The Year in Music

It's getting close to the time of year that I start to re-evaluate the albums I really liked and try to rank them relative to each other. That is, I begin piecing together my "Best Music of 2009" list. I've alluded to this before, but I feel that this year has been the weakest year for new releases in recent memory. It's not that there weren't a lot of good albums this year. In fact, I should have little problem coming up with a top 40, despite listening to considerably fewer 2009 releases than I did 2008 releases. But, it's just that, there's really not a strong contender for album of the year. Or, in other words, unless my album of the year is one I haven't heard yet, this year's #1 record is going to be a little less-than-worthy of the honor.

Taking a look at the Metacritic Upcoming Release Calendar, my primary source for hopeful anticipation of what I have to look forward to, it doesn't seem likely that my personal chart-topper is yet to be released. Of course, there's really only a few more weeks left until that time of year when very few record companies would dare release anything they weren't willing to risk relegating to instant obscurity.

Other than the realistic possibility that 2009 was, in fact a weak year for new music, I'm not sure what explanation there is for the lack of one album that I really feel strongly about. As I said, I listened to fewer new releases this year than last. That could be at least part of the reason, but it also means that I was more selective with what I listened to, ignoring most of one particular friend's recommendations that, with rare exception, I end up filing under the category of "not my thing."

Or, maybe it's that my taste has become too fickle, and that I need to start branching out a little more by paying closer attention to said friend's suggestions. I definitely grow tired of music a lot quicker than I used to, so it's certainly possible that what I'm listening to is too derivative of what I've enjoyed that's come before. Regardless, if you've been able to trust my opinions in the past, I'm confident that you can continue to do so.

It's almost that time of year again. That is, the time of year that I get to begin working on my favorite list of all.