Pardon me while I ape a Dorothy Parker cliche, but brevity is totally the soul of music these days. Thanks to iTunes, SoundCloud, Pandora, social networking, mp3 blogs—my god, pick your poison—we’re consuming jams faster and in smaller chunks than ever before. Welcome to the future, friends: technology has made it simple to hear only what we want to hear, only when we want to hear it, effectively blocking out all that figurative and literal noise making its rounds via Myspace Music. Great for those of us always after more, more, more (and more, more, more tailored to our specific tastes) but not so ideal for bands trying to develop via full-length album. I mean, it’s a might easy to get lost in the shuffle when the whole industry moves at light speed.

Which explains why 2009 has been a banner year for the format—and why we (at the Bloglin) think the next decade will sheperd in a new Era of the EP. Short, sweet and way easier to make cohesive, these little snippets not only afford bands the ability to do substantial releases quicker and sans all the stress, but also cater to our increasingly itty-bitty attention spans. Plus, they pack such heavy impact; a ruthlessly edited, bite-sized version of a band that flirts with a full-length’s pacing and narrative but doesn’t require nearly the commitment. The band stays relevant, we stay satisfied. Everyone’s a winner.

So that said, here are our favorites among this year’s pretty stunning crop of EP releases. Here’s hoping 2010 is just as prolific.

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20) Diamond Plate – Relativity [Self-Released]

Chicago isn’t known as a hotbed for metal, especially thrash…but enter Diamond Plate, three young kids from the Chicago ‘burbs who prove with this EP that they’re a force to be reckoned with. 4 blistering and fist-pounding thrash anthems that hearken back to the glory days of Bay Area and German thrash. Definitely a band to watch in the coming decade.

Not originally reviewed on the Bloglin

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19) Oni Ayhun – OAR 003 [Self-Released]

Electro solo project of The Knife’s Olof Dreijer. 003 is the third in a series of amazing 12″ EPs, but this is by far the standout: creepy (duh), unsettled and weirdly organic, these tracks simultaneously satisfy a Knife craving and make you hope Oni Ayhun goes on forever.

Not originally reviewed on the Bloglin

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18) Mongoloid Village – S/T [Self-Released]

Crazy sludgy (and strangely accessible), this EP manages to cram entire decades of stoner metal, doom and even psych into 5 tracks. It’s explosive, gritty and sick as fuck—you know, all the stuff that makes Mongoloid Village so great to begin with. Don’t keep this one keep flying under the radar as it has been all year.

Original Bloglin review (Click Here)

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17) Abe Vigoda – Reviver [PPM]

Abe Vigoda, all grown up: 5 dark and tropic-tinged indie-noise jams (including a rad Stevie Nicks cover) that show off the band’s newfound maturity–and finally make good on everything they’ve been capable of since the start.

Original Bloglin review (Click Here)

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16) Vega – Well Known Pleasures [Self-Released]

Perfectly produced and full of dreamy samples, Vega’s cleverly titled debut EP is not only catchy as hell but also some of the most interesting Italo-influenced synth-pop/house to be released all year.

Not originally reviewed on the Bloglin

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15) The Drums - “Summertime!” [Moshi Moshi]

Breezy indie-pop that shirks the quirk for a serious Fac Recs vibe. Full of simple, catchy tracks about super-fun summers and the heartbreak that comes with them, this album probably could’ve been called, like, Listening to a Cure Tape Under the Boardwalk.

Original Bloglin review (Click Here)

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14) The Men – We Are the Men [Self-Released]

Self released, limited edition and frenetic as hell, this EP perfectly channels a time when punk/hardcore was all about being messy, noisy and totally without pretense. Best listened to at ear-splitting volume.

Download The Men – We Are The Men EP for Free (Click Here)!

Original Bloglin review (Click Here)

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13) Best Coast – Where the Boys Are [Blackest Rainbow]

Awesome lo-fi cassette release from one-half of the equally awesome Pocahaunted. 60s pysch-pop meets drone meets the trashy vibe of Babes In Toyland or L7—a totally weird combo that makes for a totally addictive EP.

Original Bloglin review (Click Here)

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12) Ulterior – Kempers Heads [Killer Pimp]

Another in this year’s amazing upsurge of dark, ominous electro-influenced releases, Kempers Heads (culled from the band’s first 2 12” singles) is creepy enough to snare industrial fans, noisy enough for the gazers and dancey enough to rule a party.

Not originally reviewed on the Bloglin

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11) Animal Collective – Fall Be Kind [Domino]

Comprised of leftover tracks from the year’s standout Merriweather Post Pavillion, Fall Be Kind is just as lush and reflective as the full-length but with an ambient charm all its own. Plus, it’s the first release ever to use a licensed Grateful Dead sample, which gives 2009 (and Animal Collective themselves) a weird, historical footnote.

Original Bloglin review (Click Here)

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Tomorrow we we’ll give you the second part of  our Best EPs of 2009 with numbers 10 through 1.

If you would like any upcoming release in 2010 to be considered for review by the Bloglin, please either email a link to digital files to bloglin@mishkanyc.com OR mail a Vinyl, Tape or CD copy to Mishka NYC c/o The Bloglin, 350 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11222.

- Rue Sauvage