Christmas came a little early for me this year; I was just complaining recently that Pitchfork’s annual staff picks of the the 50 best albums of the year wouldn’t be out until almost 2010, and lo and behold, they posted the list last week! If you’re not familiar with Pitchfork’s list, check it out; their staff’s wide-ranging tastes and opinionated reviews will expose you to music you may never have heard of, or would have never thought of listening to if you had. As usual, they spread the list over five pages with no summary, so we’ve done the dirty work and summarized the list for you below. Last year we posted the 2008 list with both torrent and Amazon links, and we’ve done the same this year, but have a suggestion: We know some people torrent so they can preview music before buying, and last year that actually made some sense, because it was hard to track down a retail source for so many indy acts. Things are VERY DIFFERENT this year; bands and small labels are getting MUCH better at marketing and distribution, so EVERY act on the list is available on Amazon, and almost all of them with AUDIO PREVIEWS. Which pretty much negates the need to “borrow” the music via torrents. Several of them also have “Amazon Exclusive” releases, with material you won’t get anywhere else. At least legally. So in the interest of the bands making money, and in the interest of US making money (we get a small percentage if you buy through our links), we encourage you to do all the previewing through the handy Amazon links we’ve provided, rather than the torrents. Enjoy!

As we said above, all of these direct Amazon links have audio previews, and some of them have exlusive Amazon-only free downloads, so there’s really no need to torrent. Have fun!

50. Woods - Songs of Shame
Amazon| Torrent

49. Cass McCombs - Catacombs
Amazon| Torrent

48. DOOM - Born Like This
Amazon| Torrent

47. Zomby - Where Were U in ‘92?
Amazon| Torrent

46. Dan Deacon - Bromst
Amazon| Torrent

45. The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come
Amazon| Torrent

44. tUnE-yArDs - BiRd-BrAiNs
Amazon | Torrent

43. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
Amazon| Torrent

42. A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar
Amazon| Torrent

41. Baroness - Blue Record
Amazon| Torrent

40. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Amazon | Torrent

39. Jim O’Rourke - The Visitor
Amazon| Torrent

38. Major Lazer - Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do
Amazon| Torrent

37. The Antlers - Hospice
Amazon| Torrent

36. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Amazon| Torrent

35. jj - jj n° 2
Amazon| Torrent

34. Passion Pit - Manners
Amazon| Torrent

33. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
Amazon| Torrent

32. Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Amazon| Torrent

31. Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions
Amazon| Torrent

30. Röyksopp - Junior
Amazon| Torrent

29. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
Amazon| Torrent

28. Micachu and the Shapes - Jewellery
Amazon| Torrent

27. Various Artists - 5: Five Years of Hyperdub
Amazon| Torrent

26. Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP
Amazon| Torrent

25. DJ Quik and Kurupt - BlaQKout
Amazon| Torrent

24. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
Amazon| Torrent

23. Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
Amazon| Torrent

22. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
Amazon| Torrent

21. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Amazon| Torrent

20. Real Estate - Real Estate
Amazon | Torrent

19. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Amazon| Torrent

18. Atlas Sound - Logos
Amazon | Torrent

17. The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa
Amazon| Torrent

16. Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
Amazon| Torrent

15. Japandroids - Post Nothing
Amazon| Torrent

14. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
Amazon| Torrent

13. St. Vincent - Actor
Amazon| Torrent

12. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!
Amazon| Torrent

11. Fuck Buttons -Tarot Sport
Amazon| Torrent

10. Girls - Album
Amazon | Torrent

9. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Amazon| Torrent

8. Phoenix -Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Amazon | Torrent

7. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
Amazon| Torrent

6. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Amazon| Torrent

5. Raekwon - Only Built for Cuban Linx Part II
Amazon| Torrent

4. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Amazon| Torrent

3. The XX - The XX
Amazon| Torrent

2. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Amazon| Torrent

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Amazon| Torrent