Within the last month, George W. Bush left office, the U.S. inaugurated an intelligent, compassionate new president, and a ton of great indie music hit the CD shelves.

What, did Christmas come early this year?

In honor of this new era of hope, I offer you some handpicked gems from the indie music world. We've got new stuff from experimental crooner (and expert whistler!) Andrew Bird, power pop master A.C. Newman, the lo-fi and rustic Bon Iver, psychedelic rockers Animal Collective, and movie star turned indie pop star Jason Schwartzman--going by the musical moniker Coconut Records.

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Enjoy my first playlist of 2009. Consider it an inaugural mix.