Was Music Better Ten Years Ago?
The best songs of 2009
These were our picks for the best tracks of the year. Many of them still sound surprisingly good today, some have become better with age. Read on to see what we think of them today.
You can listen to all the songs below on Deezer or Spotify.
35 | K’Naan – Dreamer
The Somali-born rapper would get his 30 seconds of fame the following year when he made a song for the FIFA World Cup. We haven’t heard much of him since then.
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34 | The Decembrists – The Rake’s Song
A high point of The Decembrists’ career of historical rock. They would soon get a brief spike in fame when Mad Men used their “Infanta” in a memorable episode opening sequence.
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33 | XX – Crystallised
Little did we imagine this would be the beginning of such an illustrious career.
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32 | Raekwon – House of The Flying daggers
Raekwon rounded up some of his old mates and kick-started Wu Tang nostalgia, the effects of which we are still witnessing today.
Watch the gory animated kung-fu video>>
31 | Jay-Z – D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)
Auto-Tune has managed to survive Jay-Z’s attack and outlive his song.
Watch the hard to find video (featuring Harvey Keitel) >>
30 | Yo La Tengo – Nothing to Hide
By sounding just like themselves, Yo La Tengo managed to sound like the past, present and future at the same time. A feat that only survivors such as them can pull off.
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29 | Florence and The Machine – Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)
It can be argued that Florence’s mix of Kate Bush and bombast is the source of much of female art-pop today, up to FKA Twigs.
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28 | Morrissey – Something is squeezing My Skull
Back when he was still not an insufferable arsehole, one of our idols could still thrill while being true to his legacy.
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27 | Fever Ray – When I grow Up
Karin Dreijer took time off The Knife, one of the best bands ever, to prove that she could actually be just as innovative and awesome as a solo artist. She would leave us waiting for the (disappointing) follow up for eight full years!
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26 | Neko Case – People Got A Lot Of Nerve
She’s a “killer whale” and a “man man man man man-eater”. A few years later, she would sing that she was simply a “Man“. She’s always been amazing, and we still love her madly.
Watch the brilliantly trippy video >>
25 | Girls – Lust For Life
We had completely forgotten about this one, but when we heard it again we remembered every word of it! That’s what timeless sounds like. A highlight of a brief career that burned very bright.
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24 | Camera Obscura – French Navy
After years in obscurity (pun only half-intended) they scored a lasting hit with their debut on seminal indie label 4AD. We wouldn’t be surprised if they inspired Metronomy’s very successful swerve to baroque sophisti-pop a couple of years later.
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23 | Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Young Adult Friction
Everyone was idolising the 1990s back then, but this lot topped them all with their sheer unadulterated passion for the sounds of the previous decade(s). They finally broke up this year.
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22 | Asobi Seksu – Me And Mary
When everyone was doing shoegaze revivals, this Japanese/American band was amongst the most reliably interesting. They had the one of the best names of the past decade (which meant “casual sex”) and brilliantly mixed noise and pop.
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21 | XX – Basic Space
Continuing their winning streak, this single had all the elements that would later come to the surface in their surprisingly long legacy: Jamie XX’s electronic leanings, the mix of quiet post-punk and 1980s club music, and their inimitable dual-harmony whispered vocals. One wonders if Billie Eilish was old enough to be listening back then.
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20 | Wavves – So Bored
Another one that had faded from memory over the years, but still sounds fresh and thrilling today. While everyone did noise-pop, Wavves were so bored that they didn’t even bother too much with cleaning up the production. The result is such a perfect blend of melody and ramshackle fuzz that it might be the best ode to boredom since the Buzzcock’s classic.
Watch the insanely adequate fan-made video >>
19 | Atlas Sound – Walkabout
Bernard Cox briefly set aside the dark vibes of his main band, Deerhunter, to do happier, sunnier stuff… to stunning results. This bouncy quirky collaboration with Animal Collective’s Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox) was a highlight that he somehow managed to surpass (see later).
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18 | Los Campesinos! – The Sea Is A Good Place To Think About The Future
We were so blown away by Los Campesinos! the previous year that we would have put anything they released after that in our top songs list. It was still a bit jarring to hear the new “grown up” sound which would become their default style over the years, but the craft and eloquence shines through. I mean, can you beat “you could never kiss a Tory boy without wanting to cut off your tongue again”?
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17 | Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
The title track of Bibio’s masterpiece was a perfect showcase of his pioneering folktronica. It would have been tempting to lump it with chillwave (see below) but it’s way above that!
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16 | Neon Indian – Should’ve taken Acid With You
In the middle of all the terrible stuff happening back then–maybe even because of it–a strange hybrid of hippie-music and electronica seemed to be searching for an elusive third Summer of Love. It was called chillwave and it was thankfully short-lived, but Neon Indian’s debut single that sparked it still stands as a classic.
