This is it. The best of the best. As determined by me and in alphabetical-by-artist order. This list has been a labor of love and it is an honor to pay tribute to so many fantastic albums. With that said, don’t hesitate to lift your leg and leave your own mark in the comments. Or just track down the albums here that you don’t know and get down with a good set of headphone. I know these lists are self indulgent and often pointless but they are fun nonetheless. A big thank you to all the TBE readers who stick with me day after day and trudge through my ramblings. Ok, I’m out. Carry on!

The Checks – Alice By The Moon

The Checks – Ballroom Baby / This out-of-left-field recommendation by a TBE reader quickly caught my ear and became an instant favorite for summer days spent between two headphone speakers. After tracking down their debut, it’s clear how much these New Zealanders have matured on Alice By The Moon. Their sound is equal parts raw, catchy, big, and double on the rock n roll, leaving me certain of it’s Best Album status after my first listen. Each track takes over your speakers with a different energy and personality that is rarely found in these days of same-sounding albums. It’s not an easy task to choose just one jam to represent this fantastically varied album. These guys may also win the best album art prize. I’d pay good money to have that blown up on my wall. These guys need to get more worldwide love this year. Can we get on that?

Dead Man’s Bones – S/T

Dead Man’s Bones – My Body’s a Zombie for You / By no means a perfect album but seriously unlike anything else I heard in ’09. Each listen betrays new layers and new favorite moments. I used to skip opening track “Dead Hearts” but it’s recently revealed itself to be the perfect mood-setter for the album. And the uses of smashing glass as an instrument is brilliantly executed. (also sweet because I think I could actually play that one pretty well) I remember reading that the guys limited their takes on each track because they wanted the imperfections to show. If anything the rough edges only add to the haunting aura of the album. I can only hope that these guys continue making great music.

Freelance Whales – Weathervanes

Frelance Whales – Generator ^ 2nd Floor / This is what crafting an album is all about. There may be 13 tracks on Weathervanes but you would never know by the way each track seamlessly flows into the next as the music magically progresses through tales of friendship, love, and death. And ‘magic’ is an appropriate word because I imagine this to be the kind of music forest gnomes would play to me if I ever stumbled upon their humble tree-kingdom. It’s astounding that this album is the Brooklyn group’s debut and even more impressive how they caught us all by surprise without any of the usual pre-album hype, single leaks, EPs, or any of that. Just write a fantastic album, release it on the world, and let the praise roll in. I like that style.

Generationals – Con Law

Generationals – Wildlife Sculpture / I was tipped off to Generationals debut album, Con Law, on a tip from 17 Dots and knew at first listen that this was something special. This is probably the hardest album I will have to describe this year. Not because it’s overly “heady” or “challenging” — it’s the opposite really — but because they blend genres so well that I can’t even pick apart the references. Con Law is like a mixtape of amazing unknown bands from a bygone era of soul-filled and infectious music. Their chosen moniker is perhaps the best indication of the kind of whole-family appeal this album has. Crank this up the next time everyone gets a bit too testy on your next road-trip and everyone will soon be bouncing contentedly and trying to sing along to lyrics they’ve just heard.

Jack Peñate – Everything Is New

Jack Peñate – Let’s All Die / Going for the Understatement Of The Year award with the title to his sophomore album, Jack blew more than just me out of the water with his revamped sound. Gone were the ska-influenced goofball pop jams of his debut and in were some of the tightest, most honest, and spine-tinglingly catchy sing alongs of the year. “Be The One” nails it as a lost-boy love song and “Let’s All Die” edges out Freelance Whales’ “Generator ^ Second Floor” as the year’s best song about dealing with death. At a trim 9 tracks, Everything Is New is part of a trend of albums getting shorter. However if all that means is we are cutting out the filler then I’m all for it. Managing to see Jack perform twice in ’09 I can attest to his ability to bring it live and more than make up for a short supply of tracks.

Jamie T – Kings & Queens

Jamie T – Chaka Demus / Having always been a big fan of half of Jamie T’s debut album, I was pretty excited to get my ears on the epic “Stick N Stones” as a preview to his follow up. Tough times to top that jam but Jamie pulled out all the stops on Kings & Queens, dropping an album that is as varied as it is anthemic and infectious. The guy has a perfect ear for jangly rambling punk-tinged melodies that always feel like they are a beat away from coming apart at the seams as they chug through your speakers. This is the kind of music I would sing along to if only I could understand more than half of what Jamie’s thick accent is mumbling about. “Sticks N Stones” is still my standout favorite but the rest of the jams are piled precariously right beneath it on the podium. Put on “Chaka Demus” to remind you of what warmth sounds like. As for the rest of the album, do what jonathan_uk does and play it while driving. I just hope your speakers can handle it.

The Maccabbees – Wall Of Arms

The Maccabees – Can You Give It / Yet another spectacular sophomore effort coming from a UK band. The Maccabees debut was always a nice listen but didn’t stick with me past a few months. This album got about 8 spins in it’s first day back in May and has been getting them regularly since then. Orlando Weeks’ voice has a tenderness that gives it a magical feel when layered over anything from galloping guitar rides (“Young lions”) to tender slow jams (“Bag Of Bones”). “Can You Give It” still takes the cake as the albums biggest swaggering fist pumper as it ebbs and flows through blaring vocals and tinkering drums. I have a feeling that these guys would put on a great live show and it’s a sad day that I haven’t had the honors yet.

