5. Journal For Plague Lovers
Manic Street Preachers
Columbia
14 years after his disappearance, the final lyrics of Richey Edwards were put to sound on an album that mirrored 1994's The Holy Bible. Noise-nick Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies) brought back the inner daemons (and punks) of Wire, Bradfield and Moore, post-punk guitar replacing the arena-sized anthems of the Manics sans Richey. One of their finest and most heartfelt moments.
4. Merriweather Post Pavillion
Animal Collective
Domino
Eight albums in and Baltimore sometime-quartet Animal Collective brought sampling and 90's superclub euphoria into a terrific blend of experimental pop. Their most accessible yet, Merriweather... roped in all the genre-hopping references of past efforts (psychedelia, tribal chants to name but two) on a record of pulsating bliss.
3. It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Interscope
With guitarist Nick Zinner stocking up on guitar pedals that sounded suspiciously like synths ahead of the recording of YYY's third full-lenght LP, many a fan were wondering if the trio would abandon avant-punk for glitzy synth-rock. Although the singles might have suggested more of the latter, there were plenty of trademark Karen O-ccentricity for the blogosphere, not to mention a new-found knack for the conventional dancefloor-filler.
2. Lungs
Florence & The Machine
Island
One of the year's inescapable voices, Florence Welch tackled everything from ex-boyfriends to Greek mythology on her Mercury-nominated debut album. Possibly this year's most ambitious record, Lungs saw a collection of primal, sore and intoxicating arrangements being treated to one of the most iconic voices of the decade. An album of polar opposites. As a bonus, the inclusion of Kiss With A Fist on the soundtrack to the ultra-pink teen-flick Wild Child was probably one of the oddest choices of the year.
Click here to listen to Florence & The Machine
1. West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Kasabian
RCA/Columbia
Kaiser Chiefs once claimed to be the ones stealing the torch from Oasis, but it was Leicester quartet Kasabian who with their third album crowned themselves candidates for bringing the spirit of the Gallaghers into the next decade. Fusing their own brand of psychedelia with the swagger that defined their eponymous debut album, West Ryder...is the most eclectic in Kasabian catalogue, and in addition to the crowd-smart anthems of Vlad The Impaler and Underdog, they found in Fire possibly one the decade's best mixtures of rock and dance.
Q's Top 50 Albums 2009: Introduction
The countdown...
Q's 50 Best Albums of 2009: 50 - 41
Q's 50 Best Albums of 2009: 40 - 31
Q's 50 Best Albums of 2009: 30 - 21
Q's 50 Best Albums of 2009: 20 - 11
Q's 50 Best Albums of 2009: 10 - 6
Q's 50 Best Albums of 2009: 5 - 1
Also check out Q's Top Albums 2009 - Individual Staff Picks
1:16 PM | 10/12/2009
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User Comments
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Wait, wait, wait. Cheryl Cole (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and Mika made it into this list...but Bombay Bicycle Club didn't?! Fail.
Posted by Daniel at 12:44 PM | 23/12/2009 | Report Abuse
But Editors? What happened to Editors? Why did you forget Editors? Why? Why? What have they done to deserve this?
Posted by Mariann at 1:00 PM | 23/12/2009 | Report Abuse
But Editors? What happened to Editors? Why did you forget Editors? Why? Why? What have they done to deserve this?
Posted by Mariann at 1:01 PM | 23/12/2009 | Report Abuse
what about RÖYKSOPP with Junior??????????????
Posted by Martin at 2:18 AM | 24/12/2009 | Report Abuse
Watching Kasabian play Vlad the Impaler at Wembley was the best moment of my year :)
A Number 1 album well deserved!
Posted by George-O at 8:52 AM | 25/12/2009 | Report Abuse
NO CRIBS???
get your self an education you ignorant fools.
Posted by Stu-pot C at 4:53 PM | 26/12/2009 | Report Abuse
*thinks the same as Daniel* Epic fail, that is.
Posted by Nina at 8:18 PM | 28/12/2009 | Report Abuse
wot no telekinensis you clothe eared jackasses!!!where is your cedibility when you include the likes of cheyl cole? i know where my money would be if it were a true readers poll telekinesis every time i,d venture
Posted by kenneth roger lermyte at 9:53 PM | 28/12/2009 | Report Abuse
Them Crooked Vultures? Or was that album not good? I'm a Josh Homme fan so I have a strong bias about it
Posted by evan at 6:48 AM | 31/12/2009 | Report Abuse
WHERE are the xx? That is probably the album of the year, never mind not even being in the top 50! Terrible omission
Posted by Tom at 5:20 PM | 03/01/2010 | Report Abuse
Well, apart from the lack of Franz ferdinand, and the fact that Muse should probably be highter up, and Florence & the machine could have been a bit lower, its pretty spot on!
Posted by Alex at 11:23 AM | 05/01/2010 | Report Abuse
los felicito el rankin esta muy bueno y quisiera q me manden lo ultimo q esta sonando verdaderamente son unos campeones gracias.
Posted by carlos alberto tovar gutierrez at 11:38 PM | 23/04/2010 | Report Abuse
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