2009 is a tough year to judge. I’ve checked out more albums this year than any year in the past. Well over 1,000. And there have been quite a few great ones as well. When this list began, it had 110 albums. I abandoned my top 33 and 1/3 for 45, and then said “screw it” and upped the number to an even 50. These are the top notch albums of the year, all worthy of praise.

An online tour: what a great concept. It allows a band with no means of world exploration (i.e. minimal cash, unacceptable transport, no Samsonite baggage, etc.) to tour the world through the eyes of blogs. FensePost is excited to premiere (for Bellingham and the rest of the world) the Candy Claws video for “Island Grows”. So come one, come all; see the wondrous Candy Claws, one of 2009’s hottest new acts, perform their songs acoustically in videos premiered on sites that span the world.

I would categorize Candy Claws and their single “Catamaran” as experimental pop in the vein of Panda Bear. “Catamaran” and the album from whence it came, Candy Claws’ debut LP In The Dream Of The Sea Life, has similar experimental characteristics, from the varied and incandescent instrumentation to hushed, melodic and oft indecipherable vocals. The theme is consistency and flow; each song transitions flawlessly into the next.