Moving on to the real good stuff, now. Along with this section of the list, I give you MP3s of the songs to listen for yourself. The tracklist for the mix goes in descending order by ranking (or ascending order by quality), so track one is the 60th song on my list, track 20 is the 41st song, etc. Download it RIGHT HERE.
Now for #60 through #41 of my favorite songs of the year.
(60) "Electrical Way" Zoos of Berlin, from Taxis (self-released)
Detroit's best band, Zoos of Berlin, kicks things off at #60 with their funkier, louder and more direct take on Bowie's "The Secret Life of Arabia." "Electrical Way" is most definitely the most accessible song from Zoos' debut full length, but its ultra tight rhythms, odd melodies and slight Earth, Wind & Fire feel make it one of its best.
(59) "French Navy" Camera Obscura, from My Maudlin Career (4AD)
My Maudlin Career opener "French Navy" is about as good as the best stuff from Belle & Sebastian's Dear Catastrophe Waitress/The Life Pursuit era. Sure, overall, Camera Obscura sound like that anyway, but for some reason no one cares, including me. There is so much to love here, namely Tracyanne Campbell's cute yet powerful vocals, the motown-y reverb guitar and most of all those ELO disco strings.
(58) "I Wonder Who We Are" The Clientele, from Bonfires on the Heath (Merge)
While still being dark, "I Wonder Who We Are" is a surprisingly upbeat number for The Clientele. The danceable guitar strums and badass trumpet section make this their best song by far. At least based on my limited knowledge of the band.
(57) "No Hope Kids" Wavves, from Wavvves (Fat Possum)
Several days ago, I posted about Wavvves being my least favorite album of the year and Nathan Williams seeming like one of the biggest douches ever. Nothing has changed, but unfortunately I can't deny how awesome "No Hope Kids" is, in all of its ultra shitty sounding, annoyingly catchy lo-fi punk glory.
(56) "Soft Shock" Yeah Yeah Yeahs, from It's Blitz! (Interscope)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs took a bit of an electro-pop angle on their latest, and most people seemed to like it. I'm mostly fine with it, I guess, but the press' favorite songs are lame compared to "Soft Shock," which is much more subtle and beautiful than anything else on the record.
(55) "Intentions" The Whitest Boy Alive, from Rules (Bubbles)
The Whitest Boy Alive is the danceable, sparse, smooth and jazzy pop side project of Kings of Convenience's Erlend Oye. The choppy, two chord progression of "Intentions" is pure bliss, and Oye's voice fits in perfectly.
(54) "Halleluiah, Goodnight!" Richard Swift, from The Atlantic Ocean (Secretly Canadian)
In vocal delivery and overall sound, Richard Swift could be the son of Randy Newman, and I wouldn't even be surprised. "Halleluiah, Goodnight!" is a fantastically weird piano pop gem dominated by synthesizers, and I love it.
(53) "Lisztomania" Phoenix, from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Glassnote)
Phoenix released the best straight up pop album I've heard in years in 2009, and here is its crucial opening track. Clever, polished in the right way and simply awesome.
(52) "Young Adult Friction" The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Slumberland)
"Young Adult Friction" is The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's (possibly the worst named band around) crowning moment. Perhaps this is what The Smiths would have sounded like if they went on into the 90s? Maybe not?
(51) "Siren Song" Bat for Lashes, from Two Suns (Astralwerks/Parlophone)
Screw that "Daniel" song. This is the ultimate jam from Bat for Lashes' critically acclaimed Two Suns. In spite of the amount of drama all over "Siren Song," it is an absolutely gorgeous and intense piano ballad, and it gives me chills.
(50) "Gravel" Lake, from Let's Build a Roof (K)
Knowing nothing about this Lake band aside from the fact that they are on K Records, I took a chance on them and was rewarded handsomely. "Gravel" is not even the best track on Let's Build a Roof, but its swirling Rhodes, subtle piano and harmonized monotone vocals hit my sweet spot.
(49) "Two Weeks" Grizzly Bear, from Veckatimest (Warp)
To be completely honest, I did not want to include this song anywhere on this list. But, I could not resist. "Two Weeks" is the poppiest Grizzly Bear may ever get, which is fine by me. I want to say the group's vocals are the MVP of the song, but no, it's that twinkling faux harpsichord during the chorus.
(48) "It Ain't Gonna Save Me" Jay Reatard, from Watch Me Fall (Matador)
I'm surprised that Jay Reatard's high pitched, snarling vocals don't get on my nerves more than they do, especially since I think he seems like a complete asshole. But, it works in a Buzzcocks' sort of way. And as annoying as those vocals during the chorus and the end of the song are, I totally love the switching back and forth between chimey guitar lead and thick three chord punk progression.
(47) "Avalon or Someone Very Similar" Yo La Tengo, from Popular Songs (Matador)
I wasn't shocked at all when Yo La Tengo released as good of an album as Popular Songs is this year, and after much internal debate, here is the cream of the crop. "Avalon or Someone Very Similar" sounds like YLT doing a Byrds cover.
(46) "Oklahoma" Bishop Allen, from Grrr... (Dead Oceans)
In spite of "Oklahoma" being on an utterly forgettable album, Bishop Allen nail it here. It's really nothing special. Its overall cuteness and incredibly fun chorus just happen to make for an inexplicably great combination.
(45) "Anonaminal" Andrew Bird, from Noble Beast (Fat Possum)
Here is Andrew Bird's most bad ass song (though, not even close to his best). It starts off like a typical Bird number, kinda dark with a whirlwind of violins, but it gets real awesome at the 2:50 mark when those tight, angular drums and that trebled guitar jump in.
(44) "Stillness is the Move" Dirty Projectors, from Bitte Orca (Domino)
It took me a while to fully understand the brilliance of this, Bitte Orca's centerpiece. After my first few listens, I just tossed it aside as Dirty Projectors' attempt at writing a bangin' club jam. And, I was really irritated by everyone comparing Amber Coffman's performance to Mariah Carey. And the repetitive guitar line didn't help. But, one day I noticed those gorgeous strings that come in at the end, and then I came out of my stupor.
(43) "Roses in the Park" Liechtenstein, from Survival Strategies in a Modern World (Slumberland)
Once, I claimed on Facebook that Sweden's Liechtenstein were better than New York's Vivian Girls. After eventually falling for Everything Goes Wrong, I realized that I had jumped to a conclusion a bit early. That's not to say that Liechtenstein are no good, because they are so far from it. "Roses in the Park" is their best and catchiest take on all girl, lo-fi, punk infused indie pop.
(42) "Cold Hands" Pants Yell!, from Received Pronunciation (Slumberland)
Pants Yell! came out of nowhere for me with their brand of smart and subtly complex guitar pop. "Cold Hands" is their greatest moment, mainly due to that sweet guitar lick that shows up during the choruses.
(41) "Marrow" St. Vincent, from Actor (4AD)
2009 was the year that I fell in love with Annie Clark. She transformed from a sweet and sultry goddess to an intimidating and sexy vixen. "Marrow" is a great depiction of this transformation, with those heavenly verses and bad ass choruses (with blaring, staccato horns to boot). No, help me, Annie. Or even better, marry me.
2 comments:
Babysit me! Did you know the title of her first was a reference to Arrested Development? I haven't even listened to the new one in a sitting yet but I do really like the stretch from "Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood" through "The Party." Keep it coming!
Yes! Perhaps a little too soon, for an AD reference, but I'll forgive her. It's not as bad as John Vanderslice referencing Donnie Darko in 2004. And yes, "The Party" is quite the jam.
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