Watch one of the many blissed-out fan videos >>
15 | Super Furry Animals – The Very Best of Neil Diamond
The woefully underrated Welsh heroes forewarned us about Fake News before it was even a thing. This awesome single from what was to be their last album has everything that was great about them: catchy hooks, heavy subject matter told in simple, surreal metaphors, and sonic adventurousness. They are missed indeed!
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14 | Mos Def – Casa Bey
Mos Def’s long-awaited return to save hip hop was heralded by this gem, which showed that his outlook was now truly global. Based on Brazilian funk heroes Mamba Black Rio’s “Casa Forte”, it has Mos already sounding like an elder statesman. His lyrical acrobatics combined with the slinky groove make it a precursor to the more roots-conscious rap of Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak.
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13 | Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension
Having kick-started rock revival at the beginning of the 21st century with the Strokes, Julian Casablancas released his first solo song just when their relevance was being questioned. Strongly rooted in neon New Wave, it features the charmingly naïve political and moral engagement, as well as the sound, that he would pursue to this day, even with the reunited Strokes.
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12 | Bibio – Jealous of Roses
Another highlight from Bibio’s masterpiece, this track is warm, lush soul chopped up and electronically manipulated to sound alien. The otherworldly studio wizard vibe is a precursor to Jai Paul’s breakout hit, “Jasmine”, four years later.
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11 | Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks
Back then Grizzly Bear were critics’ darlings, but we couldn’t stand them most of the time. Except when they pared down their arty farty excess and concentrated on their obvious talents for great hooks, like they do here. They topped it off with a brilliantly creepy video, that was one of the best of that year.
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10 | The Very Best – Warm Heart Of Africa
The Very Best’s album is still on constant rotation on our turntables to this day, and this was the most obvious pop hit amongst its many gems. It is seriously indebted to Vampire Weekend, and even has their lead singer Ezra Koenig sharing lead vocals. It’s brilliant to dance to, as the epically cheesy video makes clear.
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9 | Horrors – Sea Within A Sea
Channelling krautrock, The Horrors deliver an epic droning track that recalls some of our favourite music, such as Can’s “Mother Sky” and Neu!’s “Hallogallo“.
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8 | Wild Beasts – All The King’s Men
We were obsessed with Wild Beasts that year: the duelling alto and falsetto, glammy guitars, twisted humour. Less so today, actually.
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7 | Wild Beasts – Hooting and Howling
Yes it would seem we’ve certainly outgrown the Beats. It was good stuff though.
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6 | Phoenix – 1901
Phoenix pulled off the rare feat of French artists celebrated by anglophone indie fans, after years of silence from Daft Punk and Air. Charlotte Gainsbourg would very soon join them. They filled the void left by the Strokes, with the French panache of reinventing old sounds: updating early 2000’s garage-indebted rock with buzzing synths to replace fuzzy guitars.
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5 | Atlas Sound – Quick Canal
The highlight of Bradford Cox’s side adventure, this is the best Stereolab song not recorded by Stereolab. Cox recruited Laetitia Sadier, and her contribution elevates the song to the rank of her band’s classics, and indeed all-time classics of any band. The daunting eight-minute duration flies by, and you always want to start again when it’s over. The flip midway from sultry melodic pop to noise-drenched bliss should scare away all those who don’t get it–and don’t deserve it–but every true Stereolab lover will appreciate the tribute.
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4 | Yoko Ono – Between My Head and the Sky
Back then, Yoko had already epitomized fearless cool for nearly six decades, and there she was again! Surrounded by her adventurous disciples–son Sean Lennon, our beloved Cornelius, Cibo Matto’s Yuka Honda, and more–she croaks, moans, groans and yelps her poetry to avant-garde jazzy blues.
Watch it go down live >>
3 | St Vincent – Actor out of Work
Annie Clark made her breakthrough with this absolute gem, which she has yet to top in our opinion. Driving, exuberant pop swimming in crashing guitar waves, and lyrics that are deep and simple at the same time. That year’s best video showcased her sublime alien beauty. We’re less fans of what came later, but we will love this forever.
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2 | Flaming Lips – Convinced of The Hex
We were so happy to see Flaming Lips reinvent themselves yet again, this time as Kraut-post-rock experimentalists. With a song that is a sort of a stepdaughter to our favourite song ever, “Mushroom” by Can, we couldn’t resist putting this near the top. It was the year’s second Can reference in our top songs, after #9. The Lips have of course been pretty prolific since then, changing tack yet again to a more eclectic poppy (and less interesting) direction.
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1 | Animal Collective – My Girls
There was a time, ten years ago, when being an Animal Collective fan was a prerequisite to being an authentic hipster. Their 21st century update of hippy ethos and electronic folk music were all the rage, and it really grated on our nerves. Except that, like fellow hipster idols Grizzly Bear, the Collective had in in them to make fabulous songs when they trimmed down their excess. “My Girls” was certainly the finest example of what they could do, with its honest, working-man sentiment and sunny outlook. The past decade has seen their star fade, but this was their high point.
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So there you have it.
Noize Annoyz 