Phoenix's  album "Wolfgang Amadeus " is probably my album of the year for 2009. I remember listening to it on a loop when I first got it. I think I listened to it for a solid two months again and again until I finally got a little weary of it. 

If you thought you loved the movie "The Notebook" enough already, you were wrong. Because the dude who plays the rough around the edges, heart of gold lead can also write some pretty solid tunes. I heard Ryan Gosling DJ'd around LA before like most of those young hipster actors do nowadays. But I didn't know he had a band. The first thought that came to my head when my buddy told me about it was ..." I bet it's like some 30 Seconds to Mars turd sandwich". But to my surprise and delight his band "Dead Man's Bones" was quite solid and strangely spooky.