30 Favorite Songs of 2009 - #30-21

One of the things I always love to do towards the end of the year is take a look back.  I love to go back through what I've watched/read/listened to over the past year.  One thing I enjoy doing in particular is looking at what music influenced me over the year and why.  What music hit me the hardest.

So this year I decided to figure out my 30 favorite songs of the year (the list keeps getting bigger).  These are by no means the best of the year (I could never claim anything like that), but are just songs that impacted me the most.


Here we go!


30.  Mos Def - "Life In Marvelous Times"

Although this is a great song, is it possible to say that I liked the album overall more than I did any one song?

29.  White Rabbits - "Percussion Gun"

Although the title is already a pretty good description, the song is full of striking percussion-- but also striking piano and guitar riffs as well.  I like it.







28.  The xx - "Crystalised"

Pitchfork actually described it well: a "dare after dare to risk more with less."






27.  Fanfarlo - "Harold T Wilkins, or How to Wait For a Very Long Time"

The band sounds an awful lot like Beirut, maybe almost too much so at times.  But I still enjoyed the album a great deal.







26. Death Cab For Cutie - "Little Bribes"

My favorite line:  "Every slot machine is a robot amputee waving hello."  And check out this incredible fan-made video that the band decided to make official for the song




Death Cab for Cutie - Little Bribes from Ross Ching on Vimeo.




25.  K'naan - "Wavin' Flag"

Songs from artists like these make you laugh about what other hip-hop artists in America here brag about.  K'naan is a Somalian refugee, who REALLY has something to boast about.  It really puts things into perspective, and definitely humbled me in my own personal life.  What do I have in my life to complain about, really?







24.  Welcome Wagon - "Up On a Mountain"

You may think to yourself, "this group sounds a lot like Sufjan Stevens."  That's because he had a big hand in the production of this album.  But the real players here are Reverend Thomas Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique.  The rest of the album is similar to this beautiful song.  Simple gospel music.



23.  The Swell Season - "In These Arms"


Each year there's at least one of those songs Beth and all call (as many couples do) "ours."  This was definitely one of them.







22.  Frightened Rabbit - "Swim Until You Can't See Land"

One of my favorite lines of the year:  ”Are you a man or are you a bag of sand?”  I'm really excited about this upcoming album.








21.  Bat For Lashes - "Glass"

This artist has been an unexpected surprise.