2+2 Pokercast Top 200 Songs of 2009 Countdown Thread

[Jay.]

I found this thread after searching "Empire of the Sun" to see what everyone was saying about them here and wow am i glad i found this thread, you really know your music Mike Johnson. Thanks for the playlist and thanks for making it up on spotify theboybarnes.

Also the actual film score for The Wrestler by Clint Mansell is superb. Real good Lou Reed feel to it. http://open.spotify.com/track/3lZx74QXHVobvflrTre7wp

[FelixLeiter]

This thread has breathed new life into my very stagnant music appreciation skills! I knew I REALLY needed to follow this thread after realizing that the only song I recognized on the show was the Smiths' "This Charming Man"...which was from 1983...

Metric, Camera Obscura, Veckatimest, Franz Ferdinand, and Spoon are all on my 'to do' list. Thanks MJ!!

[bigdottawa]

I approve of this thread.

Already listened to a bunch of the artists, but of the dozen or so tracks I've never heard before, I'm loving most of them.

Don't think I'm even half way through the list so far either.

[Johnny Douglas]

Yeah, I picked up "Cage the Elephant" on Wednesday. Really enjoying it.

[Mike Johnson]

OK life back to normal again. Back to the countdown.

August 31 - Song Of The Day
#167 - Arctic Monkeys - Cryin' Lightning



'Humbug' is the third release from Sheffield, UK's Arctic Monkeys and they could lose a few casual fans here but that's the price of growing as a band. While some of the songs may not be quite as catchy on first listen this band has matured and improved. Arctic Monkeys could have easily suffocated from their early hype but they not only survived it, they have come out the other side with their best album yet.

Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age produces and his influence is clear. It takes balls for a band who had the highest selling debut album in British History to take the kind of risks they have on this album and those risks should be appreciated. This track has the retro feel of some of the most psychedelic material The Doors ever released. Elsewhere on the record the even delve into some Pink Floyd territory.

Official Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_G9R...eature=related

[Mike Johnson]

Sept 1 - Song Of The Day

#166 - The Big Pink - 'Dominos'


'As soon as I love her, it's been too long'. This could become the new anthem for all you man-whores out there who lose interest in girls once you have slept with them.

The latest single from UK electro-rock outfit The Big Pink from London, UK is catchy as all hell. They have already won the 2009 NME Phillip Hall Radar award for best emerging act, the award won by Glasvegas in 2008. Their debut album 'A Brief History Of Love' is actually not in wide release for another couple of weeks.

Yes, the combination of rock and techno is everywhere and there aren't many acts that have made a lasting career out of that combination. But every now and then a electonically enhanced rock song hits the mark and this is one of those tunes. Expect 'The Girls Fall Like Dominos' to be heard on repeat at frat parties everywhere this coming school year.

Official Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGnNl...eature=related

[chickenkeeper]

http://www.we7.com/user/view-playlis...tId=635622&m=0

Arctic Monkeys added.

[Mike Johnson]

Full List Updated

Top 200 Songs of 2009 Daily Countdown....in no particular order of preference

#200 A.C. Newman - 'There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve' - Get Guilty 2009
#199 Andrew Bird - 'Oh No' - Noble Beast 2009
#198 Metric - 'Gimme Sympathy' - Fantasies 2009
#197 Passion Pit - 'The Reeling' - Manners 2009
#196 Franz Ferdinand - 'No You Girls' - Tonight 2009
#195 Grizzly Bear - 'Two Weeks' - Veckatimest 2009
#194 Spoon - 'Well Alright' - Dark Was The Night 2009
#193 Camera Obscura - 'French Navy' My Maudlin Career 2009
#192 Great Lake Swimmers - 'Pulling On A Line' - Lost Channels 2009
#191 White Lies - 'Farewell To The Fairground' - To Lose My Life 2009
#190 The Streets - 'From The Edge Of A Cliff' - Everything is Borrowed 2008
#189 The Gaslight Anthem - 'Great Expectations' - The 59' Sound 2008
#188 Cursive - 'From The Hips' - Momma I'm Swollen 2009
#187 Street Sweeper Social Club - '100 Little Curses' - Street Sweeper Social Club 2009
#186 Phoenix - 'Listzomania' - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix 2009
#185 Neko Case - 'People Gotta Lotta Nerve' - Middle Cyclone 2009
#184 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 'Zero' - It's Blitz 2009
#183 The Decemberists - 'The Rake's Song' - The Hazards Of Love 2009
#182 Maximo Park - 'The Kids Are Sick Again' - Quicken The Heart 2009
#181 Ben Kweller - 'Things I Like To Do' - Changing Horses 2009
#180 Lily Allen - '**** You' - It's Not Me, It's You 2009
#179 Silversun Pickups - 'Panic Switch' - Swoon 2009
#178 Blind Pilot - Go On, Say It - 3 Rounds And A Sound 2008
#177 Wilco w/Feist - You and I - Wilco 2009
#176 Empire Of The Sun - 'Standing On The Shore' - Walking On A Dream 2009
#175 Manchester Orchestra - 'I've Got Friends' - Mean Everything To Nothing 2009
#174 Kasabian - 'Where did all the love go?' - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum 2009
#173 Doves - 'Winter Hill' - Kingdom Of Rust 2009
#172 Miike Snow - 'Animal' - Miike Snow 2009
#171 K'Naan - 'Waving Flag' - Troubadour 2009
#170 The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - 'Young Adult Friction' - Self-Titled 2009
#169 Bruce Springsteen - 'The Wrestler' - Working On A Dream 2009
#168 Regina Spektor - 'Laughing With' - Far 2009
#167 Arctic Monkeys - 'Cryin' Lightning' - Humbug 2009
#166 The Big Pink - 'Dominos' - A Brief History Of Love 2009
#165 Noah And The Whale - 'Blue Skies' - The First Days Of Spring 2009
#164 Modest Mouse - 'Satellite Skin' - No One's First And You're Next EP 2009
#163 Bon Iver - 'Blood Bank' - Blood Bank EP 2009
#162 Cass McCombs w/Karen Black - Dreams-Come-True-Girl - Catacombs 2009
#161 Death Cab For Cutie - Little Bribes - The Open Door EP 2009
#160 The Tragically Hip - Coffee Girl - We Are The Same 2009
#159 Keane - Better Than This - Perfect Symmetry 2008
#158 The XX - Crystalised - The XX 2009
#157 Florence And The Machine - 'Dog Days' - Lungs 2009
#156 The Twilight Sad - 'I Became A Prostitute' - Forget The Night Ahead - 2009
#155 We Were Promised Jetpacks - 'Quiet Little Voices' - These Four Walls 2009
#154 They Might Be Giants - 'Meet The Elements' - Here Comes Science 2009
#153 Editors - Papillon - 'It's Light and On This Evening' 2009

[Mike Johnson]

Song Of The Day - September 2

#165 Noah And The Whale - Blue Skies


3 in a row from the UK. Named after the Noah Baumbach film The Squid And The Whale, this indie folk outfit from London have just released their second album, called 'The First Days Of Spring'. Forget videos, impressively, there is an accompanying film for the entire album and it is so strong it competes with The Decemberists 'Hazards Of Love' as the best concept album of the year so far. If you have only heard their light and flulffy hit song 'Five Years Time' from their first album, this new single is a big departure. In fact I'm not sure a song quite as sad and beautiful as this heartbreaker has been released all year. Easily a top 10 so far.

Shortened Video Clip of Blue Skies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj7o4...eature=related

Video Clip of Blue Skies from the Film with extended photography
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oeY7pznUeI

[Mike Johnson]

Bonus Song

#164 - Modest Mouse - 'Satellite Skin'


I was a fan of MM when it was cool to like them and I'm just as much of a fan in 2009 when it's not so cool to like them. 'No One's First and You're Next' is a collection of 8 songs that didn't make it onto their last two commercially massive albums. It features a few gems including this opening track. If the stop-motion animation video for this looks familiar to Tool fans, it's because it's from the same director, Kevin Willis. Despite not playing with them recently, Johnny Marr is featured on guitar on the studio version. Isaac and co. have been playing this at live shows for some time but didn't release it until this year.

Official Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz4DjL7jRcI

'Satellite Skin' performed on David Letterman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Am168zUqU

[chickenkeeper]

http://www.we7.com/user/view-playlis...tId=635622&m=0

Added. Nice vid. Another little gem.

[eric_hitchmo]

Cool thread. Not heard of a lot of this stuff but im enjoying it!

My favourite song this year is The Maccabees - Love You Better

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fs1wkwAMQc

[Mike Johnson]

Song Of The Day - September 3

#163 - Bon Iver - Blood Bank


Following up last years breakthrough album 'For Emma..' Bon Iver a.k.a. Good Winter for you non French speakers out there a.k.a. singer songwriter Justin Vernon releases a new 4-song EP for 2009. Bon Iver is at the forefront of the current woodsier, heavily bearded trend in indie rock. Like Iron and Wine, Fleet Foxes and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Bon Iver attacks you subtly with softer, darker campfire-style folk songs that get under your skin and won't go away. Blood Bank is another one of those tunes. As good as anything off of 'For Emma...' don't avoid buying this release just because it only has 4 songs. Plus you may not hear a better opening line this year then "I met you at the blood bank, we were looking at the bags"

I chose a studio version without much distracting video. Best to listen when not multi-tasking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=774mO...eature=related

[driver]

Just about every Bon Iver song is a winner (except for Woods on the Blood Bank ep) and the Mouse's Satellite Skin is one of those songs you wonder why it didn't make the cut on a full length album. Of course, I think it sounds A LOT like "Here" by indie heros (and one of my all time faves) Pavement, but aside from that it's a keeper. Keep the good stuff coming!

Pavement - Here

[chickenkeeper]

http://www.we7.com/user/view-playlis...tId=635622&m=0

Nearly two hours of good music.