Best/Favorite Music of 2009 Thread

[GirlsAloudFan]

Crap, I forgot another album for that second list: Pet Shop Boys - Yes.

And now ... my favorite songs! You can tell that my pop tastes mostly lie in a fabulous single. I cannot resist a really great pop hook. I'm a sucker for it. Woe.

U2 - Breathe and Unknown Caller
Little Boots - Remedy
Lady GaGa - Paparazzi and Bad Romance
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
Metric - Help I'm Alive
La Roux - Bulletproof
Phoenix - 1901
Jace Everett - Bad Things (theme from True Blood)
Jordin Sparks - Battlefield (better go and get your armor, yo)
Lily Allen - The Fear
Royksopp - The Girl and the Robot (come back with another album, Robyn!)
Animal Collective - My Girls
Dirty Projectors - Useful Chamber
Britney Spears - If U Seek Amy (I know, I know ... it's horrid and juvenile ... but completely awesome!)
Franz Ferdinand - Lucid Dreams

Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" didn't make this list because while it was shiny and catchy, it was trying too hard to recapture her "Since U Been Gone" glory after trying hard to do her own thing and commercially failing. Poor Kell-Bell. It's a solid pop album, though. Just not as good as Breakaway.

Some great choices. For me, "Zero" and "Hysteric" are the biggest standouts from It's Blitz!, but "Heads Will Roll" also kicks ass.

Jace Everett - Bad Things (theme from True Blood)

Good call. I miss that show.

I haven't heard the Dirty Projectors song that you listed but I will say, even though I just discovered it like a week ago, "Stillness Is The Move" is one of my top tracks of the year. That song is just awesome.

According to last.fm, my most listened to track of the year was "Crying Lightning" by the Arc Monkeys. I might come up with a more complete favorite song list later.

 

[corianderstem]

That Dirty Projectors song is the one with the "Bitte orca / orca bitte!" lyric, FYI. If that helps refresh your memory.

Zero was the first track I heard off It's Blitz, and I was all "Hey, this is ten kinds of awesome!" And then I heard Heads Will Roll, and I forgot all about Zero, my love was so great.

 

[LemonMelon]

I'm cool with making a favorite songs of the year list, since it's totally arbitrary and never will be perfect anyway:

Wilco - "One Wing"
Atlas Sound - "Walkabout"
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - "Killers"
Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks"
St. Vincent - "Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood"
BrakesBrakesBrakes - "Two Shocks"
Flaming Lips - "Silver Trembling Hands"
Phoenix - "Lisztomania"
The-Dream - "Walking On The Moon"
Bat For Lashes - "Daniel"
Pure Reason Revolution - "Bloodless"
Passion Pit - "The Reeling"
The Horrors - "Scarlet Fields"
U2 - "Breathe"
Florence & The Machine - "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)"
Arctic Monkeys - "Cornerstone"
Metric - "Collect Call"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Soft Shock" (love Zero and Hysteric almost equally, but this song makes me cry just about every time I hear it)
Japandroids - "Young Hearts Spark Fire"

 

[bono_212]

I hadn't planned on buying Jordin's album - I didn't even bother buying her first one (and yes, I do own a good handful of Idol CDs. I actually want to get Allison Iraheta's as well - a few good pop songs surrounded by too many ballads, but those few good pop songs are damn good).

Then I heard Battlefield and had to have it. One or two other decent songs, and the rest is crap. I was disappointed with Don't Let It Go To Your Head, as the Fefe Dobson original is light years better.

Anyway! I'm probably driving everyone away from the thread with all my horrifying pop music love.

It's Battlefield that disappointed me more than anything else. It feels like it keeps *trying* to get epic, but never quite reaches that point.

 

[bono_212]

Eh might as well at least attempt favorite songs. These are the songs that are contenders for my favorite song of the year:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Hysteric
Metric: Collect Call
Passion Pit: Swimming in the Flood
U2: Unknown Caller
Hockey: Song Away
DMB: Time Bomb
Phoenix: Lisztomania
Bell X1: The Great Defector
Bruce Springsteen: Life Itself
Doves: Kingdom of Rust

These are some other great songs:

The Horrors: Primary Colours
fun.: Walking the Dog
Avett Brothers: I And Love And You
Antony & The Johnsons: Aeon
XX: VCR
Camera Obscura: The Sweetest Thing
Black Eyed Peas: I Gotta Feeling

ETA: Forgot "Mt" by Super Fury Animals

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Ahhh ha! Having seen Metric on a few of these lists, I did some research and I just realized that Metric are the creators of one of the many "songs I heard on the radio and loved but never knew who wrote it" songs. It's called Sick Muse. It rules. I think I like Metric now.