Miike Snow – S/T

Miike Snow – Cult Logic / Any regular TBE reader know I can’t go more than a few weeks without dropping some Miike love. There is not much to say about this jam except that it remains to be the only album I have ever bout from iTunes (eMusic 4life!) and $6.99 later it was an early shoe-in for this list. Continued listening further solidified that feeling. Seeing 3 live shows further solidified that feeling. Consistently fantastic videos further solidified that feeling. Getting my notoriously fickle buddy Blake on-board with Miike further solidified that feeling. At some point the feeling of love for this album became so solid (avoiding analogy to album cover here) that even the gajillion “Animal” remixes couldn’t faze it. It fact, they propelled “Animal” to one of the top spots on my Best Songs list. (“Cult Logic” is my favorite jam from the album but “Animal” demonstrated such a resilience to meddling that it claimed that spot.)

Passion Pit – Manners

Passion Pit – Folds In Your Hands (New to TBE) / Oh boy, remember when people were worried this album would be a let down? Remember when “The Reeling” dropped it’s bad self and people were still griping? Remember when Manners proper came out and everyone shut the fuck up? Yeah, that was sweet. May was a good month in ’09 with 4 albums on this list all dropping that month. How Passion Pit took that little-Ep-that-could and turned it into the masterpiece on Manners I’ll never know but I’m sure glad they did. Track after track of gorgeous synth/dance/indie/pop whatever that hasn’t grown stale to me. I never posted a specific album review for some reason so let it be noted that I love their use of a children’s choir here. (also see: Dead man’s Bones, above) I also love when “Folds In Your Hands” breaks at the 2:37 mark and everything just gets happy. I just listen to that jam everytime I need to forget about their disappointing show opening for Phoenix in Central park.

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Phoenix – Lisztomania / Speaking of Frenchies! No surprise that 2009′s favorite made this list. (Sorry Justice, try sucking less) Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix took us all by surprise when it’s release turned a band some of us kinda liked into a band we all loved. They straight murdered it in 2009, riding their epic 4th album all over the damn place. Although I’m not sure I agree, I appreciate their balls in taking what should be a single track album closer (“Love Like A Sunset”) and not only smacking it right in the middle of the album, but splitting it two tracks just for the hell of it. Dickery like this would kill the momentum of similar pop albums but this one picks up right where it left off and may even finish harder than it started. Jeez, it’s all beginning to sound a bit sexual. Do I have a boner for this album? Hmmm… I guess I do. But don’t tell me you don’t either, that’s not the question. The real question is: “1901″ or “Lisztomania”? Could be the question of the year…

The Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns

The Rural Alberta Advantage – Four Night Rider (New to TBE) / So what if Hometowns was on my Best Of 2008 list, I told you that their Saddle Creek re-release would get them in for 2009 as well. That fact that I am actually following through on that is a testament to this album. Few have grabbed me so firmly and held me for so long. Intimate when it needs to be and rip roaring rock when that’s appropriate. The best part is that those moments often overlap to create music straight from the heart to your years. I had hoped that these guys would blow up bigger this year but despite some mid-year hype they never exploded like they should. You could argue that it’s not quite accessible enough but then I would just say that you aren’t acccessible enough. It was as much of a delight to have to honor to interview the band as it was to have this album to lean on for another year.

Slow Club – Yeah So

Slow Club – Giving Up On Love / I can’t thank of another band who better combines grandiose rock stompers and intimate love confessions into one sound that is undeniably their own. While mostof the songs on Yeah So are about breaking/broken hearts, the them never gets monotonous. Each track tackles a different issue or emotion that we know all too well and wraps it in the most beautifully honest lyrics I have heard this year. The youth of these two Brits is betrayed by their wisdom and I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that this album has actually helped me understand my own relationships better. Sometimes it takes hearing it from a neutral third party to really get it to sink in. And what better backdrop to such a “talking-to” than these jangly country-tinged jams?

The Sweet Serenades – Balcony Cigarettes

The Sweet Serenades – Mona Lee / I’ve said it before, and I said it again, and now here it is, one of the best albums of the year for anyone who appreciates their rock-n-roll with a heavy dose of good times. As these these Swedes so perfectly put in in “Mona Lee”: “a hurricane is coming down, I’m holding on so desperately.” That pretty much sums up my feeling towards this album from the first time I pressed play. That slow, lurking suspicion that with each passing minute things are gonna get more intense. I don’t mean to make it sound like tantric sex or anything, but for my money it’s pretty damn close and you don’t ever have to think about Sting naked. I will allow that this album might be too poppy for some but you people are just repressing your inner child. Let that rapscallion out and teach him to skank to the kazoo line in “I Can Never Die!”

