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Everyone around here knows that Dan is the music-ologist of the group. His recent 100 songs of 2009 post will no doubt be inspiring me throughout 2010. But while spending some time with his list, I realized that the way we experienced music this year was really different. Which is funny, because Dan is the guy I spoke to about music the most this past year.

So, in an effort to show an alternative view of the music world, I present my favorite albums of the past year. There are a couple key differences between our lists that reflect our different listening styles:

• These albums weren’t necessarily released in 2009, but albums I discovered in 2009. I’m not a “new music” searcher, I just kinda stumble upon stuff haphazardly throughout the year.
• These are albums, not singles or tracks. Ironically, I left the “singles” mentality during music’s transition to digital distribution. I’ll discover a song I like and I’ll need to hear the album.
• I’ve tried to keep it to one album per artist, but this was the year I found the Beatles. And I can’t just pick one Beatles album, dammit.
• I’ve tried to approximate what season I discovered the music in. It reflects how long the album has “been with me” – which (sometimes)  effected its position. It’s not anymore specific than that because I have the memory of a goldfish.
• I have a really obsessive relationship of album artwork – so you, dear reader, get to enjoy the fruits of my artwork searches.
• I’ve tried to post a link on the album in some form or fashion – note that some of them are obscure or prohibitively expensive. Sorry, I’ve got weird musical tastes.

20. Camille – Le Fil (Fall)

is featured on the fantastic Ratatouille soundtrack (which almost made this list). Turns out Camille can sing a lot more than French ballads about rat chefs. This album is young, energetic, and diverse. In short, a blast.

19. Asher Roth – Asleep In The Bread Aisle (Spring)

Quite possibly funnier than Kanye (especially THIS year). When the infectious single, “I Love College,” is the WORST track on the album, you know it’s good album.

18. Final Fantasy X – Piano Arrangements (Spring)

When I discovered Square Enix’s line of piano arrangements for their greatest games on iTunes, I knew I had to try this one out. When stripped down the bare essentials, FFX’s music is even more evocative.

17. Beirut – The Flying Club Cup (Spring)

Filled a musical need in my life I didn’t know I had. Russian carnie music brought down a notch. I can’t explain why, but I now regularly have the urge to be taken back. Flippin’ awesome.

16. k’naan – Troubadour (Fall)

Know I’m late on this one, but damn k’naan is brilliant. He’s got Somalian street cred, he’s unafraid to play with his music, and he’s constantly switching styles. This album will keep you on your toes.

15. Glee: The Music Vol. 1 & 2 (Fall)

It was fall, and Tim and Eric wouldn’t stop gushing about Glee. I figured if the D&D contingent of the office was getting excited over a high school musical, it was worth checking out. I was hooked from the first episode, and (bonus!) the music kicks all kinds of ass.

14. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Summer)

Like Beirut, I can’t quite put my finger on why I love these guys so much. It could be the awesome drum patterns. Maybe the toe-tapping baselines? Perhaps the brilliant album name? Let’s just chalk it up to all around awesome music.

13. (Fall)

One of my 2009 resolutions was to listen to the Beatles chronologically, giving each album time to “settle” in my brain. I caught Beatlemania by the first month. So when it came to this list, I limited myself to three Beatles albums. Then I couldn’t leave “Let It Be” out. I often wake up and go to sleep with “Dig a Pony” stuck in my head. In the same day.

12. YMCK – Family Genesis (Summer)

One of the best games on Nintendo’s mobile app store DSiWare, is “,” a puzzle game featuring astoundingly good remixes of 8-bit tunes. I discovered the music was composed by Japanese group YMCK and grabbed this album. It turns out when 8-bit musicians count Miles Davis and the Beatles among their musical inspiration… great things happen.

11. – Summer

The Beatles went absolutely everywhere with this album, the musical shotgun to Let It Be’s sniper rifle of mellow. And, as I learned this year in , sometimes the shotgun is the way to go.

10. Passion Pit – Chunk of Change LP (Spring)

I once opined “Sleepyhead” must be the song played at the gates of heaven. A couple (hundred) more plays of this track proves this analysis is absolutely correct. The rest of the LP can’t help but be infected by the sheer joy and energy of Sleepyhead.

9. John Lennon – Imagine (Winter)

As my Beatlemania started to subside, I started exploring the Fab Four’s solo work. I’ve gotten as far as one, this album, and it made the top 10 of my list. Jesus. Imagine gets this high with so few listens for being so damn schizophrenic whilst still maintaining brilliance. Lennon is all over the place here, and I love him for it.

8. Kanye West – 808s + Heartbreaks (Spring)

Kanye has certainly done a lot of dumb things, but 808s isn’t one of them. Ye’s risks on 808s took him in some amazing artistic places. Sarah may not agree, but I think Kanye is a better artist because of this album. Can’t wait to see where his post-college career takes us next.

7. Matt & Kim – Grand (Spring)

Addictingly earnest and optimistic. This is what happens when happy hipsters get together on bright, sunshine-y day, and rock out with reckless abandon. Happiness compressed into sound.

6. (Summer)

I wasn’t a believer at first. In fact, there was a time where I thought “She’s So Heavy” wasn’t a good song (I know, I know). But luckily, I came around to Abbey’s genius. The amazing transition after She’s So Heavy, the entire back half of the album, “The End.” This is the Beatles at their best.

5. (Summer)

A live recording of a concert by “The Big Band of Rouges,” who transformed a variety of Nintendo tunes into a big band set list with banjos, a live chorus, and a Japanese audience energetically singing along. There are just epic amounts of fun to be had here, even if you’re only slightly familiar with the source material.

4. Michael Jackson – Off the Wall (Fall)

After MJ died I started to explore his discology a little and found the gem that is Off the Wall. Every song on this album could be a single – and discovering each one was like find musical buried treasure. And seriously, where has the title track BEEN all my life?!

4. Major Lazer – Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do (Winter)

One day Eric sent me a (potentially NSFW) video for “Pon the Floor” and I was absolutely entranced. The way Major Lazer twisted the traditions of dance hall and reggae intrigued me. A listen confirmed it: This is my shake yo’ ass album of the year. It sounds unlike anything out there, but you’ll still want to dance from beginning to end. If you need more convincing, here’s Major Lazer’s backstory:

“Major Lazer is a fictional animated character, who (according to press releases) fought as a Jamaican commando and lost his arm in a secret zombie war in 1984. He fights vampires and various monsters, parties hard, and has a rocket-powered hoverboard.” Epic. Win.

2. The Very Best of Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers – Winter

This album hits me where it hurts. My soul. Sounds strange, I know, but there’s no other way to say it. Sam’s vocal strength is enough to take my breath away. But combined with the Stirrers here, their simplicity and power here will have even the staunchest non-believer standing up and giving praise to the musical gods. Do yourself a favor and check this out, now.

1. (Spring)

This certainly isn’t the best Beatles album, or the most diverse, or the most experimental. I love it the most this year for the sheer youth and enthusiasm at which the Beatles are doing what they do. Listening to this album is listening to four brilliant friends and the reckless fun they’re having. In a way, Please Please Me sums up my 2009 quite nicely. Not necessarily the greatest or most solid year, but damned if we didn’t put our all into it and had fun doing it.