Hard to believe another year has come to an end.  We are a two-man team here, and we have both submitted our “best of 2009″ lists today.  I tried to put together a nice, concise list of my top ten albums from the past year, but I just couldn’t narrow it down that far, so here are 25 records that I listened to a lot in 2009.  The only criteria is that the main release had to be in 2009, and it has to exist on vinyl.  On another note, our readership has gone up quite a bit this year, and we honestly can’t thank you guys enough for reading everyday.  Please, feel free to post your feedback and favorites in the comments of either of our posts.  Cheers!!

1.  Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

This is the album that pretty much everyone has on their “best of” lists this year.  The crazy part is, this album is completely worthy of all the praise it’s getting.  It sounds like nothing else, and it has already spawned countless imitators.  This record will be big for years to come.

2.  Fever Ray – S/T

I’m a huge fan of The Knife, but I was skeptical about the idea of a Karin Dreijeer Andersson solo album.  I was wrong.  Coupled with some of the best music videos I have ever seen (check YouTube), this album will haunt the shit out of you.  Perfectly atmospheric, moody, and beautiful at the same time.

3.  Kylesa – Static Tensions

By far the best album these Georgia sludgelords have ever put out, Static Tensions got some HEAVY rotation early in the year.  We caught them at SXSW, and they blew the roof off.  My metal album of the year.

4.  OM  – God is Good

The addition of Grails drummer Emil Amos’ psychedelic, middle-eastern sound made OM sound better than ever.

5.  Converge – Axe To Fall

This one came at the end of the year and shredded faces.  Their best album ever.  Yes, I said it.  You will too someday.

6.  Neko Case – Middle Cyclone

After a decade-plus of putting out albums that people love, Neko Case just released her best one yet.  Middle Cyclone is just a beautiful record, and the nature themes are beyond captivating.  If you don’t like this, you’ve become too jaded.

7.  Animal Hospital – Memory

I blindly stumbled upon this album over at Boomkat when it was released on CD, and I yearned for a vinyl release all year.  Barge came through with the wax, and I’ve been spending a lot of time with it since.  This is my favorite drone/atmospheric album from 2009.

8.  Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

We cover a lot of drone and metal here, but we are also suckers for all-out pop hooks.  This album is not only Phoenix’s best record they’ve ever released, but also the best indie-pop album I’ve heard in years.  This one will make you happy, for sure.

9.  Atlas Sound – Logos

Bradford Cox from Deerhunter put out another amazing, mind-blowing indie-psych record, hard to believe isn’t it?  It shouldn’t be.

10.  The XX – XX

The best debut album of 2009, these guys could be a VERY strong force to reckon with in the future.  Quiet, beautiful indie-soul.  Everyone should hear this record.

11. Nosaj Thing – Drift

After picking Flying Lotus’ “Los Angeles” as my album of the year in 2008, it should be no surprise that I’m a big fan of the LA beat scene.  Nosaj Thing’s debut full-length brought more synth and less wonk than his peers, but still captivated everyone, myself included.

12.  Emeralds – S/T

I had really liked all the previous Emeralds stuff I had heard, but for me, the melodies on this new record really solidified them as bonafied badasses.  Sorry for the tiny image.

13.  Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

I know everyone talks and talks about Yellow House, but this is my favorite Grizzly Bear album.  They went weirder and more psychedelic, and it paid off, both commercially and critically.

14.  Isis – Wavering Radiant

We got some heavy listens of this record in on the way to/from SXSW in March, and I’m still liking it now.  Say what you will about Isis, they are one of the most consistently awesome metal bands out there.

15.  Samiyam – Man Vs. Machine 10″

If you have ever liked Flying Lotus, Ras G, or anyone else from the current LA beat scene, you should own this record.  Easily as good (or better) as anything the aforementioned lot has released.

16.  Barn Owl – The Conjeruer

I jumped on the Barn Owl bandwagon late, and it turns out I was missing a lot.  Insane guitar drones.

17.  Mountains – Choral

This was the first ambient album we covered here, and we really haven’t looked back.  Thrill Jockey is also one of the best labels in the world.

18.  Mayer Hawthorne – A Strange Arrangement

White-boy soul from Detroit (well, actually, Ann Arbor).  The crazy part is that this album is actually really, really good, and it sounds very authentic.

19.  Dragon Turtle – Almanac

By far the best record we were sent to review, I was totally blown away by this on first listen.  Bedroom psych with HUGE production.  Cannot possibly recommend it more.

20.  Clubroot – S/T

Since I am sticking to full-length albums, this is the dubstep release that lands on my list.  Yes, it sounds a lot like Burial, but that also means it sounds better than almost everything else.

21.  Memory Tapes – Seek Magic

My favorite of the “glow-fi” explosion that hit the hipster crowd like a ton of bricks in 2009.  You can play this record for anyone, it is unbelievably catchy.

22.  Washed Out – Life of Leisure

More “glow-fi”, and just barely behind Memory Tapes.  This one might not age too well, we’ll see, but it sounds damn good right now.

23.  Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy

Bedroom psych genius makes it big and signs to Matador.  I have pretty much every record Mr. Vile has released, and I love them all.

24.  The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love

This London duo could very well end up being a flash in the pan, but their pop hooks on this record get them on my list.  Huge.

25.  Baroness – The Blue Record

I have a feeling that this album will be more like #8 in another year’s time, it’s definitely a grower.  So much good 2009 metal.