2009 - The Music

2009 has been another year of massive changes, and for the better. As usual these songs are not necessarily from the best albums of the year but are the ones that kept my interest. I mean, the Beatles catalog was remastered, your best of is right there! Sadly, there is not going to be a complete download of this mix available, blame time and technology constraints. What I have done is included some MP3 links to a few of the songs, some links to various versions of a song on You Tube. If there's anything on here that interests you, shoot me an email and we'll work something out.

Fitz & Dizzyspells - Andrew Bird. I always look for an opening song. Usually it's one that hooks me from the first listen and tells me it's going to lead off the year end CD. The honor goes to Andrew Bird.Here's a video.

Zorbing - Storonway. There's something about the harmonies in this group from Oxford that grabs me. Thanks to the music blog The Pop Cop for this one. From Jools Holland.



You Can Have a Cell Phone that's Ok - Jonathan Richman. The man keeps going. We saw him live this summer. My third time seeing him in person and he's as exuberant as ever. And this is a song I can relate to! Give it a spin!.

Picture Perfect - Strawberry Whiplash. This is a pleasant little pop gem from a Glasgow based group. Has a good Julianna Hatfield vibe to it. So sweet!

Maybe So, Maybe No - Mayer Hawthorne. Twenty nine year old white guy from Ann Arbor makes groovy R&B record. Production values straight out of 1973. Dig the video.

Heaven Can Wait - Charlotte Gainsbourg. I'm going to listen to this new song she did with Beck instead of going to see her in Antichrist. She's easy on the eyes.

Looking Out - Brandi Carlile. She's an earnest one. Lots of people raved about her last record and the way her voice broke while singing The Story. It was a bit over wrought and custom made for Grey's Anatomy for me, much like the new one from Regina Spektor. Her new record is a bit looser, and has a lot more depth. Here's a live video from before the record was released.

Fabric of My Life - Zooey Deschanel. Yes, it's from a commercial. But have you seen the ad? Watch the ad! She's so damn cute. And the ad is for cotton. How can you be mad at Zooey Deschanel in cotton?

Doomsday - Elvis Perkins in Dearland. The young man has issues, lost his father from AIDS, his mother was in one of the planes that hit the WTC. Doomsday is a Tuesday for sure. But Elvis twists the sorrow with a joyous funeral dirge. Glorious! Great performance here.

Till Min System - Love Lindblom. This one's from Sweden. I have no idea what he's singing about, but I'm sure they're nice things. Then the horns kick in, the 'say wha?' chorus is infectious and you'll love Lindblom too. You can find the love here..

Go All the Way - Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet. Twenty years ago I suggested The Bangles cover this song. When they broke up I kept saying Susanna should sing this one. People laughed at me. Who is laughing now? Dreams come true!

Liberator - Force Vomit. I got this one from a number of blogs who compile a selection of international, independent music each month. It's called the Music Alliance pact and it's introduced me to a wide array of music from around the world. This band is from Singapore, and they rock! Crank it!

Everything with You - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Indie Brooklyn rockers put out a cool sound. Nothing exceptional, but this one has a good hook.

Dog Days are Over - Florence and the Machine. I predicted big things for Florence Wright when I used one of her demos on last year's mix. I came close. Hopefully, she'll be able to follow up Lungs with a strong sound. Mercury Prize performance here.

Love Runs Deeper - Lindsey Buckingham. Each year I put in an obligatory song that was released late in the previous year. Gift of Screws came out in September and I did not hear it until earlier this year. He's still got the writing knack and displays some mad guitar skills throughout the record. I love this one because every acoustic guitar in the world is playing. Nice live performance.

People Got a Lotta Nerve - Neko Case. Her voice is amazing. Her phrasing is top notch. I wish her material was worthy of her instrument though. This is good, but if the writing quality was raised a few notches the results would be scary great. Live in Charlotte a couple of weeks ago.

Flatten the Hay - The Duckworth Lewis Method. I found out about Neil Hannon through the God Help the Girl soundtrack in which he made a guest appearance. My Scottish Wife suggested I listen to some of his music. She sent me a couple of You Tube links to Perfect Lovesong, Tonight We Fly and his Divine Comedy projects. I got hooked. This song is a collaborative effort between Hannon and Thomas Walsh. It's also about cricket, which I know nothing about except from seeing the movie Laagan. The music sounds a heck of a lot like XTC and that's fine by me. The Divine Comedy is releasing a new record in 2010, and I'm excited about it.

Musician, Please Take Heed - God Help the Girl. Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian is a busy man. He put out a blind ad looking for girls to sing in a group. I'm sure the audition process must have been a fulfillment of one of Murdoch's wet dreams. The end result is an Irish gal named Catherine Ireton, who sings lead on most of the songs on the soundtrack to a movie that has not been written or filmed. Stuart and his band mates can arrange a lovely song, but can Murdoch come through with a screenplay?

Nearly Home - Broken Records. Another song courtesy of the Pop Cop. This band from Edinburgh has a lot of the multiple instrument flair of Arcade Fire. Hell, a lot of bands are coming out sounding like them. I could have made a whole disc of songs by bands who sound like Arcade Fire. Anyway, I do like this song because it gets over the top at the end. Part of the band's power. Click to download.

I Don't Know - Lisa Hannigan. Another charming Irish gal. There are some very good songs on her See Sew album, and some not so good ones, but the videos are irresistibly cute. Here's the song to download. Here's a different mix of this song on You Tube, it's her in a snug in a Dingle bar performing this song.

Honey in the Sun - Camera Obscura. Well what do you know, another Scottish group. My Scottish Wife and I got to see them live, and met Francois Marry, their touring bassist, an old friend of Emma's. Also got to meet the lovely and wee Traceyanne Campbell, but that's another story! I like this song so much I turned it into a wedding slideshow.