Fave Fifty Of 2009

The beautifully crafted To Be Still album by Portland singer/songwriter Alela Diane topped my list of 2009's superb spins. 

Putting together a list of my top recordings wasn't something I was planning to do. But when a number of people asked whether they could expect any best-ofs from me, I started thinking about all the amazing stuff that came out this year. Here are the first 50 that came to mind...

1. Alela Diane - To Be Still (Rough Trade)
2. Blakroc - Blakroc (Blakroc Project)
3. Dengue Fever - Sleepwalking Through The Mekong (M80)
4. Eleni Mandell - Artificial Fire (Zedtone)
5. Wooden Shjips - Dos (Holy Mountain)
6. Tandy Love & Mad Smooth - Anagram Jam (Finders Keepers)
7. Jenny Wilson - Hardships! (Gold Medal)
8. Oumou Sangare - Seya (World Circuit)
9. Masada Quintet featuring Joe Lovano - Stolas - Book Of Angels Vol. 12 (Tzadik)
10. Indigo Jam Unit - Collectivity (Basis)
11. El Michels Affair - Enter The 37th Chamber (Fat Beats)
12. Henry Threadgill Zooid - This Brings Us To, Vol. 1 (Pi)
13. DOOM - Born Like This (Lex)
14. Giallos Flame - Euro Slash EP (2600)
15. Mos Def - The Ecstatic (Downtown)
16. People Under The Stairs - Carried Away (Om)
17. Nostalgia 77 - Sessions featuring Keith & Julie Tippett (Tru Thoughts)
18. Yeti #8 mix (yetipublishing.com)
19. KRS-One and Buckshot - Survival Skills (Duck Down)
20. Budos Band - The Budos Band EP (Daptone)
21. sun O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions (Southern Lord)
22. James Blackshaw - The Glass Bead Game (Young God)
23. The Flatlanders - Hills and Valleys (New West)
24. Handsome Family - Honey Moon (Carrot Top)
25. Diana Panton Trio + 1 - Pink (www.dianapanton.com)
26. Dexateens - Singlewide (Skybucket)
27. The Strange Boys - And Girls Club (In The Red)
28. Fever Ray - Fever Ray (Rabid)
29. Dam Funk - Toeachizown (Stones Throw)
30. Timo Lassy - Round Two (Ricky Tick)
31. Buika with Chucho Valdes - El Ultimo Trago (Warner)
32. John Doe & The Sadies - Country Club (Yep Roc)
33. Lisa O Piu - When This Was The Future (Subliminal Sounds)
34. Lee Fields - My World (Truth & Soul)
35. The Bats - Don't You Rise EP (Slumberland)
36. Lickin' Good Fried - Say Uncle! (Rooster Sandwich)
37. Cate Le Bon - Me Oh My (Irony Bored)
38. Dave Alvin - Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women (Yep Roc)
39. Nat Birchall - Akhenaten (Gondwana)
40. Muskox - Five Pieces (Standard Form)
41. Isla Craig - Isla Craig & The Continental Drift (zunior.com)
42. Buddy & Julie Miller - Written In Chalk (New West)
43. Audie Darling - Full Of Ghosts (One Shoe Rooster)
44. Ty Segall - Lemons (Goner)
45. Catherine MacLellan - Water In The Ground (True North)
46. Ian Blurton - Happy Endings (Sir Ian Blurton)
47. Brown Bird - The Devil Dancing (Peapod)
48. Sharon Van Etten - Because I Was In Love (Language Of Stone)
49. Gareth Dickson - Collected Recordings (Drifting Falling)
50. Wizard Smoke - Live Rock In Hell (Wizard Smoke)