Best of 2009

It's that time of year again. The cherry blossoms have fallen, and I've finished my Best of 2009 playlist. Some songs on the first disc may sound familiar if you subscribe to the KEXP Song of the Day podcast. As for the second disc, I heard many of those songs for the first time on the ISO50 blog. Initially I started following it for the inspiring design posts and the awesome Obama poster. But I quickly found it a great source for discovering electronic artists. This is also the first time I've included a mash-up in the playlist.

As always, let me know if you want a copy of the CDs.

Disc 1:
Freeland - Mancry
Sufjan Stevens - You Are the Blood
Sufjan Stevens - Blood, Part 2 (Buck 65 remix featuring Serengeti)
Engineers - Sometimes I Realise
Iran - Buddy
Califone - Funeral Singers
Tilly & The Wall - Heartbeats
Sarah Jarosz - Shankill Butchers
Dead Man's Bones - My Body's a Zombie for You
Glee Cast - No Air
A Camp - Stronger than Jesus
Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - The Giant's Causeway
Brandi Carlile - Dying Day
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
T. Nile - The Cabin Song
Beirut - La Llorona
Balmorhea - Settler

Disc 2:
Patrick Wolf - Hard Times
Kid Cudi - Soundtrack 2 My Life
Fuck Buttons - The Lisbon Maru
Röyksopp - Happy Up Here
Notorious B.I.G. vs. Miley Cyrus - Party & Bullshit (in the USA)
Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind (featuring Alicia Keys)
Miike Snow - Animal (Treasure Fingers remix)
Wale - 90210
Little Dragon - Feather
Röyksopp - Vision One
Kaskade and deadmau5 - I Remember (Vocal mix)
Joe Goddard - Lemon & Lime (Home Time)
Beirut - Venice (Tom Croose City of Water edit)
The xx - Shelter
Aphex Twin - Rhubarb (Addled edit)
Röyksopp - Happy Up Here (Marching Band version)

Top Albums of 2009

I'm hard at work on my "Best of 2009" playlist, but I thought I'd take a moment and post a couple albums that really stood out last year:

Röyksopp - Junior
When I found out about this, I basically played it on repeat in my car for weeks. It's just that good. Even if I had a shitty day, I had a smile on my face by the time I got home.













Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon
Although pretty much everything else released in 2009 pales in comparison to the new Röyksopp, this album is pretty good. Kid Cudi isn't the best rapper, and the production isn't the best either, but it's different enough and the whole project finds this groove that sits very well with me. Also, I recommend the Deluxe edition because the bonus songs are pretty good.









Brandi Carlile - Give Up the Ghost
Those who know me know I like Brandi Carlile. If anyone is interested, I definitely recommend picking up her debut. However, this is quickly becoming my second favorite album of hers. It's a nice mix of alt-country and pop, with a few honkey tonk jams thrown in for good measure.