HeiBräu’s Top 50 Tracks of 2009
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(In order to celebrate the year 2009, each track has a 9-word mini-review! One track per artist, per album. If an artist releases more than one record, they are eligible for two listings.)
Don’t want to play them one at a time? Listen to a Lala playlist for free with all of the tracks queued up! (Minus three songs that were not available.)
50. mewithoutYou – “The Fox, The Crow, and The Cookie” from It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All A Dream! It’s Alright.
Great story, great arrangement, great melody. Easy shoo-in.
49. Lenny Kravitz – “Let Love Rule” (Justice Remix) from Let Love Rule (20th Anniversary Edition).
One trick ponies? Who cares – Justice always kill it.
48. Pissed Jeans – “False Jesii Part 2″ from King of Jeans.
Stop searching for better recent hardcore. I don’t bother.
47. YACHT – “I’m In Love With A Ripper” from See Mystery Lights.
We’d be in love too. Wait, we already are.
46. Lushlife – “The Songbird Athletic,” from Cassette City.
The hottest R&B sample you can hear this year.
45. Times New Viking – “Those Days” from Born Again Revisited.
Lo-fi grunge, but the melody cuts right through.
44. Four Tet – “Love Cry” from There Is Love In You.
Influential electro-master wows us again with his latest.
43. Eels – “Fresh Blood,” from Hombre Lobo.
Wanton electro-funk with a touch of werewolf. OWW!
42. Japandroids – “Young Hearts Spark Fire” from Post-Nothing.
A fresh naughties take with a stark nineties feel.
41. The Big Pink – “Dominos” from A Brief History of Love.
The verse funks, the chorus drops like a bomb.
40. Micachu And The Shapes – “Curly Teeth” from Jewellery.
Bleeps and bloops steal hearts. Mica, you dirty ‘fief!
39. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – “Young Adult Friction” from The Pains of Being Pure At Heart.
Don’t let anyone tell you this music is girly.
38. Neon Indian – “Deadbeat Summer” from Psychic Chasms.
Bleached-out, sun-dried synth and glowing, grainy guitars.
37. Volcano Choir – “Still” from Unmap / Bon Iver – “Woods” from Blood Bank EP.
(Volcano Choir’s “Still”)
(Bon Iver’s “Woods”)
A song so nice, Justin Vernon did it twice.
36. Lou Barlow – “The Right” from Goodnight Unknown.
Dinosaur Jr. bassist makes time for his own classics.
35. Wilco – “Bull Black Nova” from Wilco (The Album).
Haunting, grisly riff on what seems like one note.
34. Arctic Monkeys – “Cornerstone” from Humbug.
And you thought you’d never sympathize with rude youth.
33. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Zero” from It’s Blitz!
Gunfire synth versus Karen O’s howling. Who wins? Everybody.
32. Basement Jaxx – “Raindrops” from Scars.
How did Europe get so good at house singles?
31. Girls – “Lust For Life” from Album.
If you haven’t got it, this song gives it.
30. Monsters of Folk – “Say Please” from Monsters of Folk.
Oberst, James, and Ward turn melodies on a dime.
29. The xx – “Crystalised” from The xx.
Moody, brooding, sharp; The xx are dream-rock royalty.
28. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – “40 Day Dream” from Up From Below.
L.A. ten-piece has melody that spins your head.
27. Free Energy – “Dark Trance” from Free Energy EP.
Screaming guitar solos ring in choruses; swoon at will!
26. Andrew Bird – “Oh No” from Noble Beast.
Bird’s chamber-pop laments: we’re never tired of them.
25. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind,” from The Blueprint III.
Manhattan’s theme this year. You’re on A, riding slow.
24. The Low Anthem – “Charlie Darwin” from Oh My God, Charlie Darwin.
Oh My God, these are some really heartbreaking harmonies.
23. Washed Out – “Feel It All Around” from Life of Leisure EP.
Like drifting on a glowing, sunset sea. Maximum relaxation.
22. Cass McCombs – “You Saved My Life” from Catacombs.
Wistful offering from folk veteran, and the album rules.
21. VEGA – “No Reasons” from Well Known Pleasures EP.
Summer comes all year round when VEGA spins it.
20. jj – “Things Will Never Be The Same Again” from jj N° 2
.
Afro-pop’s finest offering, presently; move over, Vampire Weekend.
19. Cursive – “Let Me Up” from Mama, I’m Swollen.
Brooding and thunderous gem makes for a bumpy ride.
18. Au – “Ida Walked Away” from Versions EP.
Thrashy and slithery; you’re not able to walk away.
17. Handsome Furs – “Legal Tender” from Face Control.
Sexy canadian electro-rock. Love it, legal or not.
16. Gold Panda – “Quitters Raga” from Quitters Raga / 5th Avenue 7″.
Moving people without words in their language takes heart.
15. Bear In Heaven – “Lovesick Teenagers” from Beast Rest Forth Mouth.
That chorus comes outta nowhere. What a sludgy rush!
14. Atlas Sound feat. Noah Lennox – “Walkabout” from Logos.
Skinny loud guy plus skinny quiet guy equals rapture.
13. St. Vincent – “Marrow” from Actor.
Fantastically funky dance-rock; lady doesn’t look the part.
12. The Flaming Lips – “Silver Trembling Hands” from Embryonic.
Potent sci-fi imagery always makes good Lips music.
11. Dirty Projectors – “Stillness Is The Move” from Bitte Orca.
The best and brightest 90s R&B redux yet made.
10. Animal Collective – “What Would I Want? Sky” from Fall Be Kind EP.
First Grateful Dead sample. Could be the best ever.
09. Islands – “Tender Torture” from Vapours.
Sounds like power pop, hits home like Cassius Clay.
08. Mew – “Repeaterbeater” from No More Stories…
Tense desperation from frozen Bee Gees of the north.
07. Phoenix – “1901″ from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.
Just sing along: “ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey!”
06. Antony & The Johnsons – “One Dove” from The Crying Light.
Still staggers and stuns, after eleven months. Mercy, mercy.
05. Mastodon – “Divinations” from Crack The Skye.
Even where banjos belong, songs are rarely this good.
04. Röyksopp – “The Girl And The Robot” from Junior.
I go mental every time Robyn sings this song.
03. Grizzly Bear – “Cheerleader” from Veckatimest.
Jazziest 60s girl-pop never written in the 60s.
02. Dan Deacon – “Snookered” from Bromst.
Dan’s cold, emotionless electronics still somehow break my heart.
01. Animal Collective – “My Girls” from Merriweather Post Pavilion.
The year’s best, earliest, and most obvious theme choice.
*slow clap*