Favorite Songs of 2009

Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & Ends

It’s that time again to take a look back at some of my favorite songs that were released this year. As I get older, it gets harder and harder to keep up on the latest tunes. As a result, it sometimes takes a little while to get to the good stuff. For example, two of my favorite songs I discovered this year, were actually released last year. Those songs (The Twist by Frightened Rabbit and Take Off Your Sunglasses by Ezra Furman and the Harpoons) are not on this list, but deserve a shout out.

So, Without further ado, here is the list (in no particular order).

Little Bribes by Death Cab for Cutie

This song features some of my favorite lyrics of the year, including the line “Then we kissed like lonely people do,” which I find so wistfully hopeful.

This Tornado Loves You by Neko Case

Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone is one of my favorite albums of the year, packed with so many songs that could have made this list. This song edges them out simply because I dig how you are never quite sure whether she’s singing about an actual tornado or just using it as a metaphor for a real train wreck of a relationship.

Daylight by Matt & Kim

As soon as that piano riff kicks in, there is simply no holding this bouncy song down. Just try. I dare you.

The Rake’s Song by The Decemberists

Hats off to the Decemberists for making a song about a guy killing his kids such a toe tapper. I love the way the music builds as the story slowly unfolds.

You Are the Blood by Sufjan Stevens

This cover is a shambling mess that goes all over the place. And you know what? It works. We need more music from Sufjan Stevens in 2010.

January Wedding by The Avett Brothers

This is such a sweet and simple song, from an album filled with sweet and simple songs.

Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

For some reason, I get a real Ennio Morricone vibe from this track. Combine that with the genuine sense of affection that just drips from the two singers and I am hooked.

Lenin by The Arcade Fire

Another song from the Dark Was the Night compliation. Benefit albums are just not meant to be so good, but this one breaks the mold. This track finds the Arcade Fire doing their thing, and doing it well.

Someday by Tegan & Sara

When Tegan and Sara are on their game, they craft pop songs that camp out in your brain and stay there for an extended visit. They are on their game with this one.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Slow Doomsday by Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Now We Can See by The Thermals, Plane Crash by Liam Finn & Eliza Jane, Heaven Can Wait by Charlotte Gainsbourg (with Beck), Coast of Carolina by Telekinesis, Sunlight by Tune-Yards, Northern Lights by Bowerbirds, Lisztomania by Phoenix and Everyday by Veitver

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Comments (1) | December 30th, 2009

Favorite Songs of 2008

Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & Ends

It’s that time of the year again. Time to thrust my musical tastes on an unwilling (and largely uninterested) public. Here are my ten favorite songs released this year. As I mentioned last year, it is important to keep in mind that it is harder and harder to keep up with new music, so this list will undoubtedly change as I finally get tuned in to more and more stuff that was released this year. Still, it’s a nice snapshot of what I’ve been listening to this year.

Lost Coastlines -  Okkervil River. This band is quickly becoming one of my favorites. They just have a knack for crafting songs that seep into my brain and refuse to leave.

Gamma Ray - Beck. When I heard that Beck and Danger Mouse were together, Modern Guilt quickly became my most anticipated album of the year. It didn’t disappoint.

I Will Possess Your Heart – Death Cab for Cutie.  This is a strange song in many ways. It’s four minute plus intro and it’s decidely non-Death Cab ominous bass line doesn’t seem like a recipe for success, but it works. Don’t settle for the neutered radio edit, embrace it in it’s full eight-minute glory.

Great DJ - The Ting Tings. Give me a catchy hook and I’m a happy man. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a catchier hook than this one.

Furr – Blitzen Trapper. I got turned onto this track by All Songs Considered, and it stuck in my iPod ever since. This song somehow pulls off the tricky task of having a timeless quality and while being so effortlessly “now”.

Living Well is the Best Revenge – R.E.M. Wow, talk about a blast from the past. R.E.M. returns with an energy and passion that they haven’t displayed since Monster. This track is an instant classic and reminds me of why I spent so much time with their stuff in my younger days.

Salute Your Solution – The Raconteurs. I found the first album from this band to be a bit of a mixed bag, but they really started to gell with their latest. This track is the sonic boom that announces their coming out as a true band.

Campus – Vampire Weekend. I resisted the hype surrounding these guys for some time, but once I started to weaken, I was hooked. Some other tracks on this album may eventually surpass this for me, but this was the one that wore me down so it gets the nod.

Better to Be – Liam Finn. Take the offspring of one of my favorite artists. Add influences by the likes of Elliott Smith, Pavement and Nirvana. It’s almost like this guy was genetically engineered especially for me.

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? – She & Him. When I first heard about this album, I thought it smacked of a total celebrity vanity project but this pairing of actress Zooey  Deschanel and M. Ward is pure magic. Also check out their fantastic cover of Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold on Me.”

One last note on this list. Both the Beck and Raconteurs videos (and albums) feature photography by Autumn De Wilde, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite photographers. She has beautifully photographed some of my favorite musicians, including a book of photographs of Elliott Smith that is high on my wish list.

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Comments (1) | December 21st, 2008