Some of these are technically not lead singles from the albums they came from, but songs that I felt were just as good as those that got more shine.

I keep thinking about this wild abundance of art from people who have such little time to think about making art and who have to put a lot on the line to do this work in the first place. I’m not sure we’re deserving of what they’ve given, but I’m grateful we get to receive it.

Mental health was a major theme this year lyrically, as were some of the topics that can never be approached too many times — being gay, being in love, breaking up, struggling with identity, struggling with adulthood, struggling with self-sabotage.

“According to other websites’ ‘Best Of’ lists, I didn’t listen to many good albums this year. So here are ten albums that I predict would have made it on to Autostraddle’s own “Best Of’ list, had I actually heard them.”

With so much excellent music being released in 2009, contributing writer Isabelle had a hard task narrowing down a list of the year’s Top 10 records – featuring releases from Patrick Wolf, Metric, Neko Case, Tegan & Sara and more. Which record took out the #1 spot? Check it out and tell us if you agree.