It may feel a little early for this sort of thing, but we on the Amazon music team have pooled our collective knowledge and taste to determine the best music of 2009.
We spent 2009 soothed by Neko Case’s wail, moved to dance by Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ turn towards big beats, intrigued by Somali hip-hop Troubadour K’naan, and ready to hear three key words from neo-twangsters the Avett Brothers.
On the songs side, French popsters Phoenix went nutty for a composer and we went nutty for Phoenix. La Roux made us feel invincible, Jay-Z officially crushed an awful trend, and Passion Pit sent us reeling.
Voting with their wallets, our customers told us they really like U2, as it was both our bestselling CD and MP3 album of 2009. Black Eyed Peas also popped up in plenty of playlists, as they locked down the top two slots on our songs chart.
Every year, great albums slip through the cracks. This year, our editors wanted to save some from that unfair fate. We shine a spotlight on excellent underheard CD and MP3 albums across all genres, and we’ve even made a playlist featuring a single song from each record, so you can sample ‘til you find something you like.
Dig into the lists and see which lists line up most closely with your personal tastes:
Best Albums of 2009
- Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!
- Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
- the Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
- Girls - Album
- Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
- K’naan - Troubadour
- Jay-Z - Blueprint 3
- Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
> See all top 100 best albums of 2009
> See the list at Amazon MP3
Best Songs of 2009
- Phoenix - “Lisztomania”
- La Roux - “Bulletproof”
- Jay-Z - “D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)”
- Animal Collective - “My Girls”
- Neko Case - “People Got a Lotta Nerve”
- Passion Pit - “The Reeling”
- Girls - “Lust for Life”
- Grizzly Bear - “Two Weeks”
- The Avett Brothers - “I and Love and You”
- Lily Allen - “The Fear”
> See all top 100 best songs of 2009
> Sample songs 1-50
> Sample songs 51-100
Bestselling CDs of 2009 (through October, including pre-orders)
- U2 - No Line on the Horizon
- Susan Boyle - I Dreamed a Dream
- Diana Krall - Quiet Nights
- Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream
- Bob Dylan - Together through Life
> See all 100 bestselling CDs of 2009
Bestselling MP3 Albums of 2009 (through October)
- U2 - No Line on the Horizon
- Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
- Jay-Z - Blueprint 3
- Paramore - Brand New Eyes
- Lily Allen - The Fear
Bestselling Songs of 2009 (through October)
- Black Eyed Peas - “Boom Boom Pow”
- Black Eyed Peas - “I Gotta Feeling”
- Flo Rida - “Right Round”
- Miley Cyrus - “The Climb”
- Pitbull - “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho”
> See all 100 bestselling songs of 2009
> Sample songs 1-50
> Sample songs 51-100
Outstanding 2009 Albums You Might Have Missed
- Throw Me the Statue - Creaturesque
- Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band
- The Legends - Over and Over
- Lushlife - Cassette City
- Point Juncture, Wa - Heart to Elk
> See all 100 2009 albums you might have missed at Amazon MP3
> Sample songs from albums 1-50
> Sample songs from albums 51-100
Head over to our best music of 2009 store to find complete lists, plus the best in everything from Latin music to Gospel to comedy and all points between.
We’re aware there’s still a decent chunk of the year left. We’ll be adding a latecomers and honorable mentions feature over the next few weeks. Hit the comments, let us know what we missed, and perhaps it’ll make an appearance.
— Jeff Reguilon
