JewelHere's a list of my most-played and most-loved tracks from 2009. This music isn't necesarilly new to 2009, just things that I discovered this year. If you'd rather just listen without a description, head over to my playlist, where I have compiled the full list, along with other honorable mentions.
December:
Koop Island Blues
I first heard this song on So You Think You Can Dance, as part of the STUPID Mia Michaels' "Butt Dance" (dance starts at 2:40). I fell in love, and while the CD is kind of hit-and-miss, when it hits, it's so smooth it just slides off your skin. A hard-to-find, perfect edition to my jazzy chillout-heavy collection.
November: Share This
Soul Position is the lovechild of Columbus' RJD2 and Blueprint. I love RJD2's jazzy samples in his melodic, beat-heavy instrumentals in 8 Million Stories (Instrumentals), and a lot of the songs get downright funky. This song, in paticular, is just waiting to be part of a Tarantino soundtrack.
October:Addicted
This was a surprise hit for my library, considering I like virtually none of Waldeck's other tracks. If you're starting to notice the trend, you'll see I'm a sucker for jazz instrumentation, and an even bigger sucker for interesting female vocals. Joy Malcolm channels Billie Holliday (or perhaps Bajka, or both) in this tango-infused chillout track.
September: Rocking Horse
I happened upon The Dead Weather by chance, and it's an excellent thing I did. I adore Jack White's mastery of blues rock guitar, and with The Dead Weather, it's almost like he's had the opportunity to return to that hard-edged garage rock sound that we miss from the White Stripes' experimental phases and The Raconteurs' ready-for-radio polish. And of course, I can't resist a minimum-frills rocker chick vocal, and Alison Mosshart (of The Kills and Discount) delivers. In "Rocking Horse," the two stars team up to deliver a barely-restrained, sinister, slithering biker bar song.
August: Speak To Me - Breathe (In The Air)
This is the first track off the Easy Star All-Stars' entirely dub-remixed cover album of Dark Side Of The Moon. I think I might actually like the dub cover better than Pink Floyd's original. It's almost as if psychadelic rock was made for dub, as peanut butter was made for chocolate. Perfect for a cool summer's eve. Sit down, lean back, and enjoy the trip.
July:Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair
If you don't know who Nina Simone is, get yourself to Wikipedia or elsewhere and do some reading. Before this year, I'd known who she was, but wasn't too interested in her music. She's amazingly influential, very prolific and versatile, often imitated and never duplicated. Disturbing emotions seep through every note in her androgynous voice. It's hard to classify her into any particular genre, but it seems she's done a lot of jazz, blues, and folk songs, in that order. "Black is the Color..." showcases Simone's piano skills, just as lovely and heart-wrenching as her voice.
June: Birds
When I was still interested in the Björk online communities, the mere mention of Emiliana Torrini's name was enough to start an epic flamewar, and with good reason. There's a decently-supported rumor that when the music team for the Lord of the Rings movies couldn't get Björk to sing Gollum's Song at the end of Return of the King, they went and got Iceland's next-best thing: Emilíana Torrini. Even though they share a homeland and similarities in their pixie-like voices, the comparison isn't really fair. Emilíana Torrini's had a great deal of success in her own right, and makes some very accessible pop and folk music, akin to Jewel, Mirah and Jem. Birds is a guitar-rich folk tune that rambles in and out of accompaniment.
May:Overdue
Bitter:Sweet may be the best success story Craigslist ever made. This duo makes electronica-infused lounge/chillout music, often with sultry lyrics. Overdue is much funkier and bass-heavy than their other songs, and would be perfect for a striptease. Not that I ever do that sort of thing.
April: Welcome Commander Jameson
I never keep tracks shorter than a minute, but this song is too perfect to pass up. Jim Noir made an excellent name for himself doing somewhat-distressed modern takes on the old 60s boyband sound. In "Welcome Commander Jameson," you can see the chorus in the fanfare procession for the returning space adventurer. With one minute, three words, and a dozen or so chords, Jim Noir illustrates the scene perfectly.
March: Way Down (feat. RZA, Barbie Hatch & John Frusciante)
When two (or three) seemingly divergent music styles combine to form something new, it can be magic, and that was certainly true for "Way Down," my favorite track from N.A.S.A.'s collaborated effort. Barbie Hatch's airy electronica-ready voice meets John Frusciante's melodic rock, and a break from RZA keeps the whole thing out of hippie-drippy and firmly rooted in groove.
February:Woodstock
Folk has re-emerged in a giant way in the indie scene, so it only seems natural to me that folk-heavy classic rock like CSNY would see a renewal in popularity. Maybe this hasn't happened yet, but it's definetely more accessible for me than the dreary, droning landscape of desconstructed indie folk. "Woodstock" is infectuous, and even if you don't know the words, you'll want to add your voice to the layered chorus. It picks up speed as the song goes along, until it practically trucks.
January:Paper Planes
I had some M.I.A. before Slumdog Millionare had its win at the Oscars, but the tracks I was into were a little more obscure. I didn't really understand the appeal of "Paper Planes" at first, but it really grows on you after a few listens. The music is upbeat and rich with M.I.A.'s own unique blend of hip-hop, but of course, the lyrics (and the artist) hint at a stronger social message.
