like waves on the ocean singing old songs.

tonight i sat down with my itunes and a pen & paper and wrote down my favorite albums of 2009.

i only had two rules: the album had to be added to my itunes this year (as in, it did not actually have to be released in 2009), and an artist could only appear once officially.

so, here's the list, starting at number thirty:

30) jeff johnson--amazed.
29) mandi mapes/the church at brook hills--love story.
a precious acoustic ep by an upcoming talent out of birmingham. and though it doesn't appear on this album, the first song i ever heard by her ("glory in the highest") became not only my most listened to song in 2009, but my most listened to song ever.
28) kings of leon--only by the night.
27) explosions in the sky--all of a sudden i miss everyone.
best concert moment ever: free explosions show on the lake in downtown austin. the sun has just gone down, and at the climax of their final song fireworks appear in the sky behind them for about fifteen minutes.
26) neko case--fox confessor brings the flood.
25) paramore--riot!
i have always felt too cool to listen to paramore until one of my best friends inundated me with this album.
24) t.i.--paper trail.
23) fiction family--fiction family.
22) britney spears--circus.
21) kanye west--808s & heartbreak.
20) waterdeep--heart attack time machine (also of note: pink & blue).
19) glee cast--glee, the music: vol. 1.
i am a sucker for those glee kids. mostly because i was rachel berry in high school. believe me.
18) derek webb--stockholm syndrome.
i was very skeptical of this album as it took a hard turn from webb's previous work. it is bold and new, and i ended up appreciating it. simply put, this album is daring, anyway you look at it.
17) leeland--love is on the move.
(especially: the tracks "pure bride" and "via dolorosa").
16) matt papa--your kingdom come.
15) sleeping at last--storyboards.
14) cat stevens--greatest hits.
i feel this is a bit misleading. this was one of my favorite albums to listen to on our record player as a child, but i took a cat stevens hiatus as i got older. i rediscovered this album on itunes this year and fell for him all over again.
13) kari jobe--kari jobe.
12) doves--the last broadcast.
11) aaron ivey--between the beauty & chaos.
aaron is one of my favorite worships leaders to ever have the pleasure to work & worship with. this album (along with chuck hooten, more on him later) became the sort of soundtrack for our team on the road, and is so incredibly good.
10) kristian stanfill--attention.
another student life worship leader. he lives up to the hype.
9) chuck hooten--what wondrous love.
all twenty five of our student life staff members had this album on repeat for the bulk of the summer--and we never got tired of it. the title track is the best on the album, but "touch of god" and "to you" are both nearly transcendent.
8) the temper trap--conditions.
i wanted this album so badly i had to buy it in pounds and convert it to dollars via paypal. well worth the trouble.
7) jars of clay--the long fall back to earth.
i am absolutely amazed at how jars of clay remains relevant with each new album they release. i love hearing artistic growth, and this album reveals that. favorite track: "boys (lesson one)."
6) various artists--(500) days of summer soundtrack.
5) bifrost arts--come o spirit! anthology of hymns & spiritual songs, vol. 1.
one of my favorite musical discoveries of the year. this album was made to bring art and creativity back into the sacred realms of life. and any band that can refer to themselves as a "non-profit organization" (not kidding) is okay in my book.
4) the damnwells--the last century.
this album personified much of the heartbreak i felt this year, but in a way twinged with hope and beauty. another beautiful musical discovery.
3) owl city--ocean eyes.
i can't tell you how much hope and happiness this album brought me. it is simple and joyful. favorite track: "meteor shower."
2) david crowder band--church music.
this album was a revelation. i had all but given up on dcb after the travesty that was "remedy", and this to me was a triumphant return. in a word, this album is epic. you cannot listen to it and not feel like you are a part of something huge.
1) josh garrells--jacaranda.
i could write an entire entry on this album alone. this album is perfect. inspiring, different, at times heartbreaking and at other times sheer fun. most importantly, though, the album's theme centers around the concept of seasons of life, inspired by the famous ecclesiastes 3 chapter. he carries this out stunningly. without question the best album of my 2009.

a few notes:
my musical taste has calmed down quite a bit. i used to be an indie music nazi, always looking for some obscure new artist with a creative, sometimes avant-garde sound. i swore off most traditionally "christian" music as i went to college (because let's be real, a whole lot of it is [artistically, creatively] crap) after four years of high school listening to only ccm. any music played on the radio was beneath me.

now, i'm more open to liking what i like, regardless of how hip or popular or well thought of it is. (if you have a spare moment, compare this list to my list from two years ago). after two summers with student life, i've gotten to know many christian artists and respect their creative process. i've also done the work to find people who are truly inspired by jesus in ways that lead them to do something different musically.

and hey, there's nothing wrong with a little britney spears or paramore every now and then, right?

what are your favorite albums of the year?