You've probably already come across oodles of "best music" lists of 2009. No list is right or wrong (theoretically) , and they vary between the big media music sites and the popular blogs.

The songs we have chosen are not strictly our favorites, but are often also the same songs all of you have responded to the most (and why we started the Top Ten of the Week series) throughout the year. The Favorite Indie and Alternative Songs of 2009 series will be a 12-part series.

To avoid the madness of categorizing songs from "the top down," or "best to good," we've decided to break up the list into 12 playlist, starting with January 2009 based on the date we posted the songs, not necessarily the actual release date.

In addition, we'll be posting - for some time to come - 2009 songs and albums that we "missed" or forgot about, as well as the continuing In Dee Mail Special Edition 2009 series. There is no great pressure to automatically stop posting notable 2009 songs because a lot of people are still searching for 2009 music, which is fairly typical - we've found over the years - in the first two months of a new year.

After that, 2009 will inevitably give way to a spike of interest, and releases, of 2010 music. We already have a bunch of new 2010 in the pipeline (especially each Tuesday for new releases), with occasional flashbacks to other years in music history for special playlists and mixes (like the Ears To The Music or The Great Unknowns series).

You may also want to browse through the archives for 2009 - and before then - during which time you're likely to discover music you really like - even love - that you otherwise would never know about, or remember to seek out. More than half of the music we feature on IRC is from talented unsigned and relatively unknown artists and bands, but we're not going to turn away from great music that fits into what some might call "mainstream indie" and alternative rock (i.e., Animal Collective, Radiohead, Vampire Weekend).

These playlist mixes are not necessarily represented of all of our favorite songs of 2009; some of the MP3 links provided by labels, bands and others have since expired, and so have not been included in this compendium of 2009 music. And, of course, we have lots of great 2010 music to share with you in coming months, and throughout the year. If 2010 is as good as 2009 for indie and alternative music new releases, it'll be a busy year.

Let's get started with songs originally posted in January of 2009.

January 2009

"My Girls" - Animal Collective from Merriweather Post Pavilion

"Titus Andronicus" -Titus Andronicus from The Airing of Grievances

"Blood Bank" - Bon Iver from Blood Bank EP

"Actors" - In-Flight Safety from We Are an Empire, My Dear

"Work Day" - It Hugs Back from Inside Your Guitar

"The Box" - 1900s from Kicks

"Rich Doors" - New Villager from Rich Doors 7"

"End in Flames" - Strand of Oaks from Leave Ruin

"Slow Burning Crimes" - East Hundred from Passengers

"Get Yr Sh*t Together" - Friendly Foes from Born Radical

"Harmless Lover's Discourse" - Odawas from The Blue Depths

"Blood Red Sentimental Blues" - Cotton Jones from Paranoid Cocoon

"Turn Cold" - Cut Off Your Hands from You & I

"The Shaded Forests" - Deastro from Moondagger

"Submarines of Stockholm" - A.C. Newman from Get Guilty

"Call and Response" - Or, The Whale from Light Poles and Pines

Don't forget: We will still post songs from 2009 that we either didn't have time to post or have just learned about, most of them will be assembled in the on-going In Dee Mail Special Edition, Singer/Songwriter, One Man Bands and other such playlists in the next couple of months, as well as new 2010 music as it comes in.

Volume Two of this series will be published next week and cover favorite songs posted in February of 2009.

Labels: 2009 Indie Songs, Favorite Songs of 2009