Top Albums of 2009


* indicates Canadian Content
** indicates a local artist

1 You Say Party! We Say Die!* XXXX (Paper Bag)
2 Metric* Fantasies (Last Gang)
3 K'Naan* Troubador (A&M)
4 We Are Wolves* Invisible Violence (Dare to Care)
5 Class War Kids* Reflection! Rage! Rebellion! (Rebel Time)
6 Sherman Doucette** Blowin' Through Town (Independent)
7 Sonic Youth The Eternal (Matador)
8 Subb* To This Beat (Stomp)
9 Allison Crowe* Little Light (Independent)
10 Islands* Vapours (Anti)
11 Rude City Riot* Rude City Riot EP (Independent)
12 Rudeboy* 2 (Independent)
13 Various Artists Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival 2009 Sampler (Independent)
14 Moodini* Let's Get Outta Here! (Flux Industries)
15 The Manvils* The Manvils (Sandbag)
16 Digging Roots* We Are (Independent)
17 Carol Balas** Hard to Define (Independent)
18 Raygun Cowboys* Raygun Cowboys (Stumble)
19 Sunset Rubdown* Dragonslayer (Jagjaguwar)
20 Propagandhi* Supporting Caste (Smallman)
21 Dragonette* Fixin' to Thrill (Universal)
22 Apostle of Hustle* Eats Darkness (Independent)
23 The Spores* News Weather and Spores (Sudden Death)
24 The Craft Economy* Is on Your Side (Independent)
25 Yael Wand* Good Stitch Gone (Independent)
26 Richard Graham Trio** Richard Graham Trio EP (Bestest)
27 Evil Farm Children* II: The Eviling (Dad's Favourite)
28 Swan Lake* Enemy Mine (Jagjaguwar)
29 The Video Dead* Damn Disco (Union)
30 Little Girls* Concepts/Tambourine EP (Paper Bag)
31 Janet Bates** The Little Spinner (Independent)
32 The Apples in Stereo #1 Hits Explosion (Yep Roc)
33 Hot Panda* Volcano, Bloody Volcano (Mint)
34 The Fugitives* Find Me EP (Independent)
35 The Twisters* Come Out Swingin' (Northern Blues)
36 D.O.A.* Kings of Punk, Hockey and Beer (Sudden Death)
37 Beats on Canvas* Beats on Canvas (Independent)
38 Sherri-Anne** Love, Light, Life (Independent)
39 Shout Out Out Out Out* Reintegration Time (Normals Welcome)
40 The Waking Eyes* Holding On to Whatever It Is (Warner)
41 Ish** Go West on 17 (Independent)
42 Andrew Allen** EP (Independent)
43 Johnny Cash Johnny Cash Remixed (Compadre)
44 Jenn Grant* Echoes (Six Shooter)
45 The Guest Bedroom* Treading Water, Blowing Smoke EP (Popsick)
46 Various Artists* Vancouver's Punk as Fuck Vol. 2 (Independent)
47 Miesha and the Spanks* Mmmade for Me! (Transistor 66)
48 Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz! (Universal)
49 Ellen Carol* Slidin' (Independent)
50 Various Artists* Quebec Emergent 08/09 (Sopref)
51 Brixton Robbers* Rocks and Cranes (Big Wheel)
52 The Responsibles* The Fat Lab Sessions (Independent)
53 The Maynards* Date and Destroy (Independent)
54 Paolo Nutini Sunny Side Up (Atlantic)
55 Clues* Clues (Constellation)
56 David Rotundo Band* No Looking Back (Stone Pillar)
57 Neko Case Middle Cyclone (Anti)
58 Joseph Blood* For Friends and Family (Independent)
59 Don Amero* Deepening (Independent)
60 Japandroids* Post-Nothing (Unfamiliar)
61 Paper Moon* Only During Thunderstorms (Endearing)
62 Double Dawg Dare** Never There (Independent)
63 Madison Violet* No Fool for Trying (True North)
64 Kate Rogers Band* Beauregard (Independent)
65 Magneta Lane* Gambling with God (Last Gang)
66 The Hermit* Turn Up (The Stereo) (So Called)
67 Junior Boys* Begone Dull Care (Domino)
68 Various Artists African Reggae (Putumayo)
69 Spirits* Spirits (Sonic Unyon)
70 Skavenjah* One More Night With You (Independent)
71 Death Cab for Cutie The Open Door EP (Atlantic)
72 Dehli 2 Dublin* Remixed (Independent)
73 The Brains* The Brains (Stomp)
74 Gypsophilia* Sa-Ba-Da-Ow! (Independent)
75 The Balconies* The Balconies (Independent)
76 Maurice* Young People With Faces (Independent)
77 Corb Lund* Losin' Lately Gambler (New West)
78 The Cure 4:13 Dream (Geffen)
79 The Johnnys* I Like it a Lot (Slave River)
80 DD/MM/YYYY* Black Square/777 EP (We Are Busy Bodies)
81 Nine Mile* Country Porno Electric Fireplace (Xiola)
82 Future of the Left Travels With Myself and Another (4AD)
83 Easy Star All-Stars Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Easy Star)
84 Various Artists* Manouevers 3 (So Called)
85 Monkeyjunk* Tiger in Your Tank (Independent)
86 Jay Reatard Watch Me Fall (Matador)
87 SubCity* Where's the Noise? (Transistor 66)
88 Champion* Resistance (Saboteur)
89 Sports* Sports: The Band EP (Independent)
90 Novalima Coba Coba Remixed (Cumbancha)
91 Blah Blah 666* It's Only Life! (Barnyard)
92 Band of Skulls Baby Darling Doll Face Honey (Shangri-La)
93 The Faunts* Feel.Love.Thinking.Of (Friendly Fire)
94 Sultans of String* Yalla Yalla! (Independent)
95 John Mayall Tough (Eagle)
96 Liechtenstein Survival Strategies in a Modern World (Slumberland)
97 Oromocto Diamond* Le Choc du Futur (P572)
98 K-Os* Yes! (Crown Loyalist)
99 Drive If You Must* Circles (Quirk Audio)
100 Clumsy Lovers* Make Yourself Known (Independent)

