IBS's Best of 2009: Top 10 Albums

The top 10 albums released of 2009 according to me.

Only includes albums released in 2009.

10. "Bitte Orca" - Dirty Projectors - Stellar female vocals and Yale smarts equal a creative sound.

9. "Veckatimest" - Grizzly Bear - So The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Bob Dylan had an son...

8. "Forget and Not Slow Down" - Relient k - They're not just for Christian kids anymore. This solid effort might be their best.

7. "War Child - Heroes, Vol. 1" - Various Artists - Legends pick modern day stars to cover their own tracks.

6. "Baby Darling Doll Face Honey" - Band of Skulls - These guys passed the White Stripes' School of Blues with flying colors.

5. "Face Control" - Handsome Furs - The guy from Wolf Parade and his wife churn out some awesome, dark, electric rock.

4. "Dark Was The Night" - Various Artists - Just check out the names. This is an indie all-star game.

3. "The Hazards of Love" - The Decemberists - A story and an album in one. Creepily awesome.

2. "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" - Phoenix - Their French toast-sweet pop hooks took the world by storm.

1. "Manners" - Passion Pit - I really caught a taste for dance-rock this year and these guys were one of the leading offenders. Their ridiculously catchy indie techno earns them the top spot.

IBS's Best of 2009: Top 50 Songs

The title says it all. My favorite songs of the past 365 days. Enjoy.

Only includes songs released in 2009.

50. "The Wrestler" - Bruce Springsteen

49. "I'm On Fire" - John Mayer

48. "Hotel California" - The Killers feat. Rhythms del Mundo

47. "No You Girls" - Franz Ferdinand

46. "Undisclosed Desires" - Muse

45. "Heads Will Roll" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

44. "Lark On My Go-Kart" - Asher Roth

43. "Quiet Dog" - Mos Def

42. "Evangeline" - Handsome Furs

41. "Boombox" - The Lonely Island feat. Julian Casablancas

40. "Wavin' Flag" - K'naan

39. "Hell" - Tegan And Sara

38. "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" - Kaiser Chiefs feat. Rhythms del Mundo

37. "Young Adult Friction" - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

36. "Death By Diamonds And Pearls" - Band of Skulls

35. "Summertime Clothes" - Animal Collective

34. "Playing God" - Paramore

33. "Brackett, WI" - Bon Iver

32. "You And I" - Wilco feat. Feist

31. "Straight To Hell" - Lily Allen feat. Mick Jones

30. "Ulysses" - Franz Ferdinand

29. "Dear God (sincerely M.O.F.) - Monsters of Folk

28. "Walking On A Dream" - Empire of the Sun

27. "Train Song" - Ben Gibbard & Feist

26. "I Know What I Am" - Band of Skulls

25. "Dance Anthem Of The 80's" - Regina Spektor

24. "Low Rising" - The Swell Season

23. "Don't Stand So Close To Me/Young Girl" - Glee Cast

22. "Daylight" - Matt & Kim

21. "The Fear" - Lily Allen

20. "Introducing Palace Players" - Mew

19. "All We Want, Baby, Is Everything" - Handsome Furs

18. "Hellhole Ratrace" - Girls

17. "Nothing To Worry About" - Peter, Bjorn and John

16. "Tightrope" - Yeasayer

15. "Fables" - The Dodos

14. "Sweet Disposition" - The Temper Trap

13. "Savannah" - Relient k

12. "Knotty Pine" - David Byrne & Dirty Projectors

11. "The Wanting Comes In Waves / Repaid" - The Decemberists

10. "4 Chords Of The Apocalypse" - Julian Casablancas

9. "Eet" - Regina Spektor

8. "1901" - Phoenix

7. "Cheerleader" - Grizzly Bear

6. "The Reeling" - Passion Pit

5. "Two Weeks" - Grizzly Bear

4. "Lisztomania" - Phoenix

3. "My Girls" - Animal Collective

2. "Little Secrets" - Passion Pit

1. "Stillness Is The Move" - Dirty Projectors

IBS's Top 12 Days of Christmas Songs

Just in time for the big day, here's the best of the holiday tunes. Hopefully you're not already sick of them. And yes, I chose the "12 Day" format because I couldn't narrow it down to ten.

12. "The 12 Days Of Christmas" by Straight No Chaser - Add a cup of humor, two tablespoons of a cappella awesomeness and what do you have? The twelfth best Christmas song. (I mean, where else could it go?)

11. "Carol of The Bells" by Family Force 5 - There have been billions of different takes on this yuletide standard, but somehow FF5 manages to make it fresh. Maybe it's the club feel and the auto-tune rapping (wrapping?). Yeah, that's probably it.

10. "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid - It took a supergroup effort to churn out this now-classic (Ahem: Bono, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Sting, just to name a few). Sure the "Tonight thank God it's them instead of you" lyric is somewhat questionable, but hey, look at that lineup [drool].

9. "Donde Esta Santa Claus?" by Guster - Maybe I just have a thing for Spanish songs that I can understand, but who doesn't love a holiday song with castanets that isn't "Feliz Navidad"?

8. "Last Christmas" by Wham! - Sure it's probably been hammered into your head since Halloween, but this song is just so damn catchy. Also, whenever I think of George Michael, I think of Arrested Development, and that makes me extremely happy.

7. "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" by Bruce Springsteen - The Boss's personality just makes this song. His questioning of the crowd's spot on the nice list, his cracking up mid-verse at Clarence's ho ho hos and, most importantly, his voice add spirit to this holiday song.