Tegan and Sara – Sainthood

Tegan & Sara – The Ocean / It’s clear why Tegan & Sara went with “Hell” as their lead single. It’s not that it is the album’s ‘best’ track, or even ‘most familiar’ to fans, it’s just the one that stands up and yells the loudest that these two Canucks are no longer the pessimistic mopes they were on their last album, The Con. They have taken some time off, rearranged their game plan, and decided that priority numero uno is rocking faces. Not that Sainthood is a non-stop ear pounder — its not at all — but it’s that perfect collection of varied rock tunes that showcase all these girls’ talents: huge hooks, confessional lyrics, off-beat instrumentation, and most of all, supreme listenability. At 13 tracks it’s one of the longer albums (my, how times change) to make this list and it did take repeated listen to fully grow on me. Part of the problem is that each song is so solid that it’s hard find those 2 or 3 that lock you in with continuous listens.  However, at the end of the day there isn’t a jam on here that I skip and at 33% longer than other albums on this list that’s pretty impressive.

The xx – xx

The xx – Crystalised / Speaking of taking a little time to fully get into, this masterpiece took me half the year to come around to. Now that xx and I are best buds we have been spending the better part of this winter with each other. I’m usually studying or reading and well, per usual, xx is crooning on about something inappropriately sensual and steamy. Sure, we look like an odd couple to some, especially if you know the others I have loved, but we don’t care. We are happy. And we could we not be when our mellow times are sound-tracked by such perfectly sparse dance/lovemaking jams, girl/boy vocals that make conservative parents blush, and beats so delicate that it seems like a stiff breeze might dislodge the rhythm.  Better just turn it up, disconnect the phone, and lock the windows cause this is gonna be a night in.

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Be sure to catch all the 2009 round-ups.

• Best Albums / The Top 15 – YOU ARE HERE!
• Best Albums / Honorable Mention & EPs
• Best Songs – Pt. 1 (Jan-June)
• Best Songs – Pt.2 (July-Dec)
• Best Remixes
• Biggest Disappointments (coming soon)

I’m too tired and you’re too anxious. Let’s get this show on the road. I’ll drop some kind of ’09 wrap up speech in “The Best Albums of ’09 / The Top 15″ which should be out soooon. In the meantime, nibble on these biscuits. And leave your comments! You guys have piped up louder than ever lately and I love hearing what Team TBE thinks. Cause if two brains are better than one, well than imagi…. ok, we get it, let’s do this!

Oh, and since ranking albums is for wieners (songs are OK) I just alphabetized these lists. I don’t believe in favorites so it would be dishonest of me to attempt some sort of ranking system here. These joints are just the business, each in their own way.

NOTE: For the original TBE post on the artist just click the Artist – Album link. Word.

–  BEST ALBUMS: HONORABLE MENTION  –

Cassettes Won’t Listen – Into The Hillside

Cassettes Won’t Listen – Into The Hillside / Besides being a personally big year for remixes I also fell pretty hard for some instrumental music, a type I usually snooze through. Cassettes Won’t Listen simply blindsided me with Into the Hillside and it has been my go to album for speed-limit-pushing introspective driving, countryside-watching train rides, or tea-swilling study sessions. Each song is so well crafted and shines through with it’s own vibe. I really can’t imagine how any vocals would improve these jams.

Dragonette – Fixin’ To Thrill

Dragonette – Okay Delore / I don’t know if there is a term for the opposite of “sophomore slump” but for the sake of this article I’m gonna go with “second album dances circles around the debut.” Kinda catchy, right? Dragonette blew away any expectations I had for this album. “Fixin’ To Thrill” hinted that they were on the right track but who knew that they were actually riding the express train, destination: Downtown Electro-popsville. Their are a few rough spots to be found but not enough to prevent me playing the whole album anytime I need to practice my teenage girl pogo dance.

Fanfarlo – Reservoir

Fanfarlo – Luna / This album went criminally under-listend by me this year and that’s my mistake for the getting the version with all the bonus tracks which lags on with 4 extra tracks. Reservoir proper is a truly a thing of beauty. Lush, poppy, sensitive, and fun in all the right places. Fanfarlo get a lot of Arcade Fire comparisons but in my book they beat those Canadians at their own game and my iTunes play count will back me up on it.

fun. – Aim And Ignite

fun. – All The Pretty Girls / This one has grown on me really slowly but it is a testament to it’s greatness that it made this list and is still getting better with each listen. “All The Pretty Girls” gets me pretty hyped as I bob along and “The Gambler” has recently caught me as a one of the most beautifully sincere love songs of the year. I guess it’s finally time I got over my nostalgia for The Format. So I may be a late comer to the fun bandwagon but hey, in the words of fun themselves, at least I’m not as sad as I used to be!

Hockey – Mind Chaos

Hockey – Learn To Lose / If you know then you know. These guys put on a live show will blow your socks off and then walk over to those socks and put them on it’s feet and dance on your sockless body. All the socked stomping doesn’t quite translate to the album but anyway, I am into anthems and sing alongs, and Mind Chaos is packed with tracks that have been sonically high fiving me for months now.

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Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Kasabian – Fast Fuse / The third time is a charm. Kasabian blow their own back catalog out of the water with the help of Dan the Automator and an abandoned insane asylum. Having finally got on board with Kasabian I really don’t get why this album didn’t blow up outside the UK. What’s up? #1 is the UK isn’t enough to even get a mention on a few US blogs? West Ryder is like a superhero with it’s ominous force and chiseled physique all poured into that slightly goofy outfit and yet somehow pulling it off. And like any good hero, arriving to my ears just in the nick of time (Dec.) to make this list.

Kings Of Convenience – Declaration Of Dependance

Kings of Convenience – Peacetime Resistance / Albums like Declaration Of Dependance are not for everyone. Heck, most of the time they are not for me, but when I am in the mood to let my heart rate slow down a bit this is just the kind of rhythm I like it to have. Quiet enough not to intrude on a study session or sexy date but with still enough groove that I can shake a hip or two if necessary. A truly beautiful album.

La Roux – La Roux

La Roux – Tigerlily / This album didn’t get as many listens by me as it should have. The downside to such a long and protracted hype as La Roux’s is that by the time the actual album drops you are sick of 1/2 of the songs, and in this case, sick of 1/2 the band. Elly’s incessant blathering about being such a ‘rebel’ got old fast so it’s a good thing that her album was as solid as those early tracks hinted that it could be. Bubblegum-electro with just enough bitter flavor to keep us holier-than-thou music people from calling her a sell out. It is also a testament to their craftsmanship that those early tracks still hold up so well.

Mariachi el Bronx – Mariachi el Bronx

Mariachi el Bronx – Slave Labor (NEW to TBE!) / This album is so solid that I listen to it the whole way through every time. No jumping around, no letting other songs pop in my head to distract me, just me an my So-Cal roots getting down to sweet music and occasionally getting nostalgic for Mexican food. I don’t doubt that their “better” mariachi music was released this year but this is the band I know, this is the album I heard, and this is the one I love. And from everything I have read The Bronx have treated mariachi culture with the utmost respect. The whole project gets perfect 10s from me, album cover included.

The Very Best – Warm Heart Of Africa

The Very Best – Nsokoto (NEW to TBE!) / Man I wish I knew what Esau is singing about in these jams. Honestly, most of the time I don’t even think about it, singing along like we do when we can’t remember the lyrics and just throwing noises out there. It’s moments like now when I have to consciously think about the music that make me wonder if he isn’t just ripping on whitey and rambling about his favorite fish n’ chips spot in London. Well fish or chips, these be some sweet honey dips! Oh come on, don’t worry what that means, just enjoy the music. It’s the business.

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– BEST EPs  –

Dinosaur Pile Up – The Greatest EP In The Universe

Dinosaur Pile-Up – Cat Attack / The EPs below can thank this one for creating this category. I rocked this 5 song collection so hard I was gonna throw it in with the Best Albums list until I decided to take the opportunity to recognize some of the other solid EPs that came out in ’09.  For me, listening to these guys is like discovering grungy ’90s guitar rock for the first time all over again. Only I am older. And wiser. And it’s sooooo much more refreshing in the midst of these synth-saturated times. I am pretty damn stoked for a full album release.

The King Of Rocksprings – The Milkman vs. the Postman Problem EP

The King of Rocksprings – The Perfect Guy / No synths on this jam either. Just straight up rock with a bit of that ska flavor for nostalgia. A bit rough around the edges but that’s part of it’s charm. “Throwing Phones / Kicking Dogs” shows a whole different side to his sound and is still my slow jam of the past few months.

Millionyoung – Sundreamm EP

Millionyoung – Hammock / In a year dominated with glo-fi fuzz bands who couldn’t make one song I could get into, Millionyoung dropped a whole EP of them. But he still got no love. It’s a cold world. Millionyoung makes it just a little bit sunnier.

Sigmund Droid – Maximum Grind EP

Sigmund Droid – Implied I / Damn, this EP just makes me want to get hot and sweaty in the pit! It’s like that bass is tuned to mosh! It’s so nice to hear dirty dance music that doesn’t have ‘electro’ anywhere in it’s description.

B.o.B – B.o.B vs Bobby Ray

B.o.B. – Mr Bobby / OK, so it’s not an EP but the mixtape is basically hip-hop’s equivalent of the Extended Play and the same effect is achieved: it’s gets up peeps stoked and builds hype for a full album. Mission accomplished. Clocking in at 22 tracks this could have easily been pared down to a solid 11 track album but the fact that it wasn’t tells me Bobby Ray is on top of shit and we can expect good things. Only thing I’m worried about is major label meddling…

Be sure to catch all the 2009 round-ups.

• Best Albums / The Top 15
• Best Albums / Honorable Mention & EPs – YOU ARE HERE!
• Best Songs – Pt. 1 (Jan-June)
• Best Songs – Pt.2 (July-Dec)
• Best Remixes
• Biggest Disappointments (coming soon)

I don’t know about you but 2009 was the year I fell in live with remixes. Starting TBE opened up my world to so many amazing reinterpretations of both great and not so great songs. Having always been more of a cover song guy this was new territory for me but I dove in headfirst and have been enjoying the ride so far. Good music is a personal thing and messing with great music is even more so. This is very much a subjective list and is based on nothing besides how much I love and respect the work done. Oh, and the numbering system is pretty much bullshit but I had to put them in some kind of order. Anyway, enjoy. I certainly have.

29. French Horn Rebellion – Beaches and Friends (Hey Champ Remix) / The opening seconds pretty much sum up this perfect pool-party/beach jam.

28. Hockey – Learn To Lose (Labrinth Remix) / The remix that introduced me to one of my favorite new acts of ’09. It will always have a special place in my heart and on the dancefloor.

27. LMFAO – Shooting Star (Party/Rock Remix) / I’ve still never heard the original but this remix makes me wanna party like a fool. Something about their goofy swagger just works here.

26. Sharam & Patsy Cline – She Came Along (feat. Kid Cudi) / Yeah, this is actually a track by Sharam that samples Patsy Cline and features Cudi on vocals but that’s complicated enough to earn it ‘remix’ status in my book. I just love the bass line in this jam.

25. William Fitzsimmons – I Don’t Feel It Anymore (George Raquet Remix) / Tough to give a remix treatment to such a melancholy song so props to George for pulling it off with style and grace. Beautiful stuff.

24. The Maccabees – Love You Better (Russell Lissack Remix) / Some rock music just doesn’t lend itself to being tastefully remixed but Russell pumps this one up nicely, spastically hurtling the track along with perfect momentum.

23. Shakira – She Wolf (Calvin Harris Remix) / Love that cowbell! Calvin does a great job of pulling this one off the radio and slamming it right onto the dancefloor.

22. Little Boots – New In Town (Fred Falke Remix) / This jam is the definition of Little Boot’s pre-Hands hype and those were good times for for both her and us. A monster remix that sprawls big and wide, this got me super-pumped on the dance floor more than once.

21. Phoenix – 1901 (What Kind Of Breeze Do You Blow – E-Mix) / Not really being a drug guy I am talking out of my ass here but this remix seems like what uppers would feel like. I can’t stop twitching along to that bassline and even though I know I look like a spastic I’m OK with it.

20. Snob Scrilla – Heartbreak Scorsese (’96 Bulls Remix) / Besides being a HUGE track in it’s own right, it’s even more impressive if you know the original. This kind of reworking is what remixing is all about. Crank that wobbly-ass bass up to 11 and get your sweat on! “Never could take off my cool!”

19. Britney Spears – If U Seek Amy (Weird Tapes Club Mix) / I just don’t think I am a good enough writer to explain the brilliance of what Weird Tapes has done here. Britney has always had bangers but this takes her shit to a whole new level.

18. Big Gipp – Hot (Treasure Fingers Remix) / The best demented fun-house themed remix of the year. Hands down. An anthem for dirty zombie pimps worldwide.

17. Passion Pit – The Reeling (Calvin Harris Remix) / Calvin strikes again, this time injecting Passion Pit with that bottomed out bass-line magic that just makes me swoon. It also makes me want to sing along at full volume with closed eyes and flailing limbs. Back up!

16. Das Racist – Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell (Wallpaper. Remix) / A lot like Taco Bell itself, this jam is a real social filter, able to separate the generally awesome from those who have trouble kicking back, enjoying life, and occasionally ingesting re-hydrogenated beans.

15. Peter Bjorn & John – It Don’t Move Me (Miike Snow remix) / Bleeps, bloops, gleeps, wunks, chreaps, swoings, dweezs, wryeaws, reanooweens, and other fantastic sounds are used to perfection. It’s as if the song has taken on a life of it’s own and at any moment could leap from the speakers and pop-n-lock itself all up in my actual face. Sweet.

14. The xx – Shelter (Death To The Throne Remix) / There is nothing quite like taking a steamy sex-fueled ballad and turning into and massive club destroyer that should probably not be played to too many indie kids at once lest their be a group heart attack during the inevitable mass freak out.

13. The Killers – Spacemen (Steve Aoki & The Bloody Beetroots Remix) / It’s like making a sandwich with six pices of huge, some diced epic, some fresh funky, all between two slices of grandiose. Serve with a tall glass of handclaps!

12. Britney Spears – Radar (Bloodshy & Avant Remix) / Things are beautifully weird here with the Miike Snow boys smearing Britney with all their signature sounds as well as huge handclaps and foot stomps. Hard to explain. Easy to love.

11. One eskimO – Givin’ up (Don Diablo Remix) / It’s rare that a song can simultaneously inspire fresh dance moves as well as glassy eyed introspection. Hamstrings and heartstrings beware.

10. The Drums – Down By The Water (The Soundmen Remix) / Oh man, I love this. Take a timid love song that couldn’t open a bag of chips without scissors and give it the biggest set of balls in stock and a mission to move bodies weather they like it or not. This one is built for car stereos and open windows.

9. Chris Cornell – Part Of Me (ft. Timbaland) (Grandtheft Disco Remix) / Chris Cornell may have made some questionable career choices in the past few years (the original recording of this song being one of them) but there is no denying that voice. Nor the epic beats laid upon this jam by Grandtheft.

8. Drink Up Buttercup – Even Think (Andrew W.K. Remix) / It’s nice to see that Andy Dub’s shameless party-at-all-costs attitude extends to his remixes. This thing just screams good times!