CFBX Top 25 Jazz Albums for 2009

1 Carol Balas** Hard to Define (Independent)
2 Richard Graham Trio** Richard Graham Trio EP (Bestest)
3 Bria Skonberg* Fresh (Independent)
4 Blah Blah 666* It's Only Life (Barnyard)
5 Michael Kaeshammer* Lovelight (Alert)
6 Brandi Disterheft* Second Side (Justin Time)
7 Peggy Lee Band* New Code (Drip Audio)
8 Ross Taggart Trio* Presenting (Cellar Live)
9 Alexis Baro* From the Other Side (Independent)
10 Rubim de Toledo* The River (Independent)
11 Olga Osipova* Velvet and Lace (Independent)
12 Cory Weeds Quintet* Everything's Coming Up Weeds (Cellar Live)
13 Jean-Christophe Benet* Pop-Up (Independent)
14 Gypsophilia* Sa-Ba-Da-Ow! (Independent)
15 Joani Taylor* In My Own Voice (Wet Coast)
16 Canadian Brass* Swing That Music (Opening Day)
17 Tim Morrison After Hours (Independent)
18 Kate Schutt* Telephone Game (Wild Whip)
19 Reptet Chicken or Beef? (Monktail)
20 Joe Coughlin* Low Down West Broadway (Roadhouse)
21 Red Holloway Blow Red Blow (Delmark)
22 Radio I-Ching No Wave a Go Go (Resonant)
23 Ron Davis* The Bestseller (Independent)
24 Jake Langley* Here and Now (Tone Poet)
25 Sophie Milman* Take Love Easy (Linus)

CFBX Top 25 World Beat/Reggae Albums for 2009

1 Hugh Masekela Phola (Times Square)
2 Lorraine Klaasen* Africa Calling (Justin Time)
3 Beats on Canvas* Beats on Canvas (Independent)
4 Easy Star All-Stars Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Easy Star)
5 Amadou and Mariam Welcome to Mali (Because)
6 Os Mutantes Haih or Amontecedor (Anti)
7 Novalima Coba Coba Remixed (Cumbancha)
8 Beyond the Pale* Postcards (Borealis)
9 Myles Bigelow* Good Life (Deep Culture)
10 Young Dubliners Saints and Sinners (429)
11 Afrokyou* Seeking the Truth (Independent)
12 Paolo Nutini Sunny Side Up (Atlantic)
13 Eccodek* Shivaboom (Independent)
14 Oumou Sangare Seya (Nonesuch)
15 Yeshe* World CitiZen (Dog My Cat)
16 Kailash Kher Yatra (Cumbancha)
17 Somos Collective* Todo Fluye Asi (Independent)
18 Vieux Farka Toure Fondo (Six Degrees)
19 Sultans of String* Yalla Yalla! (Independent)
20 Bombay Dub Orchestra Three Cities (Six Degrees)
21 Delhi 2 Dublin* Remixed (Independent)
22 Novalima Coba Coba (Cumbancha)
23 Joe Bataan King of Latin Soul (Vampisoul)
24 Various Artists African Reggae (Putumayo)
25 Kronos Quartet Floodplain (Nonesuch)

