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.

When it comes to music, Iceland is known to be a little out there. Experimentation is nothing new, and the country’s own Sin Fang Bous is no different. The solo project of Sindri Mar Sigfusson, Sin Fang Bous’ debut experimental pop album, Clangour, deserves great praise. A fascinating thing it would be to catch Sigfusson live, and that’s exactly what you here in the Pacific Northwest can do as November dawns on us. Sin Fang Bous is hitting the states with Icelandic pals Múm, who are …

We’re now half way through 2009, so I figured it was about time to collect a few favorites from the year thus far. I’ve put together 10 must-hear albums from the first half of 2009. To alleviate any bias, and because I’m totally obsessed with this style of categorization, I’m putting them alphabetically.

Written by Fense
Sin Fang Bous is the most promising electro-pop artist I’ve heard in a very long time – probably since Morr (SFB’s label) released the self-titled debut by Electric President. This group hails from Iceland, but you won’t hear much of Sigur Ros or Bjork here. It’s tailored more to the likes of their label’s German headquarters.