20 Favorite Songs of 2009

Musical preferences vary with and without reason from person to person, but given enough time any number of people can find common ground. With that in mind, I'd also like to point out that the following list has no more or less merit than any other that simply states partiality. Hopefully, though, we're able to share an interest in at least one of these songs.

Animal Collective - My Girls
Au Revoir Simone - Shadows
The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
Gui Boratto - Besides
Dirty Projectors - Stillness is the Move
The Dodos - Fables
Dutchess and The Duke - Let it Die
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
JJ - From Africa to Malaga
Lusine - Baffle
Metric - Help I'm Alive
Modest Mouse - Satellite Skin
The National - So Far Around the Bend
Pariah - Detroit Falls
Portishead - Chase the Tear
Trailer Trash Tracys - Candy Girl
The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa
The XX - Crystalized
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

Cory's List

The Best Songs I Heard This Year

I don't think there's a need to further introduce or define this bookend year to the musical decade. I'll leave that up to the professionals at Pitchfork, Paste, Rolling Stone, and the amazing amount of quality blogs out there. However, I think its important that I put this list into a personal context. This year opened my ears sonically to music that I would have easily shoved aside a few years ago. There is a mix of nostalgia for the roots rock that I am consistently drawn to but also a pull toward the more complex nature of current electronic/indie trends (see: anything by Animal Collective or Dirty Projectors).

This list is by no means extensive or in any particular order. There are many bands that I am just getting to know (the xx and Fanfarlo to name a few) and bands that I haven't found yet. These are songs that I have simply not been able to put down, songs that seem uncompromisingly honest, and songs/artists that I have recommended in conversations throughout the year.

I hope you found some new and worthwhile music over the past 12 months. There was certainly plenty of good tuneage to go around.

Andrew Bird - Anonanimal

Animal Collective - My Girls

Avett Brothers - I and Love and You (a close second: Laundry Room and really just the whole record)

Bon Iver - Blood Bank

Dave Matthews Band - Seven

Dawes - When My Time Comes

Devendra Banhart - 16th & Valencia Roxy Music

Dirt Projectors - Stillness is the Move (a close second: Cannibal Resource)

Dirt Projectors and David Byrne - Knotty Pine

Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Shampoo

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

J.Tillman - Earthy Bodies

Mason Jennings - The Field

Monsters of Folk - Dear God

The National - So Far Around the Bend

Passion Pit - The Reeling

Pearl Jam - The Fixer

Phoenix - 1901

The Swell Season - Feeling the Pull

Wilco - One Wing

Wild Light - California on My Mind

Ryan's List

Labrador

Loyal Divide follow up their eclectic (and maybe at times a little over ambitious) self titled EP with some cleverly arranged ambient pop on Labrador. While both albums draw from similar influences, the latter brings more cohesion from track to track. Through the right combination of ominous vocals, glitchy and brittle beats, and a wistful synth, the band has established a consistent voice and a foundation for their sound.

Loyal Divide MySpace

R.E.M. Live at the Olympia in Dublin

The latest release from R.E.M. is a 39 track live recording that should do more than keep fans satisfied until their next studio album. The collection includes unpolished performances of several songs from last year's Accelerate that the band debuted during this live stint. In a couple of cases the difference between the live track and the final version are extremely noticeable, but for the most part, everything seems to have been put into place before they were road tested. The newer material provides a good core for the record, but a good portion of the album features songs from the group's I.R.S years. The modern takes on the older songs helped me realize, not only, just how much the band has matured and progressed in terms of their craft, but also how steady they have been for so long.

R.E.M. MySpace

Jukebox Update 11/17/09

This blog has been inspired by the excitement we get from finding, sharing, and/or rediscovering music. Unfortunately the balance between an enthusiasm for discussing music and the tasks of everyday life, ranging from trivial to crucial, has been skewed enough to deter from regular posts over the last several weeks. Through acknowledging the lack of posts, I hope to avoid another lapse and move forward with a renewed desire to write.

