The 411 Music Top Five 12.01.09: Top 5 Favorite Songs From 2009

Posted by Ben Czajkowski on 12.01.2009

From Eminem's “Underground” and Green Day's “21st Century Breakdown” to Alice In Chains' “A Looking In View” and Megadeth's “Dialect Chaos”/”This Day We Fight,” the 411 Music Staffers rank their top songs from 2009 in the latest edition of the 411 Music Top Five! See which songs made the lists and why!

Dan Haggerty

5. Mastodon – "The Czar".

I have to admit, I've been a big time detractor of this band.  I detested Blood Mountain.  But this album seeped into the bones and wouldn't let go.  Likely due to the rock vibe combined with the fact the drummer has been taking his Ritalin.  Anyway, this psychedelic rock journey through hard and heavy landscapes turned into a real pleasure, reminding one of Floyd by way of Seattle with a little something extra in the coffee.  Epic, rolling, and surprising in its uniqueness; this is likely the most creative thing to hit the scene this year and pulls it off wonderfully. 

4. Nile – "Kafir!".

Picking a song from Nile is like picking one killing stroke from a flurry of blows.  But no doubt this crazy technical assault on the senses packs tons atmosphere and brutal lashings while still remaining too damn catchy for its own good.  Plus, the use of the Islamic line of "There is no God but God" (if you know the religious origins) is just way to cool.  It makes for a song that kicks your teeth out while pulling you in by the ears. 

 

3. Napalm Death – "Fallacy Dominion".

Speaking of death metal that kicks your ass - The mighty Napalm Death would like to have a word with all of you hardcore bands trying to punch out death metal.  In their world, you're just another pretender in the court where the mighty rule, watching from the sidelines praying to be good enough to get noticed.  But lo, this is violence with purpose and in its wake all the other bands can manage to do is reach up and beg, "Thank you mother; may I have another!"  You may think your bad but you live in the shadow of the carnage that is Napalm Death.

 

2. Megadeth – "Dialect Chaos"/"This Day We Fight".

Yea, it's technically two tracks but they work together so well "Chaos" might as well be just one big awesome intro.  And awesome this is, the two tracks working together for one brief flash of greatness that recalls RIP era ‘Death with a little uncontrolled, ahem, chaos that points to the band's 80's, combined with the melody of the 90's.  Best line-up since Marty, as well, as the best song since. 

 

1. Heaven And Hell – "Bible Black".

Truth in advertising, there is no bigger Black Sabbath Heaven and Hell fan on staff, so this is obviously 100% biased and errors on the side of extreme prejudice.  That being said, this is still an outstanding sample of what makes metal great, and lest we forget in our modern scene of brutal speed, what puts the "heavy" in heavy metal.  The riffs Toni creates very but dance around a theme in a ballet of guitar greatness, Geezer carries the whole thing on his back, and Dio shoots your soul off the nearest mountain and back.  There is so much weight pounding in the rhythm that light bends around the notes.  As far as I'm concerned, this year old school just took everyone back to school. 

 

Michael James

Honorable Mentions:

Black Eyed Peas-"Boom Boom Pow"; Skyzoo-"The Beautiful Decay"; Wale- "TV In the Radio (feat. K'naan)"; 50 Cent- "Baby By Me (feat. Ne-Yo)"; Fabolous- "It's My Time (feat. Jeremih)"; Jay-Z- "Run This Town (feat. Rihanna and Kanye West)"

5. OneRepublic - "Secrets".

I found it more difficult to pick songs for 2009 than any of the previous years in the decade.  Without the benefit of distance, it's much more difficult to figure out what will continue to resonate with listeners.  Of all the songs on OneRepublic's second album Waking Up, "Secrets" has the best chance of approaching the mass commercial success of "Apologize".  OneRepublic seem to be taking a page out of the Coldplay career playbook, as Waking Up is much more ambitious than their debut.  "Secrets" is a perfect example with its big string arrangement and epic chorus.

 

4. Jadakiss - "Smoking Gun (feat. Jazmine Sullivan)".

I picked this song almost entirely for Jazmine Sullivan's powerful hook.  Jadakiss spins vivid tales of the hopelessness of some children growing up in the hood, while at the same time casting himself as a peddler of urban justice.  Sullivan's emotion virtually drips off the hook.

 

3. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - "Roosevelt Room".

