20. Major Lazer – Pon De Floor

To me this song sounds like it should be released in 2015, it’s THAT ahead of its time. As it is, it ended up sending dancefloors into chaotic frenzies whenever it was played in 2009.

Listen: Major Lazer – Pon De Floor ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Major Lazer – Pon De Floor

19. Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings

The first half of this song  I imagine myself cycling along an old cobbled street Hovis-stylee, the sun hot on the back of my neck. The second half, the street turns into a grassy hill and I’m speeding down it, racing my giggling friends who all look like they’ve jumped out of a T-Mobile ad. I’m wearing GAP obvs.

Listen: Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings

18. Tiga – Shoes

Why did this song not blow-up chart-wise? I swear to god I was so sure Radio 1 would be playing the shit out this banger. Not Tiga’s fault – I blame marketing. WTF were they thinking. Such a catchy track with funny lyrics that should appeal to Joe Public. Fuck them, Tiga, it’s the sound of your talent.

Listen: Tiga – Shoes ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Tiga – Shoes

17. Wilco – You Never Know

First summer anthem of the list (well it’s my favourite season after all) and out of the stalls runs a fucking camel with a party hat. Yes Wilco are brilliant – I don’t even need to exlain why this song rocks my cocks.

Listen: Wilco – You Never Know ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Wilco – You Never Know

16. Javelin – Lindsay Brohan (12″ Mix)

There’s something missing on the album version of this song, hence why I’ve picked the 12″ Mix as my number 16 track of 2009. I love Javelin because all I can hear when I listen to them is potential.

Listen: Javelin – Lindsay Brohan (12″ Mix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Javelin – Lindsay Brohan (12″ Mix)

15. Royksopp – The Girl And The Robot (Feat. Robyn)

One of the best pop songs of 2009. Robyn is absolutely stunning on this track. The melody sounds so familiar to me too but that’s how good Royksopp are I guess. Stop playing mind games on me, fuckers.

Listen: Royksopp – The Girl And The Robot ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Royksopp – The Girl And The Robot

14. Gucci Vump – Sha! Shtil! (L-Vis 1990 Remix)

Hypnotic as hell, I think I played this song about 20 times in a row after the first listen. Starts to worm away at your conscious state after about 2-mins. Cracking remix.

Listen: Gucci Vump – Sha! Shtil! (L-Vis 1990 Remix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Gucci Vump – Sha! Shtil! (L-Vis 1990 Remix)

13. Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky

The good bit doesn’t shimmy in until about 3-mins in but this song still makes me have the ‘YES feeling’. Sampling the Grateful Dead was a masterstroke. I’ve heard the song they pinched “What Would I Want? Sky” from and the lyrics are actually “Sky! Whoa, I walk“. My mind boggles at their talent.

Listen: Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky

12. Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer

Of the songs on this list, this song probably best summarises my life in 2009. I wasn’t a deadbeat (although I did try like hell), but I think the world was. Global recession, climate catastrophes and the death of MJ. Did we care? Did we fuck. We were deadbeats.

Listen: Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer

11. La Roux – Bulletproof

THE catchiest chorus of the year I swear I even heard the cast of Greggs the bakers singing this when I went in for a sausage roll. More than that though, this is a fucking fantastic song. What a nerve La Roux has to think she can sing “Bulleeeeeeeetproof” and get away with it. If only more songwriters had the confidence to extend a word like that.

Listen: La Roux – Bulletproof ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: La Roux – Bulletproof

10. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance

“Ra Ra Ah Ah Ah, Roma Ro Ma Ma, Ga Ga Ooh La La” She’s a filthy bitch eh, but she’s only gone and nailed the pop single of the 2009 for me. People, we’re in the early (and extremely talented) stages of this bint’s career. Think Prince/Bowie/MJ. Cherish it while it lasts – she’ll soon be seen wearing nout but a merkin to the Grammys 2012, marrying Susan Boyle in 2016 and replacing compare the fucking meercat dot com in 2020. “Seemples Ro Ma Ma“. Or not.

