It just about that time of year again. You know, the time when families gather for Thanksgiving feasts, when children run downstairs to find presents under the tree, and most importantly, when bloggers start to create their lists of top albums from the past year.

I am choosing albums based on originality, musical depth, playability, and non-tangible factors (i.e. personal attachment to material). Record sales have absolutely no weight in my decision, nor does popularity. Over the next ten days, I will reveal my top 10 albums of the year. My final post will also include my top 10 singles of the year. How exciting.

Drumroll please…

My choice for my 10th favorite album of 2009 is Far by Regina Spektor. On June 23 of this past year, Regina Spektor released what many are calling her breakthrough album, Far. Compared to her previous albums, Far was much more playful, and yet still possesses the same sincerity found in her most famous-to-me works “Fidelity” and “On The Radio”. Spektor’s lyrics are amazingly beautiful. “Laughing With” and “Eet” are tracks that quickly send chills down your spine with brutally honest lyrics.

The album is filled with fun, piano-led songs such as “Riot Gear”, “Time Is All Around”, and “Folding Chair”. There’s something about Spektor’s incredibly innocent, insanely elegant voice that blows me away every time I listen to Far. It’s the type of album I could listen to on repeat all day, and not get sick of.