The 50 Best Songs Of 2009

I found it extremely difficult to pick my favourite albums of 2009, so just imagine how difficult it was to pick my top songs. Thanks to the wonders of iTunes, I can tell you that I have about 1,200 songs that were released in 2009, which is a lot of music to sort through.

This year has produced some of my favourite songs of all time, not just of this year, so without further ado, here’s the list.

50. Andrew Bird – Effigy

49. Howling Bells – Cities Burning Down

48. Salem Al Fakir – It’s Only You (Part II)

47. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll

46. Dirty Projectors – Temecular Sunrise

45. Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

44. Paul Dempsey – Ramona Was A Waitress

43. Muse – Resistance

Easily the best song on ‘The Resistance’. Complete with an almost Starlight-esque piano riff.

42. JJ – Things Will Never Be The Same Again

41. The XX – Crystalised

40. The Boxer Rebellion – Soviets

39. Passion Pit – Moth’s Wings

Perfectly captures Passion Pit’s unmistakable sound.

38. Cloud Control – Gold Canary

37. Sunset Rubdown – You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)

36. The Chairs – Horse With Hoof Guns

35. Harlem Shakes – Sunlight

34. The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing

A song that reveals a lot of promise from one of the buzz bands of the moment.

33. Fanfarlo – Ghosts

32. Boy And Bear – Mexican Mavis

If you like Fleet Foxes, you will like Boy And Bear.

31. Phoenix – Lisztomania

30. The Antlers – Kettering

Very intricate, layered, and complex, like most of Hospice.

29. Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses

Cool as hell.

28. The John Steel Singers – Masochist

27. The Chairs – I Wish

One of the most intelligent songs of the year.

26. Metric – Gimme Sympathy

25. Your Twenties – Billionaires

24. Lisa Mitchell – Neopolitan Dreams

23. Jonathan Boulet – A Community Service Announcement

22. Pearl Jam – Just Breathe

A beautiful acoustic ballad from the grunge rockers.

21. Miike Snow – Animal

I don’t care if it was on ‘Gossip Girl’, it’s dam good.

20. Freelance Whales – Generator ^ First Floor

19. Yves Klein Blue – Polka

I do not encourage the use of drugs.

18. Kasabian – Fire

Absolutely epic.

17. Animal Collective – My Girls

16. Mumford And Sons – Sigh No More

15. Fool’s Gold – Surprise Hotel

14. Dent May – Oh Paris!

Quirky, clever, and heartfelt.

13. Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move

Gorgeous.

12. The National – So Far Around The Bend

These guys can’t do a thing wrong, even if it’s a standalone song as part of the compilation ‘Dark Was The Night’, which band members helped to produce.

11. Phoenix – 1901

Cross-promotion material that manages to still be cool.

10. Harlem Shakes – Niagara Falls

9. Dirty Projectors (With David Byrne) – Knotty Pine

Another ‘Dark Was The Night’ song, this my favourite off the compilation album.

8. Girls – Lust For Life

Lo-fi summer pop with lyrics that bite.

7. The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition

Was a single last year, but only released as part of an album this year. Shut up, it still counts.

6. Mumford And Sons – Little Lion Man

It’s everywhere, but there’s a good reason for that.

5. Harlem Shakes – Strictly Game

How can they make music this good sound so effortless? So very very catchy and happy. My favourite video of the year, it’s very clever.

4. Red Riders – Ordinary

I like this song.

3. Yves Klein Blue – Getting Wise

Music as it should be. Clever lyrics that don’t repeat too much, plenty of hooks, and an overwhelming sense of cool.

2. White Rabbits – Percussion Gun

A brutal, tribal drum beat, very cool piano interludes, and impassioned vocals make this song special. And demand that it be listened to at full volume. Awesome video clip.

1. The Middle East – Blood

The most gorgeous, heartfelt, and mesmerising song imaginable. Hypnotising vocal harmonies, an Arcade Fire style majestic climax, and a finger-picked acoustic guitar, what more could you want?