Moneypenny

I was passing by one of the stages at Wicker Park Fest just as Moneypenny started their set in front of a group of about a dozen people. Quickly into their DJ set, the duo had attracted a much larger crowd and had people dancing as far back as the end of the block. A few weeks later at Lollapalooza, they had another large crowd moving and shaking during their DJ set before debuting some original dance/vocal pop compostions. The change of pace seemed drastic, and the performance was new and parts came off as slightly unpolished, but the songs were fun and kept the crowd interested. I am looking forward to hearing more in terms of their new direction, and in the meantime, I've been enjoying the free mixtapes.

Monneypenny at Wicker Park Fest 2009

Yeah Ghost

Similar to their last release, The Garden, Zero 7 has continued to move away from downtempo lounge music on Yeah Ghost, this time in favor of upbeat dance pop and electronica, along with folk music. Hints of the group's first two albums are laced throughout Yeah Ghost and are the most noticeable on the tracks The Road and Pop Art Blue. For the most part though, the album jumps around from one genre to the next, making it tough to determine which direction the group is trying to move toward. As much as I would love for them to release another album like Simple Things, it's fun to listen to a band like this expand on their material and display more of their influences. In this case, the variety of those influences produce a collection of good songs on an erratically arranged album.

Zero 7 MySpace

No One's First, And You're Next

No One's First, and You're Next collects material that was first recorded along with, but not used on, the last two Modest Mouse albums. The eight songs on the EP are all fantastic and could have easily found their place on either album, but none of the tracks seem to deliver the top 40 appeal of Float On or Dashboard, which feels like a polished and full version of their traditional sound. And if there's any proof necessary that the band is invested in the content and not just dumping off unused material to go through the motions of making an album, it would be vocalist Isaac Brock's delay to release the first single until the vinyl was the shade of orange that he had in mind.
It's a given that any time a band breaks through to the mainstream, they risk alienating fans. If that was the case for Modest Mouse over the last 5 years, this album might help them win a few fans back.

Modest Mouse MySpace

Renfro

Renfro's Mathematics is a beautiful and slow album that uses floating melodies and vocals that seem to hover and glow over a crunchy electronic glitch. While the use of field recordings (such as sizzling noodles or subsonic sounds from space) in their music could be a distracting gimmick, Renfro manage to avoid becoming a victim of their own devices by disguising the sounds in the music, rather than accentuating them.

Renfro MySpace

Out Of Season

Portishead vocalist Beth Gibbons spent some of her time during the band's hiatus in the early part of this decade to collaborate with former Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb. In 2002 the pair released Out of Season (Webb uses the pseudonym Rustin Mann) which spotlights Gibbons' haunting voice supported by moody and jazzy instrumentation. While the tracks Tom The Model and Funny Time Of Year parallel Portishead songs, Romance and Mysteries are examples of how Gibbons and Webb managed to showcase their talent without falling back on their respective trip-hop or synth-pop genres that would have been a safe, and more than likely boring, approach to the collaboration.

Beth Gibbons MySpace

Mongolian Hip Hop

NPR ran an interesting story on the growing popularity of hip hop in Mongolia as a means of voicing social concerns and nationalist pride.
It's nothing I'll be rushing to get on my iPod, but it's a great reminder of the importance of free speech, and the ability to use art to contribute to social change.

NPR story here

The Beatles - Yesterday

The rerelease of the Beatles catalog along with a signature edition of Rock Band has stirred up more Beatlemania than I've seen since the Beatles Anthology documentary series in 1995 (I'm too young to have witnessed the real thing in the 60's). Whether you like them or not, there is no denying the impact that they've had on several aspects of the musical world, including fashion, marketing guitars and, of course songwriting.
Yesterday isn't my favorite Beatles song and I probably wouldn't even rank it in my top ten, but i'm not naive to it's influence on pop music, let alone the emotional command it has on listeners. It's also the most covered song of all time according to BMI.
I'm also fascinated by the story of how Paul McCartney came up with, then evolved the song.

