This post was written by the lovely Jason and originally posted on his blog, indie shuffle (click here and your ears will thank you).

“Virgins making music?! No, this post isn’t about Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift. It’s not about the Jonas Brothers either, though obviously one of them just lost his V-Card (why else would someone with a purity ring get married?). Rather, this post is the about the five best debut albums released in 2009 by artists who likely set themselves up for further success (with the exception, perhaps, of Colour, who seem to have disbanded).

While there can be no doubt that these five artists are exceptionally talented and original in their own rights, one can’t deny that, at least in part, their success is owing to the myriad of music blogs out there trying to find the next best thing. So hats off to you lads (and the contributors at Indie Shuffle who caught these rising stars).

That said, while I was able to narrow this list down from more than twenty notable releases, I just couldn’t figure out which was “the best”. So, in no particular order, I present to you my five favorite debut albums of 2009:

Bombay Bicycle Club – I Had the Blues, but I Shook Them Loose

What’s so good?

“Would you look at how young these fine lads are?! Just out of high school, they’ve wisely postponed college to work on their debut album, and if this single is any hint at what’s to come, we’re going to be in for a treat. I should add that the moment I heard this single, I rushed out and got their two other EPs, and they haven’t let down. Check it, check it. I’ll be keeping my ears posted for more news on them.”

(Full Indie Shuffle Review: Here)

And keep my eyes posted, I did! When their album was released in July it did not disappoint me at all. Indeed, it was a bloody pleasure to hear a full album from these chaps.

Bombay Bicycle Club – Always Like This

Freelance Whales – Weathervanes

What’s so good?

“Glockenspiel.Drums.Banjo.Cello.Synthesizer. Pay attention to Freelance Whales now. To make comparisons to Sufjan Stevens, Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie may be fair, but Freelance Whales is taking their music to new levels. Their songs often feel to have both an up and downbeat, producing unexpected effects as the listener. On the one hand, I’m skipping along; on the other hand, I’m becoming deeply introspective: This album takes you on a journey – Jess @ Indie Shuffle”

(Full Indie Shuffle Review: Here)

Jess wrote about Freelance Whales a fair time before the blew up the blogosphere. We recently had the opportunity to see them opening for Fanfarlo, and they didn’t disappoint at all. Hats off to them–if this debut is any indication of what’s to come, they’ve got a strong future ahead of them.

Freelance Whales – Hannah

Memory Tapes – Seek Magic

What’s so good?

“The more I enmesh myself in the music world, the more I realize that good music comes in sets of seven consecutively bigger waves. There are plenty of ripples and backwash between, of course, but about every seventh wave ends up being huge. In my case, the “seventh wave” of albums comes about every two weeks, and I’m pretty sure that this new Memory Tapes album is that seventh wave. I can only hope there’s an eighth rogue wave coming along to beat this one out.”

(Full Indie Shuffle Review: Here)

Memory Tapes – Green Knight

Local Natives – Gorilla Manor

What’s so good?

“Sometimes, the best music finds come to you when you least expect it. I had gotten free tickets to see blind pilot, and these guys happened to be opening. They also happened to be amazing. Local Natives have only been around for a year, but they play like they’ve been around for ages. Along with their five original members, they were also touring with an extra fiddle player (don’t know her name) who helped fill out their rich, orchestral songs, and man could they belt those vocal harmonies. Had they been a little more established, I’m sure the whole room would have been singing along. Their energy made me completely forget about my horrible jet-lag i showed up with.”

(Full Indie Shuffle Review of EP: Here)

Camden wrote about the Local Natives for Indie Shuffle well before their album, Gorilla Manor, was dropped. As such, I had my eyes and ears pricked for their full LP’s arrival. When it came, they blew up. Mad props to these young guys, who were most recently touring with Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros.

Local Natives – Sun Hands

Colour – Anthology

What’s so good?

“Colour is/was a four-piece math pop band from Kingston, United Kingdom. Delivering a sound filled with detail, harmonies, time signatures and tempo changes, Colour unwittingly found themselves driving a new wave of math pop from the low-key Surrey town. The 13 track Anthology spans the bands recordings from the past couple of years, including two brand new songs recorded just after their split in June. Oddly enough, it’s their first (and last) full-length release.”

(Full Indie Shuffle Review: Here)

On technicality, one may argue that this isn’t a true album. But then you’d just be being a contrary, and this is my list, so ultimately it’s my choice. I think this was an amazingly addictive piece of artwork, albeit that it lacks the cohesion of a true studio album. It’s my honest opinion that these guys should have stuck around.

Colour – Over The Moon

This post was written by the lovely Jason and originally posted on his blog, indie shuffle (click here and your ears will thank you).

“It has been a matter of weeks since I first posted about Bibio and his June 2009 album, Ambivalence Avenue. To be honest, the last thing that I was expecting was to see a new album released less than six months later. And while the feat is perhaps dampened by the fact that only four of these tracks are completely original to the artist, the eight additional remixes featured on The Apple and the Tooth provide some real gems.

Still, the tracks worth particular focus are those that are untouched by anyone but Bibio. With them he has once again demonstrated that his prior sound, which emulated record-label companions Boards of Canada, is dead and gone. The new Bibio knows how to get down, and can do so with some serious style. The attached track, Bones & Skulls, is a perfect example of his versatility and new sound: clean and full guitars backed by somewhat subtle vocals and thick, electronic percussion. To be fair, those descriptions (with the exception of vocals) could easily describe the Boards of Canada production. The emotions produced by the tempo, however, couldn’t be more different.

You can go here to stream a number of tracks and support the artist by purchasing his work: warp.net.

While his new material is excellent, the remixes are hit or miss. The jerkiness of Clark’s remix of the song “S’Vive”, for example, can get rather annoying, and does very little justice to the original. But what’s novel here is that Bibio actually remixes one of his own tracks, “Palm of Your Wave”. This was one of the better (and perhaps sadder) tracks on Ambivalence Avenue, rooting itself in a purely folk sound (vocals and guitar, alone). For the remix, Bibio has added to what sounds like a minstrel quartet: simple percussion and a harpsichord on crack. Another one that I do like is Lone’s “All the Flowers” remix:

Bibio – All the Flowers (Lone remix)

Remixes aside, who is this Bibio character? Well, I’ve already written about him before, so I’m going to quote myself:

Like English compatriots Bonobo and Caribou, Bibio has developed his own electronica style that is at once warm, funky, and full of all things experimental. Following a few releases that embodied a folk/field recording blend, Stephen Wilkinson signed with Warp records, home of my favorite, Boards of Canada. The product of his evolution stands in stark contrast to his prior work: it is as if he has evolved into a whole new beast.

Bibio – The Apple and the Tooth ”