Happy July! This means that we’re halfway through with the calendar year of 2009. As I’ve been creating a lot more art this year than I ever have in the past, I’ve also been listening to a lot more music this year. Yesterday I swapped some with my friend TJ (who blogs much more often about music than I do), and I imagine I’ll be listening to the stuff he gave me for the next several months. Anyway, I’ve gotten a surprising number of albums this year that were actually released in 2009. So I decided to make a list of some of my favorite songs that were released the first half of this year. In a purposeful listening order, they are:

1.  The Rake’s Song – The Decemberists (The Hazards of Love, March 24).

• The Decemberists often make very dark music (“A Cautionary Song,” “The Mariner’s Revenge Song”), but this one might take the cake. The singer, we find out, was a bachelor who got married and had three children before the fourth “died on delivery, mercifully taking her mother along.” The bachelor, or rake, decides he’d rather not live alone with “three little pests,” and decides to kill them, even burning the final child’s body for “incurring [his] wrath.” It’s got a great, simple chorus, and I think will be what 2009 is all about: child murder (shout-out to The Pillowman).

2.  Live Alone – Franz Ferdinand (Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, January 26)

• Another (albeit somewhat less) dark song, about a person breaking off a romantic relationship because of the inevitability of its ending, despite the longing to return to what once was. The album as a whole deals with partying, womanizing, and their after-effects. The bridge of this song suggests the singer might consider playing for the other team: “…when I get in a taxi / I say “man” to the driver / So he’ll say “Man, I could imagine having a drink with that guy!” A few other Franz Ferdinand songs imply a gay singer/narrator (“Michael,” “Do You Want To”).

3.  Airstream Driver – Gomez (A New Tide, March 31)

• I wrote briefly about this song in a previous post, but didn’t offer much in the way of description. Airstream Driver is a unique song in that it lacks a chorus. Structurally, it’s most similar to Gomez’s song, “78 Stone Wobble” (from their debut album Bring It On), with three verses that repeat a couple of times through the song. I can’t speak as to the meaning or lyrics of this song, except that there’s something otherworldly about them: “All the angels on the wire… I would return the favor / Oversleep the rapture.” The lack of cohesive narrative is also similar to “78 Stone Wobble.”

4.  Now We Can See – The Thermals (Now We Can See, April 7)

• I’ll sometimes try to avoid using title tracks or hit singles off of albums in my mixes, but in the case of “Now We Can See,” I think the title track is still my favorite. In my opinion, it’s the catchiest song on the album, with its vowelized hook and self-affirming declarations. The Thermals also pull off a pretty good job speak-singing, something that often turns me off of bands (i.e. The Hold Steady).

5.  Wunk Engine – Duck Bus (The Movie)

• Duck Bus was a Carleton-based band (hence the lack, here, of album art) who played their last show in March of this year, with two graduating members and a bassist going off-campus in the spring. “Wunk Engine” has been one of their more well-known original songs, the band playing it at most live shows. Duck Bus’ funk and prominent slap-bass has been compared to Blood Sugar Sex Magik-era Red Hot Chili Peppers, and it’s particularly notable on this track.

6.  Fitz and the Dizzyspells – Andrew Bird (Noble Beast, January 20)

• One of the year’s early great albums, Noble Beast is heavy on both ear-pleasing music with inventive instrumentation and unnecessarily wordy lyrics. “Fitz and the Dizzyspells” is more friendly to the layman in the latter regard, but still references an “aubergine,” and “muted screams of an old regime” (all right, Bird, we get it… you went to college). Nonetheless, this is a great, upbeat song, highlighting Andrew Bird’s whistling skills and violin prowess.

7.  Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear (Veckatimest, May 26)

• Placed against this album and most other works of Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks” stands out as one of the brightest, most pop-friendly songs. The back-up vocals drew it to me initially, and I was hooked after seeing the video (showcased recently in one of my friend TJ’s blog posts), which can be found in its entirety here. I recommend watching it, as it speaks to a completely unexpected side of this song.

8.  Boombox (feat. Julian Casablancas) – The Lonely Island (Incredibad, February 10)

I’ve been a fan of The Lonely Island since the summer between my junior and senior years of high school, first introduced to their videos and then their early songs (recorded under the group name Incredibad, and compiled into the album Please Incredibad, Don’t Hurt ‘Em). This track features Julian Casablancas of The Strokes on chorus vocals. I’m not sure which member of the group speaks the verses, but his pronunciation of the phrase “boiled goose” disgusts me more and more with each listen (in a very good way).

9.  Seattle (feat. Emmy the Great) – Brighton Port Authority (I Think We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat, February 3)

• This is the second song I was introduced to on this album, both before its release and in YouTube video form (video can be found here, but is slightly different than album version). Brighton Port Authority is Norman Cook’s (Fatboy Slim) latest project, on this album choosing a different vocalist for practically every track. “Seattle” is less danceable than others but more heartfelt, and an ambiguous exploration of America: “…I can see the blue sky falling like a wire holding up America / And you know you find a new day dawning / Every single morning in America.” While tracks like “Toe Jam” and “He’s Frank” get you moving, “Seattle” gets you thinking. And feeling. Right on.

10.  Woods – Bon Iver (Blood Bank [EP], January 20)

• Blood Bank is Bon Iver’s follow-up to 2008’s highly successful For Emma, Forever Ago, and Jagjaguwar (Bon Iver’s record label) has said: “As much as Emma is about the cold, the Blood Bank collection is about the warmth that gets you through it.” “Woods” is the soft, auto-tuned, harmonious closer to this four-song collection. The lyrics are four simple lines: “I’m up in the woods / I’m down on my mind / I’m building a still / To slow down the time.” Justin Vernon’s (the man behind the name Bon Iver) delivers these words like a mellow, reflective T-Pain were he from Wisconsin.

11.  Guys Eyes – Animal Collective (Merriweather Post Pavilion, January 6)

• Every track on Merriweather is a gem, but in my opinion, “Guys Eyes” is the most underrated song. Animal Collective’s lyrics, for me, come secondary, and the merit of the song is based on the sum of its parts as sounds: the noises emanating from Panda Bear and Avey Tare’s mouths, their percussion, Geologist’s beats. Rhythmically and musically, this song satisfies as a complex, multi-layered work.

Well, these 11 songs make up some of my favorites that were released this year. I encourage you to listen to all of them (most can be found on YouTube), and to explore the artists featured here. Anticipate a second part to this post in late December or early January. For now, enjoy!

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