2009 really was a remarkable year. Things that shouldn’t have succeeded did; we saw a rap-rock album, a long-anticipated sequel, yet another Jack White side project, and a “hot” rapper release a much-hyped debut. Those things shouldn’t have worked, yet they were all really impressive.

So here’s my belated “Ten Best Albums of 2009” (as always, in alphabetical order).

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Gorillaz’ Plastic Beach is available on iTunes for pre-order. Fans that pre-order the album will get the single “Stylo” download immediately. The super-smashing album will feature two extra-special bonus tracks and much, much more.

The video selections from the Gorillaz Web site featuring various segments of Plastic Beach are now available. Check out the links below.

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I know, I know… I promised you guys that I’d give you my best of 2009 and I contend that I’ll still give it you in the relative future. I’d even meant to offer it up this week, but then just this afternoon I felt really strongly about something.

But what’s funny is that now, twelve hours later, I don’t feel quite as strongly. I got sucker-punched by reality. It was the sort of hit that causes you to reevaluate things and really take stock. Unfortunately it’s got nothing to do with music, so I won’t dwell on it here.

Instead, I want to attack the current musical climate, yet again.

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So, Vampire Weekend is a pretty popular band right now. In fact, their Contra is the highest profile release of the year thus far. And I’m really seriously debating picking it up.

But I’m torn. I’m all for good music and I enjoy trends as much as the next guy, it’s just that Vampire Weekend still seems like a ton of hype and I’m not really one to buy into hype.

Plus, I feel like I’ve heard their stuff before. And I sort of have.

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UB40 – Food for Thought [DVD]
Eagle Rock Entertainment (11/10/09)
Unrated
81 minutes

UB40 are the undisputed kings of British reggae, and Food for Thought is another installment from the German television series Rockpalast. Filmed in July 1981, the concert takes place at the Sartory-Sale in Cologne, shortly after the release of the band’s second album, Present Arms. The set is predominately taken from this album and their debut, Signing Off.

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders is credited with giving the band its first break after witnessing them at a local pub in Birmingham, and signing them up to support for her band on tour. Formed in 1978 by a bunch of friends attending different colleges, the band started promoting their group before any of them could play instruments. After lead singer Ali Campbell received settlement money from a bar fight on his seventeenth birthday, the band was finally able to purchase the much coveted noise makers needed to make sound.

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Thin Lizzy – Are You Ready? [DVD]
Eagle Rock Entertainment (11/10/09)
Unrated
112 minutes

Another historic concert from the German-based Rockpalast television series, Thin Lizzy’s Are you Ready? is a rousing look back at one of the most significant and exciting hard-rock bands to appear out of the mid-’70s. Being one of the first acts to employ a sonic, dual-lead guitar attack, Ireland’s favorite sons have been credited as a major influence on a great number of popular heavy-metal acts as well.

Recorded in 1981, this footage shows quite an energetic display of showmanship, especially since lead singer/bassist Phil Lynott and guitarist Scott Gorham were known heroin users at this time. Hey, at least they waited until the after party to get their junk on and gave the audience a very memorable show. The group’s “guitar player revolving door” was temporarily closed with Snowy White as the second lead player, matching harmonies and trading solos with Gorham. Brian Downey on drums and Darren Wharton on keyboards round out the line-up.

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A new year has arrived, and with it come expectations. There are debuts that should be followed up on. There are delayed albums that should finally be released. There are artists that are due to release something new. The beginning of a new year is a wondrous time to be a music fan.

And being the music fan that I am, I’ve compiled a list of artists that I expect to see albums from this year. For some of them, I’m just being greedy. For others, I think that something new is due. And for still others, albums have been announced, so I’m well within my rights to have expectations.

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It was a hectic year, and trying to come up with a top-10 list to close things out seemed like an almost overwhelming task. Where there really 10 albums that stood out to me? Well, when I finally sat down to build and rank a list, I realized there were, and then some. There were obvious picks, happy surprises, and a couple that came out of left field and completely blew me away. At the end of the day, this represented, to me, the best 2009 had to offer.

So, without further ado…

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Roxy Music – The Story of Roxy Music: More Than This
Eagle Records / Fontana (10/20/09)
Unrated
94 minutes

As the early ’70s saw the music world still with the taste of hippies and blues on its tongue, in waltzed Roxy Music. Fresh out of art school, Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno banded together to form the group, which is one of the most influential to come out of the U.K.

The Story Of Roxy Music: More Than This, relives the creation of Roxy in 1971, their debut album Roxy Music, and all the way to the 2006 Dock Rock London reunion performance. Roxy needs a documentary of sorts, as they are as much a visual band as they are musical. Being an initiator of the avant-garde glam-rock scene, the image they portrayed told half, while the music completed the story. More Than This, gives a glimpse into what it may have been like to see or hear Roxy for the first time.

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[Editor's Note: My Top 21 of the 21st (So Far...) is a retrospective feature where our writers were invited to write a list of top 21 favorite songs, albums or anything else music-related, of the new millennium, explaining why it was picked, or what particular significance it has had over the past ten years. (There is an ongoing debate on whether or not 2000 A.D. counts as part this millennium. For sake of argument, we're going to go ahead and count it. Hey, a lot of good music came out that year, anyway, so suck it up, and enjoy the feature.)]

While my comrades have given their accounts of favorite songs and albums, I decided to put a spin on my entry for this feature and look at my top 21 favorite dance tracks of the past ten years. You’ll probably notice that it’s heavily weighed towards certain genres, as this pretty much reflects the types of clubs I’ve frequented over the years or the type of music that I’ve enjoyed most. So, in no particular order, here they are…

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