Morphine

Morphine was jazz and poetry. And rock and roll. Throughout the 90's They managed to record five studio albums, completing the last one just before vocalist and bassist Mark Sandman passed away of a heart attack while performing in Italy.
Ten years following Sandman's death, the band's music holds up well. Tracks such as Buena, Cure For Pain and Whisper could be mistaken for modern releases.

My Boys

Sweedish songwriter Victoria Bergsman's solo project Taken By Trees covered Animal Collective's My Girls for her latest release, East Of Eden due September 8 on Rough Trade.

My Boys (Animal Collective Cover) on You Tube
Taken By Trees MySpace

Throw Me The Statue

Creaturesque, the full-length follow up to Throw Me The Statue's 2007 release Moonbeams, takes steps toward maturing the band's sound without straying from their poppy low-fi foundation. Songs like Hi-Fi Goon and Waving At The Shore employ the band's familiar upbeat vibe and the drum machine is in full effect for Tag and Snowshoes.
Like Moonbeans, Creaturesque has catchy songs as well as quiet low key moments. Both are fun and easy to listen to, but the latter comes off as an album that is more experienced and aware of it's surroundings than its predecessor.

Throw Me The Statue MySpace

Ambulance LTD

The only remaining original member of Ambulence LTD, Marcus Congleton, has endured a couple of lineup changes and fought legal battles for two years with a bankrupt label to keep the band going. In the meantime, he has been recording new material with John Cale (The Velvet Underground) assmebling a new band, playing live and looking for a new label. Their debut self-titled LP is approachable and poppy without being sugary or thin. The demos on MySpace show promise for the future of the band.

Ambulance LTD MySpace

James Tamborello

James Tamborello might be better known as Dntel, James Figurine, or "the other guy from The Postal Service." While you may be more familiar with his work with the The Postal Service, his other projects revolve around the same glitchy downtempo style and have helped blur the lines dividing electronic music with popular genres. Aside from collaborating with Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard, Tamborello has worked artists including Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis, Rachel Haden, and Grizzly Bear.

Dntel MySpace
Figurine MySpace
James Figurine MySpace

Everest.

I caught Everest opening for Neil Young last fall and couldn't help but fall for the layered reverb and the surprising spin they put on traditional rock. They offered up a good slice of Americana that I won't soon forget. I dig these guys and I think you will too.

Grab a quick listen to a live version of "Trees" below. The guitar riff at 2:34 gets me every time.

Everest - Trees - Luxury Wafers Sessions from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo.

For more info check out their beautiful website | everestband.com (This is what a band website should look like)

Les Paul

Legendary guitarist Les Paul passed away today. Most people are familiar with the guitar bearing his signature, but I ask you to take a moment to learn a little more about the innovator that we lost today.

Les Paul on YouTube

The Swell Season | Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova Return

If you were taken aback by the simplicity and spirit of the songs Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova (who go under the moniker The Swell Season) put together for the film "Once," then you have probably been wondering what they've been doing with their time. It seems the pair has been quietly working on a follow-up called "Strict Joy" which is due for release on October 27th.

NPR Music has posted a few live performances of these new songs from their Tiny Desk Concert Series. The tunes, in their stripped down form, are humble yet give way to a sense of urgency that digs right to the soul. You can feel the generosity spill from these songs and their banter in between each performance. Beautiful stuff.

Feel free to take these songs for a test drive here: The Swell Season NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

For more information on their upcoming record visit: theswellseason.com

Is Classic Rock Evolving or Dying?

Classic rock seems to blast its way out of radios everywhere I go. It's at bars and restaurants, department stores, offices, and even on phone calls while I'm on hold. It's familiar, reliable and unoffensive, which makes it perfect for advertising automobiles. But it appears to be a dying genre. Even with the amount of rock music that was released in the 60's and 70's, most classic rock stations limit themselves to a handful of artists and rarely deviate from the most popular songs.
There's no question that satellite / internet radio have forced terrestrial classic rock stations to adapt by adding music from the 80's and even 90's to playlists. Aside from the economic interests of the radio stations that force them to cater to a wide audience, rather than the niche markets served by satellite radio, how will classic rock stations stay competitive?
Will some classic rock stations rebrand themselves as classic alternative or will they continue to integrate modern music into their broadcasts? Are we ten years away from hearing Dashboard sandwiched in between Hotel California and How You Remind Me?

