(Note: These are my favorites of 2009. They are probably not THE BEST by any means. But they are songs I discovered and loved throughout the past twelve months. When the song is from an album I thought was THE BEST, I put a double asterisk next to the artist name. Enjoy!)
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp
"Ambling Alp" is a great example of how I should learn to be more patient. I had a complete Favorites of 2009 list and was ready to officially set it in stone. Then I woke up on a Monday morning and heard this. Then I walked to the train on that abnormally warm December morning and played it on repeat. I probably listened to it thirty times by the end of the day. The last song I absolutely loved in 2009 makes the perfect first track to this collection.
Jemina Pearl - Ecstatic Appeal
It's like this girl reached inside of my head, pulled out all of my thoughts, put them on paper as lyrics, and then wrote a fun pop song. Oh, the joys of being a Gemini! (NOTE: Ignore the images and just listen to the music. Why is there not a normal YouTube clip of this yet?)
Phoenix** - 1901
Certainly, this is the Song of 2009. "1901" was a staple to any good dance night or party; the perfect climax to a stiflingly hot, incredibly fun Phoenix show in DC; and gave three exhausted travelers the ability to shout "Phoenix in Phoenix!" on the last night of the whirlwind Square States trip.
Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy
Maybe this is cheating, but I don't care. A new - a better! - version of "Skeleton Boy" was released in 2009, and it gets a spot on my favorites list for the following reasons: a) an amazing video with the band as dancing skeletons (i.e. perfect in my book), b) seeing them play the Paradise a couple weekends ago was like watching three best friends throw an incredible party onstage, and c) I too harshly judged Friendly Fires in 2008 and would like to take back any disparaging things I said about their record.
Passion Pit** - Moth's Wings
The hype surrounding Passion Pit was (still is?) a little insane. When the record came out, I listened to it on repeat for a few weeks, which might have been too much of a good thing. "Moth's Wings" still stands out as my favorite song off of Manners, and it's the only one I listen to frequently - at times, daily. I'm happy I got to see them play a secret show at Great Scott earlier in the year. Now I don't feel bad about not forking over $30 to see them play the House of Blues in 2010.
Japandroids** - Sovereignty
The recipe to a disastrously hungover Tuesday morning: a Tremblay brother, an unknown number of PBRs, Japandroids at Great Scott, and being the last two people in the place besides the guy behind the bar. This show was awesome. This record is incredible. Maybe I should have picked "Young Hearts Spark Fire" or "The Boys are Leaving Town" for this list; either is a better, more accessible introduction to these guys. But you know what? It's raining in Vancouver, and I don't give a fuck.
Pains of Being Pure at Heart** - Contender
Simply put: wonderfully noisy indie pop.
Princeton - Show Some Love, When Your Man Gets Home
Their name sums up the first 1:45 of this song: sort of stuffy, kind of pretentious, ivy league tedium. Then, all I want to do is put on a cute little dress and have a little dance party alone in my room.
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
The consistent pounding of the keys, the vocal harmonies. Slightly sweeping effect. I like this song.
Bat for Lashes - Daniel
The sexiest song of 2009.
XX** - Heart Skipped a Beat
This song (and this record) wins the award for "Album I'm Most Likely Walking Around Listening To At Night On Backroads So I Can Lip-synch And No One Will Notice." Every song is so simple that they're complex. The perfect balance of guy/girl dueling. It's subtle and alluring, and something I still haven't been able to stop listening to for weeks now.
Metric** - Blindness
Emily Haines has officially become my idol. Metric is sneaking its way into my list of favorites ever.
Doves - Kingdom of Rust
On every album Doves releases, there are always one or two excellent movie-moment-esque songs that I latch onto and consequently forget to listen to the record of the record. "Kingdom of Rust" is that track.
Owen** - Good Friends, Bad Habits
Owen released an album this year. That's all you need to know, really. (Also, that he is perfect.)
AA Bondy - Mightiest of Guns
Possibly the most beautifully sad song of 2009. My favorite lyric of the year also comes from this: "tomorrow I'll be out of my mind / the bear will dance and the organ will grind / and I'm laughing because I know there ain't no sin / all the world on the head of a pin / turning fast beneath the mightiest of guns."
