Updated December 22, 2009

GRIMEY'S STAFF PICKS - Best of 2009!
You wanted the best, you got the best!

Click here to see 2008's Staff Picks

Mike "Grimey" Grimes (co-owner):
Top Ten Records
1. Yo La Tengo 'Popular Songs'
2. City Champs 'The Safecracker'
3. Phoenix 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix'
4. Dexateens 'Singlewide'
5.Pico VS Island Trees '
6. Devo Q;Are We Not Men A; We Are Devo (Reissue)
7.Dave Rawlings Machine 'A Friend Of A Friend'
8. White Denim 'Fits'
9. Fruit Bats 'Ruminant Band'
10 Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Top 10 Shows This Year (In No Particular Order)
1. Judas Priest w/Whitesnake Municipal Auditorium
2. Chuck Mead's AMA Performance at The Basement
3. Motorhead w/Nashville Pussy and Rev Horton Heat The Pageant, St Louis
4. King Khan and the Shrines SXSW Austin at some Hair Salon
5. Todd Snider at Grimeys
6. Avett Brothers at Grimey's Spring Outdoor Sale
7. Dave Rawlings Machine Grimeys
8. White Denim The Basement
9. Dexateens 5 spot
10. Fruit Bats Grimey's
11. Star Wars In Concert Sommet Center

D~Funk

Anna "Indie Pop Princess" Lundy (store manager/head buyer):
My Favorite Shows of 2009

1. Budos Band - the Transfigurations Festival (Asheville, NC)
2. Silver Jews - Cumberland Caverns (McMinnville, TN)
3. Lambchop - house show (Nashville)
4. Ty Segal, Mantles, & Turbo Fruits - Glenn Danzig's House (Nashville)
5. Jesus Lizard - Exit/In (Nashville)
6. Camera Obscura - Mercy Lounge (Nashville)
7. Mirah - Mercy Lounge (Nashville)
8. Bonnie Prince Billy - The Belcourt Theatre (Nashville)
9. Helado de Negro - house show (Nashville)
10. St. Vincent - The Ryman Auditorium (Nashville)
11. Those Darlins & Black Lips - Mercy Lounge (Nashville)

honorable mentions: Dave Rawlings Machine, Andrew Bird & Edward Sharpe--Instore performances at Grimey's; Halloween at Little Hamilton; Music City Roots concert series; JEFF the Brotherhood, each and every time they played this year; Bad Friend at 5 Spot during Next Big Nashville

My Favorite New Albums of 2009
1. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
2. Circulatory System - Signal Morning
3. The Clean - Mister Pop
4. The Clientele - Bonfires on the Heath
5. Dinosaur Jr - Farm
6. Eddy Current Supression Ring - Eddy Current Supression Ring
7. Espers - III
8. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
9. Girls - Album
10. Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic
11. Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, the Commuter
12. Mos Def - Ecstatic
13. Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Pains of Being Pure at Heart
14. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs

honorable mentions: Atlas Sound - Logos; Beak - Beak; Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy; Clues - Clues; Fol Chin - Fol-Chin; Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest; James Husband - ; Jeff - Heavy Days; the Slumberland Records resurgence

My Favorite Reissues, Compilations and Archival Recordings of 2009

1. Beatles - Mono Box Set
2. Leonard Cohen - Live at Isle of Wight 1970
3. Death - For the World to See
4. The Ex - 30 Years
5. Feelies - The Good Life / Crazy Rhythms reissues
6. Fire In My Bones: Raw Rare & Otherworldly African-American Gospel (2944-2007)
7. Forge Your Own Chains: Psychedelic Dirges & Ballads
8. George-Edwards Group -
9. Abner Jay - Story of Abner Jay
10. Lambchop - Live XX Merge
11. Modest Mouse - No One's First, And You're Next
12. Pax Nicholas and the Netty Family - Na Teef Know De Road of Teef
13. Pisces - A Lovely Sight
14. Neil Young - Neil Young / Harvest / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / After the Goldrush reissues

shout outs to: Daptone Records, Mississippi Records, Numero Group, Twos & Fews, Honest Jon's EMI 78s Archival series

Mia Krout:
In alphabetical order...

