Top 20 Favorite Tracks of 2009

Joining in with the list hysteria (or listeria?) that accompanies the end of year AND decade polls, i’ve been having entirely too much fun concocting my own pointless and shamelessly self-indulgent ‘Best Of’ compilations for 2009.

Them Crooked Vultures

The Decemberists

In my defence, this is in part because i’ve been motivated by the deeply flawed efforts to grade this decade on the strength of it’s album content alone. Why this emphasis still on albums? Surely this era in music has been notable for the rise in influence of the ‘track’? I also can’t help but think that concentrating on the ‘best’ is to ignore the overbearing influx of utter shit that has really underpinned the decade. Whilst singles charts have been rendered unlistenable, the radiowaves operate solely on safe playlists of fewer artists and material. We move on…

(Before i rant further, it is necessary at this point to give my whole-hearted support to the #ratm4xmas campaign to get ‘Killing In The Name’ to Xmas Number 1 in the UK above any X-Factor bullshit. I don’t care if i’m putting more money in major labels pockets, I want Rage blasting out of radio stations ahead of any Cowell protege. That is all.)

If there is a wholly natural and healthy inclination to end an era on a positive spin, then we could do a lot worse than look on this year as a bit of a case study in musical promise. For me, the 20 tracks that have given me reason to make this list (that i’m going to profile one-by-one til 31st December) are evidence of a new way for people to explore and listen to new music.

Through internet blogs and the social networking buzz, a single track can launch an artist’s new material. Just look at what ‘Day n Nite’ did for Kid CuDi, or ‘My Girls’ for Animal Collective. There have been some pretty solid albums released this year – but in an age where you download an artists material on the strength of each individual track, this list seems like a relevant summing up of the musical year, at least as i see it.

Enjoy