Every year, there are always the one or two stand-out albums that everyone drools over in November/December as they write their “Best of” lists. Is it just me or are there no stand-outs this year? 2006 was the year of TV on the Radio’s Return to Cookie Mountain, 2007 belonged to M.I.A.’s Kala and Panda Bear’s Person Pitch – the lists of this year seem to be torn and without consensus. Number 1′s have ranged from She & Him’s Volume One to Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Carter III. Have we finally entered a year of diverse taste and differing opinions or was there just nothing too amazing released this year? Either way, my list is no where near the same as NME’s or Blender’s; not even similar to my fellow writers’ – but here’s what I honestly thought were thirteen of the year’s best records (in no particular order – I, too, am very indecisive).

• The Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns
• Woodhands – Heart Attack
• Jamie Lidell – Jim
• Land of Talk – Some Are Lakes
• She and Him – Volume One
• Department of Eagles – In Ear Park
• Hooded Fang – E.P.
• Chad Vangaalen – Soft Airplane
• Islands – Arm’s Way
• Laura Barrett – Victory Garden
• Plants and Animals – Parc Avenue
• Winter Gloves – About A Girl
• The Dears – Missiles
• Mother Mother – O My Heart

I thought I’d cut to the chase and just give a simple list as I’ve either talked about the following artists enough throughout the year or you’ve read enough of it elsewhere. So here, this is what I loved.

In addition, here are a thirteen of my favourite singles from the past year (that are not from my top albums, just to be fair)

• Lykke Li – “Breaking it Up”
• Britney Spears – “Womanizer”
• The Bicycles – “Oh No, It’s Love”
• Bon Iver – “Skinny Love”
• Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning – “Churches Under the Stairs”
• The Duke Spirit – “The Step and The Walk”
• Final Fantasy – “The Butcher”
• Flight of the Conchords – “Inner City Pressure”
• Little Boots – “Stuck on Repeat”
• Noah and the Whale – “5 Years Time”
• Of Montreal – “Id Engager”
• Santogold – “Creator”
• Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains – “I Hate My Friends”

If you haven’t listened to any of the following albums or singles, I suggest you get cracking on that right now!

Happy listening in ’09!

Musically,
Melody