2009 Review: Top 25 Albums

After an extensive hiatus, Neosurrealist is back with its picks for the top albums of 2009. Although the year in post-rock and related genres lacked a depth of solid releases, several albums proved as concrete extensions of the artistic techniques and passion that have come to define post-rock. While few records in 2009 demonstrated a truly ground-breaking, monumental shift in method or manner, many artists presented works that, given their proper due, harbored genre-defining moments. From the string-infused, cacophonous yet relatively restrained walls of sound on Mono's Hymn to the Immortal Wind to the raucous dynamics of The Forgotten Host to Ioseb's familiar but perfected combination of e-bow and angelic vocals, the year in review will indeed remain memorable to many a post-rock fan. If anything, 2009 has engendered a unique type of post-rock album: a record with the steadfast dedication and excitement of an earlier work, but with the added benefit of more than a decade of acculturation and refinement.

25. The Appleseed Cast- Sagarmatha
Vagrant Records
Kansas, United States
Myspace



24. Pertego- Hjarta
Collapsed Records
Italy
Myspace



23. All the Empires of the World- Blessings
Records On Ribs
England
Myspace



22. British Sea Power- Man of Aran
Rough Trade Records
England
Myspace



21. To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie- Marlone
Kranky Records
Minnesota, United States
Myspace



20. The Twilight Sad- Forget the Night Ahead
FatCat Records
Scotland
Myspace



19. French Teen Idol- El Siete Es La Luz
Self-Released
Italy
Myspace



18. Eaststrikewest- Wolvves
Thirty Days of Night Records
England
Myspace



17. The Sleepover Disaster-Hover
Devil in the Woods Records
California, United States
Myspace



16. Toma- As We Fall Into Static Our Hearts Sing
Wise Owl Records
England
Myspace



15. Junius- The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist
Mylene Sheath
Massachusetts, United States
Myspace



14. Not To Reason Why- Would You Hug Fire?
1912 Records
California, United States
Myspace



13. When Icarus Falls- Over the Frozen Seas
Get a Life! Records
Switzerland
Myspace

12. Constants- The Foundation, The Machine, The Ascension
Mylene Sheath
Massachusetts, United States
Myspace

11. Sons Had Father- The Bearing, The Celebration
Self-Released
West Virginia, United States
Myspace

10. Redjetson- Other Arms
Gizeh Records
England
Myspace

9. I Hear Sirens- Beyond the Sea, Beneath the Sky
Self-Released
Utah, United States
Myspace



8. The Autumn Project- This We Take With Us
Zurecords
Iowa, United States
Myspace

7. Codes in the Clouds- Paper Canyon
Erased Tapes Records
England
Myspace

6. Caspian- Tertia
Mylene Sheath
Massachusetts, United States
Myspace



5. Pg.Lost- In Never Out
Black Star Foundation
Sweden
Myspace



4. Braveyoung- Bloom
The End Records
North Carolina, United States
Myspace



3. Mono- Hymn to the Immortal Wind
Temporary Residence Limited
Japan
Myspace



2. Ioseb- The Ghost of Thirty-Three
Self-Released
Sweden
Myspace



1. Blueneck- The Fallen Host
Denovali Records
England
Myspace