Outer South was more uneven then most Oberst projects, mostly because he farmed out lead vocal duty on too many tracks.  "Roosevelt Room" is a rollicking rock rave-up which features shredding guitar and keyboard work.  Oberst froths against the government with populist rage as he rails "There's no blankets for the winter/There's no oil in the lamp/ And I'd like to write my congressman/But I can't afford the stamp/ You want me to pay my taxes/ So you can propagate your lie/ While there's barefoot dudes down in New Orleans/Looking like they're going to die."  Oberst for Senate! 

 

2. Kris Allen - "Heartless".

Yeah, I went there.  Allen basically clinched his American Idol crown when he claimed ownership of this Kanye track.  He put a new spin on the song by adding a fervor to the vocal which was absent from Kanye's cold Autotune.  Kanye's version would have been on my '08 list had I written one.  I'll make up for it here, as Allen's version of "Heartless" made for one of the most captivating songs of 2009.

 

1. Eminem - "Old Times Sake (feat. Dr. Dre)".

Of Dr. Dre's two performances on Eminem's comeback album Relapse, "Old Times Sake" is leaps and bounds ahead of "Crack the Bottle".  Dre and Em recapture their "Forgot about Dre" swagger and Dre's reinvigorated vocal only increases my expectations for Detox, if it's ever actually released.

 

Paul Schofield

Honorable mentions:

The xx – "Crystalised": I never do honorable mentions, but this deserves one. Check them out, they are awesome.

We Were Promised Jetpacks – "Quiet Little Voices": Same here.

On a personal note, to all those people who bitch and moan that their favorite songs aren't on the lists that we provide, I'm sorry that our brainwaves don't exactly match yours. Maybe you should consider these lists as a guide for you to check out some new songs and bands that, God Forbid, you might even like, and if you don't at least you have tried to listen to something new. I don't even know any of the bands that Haggerty lists for each year, I'm sure he doesn't know any of mine either, but I still listen to what he suggests out of respect for his opinion.

Ahem…

5. Jamie T – "The Man's Machine".

I know, Jamie T right?! I can't believe it either. I've never been sold on his music to be honest, "Sheila" was one of those annoying songs that stay in your head but you never seem to care about. But when this came on the radio, it had to be a sign, as I don't even listen to the radio that much anymore. It's just got something about it, an invitingness that pulls you in on its feel-good vibe, and a chorus that begs to be shouted along to. My surprise hit of the year.

 

4. Frightened Rabbit – "Swim Until You Can't See Land".

There must be something in the Caledonian water in Scotland that has genetically mutated some of their bands into total freaks of nature. In a good way of course. One of my favorite discoveries of the last couple of years, FR are a stunning band, who live are simply amazing. I saw them in London, and listening to "Poke" with an enthralled audience was possibly my highlight of the year. They're probably better live and acoustic than they are on album. "Swim…" is further proof of their song writing abilities, and it's another great song of theirs.

 

3. Florence & The Machine – "Dog Days Are Over".

It pains me that this is only third on my list. Florence is undoubtedly the finest British talent to make it big this year, she has deserved everything that has come her way because of her brilliant album jam packed with fantastic songs, of which this is (probably) the best, though I was just itching to put "Rabbit Heart" on this list too. "Dog Days" is a blast from start to finish, and a riot at its crescendo. Just an amazing song by an amazing performer.

 

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – "Heads Will Roll".

I've always liked the YYYs, but I've never been into them like some people are. "Maps" is a good song, but some people go on about it like it's the Second Coming. Having said that, upon hearing this song, I was absolutely blown away. It's the faultless combination of alternative rock and dance and a riff so dirty it should be checked for STDs. Having seen the highlights of them from T In The Park, I am now one of those people who are severely into them, and Karen O is one of my favorite women ever. The rest of "It's Blitz!" is similarly awesome as well, but this is a song that I personally listened to over and over, never got bored of, and then wondered just exactly where the last 3 hours went. Throw in a video of a dancing werewolf killing people, and that, my friends, is how you roll.

 

1. Detroit Social Club – "Sunshine People".

All year long this has been my number one, and not even a late surge from the almighty Karen O could dislodge it. On a serious note, if this lot isn't one of the biggest bands in England in a few years time I may as well throw myself off a cliff. Metaphorically speaking. There's a bit of Oasis at their best in there, a bit of Led Zeppelin, but the rest is just pure energy, focused like a laser beam into the eardrum, and not even a specifically sharpened and shaped cotton bud could get it out. It's got swagger, stomp, and balls. I like balls. Simply perfection.

