Favorite Songs 2009 (Noise Bleed)

December 23rd, 2009

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When I told Jenn I was going to write a blog post about music she rolled her eyes. In the office/life I seem to go on prolonged rants about music. I guess I get a little excited talking about this stuff. So I thought I actually write some of them down for you nice folks!

And here it is, a laundry list, in absolutely no order, of my personal favorite songs of this past year. I hope you find something in here you enjoy! And if nothing else, marvel at the sheer size of a sentence I can construct with absolutely no remorse or consideration for well established grammatical protocol.

- The Stillness Is The Move, Dirty Projectors

“There is nothing we can’t do…”

Dirty projectors seem to prove that if you go far enough left you eventually come back around. There is a sweet joy derived from the fact that in an age of auto-tunes and vapid studio productions, the best vocals of the year can be found nestled in a love song somewhere deep in the wilderness of the fringe indie left.

No song all year felt as eloquently stitched, polished and true to its core without sacrificing that initial spark of love that surely inspired. And for once, in a very long time, pop music and indie art house will be looking at the same blueprint on what a great song resembles. No small feat.

Stillness Is The Move – Dirty …

- Service Bell, Feist + Grizzly Bear

“I will always hold on…”

The stage is set magnificently, the sound of abandoned space, dimly lit and cold, reminiscent of empty English manors. slowly, as warping strings and ever moving shadows of sound lay the foundations of our stage, Feist meekly interjects with her half whispered promise. From then on the sounds that arise within those 2:30 minutes are enough to last you a life time. This empty space expands and contracts in perfect unity with the springing memories and fading hope that seem to ebb and flow from simple thoughts. And to paraphrase a great astronomist when describing the universe, this song feels finite yet boundless.

- Dominos, The Big Pink

“These girls fall like dominos…”

To be fair, this song sounds like a million other songs before it. Yet there’s something to be said for completely taking ownership of said sound and somehow defining it. “Dominos” is as big as they get in size: loud, brutish and insistent. This is an anthem that matches up perfectly with the temporary wall of bravery it tries to put up, an offensive defense. The chorus repeats with such will power that its statement becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. And to boot, catchy as all hell. I will be very torn when this gets eventually used for a vodka commercial.

Dominos – The Big Pink

- Islands, IS, Volcano Choir

“…”

All throughout their drop dead gorgeous album, “unmap”, volcano choir begin to unravel and re-assemble. The album felt like so many things, from the crisp crunching of husks against toes to the pinging cold of a church marble floor against bared soles. And though it never actually expressed outright that these were the images it was building towards, that’s the feeling i got throughout as the album delved in the most abstract of recreations of senses. Indeed even the album’s name is a hint at the nigh impossible exercise at going back to the basics, with complete abandon of previous experiences.

Here in “Islands, IS”, the most accessible single of the record, light itself is distilled in spiraling loops and lackadaisical drumming. The words are almost meaningless, only sounds to add to the rich, brightly lit song. Thick with fast layers, lacking any real structure, and willing to strip itself of its own burden, melting away the winter drip by drip. This song is the sound of a new day.

Island, IS – Volcano Choir

- Black Rainbow, St. Vincent

“Bird outside the kitchen, fighting his reflection….”

In a cemetery in hollywood, prior to her album’s release, I heard St. Vincent play her new material live. I was, at that time, in a self-imposed blackout. I only wanted to experience her songs in vinyl, which I had pre-ordered months before. Her songs are such hermetically sealed indie pop treats that i felt compelled to only consume them in the comfort of my room. But i couldn’t say no to a small intimate performance in a cemetery.

So I went, and while the album version is indeed spectacular. The live version is easily the best song I heard in a concert all year. When her guitar begins to claw its way decibel by decibel, the entire church began to shake and quiver. With nothing but an electric guitar, Annie Clark left me (and everyone) absolutely floored. Yes, the studio version is a powerhouse, but the live performance is simply visceral.

- Daniel, Bat for Lashes

“My dreams pulled me from the ground…”

It’s an odd thing, but in retrospect, “Daniel” is actually a very simple song. very few elements are actually simultaneously happening at any one moment. However, in the song, it all seems rather complex, foggy and rather epic.

In her dreamscape Natasha Khan creates a haze so thick that we can’t really see beyond our own arm’s end. With a penchant for love stories, bat for lashes produces its best one yet. In her album we are witness to two great forces in an a timeless struggle. Here, in the remnants of a scorched battlefield, we are reminded that even celestial warriors dream of home, no matter how faded and far gone the memory may seem.

Daniel – Bat For Lashes

- Infinity, The xx

“I can’t give it up…”

The hype of this (literally) freshmen band has already seen to the departure of one of their four members. Removing all the loud praise and deafening glory, what we have left is actually a bunch of quiet songs.

“Infinity” is my favorite of their debut album simply because it was the first that hooked me in to this band. Snapping fingers, a bass that should probably take a step or two back from the mike, and subtle guitar breaks that all just provide a lifeline for the back and forth between the dueling two singers who seem to speak at each other, not with. And while it may not be the most obvious display of their strengths (see: “Basic Space”). If nothing else, it serves as a modernization of Chris Issak’s “Wicked Game”, and that’s a pretty damn good thing in my book.

Infinity – The xx

- In The Flowers, Animal Collective

“If i could just leave my body for one night…”

I have written pages and pages attempting to explain this song, and all i can say now is this: “in the flowers” is an expression of life, nature and of disparate parts forming to create one, beautiful symphony. Hope springs eternal, but in animal collective’s world it can also erupt.

And while all the love stories have probably been told, none of them have ever been told quite like this before. My favorite song of the year.

In The Flowers – Animal Collec…

Tagged with: Music

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