on best music vol. 1…
All right! I think this is the first attempt I’ve made at doing an end of year best of of any kind. I was planning on having this done a few days ago but it actually took a while to track down all of the various YouTube links to songs. I didn’t want to talk something up and then have you unable to listen to it! Anyway, I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave comments and recommendations of your own!
-Best of 2009-
Brooklyn Blurs – The Paper Raincoat
A new find this summer that released their first album this fall. Great orchestral pop from NYC. Their album has a story it is loosely based around but you don’t need to know it to appreciate the music. Apparently they played a show in Santa Cruz before I moved but I didn’t know who they were at the time and missed it.
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It All Depends – The Paper Raincoat
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The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned) – The Decemberists
This, The Hazards of Love, was my pick for album of the year in 2009 in July. Then Fanfarlo happened. Still, what other bands are ballsy enough to release an hour long prog-rock album these days? When they could have (and many other bands do) veered toward the safety of 3 minute pop songs, they released an epic that is very demanding of listeners. At live shows they literally play the whole album start to finish with no breaks. I tip my hat to you, Mr. Colin Meloy.
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The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid – The Decemberists
Prog-folk-rock at it’s greatest featuring guest vocals from Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond. Colin Meloy’s voice seems to be kinda messed up in this performance so just ignore that and enjoy Shara. It shouldn’t be too hard.
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Ghosts – Fanfarlo
I actually missed when this album, Reservoirs, first came out because of how the Zune store works. But holy crap. This took The Hazards of Love out back and pummelled it to death to claim the title of Album of the Year in my opinion. Not quite the epic scale of Hazards and definitely more poppy, but it’s like indie-pop cocaine, I can’t get enough! Great album start to finish. I could probably put all of the songs on this list but I’ll stick with my top three.
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Harold T. Wilkins, Or How to Wait for A Very Long Time – Fanfarlo
Was actually off an earlier EP before being on Reservoirs. Harold T. Wilkins was a British journalist and amateur historian who wrote two large volumes on flying saucers.
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These Walls Are Coming Down – Fanfarlo
What’s left to say? Best album of ’09, in my humble opinion. Actually, I guess I haven’t really said what it is I like about Fanfarlo and Reservoirs. I really like bands with big sound and lots of instrumentation, so Arcade Fire, Beirut, Decemberists, etc. Fanfarlo has this great mix that includes at different points everything from melodica to mandolin to violin.
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Hello Seattle – Owl City
I’m one of those people who has had their fingers crossed for years that The Postal Service would finally release some new material but since Ben Gibbord has pretty much killed the project I figured that was that. Enter Owl City. Leave it to a guy living and recording in his parents basement to fill that void. Great electric pop album. Fireflies is the single from the album, but this song’s about Seattle!
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Little Secrets – Passion Pit
I don’t dance. Ever. So you can imagine how funny it is when I hear this song and can’t help but do a little chair dance. And what band seriously features 4 keyboards?
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Sign the Dotted Line – Jeff Mangum
Mangum was the lead singer of Neutral Milk Hotel. Chances are you’ve never heard of Neutral Milk Hotel unless you are an indie pop-rock loving hipster. But if you in fact are an indie loving hipster, than their seminal album Airplane Over the Sea is probably among your favorite albums of all time. Music that ranges from beautifully composed to wild and frantic and Jeff Mangum’s voice whaling away make it unique if nothing else. You can see in them the roots of groups from Fanfarlo to Arcade Fire to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Airplane Over the Sea was their last full length album and it came out in 1998. Mangum rarely plays shows and hasn’t really released any new music since 2001. So when this song came out on a Chris Knox tribute album, it was a pretty big deal.
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Wait it Out – Imogen Heap
I don’t often listen to Imogen Heap so it seems a little strange to put her on a best of list but her music is just so good that I inevitably find myself wanting to hear more.
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Honey Bee – Zee Avi
Final new find of the year and the newest. Zee Avi is actually from Malaysia originally but she plays acoustic pop that oozes happy even when she is singing about breaking up or having an affair. I first heard her play a NPR Tiny Desk concert a few weeks ago. She just played a show in Seattle earlier this month but it was on the same night as one of my school finals so I didn’t have a chance to go. Fantastic album. As I said on twitter, think Madeleine Peyroux sings Jack Johnson.
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Valentino – Diane Birch
I’m not quite sure what to compare Diane Birch to. Not because her music is werid or experimental, I just don’t listen to much other stuff like it. I guess she can best be described as somewhere in between Norah Jones and She & Him. A little bit of a rock/jazz throwback feel to the music but her voice is definitely the selling point. She has an impressive range and very strong vocals.
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-Best of the Rest-
Since I haven’t really done a best of list before, this is a collection of some songs that I’ve listened to a lot in the last year but since they are from 2008 or earlier I haven’t written about them before. Think of this like the cherry on top. 
Just Like Honey – Headless Heroes
Fantastic cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain song.
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I Don’t Know – Lisa Hannigan
I didn’t realize this was a 2008 album, how time flies! Still one of my most listed albums/tracks of 2009. I absolutely love her voice.
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King of Carrot Flowers, Part 1-3 – Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel remains one of my all-time favs. Airplane Over the Sea is one of the most influential indie-rock/pop albums of the last 20 years. Go reread what I wrote above about Jeff Mangum.
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The Penalty – Beirut
Beirut is a band that I didn’t like when I first listened to them. Then even after I got their album The Flying Club Cup I didn’t listen to it much until I started listening to Fanfarlo. Love the vocals and backing of the brass.
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Blue Mind – Alexi Murdoch
Alexi Murdoch needs to quit whatever it is he’s doing and record more music. Seriously.
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-Bonus Round-
I’m still kicking myself for not going to the Fanfarlo show when they were at the Croc this fall. Oh well, here is a live performance by them recorded by @sarahana at SXSW.
Link: http://hoovesontheturf.com/200904/fanfarlo/
-Bonus, Bonus Round-
If for some reason you’ve never heard of or seen inbflat.net, you should definitely go check it out. It’s music, and I found it in 2009, so I’ll count it as a best of. Very cool project! My friend @javajunky even contributed to it.
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