2010: The List

I'm working on getting playlists up here for all of these songs -- and zip downloads for the top 30 songs (NOW ADDED BELOW)

MP3 Downloads: [30 - 16] // [15 - 01]
If you've got six hours free, here's the playlist on iLike.

Ta da:

100 | Valley Maker, "The First"
099 | Fabolous, "You Be Killin' Em"
098 | The Weepies, "Be My Thrill"
097 | Harlem, "Friendly Ghost"
096 | Sufjan Stevens, "I Walked"
095 | Britta Persson, "Meet a Bear"
094 | Roky Erickson with Okkervil River, "Goodbye Sweet Dreams"
093 | Sonny & the Sunsets, "Heart of Sadness"
092 | Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream"
091 | Lykke Li, "Get Some"
090 | The Extra Lens, "How I Left the Ministry"
089 | Little Scream, "Heron and the Fox"
088 | One for the Team, "Best Supporting Actress"
087 | Devo, "Fresh"
086 | Eels, "Little Bird"
085 | The Vaccines, "If You Wanna"
084 | Tennis, "Marathon"
083 | Chew Lips, "Slick"
082 | Happy Birthday, "Subliminal Message"
081 | Sarah Harmer, "Captive"
080 | Maison Neuve, "Piste 01"
079 | Eternal Summers, "Bully in Disguise"
078 | Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, "Sink / Let It Sway"
077 | Sleigh Bells, "Tell 'Em"
076 | Sade, "Soldier of Love"
075 | Spoon, "Written in Reverse"
074 | Robyn, "Hang With Me"
073 | Kanye West, "Monster"
072 | Broken Social Scene, "All to All"
071 | The New Pornographers, "Moves"
070 | Broken Bells, "The Ghost Inside"
069 | Zola Jesus, "Lightsick"
068 | Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, "Round and Round"
067 | Frightened Rabbit, "Swim Until You Can't See Land"
066 | Hannah Georgas, "Bang Bang You're Dead"
065 | Dr. Dog, "Stranger"
064 | Deerhunter, "Desire Lines"
063 | The National, "Conversation 16"
062 | Basia Bulat, "The Shore"
061 | Kendal Johansson, "Blue Moon"
060 | Jenny and Johnny, "Big Wave"
059 | Jonsi, "Go Do"
058 | The Innocence Mission, "The Happy Mondays"
057 | Foals, "Spanish Sahara"
056 | Surfer Blood, "Floating Vibes"
055 | Kanye West, "Runaway"
054 | Blair Hello, "Halo"
053 | Best Coast, "When I'm With You"
052 | Kathryn Calder, "Arrow"
051 | B.o.B. (ft. Rivers Cuomo), "Magic"
050 | Teenage Fanclub, "Baby Lee"
049 | First Aid Kit, "Ghost Town"
048 | Big Boi, "Daddy Fat Sax"
047 | Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, "Bottled in Cork"
046 | The Like, "Fair Game"
045 | The Thermals, "I Don't Believe You"
044 | The Moondoggies, "It's a Shame, It's a Pity"
043 | Dr. Dog, "Nobody Knows Who You Are"
042 | Belle and Sebastian, "I Didn't See It Coming"
041 | Superchunk, "Digging for Something"
040 | She & Him, "Don't Look Back"
039 | Laura Veirs, "July Flame"
038 | Sky Ferreira, "One"
037 | Joanna Newsom, "Good Intentions Paving Company"
036 | Nana Grizol, "Cynicism"
035 | Reni Lane, "Runaway Train"
034 | Iron and Wine, "Walking Far From Home"
033 | Phosphorescent, "It's Hard to Be Humble (When You're From Alabama)"
032 | Arcade Fire, "Suburban War"
031 | The Morning Benders, "Excuses"
030 | The Magnetic Fields, "You Must Be Out of Your Mind"
029 | The Black Keys, "Everlasting Light"
028 | Jenny and Johnny, "Animal"
027 | Avi Buffalo, "What's in It For?"
026 | The Hold Steady, "Hurricane J"
025 | Mumford & Sons, "The Cave"
024 | Wildlife, "Stand in the Water"
023 | Janelle Monae (ft. Big Boi), "Tightrope"
022 | LCD Soundsystem, "I Can Change"
021 | Dum Dum Girls, "Jail La La"
020 | Laura Marling, "Rambling Man"
019 | Owen Pallett, "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt"
018 | Broken Social Scene, "Art House Director"
017 | Cee-Lo Green, "Fuck You"
016 | Band of Horses, "Evening Kitchen"
015 | The Tallest Man on Earth, "Burden of Tomorrow"
014 | The National, "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
013 | S, "Through It All"
012 | Beach House, "Zebra"
011 | Mumford & Sons, "Little Lion Man"
010 | Stars, "Fixed"
009 | Jonsi, "Boy Lilikoi"
008 | Sharon Van Etten, "Love More"
007 | The New Pornographers, "Crash Years"
006 | Arcade Fire, "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
005 | Sarah Jaffe, "Clementine"
004 | Kanye West (ft. Rihanna), "All of the Lights"
003 | Robyn, "Dancing on My Own"
002 | Frightened Rabbit, "Living in Colour"
001 | Sleigh Bells, "Rill Rill"