The Almighty Defenders -- s/t
Animal Collective -- Merriweather Post Pavilion
Apples In Stereo -- #1 Hits Explosion (I know it barely counts, but it's a fantastic compilation)
Appleseed Cast -- Sagarmatha
Avett Brothers -- I & Love & You
Black Lips -- 200 Million Thousand
Deer Tick -- Born On Flag Day
Feelies -- Crazy Rhythms (re-issue)
Here We Go Magic -- s/t
Kurt Vile -- Childish Prodigy
Langhorne Slim -- Be Set Free
Old Canes -- Feral Harmonic
The Pine Hill Haints -- To Win Or To Lose
The Stone Roses -- s/t (deluxe re-issue)
Yo La Tengo -- Popular Songs

Some awesome shows I saw this year:

Blonde Redhead -- rang in the new year with this NYE show at Terminal 5 in NYC
Jimmy Eat World -- Terminal 5 - hilarious yes, but they did the 10 year anniversary of
Clarity tour this year and it was fairly rad
Paper Route -- Bowery Ballroom
Here We Go Magic/ Antlers -- Music Hall of Williamsburg
Shins -- Terminal 5 - awesome show and they did some amazing covers
Bonnie Prince Billy -- The Apollo Theater
Ty Segall/ Mantles -- Glenn Danzig's House
Langhorne Slim/ Dawes -- Tractor Tavern
The Avett Brothers/ Langhorne Slim -- Asheville Civic Center NYE (it hasn't happened
yet but I know it's going to be amazing)

I know I'm forgetting somethings but that's the way it goes...

Luke

Luke J. Schneider:
top ten in order:

1. Yo La Tengo--Popular Songs
2. Cotton Jones--Paranoid Cocoon
3. Grizzly Bear--Veckatimest
4. Flaming Lips--Embryonic
5. Atlas Sound--Logos
6. Animal Collective--Merriweather Post Pavilion
7. Desolation Wilderness--New Universe
8. Pains of Being Pure at Heart--s/t
9. Neon Indian--Psychic Chasms
10. Best Coast--various 7"'s

Honorable Mention: Here We Go Magic--s/t,
El Michels Affair--Walk On By and Enter the 13th Chamber,
Phoenix--Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

best shows i can remember: (i'm sure i'm forgetting some)

-William Tyler's Last Basement Show
(lambchop/turbo fruits/JEFF the brotherhood/caitlin rose) *this might be the show of the decade
-Bruce Springsteen @ The Nashville Arena
-Anna Lundy's Basement Show
(lambchop/the features/cortney tidwell)
-AC/DC @ The Nashville Arena
-Bad Friend/Bows & Arrows/Chris Crofton/And The Relatives @ 5 spot/NBN
-Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Exit/In
-The Walkmen @ Mercy Lounge
-Hands Off Cuba @ Little Hamilton
-Judas Priest @ Municipal
-Tristen @ The Basement
-The Features @ Mercy Lounge

Ryan

Ryan Norris:
Ten Best Records of the Year (in no particular order)

Richard Hawley "Truelove's Gutter"
Mulatu Astatke and the Heliocentrics "Inspiration Information"
Serge Gainsbourg "Histoire de Melody Nelson" reissue
Flaming Lips "Embryonic"
Atlas Sound "Logos"
V/A "Psych Funk 101"
Beak "Beak"
Kraftwerk "Autobahn", "Radioactivity", "Trans-Europe Express", "Man
Machine", "Computer World" reissues
Feelies "Crazy Rhythms" reissue
Broadcast and The Focus Group "Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age"

Honorable Mentions

Grizzly Bear "Veckatimest"
Pains of Being Pure at Heart "Pains of Being Pure at Heart"
Yo La Tengo "Popular Songs"
Devo "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo!" and "Freedom of Choice" reissues
St. Vincent "Actor"

