The 25 Best Songs of 2009… Since Then / July-Dec.

Here is my list of the best songs of the second half of 2009. Be sure to read the first half’s list here and treat the two posts as a tag team of epic jams.

Wow, what a year. TBE is a month shy of it’s first birthday and now I have to wrap it’s whole existence into a short list? Tough times. Well, since objectivity is a myth, I am gonna keep my Best 20.9 Songs Of 2009 So Far list as the gold standard for my pre-July opinions and instead focus on the year’s latter half here. Why let time revise my previous favorites when the same fate will never befall these tracks? After all, it’s just a calendar. Anyway, I hope this list serves as a reminder of some forgotten jams or, if you are new to TBE, introduce you a new favorite jam. Whoever you are, and however you ended up here (Hi freeloaders!), may you enjoy the shit out of your time here (and there).

NOTE: This list wasn’t compiled with the same cold calculations as Jan-June’s. There were too many affecting factors over the past 6 months for that to be an accurate barometer. So yes, I had to take things into my own hands a bit. But who really gives a hoot anyway?

25. Kennedy – Karate / Are you kidding me? It’s a jam about being the flyest dude ever. Get in here!

24. Do Make Say Think – Do / The track I listened to least on this list but at 10:40, a) it is amazing I listened to it at all, and b) I have spent more actual time with this jam then almost any other on this list. Pretty fucking impressive for an instrumental.

23. Fool’s Gold – Surprise Hotel / In a summer full of summer jams this one took a while to sink it’s teeth in but now that I’m on board it’s impossible to deny it’s good-time charm. Also, first song ever to make me wish I understood Hebrew.

22. Boy Crisis – Fountain Of Youth / 1 part dance and 1 parts sex. Heat over an open flame and serve loud. Call it cheesy but it gets my blood pumping…

21. Mariachi El Bronx – Cell Mates / The song that made me appreciate mariachi music for more than just an annoyance at fancy Mexican restaurants. Thank you.

20. VV Brown – Shark In The Water / HUGE song. The only way I could be more into this song is if I was a chick with a predisposition for singing into my hairbrush.

19. BBU – Chi Don’t Dance / The jam with best lyrical use of ‘percolate’ missed the cut of my earlier list but some continued listening, “percolating”, and enthused attempts at juking in my kitchen have left me a fan.

18. Golden Silvers – Arrows Of Eros (with Hypnotic Brass Ensemble) / Bringing the horns in for this reworking was truly inspired. Every time I listen I feel like they are playing just for me. Wouldn’t that be sweet?

17. Pearl Jam – The Fixer / I haven’t enjoyed Pearl Jam this much since “Rearviewmirror.“

16. Throw Me The Statue – Ancestors / That guitar riff is the stuff I live for.

15. Kasabian – Where Did All The Love Go? / “Fast Fuse” was tough competition for a spot on this list but the truth is that this sweet jam is about as solid as they come. I’m feeling some real staying power here.

14. Kid Cudi – Switchin Lanes / This is the night-time driving song of the year. Took a while for me to get into it but it’s become a staple of those specific moments. I’d like to see more of this from Cudder.

13. Big Boi – Shine Blockas [ft. Gucci Mane] / If I still lived in a driving city when this jam dropped it very well could have been the day-driving song of the year. It just screams swagger and head bob! And let’s not even get into the lyrical delivery. So on point!

12. Dragonette – Pick Up The Phone / This song had me by the short and curlies the very first time I heard it. A pretty impressive mix of tangible emotion and irresistible hooks.

11. Boy 8 Bit – Baltic Pine / Pipe this through your headphones and just try to walk down the street without slipping a little dip in your step. It’s like audio pimp-school for the electro generation!

Darwin Deez – Radar Detector (Radio Edit) by LuckyNumberMusic

8. Chromeo – Night By Night / Chromeo outdid themselves with this one. Whereas their previous songs were enjoyable as goofball dance jams, with “Night By Night” you can feel the catharsis of dancing-as-couple’s-therapy.

7. Cassettes Won’t Listen – Into The Hillside / If I played the kind of computer game where you build armies and conquer villages then this would be my rally song for the beginning of every battle. Instead, I just really really like it.

6. Yeasayer – Ambling Alp / As both an optimist and proponent of self-esteem this song is like my guide to life. Except that instead of a tiny booklet it’s a rollicking anthem of sonic infectiousness. I’m reeeeeeealy curious to hear Odd Blood.

5. The Sweet Serenades – On My Way / To list the different ways that this is my jam would be futile but let me just say, that country guitar twang that pops up in there is so butter.

4. The xx – Islands / The year’s best love song. Two voices conveying their setiments in the midst of perfectly sparse, yet still danceable, instrumentation.

3. The Big Pink – Dominos / The kind of jam that car stereos were made for! New speakers are cheap as hell so just turn it up louder and replace ‘em tomorrow! Just keep your eyes open as you sing along.

2. Jamie T – Sticks ‘N’ Stones / I will never understand how this song didn’t take over the world last year.

1. The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing / It’s July in Los Angeles and at 7:52 am I’m late for work. I  push my volume to the limit and drop my three functioning windows. The wind whips rapid noise through the car but that’s not the sound I hear. I may not be able to surf my way out of a paper bag but this is my anthem.

Get The Best Songs of 2009 Pt. 2 in a zip file!

Looking for the original posts on these jams or just more by these artists? Use the “Tagged as:” links below!

Be sure to catch all the 2009 round-ups.

• Best Albums / The Top 15
• Best Albums / Honorable Mention & EPs – YOU ARE HERE!
• Best Songs – Pt. 1(Jan-June)
• Best Songs – Pt.2 (July-Dec) – YOU ARE HERE!
• Best Remixes
• Biggest Disappointments (coming soon)

Written by: Brandon on January 8, 2010.

Tagged as: BBU, Big Boi, Boy 8-Bit, Boy Crisis, Cassettes Won't Listen, Chromeo, do make say think, dragonette, Fool's Gold, Golden Silvers, Jamie T, Kasabian, Kennedy, Kid Cudi, Mariachi El Bronx, Pearl jam, slow club, The Big Pink, The Drums, The Sweet Serenades, The xx, throw me the statue, v.v. brown, Yeasayer