In just a few weeks time people will again to be talking about She & Him. The folksy pop duo of Zoe Deschanel and M. Ward is releasing their sophomore album titled Volume Two; in stores March 23. With the success of their first album (Volume One) and with Deschanel’s recent status as a hipster pin-up girl, hype surrounding the album is going to be pretty hard to miss. The first single from Volume Two was made available on January 23 and it’s very pretty, with Deschanel’s lacy twang and Ward’s nodding guitar giving it plenty of vibrant energy.

See also: Artrocker.com’s own Top 12 albums of the year so far list
Whether it’s from phenomenal debut albums or continued greatness from reliable favorites, one thing is for certain, 2009 has already been a very exciting year for music. This is my annual mid-year recap of what I believe to be the best albums of 2009 so far. As I’ve done from this site’s inception, I’m including 12 and a half entries, exactly half the amount I’ll be counting down in my annual year-end list. The twelve albums and one EP (that’s the half) are listed in chronological order and include my favorite albums released in the first six months of ‘09.
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