Best:
I didn’t read a single book this year, watched very few movies (the ones I saw were just OK), but I did see a moderate amount of TV, listened to some music, and spent most of my time on the internet. So my list is pretty random.
Glee – I hate high school shows. If they’re on, I groan, avert my eyes in embarrassment. I didn’t think it was possible for me to like a high school show. Glee proved me wrong.
Hazards of Love, by The Decemberists – the continuous album isn’t a new thing, but I’ve not heard one as well-constructed, dynamic, and ambitious as this one, both musically and lyrically.
New Left Media, especially this video: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewLeftMedia
The iPhone 3Gs – the thing is amazing.
The absolute worst thing out of anything created/released in 2009:
*Flash Forward – it’s truly awful in every way.
Peter Cole runs Keyhole Press.
I enjoyed the Hazards of Love as well, especially the cuts with Shara Worden singing.
Shara Worden live was really, really intense. In fact, hearing the album played straight-through live was a lot better than listening to the album itself (which I also loved, especially the Wanting Comes in Waves, which is a great bit of language itself).