Best of 2009 (Indie Rock)

1. 

   1. Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

   It’s hardly a revelation at this stage that Grizzly Bear had a good year in 2009. When a Brooklyn psych-folk act makes the Billboard Top 10 (we’re not kidding), that’s news. But i...read more

2. 

   2. Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

   Only French people could do something so clearly unoriginal and yet make it seem perfectly right and natural and cool. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix sounded best during the warm months, but it’s a...read more

3. 

   3. St. Vincent: Actor

   St. Vincent (Annie to her family, the Clarks) returned this year to prove her debut was no fluke. On Actor, Clark leads with her cute, pointy chin, updating the ambitiously composed songs that made...read more

4. 

   4. Dinosaur Jr.: Farm

   It is very rare that a band returns from a 16-year hiatus and makes as much of an impact as Dinosaur Jr. have since reforming. Granted, J Mascis never went anywhere in the interim, but truth be tol...read more

5. 

   5. Bat for Lashes: Two Suns

   Everyone who fell under the spell of UK hippie-goth siren Natasha Khan’s 2007 debut, Fur and Gold, had the same worry: Would the attention paid to it (and its not very unattractive creator) s...read more

6. 

   6. The Antlers: Hospice

   Blog-rock of the most adorable stripe, the Antlers’ Hospice — originally self-released before being plucked by French Kiss and becoming a genuine indie hit — is full of highly ant...read more

7. 

   7. Here We Go Magic: s/t

   What’s in a name? Here We Go Magic is the new nom de musique employed by indie singer-songwriter Luke Temple, whose previous work was solid if a bit unremarkable. Things have changed: The reb...read more

8. 

   8. Sonic Youth: The Eternal

   Sonic Youth’s return to the indie ranks resulted in no major changes from their previous song album, 2006’s Rather Ripped. The Eternal still features lots of moody mid-tempo grooves; the text...read more

9. 

   9. Camera Obscura: My Maudlin Career

   Scot-pop outfit Camera Obscura is one of the few bands to whom we’ll give a pass on making the same record a coupla-few times. Which is good, because My Maudlin Career, the group’s four...read more

10. 

    10. Cymbals Eat Guitars: Why There Are Mountains

    Fans of canonical indie-rock: If you haven’t already hupped to it with Cymbals Eat Guitars in the wake of the notice Pitchfork gave to this album, well, it’s not too late. This scattere...read more

11. 

    11. M. Ward: Hold Time

    Matt Ward is one of those characters who does things in such an understated manner that it’s easy to forget just how jaw-droppingly talented he is. M. Ward’s seventh album, Hold Time, w...read more

Tags: anthemic , art-rock , country , emo , ethereal , folk , guitar , indie , noise , pop , post-punk , rock , singer-songwriter , solo , williamsburg