The 40 Best Songs of 2009, pt. 4: #10-1

Here is the conclusion of my year-end countdown. My top 10 tracks of the year (click on the song title for a download link I've set up for you) are as follows:

 #10 Vampire Weekend - Horchata
Yes, it has ridiculous lyrics. Yes, it pushes even further into Afro-fetish territory than their last album. But above all else, the hook will stick in your head and the gorgeously overlaid instrumentation remains as good of a listen the 100th time as the first.

 #9 Dirty Projectors + David Byrne - Knotty Pine
In a year where the Dirty Projectors released an absolute masterpiece full-length album, Bitte Orca, they make this list on the basis of a single they recorded with Talking Heads vet David Byrne for the Red Hot charity compilation, Dark Was The Night. Fluttering vocal melodies and careful harmonizing leads into a chorus featuring two-note piano plonks that remind one of the "error" sound in older versions of Windows. I'm a PC, and I like good music.

 #8 Simian Mobile Disco - Off The Map (f/Jamie Lidell)
Simian Mobile Disco has always thrived on the single. They've yet to release an LP with a cohesive artistic statement, but they play with flammable beats and sound effects and sometimes hit on some real pyrotechnics. "Off The Map" brings in neo-soul crooner Jamie Lidell and gets downright sweaty and sexy. He brings his powerful voice down into a suggestive snarl reminiscent of Spoon's Britt Daniel (if Daniel had a bigger set of pipes) and rides the propulsive backing beat into a come-hither anthem.

 #7 Phantogram - Mouthful of Diamonds
The first of two top-10 songs that, at the time of its initial release, lacked a proper album or record label contract. Seattle's own KEXP caught hold of and played this NYC duo, receiving so much positive feedback they brought them in-studio for a live performance. "Mouthful of Diamonds" has a slow-building power, with clear, bright female vocals, measured guitarwork and a liberal use of electronic accoutrements.

 #6 Phoenix - Lisztomania
There's not much left to say about Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. It's the fulfillment of the sound Phoenix has been striving for, and while parts of it blend together, the peaks really stick out. "Lisztomania" sports a pop hook quite spare, delicate and nuanced compared to the energetic verses, and this reversal of vitality emphasizes the songcraft at play here.

 #5 Raekwon - House of Flying Daggers (f/Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, Method Man)
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx finally has a true sequel as Raekwon has come back onto the scene with force. He featured on last year's Outkast leak "Royal Flush", contributed a DOOM-esque associative rap over "Stay Off the Fuckin' Flowers" on the blues rock/rap Blackroc project, and he led off this year's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx pt. 2 with a classic. The Wu-Tang collective is dripping with individual talent and charisma, but they immortalize themselves each time they drop a true posse cut. There is exponential power in numbers as these four MCs attack this epic track and once again tear their way across the rap scene with their ferocity.

 #4 Delorean - Seasun
This song, courtesy of a young Barcelona band, is very simple but it is many things. It is the sigh of waves on a dusky shore. It is the far off beating of a drum. It is the natural rhythm of your breath and your heartbeat as you lay in a hammock. It is the slow crescendo of a cloud of fireflies whirling in an empty field. It is the sound of summer.

 #3 Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
Grizzly Bear make really, really good music. When they play to all of their strengths in a song (notably innovation, harmony, complexity, patience, and a big pay-off in the chorus) it's unstoppable. On "Two Weeks" they have accomplished just as much as on Yellow House standout "Knife" in a completely new and beautiful way.

 #2 Animal Collective - My Girls
A lot has already been written about Animal Collective. Suffice to say, I had never truly fallen for one of their albums before this year, but Merriweather Post Pavilion did the trick. "My Girls" is the clear standout on an album of consistently mind-bending music, with tempo shifts and harmonies that should, by all rights, show the Grammy voters what a legitimately original take on pop music would sound like.

 #1 Sleigh Bells - Crown On The Ground
One of a trio of leaked singles that have since garnered the un-signed Sleigh Bells a record label and a full album release next year, this song is remarkable. It is an absolute BANGER in every sense of the word. The bass is mixed high, front and center. Ditto for the treble. The chorus bears a close resemblance to a police siren. The vocals are riot grrl meets tribal chant. You can dance to this song. You can headbang to it. You can work out to it. You can definitely do things I won't discuss on this blog to it. This is what the future will sound like. Don't expect to get much sleep.