CFBX Top 25 Metal/Loud Albums for 2009

1 Mastodon Crack the Skye (Reprise)
2 Spinal Tap Back from the Dead (Label Industry)
3 Buried Inside* Spoils of Failure (Relapse)
4 Black Dahlia Murder Deflorate (Metal Blade)
5 Unleash the Archers* Behold the Devastation (Independent)
6 Blood Red Throne Souls of Damnation (Earache)
7 Tombs Winterhours (Relapse)
8 Empyria* The Long Road Home (Nightmare)
9 Coalesce Ox/Ox EP (Relapse)
10 Dragonforce Ultra Beatdown (Roadrunner)
11 All Else Fails* Against the Darkening Sky (Suicidal Bride)
12 Iron Maiden Flight 666 (EMI)
13 Dying Fetus Descend into Depravity (Relapse)
14 Order of Ennead Order of Ennead (Earache)
15 Cannibal Corpse Evisceraton Plague (Metal Blade)
16 Children of Bodom Skeletons in the Closet (Spinefarm)
17 Black Label Society Skullage (Armoury)
18 Zeroscape* Friday Night EP (Boonsdale)
19 Burnt by the Sun Heart of Darkness (Relapse)
20 Lacewing* Lacewing EP (CCXXII)
21 Dream Theater Black Clouds and Silver Linings (Roadrunner)
22 Dimmu Borgir Enthrone Darkness Triumphant (Nuclear Blast)
23 Death Toll Rising* Spontaneous Decapitation (Independent)
24 Anvil* This is Thirteen (VH1 Classics)
25 Thor* Keep the Dogs Away (Scratch)

CFBX Top 25 Electronic Albums for 2009

1 Johnny Cash Johnny Cash Remixed (Compadre)
2 Various Artists* Manouevers 3 (So Called)
3 Champion* Resistance (Saboteur)
4 Black Mold* Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz (Flemish Eye)
5 Circlesquare* Songs About Dancing and Drugs (Boompa)
6 Moodini* Let's Get Outta Here! (Flux Industries)
7 TMDP* TMDP (YYZ)
8 Tiga* Ciao! (Turbo)
9 Le Bus* Fission Friction Frequency (Spiral)
10 Hexes and Ohs* Bedroom Madness (Noise Factory)
11 Various Artists* Northern Faction 4 (Balanced)
12 Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees* Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees (Youth Club)
13 Shout Out Out Out Out* Reintegration Time (Normals Welcome)
14 Ambisonic* Ambisonic (Independent)
15 Peaches* I Feel Cream (XL)
16 The Hermit* Turn Up (The Stereo) (So Called)
17 Discovery LP (XL)
18 Electroluminescent* Measures (Black Mountain)
19 Let's Go To War* Karmageddon (Last Gang)
20 Eleazar vs. John* Pits in the Sandblaster (Independent)
21 Go Ghetto Tiger* Backstage at a Puppet Show (Independent)
22 YACHT See Mystery Lights (DFA)
23 Sally Shapiro My Guilty Pleasure (Paper Bag)
24 Royksopp Junior (Astralwerks)
25 Cold Cave Love Comes Close (Matador)

