100 Greatest Albums of 2009

2009 record album covers for Lungs, Merriweather Post Pavilion, The Blueprint 3, and Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Criteria: These music albums from the year 2009 were chosen for their initial and lasting popularity and their influence and impact on rock music in general. Also considered is critical acclaim. The list includes rock and roll and related genres that were influential on rock music.

Note: Yearly album lists go by earliest 'release date'.
Not necessarily the year an album peaked in the U.S. charts.
  1. Lungs - Florence + the Machine
  2. Merriweather Post Pavilion - Animal Collective
  3. The Blueprint 3 - Jay-Z
  4. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Phoenix
  5. BLACKsummers'night - Maxwell
  6. XX - The xx
  7. The Resistance - Muse
  8. The E.N.D. - Black Eyed Peas
  9. 21st Century Breakdown - Green Day
10. The Ecstatic - Mos Def
11. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. 2 - Raekwon
12. Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
13. Embryonic - The Flaming Lips
14. It's Not Me, It's You - Lily Allen
15. Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear
16. Horehound - The Dead Weather
17. For Your Entertainment - Adam Lambert
18. Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King - Dave Matthew Band
19. Black Gives Way to Blue - Alice in Chains
20. It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
21. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
22. Bitte Orca - Dirty Projectors
23. Humbug - Arctic Monkeys
24. Post-Nothing - Japandroids
25. Ready - Trey Songz
26. Actor - St. Vincent
27. So Far Gone - Drake
28. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
29. Backspacer - Pearl Jam
30. Manners - Passion Pit
31. The Element of Freedom - Alicia Keys
32. Together Through Life - Bob Dylan
33. Tonight: - Franz Ferdinand
34. Middle Cyclone - Neko Case
35. No Line on the Horizon - U2
36. Battle Studies - John Mayer
37. Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel - Mariah Carey
38. Crack the Skye - Mastodon
39. The Crying Light - Antony and the Johnsons
40. Rated R - Rihanna
41. Man On The Moon: End Of The Day - Kid Cudi
42. The Eternal - Sonic Youth
43. The Fall - Norah Jones
44. Deeper than Rap - Rick Ross
45. The Hazards of Love - The Decemberists
46. Born Like This - DOOM
47. 11:11 - Rodrigo y Gabriela
48. Swoon - Silversun Pickups
49. Primary Colours - The Horrors
50. Journal for Plague Lovers - Manic Street Preachers
51. Fantasies - Metric
52. Farm - Dinosaur Jr.
53. Waking Up - OneRepublic
54. A Strange Arrangement - Mayer Hawthorne
55. Only Revolutions - Biffy Clyro
56. All I Ever Wanted - Kelly Clarkson
57. Two Suns - Bat for Lashes
58. Love vs. Money - The-Dream
59. Daisy - Brand New
60. Hospice - The Antlers
61. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
62. The Fray - The Fray
63. La Roux - La Roux
64. Guns Don't Kill People, Lazers Do - Major Lazer
65. Relapse - Eminem
66. Bromst - Dan Deacon
67. Brand New Eyes - Paramore
68. Ocean Eyes - Owl City
69. Further Complications - Jarvis Cocker
70. Album - Girls
71. Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
72. Noble Beast - Andrew Bird
73. Sounds of the Universe - Depeche Mode
74. West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum - Kasabian
75. Far - Regina Spektor
76. The Great Misdirect - Between the Buried and Me
77. Malice N Wonderland - Snoop Dogg
78. Axe to Fall - Converge
79. Dragonslayer - Sunset Rubdown
80. Hold Time - M. Ward
81. Tarot Sport - Fuck Buttons
82. Blue Record - Baroness
83. My Maudlin Career - Camera Obscura
84. Strict Joy - The Swell Season
85. Sainthood - Tegan and Sara
86. Years of Refusal - Morrissey
87. Popular Songs - Yo La Tengo
88. Watch Me Fall - Jay Reatard
89. Never Better - P.O.S.
90. Now We Can See - The Thermals
91. Wilco (The Album) - Wilco
92. Tongue n' Cheek - Dizzee Rascal
93. IRM - Charlotte Gainsbourg
94. There is No Enemy - Built to Spill
95. No More Stories... - Mew
96. Logos - Atlas Sound
97. 200 Million Thousand - Black Lips
98. Travels with Myself and Another - Future of the Left
99. This is War - 30 Seconds to Mars
100. Everything Goes Wrong - Vivian Girls
Lungs Florence + the Machine album cover
Merriweather Post Pavilion Animal Collective album cover
The Blueprint 3 Jay-Z album cover
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album cover
BLACKsummers'night Maxwell album cover
XX album cover
 DigitalDreamDoor Editor Picks for 2009
An unheralded great album from 2009
  Ryan's choice:
 •  These Four Walls - We Were Promised Jetpacks
  Bruce's choice:
 •  The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again - John Fogerty
  Lew's choice:
 •  Draw the Line - David Gray

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