The Big Pink

Armed with catchy songs, thick fuzzy guitars, and snappy electronic drums, The Big Pink are set to release A Brief History of Love next month on 4AD The track Velvet potentially gives the band its mainstream breakthrough. The drums get a little more electronic on Too Young to Love, and Dominos is more of a straight forward rock song with a repetitive hook. Based on their work so far, this album looks like it's worth the excitement.

The Big Pink MySpace

Lollapalooza

Friday: Rain. Mud. Music. Dear Chicago, you are really something else. (Cory)

After watching one of the biggest storms of the year roll through Chicago I grabbed a poncho, a sport bottle of wine (yes, this was something they sold…and no, I did not drink it alone, a few good friends helped) and headed for Bon Iver. The lo-fi yet epic sounds of Bon Iver’s music became even more ambitious live. “Blood Bank” off the latest EP sped to a frenzied pace and the “Wolves (Act I and II)” crowd sing along seemed to come off perfectly in the rain. Act II’s “what might have been lost” moment has never felt more hopeful. Ben Folds gave a rowdy and humorous performance mixing both old and new (I prefer the “Five” but the newer material sounded great live). Hearing his low-key rendition of “Bitches Ain’t Shit” was all right with me. I think the crowd felt the same way.

The frantic electro Gameboy shuffle of Crystal Castles was a nice departure and front woman Alice Glass’s chaotic movements made for an entertaining time. The rain let up as the Decemberists worked through a good portion of their new record “Hazards of Love.” I’ve definitely dropped the ball on not giving these guys enough credit. The songs were beautiful, expansive, and rocking all at the same time. The female leads stole the show (forgive me for not knowing the names of the songs here). I’ll be giving this record a closer listen for certain. The Chicago skyline lit up as the clouds gave way and muddy concertgoers bottlenecked to get to the Kings of Leon headline show. I followed suit and joined around 30,000 or so people at the north main stage. The Kings continue to bend their Southern garage rock tones to meet the demands of mainstream ears. Its safe to say they do it well and old favorites like “California Waiting” and “Four Kicks” wove seamlessly into the more radio-friendly fare of “Use Somebody.” I wish they still had mustaches though. I left tired, wet, muddy and fulfilled.

Friday's links: Bon Iver, Ben Folds, Crystal Castles, The Decemberists, Kings of Leon

Saturday: Hot Hot Sun. Hot Hot Tunes. (Ryan)

Unfortunately I was unable to attend all three days of Lollapolooza, but I met up with Cory for day two. We caught various amounts of 15 acts, chilled, danced, napped, and tried to stay hydrated.

Despite all of the advice I've received from a couple of friends over the years, I never got into Langhorne Slim. As Cory put it, "Big mistake." His set was as sincere as it was entertaining. Los Campesinos! sounded tighter as a band than I've ever heard them. We caught a quick Band Of Horses set at the kids' stage before we bathed in the reverb of Chairlift. Yeah Yeah Yeahs were incredible headliners. It seemed strangely natural to see them on the big stage.

Our Saturday (links):

Band Of Skulls, Monneypenny, Delta Spirit, Langhorne Slim, Los Campesinos!, Joe Pug, Band Of Horses, Chairlift, Perry Farrell, Hercules & Love Affair (DJ set), Santigold, TV On The Radio, Lykke Li, Animal Collective, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Sunday: Heat. Sweat. More heat. Music. Warm whiskey. Dear Chicago, can I see you soon? (Cory)

The heat settled in early on day three and I found myself constantly searching for any type of makeshift shade and/or hydration. Friendly Fires kicked out an energetic performance despite the crippling temperature. The Kaiser Chiefs took to the stage next and surprised me with both their performance and song craft. I’ve dismissed these guys on occasion but they earned a new place in my heart after this. “Ruby” stood out as a great sing along. I couldn’t help but think…why do we get Nickelback for radio-ready rock and the UK gets these guys? Not fair. In the end, some good straightforward rock went well with the (now) warm whiskey I had snuck in to the festival.

