ever hear the expression "The comfort in being sad"?
This is it - and he does it WITHOUT even being "emo".

Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
- certainly not for everyone, but this piano-playing gender bender has this brave, confident voice and truly deep lyrics...he's pouring with talent. I travelled to Toronto to see him/her perform this year, and it was a fascinating, touching show. His best yet.

PJ Harvey and John Parish - A Man A Woman Walked By
- This one kind of just came out of the blue. I loved their duo album back in 1996 - Dance Hall at Louse Point - and this one is a bit more solemn but every bit as beautiful. Her best work in a long, long time - since the 1990s.

Raveonettes - In and Out of Control
- Ronnie Spector meets the Kills! Just an AWESOME listen. Picture Metric on acid! So much fun!

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
- again with the Phil Spector/girl group vibe...it seems Amy Winehouse really started something with that sound. Camera Obscura take that vibe to a whole new level though, on this album. My biggest concert regret of the year is MISSING this band at the Crofoot. DANG IT! Maybe next year.

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes
- Like the Polyphonic Spree meets Arcade Fire. Awesomely fun.

Susanna Hoffs & Matthew Sweet - Under the Covers vol. 1
- all covers of 70s songs - from the Raspberries to Carly Simon to Yes to Mott the Hoople to John Lennon to Big Star. And they treat each song with SUCH respect...it's a wonderful re-invention of some insanely cool classic prog rock and pop songs from almost 40 years back!

The Breeders - Fate to Fatal (EP)
- only an EP - but genius. Saw them twice this year - once at the Crofoot in Pontiac - and it was such a great show, I hopped in my car and drove 5 hours to Toronto to see them AGAIN the very next night! They DO NOT disappoint and Kim Deal is a GENIUS.

Hope Sandoval - Through the Devil Softly
- It's not Mazzy Star. But the good thing: I wasn't expecting Mazzy Star. That's coming for 2010 though. Instead, we get Hope's warm, inviting, lonely voice accompanied by these beautiful, sparkling acoustic guitars.

White Denim - Fits
- psychedelic and addictive - all the songs bleed into one another...this one SHOULD have been released in the 70s, but frankly - I'm just glad it's out now! Good music NEVER goes out of style - and this band made an album that sounds like it's being beamed from outerspace from a time machine back in 1974. Except it was made in 2009.

St. Vincent - Actor
- Such an addictive listen. Goldfrapp meets Imogen Heap...but of course, that's not doing it justice. It's a beautiful listen, and the song Black Rainbow was a MUST for me on many a playlist/mix cd this year.

The Warlocks - The Mirror Explodes
- a little bit like Led Zeppelin, a little bit like Jesus and Mary Chain. I'm a junkie for psychedelic music, I really am. And this record - it's a great fix. A listening tip: Listen with headphones!

Muse - The Resistance
- so much buzz about this band, I was worried. At times it reminds me of ...Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals album meets...I don't know...Orbital or Goldfrapp's Black Cherry record. Political undertones...they'd be great with Kings of Leon. Again - a VERY slick (almost tooo slick) sound...but pretty smart lyrics. I think they listened to lots of Depeche Mode back in the day.

Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
- This reminds me of Bowie...and I'm obsessed with Bowie. A little bit Franz Ferdinand too. And the Killers. And T Rex. Glam rock meets new wave. That's right up my alley. There's no way I couldn't NOT like this one.

William Elliot Whitmore - Animals in the Dark
- he opened up for City and Colour at Riverfest last January...his voice sounds like he's been gargling whiskey and chain smoking Marlboro's, but it's husky, midnight MAGIC! A great night time listen...but it's FAR from mellow.

Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms
- reminds me of everyone from Nick Drake to Antony to Hayden. Really interesting stuff on this album. Wacky noises followed by Regina Spektor-style pianos and the quirky lyrics to match.

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
- He's Lou Barlow! this one is loud, but I've always been a fan! I was just geeked to see Dinosaur Jr. back at it!
Looking forward to his new solo record, still haven't listened to that one.

Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
I'm a late bloomer in the Decemberists department. Oddly - I am hearing lots of negative feedback about this one, but I love the concept, it's a small symphony, a story...medieval pop with insanely powerful vocals. I would KILL to see this performed somewhere like the Fox theatre.

Those are my stand-out favorite albums of 2009, although I am sure I am missing a few.
Which albums caught YOUR attention this year?

- dan macdonald.