Best Songs of 2009 (Halfway Home)

2009: 5 of the best and a Spotify Playlist
words: Jamie Milton

2009 has been…
Poppy: The rise and rise of electronically-inclined pop has led to the “synth-pop” genre pretty much reaching its peak. Some absolute classics have emerged under that tag, with many unlikely names rejoicing the trend. Some more likely lads, Passion Pit and La Roux namely, have emerged with some of the better songs of 2009 so far. Alongside them, Animal Collective’s move to a more accessible, underwater-esque sound has also turned heads. Our pick of five of the best songs of 2009 so far was difficult. But interestingly, Animal Collective don’t feature and there is only one inclusion that’s body and soul synthetic. Nearly everyone, pretty much, seems susceptible to grasping a new-found pop core to their songs.

here they come:

BAT FOR LASHES- Daniel

Natasha Kahn emerged from America with new dreams and new inspirations. ‘Daniel’ was head and shoulders above anything else on ‘Two Suns’ and her debut: a slick, 80’s pop inspired lust song, featuring quite possibly one of the most uplifting choruses of the decade, Kahn discovered a coming of age far before we expected her to.
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BILL CALLAHAN – Eid Ma Clack Shaw

The punch and the drama emerging from Bill Callahan’s smooth, deep tones came to their peak in ‘Eid Ma Clack Shaw’; a slow-building, stripped-down lullaby of sorts. If one song from this five could be sung in person, face-to-face, it would be this one. Hideously dark (“working through death’s pain” being the opening phrase) but crafted for a sing-a-long,  repetitive but impactive, proof that simplicity can still win a heart or two.

LA ROUX – In For The Kill

The story of La Roux’s adventures in 2009 could not have been written at the start of the year. Here, we have the UN-likeliest of  pop stars, going from strength to strength in confidence and commercial success. Arguably, remixes of the song have topped the original, but this is the finest example of the hysteria and attitude synth-pop’s managed to gain in just under the space of a year.
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GRIZZLY BEAR – Two Weeks

The hyperbole flung towards ‘Veckatimest’ reached unearthly levels by the time of ‘Two Weeks” first hearing proper. A song previously famed for its gorgeous performance on American prime-time, the finalised recording was even more triumphant and career-defining an anthem than we expected. Lush, sweet and tempting, it displayed a brave move from the band into potentially heady commercial success.
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ST. VINCENT – The Strangers

Without the “paint a black hole, blacker” backing vocals, ‘The Strangers’ might have filtered out as just an average segment of ‘Actor’ but when included, they add an almost unique vision to writing the perfect pop song. The most warming and luscious of tracks to emerge so far in 2009.

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The Music Fan’s Mic (Jan-June) 2009 Spotify Playlist
50 songs as chosen by MFM Staff

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

TRACKLIST:
- Lady GaGa – Poker Face
- Bat For Lashes – Daniel
- Animal Collective – My Girls
- The Maccabees – No Kind Words
- Florence + The Machine – Rabbit Heart
- Yeasayer – Tightrope
- Crystal Stilts – Love Is A Wave
- Golden Silvers – True No.9 Blues (True Romance)
- Jack Penate – Everything Is New
- Bombay Bicycle Club – Always Like This
- Doves – Kingdom Of Rust
- Patrick Wolf – Oblivion
- Fever Ray – If I Had A Heart
- MeWithoutYou – The Angel of Death Came To David’s Room
- Andrew Bird – Anonanimal
- Amazing Baby – Invisible Palace
- Sunset Rubdown – Silver Moons
- Bon Iver – Brackett, WI
- Black Lips – Starting Over
- Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move
- Franz Ferdinand – Twilight Omens
- Metric – Gold Guns Girls
- Super Furry Animals – Cardiff In The Sun
- Discovery – So Insane
- Passion Pit – The Reeling
- Lily Allen – The Fear
- Empire of the Sun – We Are The People
- Telepathe – Devil’s Trident
- BLK JKS – Lakeside
- Women – Shaking Hands
- Micachu and the Shapes – Vulture
- White Denim – All Consolation
- Calories – Adventuring
- Dananananaykroyd – Infinity Milk
- Eels – Tremendous Dynamite
- Deerhunter – Disappearing Ink
- Grammatics – Murderer
- La Roux – In For The Kill
- Phoenix – Lisztomania
- Royksopp – Happy Up Here
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero
- Manic Street Preachers – Peeled Apples
- U2 – No Line On The Horizon
- The Veils – The Letter
- St. Vincent – The Strangers
- The Wave Pictures – Canary Wharf
- Emmy The Great – Mia
- Future Of The Left – The Hope That House Built
- Sufjan Stevens – You Are The Blood
- The Horrors – Sea Within A Sea

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