It's 3:08 a.m. on New Year's Eve

and I believe we have it down to 100. I'll post tomorrow.

Thanks, peoples*, for your help. (Not you, John Roderick. Not you.)

*Principally: @bankbryan, @stgramophone, @jamestweeting, and the friends who chimed in on Facebook. All in all, about 25 of you gave me your recommendations and I hope I did well by all of you.

Gah

Research continues. I forgot how horrifying this album cover is.

Existential crisis (thank you, John Roderick)

This year's year-end list is under construction -- nearing completion. (Scattered applause)

But I just had an existential crisis at the hands of Long Winters frontman, John Roderick.


Mr. Roderick published his "Top 10 Reasons I Hate Year-End Top-Ten Lists," and OK, so dude is right. These things are all basically the same (Yes, we all think Arcade Fire and Kanye would be pretty even without their makeup). And, as he writes, ranking songs -- even from 100 to 1 -- "does not reflect the way we actually experience them."

Well, shit. Do I quit and end a tradition entering its 16th year? I could do that. But then this jumped out at me:

"Ranking things in order of how much you like them is a coping strategy of 9-year-old girls."

Sounds like me. So I'm back at work.

Toaster out.

The Best of 2009: Songs 100 to 1

A little late, admittedly...but I wanted to fully process all of those 12/29 releases. Select downloads below.

100 >> Condo Fucks, “What’cha Gonna Do About It?”

99 >> Devendra Banhart, “Baby”

98 >> Ah Holly Fam'ly, “All Unfolding”

97 >> The Soundtrack of Our Lives, “Flipside”

96 >> Lily Allen, “The Fear”

95 >> The Flaming Lips (feat. Karen O), “Watching the Planets”

94 >> Speech Debelle, “Spinnin’”

93 >> Lou Barlow, “Too Much Freedom”

92 >> Erin McKeown, “The Foxes”

91 >> Annie, “I Don’t Like Your Band”

90 >> Art Brut, “Summer Job”

89 >> Kurt Vile, “My Best Friends (Don”t Even Pass)”

88 >> The Antlers, “Bear”

87 >> Patrick Watson, “Big Bird in a Small Cage”

86 >> Dent May, “26 Miles (Santa Catalina)”

85 >> Bob Mould, “I’m Sorry Baby, But You Can’t Stand in My Light Anymore”

84 >> Blame Ringo, “Garble Arch”

83 >> Liechtenstein, “Postcard”

82 >> White Rabbits, “Percussion Gun”

81 >> Here We Go Magic, “Fangala”

80 >> Marina & the Diamonds, “Mowgli’s Road”

79 >> Jail, “No Mindless Love”

78 >> Matt & Kim, “Daylight”

77 >> The Mountain Goats, “Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace”

76 >> Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, “Natural Light”

75 >> Burning Hearts, “I Lost My Colour Vision”

74 >> Ben Kweller, “Fight”

73 >> Dinosaur Jr., “I Want You to Know”

