10 Singles of the Year
1) Washed Out Feel it All Around/New Theory
There's really no contest right here. These two songs are going to influence the direction of music probably more than anything right now. Feel it All Around is like a stoned-out dream on a beach, while New Theory feels like the saddest, most nostalgic feeling draped in a blanket of warm reverb and tape hiss. If there was ever any indicator that music has ascended to a higher art form in the past few years, this is the benchmark.
As dubstep has pretty much taken over the globe the past year, the wheat and the chaff are becoming more clear, with unfortunately more chaff than wheat. In what is a relatively neonatal genre, there are already beginning to be incredible amounts of subgenres sprouting up, with everything from brostep (filthy bass, simple repetition, moshable beats) to dubblestep (wobbly bass and dubstep rhythms at a blistering 130bpm). Joker is is the cream of wheat in this crazy-ass silo, and his massive tune Purple City pretty much blows up anything else laid in its path, no matter what the subgenre. This is the perfect tune for pretty much any mood: sad, excited, overwhelmed, anxious, happy. Just make sure you've got a good system with block-rocking bass, and you're good.
3) Animal Collective My Girls
Is was upon the second listening of this song, which was accompanied by the music video, that I saw the genius that was AC. Hopefully this just speaks for itself.
A supremely talented group with a surprising full length effort this year, Dirty Projectors along with Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weekend have come to represent how something REALLY good can blow up incredibly fast, with DP already on their second big tour this year and gracing the covers of pretty much every mag. Stillness is the Move is easily their best track off of one of the best albums of the year, a jam that has elements of R&B, indie, eastern, classical, and hip-hop. You must hear it.
5) The Big Pink Velvet
Kinda like Trent Reznor meets Beach boys, this track is incredibly dark and incredibly sweet. Extremely epic without seeming maudlin and marvelously depressing without pushing you too far over the edge, this would probably be a number one track of the year in any other year, except the four tracks ahead of this were just too amazing.
As far as bumping-shit-really-loud-in-your-car music is concerned, this synthed out rap masterpiece is the best of the year. In fact, it's pretty good for any occasion, as long as you're okay with feeling fresh as fuck. I am baffled this song does not get any play anywhere and nobody seems to know of these guys. The Cleveland rap scene should be taking over the world by now.
If you've been to a club the last year, you've probably heard this mixed in a some point. I'm not sure entirely if it's one of the best "tracks" of the year, but it certainly is 2009's dopest beat. Produced by Diplo and Switch, the dudes behind MIA's mega-banger "Paper Planes".
8) Grizzly Bear Two Weeks
A simply beautiful track from everyone's favorite Indie heavyweights. Looking forward to Jay-Z sampling this somehow.
9) Javelin Vibrations
This track combines pretty much I love about the lo-fi/no-fi aesthetic: chopped up, soulful harmonies, a bubbly beat, and a wonderfully nostalgic lead line.
10) Picture Plane Goth Star
Pretty much see above. Though this one's a little bit darker. Still pretty though.
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