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Here it is again, my favorite 100 songs of the past year. This, of course, is not an exact science but that didn’t stop me from painstakingly ranking each one. The list follows but first some rules and caveats:

+ They are listed in reverse order because that is the only real way to do a list. Any of you with any sense of drama will listen to the whole thing from 100 slowly building up to number 1, at which point you will practically be bursting with excitement.

+ These are tracks, not singles. Again, radio is dead. I don’t even know if a lot of these are even singles or not. It’s like knowing what time your favorite TV show is on. Who cares?

+ I only have one song per artist because the list is way cooler that way. No one wants a list with a bunch of tracks by one band hogging up the Top 50. I had more than 100 great tracks by different artists so let’s share the wealth a little.

+ They were all released in 2009 on either an album or as a single. “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon made a lot of lists this year but came out December 15, 2008. No cheating, people.

+ If I’m wrong about the release date of something, blame Wikipedia and Rhapsody.

The list is below and those I couldn’t get through LaLa have blackmarket links to YouTube. If you have Rhapsody, you can find the full thing assembled as a playlist here. Just know that the Rhapsody list is missing songs # 39, 31 and 25 so you’ll have to revert to this post if you’re a completist (and bravo if you are). Either way, set aside just over six hours to make it through the list. And enjoy.

THE LIST

100. Somebody to Love by the Glee Cast. You have a stone heart if this doesn’t make you sing along.

99. Run This Town by Jay-Z (featuring Rihanna & Kanye West). So much better than “Empire State of Mind”.

98. Willamine by Jay Farrar & Benjamin Gibbard. Long forgotten Jack Kerouac writings set to music. Feels totally NorCal.

97. Nothing Now by Jay Reatard. Intense.

96. Shivering Black by Josh Reichman Oracle Band. Listen to the piano the whole time and you’ll understand why.

95. Give Yourself Away by Jack Penate. The sound of Robert Smith jamming with Buster Pointdexter.

94. Wind Up Dead by thenewno2. The son of George Harrison goes more Pink Floyd than Beatles..

93. I Want You to Know by Dinosaur Jr. Sludgy.

92. You Belong With Me by Butch Walker. Taylor, I’m really happy for you and imma let you finish but your song, while totally catchy, is overproduced. This version is much better.

91. My Turn by Basement Jaxx (featuring Lightspeed Champion). Makes me want a whole album of Lightspeed Champion backed by Basement Jaxx.

90. Wrong by Depeche Mode. Good to know that fame and fortune hasn’t made them any less depressed.

89. People Got A Lot of Nerve by Neko Case. Move over Hall & Oates.

88. Mr McGee by Zero 7. They outBasementJaxxed Basement Jaxx this year.

87. Dull to Pause by Junior Boys. Blips from the heart.

86. Satellite Heart by Anya Marina. I’m a sucker for a breathy lead singer.

85. Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars. Long live emo! Long live Jared Leto! How did this end up in the Top 100?

84. Sabali by Amadou & Miriam. Africa by way of Candyland.

83. Lets Be Mates by Lady Sovereign. Featuring such weighty lyrics as “You like monkeys, I like monkeys, let’s be mates”.

82. Crystalised by The xx. Lo-fi.

81. Uprising by Muse. Let’s all admit they stole the background music from Marilyn Manson’s “Beautiful People”.

80. Sister Siam by The Whip. Take singer-songwriter, add synthed-out effects – success!

79. When the Night Comes by Dan Auerbach. Lower the lights, pour a glass of scotch, listen to this.

78. Introducing Palace Players by Mew. I’d hate to be drummer while playing this on Rock Band.

77. Submarines of Stockholm by A.C. Newman. In a year with no New Pornographers, this will have to do.

76. A Whole Lot Better by Brendan Benson. Proves that while Jack White bring the talent to The Raconteurs, Benson brings the fun.

75. Not the Same by The Spartones from Greensboro. Yes, there is even room for college a capella groups covering Ben Folds in the Top 100.

74. Flight of the Demoiselles by Blacklist. Close your eyes and imagine The Cult are back together.

73. Transparence by Asobi Seksu. There is always room for dreamy female pop singers in the Top 100.

72. by Grizzly Bear. If CSNY lived in outer space…

71. Moment of Surrender by U2. U2 add a little Moroccan spice to their sound.

70. Hold the Line by Major Lazer. Insane.

69. Give Blood by Rain Machine. The part of TV on the Radio this year will be played by Rain Machine. Thank you.

68. Meet Me on the Equinox by Death Cab for Cutie. At least the Twilight movies yielded something positive.

67. 40 Day Dream by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Instant Karma meets Polyphonic Spree.

66. Isis Unveiled by …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead. This must be what a galloping army of death sounds like.

65. Does This Mean You’re Moving On? by The Airborne Toxic Event. Like a woozier version of The Strokes.

64. My Girls by Animal Collective. An endless loop of call and response.

63. by Doves. “Can’t Find My Way Home” gets more moody and more British.

62. Invisible by Winter Gloves. Create catchy synth riff. Repeat.

61. The Mountain by Heartless Bastards. Like heavy metal in slow motion (with slide guitar!).

60. Quicksand by La Roux. Like “When Doves Cry” put through a blender.

59. Autumn Beds by Modest Mouse. A song for cold weather and rainy days.

58. The Walls are Coming Down by Fanfarlo. What they’re playing in cotillion this year.

57. Never Had Nobody Like You by M. Ward (featuring Zooey Deschanel). If T. Rex had written bubblegum pop…

56. It Ain’t Love by MSTRKRFT (featuring Lil’ Mo). The part of Justice this year will be played by MSTRKRFT. Thank you.

55. Relator by Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson. ScarJo and Pete Yorn separate – not so interesting. Together – interesting!

