This is not a Top 10 list in the sense that the songs are ranked. Like its predecessors (O Mc 7 and Mixtape '08), Oh My, '09! is meant to be listened to all the way through, as a continual playlist. The songs are assembled in such a way as to fit on a single CD and to flow. In this case you'll see a flowing transition from rap songs to rock songs. Unfortunately, because of this limited format not all the songs can fit.
What follows is an extended version of the Oh My, '09! playlist. All of the songs would not fit on a single CD as planned so if you try and build your own Oh My, '09! not all of the music will fit on the CD (Gogol Bordello's Troubled Friends has been omitted from the official hardcopy, which is being released to absolutely no one).
So here are my favorite songs from 2009! I encourage you listen to them all if you haven't already.
1. "Yes" by LMFAO from Party Rock
This song has to be one of the funniest songs of the year. Probably the perfect party song, "Yes" details the larger than life rap star lives of Redfoo and Sky Blu. This track pokes fun at the whole rap image, placing goofy lyrics over a cliched synthetic beat.
2. "Ghost Dance Deluxe" by Felt from Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez
While "Yes" treads on familiar hip-hop territory, this song by rap trio Slug, Murs, and Aesop Rock follows a darker muse. Murs and Slug confess their love affairs with female ghosts, accompanied perfectly by Aesop Rock's murky and haunted production.
3. "Auditorium" by Mos Def, featuring the Ruler, from The Ecstatic
On this track Mos Def meditates on his life and the times over a Middle Eastern-tinged retro R&B beat. While "Auditorium" isn't the catchiest track off of The Ecstatic, it receives a boost from the Ruler's humorous (albeit a bit condescending) glimpse into the hard life of a soldier in Iraq.
4. "Spacious Thoughts" by NASA, featuring Tom Waits and Kool Keith from The Spirit of Apollo
This song was perhaps my favorite surprise of 2009. NASA's funky backbeats and cacophonous clang meld perfectly with the duel between rapper Kool Keith and musical mystery man Tom Waits. Waits is absolutely terrific on this track, in all of his gritty, growling glory. Here he proves that no genre is off limits to him.
5. "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z, featuring Alicia Keys from The Blueprint 3
Alright, I had a deep debate with myself about including this song because, well I just don't like Jay-Z. He's extremely overrated in my opinion. And while his verse isn't very good on this track ("De Niro" doesn't rhyme with "forever") I have to admit that it has a really good hook. But I think that's mostly due to Alicia Keys.
6. "100 Little Curses" by Street Sweeper Social Club from Street Sweeper Social Club
The team-up between Tom Morello and rapper Boots Riley seemed like a dream come true to me, unfortunately it seems they'll never imitate the power or passion of Rage Against the Machine. Regardless, it's great to hear Morello rock out again.
7. "Drumroll (We're All Thirsty)" by P.O.S.
This punk-infused hip-hop track has an urgency and furiosity that is undeniable. P.O.S.'s machine-gun lyrical delivery is probably one of the best of the year.
8. "Cousins" by Vampire Weekend from Cousins
Taking a much lighter turn, "Cousins" is a very fun song that exposes Vampire Weekend's slightly silly side. Since this song is due to be released on the album Contra in January, this catchy number might gain the distinction of being the first song to appear on one my playlists two years in a row.
9. "Heartilation" by Andrew Jackson Jihad from Can't Maintain
Singer Sean Bonnette rips his heart out this track, exposing his neuroses with self-deprecating wit. But as he sings "There's no one to love, no one to trust in my life", one can't help but tap their foot to the rocking anti-folk sound
10. "King Rat" by Modest Mouse from No One's First, and You're Next
Though "King Rat" is a B-side for the 2007 album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, it truly deserved to be a single. This song is perhaps my favorite song of the year. The music is great and Isaac Brock's vocal delivery is absolute gold.
11. "Lucinda - Ain't Goin' Down" by Tom Waits from Glitter And Doom Live
Although it may seem a bit odd to include a track from a live album, I feel it's deserving since this performance is a complete transformation of two song from 2006's Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards. Waits took a stripped-down song that was driven by some rough beat boxing and a tremolo country blues tune, and combined them with a full band to create a whole new sound.
12. "Watching the Planets" by The Flaming Lips from Embryonic
On Embryonic, the Flaming Lips really embraced a new sound, ditching the happy pop sound for a darker, rougher sound. Embryonic is my favorite album of the year for the sounds and grooves that the Flaming Lips found in the dark and dirty places they explore. The music video features Wayne Coyne in his trademark plastic bubble, surrounded by a whole lot of naked people. Crazy naked people. Well at least it's not Christmas on Mars.
13. "Lithium" by The Bad Plus from For All I Care (with Wendy Lewis)
The pop-savvy avant-garde jazz trio teamed up with indie rocker Wendy Lewis to cover Nirvana's "Lithium" and did a great job with it. Dissonance and added beats make for a lurching, stumbling interpretation that suits the lyrics perfectly.
(14... not on the CD). "Troubled Friends" by Gogol Bordello from Live from Axis Mundi
This is not Gogol Bordello's best song (it's an outtake from a 2005 recording session) but it's still a fun song.
15. "I'll Fight" by Wilco from Wilco (The Album)
Wilco's latest album was great and this song of love and sacrifice was the stand-out track for me. The lyrics are timeless (although I think of WWII) and its sound is understated.
16. "Oscar Wilde" by Company of Thieves from Ordinary Riches
On this song, Genevieve Schatz sweet and stylized singing is supported perfectly by Marc Walloch's flexible guitar playing. It's a fine pop song and a light listen, but it's dynamic variation avoids cliche.
17. "No Line On the Horizon" by U2, from No Line On the Horizon
Sometimes I feel that U2 may be running low on creative juices, but here they seem to be holding it together. My favorite part of this song is how the second verse picks up with the introduction of the second drum part.
18. "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)" by Radiohead from Harry Patch (In Memory Of)
This song was released online as a memorial to the death of the last surviving British veteran of WWI. While it's not my favorite Radiohead song, it has a beautiful (and deceptively soothing) string arrangement.
19. "United States of Eurasia / Collateral Damage (Excerpt from Nocturne in E-Flat, Op. 9 No. 2)" by Muse from The Resistance
One of the challenges of putting this playlist together was deciding which Muse song to include because their new album was pretty good. In the end I went with this one (of course it's the one with the longest name) because it's the most interesting. Muse manage to combine Queen, Ravel, and (literally) Chopin into one song, which is no small feat.
So there you have it. That's Oh My, '09! now go listen to some music.
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