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.

FensePost is proud to conclude The Summer of Golden Bloom, in which nine blogs came together to exclusively premiere various tracks off Golden Bloom’s debut LP Fan The Flames, out August 18. Our exclusive track is “Theme For An Adventure At Sea” and it is easily one of my favorite songs on Fan The Flames, and certainly my favorite new track.

When Shawn Fogel ditched his parent-given name as band title, and instead grasped the moniker Golden Bloom (MySpace), one may have speculated how, if at all, this change would alter Fogel’s sound. With a few band-leaked singles, it was obvious that Fogel and company had progressed, but now, a few eves before the release of Fan The Flames, we are now able to hear that our suspicions are correct.

Some folks would say that former Governor Blagojevich is simply a nut job who handles money worse than a 4 year old with their father’s unlicensed fire arm. And it would be hard to disagree. Even the recently released and soon to be worst President in history handled duties as Governor more appropriately. But, it can not be denied that Blagojevich’s situation makes for great indie rock song material. Power, controversy, and Oprah Winfrey are always wonderful topics. And Golden Bloom’s frontman Shawn Fogel gave …

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When Shawn Fogel made the transformation from a self-titled moniker to Golden Bloom, he gave the world “The Fight At The End Of The Tunnel”. It was a song that fit the pop mold, but also showed a darker side of Fogel. In advance of hearing and seeing the video for “Doomsday Devices”, I was expecting a bit more of the same.