Nervous about tomorrow, I have to go back to work, which will be insane after the holidays, and I have a doctor's appointment at 2. Crossing my fingers! Libby is out and I have moved into her room. Only took 21 years to get out of the hallway! This will be a different year for sure.

I thought I'd look back at what I did in 2009...which is mostly get obsessed with random songs. So here are my favorites for the past year. I know many of these came out earlier than '09, but I didn't discover them until then. :)

Bachna Ae Haseeno - "Khuda Jaane"
Starting with a Hindi song! These people know how to write love songs. The sweeping music and the echoing vocals give this song a haunting quality that lingers long after you listen. I bow down to you yet I don't know why, I stop whenever I see you. Does this happen to everyone in love?

BUCK-TICK - "Coyote"
My first taste of the macabre love song made me realize how beautiful a dark romance could be. Atsushi Sakurai's voice sends shivers up my spine in this macabre fairytale. Until the bones of my spine groan and grate, hold me, won’t you kiss me and forgive me?

Blitzen Trapper - "Black River Killer"
This dark ballad would sound perfect coming from a cowboy around a campfire; disturbing and dark, yet easy to sing along with. I've been wanderin' in the dark about as long as sin, but they say it's never too late to start again.

Dan Black - "Wonder"
Like running through the field in twilight, this slow indie track has a strange urgency to it that I can't shake after it's over. Have you noticed summer comes and disappears...I wonder, where are you now?

De Novo Dahl - "Heartbreaker"
Smooth, sultry, and sweet, this song spans several genres and is one of the truly unique pop songs from this year. I can tell you're dangerous like a wild jaguar, you've got a way of moving in.

Deastro - "Moondagger"
Can't really explain this indie song, but the short instrumental a minute in was repeating in my mind for weeks. I'm gonna climb that mountain, I'm gonna finally be free.

Electric Six - "Randy's Hot Tonight"
These guys pull off the smoothest, most ridiculous lyrics with an electro rock vibe that makes you want to laugh and smash a guitar at the same time. Dance like nobody's watching Randy, and love like you've never been hurt. Supersize it when you get hungry, Randy, and eat like it's the last night on earth.

Empire of the Sun - "We Are the People"
One of the many songs I found randomly that ended up on a commercial a week later. iTunes, I'm looking at you. I can't do well when I think you're gonna leave me, but I know I try.

GOING UNDER GROUND - "Kaiten Mokuba" (Merry-go-Round)
Come on, you knew I'd have something Japanese on here. This band has a knack for breaking your heart, then forcing a smile out of your tear stained face. I had a serious breakdown to this song late in the summer and it still hurts my heart to listen.

I Monster - "Lust for a Vampyr"
The year of the vampires was definitely 2009. This is a catchy, old school-sounding tune has me tapping my feet even now. When you need anyone you can find, sink your teeth, you're in love for one night.

I Monster - "Heaven is Inside You"
Two songs by one artist, gasp! They couldn't be more different though. The entire song plays like something from a music box, with tinkly chimes, grainy sound quality, and soft vocals. This would fit perfectly in a Tim Burton movie. Open my eyes, inflatable girl. Lose the disguise, release me from your spell.

IAMX - "Nature of Inviting"
Not since Muse have I heard an artist that really knows how to build a song into its own epic. The ominous beats drag you in and as the song builds, you can't ignore the chills running down your spine. The number 1 driving song of the year, no doubt about it. We surrender to the power, next we're born again. An invitation on every sign I cannot explain.

Kent - "Det Finns Inga Ord" (There Are no Words)
This is an epic ballad. Building from a quiet plea from the vocalist to sing for him, it becomes a bold declaration of shared feelings. Something to listen to in a dark room while looking out at the winter scenery under the moonlight. Sing a song without words on bright nights. Sing for me again, you sounded like snowfall.

Marina & the Diamonds - "Obsessions"
This indie gem has grown on my for the past few weeks. Marina's voice is all over the scale and packed with emotion. This song is full of fear and insecurites and is actually more depressing than the music lets on. We've got obsessions. I want to wipe out all the sad ideas that come to me when I am holding you.

Muse - "Undisclosed Desires"
This entire album was fantastic but this song sticks out to me. It's dripping with a subdued passion that only Matthew Bellamy could pull off and Muse's usual epic flair. You trick your lovers that you're wicked and divine. You may be a sinner but your innocence is mine.

Patrick Wolf - "Teignmouth"
Patrick writes music well beyond his years and this song is no exception. A slow dirge about yearning for love and freedom, it swells in to a hopeful chorus about finding that escape. So when the birds fly south, reach up and hold their tails. Pull up and out of here and bridle the autumn gales.

Placebo - "Happy You're Gone"
Forget the tear-jerker, this one is a full-on sob fest. The lullaby-like verse contrasts dramatically with the accusatory chorus, and you can almost see the smashing dishes as a fight unfolds.
How many times? How many times? Now I can't look you in the eye, and I don't even want to try, 'cause every word from you is a lie.

Tommy Sparks - "Miracle"
Getting out of the melancholy rut, this is another artist I discovered before iTunes. A light, magical summer tune that's as fun to sing along to as it is to listen to. She won't look so she can't see, but it takes some magic just to beleive.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Heads Will Roll"
The video for this song was perfect. What starts out as a dark disco tune becomes a frightening frenzy of sound at the crescendo. Glitter on the wet streets, silver over everything. The river's all wet, you're all chrome.


...and that's all she freaking wrote. I look forward to many more opportunities to find something ground-breaking for my music collection that will stand out for years to come.