Gang Gang Dance and Dan Deacon put on eclectic shows. Deacon orchestrated a crowd-wide dance off at one point and on the third day of an exhausting festival those in attendance happily obliged without complaint. Amazing. The man was making people groove. Vampire Weekend burst through a good part of their first record and according to Pop Candy’s Whitney Matheson even gave a shout out the unfortunate loss of director John Hughes. Uplifting, fun music is what they do best. Passion Pit was a sweaty dance party. The songs translated well to the live outdoor environment and I couldn’t help but have a smile on my face as they ran through “The Reeling,” and “Let Your Love Grow Tall.” They were simply one of the most enjoyable performances of the weekend. The sounds of Snoop Dogg filled my ears as I exited the festival for the weekend. Gin and juice never sounded as good or as necessary a beverage choice. I left the weekend smiling, sun-kissed, and weary.

Sunday's links: Friendly Fires, Kaiser Chiefs, Gang Gang Dance, Dan Deacon, Passion Pit, Snoop Dogg

Legacy, what legacy? (Cory)

Lollapalooza has always been a marker for what music is in a particular moment. In the mid-90’s it represented the alternative movement as bands like Pearl Jam and Jane’s Addiction gained mainstream ground. The eclectic line-up this year doesn’t seem to echo one solid movement as much as it does a transitional period for popular music. In this transitional period “cross-pollination” between genres and artists continues to increase. Never before has electronic and organic music been situated so close to one another. Bands like Friendly Fires and Passion Pit dip into both musical textures and do so without disrupting either. Indie rock, singer-songwriters, and DJ’s are all borrowing from the theatrics of the arena. This is not your typical AAA radio but it could be…it has the potential to create more a meaningful mainstream. Or is it mainstream already?

Lollapolooza Saturday Pictures

Animal Collective

Chairlift

Langhorne Slime

Delta Spirit

Moneypenny

South Skyline

The XX

There has been a well-deserved buzz on the internet building around The XX. Simplicity is their appeal and a welcome change of pace from the intricacies that are prevalent in most of this year's best music. The song Teardrops demonstrates their ability to approach their craft with a deliberate naivety by juxtaposing emotional vocals and melody with simple technique and lo-fi recording. Their debut album is out August 18th on Rough Trade.

The XX MySpace

Take My Breath Away

Gui Boratto's Take My Breath Away might not show up on many critics' best of 2009 lists, but it is an album with artistic execution on par with any other this year. Each track seamlessly gives and takes melody and rhythm while flirting with minimalist styled repetition. It might not be the record that pushes progressive electronic music into the mainstream, but it does a wonderful job representing a genre that influences modern pop.

Gui Boratto MySpace

Matt Sharp

Weezer hasn't been the same since founding member and bassist, Matt Sharp, left in 1998. While the quality of Weezer's recent work is debatable, Sharp seems to keep growing as an artist. He started The Rentals, a revolving door of talent, and released two records before retreating to Tennessee. That recess from the west coast music scene yeilded a solo EP in 2003 and a full length album the following year. Matt is once again working with The Rentals on a year-long multimedia project called Songs About Time, consisting of music, photographs and film.

How To Feel Cool | JJ Grey & MOFRO

There's something about listening to the Rolling Stones (my go to is Exile on Main St.) while scrambling eggs, folding laundry, balancing my checkbook, doing a number of boring tasks (or in most cases getting ready to go out for the evening) that makes everything seem...well...cooler. Not many bands have perfected this seamless power over the mundane like they have.

