Disclaimer: This is a list of my 25 favorite songs of the year. There may have been better songs this year, and perhaps the order would be different if I went off the word “best”, but this reflects my personal enjoyment of a song…my favorites. Maybe you’ll find a gem or two that you hadn’t heard before. Hopefully your year was as full of great music as mine was. And if I contributed to that in any way it makes the time I spend on here worthwhile.




25. MEN – Off Our Backs (Pegase remix)

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“…Hold me one time, one time only | second time the second time is gonna cost some money…”




24. Yeasayer – Ambling Alp

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“…now the world can be an unfair place at times | but your lows will have their complement of highs…”




23. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero

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“…you’re a zero | what’s your name | no one’s gonna ask you…”




22. Gotye – Learnalilgivinanlovin’

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“…but give away love | give it for free | no strings attached | just don’t ask for it back…”




21. Lykke Li – Possibility

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“…so tell me when you hear my heart stop | you’re the only one who knows…”




20. One EskimO – Kandi
“…does my love every touch you | does my love ever reach you | it’s never enough | why is it never enough…”




19. Alphabeat – Heatwave

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“…don’t you know i keep trying | to keep it cool as ice | but i’m melting | ooh yes i’m melting…”




18. Regina Spektor – The Calculation

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“…it counted up our feelings | and divided them up even | and it called that calculation perfect love…”




17. Phoenix – 1901

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“…it’s not a miracle we needed | no i wouldn’t let you think so…”




16. Example – Watch The Sun Come Up (Fred Falke Remix)

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“…hey, good morning | watch the sun come up | it’s calling | i want another day with you…”




15. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance

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“…walk walk fashion baby | work it move that bitch crazy…”




14. Passion Pit – Moth’s Wings

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“…put down your sword and crown | come lay with me on the ground…”




13. Bon Iver feat. St. Vincent – Roslyn

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“…wings wouldn’t help you down | down fills the ground | gravity’s proud…”




12. Miike Snow – Animal

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“…in your eyes i see the eyes of somebody of who could be strong | tell me if i’m wrong…”




11. La Roux – Colourless Colour

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“…once in fashion | soon to be scene…”




10. The Big Pink – Velvet

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The staccato bass drum line leads into a choral sound which melts fluidly into the first verse. A slight production of the vocals make the words stand out, which is a highlight of the song. The background slowly builds until 2:35 where the instruments and vocals merge and unleash into a huge chorus. I picture him on his knees screaming the vocals at this point…pleading, warning…”you call out my name for the love you need | which you won’t find in me”. Heartbreakingly smooth, just like velvet.




09. La Roux – Bulletproof

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La Roux made a huge splash on the scene this year with a great album full of hits. “Bulletproof” was her most popular track for obvious reasons. Pop-electronica at its best, the song is a big f-off to that person who you can’t ever seem to say no to. Heartbreak after heartbreak they always lure you back, but not this time. Now you have armor in a song. La Roux’s got your back. She supplies you with all the bitterness you need to move on with lyrics like, “I’m not turned on to love until it’s cheap”. Next time they call, turn the song up so loud you can’t hear the ringer. It’s better than Kevlar.




08. Lykke Li – Knocked Up (Kings of Leon cover – Rodeo Remix)

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This is probably one of the only times you’ll ever read these words on this blog: don’t listen to the lyrics. This song doesn’t need them. Lykke Li does a superb job of taking a Kings of Leon song and making it her own. I especially enjoy the fact that she doesn’t take credit for it all by leaving some of the original vocals intact, adding a duet like quality to the song. Lykke Li’s vocals are strongest in the first half with an echo of the original shining through, then they flip around the three minute mark. Each half provides such a haunting quality that the listener can get sucked in and not realize what she has done here. There is constant bass fuzz in the background that provides an amazing beat to groove to and, eventually, get lost in. And that tambourine during the chorus! When have you heard a more infectious use of such a silly instrument (except perhaps in Eve’s aptly named “Tambourine”)? This is one of those perfect songs, it can be addictive, pleasurable, and highly intoxicating…make sure your ears use protection.




07. Bon Iver – Blood Bank

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There are very few musicians who consistently satisfy with each song they release. Bon Iver has done this. He can do absolutely no wrong in my book and hasn’t made a single misstep since I heard track one on his first album. “Blood Bank” is the title track off an EP he released back in January. His perfectly soft falsetto is complimented with the array of instruments he uses to create a soothing, almost ethereal sound. As an artist that usually writes in metaphor, “Blood Bank’s” lyrics are surprisingly straightforward. He creates a gorgeous sound that should be played while watching a fire crackle or the snow fall.




06. The xx – Heart Skipped a Beat

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After MGMT/Fleet Foxes stole the show last year, there was a copious amount of room for this year’s “Indie Darling” award. Rightfully so, The xx marched itself into that spot quite quickly and deservedly. On an album built around measured harmonies, rolling sounds, heavy bass, no drums (no drums!), and lost love there is a song called “Heart Skipped a Beat.” Its mid-tempo line reels you in, wraps you up. The song almost sounds happy, what with the crystal clear production and all, but then you listen. Listen. Those lyrics. It can be heard as a conversation or as one person’s final plea to a recently departed lover. But either way you interpret it, do not skip this song.




05. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home

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I couldn’t help but smile and bop my head whenever this tune came on. The emergence of pop-folk has shown up on my iTunes recently and it’s made quite the lasting impression this year. It’s simple, happy, addictive music that sort of transports you to a place where love is perfect. To me, this song epitomizes those characteristics. “Home, let me come home | Home is wherever I’m with you.” Have simpler yet more honest lyrics ever been written? The banter between Alex and Jade that starts at 3:18 is just about the cutest thing I’ve heard in a song all year. At the end of the day everyone wants somebody to call home, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s have eloquently put this feeling to song.




04. Animal Collective – My Girls

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Yes, this song is number four. I’m well aware that it has topped a million other blogs and lists, but this is the reason I put up the above disclaimer. If I based this list according to the construction of a song, its production, etc. then “My Girls” would almost certainly be the best song of the year. It is an incredible achievement by Animal Collective to create such a groundbreaking album that is as easily listenable as it is technically perfect. “My Girls” is definitely a highlight on the album (also check out “Lion in a Coma” for an impossibly cool 9/4 beat and “Bluish”). The song drips of West coast harmonies recalling comparisons to the Beach Boys. It is a track that builds both in sound and understanding. The song begins with a muted chorus where your ear tries to discern what vocalists Avey Tare and Panda Bear are actually saying. After the constant repetition your brain starts to fill in the gaps of sound. They finally let you in on what is going on, what they actually need, “…a solid soul and the blood I bleed.” Simple enough. And it’s in this pure simplicity that they can shape the lyrics into the production of the song making everything synched and timed to perfection.




03. The Big Pink – Dominos

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I believe The Big Pink’s “Dominos” are the only ones that don’t come in black and white. Oh, no. It’s obvious they are bursting with color. The band came out swinging with this track off of a fantastic album. With lyrics like, “Talks of future with you caves me in” and “I really loved breaking your heart,” they play directly to the cynicism that can be heard weaving throughout the rest of the album. They go all out in “Dominos” with a monster hook that bounces around your skull for days after. The anticipatory lead up to the kick of the song’s title is absolutely palpable. Then the drums hit and you jump…or strut…or fall. Watch out girls. The Big Pink is lining ‘em up and knocking ‘em down.




02. Passion Pit – Little Secrets

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I became enthralled with Passion Pit the first time I heard “Sleepyhead”. Their fresh sound was as captivating as Michael Angelakos’ glass-shattering falsetto. There are certainly a few standout tracks, but in my opinion the best is “Little Secrets”. It’s uplifting and buoyant with its snare drums and fuzzy bass, and a chorus that dares you to sit still. Some may call the chorus a bit behind the curve since the same elementary school choir (Passion Pit used PS22) technique was used in Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.”, but the band seems to be far from copying trends. I was fortunate enough to see them live and this was the one time in the concert where the room was a single movement…higher and higher and higher. I can’t wait to hear what secrets they’ll share with us in 2010.




01. Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes

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And with that, I bring you my favorite song of 2009. I’m not really sure how to write about “Summertime Clothes”. I wish English was more like some other languages that have 38 different ways to say “happy” and 17 words to convey “this song is just f-ing awesome”. It would make this paragraph much easier. There are artists that release albums and songs, and there are artists that release Albums and Songs. Radiohead’s Kid A is an Album. LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” is a Song. Animal Collective has done both this year. I heard “Summertime Clothes” back in March and after a few listens I had a strange feeling it would be my favorite song of the year. I became absorbed in its sound and metaphor and started using it as the standard for this list.


“Summertime Clothes” is one of the most densely lyrical songs I’ve heard in a long time. And by ‘dense’ I mean not just the amount of words packed into 4 minutes and 30 seconds, but the imagery and descriptions that come with each perfectly constructed line…


Sweet summer night and I’m stripped to my sheets
Forehead is leaking, my AC squeaks and
A voice from the clock says, “You’re not gonna get tired”
My bed is a pool and the walls are on fire.


Its gritty bass-induced militaristic backbeat keeps steady pace, like the two people walking around their sleepless city, linking in all senses “Summertime Clothes” taps into. It is a deliciously undulating romp around nameless streets with a melodic rise (“When the sun goes down we’ll go out again”) and fall (“And I want to walk around with you, and be here with you”) that mirrors the lyrics perfectly. It’s sweaty and sexy and glowing. AC’s unbelievably chic midnight disco beats conjure up a subliminal 80’s era theme yet leaves you puzzled because this sound shouldn’t be happening, it’s not 2015 yet. I’m hesitant to start a year of new music because I honestly do not think 2010 will be able to eclipse the brilliance of “Summertime Clothes”, but my ears are wide open to the challenge.




And quickly, here are my 5 favorite albums of the year:
05. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – It’s Blitz!
04. Miike Snow – Miike Snow
03. The xx – xx
02. The Big Pink – A Brief History Of Love
01. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion