2009 is almost over, and that means we have to hurry up and post a bunch of shit before we all take 10-day-bender vacations with our family and friends.  With little fanfare I’ll kick off the year-end posts with a Believer and a shot of this habanero-infused vodka I’ve been working on.  And since I only post drunk, it makes sense for me to get my top-5 out of the way to make room for the heavy-hitters coming at you this week.

Hope you’re among the lucky that WON’T be traveling to the lands of ice and snow for the holidays – I’ll definitely be missing So-Cal.  And speaking of the weather, here’s my top five albums of the year…

1. Miike Snow – Miike Snow

Miike Snow – Song For No One

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I talked FRANK into going to San Diego with me for Street Scene; I was never much of a festival guy, but a friend from Phoenix was heading into SD, plus B lives there, so we hit the road.  Because FRANK was essentially going as a favor (we originally planned to go for only Friday, and we were going to leave Saturday morning early enough to play volleyball in Venice at 10am), I graciously anointed him the “Operator of Vehicular Ones and Twos”.  No less than 8 times during our trip I’d say to him, “So who is this?” and he’d reply, “This is Miike Snow, too.”  A month and a half later we saw them live in SF and I’ve had them on heavy repeat ever since.  It would take an album as great as Miike Snow’s for me to NOT post a rap album for my top album of the year, and so it is.

2. Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
Jay-Z – A Star is Born (featuring J-Cole)

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I wasn’t particularly excited for the new Jay, only because it’s seemed to be challenging for him to top the Black Album.  This is easily his best album since that one (or the Grey version, depending on your preference).  Jay talks about being the modern Elvis – and before seeing him at Pauley Pavilion at the beginning of this tour, I might have thought he was a little full of himself.  But after a couple hours of nothing-but-heaters, my mind is changed.

3. Chiddy Bang – The Swelly Express
Chiddy Bang – Get Up in the Morning

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I don’t know a single thing about Chiddy Bang except that I have been listening to it every day for a couple months.  More mixtapes please sirs.

4. K’Naan and J Period – The Messengers mixtapes
K’Naan – Hard Rain (Bob Dylan remix featuring J Period)

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Makes you wonder what would happen if hip hop was around in Dylan’s heyday.  The Fela Kuti tape is fantastic.

5. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
The Avett Brothers – Ten Thousand Words

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I won’t steal Bootsy’s thunder on this one.  Great album top-to-bottom.  High compliments that a second non-hip hop album made my top five; and this is the pure opposite of hip hop.