Before it’s too late: my 2009 music wrap-up
This is a little late, but since it’s only January 17, I deem a post like this still acceptable. It’s hard for me to look back on 2009 and pick my favorite music, and a year from now, my favorite 2009 album could be something I don’t even own yet. What I can do is analyze my iTunes data—particularly play counts and star ratings (which I obsessively keep).
According to iTunes, of songs that came out in 2009 these are the ones with the highest play counts. My two favorite songs of 2009 are “Lalita” by The Love Language and “Walkabout” by Atlas Sound and Panda Bear, neither of which cracked the top 10.
1. Bat for Lashes, “Daniel”
2. Bon Iver, “Blood Bank”
3. Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks”
4. Bon Iver, “Beach Baby”
4. Grizzly Bear, “Ready, Able”
6. Elvis Perkins in Dearland, “Doomsday”
7. Built to Spill, “Hindsight”
8. Delorean, “Seasun”
8. The Dodos, “Fables”
8. Say Hi, “Maurine”
There were dozens of great albums this year. These aren’t my favorite albums of the year, but they are the ten albums with the most 4★-plus rated songs in my iTunes library.
Five 2009 albums I loved which aren’t on this list (probably because I was too busy rocking out to rate the whole thing) are Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors, Bird-Brains by Tune-Yards, Fever Ray’s self-titled record, Now We Can See by The Thermals, and Songs of Shame by Woods. Ok, the list (number of 4★-plus rated songs in parentheses):
1. Elvis Perkins in Dearland, s/t (8)
2. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone (7)
2. Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest (7)
4. Freelance Whales, Weathervanes (6)
4. AA Bondy, When the Devil’s Loose (6)
6. St. Vincent, Actor (5)
6. Antony & the Johnsons, The Crying Light (5)
6. Dark Was the Night (5)
6. Camera Obscura, My Maudlin Career (5)
6. Fanfarlo, Reservoir (5)
