1. TOP 3 ALBUMS OF 2009

Micachu and The Shapes - Jewellery
Blue Roses - s/t
Super Furry Animals - Dark Days Light Years

2. TOP 3 SONGS OF 2009

Blue Roses - 'I Am Leaving'
La Roux - 'In For The Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix)'
Arctic Monkeys - 'Cornerstone'

3. WORST ALBUM OF 2009

Probably between U2, Wavves and Flaming Lips.

4. BEST CONCERT OF 2009

Blur at Glastonbury

5. WORST CONCERT OF 2009

n/a

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2009

Universal, cross acceptance across many publications for the XX, akin to Portishead in 1994.

7. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2009

People thinking that The Flaming Lips album isn't an overlong, boring heap of shit.

8. COMEBACK OF 2009

Blur

10. THREE TO WATCH IN 2010

Washed Out
Beth Jeans Houghton
First Aid Kit

1. TOP 3 ALBUMS OF 2009
Fever Ray
The XX
Wild Beast - Two Dancers

2. TOP 3 SONGS OF 2009
Dirty Projectors - Stillness is The Move
Fever Ray - Keep The Streets Empty For Me
The Antlers - Bear

3. WORST ALBUM OF 2009
There probably is much worse out there (I mean, didn't Black Eyes Peas release an album this year ?) but the worst I listened to is clearly Muse - The Resistance
Well... I don't know which one I would pick if I had to choose to hear between Sunn O))), Wavves and Muse to be honest

4. BEST CONCERT OF 2009
Blur @ Hyde Park

5. WORST CONCERT OF 2009
The Pixies @ Paris, Zénith. Advice for any band live : don't make a concert if you clearly don't want to play, don't sing songs you obviously hate playing, don't play in a band when you can not stand each other

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2009
I would go for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I did not like Fever to Tell much and really disliked the 2nd, so quite a good surprise that I enjoy It's Blitz
Oh ! Orelsan too, I expected a shitty hip-hop album with pathetic lyrics and it ended very well produced, with some great gimmicks and wittier lyrics than expected

7. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2009
The whole Benicassim festival (except Wave Pictures and 2 Many DJs)
Jay-Z, YACHT, Grizzly Bear, Arctic Monkeys, Girls, Dizzee Rascal...

8. COMEBACK OF 2009
Built to Spill, discrete come back but it was clearly their best album since There is Nothing Wrong With Love

9. I WANNA GROW UP & BE JUST LIKE...
Josh Homme (or Dave Grohl... well, even John Paul Jones would be great)!

10. THREE TO WATCH IN 2010
I'm never aware of bands before they release an album so :
Beastie Boys, Vampire Weekend, LCD Soundsystem

1. TOP 3 ALBUMS OF 2009
1. XX
2. Fever Ray
3. DM Stith - Heavy Ghost
Saint Dymphna (2008) by Gang Gang Dance was better than any of those. I got that album in early January.

2. TOP 3 SONGS OF 2009
1. Animal Collective - Into the Flowers
2. Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is the Move
3. Fever Ray - Keep the Streets Empty for Me

3. WORST ALBUM OF 2009
I'm sure I haven't heard that. The biggest disappointment was definitely Air - Love 2.

4. BEST CONCERT OF 2009
TV on the Radio

5. WORST CONCERT OF 2009
Underwater Sleeping Society
I've seen a lot of concerts this year and I've liked most of them. Underwater Sleeping Society wasn't that bad either but I had seen that day enough concerts (8 in a row) and they played too loud (I've forgotten my earplugs).

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2009
I was also surprised how much I liked new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album.

7. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2009
Air - Love 2

8. COMEBACK OF 2009
-
9. I WANNA GROW UP & BE JUST LIKE...
-
10. THREE TO WATCH IN 2010
Liars
Björk
Vampire Weekend

Ah Built To Spill. Forgot about that album, but still, they are comeback of the year. I agree about Flaming Lips, and I don't see it making many waves at the end of the year.

1. TOP 3 ALBUMS OF 2009
It’s Blitz
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2. TOP 3 SONGS OF 2009
Pass.
3. WORST ALBUM OF 2009
Search me. My top 3, above, constitutes over half of the new releases I bought this year (5).
4. BEST CONCERT OF 2009
Phoenix @ ACL.
5. WORST CONCERT OF 2009
Walkmen @ ACL.
6. BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2009
White Lies.
7. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2009
The number of people I know who think it’s funny/ironic to like Lady Ga Ga.
8. COMEBACK OF 2009
Me. I’ve actually listened to (just) enough music that I feel I can contribute to this thread. I listened to more current music in ’09 than in any year since…I’ll say 1995.
9. I WANNA GROW UP & BE JUST LIKE...
…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.
10. THREE TO WATCH IN 2010
Damon Albarn is doing the work of at least three people at the moment—a Gorillaz album, a new side project with Flea and Tony Allen, an opera with Alan Moore, a Blur documentary, and possibly gearing up to be artistic director of the 2012 London Olympics. So I’ll just say him.

Ggggiddy-up.
“Wood, Jerry…wood.”

