If there was some kind of zodiac for the music world, it would be a very messy affair. There would be little continuity from year to year and little to no thematic unity inherent in the transition from, for example, 2007—the year of the adventurous electro-pop­­—to 2008—the year of the Californian noise bands. However, 2009 would have a very clear title: the year of the old man.

That’s right, comrades: put away your neon hoodies and grab that pair of child-molester glasses, because 2009 is the year to be an old man playing music.

It all started with the release of Morrissey’s superlative new album, Years of Refusal, quite possibly the best work he’s done since his days with the Smiths. That’s pretty impressive when you consider that he’s been a solo artist for about four times as long as he was a Smith. The best thing about the album, though, is the way that he tackles aging, dying and obscurity; that is, with enough wit and venom to make literary gods (Keats, Wilde, etc.) proud. It’s his most human album to date and a welcome relief after years of self pity mixed with weird, pseudo-prog noodling. He’ll be stopping by the State Theatre on April 6, so you’ve got time to sculpt your pompadour and get that “Viva Hate” tattoo that you’ve always wanted.

Of course, Morrissey’s not the only old guy who’s decided to get awesome as he gets older. Last year, Nick Cave released Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, an album that mixed Cave’s usual bluesy rock and brooding balladry with revved-up, garage-rock and deliciously profane lyrics. It was a pretty stunning achievement and—at the risk of sounding repetitive—the best work he’s done since 1996’s Murder Ballads—which, as a side note, contains the most deliciously profane song ever in “Stagger Lee.” This year, Cave is wrapping up a world tour, hiring a new guitarist and re-releasing his sizeable back catalogue. The first wave of re-issues will encompass his first four albums, which are all completely nuts and essential listening for anyone who wants to know what happens when a drugged-out Australian goth kid starts channeling Leadbelly and speaking in tongues.

And how could it be an old man party without the patron saint of old-dude musicians, Leonard Cohen, making an appearance? This year finds Cohen embarking on his first American tour in 15 years. In case you’re not wetting yourself, let me explain: this is big news. Cohen will be stopping by the Orpheum on May 3 and while tickets will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of a billion dollars and two pints of blood, it will be totally worth it if you can get the funding.

Not to be outdone by his aging peers, Tom Waits has announced plans to release a record this summer and is slated to show up in a bunch of movies playing either the devil or a grizzled cowboy. I mean, what else would Tom Waits show up as?

Oh yeah, and Jarvis has a new album coming out. I mean, he’s not as old as those guys, but he did write, “Help the Aged.”

See what I mean? Doesn’t all that make you want to sit by a fireplace with some volumes of Camus and gripe about the modern world? Maybe it’s just me, but I’m definitely wishing I could live out a vision of my twilight years that has nothing to do with abstinent vampires.