 

[bono_212]

Ahhh ha! Having seen Metric on a few of these lists, I did some research and I just realized that Metric are the creators of one of the many "songs I heard on the radio and loved but never knew who wrote it" songs. It's called Sick Muse. It rules. I think I like Metric now.

You haven't heard Fantasies? Gaffer, do this thing. Do it now.

 

[Saracene]

I think it's been a fantastic year for music. According to my CD database, I've bought 57 albums released in 2009 and some of these I'm sure will remain big personal favourites. My favourite top 20, in a sort of an order though nothing too strict:

1. PJ Harvey & John Parish - A Woman A Man Walked By
2. Muse - The Resistance
3. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
4. Florence + The Machine - Lungs
5. Dead Weather - Horehound
6. Blue Roses - Blue Roses
7. Doves - Kingdom of Rust
8. Peaches - I Feel Cream
9. The xx - xx
10. U2 - No Line on the Horizon
11. Joker's Daughter - The Last Laugh
12. Flaming Lips - Embryonic
13. St Vincent - Actor
14. Jenny Wilson - Hardships!
15. Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
16. Soulsavers - Broken
17. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
18. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
19. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
20. Micachu - Jewellery

 

[the tourist]

As for songs, I'm gonna have to say that without putting too much effort into it, Two Weeks and My Girls are my top two.

 

[cobl04]

4. Florence + The Machine - Lungs

that album finished 5th in the triple J listener's poll i think, and the songs they played off it sounded pretty good. might check it out.

I think i'm going to get It's Blitz...

 

[cobl04]

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Temper Trap – Conditions
Muse – The Resistance
Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
Florence & The Machine – Lungs
Sarah Blasko – As Day Follows Night
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!
Paul Dempsey – Everything Is True
Lisa Mitchell – Wonder
Passion Pit – Manners

was triple j's list.

there's a lot of love for Paul Dempsey, which is great to see. He released a great solo album.

 

[cobl04]

I can gorge myself on music or films or TV, but, not to that extreme. I'm not....discerning enough, maybe......to listen to that sort of bulk over that short a period of time and be able to render an accurate opinion. Awesome that Shouter can, though.

neither can i. i only listened to about 10-15 new albums this year (there's far too many albums released in the 40 years prior that i want to listen as well, i don't understand how most of you do this. how you can have time to compete in DI, listen to 15+ 120+ minute lists and digest them and form an opinion on them is beyond me). i bought about seven albums two or three weeks ago, and i've only listened to three of them, twice each.

my #1 played song on itunes after 3 years is Pink Floyd's Eclipse, with about 45 plays.

Make Light by Passion Pit is probably my song of the year.

 

[corianderstem]

I haven't heard Florence and the Machines yet, but I've heard so many good things about it, I had to get it sight unseen. Er ... listen unheard? It's on its way to me from Amazon.

 

[phanan]

I'll have a list shortly, probably in time for Impy's best of 2009 point thing, if he's doing that again.

 

[u2popmofo]

Duuuude, if you haven't listened to The Ecstatic yet, you need to. Now.

Auditorium and Priority are possibly my two favorite hip hop tracks of the past few years. The Ecstatic pulled in Popmatters award for best Hip Hop album of the year today as well.

 

[u2popmofo]

rest assured that "Watching the Planets" by The F'Lips will probably still be my Song of the Year from my current Album of the Year.

Oh, oh, oh...

Too bad you misquote the damn thing on Facebook.

 

[LMP]

Too bad you misquote the damn thing on Facebook.

I wasn't in the best of shapes when I did, bub. Slight facepalm after the fact, but the damage was already done.

 

[u2popmofo]

I haven't heard Florence and the Machines yet, but I've heard so many good things about it, I had to get it sight unseen. Er ... listen unheard? It's on its way to me from Amazon.

I was driving home at about 3:30am a month or two ago, and a song came on the radio that I loved with every fiber of my being on first listen. I had no idea what it was, but lucky for me, my independent station of choice posts their playlists online. I get home about 4am, and instead of going to bed, I'm researching the song and find out its 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)' by Florence + The Machine. I purchased the album later that day.

