LIGHTS' Top Five Albums Of 2009

1. YEAH YEAH YEAHS It's Blitz!
I've never been a huge fan of this band until this record came out. During our first tour in the U.K., our front of house guy out there would play "Heads Will Roll" every day while he was setting up the board. It careened through the empty venue with the strangest power and I had no choice but to be drawn into its vortex.

2. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE Merriweather Post Pavilion
Listening to Animal Collective has always made me happy. I always feel inspired by their lyrics because it seems like Panda Bear writes exactly what rolls off his tongue; nothing seems to be overthought, yet everything is thought through. This was the soundtrack to my solo soul-discovering trip to Costa Rica this spring. It will always have a place there.

3. PHOENIX Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Happy, upbeat, soulful and endearing, this record has all the emotions I tend to look for in music, not to mention extremely catchy melodies and an effortless cool factor.

4. FRIENDLY FIRES Friendly Fires
It's pretty rare to come across a record that inspires you not only musically and lyrically, but also with countless production ideas and new, creative sounds. This is one of those records.

5. ARCHITECTS Hollow Crown
I love this band. Despite the epic aggression and intensity of this record, I could easily fall asleep to it. The title track is also a song that I will always relate to, and is on almost all of my "let's get emotional" playlists.