My pal at Slowcoustic got this idea from Tarty Tart, but I think it’s a cool one.  It’s a list, without cheating, of my most listened to songs of the year by iTunes playcount.  I listen to everything on iTunes–have some hot Bose speakers hooked up to my computer, natch–so this is the most accurate method off finding out what I really liked, objectively and without cheating . . . Only it’s a little weird to list just the tracks, since in many cases I listened to 7 or 8 cuts off the same record.  That would make for a dull top 40.  So, I counted up the playcounts for each song on each album and got my “most listened to albums” by track playcounts (that’s the number in parens after the album title) . . . Yes, only a music nerd with time on his hands would undertake such analysis.

I recognize that this gives an advantage to albums released earlier in the year, but that’s the way it goes.  I already listed my favorite albums of the year by taste, so that should account for the difference.  I used that list as a comparison, below.  I also included a few singles whose albums either didn’t exist or weren’t significant in terms of play count.

Hope you dig it.  If you do, drop me a comment and tell me what your iTunes says about your 2009 tastes

10.  and 9. (tie) Hollywood FLOSS-Art or Fi$cal Intelligence Mixtape (40) and Super Furry Animals-Dark Days/Light Years (40).  These albums ranked 6 and 8 on my best of 2009 list (which you can see at the “yearly best ofs” tab, above).

8.  Lily Allen-It’s Not Me, It’s You (43).  Did not place on my best of 2009 list because this is not an independent album.

7.  Band of Skulls-Baby Darling Doll Face Honey (50)  Ranked 7 of 2009.

5. and 6.  Vulture Whale-Vulture Whale (53) and Jason Lytle-Yours Truly, The Commuter (53).  Ranked 11 and 3 of 2009, respectively.  Lytle also ranked 25 on my “Best of the Decade” list.

4.  White Rabbits-It’s Frightening (56).  Ranked 4 of 2009.

2. and 3. (tie) Frank Turner-Love, Ire & Song (61) and Sam Baker-Cotton (61).  Ranked 2 and 1 of the year, and 18 and 5 of the decade, respectively.

1. Rise and the Avid Record Collector-Present Risen (104).  Ranked 9 of the year.  Wow.  And it’s playcount was significantly higher than the rest . . .

Top 5 Single Songs Not Represented by Albums:

5.  The Bloodsugars-Self Control (Laura Branigan cover) (7).  The album, “Guilt By Association,” was the 15th best of the year.

3. and 4. (tie) Take On Me (A-Ha cover)-AC Newman (8) and Joell Ortiz-Brooklyn Children’s Story (8).  Joell’s “Covers the Classics” Mixtape ranked 5 of 2009.

2.  Batty Boyz-DOOM (9).  DOOM’s “Born Like This” album was the 14th best of the year.

1.  Johnny Polygon-DopestFlyestOGPimpPlayaHardcoreMutha… (10).  My second-most-listened to song of the year, behind Rise and the Avid Record Collector’s, “Born.”  Johnny’s EP was the 5th best of the year.

Tags: Best of 2009