James' Best Songs Of 2009 [Part One & Two]

UPDATE: Part Two is now available. I've updated the link so that it's all one giant file. Enjoy.

Since this is my first year posting on Facebook (to which this article is now linked), I’ll explain: At the end of every year I select my personal favorite tracks released within the preceding 12 months, zip them up, and then post a link where anybody and everybody can download the mix. The idea is to give people who aren’t crazy music nerds (like me) a chance to sample some of the truly great stuff that came out this year.

Obviously I can’t listen to absolutely everything, so don’t be offended if you’re favorite band isn’t on here (unless your favorite band sucks). This is just the stuff I’ve listened to over the past year and liked/loved. If you don’t like it/love it/aren’t interested, well . . . don’t download it. Simple enough.

Usually I limit myself to one CD-R worth of material, but this year I’m changing things up a bit. Because I liked so much stuff this year and didn’t want to exclude any of it, I’ve decided to release a second disc worth of extra songs.

I know, I know. I spoil you.

Please share this with absolutely anyone you want and also: let me know what you think

Oh, and I even made iPod art (included in the .zip). How cool is that?

Here’s the tracklist:

Part One

01. Grizzly Bear – “While You Wait For The Others” [from Veckatimest]
02. Dirty Projectors – “Stillness Is The Move” [from Bitte Orca]
03. Sonic Youth – “What We Know” [from The Eternal]
04. Thom Yorke – “All For The Best” [from Ciao My Shining Star]
05. Phoenix – “1901” [from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix]
06. St. Vincent – “The Strangers” [from Actor]
07. Built To Spill – “Life’s A Dream” [from There Is No Enemy]
08. Dead Man’s Bones – “Lose Your Soul” [from Dead Man’s Bones]
09. Bat For Lashes – “Daniel” [from Two Suns]
10. Woods – “Rain On” [from Songs Of Shame]
11. The xx – “Crystalised” [from xx]
12. Animal Collective – “My Girls” [from Merriweather Post Pavilion]
13. The Antlers – “Two” [from Hospice]
14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Zero” [from It’s Blitz]
15. Bob Dylan – “I Feel A Change Comin’ On” [from Together Through Life]
16. The Mountain Goats – “Hebrews 11:40” (from The Life Of The World To Come]
17. Sunset Rubdown – “You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)” [from Dragonslayer]

Part Two

01. Animal Collective - "What Would I Want? Sky" [from Fall Be Kind]
02. Taken By Trees - "To Lose Someone" [from East Of Eden]
03. The Thermals - "When We Were Alive" [from Now We Can See]
04. Radiohead - "These Are My Twisted Words" [self-released single]
05. Bill Callahan - "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" [from Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle]
06. Dinosaur Jr. - "Over It" [from Farm]
07. Bon Iver - "Blood Bank" [from Blood Bank]
08. Fever Ray - "If I Had A Heart" [from Fever Ray]
09. Girls - "Lust For Life" [from Album]
10. Japandroids - "Young Hearts Spark Fire" [from Post-Nothing]
11. Neko Case - "This Tornado Loves You" [from Middle Cyclone]
12. Destroyer - "Bay Of Pigs" [from Bay Of Pigs]
13. Sunn O))) - "Alice" [from Monoliths & Dimensions]
14. Rock Plaza Central - "O Lord, How Many Are My Foes" [from . . . at the moment of our most needing]

And here's the download link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S352YD1I

Enjoy.

P.S. If any of you want either the 2007 or 2008 mix, let me know and I’ll send you a link for those as well.