Alistair McGeorge

I've had a lack of reliable internet until a week or so ago, and I've been swamped with university work, so this is sadly my first contribution to this count-down. It'll actually be my first contribution to 411mania in I think over a month, but should mark my return to the site. Here we are anyway:
 
Honorable Mentions:

All Time Low – "Stella", Bowling For Soup – "Hooray For Beer", Green Day – "The Static Age", Hot Leg – "Kissing In The Wind", Manic Street Preachers – "Facing Page: Top Left", NOFX – "Creeping Out Sara", Paramore – "Playing God", Tim Minchin – "Confessions", The Twang – "Barney Rubble"

5. Tim Minchin – "Prejudice".

Some people might think I'm technically cheating with this one, but Tim Minchin thinks of himself as a musician who happens to write funny songs. Plus, it was released on iTunes, so that's good enough for me. The lyrics are what make this song so fantastic, and I can't do it justice in a short blurb, so here we go:

 

4. Robbie Williams – "Blasphemy".

Taken from his new album Reality Killed The Video Star, I seem to be in the minority by actually loving this song. Whilst I've not heard the entire album, a friend sent me this song and I was extremely impressed. I'm glad to see Williams returning to more of an Escapology kind of style after the horror that was Rudebox. This song (his first to be co-written with long-term song-writing partner Guy Chambers since their 2005 split) reminded me why I still occasionally defend Robbie Williams, and why I was looking forward to the new material.

 

3. Funeral For A Friend – "Wrench".

The four new tracks on Your History Is Mine: 2002 – 2009 had to stand out against the old favorites on a great career-spanning record. After 2008's Memory and Humanity hinted at a return to former-FFAF glory, "Wrench" solidified it. FFAF showed that they are still the masters of combining high-energy riffs, pounding drum beats and deafening "aggressive vocals". They are one of the forerunners of modern post-hardcore, and this song proves it.

 

2. Green Day – "21st Century Breakdown".

Honestly, 14 of the songs from the album of the same name could've been argued a case for appearing on this list (and I had to force myself only to include one other as an honorable mention). I chose this one because it is one of the best album-openers I've heard all year, possibly, dare I say, all decade. I know it's cool amongst old-school Green Day fans to hate anything the band does now, but as a fan that still enjoys the likes of "Dominated Love Slave" and "Christy Road," I can still appreciate how far they've come. This is one of the trio's most ambitious songs to date: epic, loud, combining several different styles into just 5 minutes of arena-rock-goodness. They truly are one of the biggest bands of the last 20 years, and this song is an example of why.

 

1. Muse – "United States of Eurasia".

If I was basing my list on whom my favorite bands were, or the albums the tracks came off, this may have been reduced to the second-place slot. However, as ambitious as Green Day attempt to be, they cannot compare to Muse for trying something new. In this case, new is old, as Muse takes their best stab at their own "Bohemian Rhapsody" and create an absolute masterpiece. From the piano, vocal harmonies and layered guitars, this could easily by a cut from a 1970's Queen session. As it is, it's easily my favorite Muse song, and my track of the year.

 

Ben Czajkowski

Honorable Mentions:

Seether – "Careless Whisper", Chris Cornell – "Long Gone" (Rock Version), Incubus – "Black Heart Inertia", Linkin Park – "New Divide ", Shinedown – "If You Only Knew"

5. Rob Thomas – "Wonderful".

A bit of a darkhorse in a list of all around strange tracks. If I hadn't reviewed Cradlesong, I probably wouldn't have picked this track up. It's a pretty mediocre album. Hell, the first three times I listened to it, I fell asleep while on my way to Washington DC. The last time, though, I woke up as this track started, and it just snapped me awake.  It's just a foot-stomping, trumpet wailing, energetic song unlike anything Thomas has done in his solo career. To me, it ranks up there with the likes of "Smooth". I love the second verse:

Look at me, I'm made of wonderful, it's terrible
I'm all easy come and easy go
As far as you know
But underneath, man, I'm just killing time
I guess I'm past my prime
and now I'm overrated, overdressed, and overstated

 

4. Eminem – "Underground".

Relapse is a clusterfuck of some weird fucking Eminem. Seriously. If you've listened to it, you know what I mean. More Christopher Reeves. Drugs. A mother complex. "Insane". Raping stars. An obsession with horror film characters. Seriously? Like, I had no idea what to think of this album when I first listened to it. I was a bit in shock. Despite the use of the annoying accent that Eminem picked up when rapping, he is back at his best and matured a whole lot while being out of the game. Coupled with some sick beats from Dre, the "Underground" just spun around in classic closing track fury for the rapper. I love the lyric "Slim Shady, shit sounds like a fable to me/Til he jumps out the fuckin' toilet while your takin' a pee".