Dylan

Dylan Simon (psychedelic pilgrim):
in no particular order, favorite reissues and contemporary releases:

1. Master's Hammer - Rituál / The Jilemnice Occultist (reissue collection)
2. Mystifier - Baphometic Goat Worship (discography boxed set)
3. Broadcast and The Focus Group - Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age
4. Yoshi Wada - Earth Horns With Electronic Drone (3lp reissue)
5. Helenda Espvall/Masaki Batoh - Overloaded Ark
6. Fraction - Moonblood (reissue)
7. Ngozi Family 45,000 volts (reissue)
8. Heldon Electronique Guerilla (reissue)
9. Limbus 4 - Mandalas (reissue)
10. Circuit Rider - s/t (reissue)

Will
No Photo Available

Will Orman:
Albums of the Year:
1. The Ballet - Bear Life
2. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
3. St. Vincent - Actor
4. A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar
5. tUnE-yArDs - BiRd-BrAiNs
6. Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights
7. Sholi - Sholi
8. WHY? - Eskimo Snow
9. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
10. Micachu - Jewellery
11. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
12. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
13. The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away
14. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
15. Dan Deacon - Bromst
16. The Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead
17. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
18. Röyksopp - Junior
19. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
20. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

Best shows:
Dirty Projectors @ Bonnaroo
St. Vincent @ Bonnaroo
Juana Molina @ Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, MA
Yo La Tengo @ Wilbur Theatre, Boston, MA
Dan Deacon @ Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA

Jacob
No Photo Available

Jacob Eckert:
Top 10 Albums of 2009:
10. Monoliths and Dimensions- Sunn0)))
9. I'm Going Away- The Fiery Furnaces
8. The Life of the World to Come- The Mountain Goats
7. The Eternal- Sonic Youth
6. Wind's Poem- Mount Eerie
5. Album- Girls
4. Veckatimest- Grizzly Bear
3. Hospice- The Antlers
2. Merriweather Post Pavilion- Animal Collective
1. Bitte Orca- Dirty Projectors

Top 10 Songs:
10. "When They Fight, They Fight"- Generationals
9. "Alice"- Sunn0)))
8. "Bluish"- Animal Collective
7. "Two Weeks"- Grizzly Bear
6. "Through the Trees"- Mount Eerie
5. "Sacred Trickster"- Sonic Youth
4. "Two"- The Antlers
3. "Genesis 3:23"- The Mountain Goats
2. "My Girls"- Animal Collective
1. "Stillness Is the Move"- Dirty Projectors

Aaron

Aaron Briggs:
My favorite albums of the year:
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Cortney Tidwell - Boys
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Bowerbirds - Upper Air
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
St. Vincent - Actor
Howlies - Trippin' With Howlies
R.E.M. - Live at the Olympia
Califone - All My Friends are Funeral Singers
Built to Spill - There is No Enemy
Doves - Kingdom of Rust
Richard Swift - The Atlantic Ocean
The Dodos - Time to Die
Akron/Family - Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Cotton Jones - Paranoid Cocoon

A few of my favorite songs from the year (in no real particular order):

Animal Collective - "My Girls"
Bill Callahan - "Jim Cain"
Neko Case - "Prison Girls"
Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks"
The National - "So Far Around the Bend"
St. Vincent - "Marrow"
Real Estate - "Black Lake"
Bowerbirds - "Northern Lights"
Mos Def - "Revelations"
Akron/Family - "River"
The Privates - "You Never Take Me Dancing"
Vetiver - "Rolling Sea"
Fruit Bats - "Beautiful Morning Light"
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Young Adult Friction"
Beach House - "Norway"
The Dead Weather - "Treat Me Like Your Mother"

Julee

Julee Duwe:
Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Cotton Jones - Paranoid Cocoon
The Decemberists - Hazards of Love
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below
Fanfarlo - Reservoir
The Features - Some Kind of Salvation
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
M. Ward - Hold Time
Metric - Fantasies
Pains of Being Pure At Heart - s/t
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Roman Candle - Oh, Tall Tree in the Ear
Wilco - Wilco (the album)