It’s been a good year for music, and a good decade. 2009 ended with some truly forward-thinking genre development (glo-fi/chillwave) and genre resurgence (shoegazer), and an overall spirit of musical innovation that makes me excited to see what the next decade has in store. It was hard to pick my top ten this year (and any of my honorable mentions could easily have made the top ten), though the #1 was never in doubt. Anyway, here are my picks:

10) The Flaming Lips, Embryonic: Unexpected, daring, fringe… the Flaming Lips’ latest is a challenge but nevertheless grows on you with each listen. It is low-fi, 70s-era psychedelia that evokes a sort of “Age of Aquarius” atmosphere of hippie haze.

I’m not as comprehensive as I used to be when it comes to new music, but I still try to get my hands on anything I hear buzz about or that people whose tastes I respect are recommending. And in the first half of this year, I’ve heard quite a few good albums. Here is my list of the best albums from the first half of 2009. Feel free to suggest your favorites or recommend those that you think I’ve missed.

10) Bibio, Ambivalence Avenue
9) St. Vincent, Actor
8) Passion Pit, Manners
7) Akron/Family, Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free
6) Neko Case, Middle Cyclone
5) M. Ward, Hold Time
4) Wilco, Wilco (The Album)
3) Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
2) Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
1) Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion

Other albums I liked: Camera Obscura, My Maudlin Career; Andrew Bird, Noble Beast; Dan Deacon, Bromst; Aaron Strumpel, Elephants; U2, No Line on the Horizon; Coldplay, LeftRightLeftRightLeft; Various artists, Dark Was the Night [compilation].