Top 10 Songs of 2009

Top 10 songs of 2009

2009 was the year that I “discovered” music. I’ve always been a fan of good music. I bought an Ipod a couple years back so that I could listen exclusively to music I liked without the filler you find on the radio. Classic rock was, and still is, my music genre of choice and when the only good radio station in town went off the air, I listened almost exclusively to my Ipod because the popular music that I heard everywhere else didn’t work for me. Because of this, my music library grew stagnant over time and I lacked the motivation to discover anything new, mainly because I didn’t know where to start. Little did I know that this year would turn out to be one of discovery for me on so many different levels. Musically, that was helped along most by Mark. He introduced me to a world of music I had never been exposed to before. I am in debt to him for this. Below is a list of my top ten songs of 2009 along with a brief explanation on why I enjoyed the song so much. Not everything on the list may have been released in 2009 but it is fairly recent and was new to me this year. Besides, it’s my list and I can put whatever I want on it. Enjoy!

10. Unparallel Rabbits – Gavin Castleton. I’ll start this list much like my year began, on a down note. This is a great song and is unique among the other songs on this list in that it is a pretty depressing song and tough for me to listen to even now. Let me give you a little bit of background: Gavin Castleton’s Home album was written after he broke up with his girlfriend of 6 years and details every step in their relationship from falling in love to falling out of love. The album starts out as a solid pop album that wouldn’t normally stand out from other god stuff out there but the second half of the album is what really makes this a stellar release because his everyday life takes a turn for the worst when his relationship problems become personified as zombies. The story then becomes a survival story as him and his girl continually run from the zombie invasion, with no place to settle down. It’s at this point that the album becomes very symbolic and the metaphors he uses are top notch. This song is the point in the story where his girlfriend leaves him for good. The reason this song makes the list is because I was stunned the first time I heard it because of how it was the exact same situation I went through. Some of the exchanges in this song actually happened between me and my ex almost word for word. I’m moved even now when I listen to it and feel incomplete if I listen to this song and don’t finish the album. Of course this song wouldn’t be as great as it is without getting to the ending of his story which is a song you’ll find later in this list.

Memorable lyric – There is no greater pain than the misaligned break./The varied healing tempos of the giver and the take./ When you can’t syncopate your process with the one who leaves./You focus less on your direction and more on your speed./ I see blood and gore/And love turned war./You wanna see for yourself./Baby, what for? What for?

9. Country – Empire of the Sun. Now we get to the fun stuff. The following songs on the list all remind me of the time of my life I had this year. It was tough choosing a song from Empire of the Sun’s album to put in this spot because all their songs are great. That’s evidence of how incredible their album is. Nearly every song on there is fantastic but I’m grooving to this one the most at the moment so it’s the one that makes my list. The only song on the list without lyrics, listening to it relaxes me and reminds me of taking a drive through the country. Hearing to this song on my solo drive back from Austin this year while I took in breathtaking view after view was a peaceful and tranquil memory.

8. 1901 – Phoenix. Phoenix’s “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” album starts with a string of infectious songs and it was difficult to choose which one to place on my list. I decided to go with this one because it’s just a great, fun song to listen to. Phoenix has become one of my go-to bands when I’m in a good mood. I listen to this song and my love for life gets magnified.

7. Sunshine – Atmosphere. Who hasn’t woken up hungover and feeling like shit the day after an awesome party? This song takes that feeling and turns it into something wonderful. It radiates good vibes and takes that feeling and turns it into something wonderful. From the moment you hear that beat, you’ll be nodding your head as Atmosphere takes you through a perfect day. Great song to bump while you’re driving on a weekend morning/afternoon after a terrific night.

Memorable lyric –Everyday that gets to pass is a success/And every woman looks better in a sun dress./The sunshine's an excuse to shoot hoops, get juice/Show improve their moves and let loose.

6. Girlfriend – Phoenix. Another fun song from Phoenix. I can’t put my reason for liking this song so much into words but I just really enjoy it. It’s very catchy and will stay stuck in your head for awhile after you listen to it.

