2009 has been a particularly fine year for music, and while I’d like to think that I set up Bitter Fingers in order to capitalise on that, it just happened. But my word, am I glad it did. We’ve had the return of breezy electro, energising pop, a phalanx of female singers plus the odd shoegaze record here and there. You haven’t been able to move for amazing song after amazing song, and it’s been an absolute pleasure listening to them all, and writing about most of them.

To celebrate the year in music, I have created the Festive Ten 2009. Hooray! In short, it’s a mix of the ten songs I liked the most this year, available for you to enjoy as a Youtube playlist, 8tracks mix or Spotify playlist.

Breaking down such a brilliant year for music to only ten tracks wasn’t easy, and took me more than a few cups of tea to get through. I had to jettison some of my favourite artists this year, but ultimately I feel these ten tracks are the finest the year had to offer.

So, without further ado, here’s my Festive Ten 2009.

Listen at 8tracks or on Spotify:

Or watch at Youtube:

And here’s the full track listing.

1. Little Boots – New In Town

Well, what else could it be? I blather on about her often enough, but this was the track that got it all started. The apprehensive compressed synths at the beginning, through to the joyful chorus, and everything in between. Hands, the album from which this track is drawn, has a number of other singles such as Remedy and Earthquake, though in truth pretty much every track could have been a single. This track re-affirms my long and strong held belief that Little Boots is better than La Roux and Florence and the Machine put together, and at the end of the day that’s all that really counts.

2. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Young Adult Friction

Pure, unmitigated cheery indie joy pop. That’s what this band bring to the table, and their self titled debut isn’t short of it. They’ve had a fantastic year, all the way through to performing at All Tomorrow’s Parties in December, where I had the privilege of interviewing them for BBC 6 Music. You can read my write-up of that particular festival on the 6 Music website. And I suggest you do! While listening to this track. A breezier, more upbeat slice of Teenage Fanclub inspired pop you won’t have heard all year.

3. Phoenix – Lisztomania

Phoenix surprised a lot of people this year, myself included. After their success in the early 2000’s with Everything Is Everything, it was difficult to see where the band would go next. An album of sure pure pop excellence such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart certainly wasn’t on most people’s lists, but it’s finished 2009 as one of the best surprises. This track has the French savoir faire you might expect, allied with a genuinely catchy chorus. Top stuff, and the album has more than its fair share of highlights – I was really in a quandry over whether to include this or 1901, so that’s also worth a listen.

4. Cursive – From The Hips

I’ve been a fan of Cursive for a long, long time now – how more people haven’t heard of them I’ll never know, but this is a brilliant track that really showcases what Tim Kasher can do when he puts his mind to it. Truth be told, Mama, I’m Swollen isn’t the very best Cursive album. It’s still fantastic, but this was very much the stand-out from it. The rising guitars and brass as the track reaches its crescendo is something very special, and more than any of their other tracks gives you a hint as to what they can do live. If you get a rare chance to enjoy their live show, I can’t recommend it enough.

5. Golden Silvers – True Romance (True No. 9 Blues)

Hit me off guard, did the Golden Silvers. They’ve got a nifty little thing going on – just organ, bass and drums, though it’s not something you notice at first. Frontman Gwilym Gold’s singing voice isn’t really a singing voice as such, but it works. And with a name like that, it has to. Part lost funk floor-filler, part motivational speech, this one had people moving in very unexpected ways this summer. Me especially, and whilst that’s probably not an enduring image, it was a lot of fun at the time.

6. Tiga – Shoes

Synth pop never really went away when Tiga did, but it certainly wasn’t as good as this. In a track in which he sings both the male and female parts (and probably did the shoe sound effects as well), it’s clear it was worth the wait. Tight drum machines and glimmering synths all build up to a barnstormer of a dance track. Mmm, squidgy. The video’s a joy to behold as well, in all its 4:3 glory. Tiga’s one of those guys making music just a little bit more off kilter than we’re used to, and I like that.

7. Bat For Lashes – Daniel

And epic, soaring track from Bat For Lashes, in a year that she moved from the natural to the technological. If her first album was a tree, then Two Suns is a robot. Leaving that particularly tortured metaphor aside, this is a beautiful track with some exquisite strings. An enchanting experience live as well – I had the joy of seeing her in London this year, and with Charlotte Hatherley in tow as well. It was like all my Christmasses had come at once.

8. Yelle – Qui Est Ce Fille? (Who’s That Girl?) *

Takes a little bit of explaining, this one. As part of some iTunes Foreign Exchange nonsense, Yell and Robyn ended up covering each other’s songs. Robyn’s cover of À Cause des Garçons was essentially a by the numbers reciting of the lyrics over her own Cobrastyle, but Yelle took her cover of Who’s That Girl? in a completely different direction. New beats, eighties noises and a much darker feel to the song make this one a must listen and one of the highlights of the year. If you don’t know Yelle, I suggest you get acquainted. The fact that I am entirely in love with her has had no bearing on this! None at all!

* This track isn’t on Spotify, so is replaced by À Cause des Garçons on the Spotify playlist. It’s still available on the 8tracks mix or Youtube playlist, however.

9. Patrick Wolf – Hard Times

Patrick Wolf was one of those artists I’d often heard of, but never bothered to listen to. This year’s effort, The Bachelor, forced me to sit up and listen. It’s a very dark record overall, but it’s his voice that distinguishes him from the rest of the competition. How it comes from his tiny frame I’ll never know, but I’m glad it does. Taking noise and turning into the most unlikely of melody is something of a speciality of Wolf, and despite the retro stylings of The Bachelor there’s always something very futuristic about it.

10. Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes

I’ve had plenty of moments with Merriweather Post Pavilion this year, and originally I was going to finish this mix with Brothersport after a particularly enjoyable experience with it at All Tomorrow’s Parties in May, which I detailed in my write-up of the festival. Thinking about it, though, that’s not something I can rekindle by listening to it – it was a shared moment that will forever be with me. Overall, I think Summertime Clothes is the best track on the album, and the more I thought about it it’s the perfect closer to this mix. Perfect, you hear me! Perfect!

And that’s about it for 2009! This wasn’t an easy list to make – I started with a playlist of over fifty tunes that all could have made it on, but these were the best of the very best. It’s been a blinding 2009 in the music world – roll on 2010.