December:
Koop Island BluesI first heard this song on So You Think You Can Dance, as part of the STUPID Mia Michaels' "Butt Dance" (dance starts at 2:40). I fell in love, and while the CD is kind of hit-and-miss, when it hits, it's so smooth it just slides off your skin. A hard-to-find, perfect edition to my jazzy chillout-heavy collection.
November: Share This
Soul Position is the lovechild of Columbus' RJD2 and Blueprint. I love RJD2's jazzy samples in his melodic, beat-heavy instrumentals in 8 Million Stories (Instrumentals), and a lot of the songs get downright funky. This song, in paticular, is just waiting to be part of a Tarantino soundtrack.
October:
AddictedThis was a surprise hit for my library, considering I like virtually none of Waldeck's other tracks. If you're starting to notice the trend, you'll see I'm a sucker for jazz instrumentation, and an even bigger sucker for interesting female vocals. Joy Malcolm channels Billie Holliday (or perhaps Bajka, or both) in this tango-infused chillout track.
September: Rocking Horse
I happened upon The Dead Weather by chance, and it's an excellent thing I did. I adore Jack White's mastery of blues rock guitar, and with The Dead Weather, it's almost like he's had the opportunity to return to that hard-edged garage rock sound that we miss from the White Stripes' experimental phases and The Raconteurs' ready-for-radio polish. And of course, I can't resist a minimum-frills rocker chick vocal, and Alison Mosshart (of The Kills and Discount) delivers. In "Rocking Horse," the two stars team up to deliver a barely-restrained, sinister, slithering biker bar song.
August: Speak To Me - Breathe (In The Air)
This is the first track off the Easy Star All-Stars' entirely dub-remixed cover album of Dark Side Of The Moon. I think I might actually like the dub cover better than Pink Floyd's original. It's almost as if psychadelic rock was made for dub, as peanut butter was made for chocolate. Perfect for a cool summer's eve. Sit down, lean back, and enjoy the trip.
July:
Black Is The Color Of My True Love's HairIf you don't know who Nina Simone is, get yourself to Wikipedia or elsewhere and do some reading. Before this year, I'd known who she was, but wasn't too interested in her music. She's amazingly influential, very prolific and versatile, often imitated and never duplicated. Disturbing emotions seep through every note in her androgynous voice. It's hard to classify her into any particular genre, but it seems she's done a lot of jazz, blues, and folk songs, in that order. "Black is the Color..." showcases Simone's piano skills, just as lovely and heart-wrenching as her voice.
June: Birds
When I was still interested in the Björk online communities, the mere mention of Emiliana Torrini's name was enough to start an epic flamewar, and with good reason. There's a decently-supported rumor that when the music team for the Lord of the Rings movies couldn't get Björk to sing Gollum's Song at the end of Return of the King, they went and got Iceland's next-best thing: Emilíana Torrini. Even though they share a homeland and similarities in their pixie-like voices, the comparison isn't really fair. Emilíana Torrini's had a great deal of success in her own right, and makes some very accessible pop and folk music, akin to Jewel, Mirah and Jem. Birds is a guitar-rich folk tune that rambles in and out of accompaniment.
May:
OverdueBitter:Sweet may be the best success story Craigslist ever made. This duo makes electronica-infused lounge/chillout music, often with sultry lyrics. Overdue is much funkier and bass-heavy than their other songs, and would be perfect for a striptease. Not that I ever do that sort of thing.
April: Welcome Commander Jameson
I never keep tracks shorter than a minute, but this song is too perfect to pass up. Jim Noir made an excellent name for himself doing somewhat-distressed modern takes on the old 60s boyband sound. In "Welcome Commander Jameson," you can see the chorus in the fanfare procession for the returning space adventurer. With one minute, three words, and a dozen or so chords, Jim Noir illustrates the scene perfectly.
March: Way Down (feat. RZA, Barbie Hatch & John Frusciante)
When two (or three) seemingly divergent music styles combine to form something new, it can be magic, and that was certainly true for "Way Down," my favorite track from N.A.S.A.'s collaborated effort. Barbie Hatch's airy electronica-ready voice meets John Frusciante's melodic rock, and a break from RZA keeps the whole thing out of hippie-drippy and firmly rooted in groove.
February:
WoodstockFolk has re-emerged in a giant way in the indie scene, so it only seems natural to me that folk-heavy classic rock like CSNY would see a renewal in popularity. Maybe this hasn't happened yet, but it's definetely more accessible for me than the dreary, droning landscape of desconstructed indie folk. "Woodstock" is infectuous, and even if you don't know the words, you'll want to add your voice to the layered chorus. It picks up speed as the song goes along, until it practically trucks.
January:
Paper PlanesI had some M.I.A. before Slumdog Millionare had its win at the Oscars, but the tracks I was into were a little more obscure. I didn't really understand the appeal of "Paper Planes" at first, but it really grows on you after a few listens. The music is upbeat and rich with M.I.A.'s own unique blend of hip-hop, but of course, the lyrics (and the artist) hint at a stronger social message.
st track: (17 Jul 2007)