Noah and the Whale** - Stranger/Blue Skies
In a way, I kind of cheated again. I took the last two minutes of "Stranger" (which, oddly, is my least favorite song on this album) and stuck it onto the beginning of "Blue Skies." It just seems so much more cohesive that way. This record drove me to drink. For a week straight. It's that good and that depressing. (NOTE: This video does not have the "Stranger" beginning. If I give you a copy of the mix, you'll have to combined track. This video is a trailer for the movie the band made to go with the album. I've not seen it. I'm terrified that it will throw me back into another bender...)
For the past few weeks, I've been trapped in the land of slow internet speeds. Couple that with a limited amount of free time, and it's been tough to keep up with the playlists.
I'm gonna play a little game of catchup with some 4-6 track playlists.
Enjoy...
**** Runaway
I like this little list, even if it has some strange breaks and no real consistent flow or progression.
1 - Queen - I Want To Break Free 2 - Dashboard Confessional - Again I Go Unnoticed 3 - Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway 4 - Head Automatica - At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet 5 - Brand New - Millstone
**** Fall
There's no such thing as Fall in Singapore. It's just as hot and rainy as every other "season" here. My life in Singapore is slowly resembling the seasons of Singapore, or lack thereof. Nothing new, nothing dynamic, no emotion, no change. I used to laugh at the pretension and prudeness surrounding me, but it's starting to take a toll.
One of the worst things about living here is the absence of Halloween. If there's any holiday that makes everyone take themselves a little bit less seriously and act like a kid again, it's Halloween. Maybe it's just what everyone in Singapore needs.
These songs transport me back to my favorite season in one of my favorite places on this lonely, lonely planet: Fall in New England.
1 - Oasis - The Girl in the Dirty Shirt 2 - Snow Patrol - How to Be Dead 3 - Elbow - One Day Like This 4 - Frank Turner - Sunday Nights 5 - Alexi Murdoch - Orange Sky 6 - Death Cab for Cutie - Passenger Seat
REALITY BITES I'm a dreamer. I spend more than half of my days in a weird fantasy world where I have entire conversations with people and react to situations that have never happened. I'm constantly scoring a movie within my mind, writing scenes in my memory. Music allows for this to happen. And now, thanks to Brendan, everyone can glimpse the tunes that are optimal when running away from reality.
1. Loney, Dear - I Was Only Going Out (escape at 1:23) One day, I'm going to sit down and write out the scenes that have been building the movie in my mind. This song will be part of the soundtrack. I've tied it so tightly to a specific image that every time I listen to this song, I'm lost for nearly four minutes.
2. Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen (escape at 2:25) First time I heard this I was on a plane that was starting to land. Sadly, I was landing in Orlando for a National Sales Meeting. But I dream about this being the perfect song for the beginning of an adventure.
3. M83 - We Own the Sky (escape at 1:12) M83 might be the master of escapism. This song comes on while I'm on the train and it's a one-way ticket to my own little world of thoughts.
4. Jimmy Eat World - Sweetness (escape at 0:01) This is one of those songs you put on and all of a sudden you just want to run as fast as you can as far as you can without looking back.
5. The Stone Roses - Waterfall (escape at 0:30) Close your eyes while this plays and you're in the warmth of a summer sun. No cares. No worries. Just let it all go.
6. VHS or Beta - Bring On the Comets (escape at 1:27) Takes you from reality to an atmospherically wonderland land with an ever-present downbeat.
7. Flock of Seagulls - I Ran (escape at 0:41) My secret wish: to live the life of a Bret East Ellis character. One where I abuse all the drugs, have all the sex, and break every rule. I'll never have the unbridled courage or balls to do so, so this song will have to do.
8. The Get Up Kids - I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel (escape at 0:45) This is on and I'm 17 again. And everything is awesome.
9. Jemina Pearl - Ecstatic Appeal (escape at 0:30) This is my new favorite song. I listened to it 20 times one afternoon. When I hear it, I want to be on stage, singing this song. (This is the WORST video - do not judge the song based on this!)
10. Sigur Ros - Inni mer singer vitleysingur (escape at 2:17) What Sigur Ros song is not an opportunity for escape?
11. Filter - Miss Blue (escape at 1:49) And, out of left field, I offer you a song from Filter. When I was 17, I used to listen to this a lot while driving around - mostly procrastinating before arriving at school. Windows down, music loud, my mind wandering (which probably explains all the car accidents…)
12. Owen - You Should Do It Now While It's On Your Mind (escape at 0:01) Whenever I need a break from life. Whenever it seems overwhelming or like everything is against me. This is the song I turn to. I listen to it in the dark. And when it's over, things are OK again.
13. Stars - Going Going Gone (escape at 0:47) Lush. Beautiful. Like a lovely dream should be.
14. Badly Drawn Boy - The Shining (escape at 1:18) There's a scene in the move Get Over It where the two main characters (Ben Foster and Kirsten Dunst) transition to a magical forest world while this song plays. It's perfect.
15. Pulp - Like a Friend (escape at 2:12) And… GO.
16. Broken Social Scene - Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl (escape at 2:00) I'm certain I've used this in a playlist before, but it's the ultimate reality-bender for me. If I ever do pen that screenplay, this is a requisite song for a very, very specific scene.
Running away is a right of passage for every kid. Mad at mom because she said you're too young to be watching Kelly Taylor and Dylan McKay's infidelities, you pack up some non-essentials and storm out the front door. Maybe you make it around the block, but likely you don't get past the driveway before turning around. Regardless the length of your trip there's that amazing feeling of holding your destiny. I'd like to think today I'm running away from the life of financial software sales, and into the amazing world of Allison and Evan, creating playlists and making millions while doing it it. Here I present a soundtrack that I feel captures the essence of breaking free and running away.
Run Away
1. Passion Pit - Make Light
I love how this song starts. If the first 30 seconds of this song don't get you on your feet, you don't have legs.
2. The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
Recently saw this band live, and was drawn right into this song. I realized a little later I had heard it previously in the movie 500 Days of Summer, which is a solid flick and relates well to this theme.
3. The Real Tuesday Weld - Last Words
Keeping it going with the indie soundtracks, this one's off Nick and Norah. Fairly mellow song, but such an engaging beat and seductive vocals.
4. Freelance Whales - Generator ^ Second Floor
If you take anything from this playlist, I hope it's this band. By far the best $10 I've spent this year, go get their album Weathervanes now. As amazing live as they are on their album.
5. Brand New - The Archers Bows Have Broken
Such amazing drums in this one. I want to engage is a full sprint whenever I hear this, Hulk Hoganing my shirt off.
6. Jimmy Eat World - Always Be
If I've learned anything on the Playlist Challenge, it's that you can't ever go wrong with a little Jimmy Eat World.
7. Oasis - Falling Down
I love Oasis - one of my favorites of all time. This track is one of their darker pieces. If Noel and Liam don't symbolize rebellion, well I'm not sure who would
8. Phoenix - Rome
We're close to the midway point of this list, so I figured I might be getting tired from running and need to slow the pace a bit.
9. Friendly Fires - Paris
Let's run to another European city, and pick it up a bit.
10. VHS or Beta - Bring on the Comets
YouTube the acoustic version of this song. Different, but equally awesome
11. Theme - Last of the Mohicans
Is this the first theme on TPC? What a rich, untapped source of greatness.
12. Blind Melon - Walk
This is one of my all time favorites.
13. Silverchair - Straight Lines
When I heard this on the radio 2 years ago, I couldn't believe it was the Frogstompers. More Poppy? For sure. Selling out? I don't give a turd, I like.
14. Bloc Party - Hunting for Witches
I'm still not completely sold on Bloc Party, but they do have some pretty raw and rocking tracks. They also seem to give some great performances.
15. Doves - Pounding
One of the more appropriately titled tracks, ever. Of the countless bands Evan has turned me on to, Doves rank among the best.
16. Badly Drawn Boy - Once Around the Block
Appropriately titled.
17. 30 Seconds to Mars - Kings & Queens
Turned on the radio the other day, and finally heard a song worth going after. Apparently these guys have been around for a bit, but they're new to me.
18. Arcade Fire - No Cars Go
With the orchestra and chorus, I felt this was a good coming home song.
Allison lives in Boston. Evan lives in Singapore. They both love music and found another mutual love in putting together playlists of all sorts, shapes, and kinds. Here, they challenge each other with a theme, both come up with a mix of songs clocking in under 80 minutes, and work together (er, fight?) to come up with the ultimate playlist for that theme based on their suggestions.
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