The new year is upon us, a time to make resolutions and start things off with a clean slate.
It's also a time to ponder what unexpected fun and games the world of pop music might throw our way in the next 12 months.
In honor of '09, here are nine tunes to spin or download as you look ahead.
'In the New Year,' the Walkmen - "I know that it's true, it's gonna be a good year," this New York band promises in a song that mixes indie and vintage sounds.
'Happy New Year,' Camera Obscura - "Happy new year, you are my only vice . . . What if we compromised?" one person in a relationship ventures in this 2002 song by the Scottish indie group.
'A Long December,' Counting Crows - Maybe 2008 ended up being melancholy in places, but as Adam Duritz sings, there's always hope that "maybe this year will be better than the last."
'The New Year,' Death Cab For Cutie - The video for this song starts out dark but then brightens, just as the lyrics do. "There'd be no distance that could hold us back," Ben Gibbard imagines at the end.
'New Year's Day,' U2 - One of this Irish supergroup's first singles to get major airplay in America, this driving 1983 track mixes personal and political imagery.
'It's Gonna Get Better,' Genesis - This funky rocker from the heyday of Phil Collins as the group's vocalist urges listeners, "Hold out, just keep on hoping against hope / That it's gonna get better."
'This Will Be Our Year,' the Zombies - Go old-school with this piano-fueled ditty from the '60s that promises, "This will be our year, took a long time to come."
'Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow),' Fleetwood Mac - Semi-old-school, and an obvious choice, but this tune has lifted many people (including Bill Clinton) since the late '70s.
'Resolution,' Motion City Soundtrack - A big sing-along tune in concert, this rowdy rocker is perfect if a breakup or divorce looms in 2009.
