Maxwell defies current R&B on his fourth album. Animal Collective, Green Day, U2 and Neko Case round out the best of rock music for 2009. more info

Altsounds — From veterans Sonic Youth to newcomers The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, from Brooklyn’s White Rabbits to Britain’s Bat For Lashes to San Francisco’s Girls to three bands who had exceptional years in 2009, Animal Collect... more info

Stereogum — This morning we looked at an albums list from one of today's most influential sites, so it's fitting to take a pass through yesteryear's authority after the sun has set completely. Rolling Stone's decade-appraising lists were superficially compreh... more info

Guardian Music — Hi there listeners, hope you're all wrapped up warm with this lovely weather we're having. This week's show begins with a cosy chat with alt-folk queen, Regina Spektor. The 29-year-old singer-songwriter chatted to Rosie Swash about her current album,... more info

Brooklyn Vegan — Animal Collective @ ATP NY (more by Ryan Muir) So how the hell did Merriweather Post Pavilion-- an album closer in spirit to the sub-aquatic psychedelia of 2005's Feels and Panda Bear's 2007 solo Person Pitch than its predecessor-- wind... more info

Guardian Music — At first it seemed like a mere internet prank – now it's in with a real shot. The Facebook campaign to get Rage Against the Machine to Christmas No 1 has been gripping guardian.co.uk/music readers all week. By Wednesday, RATM were ahead by a g... more info

52 Kris Allen 78 Amerie 70 Tori Amos 87 Animal Collective 78 Annie 76 Anti-Pop Consortium 64 Asobi Seksu 82 Atlas Sound 77 The Avett Brothers 67 Backstreet Boys 59 Bad Lieutenant 68 Devendra Banhart 71 Lou Barlow 88 Baroness 69 Basement Jaxx 75 Beak> more info

411 Mania — Take a look at the best music of the year in this week's edition of Ten Deep! From Pearl Jam's Backspacer to Mos Def's The Ecstatic to Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, see what made the list and came in at number one! more info

Guardian Music — The aim was to engage with contemporary black dance music. The result? Solange Knowles became a big fan!Who else made the top albums of 2009?It has been a great year for intelligent, experimental American pop: Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear and Dirt... more info

Big Apple Music Scene — Already on several “Best of 2009″ lists, Animal Collective will be DJing One Step Beyond, Flavorpill and Fader’s party at the Natural History Museum on January 8. There is also a surprise Secret Guest. Activaire DJs open. $20 Tickets are on sal... more info