July is the new December with music sites trumpeting The Best Albums of 2009… So Far. We thought we’d join in on this list-making exercise. Here’s some of our faves 7 months into the year that is 2009.

Eels – Hombre Lobo (Nikki)
M Ward – Hold Time (Fez)
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Karen)
Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – It’s Blitz! (Lisa)
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast (Tara)
The Decemberists – Hazards of Love (Darryl)
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (Liesl)
The Crystal Method – Divided By Night (Kara)

Nikki:
Eels – Hombre Lobo
Perfect mix of rockin songs and quiet, sensitive ballads. It’s the spectrum of kick-ass Fresh Blood to the demure That Look You Give That Guy that keeps you totally engaged. And you can’t argue with a beard like that!

Fez:
M Ward – Hold Time
This is such a sublime record. Matt has this fantastic reverb on his voice that conjures up this instant nostalgia. Dreamboat Zooey Deschanel is back to help him out on stand out tracks Never had nobody like you and Rave On (a rad Buddy Holly cover).
Highlight for me has to be his duet with Lucinda Williams on Oh Lonesome Me. Being sombre never felt so damn good.

Karen:
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Fourth album from this eclectic French band. Lisztomania is a gorgeous slice of indie pop. It’s a perfect summer record to get us through winter! Love their blog too.

Lisa:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
Karen O is AMAZING – I loooove her style… and there needs to be more chicks in Rock n’ Roll. Check out her dress at Coachella.

Tara:
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
Intricate songs on matters of the heart, the head and the far out. His albums are forward-thinking yet with a bit of the rustic. This came out in January and nothing has surpassed it for me – yet. I even said so back in April.

Darryl:
The Decemberists – Hazards of Love

A brilliant modern (well in feel… maybe not in subject matter) concept album that takes you on a trip. I feel like a lie down after I hear this album. I can’t wait to see the show. Sydney Festival anyone? Please oh please. And maybe an exhibition of Colin Melloy’s wife Carson Ellis who produces all of their amazing album art.

Liesl:
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Totally lovin that cool kooky art pop that somehow manages to avoid being too overbearing or wanky.

Kara:
Crystal Method – Divided By Night
Could just as easily be Mastodon’s Crack the Skye, or Depeche Mode’s Sounds of the Universe… but for me Divided By Night wins out.
One word: intense. The beats on this album practically rip your guts out, they’re so hard and fast. The Method are so great at combining diverse sounds and blending genres to create seriously dark and intensive breakbeats / hiphop / rock / you name it. As usual, it features a legion of guest artists – Peter Hook, Matisyahu, Justin Warfield, Emily Haines, and LMFAO. Nice that you can stream the full album on iLike too. Love the Matisyahu single Drown in the Now:

Others’ Lists:
Spin magazine – 20 Best Albums of 2009…So Far
NPR – Listeners Pick The Year’s Best Music (So Far)
MTV – The Best Albums of 2009 (So Far)
Drowned In Sound – 20 Must Have Independent Albums of the Year So Far