Top 40 Songs of 2009: #30-26

30) Dirty Projectors – “Stillness is the Move”

Stillness Is The Move - Dirty ...

Tropical? Robotic? How about both? “Stillness” is a strange amalgamation of the organic and the artificial, mirroring nothing else on the scene. And this one is on the scene alright (for proof, see also: every other Best of 2009 list on the ‘net). The praise is worthy. This strange trip shifts and evolves and fluctuates, then makes sure to take a little time staying still.

29) Japandroids – “I Quit Girls”

I Quit Girls - Japandroids

Holy hell, this is what grunge is like at the end of the 00’s? It’s a little more patient, a little louder, a little more ironic and a little more emo. Makes sense. That’s pretty much like the way world has become (although, patience? What a virtue). While Pearl Jam is off selling the same 200,000 records to the same 200,000 fans, the world needs an “I Quit Girls.”

28) DJ Quik and Kurupt – “9x Outta 10”

9X Outta 10 - Kurupt, DJ Quik

Talk about no-hype anthems. How many hipsters were talking about DJ Quik and Kurupt’s soon-to-be collaboration in 2008? Then again, who knew a couple of West Coast fogies would drop the hip hop babble of the year: “Typhoons tycoons/I assume delusions/Illusions like mushrooms/Get it now or pretty soon/Irradiated mushrooms irradiate entire rooms/Go bananas baboons/Just STOP.”

27) Bats for Lashes – “Daniel”

Check out the song here
And the video here

In a year that was pretty solid for female vocalists, “Daniel” may be the ultimate package. Whispery words spread elegantly across a dreamy soundscape, with a dark edge that cuts through any notion of indie bubblegum (the sweet-sickly “In a goodbye bed/With my arms around your neck”). She’s beautiful Daniel, but maybe the world isn't.

26) DOOM – “Gazillion Ear”

Gazzillion Ear - Doom

The weirdest in the game arose from the dead to delight us with this oddball anthem. He pauses for a quick breath just twice, playing the gentleman and giving the beat time to make a mid-song switch. Both pauses feed no-rest turnarounds into the seemingly stream-of-conscious Doom world, where everything's upside down, but it all makes sense. As always, Doom boasts it best: “These stats are staggerin/Has his ph.D in indiscreet street hagglin’”

Top 8 Albums of 2009: #6

Mos Def – The Ecstatic

Even though he’s tackling some real world business, and doing more than his part to counteract the perpetual nothingness of 21^st century hip hop, I’m pretty sure Mos Def is actually have a good time throughout The Ecstatic. On “Twilite Speedball,” he jokingly tempts you (“Have fun, y’all”) before stating his intentions (“I came to win/So I’m not here to play”). Help it or not, he wants both. I mean, it would be hard not to take pride in this bold return to the top of the game. And he’s definitely playful with his genre-hopping, from the Arabian Nights-flavored “The Embassy” and Recession-encapsulating "Worker's Comp." to the adult contemporary Spanish language “No Hay Nada Mas” and the underground banger “History (ft. Talib Kweli)” C’mon Mos Def, get serious. This is fun.

The Ecstatic - Mos Def

Top 40 Songs of 2009: #35-31

35) Neko Case – “This Tornado Loves You”

This Tornado Loves You - Neko ...

It’s important to note how close this song comes to really sounding like the ballad of a tornado that loves you (or who at least has an able defense for traveling your way). The steady acoustic guitar, the rollicking drumbeat, the plucky electric riff: it’s like God wrote an accompaniment to his own wicked conical invention. Then there’s Case, who provides the lovely and dark narrative, which provides a thoughtful insight into the West's bizarre 21^st-century human-nature relationship.

34) The Antlers – “Bear”

Bear - The Antlers

“We’re too old/we’re not old at all” is a profound, multi-layered refrain. For me, it captures the feeling of growing up while attempting to stay young at heart. Within the album’s theme of the tribulations of cancer, it is probably more about life and death. In any sense, “Bear” is the best application of The Antler’s winning sonic structure (also seen on “Kettering” and “Wake”): aching, piano-driven interludes that build into chaotic, guitar-driven swells.

33) The National – “So Far Around the Bend”

So Far Around The Bend - The N...

The National haven’t sounded this playful in, well, forever. Like always, the imagery is deceptively light-hearted and the characters sharp (“Take a bath and get high through an apple/Wanted to cry but you can’t when you’re laughing”), but it’s the whimsical and bittersweet backing that steals the show. Horns, plucking harps and twiddling woodwinds wrap around the chorus’s “And there’s no leaving New York” like an enchanted fairytale dawn. 

32) St. Vincent – “Actor Out of Work”

Actor Out Of Work - St. Vincen...

