10 Best Songs Of 2009

Though there was a lot of music released during the year and much of it was good, it is necessary to set the record straight once and for all on the ten best songs of 2009.  Here are those songs.

1. “Two Weeks” Grizzly Bear.  Many listeners were divided over whether Grizzly Bear’s “Veckatimist” was a great album or a supremely boring one, but even those put off by the group’s straight-out-of-choir-practice style had to admit that this was one catchy song.
2. “1901” Phoenix.  Sure, being featured in a Cadillac commercial may have pushed this song into the realm of overexposure, but just try not nodding your head along to it.  It’s impossible.  This was easily the most perfectly-crafted pop song of the year.
3. “My Girls” Animal Collective.  Irony was passé in 2009.  Panda Bear’s simple but touching lyrics about simply wanting to provide for his girls were proof of that.  It helped that they were backed by the trademark catchy, hypnotic music that made Animal Collective so popular among the indie crowd.
4. “Lessons Learned” Matt and Kim.  Anyone who has seen Matt and Kim perform live has likely been bowled over by their almost childlike enthusiasm.  The boyfriend-and-girlfriend duo are all smiles when playing their music, and you can feel it in this breezy, upbeat song.
5. “Percussion Gun” White Rabbits.  This is a song that is true to its name.  With a dual drum section that pounds away like twin cannons, “Percussion Gun” is a sonic kick to the gut.  The immaculate production of Spoon’s Britt Daniel certainly didn’t hurt, either.
6. “The Boys Are Leaving Town” Japandroids.  It’s hard to believe that Japandroids are a two-person band.  The huge amount of noise they produce could easily drown out many five-piece bands.  They’re not just good at being noisy, though; their songs are also wonderfully melodic and instantly catchy.
7. “Stillness Is The Move” Dirty Projectors.  Trying to compare Dirty Projectors to any other band, past or present, is inevitably a fruitless endeavor.  Their influences are legion and their sound eclectic, and the result is music that truly sounds unlike anything else out there.
8. “House of Flying Daggers” Raekwon.  “Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt II” had become the “Chinese Democracy” of hip-hop, an album long in the making that seemed like it may never actually see the light of day.  But whereas “Chinese Democracy” was released to near-universal scorn in late 2008, Raekwon’s audacious album has been lauded as a worthy successor to the original “Linx.” This song is its crown jewel, and easily the best rap song of the 2009.
9. “Ghost Of My Old Dog” Jason Lytle.  In this song, the narrator pines for his beloved dead pet as his significant other berates him for perceived infidelity.  “I’m only talking,” he says, “I’m only laughing, with the ghost of my old dog.”  If you’ve ever loved and lost a pet, it’s hard not to be affected.
10. “Now We Can See” The Thermals.  This indie rock trio out of Portland, Oregon, has been flying under many people’s radars while putting out some of the catchiest rock songs around.  This title track from their latest album is also its standout and earns it a place among the best of the year.