 

3. Dethklok – "The Gears".

Yeah, Dethalbum could have been a fluke. Dethalbum II makes a huge point to disprove that. "The Gears" goes way beyond a great song from a fake, cartoon band. Dethklok is real, and they're going to make your face melt, especially with this song. It's just fucking mind-altering, spine-snappingly awesome. Small does an amazing job with the vocals and the instrumentals, especially the drum work are phenomenal. Dare I even say it makes Chuck Norris look like Nancy Pelosi in a furry costume; that's how fucking hard-edged this song is. Okay, a bit of hyperbole there but there hasn't been a better death metal track that I've heard this year that's made me go, "Wow, I want to skull fuck somebody now."

 

2. Alice In Chains – "A Looking In View".

What a year it has been for Alice In Chains.  Coming back from the brink of obsolescence to touring with a new frontman. Now, no one can and ever will replace the likes of Layne Staley. While he might have a slightly tarnished image, he's a rock god; let's be honest about that. After listening to Black Gives Way To Blue so many times, there isn't another man I can imagine taking the reins than Duvall. The man is a fucking monster with how gritty he is. This song is the pinnacle of a great album and deserves to be highlighted as such. If you're a rock fan, and you haven't heard this one yet, PUT IT ON YOUR XMAS LIST. Right now. Go on. I'll wait. The song is long enough that I can wait a while.

 

1. Mastodon – "Oblivion".

How the hell I can narrow down Crack the Skye to just one track is beyond me. The entire album is a standout stroke of genius is what has already been a storied career for Mastodon. I discovered "Divinations" when I accidentally left open their MySpace tab when writing my news report. I had no intention of even giving them a try after I wasn't enthralled with Blood Mountain.But I found myself tapping along, and when the album streamed, I immediately dug it. Since then, "Oblivion" has become a staple track in my life and it's one I recommend to anyone out there.

 

Paul Hollingsworth

Honorable Mentions:

The Black Lips w/GZA - The Drop I Hold, Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler, Kid Cudi - Day & Nite

5. Neko Case - "People Got A Lot Of Nerve": Neko's album was among the best released this year, and the lead single showcases just how talented she is as a songwriter and singer. To be eaten alive by a 'man, man man, maneater' has never sounded so tempting or so delicious. Neko's voice is the kind of voice made for sending you off to sleep, mainly so she can sink her teeth into you.



4. Sonic Youth - "Anti-Orgasm": Although SY never really went away, this album felt like a comeback, and nothing says "We're Back" quite like Mr. and Mrs. Kim Gordon exchanging guttural groans during the chorus of this tune. They aren't exactly spring chickens anymore, but they still know how to make sonic madness sound very cool. I doubt many bands around today will still be pumping out tunes this good twenty plus years into their career.



3. Dead Weather - "Hang You From The Heavens": When Jack White makes a band, he doesn't fool around. Although he's playing drums in the 'background', this band is as much his as are The Ranconteurs or The White Stripes. Having a singer like The Kills' Alison Mosshart can only improve your band, and this single was a dynamic statement of purpose from a band that (hopefully) will stick around for a good long while.



2. Alice In Chains - "Check My Brain": Of all the grunge bands of the 90's, Alice was always my favorite, even more so than Nirvana. They always sounded darker and heavier, and a much better fit style wise to the metal music I grew up with in high school. When Layne Stanley died, it seemed like the band was done as well, but Jerry Cantrell found a new singer, William DuVall, and the two of them have managed to recapture the magic of the original band. This tune wouldn't be out of place on any of the band's earlier records, and bodes well for the new incarnation of the band.



1. Monsters of Folk - "Say Please": Usually super groups don't work because of egos, the ever-looming 'artistic-differences', or because they have no idea of what being a member of a band, instead of the focal point of a band means. However, the Monsters of Folk managed to get around all of that and Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, M. Ward and Jim James made their own indie-version of the Traveling Wilburys and in the process made this classic piece of sunshine pop. The rest of the record, to be fair, is just as good, if not better.

The Final Word

As always, the last thoughts come from you, the reader. We're merely unpaid monkeys with typewriters and Wikipedia. Here's what you need to do: List your Top Five for this week's topic on the comment section using the following format: 5. Artist - "Song from 2009": Why you picked it. 4. Artist - "Song from 2009": Why you picked it. 3. Artist - "Song from 2009": Why you picked it. 2. Artist - "Song from 2009": Why you picked it. 1. Artist - "Song from 2009": Why you picked it.