FT50: Songs of 2009

bestof2009cover_songsWe have to start this list off with a disclaimer.  We have three writers, all with different tastes, so the list should reflect that a little bit.  Also, these are our opinions, and by no means, are they meant to be seen as an “end all be all” to the question of what were the best songs of 2009.  That being said, we like our list quite a bit.  Sure, it’s got some expected numbers at the top, but the rest of the list is genius.  We’ve got some of the songs streaming for you, and the rest take you straight to youtube.  Follow the jump for full list.

50. Islands – Switched On

49. Volcano Choir – Island, Is

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48. The Mary Onettes – Dare

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47. Blank Dogs – Tin Birds

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46. Thao and the Get Down Stay Down – Know Better Learn Faster

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45. I Was a King – Norman Bleik

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44. St. Vincent- Actor Out of Work

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43. Malcolm Middleton – Carry Me

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42. Atlas Sound – Walkabout

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41. Patrick Wolf – Hard Times

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40. Dan Deacon – Woof Woof

39. The Twilight Sad – I Became a Prostitute

38. Bowerbirds – Northern Lights

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37. Generationals – Nobody Could Change Your Mind

36. The Antlers – Two

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35. The Dodos – Troll Nacht

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34. The Crayon Fields – Mirrorball

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33. My Latest Novel – All in All is All

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32. Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension

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31. Fruit Bats – My Unusual Friend

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30. Telekinesis – Coast of Carolina

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29. Akron Family – The River

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28. The Big Pink – Dominos

27. Papercuts – Future Primitive

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26. Castanets – Rose

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25. Harlem Shakes – Niagra Falls

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24. The Thermals – Now We Can See

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23. Cymbals Eat Guitars – And the Hazy Sea

22. Tegan and Sara – Hell

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21. The XX – Crystalised

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20. Foreign Born – Early Warnings

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19. Iran – Buddy

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18. J. Tillman – There is No Good in Me

17. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – The Sound

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16. Crystal Antlers – Andrew

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15. David Bazan – In Stitches

14. Metric – Help, I’m Alive

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13. Here We Go Magic – Fangela

12. The Dutchess and the Duke – The River

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11. The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing

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10. Bon Iver – Blood Bank

9. White Rabbits – Percussion Gun

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8. Dirty Projectors – Stillness is the Move

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7. Camera Obscura – French Navy

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6. The Strange Boys – Heard You Wanna Beat Me Up

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5. Animal Collective – My Girls

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4. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Young Adult Friction

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3. Girls – Lust for Life

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2. Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

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1. Phoenix – 1901/Listzomania

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The following songs just missed the cut: “Kiss My Name” (Antony and the Johnsons), “Knotty Pine” (Dirty Projectors and David Byrne), “Berkley by Hearseback” (Why?), “Never Had Nobody Like You” (M. Ward), “Through Sparrows to Rest” (Coalesce), “My Body’s a Zombie For You” (Dead Man’s Bones), and “Starting Over” (The Black Lips).

Sure, we have two songs on there called “The River,” but you can’t really argue with this list.  You can however tell us what you think we should have included, or excluded.  We’re always glad to listen, so drop us a line.

8 Comments on “FT50: Songs of 2009”

  • JRD said on Dec 04th, 2009

    Good compilation. for future lists it would be great if you could use Yahoo media player or something similar that would allow me to listen to it as a full play list.

  • King Tut said on Dec 04th, 2009

    @JRD, grooveshark.com….go nuts.

  • King Tut said on Dec 04th, 2009

    Passion Pit – The Reeling
    Matt And Kim – Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare
    Muse – Uprising
    Esser – I Love You
    Jay-Z – Empire State Of Mind
    Every Girl – Young Money
    The Lonely Island – I’m On A Boat

    “Take A picture, trick,
    I’m on a boat, bitch;
    We drinking Santana champ ’cause it’s so crisp”

  • bRETT said on Dec 04th, 2009

    i’ll see your “on a boat,” but will raise you Flight of the Conchords – Hurt Feelings

    “I’m not gonna wear a lady’s wetsuit,
    I’m a man,
    Get me a small man’s wetsuit please”

    And nicely done with 1a,1b, and 2.

    Swell Season – I have loved you wrong
    Elvis Perkins – 123 Goodbye
    The Very Best – w.h.o.a.
    Flaming Lips – Watching the Planets

  • mwilliamrice said on Dec 07th, 2009

    The lack of arguing leads me to believe that the list was accurate. Good work, mates!

  • chuy said on Dec 07th, 2009

    i hate the lack of credit for Kasabian

  • levi said on Dec 07th, 2009

    nice list guys. here’s a couple more of my favs this year…

    deer tick – ‘houston, tx’
    the aggrolites -’musically on top’
    john k. samson – ‘heart of the continent’
    the avett brothers – ‘january wedding’
    rancid – ‘i ain’t worried’
    she & him – ‘change is hard’
    k’naan – ‘take a minute’
    el perro del mar – ‘change of heart’
    thorns of life – ‘from a tower’
    the sounds – ‘beatbox’
    pastels/tenniscoats – ‘vivid youth’
    lucero – ‘sound of the city’
    p.o.s. – ‘optimist’
    floating action – ’50 lashes’

  • mwilliamrice said on Dec 08th, 2009

    @levi great additions. Esp. John K., Avett Brothers. I would have def. pushed for Thorns of Life had they actually released anything. The bootleg is fantastic. It’s a shame it wasn’t meant to be.

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