Every now and then I get the same "I'm cooler for listening to this" feeling from other artists/bands. The latest is JJ Grey & MOFRO. JJ Grey's music transports me to a Southern juke joint where whiskey shakes hips and people groove well into the smokey hours. The tunes smolder and when they slow things down you really get a sense that this band knows soul music. This soul spills from JJ's cigarette smoked voice while the sparse movement of the music serves up a strong cocktail of blues, southern rock, and funk. I can't help but feel "cool" while listening to these bourbon soaked jams. They make everything seem ok. Even if it is mundane.

Check out JJ Grey & MOFRO's latest CD "Orange Blossoms"

Elbow

I can’t figure out why Elbow has struggled to gain commercial success in the United States. Two of their albums have made it into the top ten on the UK Singles Chart, while keeping clear of the top 100 records on the Billboard 200. Their latest effort, The Seldom Seen Kid, beat out some stiff competition to win the 2008 Mercury Prize. A band this consistently good that could draw comparisons to popular groups in the States should have a higher profile.

Elbow MySpace

The New Deal

The New Deal incorporates electronic influences into their jam band approach to recorded and live music. Rather than using loops or DJ’s, they play their instruments live. Gone Gone Gone, released in 2003, exemplifies their ability to draw from a variety of genres and assemble a coherent collection of songs. The record delivers melodies and tempo changes at all the right times, keeping it from getting stale. It also boasts vocal work by Leslie Feist and bassist Dan Kurtz’s wife, Martina Sobara, who performs with him in the band Dragonette.

The real magic with these guys seems to be in the live show. They go back and forth between rocking out and lulling a diverse crowd, and they have fun doing it. Sampling the band’s live sound shouldn’t be too difficult as they helped distribute bootlegs of their early tours, with many shows still available online.

The New Deal MySpace

Stellastarr* - Civilized

It took several listens for Civilized, the new album from Stellastarr*, to grow on me. At first the whole thing seemed emotionally thinner than their previous two albums for a couple of reasons. After anxiety problems tightened vocalist Shawn Christensen’s throat, he restricted his voice to a higher register. Also, the band wanted to make a faster record with more intensity, so there aren’t any of the slow or spacey moments that have worked for them in the past. Fortunately, even without the range in vocals and tempos it still sounds like Stellastarr*. The tracks Numbers and Warchild could fit right in with their debut album, while Sonja Cries sounds like a lighter moment from Harmonies for the Haunted. Graffiti Eyes and Prom Zombie are fun moments that help this record maintain energy while offering mixtape friendly pop. Civilized supplements the Stellastarr* back catalogue by not completely mirroring or deviating from it, resulting in an album that provides accessibility for new listeners without turning away current fans.

Stellastarr* MySpace

Two Weeks

About a month ago, Cory sent me a text claiming Grizzly Bear’s Two Weeks gives to 2009 what Fleet Foxes’ Mykonos gave to 2008. At first I agreed. Both songs are structured well, feature stunning harmonies, and despite the fact that the year is barely half over, it’s safe to say that Two Weeks, like Mykonos, should be considered one of the best songs on one of the best albums of the year in which it was released.
After Veckatimest was leaked online, Fleet Foxes' front man, Robin Pecknold, used his now defunct twitter account to say that it was the album of the decade. I don’t know whether or not anyone would be willing to stand behind that statement, as I'm sure that it was a boast made in a moment of excitement after listening to a very good record for the first time.
I asked myself what I thought these songs meant to me in the context of, both the last two years in music, and my personal experiences and biases. What criteria can be used to determine how much better one song is than another?

Grizzly Bear MySpace
Fleet Foxes MySpace

I Brought You a Jukebox

Music is many things to many people. It can be a reflection of a mood. It can be a hobby or a career path. It can be background noise. It can simply be good or bad. We’re starting this blog as a medium to discuss what some specific music means to us and to find out what it means to you. There is no way to write about everything we hear and there’s no way to hear everything that is released. With that in mind, we’ll try to relay what we can with the hope of striking your interests and/or stirring constructive debates.