2009: one

i guess it's that time.

let's start with 2009. i will attempt (and fail) to encompass the decade later.

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here are a bunch of songs i liked. most are from this year. some are not.

a lack of comments does not mean i like a song less. i really like all of these songs. it just means i don't have anything particularly insightful to add beyond "i like this song a lot."

Mountains - "Choral"

while Choral is solid as an album, nothing else on the record has the title track's sense of graceful, expansive unfurling.

Boxcutter - "Mya Rave v2"

synth stabs so thick and mighty they should liquefy your brains. one of the more soulful dancefloor blasts to be had this year, irrespective of whatever genre you want to assign it to.

The Radio Dept. - "David"

Washed Out - "Belong"

Tiny Vipers - "Dreamer"

i literally can not sit through all of Life On Earth and its soul-nullifying sadness. heavier and darker than the heaviest, blackest metal if you ask me. "Dreamer" is really beautiful, though, especially the way Jesy sings out in the final moments.

Aphex Twin - "Stone in Focus"

just realized this was not on the CD version of Selected Ambient Works II i've had for years. i feel ashamed to have missed it for so long. new to me, but feels familiar and sounds just...just the best.

Nite Jewel - "What Did He Say"

Donnacha Costello - "Waltz For Chet"
Andy Stott - "Brief Encounter"

two tracks that share a particular rimclick sound (i'm no pro so i can't say exactly what it is) and a mellow shuffling after-after-hours vibe. lovely.

Tu M' - "Monochrome # 01"

Dog Day - "Rome"

Joker - "Digidesign" and "Snake Eater"

"Snake Eater" is really simple, i will admit. but the way those vocal samples from the hammy, faux-007 theme to MGS3 just...explode...it gets me smiling every time.

Pearson Sound - "PLSN"
2562 - "Third Wave"

these songs seem like they'd go well back to back for two reasons: 1.) both have this sort of warped space organ melody going on and 2.) both have really smart, lively percussion. that woodblock on "PLSN" is so snappy and the snare pops / clicks on "Third Wave" are perfectly timed.

A Made Up Sound - "Rework"

Tanlines - "Power Everything"

DMX Krew - "I'm All Alone (Cylob Remix)"

perpetually rediscovering how fantastic this track is.

Zomby - "Digital Flora" and "Digital Fauna"

despite definite hit and miss tendencies (the hell was the excuse for One Foot Ahead of the Other? is chiptune club material now???), "Digital Flora" and "Digital Fauna" make for an emotive and urgent-feeling match set. something-something-future-noir-step?

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more to come...