2009 songs
At the end of a year that was full of quiet achievements and more soul-searching than pure fun, here is a playlist to commemorate what did and did not happen. This time around there are more personal moments bound into these ditties than in the past… it feels alright to enjoy living with songs that get your attention and snag your responses.
| Song | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1517 | The Whitest Boy Alive | Rules |
| Fun Powder Plot | Wild Beasts | Two Dancers |
| Shutter Speed | Yppah | They Know What Ghost Know |
| Stop, Look & Listen (Henrik Schwarz Live) | Jesse Rose Alongside Henrik Schwarz | Live |
| Devout | Islands | Vapours |
| London Girl | Invisible | The Invisible |
| Gront Lys I Alle Ledd | Casiokids | Gront Lys I Alle Ledd/Togens Hule |
| The Darkest Side | The Middle East | The Recordings of The Middle East |
| Jailer | Asa | Asa |
| Jump In The Pool | Friendly Fires | Friendly Fires |
| jealous of roses | Bibio | Ambivalence Avenue |
| What About Us? | Mr. Lif | I Heard it Today [Explicit] |
| Memory Store | David E. Sugar | Memory Store – Single |
| The Key | Speech Debelle | Speech Therapy |
| Too Many Dicks [On The Dancefloor] | Flight Of The Conchords | I Told You I Was Freaky |
| No Time | The Juan MacLean | The Future Will Come |
| Lucia | Polvo | In Prism |
| Daniel | Bat For Lashes | Two Suns |
| Modern Drummer | Ungdomskulen | Cry-Baby |
| Leave It All Behind feat. Rebirth & Aima The Dreamer | J Boogie S Dubtronic Science | Soul Vibration |
| Basic Space | Xx | xx |
| Boat Behind | Kings Of Convenience | Declaration Of Dependence |
| Onwards & Upwards | Situationists | Onwards & Upwards EP |
| July Flame | Laura Veirs | July Flame (Overture) |
| Come On Feet | Pete & The Pirates | Little Death |
| Violent Sensation Descends | Violens | Violens EP |
| In For The Kill | La Roux | La Roux |
| En Melody | Serge Gainsbourg | L’Histoire De Melody Nelson |
1517
Probably not even the best Whitest Boy Alive song I heard this year, but a great statement of intent on the latest LP. Hideously funky rhodes riffs married to a deeply stoic cocktail of jazz and human house drumming (as in – house beats as they might be played by a real and rather talented percussionist).
Fun Powder Plot
Not just because they chose my birthplace as a hometown. Not even because they are a rare moment of artistic merit in the world of British alternative music. With their sophomore album, the beasts made an essential contribution to our lives in 2009. Rarely does music combine ambitious arrangement with fantastic musicianship, witty lyrics, and something deliciously odd… and this does all of the above.
Shutter Speed
Heard this first on KCRW (the ever-lovely radio station from Santa Monica). Almost local (Houston) and combining a captivating grasp of shoe-gazer and breakbeats with something emotive.
Stop, Look & Listen (Henrik Schwarz Live)
Great work music… meditative and entrancing. The balearic vibe reminds me of being on a Spanish beach as a teenager, watching the stars after a night at the local club.
Devout
One of the songs on the latest Islands record that reminded me why I fell in love with the Unicorns in the first place. A brilliant tapestry of musical references… this one in particular takes me back to Leonard Cohen’s synth version of First We Take Manhattan.
London Girl
Soulful and elegantly cheesy. For some reason it reminds me of the title-track on Bagdad Café.
Gront Lys I Alle Ledd
These Norwegian dudes made me choke up with love at SXSW because they are so adorably blissed-out. Good cowbell action too.
The Darkest Side
Devastatingly beautiful, makes you wonder if Buckley actually drowned at all. And no, I am not one of those obsessive JB fans. If anything, this is an excellent update to the template, with captivating female vocals to counterpoint the frailty of the male.
Jailer
The sound of something from the heart of Africa polished with payola… and still endearingly heart-felt and self-assuredly pretty.
Jump In The Pool
Something of a disappointment as a live experience, there is still a lot to like about their twice-flogged debut album, and this is definitely one of the stand-out tracks… a fantastic pastiche with as much Krautrock as those toss-pots from Rio probably hid in the first place.
Jealous of roses
Slightly sickly but a lot more fun than Boards of Canada… one of those slow-burners that just got stuck on our ipods.
What About Us?
Kiss my liberal well-meaning arse but I do like a good rabble-rousing number. I am probably the only person who actually liked that Black Eyed Peas single that was number 1 forever in the UK.
Memory Store
A handsome single… from an inscrutable fellow. Pristine groove and drum programming.
The Key
Overplayed (by me) long before the Mercury nod, a sparkling slink of a song.
Too Many Dicks [On The Dancefloor]
A necessary reminder that for all the filler in the television show, you get a spectacular moment of Gondry magic like the video for this brilliant pop song.
No Time
Hypnotic motorik beats and a slight taint of NIN… got to like that.
Lucia
Part nostalgia for one of the long-neglected jewels of alt US rock, and part awe for one of the few bands who can throw out something as lithe as a Marquee Moon outtake in 2009. Especially grand on the open-road.
Daniel
Kate Bush lite perhaps, but a sticky moment in 2009… well-crafted pop music is hard to find.
Modern Drummer
gonzo jazz metal… one of my favourite live gigs of the year. Always preferred Beefheart to Zappa for the record.
Leave It All Behind feat. Rebirth & Aima The Dreamer
Another check in the PC box, but this got my feet moving.
Basic Space
A grudging addition because this lot are both infuriatingly over-hyped and deserving of adoration. Another live highlight… very intimate.
Boat Behind
A jaunty number that reminded me how much I love this band… for all the complaints about blandness, they just do something lovely.
Onwards & Upwards
Energetic and articulate British indie … solid musicianship and vocal harmonies. Another act that owes something to the re-claiming of intelligent indie rock music by the Futureheads. I am still perplexed as to why we had to suffer all those years of foppish imbeciles with pretty hair and absolutely no musical inspiration… and people wonder why it never sold anywhere else….
July Flame
Kaki King without the bravura guitar playing, and slightly-bigger-coffee-table sized singing, but a serious grower.
Come On Feet
Smashing. And if this lot come from Reading then this must be one of its best exports music-wise. I am not sure how such shameless references can sound so fresh and downright fun, but they do.
Violent Sensation Descends
A breath-taking pastiche of something on the nasty-side of Love. Normally I would dismiss such fanatical devotion to aping the past, but this has some great hooks.
In For The Kill
Top of the Pops circa 1989 at the Tyrrell household was always about moments like this… the one which we all watched silently, and secretly liked.
En Melody
My favourite re-issue of the year… essential for anyone who thought Portishead just appeared out of a vacuum. I particularly like the drumming and meandering guitars….