Just for the sake of it, how about some honorable mentions?

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

If given more listens, it might have forced its way into the list. It's just really good, but it doesn't demand you listen to it.

The Dimes - The King Can Drink the Harbour Dry

The premise of historical indie rock might be hokey, but it sounds pretty good here. This one is all about Boston during the American Revolution. Its like the indie rock companion to the HBO miniseries John Adams...or something.

The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin

Not bad, but just didn't quite take flight as hoped for. The louder songs just seem out of place. There's nothing wrong with making a full album of quiet songs.

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why Are There Mountains?

That first song is great and then the rest of album sorta just happens and you're left thinking about that first song while the others come and go.

St. Vincent - Actor

If given a proper amount of listening, it would probably have easily made the list. That's not to say it won't be listened to in the future just as much as if it made the list. So yeah, go ahead and pretend it was on the list. If you need a number, consider it number 13.5.

Phosphorescent - To Willie

Maybe if there were a shortage of deserving albums of original material, an album of covers could make the cut, but such was not the case in 2009.

The Decemberists - Hazards of Love

Not a bad album, but not really significant given the band's prolific output previously. This album is one of those that is a victim of the band being so good to start with that almost anything will seem to fall short of expectations.

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

Very good, but painfully reminds the world that it needs The Delgados to reunite.

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast

It just didn't have that "something" that made Armchair Apocrypha so great. Short of covering Ke$ha, nothing Andrew Bird makes would be bad, though.

The Thermals - Now We Can See

Simply put, not as good as The Body, The Blood, The Machine, which, simply put, was not as good as F***in' A.

Frank Turner - Poetry of the Deed

A well-educated British guy singing folksy acoustic songs and doing so quite well.

David Bazan - Curse Your Branches

It was good, just not quite good enough. It probably deserves more listens, though. It was easy to get distracted by all the attention paid to the premise of the album and not the songs themselves. Maybe that's not fair.