2. The Avett Brothers, I and Love and You
This was a tough one because I really love this album and it could've easily held the number 1 spot, but here it is at 2.
The Avett Brothers hold a special place in my heart and my father’s, mother’s, sister’s, best friend’s, girlfriend’s and...well, you get the point. We have all seen them live and that is all it took to get us hooked. Even if you haven’t heard a single song from this Concord, North Carolina band, go see their energetic romp of a live show and you will quickly be on a mad dash to collect their entire catalogue.
The band consists of brothers, Seth (guitar, vocals) and Scott (banjo, vocals) Avett, Bob Crawford (bass) and the most recent addition, Joe Kwon (cello). The main focus of The Avett Brothers is their harmonies. The siblings were blessed with some pipes and they display a range that goes from tender ballads to screaming rockers. I and Love and You is their first major label release and was overseen by super-producer, Rick Rubin. This album sees the Avetts abandoning their traditional banjo, guitar and standup bass to explore more unchartered territory. Pianos, guitars, drums and rock bass are strong presences on their 12th album (there are 2 live discs and a few EPs included in that number).
What makes the Avetts impossible to dislike are their straightforward, emotionally packed lyrics. These guys wear their hearts on their sleeves and I love them all the more for it. While I and Love and You may stray from their usual sound, the emotions are present in full force. Listening to this album makes you feel something and isn’t that why we love music? We want the artist to take us to another place or make us feel a certain emotion. The Avetts take us to this other place and evoke emotions of love gone wrong, belonging, regret and newfound hope in 13 songs. The title track “I and Love and You” is the best song of the year and The Avett Brothers are my band of the year. This is an album that you listen to in its entirety and then you do the same thing again and again because the ride is so worth it.
Listening to this album walking through the airport will make you feel like a badass.* Living up to it's lofty title, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is a masterfully composed album. Definitely the most "pop" album on my list, the band from France delivers 10 precise, well crafted songs. Frontman Thomas Mars' vocals provide the cohesion for most of the tracks, but the instrumentation is what makes this album special. Tight drums, innovative guitar licks, and atmospheric synths make this the album The Strokes wish they could still make. 
Ed Sharpe's live show got him on this list. I enjoyed every song that I heard from the album prior to seeing his live show, but after the experience of seeing Ed Sharpe in concert, this album catapulted into my top ten. Seeing these songs performed in person with such energy and.... joy gave me reason to revisit the album, and I'm glad I did. Combining the "freak folk" charm of Devendra Banhart, and the communal (some may say cultish) aesthetic of artists like Flaming Lips and Polyphonic Spree, Ed Sharpe and his 10 piece band of psychedelic musicians deliver a powerful album of handclaps, horns, and jangly guitar.
With their debut effort, San Francisco's Girls have created a rare album that at once pays homage to a bygone era, while at the same time breaking new ground. The most obvious comparison here is early Beach Boys, but frontman Christopher Owens channels everyone from Roy Orbison to Elliot Smith. While Owens vocals surely aren't for everyone, they perfectly compliment the 12 tracks here. Album is at once hazy and focused, meandering and on target, making it one of the best debut albums of 2009.
