Because I am not as creative as Chris Tracy, this list is gonna be a bit more straightforward and traditional in format.  I do apologize…
That being said, here are the 10 best new artists of 2009.  Here’s hoping they can be as creative/remain together in 2010.
10. Neon Indian
Equal parts video game arcade, acid trip, and hazy summer afternoon, the Texas group’s first album Psychic Chasms is as exuberant a musical experience as you’re likely to hear all year. And beyond their own music, they’ve produced some great remixes as well …

I must confess… I have fallen in love with a certain Florence and her Machine. I tried to resist, but it turns out the British press and listening public were correct in their crowning the act (essentially a moniker for Florence Welch) the Next…Big…Thing. Her unique brand of art-pop, equal parts soulful, theatrical, and ethereal, hit the indie world by storm and her debut album Lungs became a bona fide hit overseas (it reached #2 in her native UK and eventually went Platinum).