Assessing 2009...Not In List Form

In December of 2009, as happens every December, we were bombarded by lists assessing the year's best, worst and everything in between. And, since the end of this year marked the end of a decade, there were even more lists than usual, with each one more specific and comprehensive than the one before it. Halfway through December, The List lost its novelty and became more of a nuisance. At some point, declarations of the decade's most interesting, titillating, influential, offensive and creative began to blend together and lose significance.

So, instead of giving you another list, I'll give you my overall impression of this year in music: 2009 was all about reinvention. I enjoyed a handful of novel and exciting albums, but none of them came from novel and exciting talent. The most interesting and sincere music came from artists who were already established. The musicians remained same, but the music they put out in 2009 certainly did not.

This is because they all stepped outside of their comfort zones. Many joined new company, most tried on new styles and all tapped into different emotions. Jack White and Dave Grohl took up with new groups in which they reclaimed the drummer's seat (both started out on drums). The Yeah Yeah Yeahs tried Pop on for size. Ben Harper rocked out with a more bluesy band to create more bluesy Blues. And the Black Keys decided to break from the Blues and collaborate with several Hip Hop greats.

Reliable acts gave us none of the same, and the results were thrilling. This year, the cream rose to the top, and anything else...well, you can probably find them on somebody else's list.