Stew's Top Ten Songs of 2009

I get depressed on airplanes. Not really sure why; probably something to do with traveling away from people I care about and feeling isolated despite being in such close quarters with randoms.

And that's when I reach for my ipod. And these are the 2009 songs I'm most likely to put on.

Catchy-ness is a factor here. Hell, two of these songs appeared in commercials this year (bonus points for anyone who can name which two songs in the comments). So here you go, my ultimate playlist of 2009. Some of these bands may pop up in my top albums list next week...

Volume is your friend on these tracks. TURN IT UP!

TEN
I Want You Back - Discovery
How better to start a top ten list for the year of Michael Jackson's death than with a cover of arguably his best song? And yes, Discovery recorded this track before MJ died. White boys and auto-tune: who knew?

NINE
How to Emcee - Rakim
Rakim explains how its done. As Gabe would say, "Like learning to sculpt from Michaelangelo himself." Old school.

EIGHT
Lucid Dreams - Franz Ferdinand
Franz throws it down with an adventurous late-disc track. Whether or not you like the electronic outro on this track is a matter of personal preference, but the chorus is money for all involved.

SEVEN
Ambling Alp - Yeasayer
I was gonna put Tightrope by the same artist here, but then Ambling Alp came out. Honestly, this song is just better. Makes me really excited for Yeasayer's second LP, out in February. Still, props to Dark Was The Night (where Tightrope appears) for being a really enjoyable charity compiliation.

SIX
60 Feet Tall - The Dead Weather
I'm gonna quote my long-lost blog post about Horehound here: "The opening track sounds like it was recorded at Electric Ladyland with the ghost of Jimi Hendrix manning the soundboards. And the building was on fire." No mp3 here, apparently TDW's record company frowns on that stuff.

60 Feet Tall - The Dead Weathe...

And now the top five. I make no apologies for these songs being insanely catchy.

FIVE
Ain't No Rest For The Wicked - Cage the Elephant
Someone told me that this track was actually a cover and that they were tired of bands getting credit for songs they didn't write. I told him I just didn't care. Like Nuke LaLoosh in Bull Durham, Cage the Elephant announces their presence with authority on their debut album, and this single is the highlight.

FOUR
1901 - Phoenix
Yeah, this song got a little ubiquitous as the year went along. But that doesn't change the fact that this track is just incredible. Either Lisztomania or 1901 has to be on every best songs list this year. For my money, I'll take 1901.

THREE
Little Secrets - Passion Pit
Nate: "Of course you like it, it's like four pop songs in one!" Can't argue with that. The multi-layered nature of Passion Pit's tracks is what I love about them, and Little Secrets is the best example of that. Also their most fun song live. My jam of the summer.

TWO
Bicycle - Memory Tapes
Davye Hawk shows a gift for melody on Memory Tapes' stunning debut, Seek Magic. Never is that gift more apparent than on this track, my 2009 "song for driving through the city at night." You know what I'm talking about. The outro reminds me of Hey Jude: repetitive, but so good you just don't want it to end.

ONE
While You Wait For The Others - Grizzly Bear
I can't help but gush about this song. It's epic, it's unique, it's sonically flawless, it's staggering live, and yet at it's core it's just a breakup song. Music went a lot of different ways in 2009, but for me, it peaked at the three minute mark of this track.