7. Pixie Lott – Mama Do (Linus Loves Radio Remix) / I’ve yet to hear the original but this monster remix soundtracked my summer and I’m pretty damn certain it’s an improvement on this pop tart’s radio fodder. Go Linus! Go Linus!

6. John legend – Everybody Knows (RAC Mix) / Sometimes a remix is great because it pulls out all the stops and leaves you with no choice but to get hyped. The more impressive path is the one taken here. RAC deftly weaves in a few choice instruments, creating a massive remix in it’s own humble way.

5. Busy P ft. Murs – To Protect And Entertain (Crookers Remix) / This remix may very well have dropped in ’08 but since it was my anthem of ’09 it makes the list. It’s absolutely huge and that wobbly bass ear-punch gets me so ridiculously pumped it’s not funny. Lives have been saved by this not being played while I’m in the club.

4. Daniel Merriweather – Change (Feat. Wale) (Gigamesh Remix) / It’s just a perfect remix of an already fantastic track. Respect is paid to the original while still adding enough individual flavor to keep it in solid rotation all year.

3. Kings Of Leon – Use Somebody (Andre Anjos remix) / Did someone mention staying in rotation all year? Yeah. Exactly. Andre Anjos (a.k.a. RAC) rubs his perfection all over this one.

2. The Very Best – Julia (Javelin Re-do) / This is not one of the best for being a perfectly executed textbook remix but rather for being so original and raw. Javelin have lit the songs shoes on fire and sent it careening down a steep hill in a rusty wheelbarrow. Coming dangerously near disaster at every turn it manages to arrive unscathed and with a hell of a tale to tell. Soak it it, a remix like this is one in a million.

1. Miike Snow – Animal (Fake Blood Remix) / We all love “Animal” and we all love the circus so it is only logical that when the two have a sordid love child it is awkward and loud and pushy, but also irresistibly charming and unbelievably catchy. And how they got that gym whistle to not be annoying is worth an award all by itself.

Get all The Best Remixes of 2009 in 2 zip files!

Part 1 (29-16) /// Part 2 (15-1)

Looking for the original posts on these jams or just more by these artists? Use the “Tagged as:” links below!

Be sure to catch all the 2009 round-ups.

• Best Albums / The Top 15
• Best Albums / Honorable Mention & EPs
• Best Songs – Pt. 1 (Jan-June)
• Best Songs – Pt.2 (July-Dec)
• Best Remixes – YOU ARE HERE!

Here is my list of the best songs of the second half of 2009. Be sure to read the first half’s list here and treat the two posts as a tag team of epic jams.

Wow, what a year. TBE is a month shy of it’s first birthday and now I have to wrap it’s whole existence into a short list? Tough times. Well, since objectivity is a myth, I am gonna keep my Best 20.9 Songs Of 2009 So Far list as the gold standard for my pre-July opinions and instead focus on the year’s latter half here. Why let time revise my previous favorites when the same fate will never befall these tracks? After all, it’s just a calendar. Anyway, I hope this list serves as a reminder of some forgotten jams or, if you are new to TBE, introduce you a new favorite jam. Whoever you are, and however you ended up here (Hi freeloaders!), may you enjoy the shit out of your time here (and there).

NOTE: This list wasn’t compiled with the same cold calculations as Jan-June’s. There were too many affecting factors over the past 6 months for that to be an accurate barometer. So yes, I had to take things into my own hands a bit. But who really gives a hoot anyway?

25. Kennedy – Karate / Are you kidding me? It’s a jam about being the flyest dude ever. Get in here!

24. Do Make Say Think – Do / The track I listened to least on this list but at 10:40, a) it is amazing I listened to it at all, and b) I have spent more actual time with this jam then almost any other on this list. Pretty fucking impressive for an instrumental.

23. Fool’s Gold – Surprise Hotel / In a summer full of summer jams this one took a while to sink it’s teeth in but now that I’m on board it’s impossible to deny it’s good-time charm. Also, first song ever to make me wish I understood Hebrew.

22. Boy Crisis – Fountain Of Youth / 1 part dance and 1 parts sex. Heat over an open flame and serve loud. Call it cheesy but it gets my blood pumping…

21. Mariachi El Bronx – Cell Mates / The song that made me appreciate mariachi music for more than just an annoyance at fancy Mexican restaurants. Thank you.

20. VV Brown – Shark In The Water / HUGE song. The only way I could be more into this song is if I was a chick with a predisposition for singing into my hairbrush.

19. BBU – Chi Don’t Dance / The jam with best lyrical use of ‘percolate’ missed the cut of my earlier list but some continued listening, “percolating”, and enthused attempts at juking in my kitchen have left me a fan.

18. Golden Silvers – Arrows Of Eros (with Hypnotic Brass Ensemble) / Bringing the horns in for this reworking was truly inspired. Every time I listen I feel like they are playing just for me. Wouldn’t that be sweet?

17. Pearl Jam – The Fixer / I haven’t enjoyed Pearl Jam this much since “Rearviewmirror.“

16. Throw Me The Statue – Ancestors / That guitar riff is the stuff I live for.

15. Kasabian – Where Did All The Love Go? / “Fast Fuse” was tough competition for a spot on this list but the truth is that this sweet jam is about as solid as they come. I’m feeling some real staying power here.

14. Kid Cudi – Switchin Lanes / This is the night-time driving song of the year. Took a while for me to get into it but it’s become a staple of those specific moments. I’d like to see more of this from Cudder.

13. Big Boi – Shine Blockas [ft. Gucci Mane] / If I still lived in a driving city when this jam dropped it very well could have been the day-driving song of the year. It just screams swagger and head bob! And let’s not even get into the lyrical delivery. So on point!

12. Dragonette – Pick Up The Phone / This song had me by the short and curlies the very first time I heard it. A pretty impressive mix of tangible emotion and irresistible hooks.

11. Boy 8 Bit – Baltic Pine / Pipe this through your headphones and just try to walk down the street without slipping a little dip in your step. It’s like audio pimp-school for the electro generation!

Darwin Deez – Radar Detector (Radio Edit) by LuckyNumberMusic

8. Chromeo – Night By Night / Chromeo outdid themselves with this one. Whereas their previous songs were enjoyable as goofball dance jams, with “Night By Night” you can feel the catharsis of dancing-as-couple’s-therapy.

7. Cassettes Won’t Listen – Into The Hillside / If I played the kind of computer game where you build armies and conquer villages then this would be my rally song for the beginning of every battle. Instead, I just really really like it.

6. Yeasayer – Ambling Alp / As both an optimist and proponent of self-esteem this song is like my guide to life. Except that instead of a tiny booklet it’s a rollicking anthem of sonic infectiousness. I’m reeeeeeealy curious to hear Odd Blood.

5. The Sweet Serenades – On My Way / To list the different ways that this is my jam would be futile but let me just say, that country guitar twang that pops up in there is so butter.

4. The xx – Islands / The year’s best love song. Two voices conveying their setiments in the midst of perfectly sparse, yet still danceable, instrumentation.

3. The Big Pink – Dominos / The kind of jam that car stereos were made for! New speakers are cheap as hell so just turn it up louder and replace ‘em tomorrow! Just keep your eyes open as you sing along.

2. Jamie T – Sticks ‘N’ Stones / I will never understand how this song didn’t take over the world last year.

1. The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing / It’s July in Los Angeles and at 7:52 am I’m late for work. I  push my volume to the limit and drop my three functioning windows. The wind whips rapid noise through the car but that’s not the sound I hear. I may not be able to surf my way out of a paper bag but this is my anthem.

Get The Best Songs of 2009 Pt. 2 in a zip file!

Looking for the original posts on these jams or just more by these artists? Use the “Tagged as:” links below!

Be sure to catch all the 2009 round-ups.

• Best Albums / The Top 15
• Best Albums / Honorable Mention & EPs – YOU ARE HERE!
• Best Songs – Pt. 1(Jan-June)
• Best Songs – Pt.2 (July-Dec) – YOU ARE HERE!
• Best Remixes
• Biggest Disappointments (coming soon)

Art by Odili Donald Odita

How freaking crazy is it that 2009 is already halfway over? What a crazy year so far, in so many ways, the least of which is all of the fantastic, surprising, and sometimes disappointing music that has come our way. TBE will be 5 months old in a week and we have been chronicling most of the year’s jams. Here are my top 20.9. I guarantee you wont agree with all of them but doesn’t that just make our friendship that much more deep and meaningful? Just so we are clear how I arrived at this particular order, I’ve selected my favorites from my top listens each month and then ordered them purely by total play count. I know that’s confusing but whatever, the list is after the jump.

20.9 – Das Racist – Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell (Wallpaper. Remix) / This gets .9 status because it’s a remix but whatever, this song is so crazy fresh/funky/catchy/fantastic that I have a feeling it’s ony going to creep higher up the list by year’s end. Uness it becomes a new ad campaign and becomes crazy annoying… which is possible/brilliant. (Original Post)

20 – Datarock – Give It Up / It’s tricky business when a song is introduced with a remix (see Little Boot’s disappointing album version follow up to Fred Falke’s killer remix of “New In Town”) but luckily Datarock pulled out all the stops for this great jam. Too bad they didn’t have any more juice left to make the rest of RED listenable. (Original Post)

19 – The Sounds – Dorchester Hotel / “Dorchester Hotel” beats lead single “Nobody Sleeps When I’m Awake” but luckily it leaked into my inbox first and thus it IS the single in TBE world. Deal? (Original Post)

18 – Phoenix – Lisztomania / This song should have gotten more plays but when its buried in such a fantastic album it’s hard to give it too much attention. I guess I like it more than “1901″… although I regret that as I type it. Damn. (Original Post)

17 – N.A.S.A. – Gifted ft.Kanye, Santogold, & Lykke Li / What’s better for 2009 than a straight-up love child of 2008′s biggest acts? Plus Kanye basically says he invented tight jeans, which is awesome. Thanks Kanye! (Original Post)

16 – The Dance Party – Sasha Don’t Sleep / My little brother heard this song the other day and though the dude was singing about a “soft shirt!” That’s funny because there is nothing soft about this track. Pure hard-rocking Saturday night dance-party-in-front-of-the-mirror business right here. (Original Post)

