Best Ten Rock Alternative Albums of 2009

Each December I like to reflect on all of the music that got me to work nearly every week day of that year. My drive takes a half hour each way, so usually I listen to one CD on the way there, and another on the way back. If there's a really good CD, I won't take it out of the car stereo for several weeks. In 2008, that CD was Off with Their Heads by the Kaiser Chiefs.

This year I enjoyed many new CD releases, even though some of my favorite artists (Beck, Fountains of Wayne, Fratellis) did not record any material. Fortunately my musical tastes are varied enough so that other likable artists did come through this year.

I have narrowed my list to ten, and here are my favorite CDs of 2009.

10. Hold Time by M. Ward: For some reason its odd-numbered tracks are outstanding, especially "Epistemology." Overall the folk-like indie rock album has a comfortable, almost spiritual, ambience enhanced by Ward's clear, slightly off-center vocals.

9. Get Guilty by A.C. Newman: The solo album by the New Pornographers front man is an excellent pop record. There's an attractive blend of piano, electric guitar and even some brass to assist Newman's pleasant tenor and creative lyrics. The best track, "The Palace at 4:00 a.m.," is not a cover of a 2006 Jay Bennett song with the same title.

8. This Is by Young Fresh Fellows: Scott McCaughey's rock side project once again records a delightful album, with tracks such as "If You Believe in Cleveland" and "Lamp Industries." The most entertaining song, though, is the last, a clever spoof called "Ballad of the Bootleg."

7. For Crying Out Loud by Scott Miller and the Commonwealth: Miller has never disappointed me, consistently turning out indie rock albums with a great country appeal. Once again his lyrics waver between broken relationships ("Heart in Harm's Way"), political statements ("Sin in India"), and character sketches ("Double Indemnity").The best track by far is the acoustic "Appalachian Refugee," its quiescent anger just waiting to erupt.

6. Blue Lights on the Runway by Bell X1: The band's second album is sprinkled with just enough guitar work to make electronica appealing. There are catchy allusions throughout the lyrics, from Wile E. Coyote to Of Mice and Men. My favorite track compares a girl picking a wedgie to someone playing a "One String Harp."

5.Rhett Miller: The Old 97s vocalist sounds just as good here as he does on the band's alt-country albums. The music is catchy, and the lyrics all offer pieces of life. The best track is "I need to Know Where I Stand," which places Miller doing stand-up in a comedy club and lying on the couch of a mental therapist.

4. Hombre Lobo by The Eels: I admit it is not the masterpiece that was Blinking Lights, but this CD is still better than all but three others released this year. The mainly dark lyrics are backed by rhythms that bounce from rockers to blues to mellow whisperings. The best track is Beginner's Luck, which I cannot believe did not become a huge hit.

3. Tonight by Franz Ferdinand: The beats here are infectious from song one to song thirteen. I love the drums on "Turn It On" and the guitar work on "Twilight Omens," but my favorite track is the very danceable "No You Girls."

2. Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead by John Wesley Harding: There is a huge array of musical genre here, though it is classifies as folk or maybe indie rock. There seems to be a religious theme ("A Very Sorry Saint" and "My Favorite Angel"), but the songs are very pleasing to the ear. The gem is the clever self-deprecating "Top of the Bottom," which traces Harding's musical career in under five minutes.

1. Killingsworth by The Minus Five: It took about three seconds for me to select this masterpiece as the year's best. It was in my CD player for six weeks straight, and I listened to it non-stop through four states. Scott McCaughey takes his usual shots at the religious right ("I Would Rather Sacrifice You"), lambasts war mongers ("Ambulance Dancehall") and pens many illogical but thoughtful images throughout his lyrics. My favorite track is, I suppose, McCaughey's ode to the late leader of the moral majority, the extremely singable "Smoke On Jerry."