JK's Best of 2009

2009 was the hardest year of work, not surprisingly, that I've ever had. That's not necessarily a bad thing at all, I've been very fortunate, it's just an adjustment. Unfortunately, it's also meant that I haven't been able to keep up with this blog very often and I suppose that's unlikely to change either. Despite it all, I still managed to listen to a lot of music this year and the result was very promising. I can't say the same about live shows this year, aside from standouts such as Band of Horses/Arbouretum at Carnegie Hall and Dark Was the Night at Radio City, I witnessed a lot of good shows but few great ones. Hope lies ahead in 2010 with Yeasayer in January, home to Charlottesville to catch Drive-By Truckers with my dad, and Muse/Silversun Pickups at the Garden in March. Here were my favorites from '09:

Albums
20. Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti is...Skyscraper
19. Brakes - Touchdown
18. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
17. Fanfarlo - Reservoir
16. Various Artists - Dark Was The Night
15. ...Trail of Dead - The Century of Self
14. Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health
13. Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
12. Drummer - Feel Good Together
11. The Maccabees - Wall of Arms
10. The Antlers - Hospice
09. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
08. Them Crooked Vultures - s/t
07. Doves - Kingdom of Rust
06. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns
05. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
04. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
03. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
02. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
01. Grizzly Bear - Veckatamist

Songs
21. Suckers - It Gets Your Body Moving
20. The xx - Crystalised
19. Editors - Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
18. The Maccabees - No Kind Words
17. Monsters of Folk - Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)
16. Franz Ferdinand - Lucid Dreams
15. Arctic Monkeys - The Jeweller's Hands
14. Clues - Ledmonton
13. Them Crooked Vultures - No One Loves Me & Neither Do I
12. The Rural Alberta Advantage - The Ballad of the RAA
11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
10. Phoenix - 1901
09. White Rabbit - Percussion Gun
08. Grizzly Bear - While You Wait for the Others
07. Arbouretum - False Spring
06. Phoenix - Lisztomania
05. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Hysteric
04. The Flaming Lips - Worm Mountain
03. Passion Pit - Moth's Wings
02. Drummer - Mature Fantasy
01. Bon Iver - Brackett, WI

Update: I forgot one of my favorites so I'm making a last minute adjustment and adding Arbouretum...

EPs:
03. Suckers - Suckers EP
02. Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer
01. Puscifer - "C" Is for (Please Insert Sophomoric Genitalia Reference Here) EP

AV Club's Best Films of the '00s

I'm a sucker for these lists, especially when they come from sites that I have a lot of respect for. AV Club presents their list of the best films of the '00s, something that seems too overwhelming for me to attempt. Memento is my definitive favorite so it's nice to see that one come in at number 5. One thing that is clear is that I have not seen nearly enough of the films in the top 50.

Top 10:
10. Children Of Men (2006)
09. The New World (2005)
08. Capturing The Friedmans (2003)
07. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
06. Spirited Away (2001)
05. Memento (2000)
04. No Country For Old Men (2007)
03. There Will Be Blood (2007)
02. 25th Hour (2002)
01. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)