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.

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.

In their brief existence, The Banyans have already shared the stage with some of Seattle’s most established indie acts including Throw Me The Statue and Say Hi. And it’s easy to hear why; their sound is quite conducive to Seattle’s underground sound, from the back-woods nature of The Cave Singers to the more pop-edged folk-rock of Grand Archives.