Band of 2009 part II

I am horribly behind. I don't think I officially announced the album of the year and the song of the year from 2008, even though I'm pretty sure that the album of 2008 was Do You Like Rock Music and I'm not sure what the song of the year was. I was pretty convinced it was Lights Out for Darker Skies, but then Okkervil River came out with Lost Coastlines and I'm embarrassed to admit that I really dig The Story by Brandi Carlile. Oh, and I never had the chance to hash out the second best album of the year (which, as of last tally, seemed like it was a battle between The Standard's Swimmer, Travis's Ode to J Smith, James's Hey Ma, Shearwater's Rooks, and, oh never mind, there were a passel of other great albums).

2009 seemed like a weird year. Muse and Wilco did not really release stellar albums. U2's is good but not like knock your socks off. And I must not have put much effort into listening to music this year, because I don't have definitive opinions about a number of other albums I listened to. So, because I'm confused, here's my confusing decision. I chose a band of the year.

2009 Band of the year: Vib Gyor. Who? Seriously. I have no idea why I'm choosing them except that I can't stop listening to them. They're new. They're unknown. They sound like a mash-up of Radiohead, Muse, and Starsailor. Strangely, they sound like what Better Than Ezra could have been if they had continued down the path of How Does Your Garden Grow. Worse, this choice seems to be something that Pitchfork would do. Choose an unknown band and hype them up as the best of the year just because it's cool to say that an unknown band is the best.

I have no arguments. I'll probably hate them in a year.