My Favorite Music of 2009

I presume no expertise on the "best" music released last year; here are the albums, songs & concerts I liked the most. In order, somewhat:

Top 8 Albums of 2009 (I couldn't make it to 10)

1. Grizzly Bear "Veckatimest"
2. Peter Wolf Crier "Inter-Be"
3. Megafaun "Gather, Form and Fly"
4. Volcano Choir "Unmap"
5. Dead Weather "Horehound"
6. Other Lives "Other Lives"
7. Laarks "An Exaltation of Laarks"
8. Dawes "North Hills"


Top 20 Songs of 2009 (excluding songs from the above albums)

1. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes "Home"
2. Elvis Perkins in Dearland "Shampoo"
3. Passion Pit "Sleepyhead"
4-5. Phoenix "1901" & "Lisztomania"
6. Grizzly Bear (with Victoria Legrand) "Slow Life"
7. Bon Iver & St. Vincent "Rosyln"
8. White Rabbits "Percussion Gun"
9. Bowerbirds "Northern Lights"
10. St. Vincent "Marrow"
11. Lady Gaga "Just Dance"
12-13. Bon Iver "Beach Baby" & "Blood Bank"
14-15. Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Dull Life" & "Heads Will Roll"
16. Wavves "So Bored"
17. The Big Pink "Velvet"
18. Bon Iver "Brackett, WI"
19. Junior Boys "Parallel Lines"
20. Manchester Orchestra "I've Got Friends"


Top 15 Concerts of 2009

1. Grizzly Bear/ Beach House @ First Ave (9/30)
2. Megafaun @ the Cedar (9/15)
3. Tallest Man on Earth @ the Turf (4/2 & 6/1)
4. Justin Vernon @ Eau Clair Memorial High School (4/19)
5. Peter Wolf Crier @ the Cedar (11/24)
6. The Kills @ First Ave (5/11)
7. Other Lives @ 7th Street Entry (6/19)
8. The Dead Weather/ Screaming Females @ First Ave (7/27)
9. Phoenix @ First Ave (9/22)
10. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros/Local Natives @ the Varsity (11/29)
11. Elvis Perkins/ Other Lives @ the 400 Bar (5/2)
12. Dirty Curls/ Peter O'Tooles @ Minneapolis Theater Garage (12/13)
13. Mogwai @ First Ave (5/10)
14. Laarks @ the Kitty Cat Klub (12/18)
15. Bowerbirds/ Megafaun @ 7th Street Entry (7/21)

Honorable Mentions: Those Darlins, Roma di Luna, Andrew Bird, and that band I saw at a house party in Minneapolis in the wee hours of New Year's Day 2009