CFBX Top 25 Urban/Hip-Hop Albums for 2009

1 K-Os* Yes! (Crown Loyalist)
2 Grand Analog* Metropolis is Burning (Slo Coach)
3 Swiss Lizz** The Genesis/I Can't Feel No Better EP (Independent)
4 Noah23* Rock Paper Scissors (Plague Language)
5 D.O.* Stay Driven (Northstarr)
6 Moka Only* Carrots and Eggs (Urbnet)
7 K'Naan* Troubador (A&M)
8 Ricca Razor Sharp* Causeways and C-Trains (Neferiu)
9 The Joe* Ut Oh (Old Ugly)
10 Ause Team** Another Spot on the Couch (Independent)
11 Essenge** I Heart Healthy (Independent)
12 Louwop the Dirty General* The Great Escape (Independent)
13 Various Artists* Plague Language Compilation (Plague Language)
14 Plex* Brainstorm (Red Cloud)
15 Various Artists* 2009 Canadian Rap Future Superstars (Brockway)
16 Wordpeople* People's Eatery (Independent)
17 Josh Furey* Archaeology (Nocturne)
18 Tona and Lyve* Direct Deposit (E1)
19 Big Ali Louder (Warner)
20 Cage Depart from Me (Definitive Jux)
21 Classified* Self-Explanatory (Halflife)
22 Miles Jones* Runaway Jones/Never Too Late EP (Mojo)
23 Cale Sampson* Cale Sampson (Heads Connect)
24 D-Sisive* Let the Children Die (Urbnet)
25 N.A.S.A. The Spirit of Apollo (Anti)

CFBX Top 25 Roots/Country Albums for 2009

1 Digging Roots* We Are (Independent)
2 Yael Wand* Good Stitch Gone (Independent)
3 Ish** Go West on 17 (Independent)
4 Madison Violet* No Fool for Trying (True North)
5 Sherri-Anne** Love, Light, Life (Independent)
6 Janet Bates** The Little Spinner (Independent)
7 Bruce Cockburn* Slice O' Life (True North)
8 Kate Rogers Band* Beauregard (Independent)
9 Various Artists* Atlantic Voices (Rhino)
10 Joseph Blood* For Friends and Family (Independent)
11 Catherine McLelland* Water in the Ground (True North)
12 Double Dawg Dare** Never There (Independent)
13 Clumsy Lovers* Make Yourself Known (Independent)
14 Allison Crowe* Little Light (Independent)
15 Don Amero* Deepening (Independent)
16 Dustin Bentall Outfit** Six Shooter (Impala)
17 Perry Tucker** Out of My Mind at Last EP (Independent)
18 Rawlins Cross* Anthology (Ground Swell)
19 Miss Quincy and the Ramblers* Miss Quincy and the Ramblers (Independent)
20 Andrew Allen** EP (Independent)
21 Woody Johnson* Woody Johnson (Independent)
22 Carly and Mark* New City Morning (Independent)
23 The Marigolds* That's the State I'm In (Independent)
24 Stephen Fearing* The Man Who Married Music (True North)
25 Kev Corbett* Son of a Rudderless Boat (Little Red Canon)

CFBX Top 25 Blues Albums for 2009

1 Booker T Potato Hole (Anti)
2 David Rotundo Band* No Looking Back (Stone Pillar)
3 Sherman Doucette** Blowin' Through Town (Independent)
4 Jimmy Bowskill Band* Live (Independent)
5 Herald Nix* Everybody Loves You (Northern Electric)
6 David Gogo* Different Views (Cordova Bay)
7 John Mayall Tough (Eagle)
8 The Twisters* Come Out Swingin' (Northern Blues)
9 Colin Linden* From the Water (True North)
10 Dave Fields All Wound Up (Independent)
11 Marshall Lawrence* The Morning After (Independent)
12 Various Artists Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival 2009 Sampler (Independent)
13 Duke Robillard Stomp! The Blues Tonight (Stony Plain)
14 Terry Blersh* Terry Blersh (Independent)
15 Julian Fauth* Ramblin' Son (Electro-Fi)
16 Jim Byrnes* My Walking Stick (Black Hen)
17 Levon Helm Electric Dirt (Vanguard)
18 Neil Harnett* Somewhere (Independent)
19 Homemade Jamz Blues Band I Got Blues For You (Northern Blues)
20 Various Artists It Ain't Over: 55 Years of Blues (Delmark)
21 Fontaine Brown Tales from the Fenceline (Manatee)
22 Zac Harmon To the Root (Northern Blues)
23 Various Artists 55 Years of Blues on Delmark (Delmark)
24 Bluessmyth* Sola Gratia (Independent)
25 Joe Louis Walker Between a Rock and the Blues (Stony Plain)