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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Apologies for the extended hiatus while I’ve taken care of some personal matters.

Fresh, daily updates coming super-soon. I swear!

MP3:
Jay Reatard - “Waiting For Something”

With Shadow Puppets and side projects put on hold, the Arctic Monkeys are finally prepping the release of their highly-anticipated Josh Homme-produced third LP, Humbug (Aug. 25th). Although the first single “Crying Lightning” has been a staple of recent live sets, the studio version is a promising sign of a moodier and less frenzied Monkeys sound. Give it a listen, won’t you?

MP3:
Arctic Monkeys - “Crying Lightning”

Sad news. In honor of the undisputed King of Pop, please enjoy these 50 covers of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits.

MP3s:
Mika - “I Want You Back”
Nickel Creek - “I Want You Back”
KT Tunstall - “I Want You Back”
Lightspeed Champion - “Thriller”
Ben Gibbard - “Thriller”
Speak Low - “Thriller”
TT - “Thriller”
Jason Webley - “Thriller”
Videogame Orchestra - “Thriller”
Ian Brown - “Thriller”
Petra Haden - “Thriller”
Ananda - “Thriller”
Pierce the Veil - “Beat It”
HEJ! - “Beat It”
Richard Cheese - “Beat It”
Dossie - “Beat It”
Fall Out Boy - “Beat It”
Amy Winehouse and Charlotte Church - “Beat It”
Señor Coconut And His Orchestra - “Beat It”
Agogo - “Beat It”
Supergrass - “Beat It”
Pop Ratio - “Man In The Mirror”
Chris Ayer - “Man In The Mirror”
Alex Arrowsmith - “Man In The Mirror”
James Morrison - “Man In The Mirror”
Shivaree - “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”
Keller Williams - “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”
Robert Randolph and the Family Band - “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough”
Jazztronik - “Rock With You”
Ben Deignan - “Rock With You”
John Legend and Stephen Colbert - “The Girl is Mine”
David Cook - “Billie Jean”
Chris Cornell - “Billie Jean”
Neil Finn - “Billie Jean”
Alex Cornell - “Billie Jean”
Shinehead - “Billie Jean”
Ian Brown - “Billie Jean”
Glenn Case - “Human Nature”
The Color Fred - “Human Nature”
J.Viewz - “Smooth Criminal”
Alien Ant Farm - “Smooth Criminal”
Chenard Walcker - “Remember the Time”
chewwinggum - “Dirty Diana”
The Music Of Matan - “The Way You Make Me Feel”
Ina-t - “Black Or White”
Irma - “Heal the World”
Sam Miller & Andy Smith - “Dancing Machine”
Kris Moyse - “Blame It On The Boogie”
The Moons - “I’ll Be There”
Transformer Di Roboter - “Stranger In Moscow”

Every Tuesday, Hypeful teams up with Salad Days Music to pick and preview the week’s best new album releases. Bend an ear to this week’s choicest selections after the jump!

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