Definitely one of my favorite songs of the year, and the album will probably make my year end list as well.

 

[iron yuppie]

Here's my tentative best of the year list in albums.

1. Antony and the Johnsons: The Crying Light
2. Depeche Mode: Sounds of the Universe
3. Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest
4. Bat for Lashes: Two Suns
5. Morrissey: Years of Refusal
6. Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
7. Neon Indian: Psychic Chasms

I really enjoyed No Line on the Horizon, but though I listen to it more than any of the albums listed above I do not believe it to be superior in terms of vision and execution to any of those on the list. I also spent so much time listening to classic jazz this year that I likely missed a number of strong 2009 releases.

 

[SeattleVertigo]

I'm really enjoying the Miike Snow and Julian Casablancas albums that I learned about in this thread.

 

[phillyfan26]

I wasn't in the best of shapes when I did, bub. Slight facepalm after the fact, but the damage was already done.

I'd hope not, at 1:30AM on a Thursday night.

It was a facepalm ... the size of a tangerine.

 

[LMP]

I'd hope not, at 1:30AM on a Thursday night.

It was a facepalm ... the size of a tangerine.

That was the night a whole bunch of us tried to catch that meteor shower. That was an all-nighter.

 

[phillyfan26]

That was the night a whole bunch of us tried to catch that meteor shower. That was an all-nighter.

One could say you were out all night ... WATCHING THE PLANETS!

This came full circle, albeit with a very small circle.

 

[LMP]

One could say you were out all night ... WATCHING THE PLANETS!

This came full circle, albeit with a very small circle.

At least we avoided the naked bike-riding army and the slimy pig-ball vagina thing.

 

[Salome]

alphabetically

Alamaailman Vasarat - Huuro Kolkko
Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Beware
David Sylvian - Manafon
Mr. Hudson - Straight No Chaser
Nerina Pallot - The Graduate
Pere Ubu - Long Live Pere Ubu
Pet Shop Boys - Yes
Sonic Youth - The Eternal
Sting - If on a Winter's Night
The Scene - Liefde op Doorreis
U2 - No Line on the Horizon
Zu - Carboniferous

 

[GibsonExplorer]

Ahhh ha! Having seen Metric on a few of these lists, I did some research and I just realized that Metric are the creators of one of the many "songs I heard on the radio and loved but never knew who wrote it" songs. It's called Sick Muse. It rules. I think I like Metric now.

Metric's Emily Haines looks like she's capable of passing on my genetic material.

And the music is fantastic as well. Collect Call is one of my favorite tracks on Fantasies.

 

[bono_212]

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Temper Trap – Conditions
Muse – The Resistance
Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
Florence & The Machine – Lungs
Sarah Blasko – As Day Follows Night
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!
Paul Dempsey – Everything Is True
Lisa Mitchell – Wonder
Passion Pit – Manners

was triple j's list.

there's a lot of love for Paul Dempsey, which is great to see. He released a great solo album.

You posted that list in the S/T the other night, didn't you? I knew I saw Mumford & Sons pretty high up on a list somewhere. Well I'm glad I did. It significantly changed my top 20. Possibly even my top ten.

And on that note, I will also check out Florence & The Machine

 

[SeattleVertigo]

And on that note, I will also check out Florence & The Machine

Listening to it right now -- not bad.

I enjoyed Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson -- Summer of Fear a lot, another album I learned about from this thread.

 

[Screwtape2]

My top five is pretty stable but after that I'm finding it hard. Here's the top five in no order:

Two Suns by Bat For Lashes
Lungs by Florence and The Machine
Fantasies by Metric
Actor by St. Vincent
Abnormally Attracted To Sin by Tori Amos

This year's albums seem like the opposite of last year. This year has a few best of the decade contenders but not a lot in the way of quantity while last year had quantity but not the greatest quality.

 

[Screwtape2]

Best songs in no order:

Fez-Being Born by U2
Glass by Bat For Lashes
Two Planets by Bat For Lashes
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) by Florence and The Machine
Blinding by Florence and The Machine
Help I'm Alive by Metric
Stadium Love by Metric
Black Rainbow by St. Vincent
The Party by St. Vincent
Give by Tori Amos