Late last month, when 2009 was rapidly ending, I decided that I wanted to compose a "best of 2009" essay ("Best Songs of 2009", "Best Albums of 2009", "Best People I Hung Out With in 2009", etc.) to celebrate the New Year. Eventually, I decided that the concept was somewhat arrogant. It might make sense if I was some media outlet with access to all of the music released this year (e.g. Pitchfork, the Onion AV Club, etc.). But as one solitary music-loving individual, ignored by major labels, indies, and bands feverishly making demo tapes, it is impossible to know what positively amazing music released in 2009 that I shall not hear until 2010 or 2011.
As a result, I decided to compile a list of notable music that I had heard during 2009. I did something similar in 2006, so this essay has precedent. Unlike in 2006, though, this list is based on chronological order, as opposed to a "top ten" format (again, arrogant).
I only read about 