20. Robyn Hitchcock - "Up to Our Nex"
19. Mos Def - "Life in Marvelous Times"
18. Basement Jaxx - "Raindrops"
17. Neko Case - "This Tornado Loves You"
16. La Roux - "Bulletproof"
15. Miike Snow - "Animal"
14. The Big Pink - "Dominos"
13. Julian Casablancas - "11th Dimension"
12. The Roots - "How I Got Over"
11. Atlas Sound, feat. Noah Lennox - "Walkabout"
10. Drake, feat. Trey Songz - "Successful"
9. Antony and the Johnsons - "Aeon"
8. Bat for Lashes - "Daniel"
7. Florence and the Machine - "You Got the Love (The xx Remix)"
6. Kid Cudi, feat. Kanye West & Common - "Make Her Say"
5. Kings of Leon - "Use Somebody"
4. Animal Collective - "My Girls"
3. Girls - "Hellhole Ratrace"
2. Phoenix - "1901"
1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Zero"
http://spin.com/gallery/40-best-albums-2009
1 Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavillion
2 Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz!
3 Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
4 Grizzly Bear Veckatimest
5 Girls Album
6 Bat For Lashes Two Suns
7 Mos Def The Ecstatic
8 Florence + The Machine Lungs
9 Drake So Far Gone
10 Dead Weather Horehound
11 Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson Summer Of Fear
12 Ida Maria Fortress 'round My Heart
13 Jay Reatard Watch Me Fall
14 Amadou & Mariam Welcome to Mali
15 Neko Case Middle Cyclone
16 Japandroids Post-Nothing
17 Mastodon Crack The Skye
18 Antony & The Johnsons The Crying Light
19 Lily Allen It's Not Me, It's You
20 Paramore Brand New Eyes
21 Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt II
22 Tegan And Sara Sainthood
23 St. Vincent Actor
24 Wolfmother Cosmic Egg
25 Big Pink, The A Brief History Of Love
26 Mountain Goats, The The Life Of The World To Come
27 Jarvis Cocker Further Complications
28 Flaming Lips Embryonic
29 Them Crooked Vultures Them Crooked Vultures
30 Julian Casablancas Phrazes For The Young
31 Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca
32 U2 No Line On The Horizon
33 Avett Brothers, The I And Love And You
34 Mariachi El Bronx Mariachi El Bronx
35 Miike Snow Miike Snow
36 Brakesbrakesbrakes Touchdown
37 Gallows Grey Britain
38 Rick Ross Deeper Than Rap
39 Wilco Wilco (The Album)
40 Kiss Sonic Boom
It is credited to "Spin Staff" and the description says "Rock out to our essential mix tape, culled from the best cuts 2009 had to offer", so I assumed it wasn't from a single critic.