Top 10 North Carolina bands of 2009

No. 10: The Beast | Silence Fiction

Fusing jazz and hip-hop, The Beast jumps onto the scene with a fresh, experimental debut. Setting out on a mission to “silence the fiction,” Pierce Freelon’s rhymes are confessedly preachy but outweighed by the charismatic quartet’s exuberance for innovation. From the high recording quality to the versatile piano work, Silence Fiction is polished and fun. -JC

No. 9: Lonnie Walker: These Times Old Times

Whether he’s rattling off lyrics at breakneck speed, stringing you along with his playful drawl or twisting words around until you no longer know what they mean, Brian Corum’s charisma allows Lonnie Walker to blend country, folk and punk with a sense of fun that only enhances its compositional strength. -AN

No. 8: J. Cole | The Warm Up

Leaving the state to gain some cred, Fayetteville’s J. Cole scored a hell of a year. Signing to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label and spitting a verse on The Blueprint 3, he also dropped The Warm Up, a mixtape that could have been an album. With J. Cole’s infectious beats and smooth flow, it proves he has chops and staying power. -Benn Wineka

No. 7: Red Collar | Pilgrim

Pilgrim is anthemic bar-rock at its best. Durham’s Red Collar sidesteps the habitual pretension of modern rock bands — Jason Kutchma’s lyrics aren’t gratingly sarcastic, and gaudy irony is absent from their angst.  Instead, with hard-edged ballads like “Used Guitar,” Red Collar super-heats its blues until they burst into punk rock flames. -JC

No. 6: The Mountain Goats | The Life of the World to Come

John Darnielle’s interpretation of favorite Bible passages takes form in emotionally heavy, detailed songs about forgiveness, salvation and love that are instantly relatable. Even if this Mountain Goat’s songs seem oblique without a quick glance at scripture, Darnielle’s evocative writing still strikes a chord with the listener’s heart.  -Anna Norris

No. 5: Horseback | The Invisible Mountain

Few artists are as versatile as Chapel Hill’s Jenks Miller. After two full-lengths — one a slice of warmly ambient distortion, the other an entrancing improvisational guitar piece — Miller returns as Horseback with smoldering black metal that’s as nuanced as it is terrifying. It’s an incredible triumph that cements Miller as one of the state’s brightest talents. -JL

No. 4: Hammer No More The Fingers | Looking from Bruce

No band in North Carolina cultivates a catharsis like Durham’s Hammer No More The Fingers. Muscular, bouncing bass lines tangle with smoothly slithering guitar and steadily pounding drums, creating an indie-rock powder keg. And when it explodes with achingly distorted riffs, Looking For Bruce becomes a formidable full-length debut. -Jordan Lawrence

No. 3: Bowerbirds | Upper Air

A languid, haunting introspection on love, Bowerbirds’ Upper Air blankets the listener in warm harmonies and inventive lyrics. The album transitions through its set of seamless pop songs with the same grace as Phil Moore’s voice, a voice as unpretentious and immaculate as the flight of a bird. -LG

No. 2: I Was Totally Destroying It | Horror Vacui

Built on a break-up, Horror Vacui eviscerates emptiness with ferocious pop-rock. Riding a slew of catchy melodies, Rachel Hirsh and ex-boyfriend John Booker strain for restitution with rebellious hooks. I Was Totally Destroying It adds flavor to formula, turning synthesizers and power chords into an atom bomb of instantly identifiable emotion. -Joseph Chapman

...and No. 1: The Love Language | The Love Language

On The Love Language’s self-titled debut, songwriter Stu McLamb proves, through a lo-fi crackle and some plaintive wails, that sorrowful pop songs withstand the test of time and trends. With its gritty sound and infectious chord progressions, the Raleigh band’s self-titled debut finds an elusive balance between catchy melody and authentic sorrow. -Linnie Greene