Astute readers will notice that there is no overall list of the best albums of 2009 in this month’s issue. This is not due to some aversion to lists — as a pop-culture-based publication, arbitrary rankings are our bread–and–butter this time of year. So this year, like any other, we went through our usual process of assembling individual lists from our freelancers, plugging them into complex mathematical formulae and attempting to extract a thoroughly scientific, utterly authoritative ranking of the apex of musical achievement in the last 12 months.

And, in the end, it simply wasn’t possible. Only nine albums show up on more than one writer’s list, and not a single album appears on more than two. Our highly scientific method seems to say that Portico’s First Neighbours is the year’s best album — and a fine disc it is, spotlighting Canadian history, twitchy rhythms and instantly engrossing hooks — but that would hardly reflect the views of the majority of our critics. Once again, science has failed.

Let’s blame the Internet. Now more than ever, it’s possible for individuals to explore the nooks and crannies of their own particular idiosyncrasies; niche genres and sub–niches can be dug up with a minimum of effort. While that’s a great thing for music fans, it’s a terrible thing for consensus building. So, rather than cobble together a list where everyone’s 10th–place entry earns the No. 1 spot by virtue of being sorta-liked by everyone, we’ve decided to skip the process altogether and simply provide our readers with the individual lists that refused to congeal into an easily digested mass. Use it as a jumping off point, and feel free to share your own lists at ffwdweekly.com.

PATRICK BOYLE:

1. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (V2 Records)

2. Bell Orchestre – As Seen Through Windows (Arts & Crafts)

3. Bruce Peninsula – A Mountain is a Mouth (Self-released)

4. Clues – Clues (Constellation)

5. St. Vincent – Actor (4AD)

6. Super Furry Animals – Dark Days/Light Years (Rough Trade)

7. Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer (Jagjaguwar)

8. Think About Life – Family (Alien8)

9. Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle (Drag City)

10. Andrew Bird – Noble Beast (Fat Possum)

MARK HAMILTON:

1. Knots – The Blistering Sun, The Pale Moon, Ha Ha Ha Ha (self–released)

2. Various artists – Dark Was the Night (Red–Hot/4AD)

3. Ryan Doyle – Motor Works (self–released)

4. Beth Jeans Houghton – Hot Toast Vol. 1 (Static Caravan)

5. Grizzly Bear – Veckitamest (Warp)

6. Beirut – March of the Zapotec/Holland (BaDaBing)

7. God Help the Girl – God Help the Girl (Rough Trade / Matador)

8. Atlas Sound – Logos (Kranky)

9. The Witchies – The Witchies (Self–released)

10. The Hidden Cameras – Origin: Orphan (Arts & Crafts)

PETER HEMMINGER:

1. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic (Warner)

2. Akron/Family – Set ’Em Wild, Set ’Em Free (Dead Oceans)

3. Timber Timbre – Timber Timbre (Arts & Crafts)

4. Lhasa – Lhasa (Warner)

5. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino)

6. Portico – First Neighbours (Copperspine)

7. We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls (Fat Cat)

8. Antony and the Johnsons – The Crying Light (Secretly Canadian)

9. The Heavy – The House That Dirt Built (Counter)

10. Charles Spearin – The Happiness Project (Arts & Crafts)

JASON LEWIS:

1. Portico – First Neighbours (Copperspine)

2. The Thermals – Now We Can See (K Records)

3. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone (Anti)

4. Hot Little Rocket – Hot Little Rocket (self-released)

5. Ten Second Epic – Hometown (Black Box)

6. New Found Glory – Not Without a Fight (Epitaph/Bridge Nine)

7. Dinosaur Jr. – Farm (Jagjaguwar)

8. Grand Analog – The World is Burning (Urbnet)

9. Cracker – Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey (429)

10. Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown (Reprise)

JESSE LOCKE:

1. York Redoubt – York Redoubt (Hot Money)

2. Tonstartssbandht – An When (Does Are)

3. Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle (Drag City)

4. Mi Ami – Watersports (Quarterstick)

5. DOOM – Born Like This (Lex Records)

6. Sun Araw – Heavy Deeds (Not Not Fun)

7. OOIOO – Armonica Hewa (Thrill Jockey)

8. Edan – Echo Party (Five Day Weekend)

9. Mountains – Choral (Thrill Jockey)

10. Bayonets!!! – To The Point (Bart Records)

SEAN MARCHETTO:

1. Asobi Seksu – Hush (Polyvinyl)

2. The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love (4AD)

3. M. Ward – Hold Time (Merge)

4. Japandroids – Post-Nothing (Polyvinyl)

5. The Thermals – Now We Can See (K Records)

6. Sonic Youth – The Eternal (Matador)

7. Pastels/Tenniscoats – Two Sunsets (Domino)

8. Orenda Fink – Ask the Night (Saddle Creek)

9. Do Make Say Think –Other Truths (Constellation)

10. Grizzly Bear – Vecktamist (Warp)

GARTH PAULSON:

1. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2 (Ice H2O/EMI)

2. DM Stith – Heavy Ghost (Asthmatic Kitty)

3. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career (4AD)

4. Fever Ray – Fever Ray (Rabid Records)

5. Serengeti & Polyphonic – Terradactyl (Anticon)

6. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (Domino)

7. Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer (Jagjaguwar)

8. Anti–Pop Consortium – Fluorescent Black (Big Dada)

9. Timber Timbre – Timber Timbre (Arts & Crafts)

10. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino)