Top 50 songs of 2009

This list developed in a more continuous organic way than my 2008 list, and has been helped in no small part by having downloaded many of the tracks already to my ipod. I had a large pool of songs to choose from, and some of the most difficult decisions have been what to leave out. The end product I believe is stronger than my 2008 list, but perhaps I should let you be the judge of that.

The list is musically diverse, and also includes a mix of commercially successful and lesser known acts. I hope you’ll feel inspired to listen to a few of the names that are new to you, and that you’ll find something there that you like.

The links work as follows : click on the artist’s name to go to their myspace page, on the song title to go to a youtube video of the song, or on the album title to go to amazon or another site where you can buy the album. And don’t forget to return to this page, and leave your comments below.

50 Nine Black Alps – Buy Nothing (Locked Out from the Inside)
The Manchester quartet were dropped by Island records after two albums. For this, their 3rd album, they found their own producer and recorded it on the cheap inside two weeks. The track Buy Nothing was originally offered as a free download, and the band claim that it was downloaded more than any other track the NME have ever featured. They are philosophical about life outside the major labels : “It gives you a new respect for what you do. You can also set your own goals … We’re on our own and it’s our money we’re spending so we’ve got to get it right … The things that are worse are obviously the money… We are all deeply skint. Say we got offered a support tour with a more successful band, then I’m not sure we could actually afford to do it.”

49 Metric – Help I’m Alive (Fantasies)
Fantasies is the Canadian band’s first album since 2005. In that time they have self financed and built their own recording studio, set up their own record label, and Emily Haines took a break for several months renting an apartment in Buenos Aires with a Steinway piano in the front room while she wrote the songs for the album. The resulting feelings of rebirth and new found independence permeate the songs on the album.

48 Daby Balde – Yaye Boye (Le Marigot Club Dakar)
Apparently this song, sung in Wolof, is a lament for children who’ve lost their mother during childbirth. Daby Balde has a laid back acoustic style and a respect for Senegalese musical traditions.

47 The Cubical – Like Me I’m a Peacock (Come Sing These Crippled Tunes)
Growling blues rock from Liverpool : my October 2009 band of the month.

46 Alela Diane – White As Diamonds (To be still)
Diane : “All of the songs were written at a time when I was living a pretty normal life, working a few jobs that weren’t music. There was a stillness—I couldn’t ever leave town because I was working. I was stuck. I lived in a log cabin in Nevada City. Then I moved up to Portland to live with Tom and our little cat. They’re songs of stillness, about what it’s like to just be. It’s ironic — what I’ve been doing with those songs is being everywhere. I’ve been moving around so much—the opposite of the songs. Now it’s a longed for stillness. We’ve got two weeks left on this tour, then I’m taking at least six months off. Not going anywhere. Nowhere, not touring at all.”

45 Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean – Spy (She Wolf)
On this track the Colombian pop superstar teams up again with ex Fugee Wyclef Jean. Their previous collaboration Hips Don’t Lie is the world’s biggest selling single of the 21st century.

44 The Golden Filter – Solid Gold
“Follow the golden fox. Through the golden door. Take the golden key. Go down the golden hall”
This is the NYC based electronica duo’s debut single. A second single, Thunderbird, is now available for free download on their website. A full album is promised for spring 2010.

43 Jenny Owen Youngs – Clean Break (Transmitter Failure)
Nicely penned breakup song from the 2nd album by the New Jersey singer songwriter.

42 The Dead Weather – I Cut Like A Buffalo (Horehound)
Jack White’s latest project came into being a year ago during some jam sessions following a Raconteurs tour. This, the standout track from the album, is one of the few where the White himself steps up to the mic (most of the vocals are done by Alison Mosshart of The Kills), and also benefits from a filthy guitar riff and some rolls of Dean Fertita’s electric organ.

41 Bebel Gilberto – Chica Chica Boom Chic (All In One)
This playful song was first recorded by Carmen Miranda as part of the score for the 1941 film That Night in Rio. Grammy nominated Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto is an admirer of Miranda – she says it’s her dream to play her in a film.

40 Eyedea & Abilities - Smile (By The Throat)
First album for 5 years from the independent hip hop duo from Minnesota. The use of guitars and feedback gives it an indie rock feel, but the key selling point is Eyedea’s intelligent reflective lyrics.

39 The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Come Saturday (The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart)
Fizzing indie pop from my March 2009 band of the month.

38 Brother Ali - Babygirl (Us)
Brother Ali : “This song was dealing with rape of a young teenage girl. But really it’s about women being violated in general … Every woman I’ve ever been involved with has been raped or violated or molested. One in three women in America has been raped or violated [in some way]. And if you’re talking about women of color, it’s half, one out of every two. And this is a part of my life because I love these women and it exists as a character in their life, forever. That never leaves somebody. This is one of these other things that we don’t talk about, especially in rap.”

37 Sharon Van Etten – For You (Because I was in love)
She sings slow, somewhat melancholy folk ballads, her hushed expressive voice a beautiful accompaniment to the acoustic guitar.

36 White Belt Yellow Tag – Tell Your Friends (It All Worked Out) (forthcoming album Methods)
One of the finer British indie rock songs of the year, from my December 2009 band of the month.

35 Justin Townes Earle – Midnight At The Movies (Midnight At The Movies)
The son of Steve Earle, and named after Townes Van Zant, he carries a weighty musical legacy. But he’s found his own voice, and this is just a great piece of observational storytelling Americana.

34 PJ Harvey and John Parish – Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen (A Woman A Man Walked By)
This album – a collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist John Parish – hasn’t attracted a great deal of attention, but it knocks the spots off 99% of CDs released this year. It’s compelling bluesy rock dominated by the force of Harvey’s personality as she explores different characters and changing moods.

33 Kultur Shock – Country Mohammed (Integration)
“Kultur Shock is what punk rock should sound like” – Jello Biafra
Riotous funny song about immigration to the USA from the Seattle band featured in my gypsy punk showcase.

32 Dinosaur jr – I want you to know (Farm)
80s revivals are not generally a good idea for all kinds of reasons. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Dinosaur Jr’s return to form. The Massachusetts indie rockers have retained their recognisable style based on lo fi sound, use of fuzz and distortion, and drawled vocals.

31 Joe Gideon & The Shark – Civilisation (Harum Scarum)
Brilliantly told and very funny coming of age story by my August 2009 band of the month.

30 Fever Ray - Keep the Streets Empty for Me (Fever Ray)
Dark unsettling music. Fever Ray is a solo project of Karin Dreijer Andersson, of the Swedish brother/sister electronic group The Knife.

29 Arctic Monkeys – Dance Little Liar (Humbug)
I’ve had some difficulty getting into this album. Alex Turner’s lyrics are as dark and brilliant as ever, but the songs aren’t as raw, visceral and direct as in the earlier albums and I’m not crazy about the production by Josh Homme. It does repay a few listens though.

28 God Help The Girl – Musicians, Please Take Heed (God Help The Girl)
Beautifully arranged and sung, from the album featured in my June 2009 band of the month.

27 Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara – Kele Kele (No Passport No Visa)
(Tell no lies)
Justin Adams is a British blues guitarist, currently a member of Robert Plant’s band. Juldeh Camara is a Gambian griot who plays the riti – a Gambian, one-string spike fiddle. Tell No Lies is their second album together : the previous collaboration, Soul Science, won the award for the best album in the Culture Crossing category for the BBC World Music Awards 2008.

26 Kasabian – Underdog (West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum)
Tom Meighan, lead singer of UK indie rockers Kasabian : “‘I think that one thing we have proved is that what we do is very real. We’re not a contemporary band, we’re not with any kind of fad or fashion or at the break of a scene, which the press would always love to put people in. I think we’re the people’s band of 21st century fuckin’ music mate, I really believe that.”

25 Marissa Nadler – The Whole Is Wide (Little Hells)
Beautiful (if mournful) piano and vocals dream folk ballad.

24 Tinariwen – Tenhert (The Doe) (Imidiwan)
Tinariwen are a collective of Tuareg musicians from the southern Sahara who in the past decade have achieved global success, performing hundreds of concerts around the world. Their music is characterised by a bluesy guitar sound and hypnotic rolling rhythms. This album was recorded in the Malian village of Tessalit.

23 Nosaj Thing – Fog (Drift)
Cutting edge ambient electronica from my November 2009 band of the month.

22 Ledisi – Goin thru changes (Turn me loose)
A song about having an affair and trying to resist temptation. Ledisi is an R&B singer from New Orleans with a massive vocal talent. She co-wrote most of the songs on the album.

21 Amy LaVere – Green Grass (Died of Love EP)
Delightful cover of a Tom Waits song by my May 2009 band of the month.

20 The Twilight Sad – I Became A Prostitute (Forget The Night Ahead)
A fine brooding Scottish guitar band. The song title is apparently a line that they nicked from a film by Jean Luc Godard. James Graham claims that “there are no sexual connotations. It’s just a metaphor for becoming something that you dont want to be, you can see it happening but there is nothing you can do about it.”

19 Mayer Hawthorne – I Wish It Would Rain (A Strange Arrangement)
Hawthorne’s soulful vocals and the vulnerability he shows on this song lead to obvious comparisons with Smokey Robinson. A Strange Arrangement is a stunning debut album that stands up against the Motown classics. Hawthorne not only sings beautifully, he wrote all but one of the songs, played most of the instruments, and mixed the album in his bedroom studio to create the stripped back sound. Although the songs have a retro Motowny feel, the production is cool and contemporary.

18 The Raveonettes – Suicide (In And Out Of Control)
Strong melodic number from the Danish noise rock duo who were my September 2009 band of the month.

17 Lura – Marinheiro (Eclipse)
Lura is as young as the country of her roots : born in 1975, the year that the small west African archipelago of Cape Verde split away from Portuguese rule. And though she was born and raised in Portugal her album draws on the rhythms and cadences of her ancestral homeland.

16 Shafiq Husayn – Le’Star ft Rozzi Daime, Noni Limar (Shafiq En A Free Ka)
The debut album from Shafiq Husayn defies classification. It doesn’t so much cross boundaries as dissolve them. It’s a joyous coming together of music – and musicians – from around the world to create something new and unique. Over 30 singers and musicians have contributed to the 17 tracks on this album. Not untypically of alternative hip hop albums it draws on many musical influences and samples freely, but alternative hip hop doesn’t even begin to describe it. It has soul, it has funk, it has afrobeat; it is influenced by electronic music, by rock, and by jazz. If this sounds daunting, just forget about all the labels and let the music set you free.

15 La Roux - In For The Kill (Skream’s Let’s Get Ravey Mix) (La Roux)
Easily the best song on the debut album by the queen of UK synthpop. Though this mix isn’t taken from the album : the catchy hook lends itself to remixes, and this is one of the best.

14 Rebecca Correia – Breathe (Soul of me)
Apparently she wrote this when she was 16, so I’m not quite sure why it’s being released some 10 years later on her 2nd widely available CD, but she’ll never write a better song than this. It is beautiful and timeless.

13 Dan Auerbach – When the Night Comes (Keep it hid)
Acoustic ballad from the debut solo album from the frontman for Ohio blues rockers The Black Keys.

12 Camera Obscura – French Navy (My Maudlin Career)
After 10 years together the Glasgow band finally gave up their day jobs to concentrate on music fulltime, and have signed up to the 4AD record label. Their songwriting remains the difference which marks out their brand of mellow indie pop in a crowded field. Just enjoy the strings on this song.

11 Fuck Buttons – Surf Solar (Tarot Sport)
English synth noise duo who also featured in my 2008 chart. On this track the music loops and loops and gradually rises, but the feel is tense and dramatic rather than euphoric.

10 Black Lips – I’ll Be With You (200 Million Thousand)
Georgia band Black Lips began 2009 on the run in India. They were wanted by the police for “indecent exposure” during a concert in Chennai. The band quickly grasped the gravity of the situation : “Apparently the jail in Chennai is no joke. Word on the street said that it was teeming with tuberculosis, violence and live maggots so instead of risking going there we fled the scene.” The song is an appealing mix of 60s style garage rock with strong hooks and raw vocals.

9 Antony and the Johnsons – Her eyes are underneath the ground (The Crying Light)
The themes have changed. On his Mercury prize winning I am a bird now, written when he was several years younger, he sang with great emotional intensity about gender dysphoria and other personal issues. On The Crying Light, Antony Hegarty’s concerns are more global, his mood more contemplative. He loses some of the directness and emotional power of his earlier songs, but make no mistake, his music is still starkly beautiful and will bring shivers to your spine.

8 Girls – Hellhole ratrace (Album)
Christopher Owens, who is one half of the boy group Girls, had just about the strangest childhood imaginable, brought up as a member of David Berg’s extreme Children of God cult. Owens’s brother died of pneumonia at the age of 4 because the group wouldn’t allow members to go to hospital. His father left the group over this, but Owens stayed with his mother as they moved all over Europe, never going to regular schools, ending up in Slovenia.
These days Owens seems happy and relaxed, enjoying the Californian lifestyle which was denied him as a child. The duo’s debut album has beguiled critics with its warmth, directness, simplicity and honesty. It has a lo-fi indie pop sound with hooks and melodies reminiscent of the 60s music which Owens loves.

7 Animal Collective – My Girls (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
Euphoric explosion of electropop sound effects and Beach Boys style layered harmonies which doesn’t sound like anything else out there.

6 Tommy Reilly – Gimme a call (Words on the floor)
The debut single from the young Scottish singer songwriter is a raw and emotional song of teenage breakup. Reilly won the Orange Unsigned Act 2009 and was my July 2009 band of the month.

5 K’naan – Take a minute (Troubadour)
Hip hop artist K’naan was born in Magadishu Somalia and lives in Canada. He says “I think that hip-hop’s strength has always been when it was kind of the journalism of a community that’s otherwise inaccessible to major—to mass media or mass culture … But for a long time, it’s been taken over by corporate interests … When it comes from the have-nots, I think, when it goes global, like with what I’m doing with it, I think it’ll continue to have its relevance .”

4 The Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move (Bitte Orca)
There is so much to admire in this song : its quirky danceable rhythms, the complex and beatifully arranged vocals, the way the strings assert themselves in the latter half of the song, and the clever chorus. The creative Brooklyn band have made something rather memorable.

3 The Flaming Lips – Convinced of the hex (Embryonic)
A wild burst of noise introduces this song, which is also the opening track on the Oklahoma band’s bold, creative and experimental 12th album. This magnificent dark song with its use of distortion and driving rock leads into a sprawling and unpredictable 18 track album which takes you through a range of sonic experiences.

2 Radiohead – Harry Patch (In Memory of) (single)
Thom Yorke : “Recently the last remaining UK veteran of the 1st world war Harry Patch died at the age of 111. I had heard a very emotional interview with him a few years ago on the Today program on Radio 4. The way he talked about war had a profound effect on me. It became the inspiration for a song that we happened to record a few weeks before his death. It was done live in an abbey. The strings were arranged by Jonny. I very much hope the song does justice to his memory as the last survivor. It would be very easy for our generation to forget the true horror of war, without the likes of Harry to remind us. I hope we do not forget. As Harry himself said “Irrespective of the uniforms we wore, we were all victims”.
The proceeds of this song will go to the British Legion. To peace and understanding.”

1 Florence and The Machine – You’ve Got the Love (Lungs)
Originally released 12 months ago as the b side to Dog Days Are Over, this uplifting cover of a song with a curious history established itself as a firm fan favourite and was the climax of a successful appearance at Glastonbury 2009. It’s now been rereleased as a single.