Memorable lyric – Well, you’re far from home,/I’m with you now/I’m lonely/I’m loneliness too./Boy the miracles still give fortune tears.

5. The Reeling – Passion Pit. When I looked at my completed list, I was surprised to see this song this far down. That can only mean that this year was an amazing year for music to me. This is another song that lifts your spirits. I hear it and it just makes me smile and I start bob my head to the beat. It is well composed with really awesome lyrics. The words to the song also tell the story of my transition this year.

Memorable lyric – Look at me, oh look at me/Is this the way I’ve always been?/Oh no, oh no.

4. Electric Feel – MGMT. This is the band triggered the change for me to expand my musical horizons. After listening to a couple of their songs, I fell in love with the carefree and rebellious attitude they promoted. My whole philosophy of living and loving life was derived from this album. This song was playing in the background the night Summer of Paul started. It was during an epic swimming party that produced too many unforgettable memories to count: intense b-ball playing between T and N, swimming in calzones, swimming without calzones, balancing a sucia in the water like a basketball on a finger, roof jumping, dark pool matter, and toilet paper mummy. It was one of the top nights of my life and is still frequently talked about. You could’ve made a music video of that night to this song.

Memorable lyric – Saw her in the Amazon/With voltage running through her skin./Standing there with nothing on/She’s gonna teach me how to swim.

3. Walking on a Dream – Empire of the Sun. While other songs on this list helped me get to the point where I opened my mind and started to enjoy life, I came across this one in the prime of the Summer of Paul. I loved this song the first time I heard it and it’s not hard to see why. The lyrics of this song pretty much sum up the idea behind the Summer of Paul, much like Passion Pit’s “The Reeling.” As Mark and Nick said several times when they first heard this song, they wish it lasted longer. And when you boil it down, there really is no better compliment to give to a song than to say you don’t want it to end. This is another song where words can’t describe how much I like it so just give it a listen and you’ll see why.

Memorable lyric – We are always running for the thrill of it, thrill of it./Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it./On and on and on we are calling out and out again/Never looking down I'm just in awe of what's in front of me.

2. Time to Pretend – MGMT. While “Electric Feel” by MGMT was playing the night the Summer of Paul kicked off, this is the song that set the stage for it and got me in the right frame of mind to change the way I’d been doing things my whole life. It’s not a very complicated song lyrically but the idea behind it is what had a huge effect on me. This is a song that you will be humming all day after just a couple of listens. Besides the song at number 1, I haven’t encountered a song that triggered such a big change in my view of the world.

Memorable lyric – This is our decision, to live fast and die young./We’ve got the vision, now let’s have some fun!

1. The Human Torch – Gavin Castleton. We’ll end the list with the same album and artist as we started it. As I stated before, I started 2009 in fairly bad shape. Still reeling from my recent breakup and failed attempts at reconciling, I was struggling to get life back into focus and I couldn’t have come across this album at a better time. While incredible on its own, this song works best when listened to with the whole album, especially the 4 songs preceding it beginning with “Unparallel Rabbits”. The reason is that you see him losing his grip on his life to that point. He regresses into a bad mental state as his life comes crashing down around him only to finally redeem himself after getting another chance to finish his story the right way. I’ve never listened to anything so personal to me in my life before this. I felt as if I was singing the songs myself. Gavin wrote this album as a way to cope and move on from the pain of his own breakup and this song details his victory over the struggles he went through. The song details how he rediscovered his passion in life and his passion for life. The same thing happened to me. This was my “gentle, perfect soundtrack” that made everything start to make sense. I realized that I needed to focus on the good aspects in my life and when I started looking, I found plenty. This album helped my feet get a grip on the floor and start to move in the right direction again. Definitely check it out. You can stream it for free on Gavin Castleton’s website here.

Memorable lyric – I was about to turn to something drastic/when I found my backroom music./With a gentle perfect soundtrack/everything starts to make sense.

Honorable mention: The Consensual Spot - Mr. Nicotron, Jazzhole–Free the Robots, Burial–Miike Snow, Sleepyhead–Passion Pit