My Favorite Albums of the Year

Author: Adam Turney

I love music. My collection on my computer consists of over 30,000 songs and is always growing. Allow me to clarify...I love good music. When I find music I like it will often be played until I no longer want to hear the songs for a long, long time. Occasionally an artist/band will release an album that I find myself listening to all throughout the year. This year I found four albums that kept my ears in heaven and helped me fall in love with the bands all over again.

These bands aren't considered mainstream or huge successes (except Brandon Flowers with The Killers) when compared to the mediocre artists that fill the Billboard Top 100 charts. Anyway, I wanted to share my four favorite albums this year...albums that kept me happy during my bike rides and long drives.

I have included music videos that will allow you to sample some of the music. Also, each band is linked to their Amazon.com page so you can listen to a larger sample of their music.

1. Athlete - Black Swan (England)
Although this album was released in 2009, I didn't discover it until mid-November. I have loved Athlete for several years, but this album helped remind me why they are considered one of my all-time favorite bands.


2. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (France)
Also released in 2009, this album was awarded the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 2010. I saw this band perform at The Pearl in Las Vegas and it was one of the few concerts that I actually found myself tapping my hands and feet during every song.


3. Keane - Night Train (England)
Another of my favorite bands, I regret not attending their concert when they were in Las Vegas during the weekend of Hannah's first birthday (so was Justin Beiber and I wish I could have seen part of that show). Each time I listen to their music I wish I would have just purchased the 4 tickets to take everyone and enjoy a wonderful night of music I love.



4. Brandon Flowers - Flamingo (Las Vegas, USA)
Anybody familiar with The Killers will immediately recognize Brandon Flower's voice. Her is the lead singer for The Killers and this is his solo album. At first I wasn't sure about the album, but after several times through I found I loved it just as much as each album released by The Killers (which is also one of my all-time favorite bands). By the way, Brandon Flowers is LDS, although I am not sure he is too active.



Hopefully you might find the music to be as good as I have. I know it isn't for everyone and Melissa gets exhausted listening to my music tastes all the time (I can't handle listening to Disney soundtracks, show tunes, or Glee smashups). But maybe if you give the songs, artists, or albums some time they will grow on you. Or perhaps you are already familiar with the bands and can share in my appreciation for the music.