54. All Wound Up by She Wants Revenge. Slinky.

53. Live and Let Die by Duffy. McCartney’s anthem kicks up its feet on the front porch and sips a mint julep.

52. Rudo Y Cursi by Juana Molina. What flamenco dancers must slow dance to.

51. Bang by Rye Rye (featuring M.I.A.). Like Santigold’s bratty younger sister.

50. Build Voice by Dan Deacon. Start slow, build to a frenzy – oldest trick in the book. But it works.

49. Vactioning People by Foreign Born. I’m a sucker for backup vocals that harmonize.

48. Coast of Carolina by Telekinesis. A song for getting ready to go out on Friday nights.

47. Quiet Little Voices by We Were Promised Jetpacks. The part of Jimmy Eat World this year will be played by We Were Promised Jetpacks. Thank you.

46. All You Need is Me by Morrissey. Morrissey sounds more angry and desparate than ever (thankfully).

45. I Just Can’t Take It Anymore by The Lemonheads. Evan and his acoustic guitar – reunited again.

44. The Fear by Lily Allen. Lily Allen? Snarky?

43. Wilco (the song) by Wilco. Wilco (the band) gets a sense of humor.\

42. Bitch, I Love You by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. The first 10 second of this are as romanitc as it gets.

41. Hurt Feelings by Flight of the Conchords. Finally someone dares to tackle the stereotype of the hardcore rapper.

40. I’m On A Boat by The Lonely Island. Best use of Auto Tune all year.

39. by Cage the Elephant. Bernie Madoff’s personal mantra..

38. Learn to Lose by Hockey. Helping losers feel better than they have since Beck serenaded them in 1994

37. For Our Elegant Caste by Of Montreal. An awkward song to play on a first date.

Elegant Caste – Of Mon…

36. California on My Mind by Wild Light. How I feel every year come tax time.

35. Black Hearted Love by PJ Harvey. The feel bad love song of the year.

34. Atlantic City by The Hold Steady. The Hold Steady were put on this Earth to cover Springsteen.

33. 1901 by Phoenix. In France, everything is set to synthesizers.

32. Folding Chair by Regina Spektor. The catchiest song of the year involving dolphin sounds in the chorus.

31. by Das Racist. 2-in-1 fast food restaurants get their due at long last.

30. “Further Complications.” by Jarvis Cocker. Like the Devil’s Frank Sinatra.

29. Black Gold by Southeast Engine. Half rock, half fossil fuels emission warning.

28. Red Light Love by Those Darlins. Like the Devil’s Shangri-La’s.

27. When I Died by The Thermals. Makes you want to be in a rock band. 26. Graffitti Eyes by Stellastarr*. Half singing, half super-expressive talking.

25. Tonight by Yuksek. Like Daft Punk without the helmets.

24. 21 Guns by Green Day. Sure, it’s American Idiot II but who else we gonna get overearnest power ballads from?

23. Quiet Dog by Mos Def. Mos Def tries out a playground chant. Get me a jumprope!

22. I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked by Ida Maria. Lyrics: D. Bar-band attitude: A.

21. Born on a Day the Sun Didn’t Rise by Black Moth Super Rainbow. And you thought you had problems…

20. Death by White Lies. Ensuring it’s still fashionable to wear all black.

19. The Spirit vs. The Kick Drum by Derek Webb. Christian rock with a snappy beat.

18. Panic Switch by Silversun Pickups. If modern rock was still big, this would’ve been a monster hit.

17. Fight by Ben Kweller. Cuz some days are aces, some days are faces, some days are 2s and 3s.

16. New Moon Rising by Wolfmother. Gives me faith that there are still stoner older brothers who drive vans with tinted windows and introudce the neighborhood to classics like this.

15. Money by N.A.S.A. (featuring David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge & Z-Trip) All the C-levels in the house, holla!

14. The Boys are Leaving Town by Japandroids. The sound of chaos set to power chords.

13. Sunlight by Harlem Shakes. Keep your foot in one place for this entire song. I dare you.

12. God Touched Me by Roadside Graves. The creepiest song in the Top 100 and, at 2:49 in, the best tempo change hands down.

11. Taller Children by Elizabeth & The Catapult. In the end we’re all just taller children. True.

10. Make Her Say by Kid Cudi (featuring Kanye West & Common). Medulla oblangata? Why isn’t more hip hop this fun?

9. Paparazzi by Lady Gaga. No, I’m not kidding. Easily the Entertainer of the Year.

8. Kiss With A Fist by Florence & The Machine. The feel good domestic violence song of the year.

7. Stillness is the Move by Dirty Projectors. Nothing else sounds remotely like this.

6. Glass by Bat for Lashes. Otherwordly.

5. Leave Us and Forgive Us by Alberta Cross. The best “yeah”s of the year.

4. Coal War by Joshua James. A good old fashioned spiritual, plus electric guitar.

3. Zero by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The YYYs let their hair down and go electronic.

2. I And Love And You by The Avett Brothers. Plain, simple, and the prettiest song of the year.

1. Help I’m Alive by Metric. A perfectly ominous song for the year of the Great Recession.