Chloe's Top 10 Albums of 2009

As Eileen said, throughout this whole month each author will be proclaiming their love for the albums of 2009. As we are all interested in the same genre of music, there might be a little overlap, but hopefully we can each serve up a fresh dollop of musicy-goodness for your listening pleasure!

1. Alessi’s Ark – Notes From A Treehouse

There is only one way to describe the voice of front woman Alessi Laurent-Marke and that is dream-like. Each song is produced with the same soft vocals and light melodies and this over all makes the album beautiful to listen to. Although don’t be fooled, there is some upbeat songs such as ‘Over the Hill’ and ‘The Dog’, mixed with slower, more soulful tunes such as ‘Magic Weather’ and ‘Hummingbird’. Amazing.
MP3:Over The Hill [R]

2. Jamie T – Kings and Queens

Somehow Jamie T has managed to touch people from all different music tastes with his new album ‘Sticks and Stones’. Even my sister, who thinks N Dubbs is the new Mozart will happily put this one on repeat. So, what makes this masterpiece so diverse, so that your skinny jeans wearing indie kid and your gold hooped chav both playing the same songs? I can only guess and I think its because of Jamie T’s diversity, he does not fall into any category. ‘Sticks and Stones’ got a lot of airtime this year, but that is just the tip of the iceberg, after asking my sister what her favourite one on the album was she exclaimed ‘3698’.

3. Jewellery Quarter – The Twang

Charles will kill me for this, but I absolutely love The Twang and when I think of the summer of 2009, the song ‘Barney Rubble’ will be what pops into my mind. I played it on repeat throughout my whole holiday and then at the end of the summer saw them in concert—the lead singer Phil Etheridge actually winked at me, but that’s a story for another time. There are some amazing songs on there; obviously ‘Barney Rubble’, an ultimate party tune and ‘Twit Twoo’ which also features a slowed down remix called ‘Twit To Waltz’. As well as those there are songs which a little bit different, ‘Rainy Morning’ is simply a monologue over a basic melody which probably wouldn’t work without the thick Birmingham accent. Love it.

MP3: Barney Rubble [RS]

4.Lungs- Florence + The Machine

Whilst I still think that some of Florence’s original demo’s were much better then studio-edited versions, it would be a crime to say that this over all is not a good album. Florence Welch and her band have again managed to do what so many indie artists have failed to do and that is to touch the hearts of all of the nation whilst not really comprising their over all image. Songs like ‘Hurricane Drunk’ and ‘Cosmic Love’ still have that quirky sound and others such as ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’ and her version of ‘You’ve Got The Love’ managed to make their way into the Top 20, as well as our hearts and the album came in at number 2 respectively. (UK album and Singles Chart)

5. Two Suns – Bat For Lashes

I’ll keep this one short as Eileen has pretty much said it all. Bat for Lashes or Natasha Khan will have you wailing – because surely she’s the only one who can get that high? – her dreamy lyrics till the dogs start barking. Absolutely beautiful.

MP3: Glass [R]

6. Bomb in A Birdcage – A Fine Frenzy

I have already exclaimed my love for this album in my very first blog post here, but I am still willing to proclaim my love for this 11 song masterpiece from the rooftops even now months later.

7. Far – Regina Spektor

A very long time ago Eileen gave us a song by song review of this (find that here) and whilst, like all of Regina’s albums, it’s a little out there and not to everyones tastes, it has to appear on my list for the originality. Who doesn’t like a little dolphin/seal sounds anyway? ‘Folding Chair’ definitely provides for all our aquatic needs!

8. Love, Save The Empty – Erin McCarley

Whilst not being the most groundbreaking of albums on the list, Erin McCarley is a smooth-singing, acoustic guitar strumming mentionable artist. Songs like ‘Love, Save The Empty’ combine beautiful, sometimes heartbreaking lyrics with a melody that masks the pain behind the words. My favorite on the album is ‘Blue Suitcase’ is a metaphorical journey that’s definitely worth a listen.
MP3: Blue Suitcase [RS]

9. Conditions – The Temper Trap

The Temper Trap were first introduced to me after watching 500 Days Of Summer, the song ‘Sweet Disposition’ effected me so much (and my mum for that matter) I just had to download it. This is the kind of album which has me dancing around my room—with the curtains closed, obviously—and using as a little pick me up when I’m feeling down, songs like ‘Rest’ and ‘Solider On’ do the job nicely.

10. Battle Studies – John Mayer

The album of the month last month has also made its way to my top 10 list, I’ll keep this one brief too, as I’ve already talked about it. John Mayer manages to portray break up’s in this album beautifully, but for more information, just click here.

PS. Sorry there isn't a MP3 for everyone, I have ridiculously slow download speed.