There’s something very menacing about “Actor Out of Work.” The lyrics (“You’re a bandage/Pull it out,” “You’re the curses through my teeth”), the thumping percussion, the swathes of angry synth that sporadically invade; if nothing else, St. Vincent need only a couple of minutes to make acting feel like a lower caste endeavor. Now, making music that refuses to be ignored, that’s a worthy profession.

31) The-Dream – “Walkin’ on the Moon (ft. Kanye West)”

Walkin' On The Moon - The-Drea...

Rhythm and Bass might be the lamest of genres (“Girl, take your clothes off…Ooh ooh”), aside from mainstream country music ("America...") and accordion-based Mexican balladry ("Ti Amo..."). But The-Dream seems to understand that elements of R&B can be built into the shimmering radio pop of the 21^st century. Or, in this case, somewhere in 23rd century, where The-Dream is Space Michael Jackson and Kanye West is, well, Kanye West—did you think he’d ever change?

Top 8 Albums of 2009: #7

Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career

A line from “Forest and Sands” captures the album’s tone perfectly: “It feels like none of this is real/I pretend like my heart and my head are well.” On the exterior, My Maudlin Career is all softened vocals, syrupy strings, and throwback choral ooh-ooh-oohs, a rich and evocative aesthetic that is at times delicate (“Careless Love”) and at other times carefree (“French Navy”). Underneath the surface, however, it’s all unraveling at the seams. “The Sweetest Thing" nails the inner conflict; only Camera Obscura can make a helpless line like “I’m going on a date tonight to try to fall in love with you/I know this a crime but I don’t know what else to do” appear so deceitfully saccharine.

My Maudlin Career - Camera Obs...

Top 40 Songs of 2009: #40-36

40) Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Gentle Sons”

Gentle Sons - The Pains of Bei...

Pains of Being Pure at Heart, buoyed by the light pop texture of songs like “A Teenager in Love” and “Young Adult Friction,” drops its guard for four and a half minutes of revamp-drenched kickass. Retaining the sentiment and touchy-feely-ness evident even in their cover art, “Gentle Sons” simply ups the noise, spiraling from ripping power chords into utter chaos.

39) Passion Pit – “Moth’s Wings”

Moth's Wings - Passion Pit

What might pass for a first single in other indie pop realms is probably more akin to a ballad for high-energy newbies Passion Pit. There’s a lot going on here, from the nature-tinged lyrics about expectations and acceptance (“put down your sword and crown/come lay with me on the ground”), the deep, swarming drums, the elegant chimes, and the persistent “ya ya ya”s that instigate the song’s final build. But, somehow, it’s all so miraculously and cohesively lush.

38) The Thermals – “How We Fade”

Check out the acoustic version below or the real deal here
 

The bassist, drummer, guitar-vocalist rock outfit still has some life left in it, at least here out West (see also: Ted Leo and his pharmacists). Portland-based outfit The Thermals were more a bit less bleak this year than on 2006’s The Blood, The Body, The Machine (as was much of the indie scene: is Obama to blame?). A definite highlight off Now We Can See is the rousing “How We Fade,” which is somehow nostalgic, nihilistic and uplifting all at the same time.

 

37) The XX – “Infinity”

Infinity - The xx

I didn’t really buy the procalamation that The XX (Dos Equis?) harness negative space as if it were another instrument in their arsenal. And, indeed, over the course of an album, I found the aural vacancies gradually become more burden than blessing. This qualm is not true of "Infinity," a gorgeous take on fidelity that sounds like the futuristic soundtrack for two lovers’ epic seaside quarreling.

36) Camera Obscura – “James”

James - Camera Obscura

Simply put, there are not many songs about men. Songs are written about women, about Lola, Julia, Jane, and Angie. Who’s James? Well, apparently longing works the other way too, and when he “broke” our soft-spoken female protagonist, he wiggled his way into the history of decidedly personal, lovingly-executed songcraft. I hope you feel happy for yourself, James.

Top 8 Albums of 2009: #8

Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You

Relying on her unique mix of swagger, sardonic wit and pop sensibility, Lily Allen almost reaches the dizzying heights of her debut album with this much-delayed follow-up. Stylistically, It's Not Me is a barrage of various sonic and lyrical temperament, all fitting nicely within the slick Brit sound that's already become her trademark. "The Fear" is pure bubblegum satire, "Chinese" is beautifully vulnerable, and "He Wasn't There" is delightful, understated 1920's revamp. Even the Taylor Swift-esque faux-country of "Not Fair" works when juxtaposed with the uncomfortably brash tales of a sexually incapable boyfriend; after decades of misogynistic hip hop, the world could use a little more female chauvanism.

It's Not Me, It's You - Lily A...

Happy New Year's

Lots of good stuff to come in 2010.

Including, starting Monday, a sweet Top 40 songs and Top 8 albums of that shitshow we called 2009