1. "Seven," Fever Ray (PICTURED)

I don't know exactly what this one is about, but it's the spookiest electro-pop song I know of that includes a lyric about "dishwashing tablets."

2. "Feel it All Around," Washed Out

This song opens up a portal to another dimension in which it is always the early 80s and no one is ever stressed out about anything. Also, I'm pretty sure you can breathe underwater whenever this song happens to be playing.

3. "My Girls," Animal Collective

Animal Collective basically owned 2009, and deservedly so. If you can listen to this song at peak volume and not be compelled to do the "whoo!" as the song's chorus kicks in, then there's probably something wrong with your ears.

4. "Ready, Able," Grizzly Bear

Not only is this song gorgeous, the corresponding music video is arguably the best use of clay since Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

5. "Goth Star," Pictureplane

I am not mad at any song that takes a healthy sample of a Fleetwood Mac song and somehow makes it both dancey and gothy.

6. "Chances Are," The Breeders

Listening to Kim and Kelly Deal sing about broken hearts on "Chances Are" is about as likely to make tears shoot out of my eyes as that scene in Steel Magnolias where Sally Field has a meltdown at the cemetery after Julia Roberts dies. It makes me bawl, but in a good way.

7. "Hot Like Fire," The xx

Pasty British teens covering an Aayliyah song and making it sound like The Cure. Bonkers.

8. "Quick Canal," Atlas Sound

Bradford Cox is a genius for many reasons, not the least of which is getting Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier to sing on a song that sounds like the best song Stereolab never actually recorded.

9. "Don't Vote," Cass McCombs

If you don't vote, then you can't complain about politics. So don't vote. Plus, the song sounds like it was recorded on a back porch sometime in the wee hours of the morning, when everything sounds prettier and the real world sounds far, far away.

10. "Beach Comber," Real Estate

No song this year was more aptly named than this tune, which sounds exactly like what you'd like to be hearing as you walked down a beach by yourself, randomly kicking at shells  and thinking about what you're gonna do when summer school ends and your parents expect you to find a real job.