Top Tracks of 2009

A list of my favorite tracks of 2009 (so far). They are all available to listen to (and download) on I Like This Song website

• 1. 1901 by Phoenix

  As many of you know, Phoenix is one of my favorite bands (lots of past entries). Their last album It’s Never Been Like That is a classic and one of my top 10 all-time. They have a new album out this year called Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and it’s really really good. It’s only 9 songs but 5 of them are top notch. My favorite is 1901

• 2. I Am Goodbye by Bonnie “Prince” Billy

  My friend Jamie Hozack sent me this song about a month ago and it rocked my world. A guy in a great beard walking down the streets of Echo Park. The beat keeps building and the instruments keep coming on top of each other. It’s a great folksy country jam that I can’t get enough of (click link above for mp3)

• 3. Starry Stairs by Okkervil River

  This song came out last year but i didn’t really give it a chance until recently. Like other Okkervil River songs, it’s heavy on the lyrics but is still quite catchy. I love that they bring the horns in mid-way through the song to really give the jam some weight. I listen to this while running and have kept it on the running mix a lot longer than most tracks (click on the link for mp3)

• 4. Beach Foam by Future Islands

  This song is very mesmerizing. As the summer arrives, i look forward to going to the beach and wading out into the water and just chilling out in the salt water. This song does a good job of capturing that happiness

• 5. Sad Song by Fredo Viola

  This was put on a mix for me by Lady Biasia and is a pretty mesmerizing tune. You can listen to it back to back every day and not tire of it. In fact, if you were going to throw a dinner party and didn’t want to destroy the mood with the music but keep it chill and interesting, this would be the track for you. Worth a listen.

• 6. Listen To The Darkside by Charlie Mars

  This is a new song that came across my desk about people getting together and listening to Pink Floyd. The song itself doesn’t sound anything like Pink Floyd but it’s still quite catchy and good. Let me know what you think. I like it.

• 7. A Community Service Announcement by Jonathan Boulet

  I found this song by getting a mix from Tiger. I kept burning his mix onto CD-R’s and bringing it with me on trips. Each time i accidentally left the CD in the rental car. So, this song is out there in a bunch of random cars with random people probably jamming to this tune right now. I like the melody of this tune – good for summer driving music.

• 8. Roll On Babe by Vetiver

  This is a very chill yet very pleasant little ditty. Just an acoustic guitar and a base. Keep on rollin’ on babe

• 9. Airplanes by Local Natives

  And the Natives are jammin’. I saw these guys live before Ben Kweller’s show last week and they were incredible. I told someone that they reminded me of Born Ruffians + Kings of Leon + Fleetwood Mac. Not sure if that’s right but it’s still worth a listen. And listen two or three times b/c this song grows on you