6. "A Great Big Sled" by The Killers - The Killers' Christmas tunes have become an annual tradition, and it all started with this one. And frankly, it's the best (sorry, "Don't Shoot Me Santa"). The Killers' sound plus Christmas. What could be better (besides the next five songs)?

5. "Father Christmas" by The Kinks - Ahhh... Forget peace on earth and goodwill toward men. Finally a song about kids stealing from the street corner Santa. Suck it, Charlie Brown. This is what Christmas is really all about.

4. "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney - Paul may never have been able to match The Beatles' success in his solo career, but this track single-handedly defeated the Fab Four's Christmas output. And don't give me any of that John and Yoko's "Happy Christmas" crap. War is not over. But who cares? "We're simply having a wonderful Christmastime."

3. "I Wish It Was Christmas Today" by Julian Casablancas - Originally a song written by Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz for SNL. Casablancas (the dude from The Strokes) covered it, taking an already awesome song and making it sound like a lost track from "Is This It" (instead it's a bonus track on "Phrazes For The Young").

2. "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses - You gotta love a Christmas romance. Okay, maybe meeting "that guy I've been chasing down all year" at the grocery store isn't exactly George Bailey lassoing the moon for Mary, but still. What a good song. The bah humbug bitchiness. The trumpet line. The Christmas spirit. Ah...

1. "White Christmas" by The Drifters - This doo-wop classic is just the best. Hands down. The James Earl Jones-esque low to helium falsetto high range make this song simply awesome. And fun. Especially to sing along to, as evidenced by Macaulay Culkin's lip syncing in Home Alone. It just doesn't get any better than this in December.

The "How The Ebenezer Did I Forget That Song" Song: "Celebrate Me Home" by Kenny Loggins - It might just be because I grew up with Kenny Loggins, but this song just sounds like Christmas is supposed to sound.

IBS's Best of 2009: Top 10 "Mainstream" Songs

These ten songs were actually deserving of their excessive radio play.

Only includes songs released in 2009.

10. "I Gotta Feeling" - Black Eyed Peas, Okay, I'll be honest. The only reason I like this song is because it kicked the grating "Boom Boom Pow" off the airwaves. Still, up until this song caught on, I was never aware that there were two Saturdays in a week. Or maybe that's just Will.I.Am's week...

9. "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" - Pitbull, Why'd I pick this song? Oh yeah, I can sing the Spanish part. "Tu tienes la boca grande dale ponte a jugar." Si si, señor.

8. "My Life Would Suck Without You" - Kelly Clarkson, Clarkson continues to prove the only consistently successful (non-country) Idol with this bubble gum pop hit. Plus, Glee did it so it must be a good song.

7. "Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga, Not my favorite Gaga song, but the only popular one (so far) released in '09, and Gaga definitely deserves mention on this list. 2009 was the year the world went, well, gaga for her.

6. "Sugar" - Flo Rida feat. Wynter, The "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" sample mixed with a strong chorus via Wynter makes this a nostalgic, grooving and (dare I say it?) sweet track.

5. "Empire State Of Mind" - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys, Hova has always mixed well with diverse styles (usually via mash-up), and he does it again here with Keys' keys. Her voice helps, too. It's strong, as always, and the soaring chorus really sounds like a stroll down Times Square.

4. "Best I Ever Had (Clean)" - Drake, I hate to be repetitive about choruses, but really, they are what make or break a song's dreams of mainstream popularity. And thanks to its chorus, this song has "car party" written all over it. (I speak from experience.) Few songs are better censored, but by replacing the frick word with a repeat line (You the, you the best > You the fucking best), this song definitely belongs in that category.

3. "TiK ToK" - Ke$ha, This song has everything Top 40 artists strive for: fun verses and a ridiculously catchy chorus that sounds like it was recorded at a club somewhere. It even uses auto-tune effectively. Moderation is key. Take note, Lil Wayne.

2. "Party In The U.S.A." - Miley Cyrus, Yes she's a no-talent brat. ("I picked that song because I needed something to go with my clothing line.") No, she wouldn't even know if the Jay-Z song was on. ("I've never heard a Jay-Z song. I don't listen to pop music" You're the biggest freaking pop star in the United Freaking States!!!) But I've got three reasons why this song deserves the #2 spot: 1: You know you secretly wanna put your hands up, nod your head and move your hips like yeah when this comes on. Even if you're hip-locked, this song's contagiousness has spread across both genders, a first for a Cyrus track. 2: This pop song is one of few on the radio that relies on guitar rather than synths/auto-tune. 3: If the people who actually write/play Miley's music can make a good song in spite of that dumb son-of-a-Billy-Ray, it must be a helluva tune. (P.S. don't show this post to my sisters.)

1. "Whatcha Say" - Jason DeRulo, Who knew you could take "Hide and Seek," Imogen Heap's layered vocal orchestra hit, and turn it into the damn catchy chorus of one of the catchiest pop/synthy/hip-hop tracks of the year? Heck, forget the chorus (just like they forgot to give Imogen Heap her "featuring" cred). The rest of the song stands alone as a stellar debut from DeRulo. It even has a great bridge! I mean, how often do you leave your car singing the bridge from the song on the radio? Yep, this single's got it all: lyrical rapping, creative mixing and cronic catchiness. It even has a nice indie flavor. Just don't tell Mr. General Public.

The Early Bird Gets The Shaft: Honorable Mentions

"Single Ladies" by Beyoncé, "That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings, "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga, "Don't Trust Me" by 3Oh!3, "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga, "Halo" by Beyoncé, "Blame It" by Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain, "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry, "Love Lockdown" by Kanye West and "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift all caught fire in 2009, and deservedly so. Too bad they were released in 2008.