We polled the music obsessives in the Bulletin newsroom for this list of our favorite discs of 2009:
David Allen, columnist: Regina Spektor, “Far”; Wussy, “Wussy”; Ray Davies, “The Kinks Choral Collection”; original soundtrack, “(500) Days of Summer”; Loudon Wainwright III, “High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project.”
Will Bigham, reporter: Cass McCombs, “Catacombs.”
Wendy Leung, reporter: The Dead Weather, “Horehound”; Peter Bjorn and John, “Living Thing”; DJ Quik & Kurupt, “BlaQKout”; David Gray, “Draw the Line.”
Liset Marquez, reporter: The xx, “xx”; the Avett Brothers, “I and Love and You”; The Horrors, “Primary Colours”; Fever Ray, “Fever Ray”; Zero 7, “Yeah Ghost”; Bat for Lashes, “Two Suns.”
Canan Tasci, reporter: Mayer Hawthorne, “A Strange Arrangement”; Grizzly Bear, “Veckatimest”; various artists, “Dark Was The Night”; Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard, “One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur.”
John Valenzuela, photographer: Neon Indian, “Psychic Chasms”; BlakRoc, “BlakRoc”; The Grouch & Eligh, “Say G and E!”; the xx, “xx”; NASA, “The Spirit of Apollo”; Dirty Projectors, “Bitte Orca”; 88 Keys, “The Death of Adam.”
Wes Woods, reporter/music writer: Raekwon, “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II”; Brother Ali, “Us”; the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “It’s Blitz!”; Beastie Boys, “Paul’s Boutique” reissue; UGK, “UGK 4 Life”; Kid Cudi, “Man on the Moon: The End of Day”; Jay Dilla, “Jay Stay Paid”; Animal Collective, “Merriweather Post Pavilion”; Phoenix, “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”; Grizzly Bear, “Veckatimest”; the xx, “xx.”
