Holy shit, is it December? Well, that means end-of-the-year lists. And since I have already wrapped up my decade, I’m going to coast out 2009 with my 25 (or so) favorite records from this year. If you would like to argue about placement or whatever, drop me a line, otherwise—sit back and relax.

2009 was a pretty good year for music. Lo-fi reemerged with a vengeance, dubstep broke mainstream, and there was the summer of surf (it pains me, just pains me, to say shit like glo-fi, or hypnogramo(wtf)-pop). And don’t even get me going about the massive amount of R&B and pop jams released this year. Singles-wise it may have been better than albums, so this list is shorter than previous years (I can go to 50, double-dog dare me!), and I swear by the quality.

25. Arctic Monkeys – Humbug

Complicated third record anyone? The Arctic Monkeys are a smart band. Sure, their first record sold a bazillion copies, and their second, albeit better, record made some waves, but what do you do when you want to reinvent yourselves? Starting a side project is part one. Singer Alex Turner’s Last of the Shadow Puppets project pushed out one record of pure orchestral-pop. Part two would be growing out your hair. All but one of the greatest drummers ever, Matt Helders, did that. Then part three, ditch your old producer and record with Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme in the fucking desert.

Humbug is oft-brilliant, though not my favorite of their records. What keeps it on this list, however, are tracks like “Cornerstone” and “Dangerous Animals,” which make this record a must-have for fans. “Cornerstone” is actually pretty high on the top singles list, but you’ve got to wait for that one.

ARCTIC MONKEYS – Crying Lightning from Framestore design on Vimeo.

24. Juan MacLean – The Future Will Come / Discovery – LP

The only thing these two records have in common are their electronic backgrounds. Other than that, Juan MacLean and Discovery couldn’t have made more different records. The Future Will Come is dance punk all grown up, with hints of years past, as well as the future, while LP is a crunk’n’b record for white kids. Like LCD Soundsystem’s 2007 game changer, The Sound of Silver, Juan Maclean’s Future… is an example of how to become a band. Where their last record was more of a singles collection, with the permanent addition of Nancy Whang on vocals Juan MacLean have made an album. And trust me, it is even better live.

The Juan Maclean – “One Day” from Patrick Longstreth on Vimeo.

Discovery, on the other hand, are pranksters. The collaboration between Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend, and Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot doesn’t scream pop music, but white collar indie rock. Using out-dated synths, drum machines, and auto-tune, the pair created an almost flawless (save an ill-advised Jackson 5 cover) record with incredibly catchy tunes, and booty-shaking beats.

23. Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

To think of this as a 2009 release is hard for me, as this little record that could leaked in the fall of 2008. POBPAH were part of the revitalization of Slumberland Records, as well as the twee-pop revival. Though the lo-fi fuzzy pop thing has been pushed to its breaking point, POBPAH can say they were there first. Pains gave the twee scene two anthems in “This Love is Fucking Right” and the second-best pop song about a library this year, “Young Adult Friction.”

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart “Young Adult Friction” from Slumberland Records on Vimeo.

22. La Roux – La Roux

Pop music had an excellent year. Lady Gaga ruled these shores, while La Roux took Britain. Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid hit paydirt when “In for the Kill” went to number two on the charts. The follow-up single, and one of my favorite songs of the year, “Bulletproof,” debuted at number one. La Roux is a smart pop record, heavily borrowing lost nostalgia from the 80s with vocals that are either love it or hate it. I am on the love side of the fence, as this entry on the list shows, but there is not much I can say to those who can’t stand her. Beyond the singles, the fleshed out version of “Fascination” and “Tigerlily” are pop perfection. The record also has a great thing going for it—the slow songs don’t suck.

La Roux – Bullet Proof from serkan söğüt on Vimeo.

21. Flaming Lips – Embryonic

The Flaming Lips are back! At War with the Mystics was kinda awful. True story, I sold it back. But after finally releasing their art-house movie Christmas on Mars, and its musical companion, the Lips got weirder, wilder and more wonderful. Embryonic is a kraut-rock record, a bastard pop record, an even zanier Ziereeka, and downright some of the most enjoyable seventy minutes put onto plastic. This is a record that you need to own. Mp3s sound like shit, and the Lips are a band who pushes the musical spectrum; listening to this record on a fancy player is the only way to go. Hell, if you are going to put up the investment, get the deluxe edition with the discs separated out appropriately, as well as a DVD version of the record.

2009 Flaming Lips – I Can Be A Frog from George Salisbury on Vimeo.