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.
