Here are what I believe are the best releases of the year. These are in no particular order

Top 10 Releases of 2009

Say Anything — Say Anything

Phoenix — Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Passion Pit — Manners

Manchester Orchestra — Mean Everything to Nothing

Jay-Z — The Blueprint 3

fun. — Aim and Ignite

The Fray — The Fray

Chester French — Love the Future

Animal Collective — Merriweather Post Pavilion

Sleigh Bells — Sleigh Bells EP

Top 10 Local Releases of 2009

Washed Out — Feel it All Around (single)

The Restoration — Winter 2009 Sessions

Memes — The New Republic of Dance Dance

Marry a Thief — Reaction, Explosion

Maladroit — Burning Free EP

Hannah Miller — Somewhere in Between

The Dirt and the Flood — The Garden

Death Becomes Even the Maiden — Death Becomes Even the Maiden

Calculator — Subtraction by Addition

Austin Crane — Place at the Table