The only real surprise about Wino‘s Punctuated Equilibrium (Southern Lord) being on this list is that it’s not in the top five, top three, or top one. Being the nerd I am for the work of guitarist/vocalist Scott “Wino” Weinrich, even I expected a higher showing from this first “solo” album. Weinrich, along with Clutch drummer Jean-Paul Gaster and Rezin‘s Jon Blank (since deceased) on bass, crafted a rock album that was both emotionally gripping and full of the kind of mind-boggling guitar work the cult of Wino has come to expect.

Songs ranged from the fast and aggressive title track to the sunnier “Smiling Road” and the doomier “Eyes of the Flesh,” always maintaining the natural flow that Weinrich has brought to the songwriting in bands like Spirit Caravan and The Hidden Hand. As a vehicle for him to shine, in Wino, he did.

So what’s the deal? Why isn’t Punctuated Equilibrium higher on the list? Well, if this was some feigned effort at impartiality — that is, if I was going to do a would-be definitive list; inevitably a work of bullshit — it probably would be higher. As it is, though, Weinrich appeared on another album this year that I wound up listening to more than this one (we’ll get there, don’t worry). It has nothing to do with the value of either record, just the way it happened, and it would be dishonest of me to act according to anything else.

In the end, although I feel a little guilty about its placement, the fact that Punctuated Equilibrium came out on Jan. 20 and is still up front in my consciousness as regards rating albums should say something about the lasting quality of the work. This is one that, after I’ve put other albums away over the course of their novelty having worn off, I’ll go back to. True to his character and track record, Wino proved once more why he’s earned so many followers over the course of his decades in this genre.

Yawning Sons‘ debut, Ceremony to the Sunset, was a special kind of release: namely the kind you don’t see coming. The collaboration between desert rock luminary Gary Arce of Yawning Man and UK instrumentalists Sons of Alpha Centauri — hence Yawning Sons — was released by small Australian label Lexicon Devil in the spring, though it wasn’t until the summer that I finally got my hands on a copy. It quickly became my go-to album for meditative listening.

I don’t even remember what it was, but just last week, I was driving around, pissed off about something (big change for me), and when it seemed like my frustration was going to culminate in ramming into one of the barriers on the Parkway, I put on Yawning Sons and all was well again. The soothingly psychedelic sounds never stop moving, but at any given moment, you feel held in place by the album. I can only hope it’s not a one-time-only project.

If you missed it, there’s a review here, and the record boasts guest spots from Fatso Jetson‘s Mario Lalli, Wendy Rae Fowler (Mark Lanegan Band) and Scott Reeder, whose multi-layer contribution to “Garden Sessions III” is the out-of-nowhere highlight of Ceremony to the Sunset. There were records I listened to more in 2009, but very few from which I was able to glean such a satisfying aural experience.

Maybe the reason I keep saying it is because I was so damned surprised to find it out, but Om is better without Chris Hakius. As a replacement in the duo alongside bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros, Emil Amos of Grails shines in the drummer role. I was beyond skeptical as they were getting ready to take the stage at Roadburn this year, but they blew my mind. Likewise, when I finally picked up a copy of their first release for Drag City, the provocatively/dogmatically titled God is Good, the astonishment carried over in such a way as to make me even more excited than I already had been for the future of the band.

With only four tracks, God is Good makes the most of the Steve Albini recording job to come off with a natural and live sound that’s centered around the Cisneros‘ warm bass, but branches out in multiple directions as well. On 19-minute opener “Thebes,” Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (a.k.a. Lichens) guests on tambura, and Lorraine Rath joins Amos and Cisneros on flute for “Meditation is the Practice of Death.” Ending couplet, “Cremation Ghat I” and “Cremation Ghat II” find Om again indulging their eastern influence with Lowe on additional vocals and tambura (respectively), but as much as God is Good satisfies by expanding the sound of the band, the stylistic trademarks that have come to reveal themselves over the past three albums are reinforced as well, making this still very much an Om record.

Ideally, God is Good will mark the beginning of a new era for Om. As someone who was unimpressed with their lone offering for Southern Lord, 2007’s Pilgrimage, but was glad to fill my lungs and drown in the two albums prior, I’m glad to hear their progression so evident on this latest offering, and definitely consider it to be one of the year’s best.

The more I hear the self-titled debut from supertrio Them Crooked Vultures, the more I like it. Of course, it only came out at the beginning of November, so take that for what it’s worth, but increasingly, songs like “Mind Eraser, No Chaser,” “Scumbag Blues,” “Reptiles,” and opener “No One Loves Me and Neither Do I” are popping up in the mental jukebox to the point of keeping me awake at night.

Blah blah blah supergroup, blah blah blah Josh Homme, John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl. That’s all been said already, by me and just about everyone else out there. I’ll spare the slobbering worship of the past work of any of the three players involved in Them Crooked Vultures (this time), and just say that they managed to make a slyly subversive and edgy rock record in an era when the entirety of the corporate environment in which they’re working is geared toward the exact opposite. This record came out on the same label as Lady Gaga and Puddle of Mudd, if that’s any indication. I felt guilty buying it, but each listen provides justification. It’s just a bunch of cool songs. Some clunkers, admittedly. Nature of the beast.

So, for the memorable songwriting, and if for nothing else, that riff in the first track, Them Crooked Vultures makes the top 10. It’ll probably show up higher on a lot of other lists, but since it’s a late release and I don’t want to be the guy gushing all over the popular record, it is where it is. To not acknowledge it in some way would have been neglectful on my part, especially since, at least thus far, it’s kept me coming back with steady regularity.

With the ever-present stipulation that these lists are meaningless, I hereby commit to unveiling The Obelisk‘s 2009 top 10 albums of the year. Those who’ve been around for a while might recall I did a top five of the first half of ’09 back when it was applicable. This is the same basic idea, only the whole year and, you know, a longer list.

The plan is to do one a day until we get down to number one. Of course, since this site is normally a Monday to Friday type deal and next Friday is Xmas, there might be some holdups in the plan. I’ll figure it out. I’ve still got time. Maybe I’ll just have to take the hit and post this weekend. We’ll see. Yes, I probably should have thought that through before. Screw it.

It’s been a long year, but it’s gone quick, and there have been some incredible records (and some real clunkers), so I won’t waste any more time. I hope you enjoy the list, and if you agree or disagree, please feel free to speak your mind. These really are just my opinions, so take them, leave them or complain about them as you will.