Listen: Lady Gaga – Bad Romance ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Lady Gaga – Bad Romance

9. Tiga – What You Need (Proxy Remix)

If a dance floor ever needed to be quickly turned into a pit of writhing bits, tits & clits then just hit them with this. Out-doing most DJs this year in my opinion, Proxy had a cracking year for his original material as well as his remixes for other people. This Tiga remix is my favourite by a country mile. Proxy got what we need, babe.

Listen: Tiga – What You Need (Proxy Remix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Tiga – What You Need (Proxy Remix)

8. Grum – Heartbeats

This song is to blame/thank for one of the most euphoric moments of my life, followed by one of the most hungover days of my life – hence the blame. Yet I’d happily go through a week of hangovers just to experience the pure joy I felt when hearing Grum play this when I saw him a couple of months back.

Listen: Grum – Heartbeats ←♥♥♥♥♥ (Removed By Request)
MP3: Grum – Heartbeats

7. Phoenix – 1901

Forget Lisztomania, lets bring it back to 1901. Why are there less remixes for this song compared to Lisztomania? I’ll tell you – because it’s hard to top perfection – and with a chorus made for kings who could possibly contemplate mashing this up!? Indie discos were lit up with the sound of Phoenix in 2009, and so they should have been.

Listen: Phoenix – 1901 ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Phoenix – 1901

6. Lily Allen – The Fear (Duke Dumont Remix)

“Fuck!” Duke Dumont, along with being a super duper talented DJ also shows to me that he’s got a sense of humour – and I love that. Chopping this song up so much that he’s basically diced potty-mouth Lily Allen into a million pieces and reassembled them – Transformers-stylee - into something bigger and better.

Listen: Lily Allen – The Fear (Duke Dumont Remix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Lily Allen – The Fear (Duke Dumont Remix)

5. VEGA – No Reasons

The final summer anthem on this list and one I feel would sound good sound-tracking the End Credits to my life. Just look at the cover of his ‘Well Known Pleasures’ EP. If the camera were to pan around 180-degrees, I imagine it would see a beach full of sun-kissed twenty-somethings dancing their hearts out listening to this song and it would be the best moment of their lives. Now how’s that for hyping a song?

Listen: VEGA – No Reasons ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: VEGA – No Reasons

4. Royksopp – Happy Up Here (Boys Noize Remix)

One of the very first posts on Scottish Friction (back when I was still using blogspot – hi old fans!) was this song. Sounding like a bomb blast stuck on repeat, this track absolutely kills when I’ve heard it on the dancefloor. Absolute genius. Oh and p.s. Royksopp’s album should have probably got an honourable mention in SF’s Best Albums Of 2009.

Listen: Royksopp – Happy Up Here (Boys Noize Remix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Royksopp – Happy Up Here (Boys Noize Remix)

3. Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo

Although it takes about a minute and a half to get into it the pay-off is worth it. Gloriously chopped up vocal samples slide alongside soul-beating bass notes. You won’t be disappointed. He should rename himself dub-steppenwolf. That’s not even funny. Definitely one to watch on 2010.

Listen: Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo

2. Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

So much more complex than they make it sound (seriously, listen again), ‘Two Weeks’ blew me away when I first heard it – and it has held up to repeated listens amazingly. Plinking keys, angelic harmonies and drums that are out of this fucking world (that school bell smashing at the end makes me play air drums every time). This should be played to everyone.

Listen: Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

1. Florence And The Machine – You Got The Love (The xx remix)

Yeah I know it’s a remix of a cover but it is by far the best version of this song. It’s comparable to when Bob Dylan said that Hendrix’s version of  ’All Along The Watchtower’ was “Jimi’s song”. ‘You Got The Love’ now belongs to The xx as far as I’m concerned – they just perfected an already great song. The stuttery drums, the wayward bassline, the sexy interplay between the kids xx, and as if to add insult to injury they go and chop up Florence + The Arsehole’s vocals to buggery. If I was Candi Staton/Flo now I’d be howling in pain after getting my arse handed to me by a bunch of brilliant 20-year-olds.

Listen: Florence And The Machine – You Got The Love (The xx remix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Florence And The Machine – You Got The Love (The xx remix)

Right?! Agree? Disagree? Let me know while I take a fucking week off please! That was a monster post!

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11. Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster

It took a while but Lady Gaga has a knack for a CHOON and she’s a very talented lady. Fair enough she cribs from the best pop songwriters (ABBA, Ace Of Base WTF haha) but I really can’t wait to see what she does next.

Listen: Lady Gaga – Speechless ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Lady Gaga – Speechless

10. Javelin – Jamz & Jemz

Look out Avalanches, Javelin are here to steal your throne while you’ve been away (for almost a fucking decade FML) making slick beats. Jamz & Jemz shows a lot of promise for these two crate-diggers.

Listen: Javelin – Intervales Theme ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Javelin – Intervales Theme

9. Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue

I really like the sound of this record. There’s something very Haight-Ashbury about the whole thing. I just want to grow my hair long, then turn on, tune in and drop out.

Listen: Bibio – S’Vive ←♥♥♥
MP3: Bibio – S’Vive

8. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

2009 is the year Phoenix broke into the mainstream (fucking FINALLY!). I’ve been a fan ever since I agreed with Bill Murray’s character in Lost In Translation that the music (‘Too Young’) at the party he was at was great. Expert songwriters – I can’t praise Phoenix enough.

Listen: Phoenix – Lisztomania ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Phoenix – Lisztomania

7. Junior Boys – Begone Dull Care

Criminally ignored (I think anyway), this album should have received a LOT more attention than it did. Junior Boys are quietly working away creating a niche for themselves producing fantastically solid dance music. A great earphones album.

Listen: Junior Boys – Work ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Junior Boys – Work

6. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)

This was my 2009 ‘summer’ album. Listening to it just reminds me of lying in the grass on a sunny evening, watching folk walk back from their work. I really like the direction Wilco are heading in.

Listen: Wilco – Country Disappeared ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Wilco – Country Disappeared

5. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion

What else to say about Animal Collective that hasn’t already been said by 1000 other bloggers? They’re the perfect band to crymax to.

Listen: Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes

4. Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms

If there’s one album that will define the whole ‘chillwave’ scene that sprouted in 2009 it’s Neon Indian’s childhood-memory-inducing, sounds-like-it-was-recorded-on-a-tape-cassette masterstroke ‘Psychic Chasms’.

Listen: Neon Indian – Terminally Chill ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Neon Indian – Terminally Chill

3. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

One of the most original-sounding albums I must say I’ve encountered for aaages. Every song sounds nothing like the last. And any band that cribs from Nico’s version of ‘These Days‘ and does it with so much reverence gets my whole-hearted approval.

Listen: Dirty Projectors – Useful Chamber ←♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Dirty Projectors – Useful Chamber

2. The xx – The xx

Slinking into 2009 – and completely stealing the show – the xx released arguably the best album this year. With such a distinctive sound and fantastic songs if I was a songwriter in 2009 I think I’d have to rethink my profession – or at least the way I think about writing music. So pared down, so stripped of bells and whistles, British music is in safe hands.

Listen: The xx – Islands ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: The xx – Islands

1. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

It really couldn’t have been anything else. Grizzly Bear stole my ♥ in 2009. I knew instantly the first time I heard it that it was going to be my favourite album of the year. I was a massive fan of Yellow House when it dropped back in 2006, but the boys completely out-stripped anything I thought was possible of them. People may remember Animal Collective as 2009′s standout, but in my opinion no one will write songs as consistently brilliant as these.

Listen: Grizzly Bear – Foreground ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Grizzly Bear – Foreground

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and I wish you all the best for 2010! Don’t be a stranger.

p.s. SF’s Best Songs Of 2009 will follow soon!

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