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May 2013
Sign up for the sharp insider, our email newsletter, and get a FREE DOWNLOAD of a past issue of Sharp The Book For Men.
![Flowers from Exile by Rome](http://sharpformen.com/wp-content/gallery/the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of/thumbs/thumbs_the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of00011-01_1.jpg "Something of a one man band, Luxembourg native Jerome Reuter experiments with dark sounds, which can sometime border on moments of pure poetry with ambient brooding. Try one a tad more up-tempo in "The Secret Sons of Europe". The man who will bring back the chanson.")
![A Strange Arrangement by Mayer Hawthorne](http://sharpformen.com/wp-content/gallery/the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of/thumbs/thumbs_the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of00011-02_2.jpg "A neo-soul record that's cut of a vintage cloth. Touches of Smokey and the Temptations, modernized by hip-hop undertones. Album highlight is "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out", sung in pitch perfect falsetto.")
![Outside Love by Pink Mountaintops](http://sharpformen.com/wp-content/gallery/the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of/thumbs/thumbs_the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of00011-03_3.jpg "Beautiful, melodic tunes from a BC collective, led by troubadour Stephen McBean. Haunting and slow-paced in areas but with enough psychedelic rock to satisfy even the most die-hard Nickleback fan. Check out "While We Were Dreaming".")
![Noble Beast by Andrew Bird](http://sharpformen.com/wp-content/gallery/the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of/thumbs/thumbs_the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of00011-04_4.jpg "Chicago reared this indie/baroque pop maestro. Something of a musical eccentric, creating lullabies with a bit of an edge. A multiple instrumentalist - violin, guitar and vocals are all handled by Bird - with a penchant for whistling (executed best on "Oh No").")
![My World by Lee Fields & the Expressions](http://sharpformen.com/wp-content/gallery/the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of/thumbs/thumbs_the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of00011-05_5.jpg "With the quality and depth of this soul record, you would think it was a reissue. Sandwiched somewhere in between the rawness of Stax and the sweet Philadelphia sound, Lee Fields has been releasing albums at a remarkable rate since the '70s and has worked with renown acts like Kool & the Gang. The slow-burn build up of "Ladies" and the rallying cry of "Money I$ King" are the two to start with.")
![Keep It Hid by Dan Auerbach](http://sharpformen.com/wp-content/gallery/the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of/thumbs/thumbs_the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of00011-06_6.jpg "A student of the old style fingerpick technique, this name may ring a bell if you're a fan of blues revivalists the Black Keys - he's one half of that duo. While this is not a departure from his previous sound, it's still a noteworthy album. A lyrical sense of working-class realism underlie most tracks, punctuated by scruffy guitars. Start with howler "Heartbroken, In Repair".")
![Phrazes for the Young by Julian Casablancas](http://sharpformen.com/wp-content/gallery/the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of/thumbs/thumbs_the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of00011-07_7.jpg "The Strokes' frontman shows he really isn't a one-trick pony. Synths dominate proceedings and Casablancas' signature monotone manages to warble a note or two higher than usual. Start with "11th Dimension" and go from there.")
![Up From Below by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes](http://sharpformen.com/wp-content/gallery/the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of/thumbs/thumbs_the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of00011-08_8.jpg "Ten piece folk-pop troupe- courtesy of Alex Ebert, ex Ima Robot frontman. Can be rather manic at times, but its charm lies in it's own insanity. Standout tracks include "Home" and "Kisses Over Babylon", but it's one to listen to from front to back.")
![The Liberty of Norton Folgate by Madness](http://sharpformen.com/wp-content/gallery/the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of/thumbs/thumbs_the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of00011-09_9.jpg "A return to form from the Brit-pop pranksters. Elements of the Kinks as well as Blur's Parklife. The band finally begins to show a sense of maturity, which results in arguably their best song-writing. "NW5" is a class track, with "Sugar and Spice" another one to check out.")
![Horehound by The Dead Weather](http://sharpformen.com/wp-content/gallery/the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of/thumbs/thumbs_the-sharp-10-the-best-albums-of-2009-that-youve-never-heard-of00011-10_10.jpg "This one you may have actually heard of. Call them a supergroup if you will - members include Jack White of the White Stripes and Alison Mosshart of the Kills and members of both the queens of the Stone Age and the Greenhornes. Schizophrenic rock and roll is an apt description, cemented in "Hang You From The Heavens".")