Best of 2009 Pt. 1: Songs/Videos

That title should really read "Favorites of 2009" and, in truth, I can't account for my tastes beyond the past few months. My memory is terrible. So, yeah, songs like "My Girls" and "Two Weeks" would top this list if I was strictly orienting myself towards a band's "breakthrough song" or "first single from the album." But that is not the case. "Having said that," I have professional music sites to thank for giving those songs the recognition they deserve. Now, if you don't mind, here's my list of songs that should be getting the "real" attention. "Deep Cuts", as they say. (Okay, I suppose I'd be lying if I said there weren't any singles in here -- what are you gonna do, cry about it?)

I intended to write descriptions, but I realized after a few that the first sentence of each description was "This song was magic the first time I heard it." "Having said that," I've only described the ones I have something worth saying about.

(Note: The decision to include videos was made after all that was written. So pretend those last two paragraphs are just feigning ignorance. Additionally, I figured I might as well add a few to stream if they're on YouTube and lack official videos. Also, just because a certain video isn't on here doesn't mean I don't think it's awesome -- it just didn't happen to be one of my favorite songs of the year.)

15. Teebs - Untitled (Possibly unfair for several reasons -- namely, I first heard it only several days ago, and it is a 15-minute track containing elements of his other songs. Sorryyyy. This video is of a song that apparently is titled and that I'm considering an excerpt of the 15-minute mix thing.)


14. Gold Panda - Back Home


13. Teengirl Fantasy - Azz Klapz (I'm posting this video -- even though it's live and from 2008, and thusly not quite the song I'm talking about -- because: 1. It's refreshing to know that they actually perform most of what's going on instead of using laptops, and 2. That girl in the green shirt must be exactly what they were thinking when they named themselves Teengirl Fantasy. I think I'm in love.)


12. Real Estate - Pool Swimmers


11. Bygones - Up The Shakes


10. Toro Y Moi - Blessa (First heard from twenty feet and several walls away, drunk on a couch in Ren's common room; the dream-glazed harmonies melted me into a dusty LP from the attic of a man who had given up learning how to surf and settled for watching waves. I remember being too tired to move but too smitten to just let it slip away, and counted the number of songs that passed until I had gathered the energy to amble over and ask him what it was. That sounds so self-important. Ew.)


9. Atlas Sound - Quick Canal ft. Laetitia Sadier


8. Dan Deacon - Woof Woof


7. Bibio - Lover's Carvings


6. Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision (Their album was posted on this blog by Tara and taken down before I had decided to give them a chance. If I had known Luke Temple was involved, I would have downloaded it immediately, but I wouldn't actually discover that until over the summer. Regardless, I recall seeing the Tunnelvision video posted on Pitchfork and thinking, "Gee whiz! Tara really is jivin' with the haps." I was nothing short of hyptonized, and watched the whole thing all the way through -- which is a rare occurrence for me with music videos, and wouldn't happen again until my number 5.


5. Grizzly Bear - Ready, Able (The subtle details in this song eluded me until I saw the video. The switch that they hit at 1:53 was called to my attention with that first viewing -- I had grown tired of Veckatimest a few months prior, but now I wondered why. So, yeah, you could say I owe my rediscovery and appreciation of that album to this video.)


4. Eric Copeland - Alien In A Garbage Dump

3. White Denim - Paint Yourself

2. Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move


1. Animal Collective - What Would I Want? Sky