15 – Wild Light – California On My Mind / I still feel a bit weird belting out “Fuck California!” when I sing along. Sorry Golden State, I actually do love you. (Original Post)

14 – The Mae Shi – R U Professional? (For Xtian) / Yes, I listened to this song more than anything from Royksopp, Bat For Lashes, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, or any of the other blog-porn out there. This song was literally made by the internet and for the internet and it’s perfect. Unlike Christian Bale, who clearly needs counseling. (Original Post)

13 – Simian Mobile Disco – Audacity Of Huge ft. Chris Keating / This song should be called “Audacity Of Creating The Hugest Song Ever With Also The Best Lyrics Boasting About Awesome Shit And That Crazy Bouncy Beat I Really Love.” Simian Mobile peeps, what you think? (Original Post)

12 – Lee Fields & The Expressions – Ladies / Speaking of perfect? “My Girls” can suck one because this is the perfect ode to fairer sex. And pretty much the perfect summer jam. (Original Post)

11 – Harlem Shakes – Strictly Game / “This will be a better year” Lexy sings. “Well,” I reply, “My favorite song off of one of the year’s best albums just got a fantastic video treatment which is all up in TBE TV, so I’m not sure it could be ‘better!’ Ahh, but “A better year than the last one,” he corrects me. “Oh.” (Original Post)

10 – La Roux – Bulletproof / “Quicksand” was always a bit too downer to be a fave but “Bulletproof” nails it. And with the wait for the full album finally over I have to say that I am pleasantly pleased. Super-pleased, really. (Original Post)

9 – Passion Pit – Little Secrets / Anticipation was so high when “The Reeling” came out that even though I loved it the song almost stressed me out. Unwrapping the awesomeness of “Little Secrets” in the context of the whole album was much more fun. And it had 1 more play in my iTunes, so it wins. (Original Post for “The Reeling”)

8 – Project Jenny, Project Jan – Pins and Needles (w/ Fujiya & Miyagi) / That creeping beat and funked out guitar are just awesome. Can we get some more love for this song, people? I mean, really! The whole EP wasn’t fantastic but this song! This Song! (Original Post)

7 – The Maccabees – Love You Better / Oh boy, what a song, what a voice, what an album! Don’t love me any better Orlando, I won’t handle it! You will set the bar so high that other bands will always be compared to you and I will be too picky and end up growing old and dying in sonic loneliness. (Original Post)

6 -The Hundred In The Hands – Dressed In Dresden / The perfect song for driving. It’s propulsive, has spastic beats that soundtrack things zipping by, lyrics that boast of knowing better, and basically just rocks. Although I guess the “in and out” lyric could make it a good song for other things… I dunno, hamburgers I guess. (Original Post)

5 – Daniel Merriweather – Change ft. Wale / Although I cant get into either of these dudes when they are solo I can’t get enough of this track. And now we have crazy fresh remixes dropping!? Also, I always think of the incorrect lyric that Sam and I found online where the “welfare man” had a “smoothie” in his hand instead of a “spoon.” Awesome. Swap them out on your next listen for a whole new take on poverty, blended fruit, and America’s favorite pie. (Original Post)

4 – Miike Snow – Animal / What a song, what a set of production credits, what a weird mascot/logo! Seriously though, this song is should definitely be higher on the list. Number 1 even, if you count all the remixes I listen to. Sorry Miike Snow, you guys are just too awesome for your own good. (Original Post)

3 – Filthy Dukes – Nonsense In The Dark (Ft. Orlando Weeks) / Since I haven’t seen any mention of it out in the blogosphere I’m not sure if anyone else on the planet is in love with song as much as me but since I’m the boss in these parts here it is at number three. 6.5 Minutes and it is still my third most listened to song of 2009. Deal with that! (Original Post)

2 – Bombay Bicycle Club – Always Like This / Holy crap I love this song. The guitar riff? The quavering vocals? The bass line? The perfectly simple drums? That long echo-y “oooooh”? It’s like all the parts to the perfect woman except it’s for the perfect song. But at just over 4 minutes, the enjoyment level is about the same. (Don’t get your panties in a bunch, people, go back to #12 for my real thoughts on Ladies.) (Original Post)

1 – Bike For Three! – All There Is To Say About Love / When I first heard this song I would have ever guessed it would be sitting here as the best song so far of 2009. However, writing that just now doesn’t feel strange at all. This song is damn fantastic and with nothing else out there like it, it’s no surprise it rose to the top. I still get excited when I hear that long drifting intro and then the beat kicks in and Buck 65 starts murdering it. Awesome. (Original Post)

Well that’s it, feel free to berate me in the comments. I am curious what the rest of team TBE (that’s you!) couldn’t stop listening to this year.

Get The Best Songs of 2009 Pt. 1 in a zip file!

Looking for the original posts on these jams or just more by these artists? Use the “Tagged as:” links below!

Be sure to catch all the 2009 round-ups.

• Best Albums / The Top 15
• Best Albums / Honorable Mention & EPs – YOU ARE HERE!
• Best Songs – Pt. 1 (Jan-June) – YOU ARE HERE!
• Best Songs – Pt.2 (July-Dec)
• Best Remixes
• Biggest Disappointments (coming soon)