Having already released one of Hypeful’s favorite albums from the first half of ‘09, London-based Fanfarlo have managed to keep themselves busy recording a series of covers in one of the band member’s living rooms. For the first of their self-dubbed “laptop sessions,” Fanfarlo has covered Bonnie Prince Billy’s “A Minor Place.” and the Smashing Pumpkins’ “We Only Come Out At Night.” (The Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie track is an especially apropos tune if you’re suffering from a rash of True Blood fever this summer…)

MP3s:
Fanfarlo - “We Only Come Out At Night” (Smashing Pumpkins cover)
Smashing Pumpkins - “We Only Come Out At Night”

VIDEO:

Better late than never, here are Hypeful’s picks for the top 30 albums of 2009 (so far). Although a best-of-the-year list may seem a bit premature, it’s mainly an opportunity to showcase some excellent albums that sadly may not make the final year-end rankings. In an attempt to keep things fair and not spoil the surprise of which albums might be reappearing in my final best-of-the-year list, I’ve decided to list the top 30 albums in the order of their release dates. Also, this list was put together in mid-July and belatedly published, so there are definitely some missing albums.

As always, feedback is anticipated! What albums are overrated? What albums are overlooked?

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