72 >> Monsters of Folk, “Say Please”

71 >> Andrew Bird, “Oh No”

70 >> The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “Everything With You”

69 >> The Raveonettes, “Suicide”

68 >> Deer Tick, “Easy”

67 >> Wye Oak, “Take It In”

66 >> Wussy, “Muscle Cars”

65 >> M. Ward (feat. Zooey Deschanel), “Never Had Nobody Like You”

64 >> Cuddle Magic, “Expectations”

63 >> Handsome Furs, “I’m Confused”

62 >> Young Galaxy, “Destroyer”

61 >> Fruit Bats, “My Unusual Friend”

60 >> Immaculate Machine, “Sound the Alarms”

59 >> Neon Indian, “Deadbeat Summer”

58 >> Woods, “Get Back”

57 >> Regina Spektor, “Folding Chair”

56 >> Tegan and Sara, “Hell”

55 >> The Thermals, “Now We Can See”

54 >> Miike Snow, “Animal”

53 >> Lady GaGa, “Poker Face”

52 >> Surfer Blood, “Swim (To Reach the End)”

51 >> We Were Promised Jetpacks, “Roll Up Your Sleeves”

50 >> Daniel Johnston, “Mind Movies”

49 >> St. Vincent, “Actor Out of Work”

48 >> Crocodiles, “I Wanna Kill”

47 >> BOAT, “Name Tossers”

46 >> Vic Chesnutt, “Flirted With You All My Life”

45 >> God Help the Girl, “Come Monday Night”

44 >> Bishop Allen, “The Ancient Commonsense of Things”

43 >> Eels, “My Timing Is Off”

42 >> Ha Ha Tonka, “Close Every Valve to Your Bleeding Heart”

41 >> Camera Obscura, “My Maudlin Career”

40 >> Fanfarlo, “I’m a Pilot”

39 >> Southeast Engine, “Preparing for the Flood”

38 >> Telekinesis, “I Saw Lightning”

37 >> The Decemberists, “Annan Water”

36 >> Jay Reatard, “Wounded”

35 >> The Swell Season, “Feeling the Pull”

34 >> Lonely, Dear, “I Was Only Going Out”

33 >> Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, “Cardinal Rules”

32 >> J. Tillman, “Though I Have Wronged You”

31 >> The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “Contender”

30 >> Girls, “Lust for Life”

29 >> Tegan and Sara, “The Ocean”

28 >> The Mountain Goats, “1 John 4:16”

27 >> Matt & Kim, “Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare”

26 >> Vetiver, “Everyday”

25 >> Dirty Projectors, “No Intention”

24 >> The Swell Season, “The Verb”

23 >> Wilco (feat. Feist), “You and I”

22 >> Arcade Fire, “Lenin”

21 >> Harlem Shakes, “Sunlight”

20 >> Neko Case, “I’m an Animal”

19 >> The Avett Brothers, “I and Love and You”

18 >> Cave Singers, “Beach House”

17 >> El Perro Del Mar, “Change of Heart”

16 >> Animal Collective, “My Girls”

15 >> Sharon Van Etten, “Much More Than That”

14 >> Phoenix, “Lisztomania”

13 >> Bowerbirds, “Northern Lights”

12 >> A.C. Newman , “There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve”

11 >> Cains and Abels, “My Life Is Easy”

10 >> Emmy the Great, “MIA”

9 >> The National, “So Far Around the Bend”

8 >> Bon Iver, “Blood Bank”

7 >> Andrew Bird, “Natural Disaster”

6 >> Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks”

5 >> Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Hysteric”

4 >> The Antlers, “Two Weeks”

3 >> Neko Case, “People Got a Lot of Nerve”

2 >> Dirty Projectors and David Byrne, “Knotty Pine”

1 >> Phoenix, “1901"

Download the top 25:

Part 1 (No. 25 to 16): http://bit.ly/2009_25to16

Part 2 (Top 15): http://bit.ly/2009_top15

The links are good until 1/16. After downloaded and unzipped, drag+drop both folders into iTunes. Then sort by track number, which will display as a countdown (The #1 song will be listed as Track 25.)