1. TOP 3 ALBUMS OF 2009
Prefab Sprout - "Let's change the world with music"
Paul Steel - "Moon rock"
David Mead - "Almost and always"

2. TOP 3 SONGS OF 2009
Prefab Sprout - "Earth: the story so far"
The Leisure Society - "A matter of time"
Lamar Holley - "Pretend that she's ugly"

3. WORST ALBUM OF 2009
Not the "worst of 2009", just the "worst of the 2009 records I've purchased" : Circulatory System - "Signal morning"

4. BEST CONCERT OF 2009
Camera Obscura (twice !)

5. WORST CONCERT OF 2009
I never go to concerts of artists I don't like

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2009
I'd never believed that there would be a Prefab Sprout release this year and that this record would be my #1.

7. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2009
Phoenix
United > Alphabetical > It's never been like that > Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I just don't understand all the hype around their last album while nobody didn't give them attention at the time of their first album "United" (a masterpiece, a perfect pop record) in 2000.

8. COMEBACK OF 2009
Cheap Trick !!!

9. I WANNA GROW UP & BE JUST LIKE...
Paul McCartney
I've been to his concert yesterday in Paris. This 67 year old guy just kills me.

10. THREE TO WATCH IN 2010
I've got great expectations for these :
Midlake
Hot Chip
The Red Button / Seth Swirsky

It's funny how a billionaire who wears a suit is cooler than anybody else in rock and roll.

1. TOP 3 ALBUMS OF 2009
Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion
Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca
Fever Ray- Fever Ray
Honorable Mention: Antlers- Hospice

2. TOP 3 SONGS OF 2009
Fever Ray- If I Had a Heart
Dirty Projectors-Stillness is the Move
The Antlers- Bear

3. WORST ALBUM OF 2009
Bruce Springsteen- Working on a Dream

4. BEST CONCERT OF 2009
The Antlers. It was beautiful.

5. WORST CONCERT OF 2009
Atlas Sound, not so bad as much as it was my least favorite

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2009
Tune-Yards: The BEST opening act i've ever seen. Opened for the Dirty Projectors, go see them if you can.

7. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2009
Green Day: they released an album.

8. COMEBACK OF 2009
Flaming Lips

9. I WANNA GROW UP & BE JUST LIKE...
Avey Tare

10. THREE TO WATCH IN 2010
Panda Bear
Sufjan Stevens?
TV on the Radio?

1. TOP 3 ALBUMS OF 2009
White Denim - Fits
Animal Collective - MPP
BLK JKS - After Robots

2. TOP 3 SONGS OF 2009
Animal Collective - My Girls
Florence + The Machine - Kiss With A Fist
Bruce Peninsula - Steamroller

3. WORST ALBUM OF 2009
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown

4. BEST CONCERT OF 2009
TV On The Radio/Dirty Projectors

5. WORST CONCERT OF 2009
Didn't see any I didn't at least like a little

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2009
Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers

7. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2009
Neko Case

8. COMEBACK OF 2009
Flaming Lips

9. I WANNA GROW UP & BE JUST LIKE...
Dylan. I want to be 70 and still put the youngsters to shame.

10. THREE TO WATCH IN 2010
Joanna Newsom
Arcade Fire
Sufjan Stevens

1. TOP 3 ALBUMS OF 2009
Yusef - Roadsinger
William Elliott Whitmore - Animals In The Dark
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul

3. WORST ALBUM OF 2009
Of those I listened to: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2009
Mandy Moore's surprisingly good "Amanda Leigh"

7. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2009
The Flaming Lips

8. COMEBACK OF 2009
Cat Stevens/Yusef's second "return to pop music" album is, at worst, equal to anything he made in his prime.

9. I WANNA GROW UP & BE JUST LIKE...
Tom Waits

10. THREE TO WATCH IN 2010

oh my god i want to add The Horrors' Primary Colors to my list of top 3 of the year. i just got it and love it.

TOP 3 ALBUMS OF 2009

1. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics | Inspiration Information
2. Tinariwen | Imidiwan: Companions
3. Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of The Radio Age

TOP 3 SONGS OF 2009

Long songs:
1. Sunn 0))) | Alice
2. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics | Anglo Ethio Suite
3. James Blackshaw | Cross

Short songs:
1. The Roots | How I Got Over
2. Phoenix | Lisztomania
3. Big Boi feat. Gucci Mane | Shine Blockas

WORST ALBUM OF 2009

(Most disappointing) Grizzly Bear | Veckatimest

BEST CONCERT OF 2009

(Only one I saw, but great) Bruce Springsteen, United Center (played Born to Run in its entirety)

WORST CONCERT OF 2009

n/a - I have kids and don't get out much

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2009

Near-universal acclaim for Animal Collective; I always thought they would stay somewhat fringe

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2009

IMO, no classic albums released in pop/rock genre (and I listened to a lot of 'em)

COMEBACK OF 2009

Mulatu Astatke

I WANNA GROW UP & BE JUST LIKE...

My kids

THREE TO WATCH IN 2010

1. Stock market
2. Unemployment reports
3. Final season of "Lost"